With the release Street Fighter 6, and its tremendous success, it is unquestionable that enthusiasm for the franchise is at an all-time high. However, while Street Fighter 6 has a remarkably excellent cast of newcomers, we can't help but think about all the excluded fighters we want to see make the cut in future Street Fighter installments. So, why not pick a single fighter from every mainline Street Fighter game that we think would be an awesome inclusion to the roster? Well, friend, that is exactly what we are doing!
While we wanted to include a character from each game, things got a little messy with how many editions there are of Street Fighter 2, the smaller updates with few new characters in Street Fighter 4, and Street Fighter 5's season-based model. So, we are separating Street Fighter 2 into two parts, one featuring the Champion Edition roster, and the other featuring the New Challengers. Street Fighter 4 and Street Fighter 5 are similarly being divided into two parts. Cool? Cool.
Updated June 14, 2023 by James Kennedy: With the release of Street Fighter 6, we went back and touched this list up. Now, let us take you down a journey of some of the best Street Fighter characters who, at this moment, have not made the roster of Street Fighter 6. We can only hope and pray that a few of these picks will have their time in the sun. Given Street Fighter 6's success, we suspect there will be many seasons of new characters to come, so things are most certainly looking up!
13 Street Fighter - Eagle
There are a surprising number of notable characters to choose from here, ranging from the Muay Thai King, Sagat to the hyena-like Adon to the badass assassin Gen. However, Eagle is someone we think deserves the nod above all others. For starters, his character has roots in classic Hong Kong cinema, as he is based on the antagonist Petrov from the Bruce Lee film Fist Of Fury.
Eagle's eskrima fighting style is also something you rarely see in a fighting game character (outside SNK's own Mr. Big). And that isn't even mentioning the multiple nods to Freddie Mercury tethered to the character! Eagle would just be a genuinely unique addition to the roster. The last time we saw him was in the PSP version of Alpha 3. It is time for Eagle to soar once again.
12 Street Fighter 2 - Vega
Some people may hate fighting against this tricky, rangy, high-flying, suplex-centric Spanish ninja, and we can understand why you may not be clamoring to see his return; but one simple fact remains: no other character plays like Vega. None. He is an absolute one-of-a-kind character. And we think that a roster with variety really helps make Street Fighter better.
Vega also has one of the absolute most badass designs in all of Street Fighter. Maybe you are tired of seeing him bounce from wall to wall, and maybe you hope to never hear his victory yodel again, but we think that Vega brings enough to the table that he should secure a spot on the roster at some point. Honestly, of the original cast, we think Vega stands out.
11 Super Street Fighter 2 - Fei Long
This classic Bruce Lee pastiche sat out during the entire Street Fighter 5 run. Which is honestly too bad, as that game could have used a rekka-based character. Bruce Lee is an entire archetype in fighting games at this point, and Fei Long is among the very best Bruce Lee-like characters. He has a slick, poke-heavy playstyle that emphasizes footsies. Given what a strong role footsies play in Street Fighter 6, Fei Long seems like a perfect fit.
We also think that Fei Long would look incredible with this new, more realistic, graphical style. And hey, if we can give Deejay a spot on the roster, then surely to god Fei Long deserves a spot too!
10 Street Fighter Alpha - Sodom
There is a part of our soul that wants to scream Dan Hibiki here, as the buffoonish Saikyo Ryu fighter is just so damn iconic, but we are going to refrain and choose a fighter who has been on the sidelines for far too long: Sodom. This is a character who operates in a unique space: being a mix of a strike-based fighter and a grappler.
Sodom has a pretty varied toolset that gives him access to rekkas, charging attacks, but also heavily damaging throws. This former Final Fight boss has been MIA for far too many games at this point. With the heavy emphasis on Final Fight present in the World Tour mode, it seems obvious that Sodom would be a welcome addition to the roster.
9 Street Fighter Alpha 2 - Sakura
This one is a no-brainer. We have been watching Sakura's character develop over the course of many games now. With Street Fighter 5 we finally saw an adult Sakura, and it was absolutely great to see her move forward in her story. But we want to see more! Who will Sakura become? What is next for this plucky protagonist?
Moreover, and this is important, Sakura is easily one of the most beloved characters in the series. She is one of the few characters to not be in the Street Fighter 2 roster who we can say is genuinely iconic. We can relate to the plight of a listless young adult. We want to see her progress in the story and get her life in order; maybe it will give us some ideas in the process.
