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Street Fighter 6 DLC's characters are confirmed – here's everything we know
Street Fighter 6's Year 2 character roster has been confirmed, including some fan favourites and an unexpected crossover. Read on for the lowdown.
Street Fighter 6 has proven to be a triumphant return for the classic fighting game series, tying together robust single-player content with a refined take on multiplayer. The roster contains some series favourites, as well as some fantastic new characters, and more are on the way for upcoming DLC packs.
Here, we run through the DLC characters coming in the Year 2 Character pack (1-4), plus some we'd like to see (5-8).
01
M. Bison
The classic villain sports a new look in SF6
© Capcom
The classic villain returns to the series with a spooky new look, draped in a tattered cloak and sporting a Targaryen-esque blonde mop. His new gothic look is owed to the fact that he’s technically supposed to be dead – perhaps this amnesiac Bison is actually a clone of the series big bad?
Bison is a heavy hitter and his move set hasn’t changed drastically from what we know and love from past games. He’s still a charge character, but now has some motion inputs, making him a slightly more diverse fighter. His standard attacks are some of the most powerful in the game, and coupled with his fast walk speed, and easy-to-string-together combos, he’s a strong choice for players of any skill level.
Throws have been nerfed across the board, so his throw loop isn’t as overpowered as it once was, but rest assured it's still possible to pull off. The ex-Shadaloo leader also has a special move which sees him plant an explosive on enemies. Choose when to detonate the Psycho Mine to finish off your enemy with a bang. M. Bison is available in Street Fighter 6 now.
02
Terry
KoF fans will be familiar with this million-dollar smile
© Capcom
The second character to arrive in Street Fighter 6’s Year 2 character pack is Fatal Fury’s own Terry Bogard. This crossover fighter has been a mainstay in King of Fighters, but this is the first time he’s appeared in Street Fighter. He’s also the first crossover character to appear in any SF game – a point which has sparked some controversy among fans.
Terry is scheduled to enter the arena in Autumn of this year and got his first gameplay trailer during EVO 2024. Terry is typically a good, speedy all-rounder. You can expect to see some of his signature moves make an appearance, like his low projectiles, rising tackle, and dunk punch. We’re expecting to see his devastating Power Ghyser move to appear as a super as well.
Lore-wise, we’re keen to find out just how the basketball-player-turned-fighting-champ arrives in the world of Street Fighter. Whatever happens, we expect his storyline to be strongly connected to the next character in the Year 2 expansion…
03
Mai
This is the first time Mai’s appeared in a Street Fighter game
© Capcom
Mai Shiranui is a fan favourite from the King of Fighters series, known for her ninjutsu fighting style. First introduced in Fatal Fury 2, this stealthy fighter utilises fire skills to burn her opponents to the ground. She’s no stranger to crossovers, having appeared in the Dead or Alive series, and multiple mobile games – but this is arguably her biggest guest appearance to date.
In SF6, we expect Mai to retain her fast movement speed, fire moves and projectiles. Mai utilises weaponry inspired by traditional Japanese kunoichi, including her crafty butterfly fans and throwing knives. Her moves are acrobatic, utilising flips, slides and rolls to get the drop on her foes.
Her super moves are overwhelmingly cinematic, as she jumps and flips around the screen raining explosions on her enemies. We expect Mai’s moveset to be limited to suit the more realistic style of SF, reducing her range and agility. Still, she’s got the potential to be the most powerful character in this latest DLC pack. Mai is scheduled to arrive in SF6 this Winter.
04
Elena
Elena is a unique fighter who specialises in kick moves
© Capcom
Finally, we have another returning character, Elena, who made her debut in Street Fighter III: New Generation. Defined by her sunny outlook, Elena is carefree and joyous, entering the arena to form connections with her fellow fighters as she explores the world and broadens her horizons.
Her fighting style is influenced by Capoeira, a dance-like African-Brazilian fighting style that focuses on fluid kicks. Her graceful style is perfectly suited to her tall build, allowing her to land kicks at a formidable range. She can even perform throws using only her legs – now that’s impressive. Elena was also one of a few SF characters capable of self-healing, using her second Ultra move. We’ll have to wait to see if these features return for her appearance in SF6.
Elena is a fan favourite, but has been absent from the series since Ultra Street Fighter IV, so naturally, the announcement of her return has delighted players. Her unique style will take some time to master, but once you do, her super-charged kicks will likely prove an effective counter to slower, more heavy-hitting characters. In regards to her storyline, Elena has strong connections to many main characters, including the series’ icon, Ryu. We can’t wait to see how she interacts with her fellow fighters in SF6, and she will surely be an excellent mentor in World Tour mode. Elena will arrive in SF6 in Spring 2025.
