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The best characters to start off with in Street Fighter 6
Street Fighter 6 took over the FGC in summer 2023, so surely many players are looking to start playing it. Let’s see which characters will make getting into SF6 a cakewalk.
Street Fighter 6 was released in 2023 with 18 characters in its roster and DLC already waiting in the wings. Each character is wildly different from the next, which doesn’t help in choosing the right one for you.
This will be broken up into sections, to offer a selection of choices rather than just one for each archetype. This isn’t an overview of every character, but rather a list of suggestions for first timers to get some early experience with. To keep this list short, some terminology might not be fully explained, so definitely check out our fighting game dictionary if you need help telling the difference between or TODs and DPs.
Watch how the world's best players use these characters at Red Bull Kumite in New York on March 16-17.
01
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast
The characters in this section are for people who want to play some classic Street Fighter as they learn the series. Players who use these characters can go from mid-range zoning to strong offense in a flash, and are great at using the system mechanics to their advantage.
Luke
Luke keeping opponents out until it's time to get in
© Capcom
With zero prior knowledge of your preferences, Luke would be our recommendation. As the pseudo main character of the game (it will always be Ryu, no matter who is on the box), Luke is the quintessential Shoto. His fireball game is almost unmatched and his DP is reliable.
Luke has amazing buttons and his control in the mid range lets him use the Drive mechanics to great success. Many of his buttons emphasize whiff punishing, so new players will get a lot out of slowing it down and learning to counterpunch in neutral.
He deals great damage and can confirm into a good knockdown easily. His perfect release Flash Knuckle gives him a surprisingly deep combo game, which will be perfect to learn as you get better at the game.
He is great at punishing Burnout, and can keep someone cornered easily. Luke’s supers are all useful and do great damage. And if one wants to use Modern controls, Luke might be the perfect character for that set-up. Activating his versatile supers with just one button makes any mistake deadly vs Luke.
Ken
Ken is worth it if you can stop wondering if he's top 3 long enough to try
© Capcom
There was no way Ken was not going to make this cut. Ken is one of the best characters in the game. It’s actually rare for Ken not to be great and SF6 didn’t end this trend. But above all, Ken is mostly simple.
Ken started as a mirror to Ryu, trading fireball zoning for better physical tools like Shoryuken and Tatsumaki Senpukyaku. Over the years, Ken has gained many tools, such as his new Jinrai Kicks and his Quick Dash from SFV. These make Ken an offensive powerhouse and combo monster.
Ken’s routes are varied and his offensive options are deep. Choosing the right tool for each situation is difficult, but learning which to prioritize will be fruitful for new players. His amazing buttons such as 5HP and 2MK will give you plenty of openings in neutral.
Physical prowess aside, Ken still has a good fireball, which he can shoot to cover a follow-up Drive Rush in neutral. Ken’s frame data is amazing, so Drive Rush is even scarier when he’s doing it. He has a strong throw loop, and extremely punishing combos for people afraid of the throw.
02
Cruisin' and bruisin'
Characters listed here are for players who want to manhandle the opponent. This section of the cast makes the opponent think twice about each step, since one wrong move spells doom.
Marisa
Marisa's armour never gets old
© Capcom
Marisa probably has the most two-touch clips posted on Twitter in the entire cast. She’s just terrifying to fight. She has multiple plus on block moves, and has the unique ability to charge her heavy buttons to start the most damaging combos in the game.
Marisa’s stance, Scutum, gives her an array of options to mix up the opponent, including a command grab that does big damage and gives her pretty good oki. Her pressure off Drive Rush cancelled normals can sometimes even beat invincible reversals.
With her insane damage, armor-breaking Gladius and strong pressure in Stance, Marisa simply demands respect from the opponent, if they want their health bar to remain above zero. Use this newfound respect to test the limits and break your opponents.
Marisa’s gameplay is unlike anyone else in the cast. Scaring your opponent into respecting you will require you to build up a strong understanding of the opponent's options, so you can accurately crush them.
