With Street Fighter 6’s Season 1 Character DLC done and dusted, we’re now in Season 2 of the current Capcom fighting title. We already have the following added in the game’s base roster: Rashid, A.K.I, Ed, and Akuma. Each of them offer a lot in terms of different playstyles, from A.K.I’s poison nonsense to Akuma’s legacy barrage of moves to contrast his glass cannon gameplay.

Which begs the question: who’s next? The world of Street Fighter (and Final Fight by extension) has been filled with a colourful cast of characters since its 1991 debut. Karate practitioners who chuck fireballs, yoga masters, high school students with innate fighting prowess, superpowered villains, and ninjas: this game’s got it all.

We will go with some obvious picks for Street Fighter 6’s Season 2 (and 3) Character DLC first, followed by unusual ones.

M.Bison/Dictator

This one’s a done deal. If you played through the new sidequest in World Tour mode called Master of Styles, you’ll eventually find a bunch of notes describing remnants of Shadaloo plans to resurrect the infamous Street Fighter 2 dictator/last boss. Though theories are floating around, the World Tour quest kinda proves that Season 2 (or 3) may see the return of the Dictator in some form or another.

My guess? He’ll probably come back as a female doll. Basically the body of your Psycho Dolls (Cammy, Juni, Juli, etc.) but with M.Bison’s moveset: Psycho Crusher, Head Stomp, Devil Reverse, Scissors Kick, that cool crouching HK slide. He’s also a fan favourite, so no doubt he’ll be an obvious pick for Season 2 DLC.

Sakura

Another obvious pick, Ryu’s protege is adored by fans of the series due to her perky nature, her moveset, and can-do attitude. She has a tweaked moveset that is similar to Ryu’s Shotokan style, but is different enough to be its own rushdown playstyle. Charged fireballs (with one that hits diagonally upward), her Sakura rekka air bop, and “hop” hurricane kick; players who want a slightly different flavour of shoto will want to play as Sakura.

It’ll be interesting to see if a Street Fighter 6 version of Sakura will still keep her old job as an amusement center attendant, or end up as a salarywoman fighting in a modified business getup. In any case, she’s a shoe-in addition to the game.

Makoto

A woman with anger issues, she runs her family dojo and is also a powerhouse in martial arts. In Street Fighter 3: Third Strike, she’s a top-tier character due to her owning one of the best dashes and command grabs in the game, her amazing normals, and her risk-reward burst damage gameplay. With Street Fighter 6’s Drive Rush mechanic, she can be a force to be reckoned with and can act as an “armor-breaker” character akin to Marisa.

Elena

The cheerful Kenyan light-hearted nature-loving fighter made her debut in Street Fighter 3 as the sole capoeira practitioner of the series. She is also one of the best characters in Street Fighter IV due to her possessing the best Ultra comeback in the game: the ability to regain life back in a 2D fighting game where such abilities are non-existent.

With how impactful Street Fighter 6’s Drive Rush can be, perhaps putting in someone like Elena can mean a different kind of fight style that’s part footsie-based and part defensive. If balanced thoroughly, that Healing power-up she has can make her stand out in the roster, since it’s pretty easy for most of the cast to cover ground if they have enough Drive meter.

Q, G

This Street Fighter 3 is an enigma. Q is a mysterious individual of unknown origin whose identity is concealed by a metallic mask. He has dash punches of various properties and super-powered swings, as well as a taunt that powers up his attacks.

G is a Street Fighter 5 fighter who has “geokinesis” powers and is a self-proclaimed President of the Earth. He also has dash punches of various properties, but has projectiles. Many fans have brought up similarities between Q and G; in fact, the latter has an alternate outfit which is similar to Q’s default masked getup.

In any case, Q/G could make a comeback to set the story record straight in Street Fighter 6. The game is in need of momentum-based fighters, and G fits the bill to a tee.

Sean Matsuda, Laura Matsuda

The Matsuda siblings will be back in Street Fighter 6, though it’ll be Sean first to take the limelight, followed by his well-endowed sister.