We don't know the exact release date for this highly-anticipated fighter, but he is expected to land in Spring 2024.
Take an in-depth look at how Street Fighter 6 characters are created:
Characters we want to see
05
Seth
Seth would be a fan-pleasing addition to the Street Fighter 6 roster
© Capcom
A favourite of 2023 EVO Champion Amjad 'AngryBird' Alshalabi, Seth was the main antagonist of Street Fighter IV. The CEO of Shadaloo's weapon division is one of many genetically engineered replacement bodies for M. Bison, possessing formidable strength and fighting ability.
Much like Dhalsim, Seth boasts high elasticity, giving them formidable range and utility in fights. In Street Fighter 5, Seth has extremely powerful anti-air moves, making them a good all-rounder against varied opponents. They could also switch sides with ease, allowing players to zip around their enemies at lightning-quick speeds.
Seth has been so powerful in past appearances that it has caused balance issues, so the dev team will need to be careful if they decide to implement them into SF6. Still, the character is a fan favourite and would certainly make a strong first announcement for the second year of DLC fighters.
06
Rufus
Rufus is a deceptively fast and agile character
© Capcom
First appearing in Street Fighter IV, Rufus is a loudmouthed, obese American kung-fu fighter and self-professed rival to Ken Masters, who doesn't know who Rufus is and why he’s so upset with him all the time.
Rufus is an offensive rushdown character with high damaging combos and strangely above-average mobility for a character of his size. In Street Fighter IV, Rufus’ Galactic Tornado was a spinning palm strike that could bypass projectiles confusing zoning efforts. His Messiah Kick was an overhead kick that provided follow-ups with varied height and startup, and his Snake Strike gave him a nifty anti-air option.
We haven’t seen Rufus since Street Fighter IV, so it would be fun to see a character with such a strange dichotomy of appearance versus playstyle come back as DLC. It’ll be a chuckle to see the RE Engine handle his belly physics too.
07
Sagat
Sagat getting ready to Tiger Shot and Uppercut his way to victory
© Capcom
Appearing as the non-playable main antagonist and final boss in the original Street Fighter, Sagat later returned as a boss in Street Fighter II before becoming playable in its update, Street Fighter II: Champion Edition. He is the "Emperor of Muay Thai" and a former member of Shadaloo, where he was the personal bodyguard for M. Bison.
Masato "Bonchan" Takahashi got in touch to say Sagat would get his vote to be added to Street Fighter 6 as DLC. “He’s always been my main character”, says Bonchan, “so I want to see how he’s going to be in Street Fighter 6.”
Sagat is a big and powerful offensive character with a simple yet effective move set. His Tiger Shot is a projectile good for zoning and his Tiger Upercut is a great anti-air. Sagat’s above-average size gives him good reach for initiating combos, but this can work against him because it’s easy for characters to duck under his high kicks.
Sagat is a staple Street Fighter character and it would be good to have another no-nonsense power character like Marisa join the roster. There have been some hints that we could see him in Street Fighter 6 though because we see him in World Tour mode playing a guitar at a concert when Dee Jay reminisces about Shadaloo, mistakenly believing the criminal syndicate was a popular band.
08
Dan
Dan is widely considered a joke. But jokes are fun, right?
© Capcom
First appearing in Street Fighter Alpha. Dan is an arrogant, overconfident, and feeble self-taught martial artist who runs a failing dojo. Dan uses the Saikyo Style, a self-proclaimed "ultimate" fighting style that he created by mixing several techniques, mainly his father's fighting style, unprofessional Ansatsuken that he learned during his short training with Gouken, and pompous grandstanding.
Dan’s moves are slow, short, and clumsy. His Gadoken is a projectile with a comically short range, his Dankukyaku is a triple-hitting flying kick that’s super easy to block, his Koryuken is an anti-air uppercut with very little horizontal range, and his Premium Sign is a wholly ineffectual move where he autographs a portrait and flings it at the opponent. In short, he’s a joke character.
Why would Dan make for good DLC? He’s a popular pick if someone wants to handicap themselves as a taunt right from character select. It can make for some entertaining moments when a player decides to go all-in on a Dan pick. They will either get their ass handed back to them, or win and garner supreme bragging rights and a wonderful anecdote. It’s sometimes nice to embrace the lighthearted side of fighting games, and letting Dan into the roster can open Street Fighter 6 up to some competitive silly times. I might not be inclined pay actual money for him, but Capcom could tack him onto a season pass or as a bonus with another character and I’d be pleasantly surprised.
