Street Fighter 6 launched with a solid array of characters, 18 in total, with more coming as part of the first Season Pass. There are seven female characters among the initial roster, an interesting mix of brand-new faces and returning ones from previous Street Fighter games. All seven of them have their own move sets, leaving some better than others. Some characters have a better chance of dominating others in online matches and tournaments if they’re used to their fullest potential. It’s a good time to rank the best female characters in Street Fighter 6.

7. Lily

Lily looking ready for her close-up.

Lily is one of the new faces in Street Fighter 6, though she’s connected to a couple of longtime Street Fighter characters. She’s a descendant and member of the Indigenous Mexican Thunderfoot tribe, the same group that T. Hawk and Juli(a) belong to. Lily is the youngest new character to join the cast, as shown through her visual appearance.

It’s T. Hawk that Lily references and mentions the most, so it’s no surprise that portions of her move set bring him to mind. Like him, she can perform the Condor Spire, Condor Dive, and Tomahawk Buster. She also comes with her own spin on certain techniques, with several unique attacks attached to the Condor Wind technique. Her command throw, her own spin on T. Hawk’s Mexican Typhoon, is also powerful.

Those are, unfortunately, not enough to put her on par with the other characters. Lily is #7 here because she’s the worst female character in the game, and perhaps the worst character overall. Lily is designed to be a pressure character, but most of the cast has techniques to keep her at bay, including the Drive Reversal mechanic that the whole cast can use. She’s also not very quick despite her size. At least there’s potential for her to improve through future balance updates.

Lily Review:

• Ease of use: She’s one of the easiest characters to pick up and play, thanks to her simple move set that works well with Modern and Classic control methods.
• For T. Hawk Fans: If there were any T. Hawk fans from previous Street Fighter games who wanted a successor, here she is.
• There’s room for improvement: Lily is currently a low-tier character, but Street Fighter 6 will be around for a while. She’ll get buffed eventually.

See Lily in action:

Not that Lily can't wreck fools.

6. Kimberly

Kimberly during her jammin' Super Art.

Kimberly is yet another new face in Street Fighter 6’s roster, and another with connections to previous characters. Some of those characters belong to other universes too. She’s a Bushinryu Ninjitsu practitioner like Guy, Maki, and their master Zeku before her. Kimberly is specifically learning her ways from Guy, and putting her skills to use to keep down the crime rate in Metro City. She also puts many skills inspired by Guy’s to use in battle, and plays more like him compared to the other Bushinryu users.

Anyone familiar with Guy from previous Street Fighter games (and a few Final Fight titles) should settle right in with Kimberly. She inherits versions of his chain combos, air throws with a similar command move, and dashes. But she puts her own spin on several attacks. The chain combo doesn’t work in the same way, lacking the juggle properties, and performs different techniques as part of her dash attacks. She also has moves of her own, like the Bushin Izuna Otoshi throw, Bushin Hojin Kick dive kick, and Vagabond Edge dash and two-hit (or more if an EX one is used) combo. She’s much better at keeping pressure on opponents than Guy.

Kimberly has great combo potential, with her abilities to keep opponents on their toes. She’s also greatly capable of confusing them, making them unsure of how to block incoming attacks. But she’s unfortunately lacking in damage and priority on some techniques. These flaws are easy to pinpoint because, well, they weren’t flaws of hers during the beta sessions. She was a force to be reckoned with prior to the main game’s release, but there’s potential for her to be that again. As it stands, she’s a solid mid-tier character, and hardly bad.

Kimberly Review:

• She’s incredibly fun to play: Kimberly’s combo and mix-up potential are high, which makes confusing opponents with her attacks and racking up the combo counter incredibly enjoyable.
• Her personality is a lot of fun, too: Kimberly is unlike many other Street Fighter characters in terms of her quickness in battle and ethnicity. It adds a lot to the universe.
• Guy in gal: Anyone familiar with Guy can pick her right up, despite their differences. She’s also the best current connection to Final Fight among the current roster.
• Potential for the future: Kimberly players should breathe a bit. It’ll be okay. She’ll be the nigh-unstoppable force to be reckoned with that she was in the betas again soon enough.

See Kimberly in action:

Just try and keep up with Kimberly here.

5. Manon

Manon demonstrates her flexibility.

There’s a clear trend here. Manon is yet another one of the new faces in Street Fighter 6, in a female cast that largely and notably consists of new characters. Unlike Lily and Kimberly above, though, she doesn’t have connections to previous Street Fighter or Final Fight games or characters. Manon is an accomplished French supermodel with an eye for fashion, and seeks to also become a champion Street Fighter.

