Street Fighter is a Capcom flagship series that’s been around for more than 30 years now and is a household name with a massive presence on the EVO main stage. One of the most iconic and recognizable fighting game series, it features a cast of diverse warriors, all with something to prove or goals to achieve through their strength.
How mighty are these warriors, though? It’s no secret that just about every Street Fighter character is looking to make their case as the strongest in the world. Take a look at characters’ overall canon presence, accomplishments, feats, and track records to decide the strongest Street Fighter character.
Updated on June 12, 2023, by Jouanna Bondakji: With the release of Street Fighter 6, there are new contenders for the list of strongest characters, as well as existing characters whose journeys to strengthen themselves aren't over yet. Street Fighter 6 seems to be an introduction to a new age of characters to fill the role of older ones. Luke and Jamie seem to parallel Ryu and Ken respectively, and Kimberly is said to be the Chun-Li of the new generation. If that's the case, these new characters will undoubtedly grow even stronger throughout the series, and more of them will most likely make the list in coming entries.
17 Luke
Luke's initial appearance in Street Fighter 5 gave a taste of the power he possesses. Between his quick rushdown and powerful combos, like the Thermobaric Thrash, Luke seemed promising. And now, him having a friendly rivalry with Ryu in Street Fighter 6 is an indication of how strong he is. After all, not everyone can keep up with Ryu.
This older version of Luke is intimidating enough, especially with his veiny, smoke-emitting arms. He also goes against Ken in Street Fighter 6, though it ends in a loss for him. He even has a rival in Jamie Siu, mirroring that of Ryu and Ken's. Luke still has a long way to go in terms of strength, but he's being set up as someone who will undoubtedly gradually rise to greater power.
16 Manon
Manon is a new entry in Street Fighter, introduced in 6. She's an interesting combo of talents, being skilled in ballet dancing, modelling, and judoka. She incorporates ballet into her judoka moveset, making her moves graceful as she dominates the battlefield. But if you underestimate her, you're done for.
Not only is she a world champion in judoka, but everyone around her has been describing her as strong her whole life, to the point where she doesn't like being described that way anymore. Marisa, a fellow newcomer, is always looking for strong opponents to take on, and she finds Manon more than worthy. Her debut already shows you what she's capable of, so it's only up from here.
15 Dhalsim
Dhalsim is an enigma. He’s a yoga master and a complete pacifist, yet he’s also said to be one of the strongest fighters in the series. But, because unleashing his power is always in conflict with his desire for peace and harmony, Dhalsim rarely exhibits his full abilities in battle.
His fighting style is the embodiment of Yoga, plain and simple. He travels the world, helping the needy as much as possible, being the spiritual guide for characters in need — such as Ryu whenever he starts falling prey to the Satsui No Hado. Sadly, Dhalsim can't be any higher since his pacifism gets in the way in a fighting situation, but there’s no doubt the guy is a powerhouse in his own right. Dhalsim is both the most peaceful and one of the strongest Street Fighter characters.
14 Juri
Juri is a sadistic Taekwondo master with a vendetta against M. Bison and Shadaloo. She’s a talented fighter, but what makes her terrifying is that little gadget implanted in her eye: the Feng Shui Engine that increases her already quite powerful martial abilities.
In a short period, she’s accumulated an impressive number of accomplishments. Her feats include single-handedly bopping all 12 of Bison’s dolls in one go, defeating Chun-Li, and even taking on the likes of Guile and Cammy simultaneously, holding her own against both and even managing to knock Guile out. A good majority of the Street Fighter roster has their work cut out against this crafty and venomous spider as she'll do whatever it takes to get her revenge on Bison.
13 Alex
While Alex isn’t as strong as Ryu, he is one of the few people to get a legitimate win on Gill. Therefore, it’s safe to say Alex deserves to be on here, especially since he doesn’t use any supernatural powers like Psycho Power, elemental abilities, and so on, yet still manages to hold his own against people who do.
