Street Fighter 6: How to Pick Your Main

Street Fighter 6 is building upon the prior entry of the franchise with new characters, as well as the beloved classic characters, many of which are also featured in Street Fighter 5. Here we want to help you choose a main for this exciting new title based on the gameplay style you like the most.

Although we don’t yet have the frame data, or detailed move lists for all characters, their gameplay trailers do provide some information to go on from. Especially if you are new to the franchise but have some idea as to the types of characters, you would like to play.

Keep in mind this is mostly directed to players using SF6 characters, as opposed to the World Tour, which allows you to customize your character, giving them move sets and characteristics that might not match those in the standard Street Fighter 6 Roster. Remember also that your league points in the ranked mode are tied to characters, not the account, so you are free to explore more than just your main character. At this time, we are only picking from those available at release on June 2nd, but we will update this list as new characters are introduced and as the game evolves over time.

How To Pick a Main Character

The first question you might have is, why have a main in the first place? Why not just play a vast range of characters to have a more complete idea of their capabilities? Well, that might work for full-time professional players, but even they will use a core character above all others, and the reason is quite simple: The more time you spend practicing, the better you will be at that character in virtually all matchups. There will undoubtedly be matchups that do not favor their main character at all, and for those instances, players might lean on a secondary or pocket pick.

If you are a complete beginner to Street Fighter 6, the franchise, or fighting games as a whole. The best way to find a main is to play one character for a while, someone like Ryu, Luke, Cammy, Lily, or Marisa, and learn the basic concepts of the game. Playing the World Tour mode can also help a lot, as it provides a handful of tutorials on most of the mechanics.

If you are returning from previous Street Fighters, then you are likely to feel at home with your existing main character. If you didn't have one before, then maybe giving some of the new characters a chance could be a great way to find a new asset!

Returning Characters From Previous Street Fighters

Say you’ve been playing Street Fighter V either since release or sporadically through the years. You will have surely picked up one or two characters that were to your liking, and that might also be in Street Fighter 6. In this section, we will go through them one by one, explaining any changes Capcom made for the new installment.

Ryu

In Street Fighter 5, Ryu fulfilled his destined role of the shoto/footsie character. This means he fills the role of the protagonist of the game, broadly speaking at least, and one of the first characters implemented during the development of the game. Coming into SF6 there is no indication he will receive massive changes, at least nothing character-defining.

As with most characters, keep in mind that the reach for most attacks has been reduced, producing a much closer style of fighting. This means Ryu’s footies will necessitate that lit bit more fitness to work now that low pokes are just a tad shorter than in Street Fighter V.

Chun-Li

Continuing on that same track, Chun-li, the traditional Footies character of the series, is also likely to retain much of her range, speed, and poking ability that have made her one of the most beginner-friendly fighters in the roster of the franchise.

With the new Drive Mechanics in mind, it remains to be seen if her biggest flaw, a lack of rushdown ability, will be tweaked using these universal mechanics, but even if not, that is a flaw that makes her all the better to practice and reinforce spacing.

Cammy

Cammy’s Rushdown is very much present in Street Fighter VI, all be it with a handful of new moves, including her classic backbreaker from the Street Fighter animated movie. Her mobility is intact and sometimes even heightened. If you were already a fan of this British Operator, there is no reason to switch off her now.

Blanka

Our beloved Brazillian jungle fighter returns for Street Fighter 6. Although he was not the most dangerous opponent in Street Fighter 5, often finding himself in lower down in tier and matchup charts, this is a new start for Blanka, who seems to have a handful of new options to close down the gap against his opponents on the field.

If you like to fight against the current and try to get opponents off their rhythm, Blanka remains a rather unique character, one that catches people off guard and allows you to thrive in a hit-confirm-rich environment.

Luke

Stepping up his involvement from the prior entry, Luke takes on the challenge to be one of the first characters players get a handle on based on World Tour and Capcom’s own advertising material, and for a good reason. His whiff-punishing playstyle, and heavy emphasis on the game’s drive system lends itself to an all-around good pickup.

Juri

Juri’s resource management and neutral leniency remain for Street Fighter 6, with the emphasis split among three core components. The Fuha Stocks, Super Meters, and her Drive Gauge. If you already liked that aspect of her gameplay in SF5, then its heightened presence in SF6 will be right up your alley.

Ken

For many, Ken was a principal character for Street Fighter 5, a Shoto that showcased much of what makes Street Fighter dynamic. In SF6, Ken continues to have his excellent corner carry and anti-air ability, allowing you to maintain a strong presence up close. This comes at the cost of mix-ups as Ken lacks strong overheads or low-high mix-up moves. Still, if you’ve been a Ken evangelist, then you have no reason to move over to a different character unless the whole divorced dad vibe is not your thing.