Manon brought an underused style to Street Fighter with her. Few judo experts have made their way into the franchise, with Street Fighter IV’s Abel (who’s also French) using a combination of judo and MMA styles. This makes Manon a welcome face in both her appearance and fighting style, with her move set focusing on powerful throws and kicks. She makes sure to use them with graceful style.

The focus on powerful throws and kicks leaves her with a couple of disadvantages. She lacks ranged options, which makes her very vulnerable to zoning from characters with fireballs or other techniques that can be used from mid-range and long-range. Many of Manon’s mid-range attacks are unsafe, meaning her pressure game is lacking. But she partially compensates with powerful kicks and throws that increase in strength depending on how frequently they’re used.

Manon Review:

• Her great throw game: Manon’s throws are very powerful, with only Zangief besting her. The throws also increase in power depending on how often she uses them.
• Her kick combos are great too: Manon is a force to be feared when she’s up close to the opponent. There, the opponent is at the mercy of her kick mix-ups, which can lead to her using throws.
• Her. She’s great: Manon sticks out because she’s a unique face among the Street Fighter roster, and one for all fighting games. There aren’t any other judo fashion experts around.
• She suffers a bit at a range: That said, Manon will simply have to outplay characters that use fireballs or have attacks from mid-range and beyond.

See Manon in action:

Manon may be throw-heavy, but she has some great combos.

4. Marisa

Marisa channeling the power of the gods and goddesses.

Marisa is yet another new face in Street Fighter 6, in a cast full of them. But she has more in common with Manon through how she has no connection to any prior characters in the franchise’s universe. Marisa herself is a jewelry designer making her way up through the pristine equipment world, but she has a clear eye for beauty and brawn. She claims ancestry from Greek warriors, and puts that to use through her main fighting attire and in battle.

Marisa, to no surprise, fully utilizes her tall stature and muscles while fighting. She’s by far the most muscular female character in the Street Fighter universe, and one of the most powerful in fighting games. She makes opponents feel that through her punches, kicks, and unique combos. The combination of those with her throws, moves with super armor, and her higher-than-average health make her a force to be reckoned with.

Sure, she lacks some ranged options. Anyone with a fireball they can use quickly from long range can be a problem for her. But she has techniques to outmaneuver them from afar if -- IF -- the player is good at timing and mastery. Some of her moves have super armor attached to them, for which she can take temporary damage as a character would through a Drive Impact attack, in exchange for her landing an attack on her opponent.

Marisa Review:

• The most powerful woman: Marisa is by far the most powerful woman in the Street Fighter franchise, from her looks and in gameplay.
• Fiercely powerful combos: Because of this, she has incredibly powerful combos that can shave off the opponent’s health in no time. This makes her a force to be feared.
• Outgoing: Street Fighter 6’s World Tour mode reveals how Marisa is nowhere near as intimidating in her personality. She’s extremely outgoing,
• Lacking a bit in range: Marisa’s strengths with up-close and mid-range opponents come at the expense of long-range attacks. She also can’t dodge fireballs as fast as the other women. But it’s still possible for her to get to an opponent playing keep-away.

See Marisa in action:

Keep your eye on the opponent lifebars for a really good time.

3. Chun-Li

Chun-Li getting ready for another fight.

Chun-Li is the one who started it all: The very first playable female character to grace the Street Fighter brand. She’s a survivor, and one of the key Street Fighter representatives whenever any crossovers are made (though Capcom doesn’t make many these days). She’s now back at it again in an older and wiser form, bringing many of her techniques from older games and including new ones.

Chun-Li has a lengthy move set, with several close-range, mid-range, and even longer-range options. Many of these moves have returned from previous installments, like the Kikoken, Spinning Bird Kick, and Hundred Lightning Legs that work better as a command move instead requiring rapid kick button presses. They all work individually depending on the situation she’s in, and even better in combos. Her Super Arts are even better, one of which involves the return of the Houyoku-sen from Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike.

Chun-Li is much better than several players concluded when Street Fighter 6 launched. It took a bit of time for many of them to reach the point where she was considered an upper tier character, thanks to how technical she is. She’s the hardest female character to learn how to play in Street Fighter 6, and one of the toughest characters to get down overall. Once the player has put enough time in with her, they’ll have a much easier time winning matches.

Chun-Li Review:

• An icon: Chun-Li is one of the most iconic female fighting game characters around, if not THE most iconic. She’s made several strong appearances in the Street Fighter series.
• A variety of moves: Street Fighter 6 notably includes one of the better iterations of Chun-Li, coming with one of her largest move sets with several opportunities for attacks and counterattacks.
• Combo is the key: Chun-Li doesn’t do much damage individually. She can, however, shave off plenty of an opponent’s life through combos, especially those that use the Drive meter.
• She’s very technical: Learning those combos is another matter. Chun-Li is very difficult to play and takes time to learn. Any player using her might lose plenty of matches before they start consistently winning.

