The current success of Street Fighter 6 shows how the game will remain around for years to come in the fighting game tournament and online scenes. It will last as long as Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter V before it at the very least. Matches have been ongoing since the game launched in June, and it’s yet to disappear from digital and physical sales charts in several countries around the world. The competition online and offline is only getting fiercer. If you want to play the game in any serious capacity, it’s time to shut up and learn some combos.
Let’s talk about the coolest combos you’ll see in the game, from a variety of characters. These combos should give you an idea of what you can do in your journey to become the Street Fighter 6 expert to be feared.
10. Luke (Double Drive Rush Non-EX Combo)
The fun starts at 1:00
This is one of new(-ish) character Luke’s more complicated and semi-lengthy combos in Street Fighter 6, but it gets great results through damage inside and outside the corner. Using it depends on whether Luke, and the player by extension, have plenty of the Drive and Super gauge stock.
It starts with a jumping hard kick, then follows with a standing hard punch, a Drive Rush Cancel, a quick crouching medium punch and crouching hard punch link, then another Drive Rush Cancel, another crouching medium punch and crouching hard punch link, a light kick Avenger technique (quarter-circle forward + kick), a light punch link, and finishes off with a Level 3 Super Art to take them down to Memphis.
The Drive and Super Art meter use are worth it for a combo that will drain the opponent’s health by about 55 percent. The lesson through playing and watching Street Fighter 6 over the last three months is that if a player has Drive meter, they should use it regardless of whether they go into a burn-out state. This combo isn’t too long, meaning damage scaling won’t be a concern.
This is the kind of cool combo someone can do after they’ve mastered use of Drive Rush Cancels for combos, which takes plenty of practice in both the Training Room and in live matches. Using this combo will show the opponent that you’re a force to be reckoned with. Mind games are part of the experience.
Luke is a very basic character with a very basic move set. But he’s clearly capable of executing flasher moves if the player is willing to put in the work to learn them. Don’t let anyone tell you that Luke is too vanilla, despite being top tier (again) for good reason.
9. Ryu (Drive Rush Denjin Combo)
The crushing starts at 3:47.
Ryu will forever be one of the most basic characters to pick up and play in a Street Fighter game, but he also always comes with more complicated combos. This combo is one such example, which works inside and outside the corner.
After a Denjin Charge (down twice + any punch button), start with a standing neutral hard punch, and continue with a Drive Rush Cancel and a Standing Hard Kick. Then, link it with a crouching Hard Punch and a Hashogeki with any punch button, then another Drive Rush Cancel, and finish with a Hard Kick High Blade Kick.
Ryu doesn’t have many high-damaging combos, part of the reason why he ranks low on tier lists. But he’s not entirely useless, as clever use of the Drive Gauge for Drive Rush Cancels to extend combos can still make him a formidable force. This combo notably doesn’t finish with a Level 3 Super Art, but it can be used if the combo takes Ryu and the opponent close enough to the corner. Ryu won’t always be in that situation, for a combo that can be started from anywhere on the screen.
That said, there is strict timing involved with the execution. It’s good that Street Fighter 6 is the kind of game where experience with one character can carry over to others. But make sure to get the timing on Ryu’s attacks down before executing it, and know when to use a Denjin Charge that doesn’t leave him open for an opponent’s counterattack.
Ryu is even more basic than Luke here, but Drive Rush is his savior. The Hashogeki doesn’t have many uses outside of combos, but it’s not entirely useless, as combos like this showcase. He can still deal serious damage, even without Super meter usage.
8. Zangief (EX Corner Combo)
The bear hugging starts at 8:32.
Zangief has never been a character with large combos, instead favoring grapples and mind games. But the Drive Rush feature has given him some good and flashy ones here.
It starts with forward + Hard Punch presses, then is super-cancelled into a level 2 Super Art, then perform a Drive Rush as the opponent is still airborne that leads into a forward + Medium Kick attack, then a down-forward + Medium Punch attack for a juggle, an EX Lariat, and finish with an air Spinning Pile Driver.