About Sean: he made his debut in Street Fighter 3 as a sorta close-ranged Shoto without a fireball. He was a beast in Second Impact, but turned into a joke character in Third Impact. The developers should be obligated to bring him back as a viable pick, like a more hard-hitting version of Ken but with less flash and better pokes. Moves he should retain in his SF6 incarnation include his uppercut (and downward spike follow-up), his own Hurricane kick, Sean Tackle with multiple follow-ups/cancels, and his Ryuubi Kyaku (huge range, but unsafe on block). Oh, and he should inherit a command grab from his sister/family, probably add it to one of his Sean Tackle follow-ups.

Speaking of which, Laura Matsuda is what we call a unique kind of grappler. She has a mid-ranged projectile, has dashes up the wazoo, and a godlike standing MK that got nerfed over time in Street Fighter 5. She isn’t as big-bodied as her grappler counterparts, but she makes it up with her speed, distance-closing, and crazy normals. She would fit well with Street Fighter 6’s street aesthetics.

All in all, these two would be good additions to address the lack of human South Americans in the game.

Maki

Last seen in Capcom vs SNK 2 and Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX (on PSP), this Bushinryu practitioner is Guy’s rival back in the day, vying for the Bushinryu master throne. She’s also the sister-in-law of Guy, which complicates matters.

Moves-wise, she can retain her abilities in CvS2 along with some aerial shenanigans and keep her Suicide Spin -it’s a great wake-up/anti-air that eats up her life when used. She would make a good rival to SF6’s new unofficial Bushinryu user Kimberly.

Baba Mwalimu

The gorilla in Neo Shadaloo; he is last seen in Ed’s World Tour story bits and in the concept art you win after you beat Arcade Mode with Ed. If Capcom wants to add a weird pick, why not this gorilla? He can fight like your typical grappler, but with added assistance from the Neo Shadaloo baby and dolphin, chucking projectiles or being extra attacks.

Street Fighter 6 could use semi-joke characters like Samurai Shodown’s Sankuro and GBVS Rising’s Lowain: fighters who rely on others to pick up the slack while they buff themselves up or prep their gun for a game-ending blow. I’m not saying that a scientifically-altered gorilla is useless on its own, but it could benefit with some help from its similarly-enhanced pals as one unit.

Rock Howard from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves

You know a fighting game is in a good successful place if it can afford crossovers from rival fighters and guest characters. It’s been a while since we have seen a Capcom and SNK partnership, and with both companies having successful flagship fighter titles, the next step to live on in this golden age of fighting games is with a logical crossover.

With Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves slated for early 2025, it would be a great opportunity for Capcom to help out their fellow comrade in arms by including a guest character for the first time in years: Rock Howard in Street Fighter 6. Think about it: SNK’s upcoming and most iconic legacy franchise since The King of Fighters is making a comeback, and having one of its faces popping up in other games in sync with its own could help with branding in the long run. And who knows? With Rock’s powerful kit -Reppuken fireballs, Crackshoot Counter, Burn Knuckle, and Rising Storm/Deadly Rave Desperation Move- he can add a bit of spice in the already-colourful Street Fighter 6 melting pot.

Iori from The King of Fighters

Another logical crossover idea using an SNK character: Iori Yagami is the bad boy of KOF, and is a crowd favourite. Adding an anti-hero in the SF6 roster from another stable, especially one with a plethora of unique moves that aren’t out of the norm from a Shoto character, would also be a nice change of pace. Plus, I’d love to see what JP and Akuma would say about Iori’s Orochi powers.

Jin Kazama from Tekken

If Akuma can make guest appearances on Tekken, why not someone from Tekken? We’ve already seen how one of the main players in the Tekken universe fight and control in Street Fighter x Tekken; perhaps it’s high time Street Fighter 6 embraced crossovers much like Team Ninja and Bandai Namco did. One from each major faction -SNK and Bandai Namco- would hit the sweet spot for guest characters in a Street Fighter title.

Got any suggestions for Street Fighter 6 Season 2 DLC (or Season 3) characters? Would guest characters from other fighting games cross Capcom’s mind? Let us know on our website and other channels!