Alex's fighting style is a mix of wrestling moves and kickboxing, and his mastery of both puts him on relatively equal footing with other martial arts masters. And, if you need any more proof, look at the guy! With pecs like that, who is doubting that he belongs here among the strongest in the franchise?
12 Ryu
Trained by Gouken with his best friend Ken, Ryu aims to become as strong as possible. While on this constant journey for strength, he’s achieved plenty of accomplishments, such as winning the first World Warrior tournament against Sagat, defeating M. Bison twice, and even harnessing the Power of Nothingness.
However, some of his achievements are questionable. For example, to win against Sagat in their first fight, Ryu unknowingly released his dark powers on him after the fight concluded. Likewise, his victories against Bison were often products of his allies weakening Ryu before he delivered the final blow. However, now that he's overcome the Satsui no Hado, all he has left is to surpass his current strength as he travels the world looking for worthy opponents, like Luke in Street Fighter 6.
11 JP
After M. Bison's supposed demise in Street Fighter 5, JP has taken over as the main antagonist of Street Fighter 6. He formerly worked at Shadaloo and is the leader of terrorist organization Amnesia. Like M. Bison, he can use Psycho Power, which he utilizes to conjure things like portals and specters during combat. This is on top of his Bartitsu fighting style, which he uses along with his cane to fight.
JP has already killed Kimberly's uncle, and unlike M. Bison, he uses his cunning wit to deceive people, giving him a leg up on them from the beginning. There's no doubt he'll do massive damage in the future if he's left to his wily ways.
10 Sagat
The Emperor of Muay Thai himself, Sagat is probably one of the more formidable-looking characters in the series. Standing at a whopping 7’5” (2.29 meters), Sagat is a warrior and has the battle scars to prove it. Moreover, he’s undoubtedly the strongest Street Fighter character to have ever worked under Bison.
While Sagat’s track record mainly consists of fights with Ryu in which circumstances were not fair for either fighter, Sagat's skills and techniques rival and maybe even surpass Ryu’s. It’s also worth mentioning that, while it took Ryu quite some time to tap into the Power of Nothingness and control his Satsui No Hado, Sagat did it unknowingly in almost no time at all, albeit on a smaller scale. Sagat and Ryu are basically at the same level or are very close, but Sagat's expertise, dedication, and drive seem to beat Ryu's by just the tiniest margin.
9 Urien
Urien is superhuman like many other big villains of the Street Fighter series. From the young age of six, he and his brother Gill were experimented on by the Illuminati. While overshadowed by his brother, Urien is a brilliant character and one of the strongest Street Fighter characters in the series.
Like Gill, Urien’s fighting style dates to the ancient Greek art of Pankration, but unlike Gill, Urien can manipulate lightning and make his own body metallic. These superpowers, combined with his overall physique and his Aegis Reflector, put Urien in the upper echelons of Street Fighter warriors. Urien has lost to people other than Gill, but these fights' circumstances were less than optimal. Still, because of his supernatural powers, Urien is a bit stronger than regular humans like Sagat, Ken, or Ryu.
8 G
G is such an absurdly weird character. He looks like a blond Abraham Lincoln, has obvious connections to fan-favorite character Q, and can manipulate both earth and magma for some reason. Oh, and he’s also apparently the self-proclaimed “President of the Earth.”
As for his fighting style, it’s hard to describe. G has said he’s a practitioner of Earth’s many fighting styles. He has gone head to head with Gill, easily defeated Menat, and Rose herself even believes he is one of the only people who can stand against M. Bison. But, because he's so new and his full power is still unclear, this is the highest we can put him in the ranking.
7 Gill
From a young age, Gill and his brother were trained in the Secret Society’s fighting techniques and given genetic enhancements that allowed them to access the power of certain elements. While Urien garnered significant accomplishments early in life, Gill's were always more incredible.
However, he has a bit of an unimpressive track record. Even though he boasts great power — enough to even be able to resurrect himself — his only recorded wins against anyone significant in the series are with his brother and the minor character Tom, Alex’s teacher. Gill scarcely exhibits his true abilities. Therefore, while Gill is impressive, he's not the strongest Street Fighter character.