See Chun-Li in action:

Maximizing combo damage makes you evil, it turns out.

2. Cammy

Cammy is yet another Street Fighter and fighting game icon, being the second female character to debut in the Street Fighter series during the 1990s. Her move set hasn’t changed much since then, keeping moves like the Spiral Arrow and Cannon Spike for every game in which she’s appeared. Her personality has changed a bit, but she remains a charming and powerful character in every game.

Cammy is one of the quickest female characters in Street Fighter 6, with her abilities to confuse opponents and make them uncertain of how and where to block her attacks. Her move set is largely identical to previous games. But she’s distinguished here thanks to her new EX moves with use of the Drive gauge. Both boost her capabilities to rack up big combos and damage, making her a force to be feared.

She also comes with several of the same flaws. It’s a running theme that Cammy will never have a good overhead attack in any game, meaning the player using her will simply have to outwit anyone blocking low. Several of her moves are unsafe on block, or can leave her open just before they land among players who know Cammy’s move set too well. A combination of mind games and skill can make Cammy players formidable in the fighting arena.

Cammy Review:

• The same old Cammy: Cammy herself has changed little between games in terms of her move set. This means anyone familiar with her can pick up and play her again, while learning Street Fighter 6’s unique systems.
• A lack of range is no problem: Cammy doesn’t have many long-range attacks that can help her close the distance on an opponent quickly and safely. But that’s fine when she moves so fast.
• A combo queen: No female character can rack up the combo number like Cammy. She's capable of strong and stylish strings combined with use of the Drive meter.
• The same old Cammy: This has its flaws, too, through her lack of an overhead and a bunch of unsafe techniques. The player will simply have to work around them.

See Cammy in action:

A fun competition to see who's tougher to keep up with, between Cammy and Kimberly.

1. Juri

Juri approves of her place on this list.

Juri made the biggest splash out of all the new characters when she debuted in the Street Fighter IV games. The combination of her anti-villainous personality, her design, and her being the first Korean character to grace the Street Fighter brand after so many years made her an instant hit. There’s a good reason why she returned in Street Fighter V and now Street Fighter 6.

She’s number one here because this is the best version of Juri yet. The development team at Capcom combined what worked best about her move set in the SFIV titles (when she was near the top of the tier list) and the little that worked with her SFV self for this version. She has an answer to everything, and is quick on her feet to boot.

Juri puts those feet to use for a dazzling array of attacks to respond to multiple situations. Her close-up attacks can lead to several combos, while she also has a projectile that travels low for zoning opportunities. Her Tensenrin also works great for anti-air opportunities, while her Shiku-sen dive kick combo can quickly attack opponents while she’s airborne at mid-range. They all do plenty of damage. Juri’s not quite on par with the notorious top-tier characters (Ken, Luke, JP, and Guile -- the new Four Kings, really), but she’s the female character who comes the closest.

Juri review:

• Dazzling kicks: As a fantasy Taekwondo user, Juri has a ridiculous array of kicks for large and powerful combo potential.
• Juri at her best: The development team went through seemingly painstaking effort to make sure they addressed all the complaints from Juri fans about her SFV self.
• A similarly-dazzling personality: Let’s be real here. Her personality is part of the reason why a bunch of fans are perfectly willing to go on Juri duty. Let’s simply not get into the other reason here.
• Her issues are only minor: She would be one of the game’s biggest terrors if her projectile traveled a bit faster and her dive kick went a bit further. But she’s still great.

See Juri in action:

Juri at her best point yet.

Special Entry: A.K.I.

A.K.I. has that extremely sinister look about her.

A.K.I. is the newest face to grace Street Fighter 6 through downloadable content, and another one with connections to a previous character. Her moves and use of poison in battle come right from Street Fighter V’s F.A.N.G., her master. She’s a lot of fun to control in battle, and has much more potential than F.A.N.G. in terms of player usage and popularity in terms of her design.

She’s not being ranked here because, well, it’s just too early. It takes time to determine just how well a character stacks up to the rest of the roster in a complex fighting game, in terms of online matches and especially tournament viability. There should be good analyses regarding just how good she is in the coming weeks and months.

See A.K.I. in action:

Hey, maybe she's top-tier. We'll see.

Street Fighter 6 will receive plenty of balance patches in the years to come, perhaps as many as Street Fighter V before it. Remember that rankings like these will fluctuate over time. Not to undermine this particular feature, because it’s good to gauge the standing of these female characters for now. It will be a guide to see just how tremendously the game will change in the future. That’s not even getting into the female characters that will be added through DLC in future Season Passes.

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