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Street Fighter 6 DLC’s new characters are confirmed – here’s our wish list
New DLC fighters are heading to Street Fighter 6 very soon… Read about all the confirmed characters and find out which ones we'd like to see added to the roster right here.
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 confirmed characters that are to come, and suggest some fighters we'd love to see return in future content drops.
Confirmed characters
01
Ed
Ed is the next character coming to Street Fighter 6’s roster
© Capcom
Psycho-boxer Ed is the next DLC character coming to Street Fighter 6, landing on February 27. First appearing in Street Fighter 5, this character was initially aligned with the evil M. Bison, but managed to escape his clutches and set up the Neo Shadaloo organisation to help others who have been caught up in his former master's evil machinations.
In SF6, Ed exclusively uses punches. While this might appear to limit his utility in battle, he can leverage Psycho Power to achieve brilliance using only his fists. Ed can cover more range than most fighters with his almost elastic punches, closing gaps with ease, and deliver hits high and low.
His super arts see him activate his Psycho Power, with Psycho Storm allowing him to strike opponents with a series of high-speed flicker jabs. Psycho Cannon is a ranged attack that sees Ed release a multi-hitting ball of psycho power. His Level 3 Super Art allows Ed to ensnare his enemies in a psycho power trap to become his personal punching bag. Don't judge him by his emo haircut, Ed packs a punch!
02
Akuma
Akuma has a new look in Street Fighter 6
© Capcom
This is the big one. The final character in the Street Fighter 6 - Year 1 Character Pass is the mighty Akuma. First introduced in Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Akuma is Ryu's most fierce rival and is typically seen as one of the big bads of the SF franchise. In SF6, he sports a cold new look, with a mane of white hair, a rugged white beard, and shirtless for a more animalistic vibe.
Akuma is famous for his high-risk offensive playstyle, with a similar move set to tanky heroes Ryu and Ken. Akuma can hurl Hadoukens and also utilise the Shoryuken, but has few defensive options, meaning that he is best suited for players that favour all-out aggression.
We don't know the exact release date for this highly-anticipated fighter, but he is expected to land in Spring 2024.
Characters we want to see
03
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.
04
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.
05
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.
06
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.
