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Everything you need to know about the new faces of Street Fighter 6
Street Fighter 6 brought an interesting bunch of new fighters to the roster. We're pretty up to speed on the returning fighters, but why should you care about the fresh faces? Find out here.
Capcom continues to build on an already impressive universe by steadily adding multiple first-time fighters with each iteration of Street Fighter. Some are called up from the Final Fight series, like Guy and Cody, some can be previously unplayable characters, like Gouken and Gen, and others have never been seen. Street Fighter 6 brings in some entirely new faces, signaling a new generation and extending the web of the world's connections.
New fighters bring with them a brand new playing field. These new faces represent a clean slate for Capcom to build on ideas and experiment with completely new ones. They brought their A-game, so this should serve as advance notice to familiarize yourself with the newcomers in the game's launch roster.
Luke was designed specifically with SF6 in mind
© Capcom
01
Luke
Yes, Luke was in SFV, but it wouldn't feel right not to have him in this list since he's literally on the cover and was designed for SF6. Knowing that, it's easy to see why he hasn't changed much. Being the pseudo main character, Luke has an all around kit centered around a blazingly fast fireball (Sand Blast) and a great dragon punch (Rising Uppercut).
Luke retains the ability to charge his Flash Knuckle. If charged to a certain point, Luke will shout 'Perfect!' and the move will gain damage and better combo properties, leading to more follow-ups, like the ability to juggle in the air. He also uses the charged heavy version to gain plus frames during offense.
He's been toned down a lot since he dominated the last year of SFV, but Luke is still great in this game. No one would describe him as cheap, but he's consistently strong and has been in many Top 8s so far. He also excels using modern controls, with a one button DP, projectile super and great buttons. Dash up super is just ridiculous and the easy access to reversal supers makes it easy to fight Drive Impact.
Who is this character for?
This trendy, MMA-style fighter is for players who want a solid game plan no matter where they are on the screen. With rewarding buttons, a strong set of special moves and great supers, Luke is consistent. If you want someone to pick up and play while learning the game's fundamentals, Luke might be your character.
02
Jamie
Jamie is the first true newcomer to SF6. He features a level-up mechanic, unlocking extra (very important) moves and more damage each time he takes a sip from his gourd. It caps out at four, where he lets his hair down and fights wildly. Getting drinks is the crux of Jamie's gameplay.
Jamie is the fist totally new character in Street Fighter 6
© Capcom
Jamie is a rushdown fighter, taking after his idols Yun and Yang. He shares a few moves with them, such as his dive kick, after he takes a sip. His style and gameplay incorporates Kung-Fu and breakdancing, such as his strong combo ender, Bakkai, after two sips.
With his plus on block 5MP and similarly great buttons, Jamie has great pressure. This is only bolstered once he gets three drinks in, as he gains a command grab he can combo off of, similarly to his heroes.
With each drink, Jamie gains damage, utility and strong pressure tools. On the flip-side, it can feel like you rely on getting these drinks in. He only gets his command grab after three drinks and Bakkai being locked behind two drinks makes damage hard to come by before then.
Who is this character for?
Jamie is a rushdown character for people who enjoy feeling stronger as the round goes on. If you can fit in those drinks, you become a monster. Utilizing his expansive toolkit once leveled up makes Jamie a terrifying opponent to face.
03
Kimberly
Kimberly uses spray cans and paint bombs in her arsenal
© Capcom
Kimberly is another character who learned from a previous SF character, Guy. Kimberly is another oppressive addition to the cast. She puts her own spin on the Bushinryu style, using spray paint and paint bombs as her weapons. She gets two of these bombs per round and can replenish them with her special move Genius at Play.
Kimberly is all offense. Her 2MK is +1 on block, with seven frames of startup, and her 5HP is +2 with 12 frames of startup. Her special move, Sprint, gives her a plethora of options to mix up the opponent, such as a feint, a low, an overhead and a plus on block attack.
She has an air grab and multiple ways to reset her pressure. She can alter her jump momentum with j2M, which she can use to bait and punish anti-airs.
Who is this character for?
Kimberly is for players who are okay with giving up a full screen presence to fully cash-in on up front pressure. She has little range and has to inch her way in, and test the water with mid range pokes. But once she's in, she's a menace to defend against.