8 Alpha 3 - Cody
As far as characters in Street Fighter go, Cody has easily had one of the most interesting character arcs. From being Final Fight's "hero" to being an escaped convict in Alpha 3 to reforming and becoming the mayor of Metro City, his story has gone places!
Seeing Cody push through all of that, and regain his pride—finding some form of redemption in Street Fighter 5—we can't help but be stoked to see the next step in his development. It also bears mentioning that Metro City is a prominent setting in the World Tour mode. Clearly, the mayor needs to make an appearance, right?
7 Street Fighter 3: New Generation - Sean
The New Generation of fighters in Street Fighter 3 included a lot of awesome characters. Dudley is absolutely one of the coolest boxers in the series, and Elena brings a completely unique fighting style to the roster. However, it is Sean who we want to see return the most.
It really felt like Street Fighter 3 was just the beginning of his story. Street Fighter 6 will be the next Street Fighter in the timeline, and it is time to see Sean progress. This rough-and-tumble fighter also has some slick moves we desperately want to see translated into the Street Fighter 6 engine. We want to tackle and ground pound again, dammit!
6 Street Fighter 3: 2nd Impact - Hugo
If there is one thing your Street Fighter game is going to need, it is going to be some big-bodied bruisers. So far, there are two beefy battlers: Marisa and Zangief. That's quite simply not enough! And who better than the German giant to add some pure mass to the roster?
Hugo is a Street Fighter 3 favorite. He is a lumbering behemoth who pushes the classic grappler archetype to the limits. He does have a command run, but it is often a somewhat dangerous move to use, as it can leave him pretty vulnerable. Still, once he gets a hold of you, you will know the meaning of pain.
5 Street Fighter 3: Third Strike - Makoto
The Street Fighter series is filled to the brim with Karate practitioners. But while they all wear the gi, very few of them seem to do much, you know, karate. Makoto is the one exception. She genuinely has attacks that look like accentuated versions of real karate moves.
Everything from Makoto's extremely clean design to her unique all-or-nothing style of play would make her a fantastic roster addition. She skipped Street Fighter 5; we need to see her come back for Street Fighter 6.
4 Street Fighter 4 - C. Viper
The new fighters added in Street Fighter 4 were a little all-over-the-place. However, one character did stand out for her unique moveset, and her extremely technical style of play: C. Viper. While she may look like she would be more at home in an SNK game, C. Viper definitely has a solid aesthetic that helps her stand out. We'de love to see how they might progress her design in Street Fighter 6.
C. Viper also brings a very exciting playstyle to the table. Her mobility—which includes a super jump and the ability to alter her descent with her Burning Kick attacks—is unique and gives her a lot of versatility, making her an interesting character to fight against, too. Lastly, she is one of the few Street Fighter characters who is a mom. We have tons of fathers in the cast, we need a few mothers as well!
3 Ultra Street Fighter 4 - Poison
Poison is one of the big crossover stars from Final Fight. Much like Hugo, she has gone from being just a standard thug you would fight on the streets of Metro City, to being a pretty prominent character in her own right.
Not only has Poison become a bit of an icon, but she has also radically altered her playstyle across the only two Street Fighter games she has appeared in. If we are being honest, we would prefer that she hold onto her Street Fighter 5 style of play, but we would be genuinely happy to see her back again in any form. Let's fill the streets of Metro City in World Tour mode with these Final Fight icons!
2 Street Fighter 5 - Laura
With the inclusion of Laura, Blanka became the second-best Brazilian character with a green color scheme, and electrical powers, in the series. To anyone who has fought against Laura, you know what it is like being in the blender. Once Laura gets her hands on you, she has a plethora of ways to make you suffer.
She also has some pretty interesting tools that she can use to help her get in. We love the speedy grappler archetype and, honestly, we think Laura may just be the best example of that. It would be even better if Laura could join the roster alongside her brother Sean. There is nothing like a good ol' sibling rivalry!
1 Street Fighter 5 Arcade Edition - Akira
Akira is one of the last additions to the Street Fighter 5 roster. Being the first official Rival Schools character to cross over, she is something of a trendsetter. It would seem pretty unfair for her to not make the roster, as we barely had any time with Akira in Street Fighter 5. But our desire to see Akira make the roster isn't based solely on our desire to see her get more time in the spotlight, we also think she is just really neat.
Akira comes packed with Rival Schools mechanics. So, she has that unique style of air-combo found only in those games, and alongside that, she has an assist-style attack (where she calls in her brother Daigo). This is one character we need to see more of. She can't just be a one-off. Akira needs to make the Street Fighter 6 roster!