Honda
Honda just wants to bring sumo to the world
© Capcom
Honda is a two-hit wonder in lower ranks, and honestly that’s all you’ll need at first to succeed.
Honda’s Sumo Headbutt and Sumo Smash are so effective that it’s funny. One is a fullscreen tackle while the other is a plus on block overhead. Opponents will psych themselves out by paying too much attention to one of them, you do the other, and then they are one step closer to rage quitting.
Honda has way more, like a strong command grab and good combos, as well as an armored reversal, but these only shine once you’ve paved the way by bullying your opponent with his two stronger tools.
Honda’s strategy is simple, and while that’s a good thing at first, it will pose a challenge once you run into players who know how to defeat Sumo Headbutt and Sumo Smash. Overcoming these players with a relatively basic game plan will force Honda players to improve their overall game.
03
Keeping it stylish
This is for the players who want a little more showmanship and fast-paced gameplay than what’s above. This section’s characters thrive by setting up mix ups and offensive pressure.
Juri
Juri is a fan favourite for a reason
© Capcom
Juri is amazing in SF6. The game’s mechanics complement her kit perfectly. She can have strong zoning with her huge kicks, but her offensive game is just nasty.
Juri stores stocks that power up her special attacks, giving her better set-up and more damage after using them. Her powered-up fireball sets up some scary mix ups and gives her better follow ups on attacks like Drive Rush > 6MK overhead.
While her stocks are strong, not having them makes her pressure and damage less terrifying. Juri players will have to cut their combos short or take risks in neutral to gain stocks, so you’re always doing a balancing act. Managing these stocks will be a hurdle at first, but force new Juri players to stay aware.
She is super-powerful once inside, as her 5MP is plus two on block at six frames of start-up. This is a ridiculous number compared to the frame data of the rest of the cast, and lets her abuse her insanely fast dash to keep opponents in the mix.
She has a strong DP to deal with jumps, a strong fireball for neutral or set ups, and great buttons. She is definitely great for beginners.
Kimberly
Bushinryu is alive and well with Kimberly
© Capcom
For people looking to set up truly grimy mix-ups, this is the character.
Kimberly learned from Guy, another ninja who previously appeared as a playable character in SF Alpha and SF4. She lives up to the title as she has the most mix-up options in the game. She has great buttons like 2MK, which is plus one on block and goes pretty far.
Her key set-up special is the spray-can bomb, which detonates after a set period of time. She can use this to cover the options she chooses to mix up the opponent, as they have to block it or risk eating a hefty combo. Just like Juri, she has a limited amount of these, so you’ll have to work on that resource management to mix people up.
She has multiple options with which to cancel her command dash, such as a low, an overhead and a plus on block kick. Her walk speed creates deadly throw-strike opportunities that reward her with yet another knockdown in her looping set-play.
04
Social distancing
We know some players want to stay full screen while depleting the opponent’s HP, and that’s what this section is for.
JP
JP is what you get if "Oh, you're approaching me?" was a character
© Capcom
JP embodies this archetype. He has many moves that zone the opponent and his only up-close special attack pushes the opponent full screen.
JP’s main projectile is a ghost that can hit low, overhead, or become a command grab. He can even feint it to bait out would be parries. He creates spikes from the ground at varying distances, and his Level Three Super Art goes fullscreen, letting him combo off any of these projectiles.
What sets JP apart is his immense mix-up potential, since he can teleport out of the portal that sets up the air spike. He has two overhead normals that he can combo off of with a portal spike.
Lastly, Amnesia is a wake-up counter that beats both strikes and throws, so the only way to bait it out is to simply not do anything on his wake-up. This is a great cushion for newer players, though also a great way to get yourself knocked out if people expect it.
JP is an amazing zoner and set-play character. But his normals aren’t as scary to deal with in the mid to close range. Learning to keep the opponent out by choosing the best projectile for the job will be essential to playing JP effectively.
Guile, Dee Jay and Dhalsim are all zoners too, but JP does the job and is much more simple than them, we highly recommend him.