04
Lily
Lily might be new, but she has some familiar tools. She’s part of the same Thunderfoot tribe as SF2's T. Hawk, sharing many moves with him. She trades T. Hawk's muscle bound frame for more cute charm and aesthetic, sometimes even blundering her attacks in an endearing way. Lily makes up for her short stature by using clubs to extend her reach, while charging wind stocks to power up her special moves
Lily part of the same Thunderfoot tribe as SF2's T. Hawk
© Capcom
These moves are her three advancing special attacks. Her powered up Condor Spire is at least +1 on block, which gives her an immediate mixup between 5LK and her command grab, Mexican Typhoon.
Lily also has an anti-air special, Tomahawk Buster, that can be powered up with her wind charge. This becomes immune to throws during the Overdrive version, making it hard for people to run offense on her.
Who is this character for?
Lily is for people looking for a mid-ranged grappler that can force their way in, while managing the wind resource. Also, if you played T. Hawk in previous SF games, you'll feel right at home.
05
Manon
An elegant ballerina and beautiful model, Manon is a grappler with immense snowball potential since her command grab gets stronger throughout the match. Each time she lands one, she earns a medal that maxes out at five. At five medals, her command grab does similar damage to a Critical Art super.
Ballerina and model Manon is a grappler character
© Capcom
These medals never go down, so even if a round ends, she'll have them in the next one. Since her command grab is so strong, the longer a match goes, the scarier she becomes. She can also build one off the strike portion of her mixups, since her hitgrab confirm gives her a medal.
Along with these grabs, she has a low sweep special that turns into an overhead during the heavy version. Both have large range and relatively quick startup, forcing the opponent to respect them in neutral.
Who is this character for?
Manon still struggles to get in, but she might be the scariest character in the game when she has five medals. At the end of long matches, Manon's basic mixup becomes a 'guess for game' scenario. Players who want to strike fear into the enemy at the end of games should give her a try.
06
Marisa
Marisa is the poster woman for the bruiser archetype. A self-proclaimed descendant of ancient Greek warriors, she searches for true love with a passionate fist. She's terrifying due to her armored attacks, plus on block offense, command grab and wild damage.
Marisa can charge her heavy punches to gain plus frames and do devastating combos. Her lunging punch is plus on block and crushes low pokes by vaulting over them. Many of her moves have armor to blow through strikes and her charging punch, Gladius, destroys armored moves like Drive Impact.
Marisa is a self-proclaimed descendant of ancient Greek warriors
© Capcom
She gets access to her command grab by using her stance, Scutum. She can follow up this stance with a low kick, an armored push, an overhead and said command grab. These are all terrifying options and enemies will be hard pressed to fight against each of them.
Who is this character for?
Marisa is for people who want to control the match through pure domination. She might not be outright mixing at every step of the match, or controlling neutral through fireballs, but recklessly pressing against Marisa will lead you to an early end. Play Marisa if you want to punish people for not respecting you.
07
JP
JP is the villain in SF6 main story and he might be the overall villain in terms of gameplay, too. JP values regality and decorum, and would rather fight from afar than put his fists up. So, JP is a tricky zoner with many options for laying down the law in neutral. He can easily turn a full screen situation into a mixup with his teleport and level two Super Art.
JP is the villain of the game
© Capcom
JP shoots ghosts that can feint, hit low, overhead, or even grab the enemy. He also spawns spikes that come from the ground at varying distances. Lastly, he can set up a portal that will shoot a spike after a certain period if he chooses not to teleport to it.
JP has two overhead buttons, one being part of his target combo. You can combo off these with his portal spike or level two Super Art. He can even combo off his throw with the portal spike.
Who is this character for?
JP is for players who want two extremes, zoning and mixing. With the plethora of zoning options, JP can choose the terms of engagement, giving him the edge. With such freedom of choice, we know he's for players who will laugh as they wakeup counter, then send the opponent full screen for more zoning.
The world's best Street Fighter 6 players will be in action at Red Bull Kumite in New York City on March 16-17. Watch the action on the Red Bull Gaming Twitch and Youtube channels.
