Five Most Powerful Street Fighter Characters

Street Fighter first took the world by storm when its sequel, Street Fighter II hit the arcades in 1991, and in the over 30 years since then, it is still respected as one of the greatest fighting games ever made. 

More recently, Street Fighter 6 has brought about something of a resurgence of the Street Fighter 2 days and has dominated the fighting game landscape, and is one of the biggest games in Japan, and in many other parts of the world. 

An underrated part of Street Fighter has always been the lore. The story of Street Fighter is not a classic in any sense, but its longevity has meant that it has a lot of followers who love it and are curious about the characters. This also means that there is a constant discussion of the strongest characters. This is further enhanced thanks to the many other pieces of media that follow the game, from comic books to movies, anime, and so on. With many of these considered canon, they not only flesh out the story but also give hints at just how powerful some of the Street Fighter characters are. 

With the coming of Street Fighter 6, it also means that we are meeting new characters like the immensely powerful JP, and Lily. There is a lot to consider when looking at the strongest Street Fighter characters. 

Ryu

Ryu is the central protagonist of the Street Fighter franchise (although that might not be the case for much longer) and is the one whom the story initially follows. He seeks to be the strongest fighter and is constantly on the path of improving himself. While he seems …normal… Ryu is extremely powerful, and when you consider some of his feats, they are quite impressive. 

For instance, in the very first Street Fighter tournament, he defeated Sagat and is the one responsible for the large scar on the Muay Thai champion’s chest. Considering how powerful Sagat is, this is not a feat to ignore. 

Not only that, Ryu has survived battles with Akuma, and has defeated Bison, an incredibly powerful foe in Street Fighter V. Ryu’s mastery of the power of nothingness (Mu no Ken) and his rejection of the Satsui no Hado show not only physical prowess but also mental fortitude. 

Ryu is a strong character and is a strong choice as one of the most powerful characters in the Street Fighter story. 

M.Bison (Dictator)

Bison, often called ‘Dictator’ by the west, is the main villain of the Street Fighter franchise. He is the thorn in everyone’s flesh as he continues on his single-minded quest for world domination. Bison makes use of the enigmatic psycho power which comes from negative emotions and is powerful enough to take control of individuals. 

Bison is so taken by this power that he even sometimes finds it difficult to keep under control. Bison is also incredibly strong having taken on several Street Fighter characters and come out the victor. He is immune to F.A.N.G’s poisons,  but the most impressive thing about Bison is his durability. 

Bison refuses to die. In essentially every major Street Fighter title, Bison is believed to have been taken down and somehow comes right back. In Street Fighter V, it seemed that the villain had been taken down finally, with his body disintegrating into nothingness. 

But, in Street Fighter 6, he returned with amnesia, but he is still alive and ready to cause havoc. With such terrifying ability, it is no wonder he is considered one of the strongest characters in Street Fighter. 

Gill

Gill is the leader of the Secret Society, an organization that has a long history and is clandestine in their activities. Gill as the leader is insanely strong and is able to wield the power of fire and ice. 

Gill is strong enough that he defeated G, who is a powerful opponent and never seems to have been taken down definitively. While Alex was able to get the drop on him in Street Fighter 3, many consider this to be a defeat engineered by Gill for his nefarious purposes. 

In his depiction in the UDON comics, Gill has survived a nuclear blast, and his durability has been alluded to on several occasions. Gill is also said to be stronger than his brother, Urien, another really strong character who is one of the more powerful characters in the Street Fighter Story. 

Oro

Oro is a hermit that is also considered the oldest character in Street Fighter. In his heyday, he was a spirited warrior akin to Ryu and even in his old age, he is still one of the strongest warriors around. He is one of the few to have faced Akuma and battled him to a standstill. 

What’s more, he is able to do all of this with one-arm. Many will even argue that Oro is the strongest, considering he fought Akuma with one arm, and just imagine if he fought with both? Oro fights with one arm to make things a little bit more interesting for himself and to make his fights have more jeopardy. Oro can also make use of telekinesis and is able to shatter boulders effortlessly. 

Akuma

Akuma is considered as one of the most powerful fighting game characters, and it makes sense when you consider some of the things he has done. Akuma is a force of pure malevolence and is only interested in being the strongest. Akuma is such a case that even when he’s in other games, he instills fear in all that are around him. 

Akuma was able to destroy an entire island with his bare fists and is the one who defeated Gouken, Ken and Ryu’s master. His first introduction to fans was to deliver a nasty beatdown on Bison in his secret boss fight in Super Street Fighter II Turbo. Since then, Akuma has fought Oro to a stalemate and defeated countless other enemies. It’s fascinating that somehow he has managed to maintain a friendship with Elena, with the two’s relationship becoming canon.