Dhalsim

Our beloved Dhalsim helped us conquer Street Fighter II when we were just beginners. With stretchy limbs, fire-breathing abilities, teleportation and a torpedo move that could rival M. Bison’s, Dhalsim has all the right mechanics of a strong fighter.

Many characters in Street Fighter are focused on speed and close the distances between fighters but Dhalsim’s main advantage is huge enormous reach, making this fighter extremely frustrating to land a hit on.

Blanka

This crazy jungle-beast was first introduced in the classic Street Fighter II. He made quite the impression jumping around, rolling into your face and electrocuting the player if they went for an overhead attack. He was also infamous for his grab, in which Blanka would jump on your character and sink his teeth into your neck.

Damn Blanka, you crazy.

Adon

Adon has quite the personality (at least more so than Sagat). With a permanent troll face and an annoying high-pitched voice, it’s no wonder his former master can’t stand him.

Adon is essentially the Street Fighter equivalent to DC’s Joker character. He has no regard for human safety and is essentially an insane psychopath, making him a fighter you just love to hate.

As a character, Adon is a fast Muay Thai striker. He’s always flying around the arena trying to get in quick combos and his speed is particularly outstanding against projectile-users such as Ryu or Ken. If you can master Adon, he can become quite the pest to any opponent.

Ibuki

Ibuki has captured our hearts ever since appearing in Street Fighter III: New Generation. As a young woman, Ibuki is a trained fighter learning the arts of ninjutsu. As a character, Ibuki is just a normal teenage girl – she hates training and worries about her clothing.

In order for players to have success playing as the young ninja, they must have extremely good reflexes and accuracy to pull off some of her combos. Who said being a ninja isn’t hard?

Alex

The Street Fighter series has quite the selection of the strong and silent types, but Alex is a bit different. His character could possibly be inspired by the great wrestler Hulk Hogan (before he lost all his hair).

Even though he was absent from the massive Street Fighter IV cast, he’s set to return to our screens as DLC in the newest Street Fighter V. Hopefully our old friend has a few new tricks up his sleeves, or at least underneath that massive headband.

Cammy

Cammy White was first introduced to players when she appeared in Super Street Fighter II.

In the story, she’s brainwashed by M. Bison and is sent by the Shadaloo overlord as an assassin. Making her storyline one of the most unique and satisfying in Street Fighter lore.

As a fighter, she lacks any real long-range abilities but more than makes up for it by having unique moves that close the gap between foes. With a chip on her shoulder from being controlled by M. Bison, she can’t be blamed for tenacity.

Vega

First appearing as a boss in Street Fighter II, this claw-wielding pretty-boy isn’t to be underestimated. With a weird fetish with his weapon, he can be seen licking the blades and acting like a real weirdo before battle. Also, the dude really needs to clip his fingernails.

Anyway, he’s one of the fastest and most agile characters in the series. His defensive rating is pretty low, but that’s why Vega players have to get in close to enact some serious damage with his brutal claw attacks. Eat your heart out, Wolverine.

Zangief

The almighty Red Cyclone, Zangief. You have to give credit to a guy who went toe-to-toe with the Hulk in the Marvel vs Capcom series.

Zangief is a grappler, meaning he wants to get touchy-feely with anyone standing in his way. Once he grabs you, you’re in for a world of hurt.

Over the years, Capcom was nice enough to give him a couple moves to combat those pesky projectile characters. Even though Zangief is one of the slowest in the game, he’s still a top-tier character and his damage output is second to none.

Sagat

Sagat has maintained a massive fanbase ever since appearing in the original Street Fighter, which isn’t a common occurrence.

This Muay Thai kickbox is also a former member of M. Bison’s evil organization Shadaloo, in which he served as a personal bodyguard for Street Fighter II’s main antagonist. Before this, Sagat received a devastating defeat from the hands of Ryu during the first tournament, where he gained a massive scar on his chest.

Being “The God of Muay Thai,” Sagat is mostly about throwing out long reaching kicks and brutal projectiles. Once you master his long reach, Sagat is a force to be reckoned with.

Guile

This Air Force veteran has been a staple of the series ever since being thrown into a crate by M. Bison himself on the cover of Street Fighter II.

Since making his first appearance in that title, Guile has been searching for the whereabouts of his best friend Charlie, giving players a reason to beat up any fighter standing in their way of Guile’s investigation.

It’s just not his storyline that players recognize, though, it’s that epic flattop Guile sports. With fancy flash kicks, sonic booms and a whole lot of hair gel, Guile has easily became one the many favorites in the Street Fighter series.

M. Bison

M. Bison (or Vega in Japan) is the main antagonist of the Street Fighter series. With a crazy jaw-line and what seems to have limitless power through his Psycho Power abilities, M. Bison sure does kick a lot of ass.

His famous Psycho Crusher move sends M. Bison hurtling towards the opponent like a big purple torpedo, which can really surprise your adversaries. One of the other reasons he’s so tricky to fight is his head-stomping moves, in which he’ll rudely bounce off your head and launch another surprise attack on the way down. He truly is a villain and a jerk.

Akuma

Akuma is the ultimate villain in the Street Fighter series. M. Bison might control an evil organization, but Akuma makes them look like child’s play with his unnatural abilities.

Gameplay wise, his moveset is primairly focused on overwhelming your opponent and dominating them before they have a chance to attack. His most famous technique is the Raging Demon attack, in which Akuma flies across the stage and relentlessly pummels his opponent while the screen blacks out.

While he might not have the personality flairs like other Street Fighter characters, Akuma’s utter hatred and power has made him become on of this series’ most beloved.

Ken

Not just a Ryu in a bright red gi, Ken Masters is a fiercer, faster and a more cocky fighter than his friend. Using the devastating Shoryuken uppercut, Ken lights his entire fist on fire — making his opponent regret going for an aerial maneuver.

In Street Fighter V, Ken Masters adopts the ever popular man-bun to help distinguish him from his rival. Guess style takes precedence over everything.

Chun-Li

With a flurry of explosive kicks and incredible technique, Chun-Li is a versatile fighter that everyone should learn to master. Once players pick up on all the advanced moves in her toolset, she can evenly match-up with any opponent in the series.

Donning her classic white buns and a whole lot of attitude, Chun-Li has easily become one of the most recognizable characters from Street Fighter. She’s a fan favorite and will always remain a classic choice.

Ryu

Surprising, isn’t it? Ryu has the best pick-up and play moveset of all Street Fighter characters. Without the brashness of Ken or the unreliability of Akuma, this traveling warrior can be dangerous in anyone’s hands.

If you stick to fundamentals, Ryu is without a doubt the most reliable character in the game. Just like Disney and Mickey Mouse, you can’t help but think of Street Fighter and not be reminded of this iconic warrior.