Dhalsim

A zoner through and through who continues to shine in SF6 thanks to his great-reaching normals and zoning specials. In the later years of Street Fighter V Dhalsim because a niche pick for some of the top players in the scene, and for a good reason, his rather unique way of fighting allowed for a lot of mental play in the matchups. It remains to be seen what he might be able to do with the new drive system, but if you enjoyed his reach in SFV, then you will find more of it in SF6.

Zangief

One of the most recognizable grapplers in the franchise, Zangief's slow-move speed and stubby normals make the perfect contrast to his bombastic ability to command-grab opponents and bring them to their knees.

In Street Fighter 6, it seems our beloved slow grappler is waddling his way into the big body character territory, earning a bit more reach on the back of a general reduction for most characters, which means we could see him move up the tiers.

Guile

One of Guile’s core characteristics remains unchanged in the new entry, his zoning. Although clearly adjusted for now shorter ranges of most normals, Guile keeps up with the rest of the rosters in terms of how much damage he can send downrange with his fireball. Of course, this control of an area can also be his weakness, particularly when paired with his relatively slow speed in SF6.

E.Honda

E.Honda’s sumo style of fighting lends itself to strong pressure-based gameplay. This continues to be true in the new iteration of the character. Especially now, with the addition of the universal Drive system, he now has access to a Drive Rush on top of his already powerful gap-closing specials.

Dee Jay

Far from his first introduction to the franchise, Dee Jay returns as a master of the rhythm; literally, his ability to produce various feints and mixups allows Dee Jay to condition opponents into a certain style of fighting while closing in with various options to combo them out. Dee Jay also has access to a fairly good range of projectiles and anti-airs.

The Newcomers

There are also brand new characters joining the roster of Street Fighter 6. Maybe you will feel compelled to try them out, and we would certainly encourage you to do so! But to commit your hours of practice to one of these blind might not be the best way to go about it. So let us tell you what each of these newcomers is about so that you may be well informed about what to expect when picking them up for the first time.

Marisa

Marisa’s gameplay most resembles that of an armored character with a big focus on absorbing enemy attacks and punishing them with her counter. Get risky with your approach and terrify your opponent into making a mistake in the heat of the moment. She is a high-damage character that might not have the longest and most complex combos, but will certainly grind opponents down if given the opportunity to work on her mid and close ranges.

Manon

Manon uses a special mechanic to achieve most of her potential damage. Her medal system, which increases with every command grab and hit-grab, slowly powers her up to five levels, each increasing her damage with them. These do not reset at any point, meaning she becomes much deadlier the longer the match goes. If you don’t mind starting weak and building your way up, Manon could be a fantastic character to take the late-match momentum.

Jamie

Like Manon, Jamie also has a unique mechanic that helps him power up over the course of the fight. The more he drinks during combat, either as its own move or by doing certain attacks, he will eventually reach max level at 4, and gain access to a set of moves that allow for even more mixups and combos. Although slightly weaker than most characters in the roster, Jamie certainly packs a punch, provided you are willing to play to his vices.

JP

During the beta, and throughout the many trailers and gameplay showcases, JP gave the impression of a very strong zoner with plenty of tools to use up close, some even when as far as to say he has the potential to be a broken character in the roster as he features a long-range mixup that is very hard to read. If you are looking to try your hand a trapper/zoner that might be overvalued at release, well, JP seems to be the man of the hour.

Kimberly

Light, nimble, and intense. Kimberly gives a lot of options to pressure opponents into the corners, and her shuriken bombs, a resource to keep track of throughout the match, open up combo extension opportunities. If you like your pressure proactive, hard-to-read, and want to have options to keep that tempo up, then Kimberly will give you those resources to make the most of her rushdown.

Lily

Inspired by old T.Hawk’s fighting style, Lily comes into Street Fighter 6, featuring a good set of tackles, command grabs, and, thanks to her clubs, range. She is also able to make Winclad Stocks using her Condor Wind to amplify some of her special moves and Super Arts. If you are looking for a high-mobility character, Lily is a solid choice.

Year 1 Character Pass

Confirmed right before the release of Street Fighter 6, Year 1 Character Pass contains four new characters for the game, although some are returning from previous installments of the franchise. Keep in mind you must purchase the DLC pack if you want to access these characters. So far, only Rashid has been released.

Rashid

Coming back from Street Fighter 5, Rashid is a fast-paced fighter. He is centered around the concept of continuous unrelenting pressure. He features multiple mobility options with crossover flips, double jumping specials, and a running command grab. On the other hand, his complex moveset and lacking neutral power can make it a very challenging pick for new players.