6 Rose
Rose is a manifestation of all the good energy that M. Bison expelled from his being. Therefore, you can consider Rose the perfect foil that stands a chance of defeating him. Rose has fought Bison on more than one occasion, though never managing to kill him for good. However, these are still exemplary accomplishments as Bison has proven a slippery and crafty villain.
What takes the cake, though, is Rose's run-in with Akuma. She didn’t exactly win against him, but it’s a big feather in her cap for having managed to fight him and come out alive. Usually, Akuma will kill anyone he thinks is worthy of death in a fight, so if Rose managed to escape, it probably means that Akuma at least thought she put up a good fight.
5 Gen
Gen is an example of why you should never judge one by their looks. He was a martial arts master and assassin of legendary status in his heyday, and even taught Chun-Li in her youth. While seeking his ultimate death, Gen fought Akuma multiple times. The two of them have brought each other to near-death on occasion.
His advanced age and illness certainly aren’t doing much to hamper his power. Even while coughing up blood, this guy will still bop you. Think of him as a slightly less powerful Gouken with nothing to lose. Fighting through illness with such enthusiasm and effectiveness earns Gen the distinction of one of the strongest Street Fighter characters.
4 M. Bison
The main antagonist of Street Fighter, M. Bison, is a megalomaniac who would love nothing more than complete world domination. Bison learned Psycho Power from an unknown master before killing him. He then traveled the world, seeking more power before finally founding the evil organization Shadaloo.
Bison has taken his fair share of beatdowns from many others in the cast, but he’s also served up his share. Plus, it often takes a group of fighters to take him down. Not to mention he’s always managed to come back, even from the dead, thanks to his creepy ability to possess other bodies. Still, Bison’s biggest weakness is his dependency on science and amplification. After all, the black moons from SF5 are an outside source of strength, not Bison's. Also, Bison is weaker than he used to be with every new body he inhabits. Therefore, M Bison will always be a body short of becoming the strongest Street Fighter character.
3 Gouken
The master of Ryu and Ken, and Akuma’s older brother, Gouken, was a student of Goutetsu along Akuma. Growing apart as they trained together, Gouken wanted to master the good aspects of Goutetsu while Akuma only wished to master the dark aspects. This schism led to their never-ending grudge and subsequent confrontations.
Gouken and Akuma have fought tooth and nail numerous times, with Gouken even coming out on top on occasion. However, Gouken’s most considerable feat comes from a battle he had with Akuma in which he lost but managed to cheat death through a unique technique that left him in a coma. In addition, his mastery over the Power of Nothingness is excellent, using it to seal away Ryu’s dark side, even if just for a little while. Not only is Gouken one of the strongest, but he's held his own against and trained some of the strongest Street Fighter characters.
2 Oro
By far the oldest character on this list at the tender age of around 130 to 140 years old, Oro is a hermit who wants to pass down his knowledge to a worthy student. As a hermit, he spent every waking moment of his life mastering his art, proving that dedication and hard work pay off even if it takes you 100 or so years.
Oro’s biggest claim to fame is fighting with one arm — even against Karin Kanzuki’s grandfather or Akuma, the former of which he supposedly fought for three days straight, and the latter had matched him in battle. In short, Oro is the second strongest Street Fighter character, and he accomplished this with a hand tied behind his back!
1 Akuma
The undisputed supreme master of the fist, Akuma is in a class by himself. He killed his master after learning his techniques and is focused on mastering its dark aspects. Furthermore, Akuma even shows up in the Tekken 7 storyline, sharing a unique connection to Kazumi Mishima. In other words, his power transcends Street Fighter canon.
His resume speaks for itself. First, Akuma has bested, or at least matched, almost everyone he fought, including half the people on this list and two from Tekken. He’s got a ton of experience under his belt, the most accomplishments, some of the most significant feats, and an almost flawless track record. Lastly, his Shun Goku Satsu is the most destructive attack in the series. Akuma is, without a doubt, the strongest Street Fighter character.