Not only is this combo damaging, doing nearly half the opponent’s health in, it doesn’t burn much of the Super Art and Drive meters. Zangief isn’t defenseless in Drive Burn Out, but this will leave the opponent open for more mind games using the Drive meter afterward.
Again, Zangief doesn’t depend on the use of too many combos. But it’s best for him to maximize his damage, thanks to how tough of a time he has in approaching opponents. He’s low on tier lists for this reason, but combos like this show how he’s hardly a bad character.
On the other hand: This combo is tough to execute. It’s worth practicing the timing and the opponent spacing in the training room, particularly for the down-forward + Medium Punch attack juggle. The air Spinning Pile Driver is also tough to execute, especially as Zangief has to perform it at the jump animation’s very start.
This combo is practical, but tough to use in battle. If you even land half of it, you’ll show the tournament and online communities that your Zangief is to be feared, and that being a low-tier character doesn’t mean that character is no good.
7. Rashid (The Climb to Altair)
The Turbulent Wind truly begins at 10:40.
Rashid, the first character to join Street Fighter 6 through downloadable content, came with crazy combos in Street Fighter V. It’s no surprise that he has several here.
This one makes heavy use of Drive Rush. It starts with a down + HP attack from the air, which causes Rashid to hop, and continues with a jumping Hard Kick. This leads into a Medium Kick and Medium Punch link combo, continues with the Medium Punch Arabian Cyclone. Continue it with a Light Punch, into a Drive Rush Cancel with another Light Punch, which can link into a repeat of the previous combo string starting with the Medium Kick and Medium Punch link. This goes into yet another Medium Kick and Medium Punch link, followed by another Medium Punch Arabian Cyclone. This is followed by a Light Punch link and a Medium Punch Spinning Mixer, which can be Super-canceled into a level 3 Super Art.
This, as you can see, is a ridiculously long and complicated combo. It will blow the entirety of the Drive and Super meters. But the result is a long and meaty combo that will take more than half an opponent’s health. The combo is worth it for the damage opportunities, and will KO the opponent if their health is low enough
Still, this combo should only be used after you’ve mastered Rashid. Anyone who played the character in SFV should be familiar with him, but he’s not identical. It will take a lot of practice to get such a long and complicated string down.
If that’s too hard: The combo is just as effective without repeating the string that starts with the Medium Kick and Medium Punch link. This is another combo that will put fear into the opponent if it doesn’t lead to a KO. They will tremble at the chill of theTurbulent Wind. Here Rashid is already frightening enough thanks to how fast he moves. It also looks cool.
6. Chun-Li (Soten Ranka Finish)
The elegance begins at 6:13.
Chun-Li has several big combos that she needs to use in battle to stand a chance. Here’s one that does a good deal of damage and doesn’t burn too much of the Drive meter.
It starts with a standing Hard Kick, and continues with a quick link into the Serenity Stream stand and a quick Medium Kick press afterward. This is super-cancelled into an EX Spinning Bird Kick. While the opponent is still airborne, use the Level 2 Super Art. Then, follow with a quick jump cancel into the two air Hard Punch Target Combo, and finish with the Level 1 Super Art (Kikosho).
This will take a little under half the opponent’s health, and the timing can be tough to get down with Chun-Li being a high-execution character. But it’s worth reiterating that she needs to use combos like this to stand a chance.
Chun-Li isn’t the strongest character in the game, with her individual techniques doing little damage to an opponent. She needs to depend on combos that use the Drive and Super meters to remain formidable against opponents, especially those with higher health counts and hard-hitting combos like Zangief and especially Marisa.
It’s again worth reiterating that it’s worth going into a burn-out state for some characters by using all the Drive meter. But this is extremely worth it for Chun-Li. Her best damage comes from spending everything to drain as much of the opponent’s health as possible. Learning how to quickly use attacks in the Serenity Stream stance and jump canceling from her Level 2 Super Art are essential for playing her and looking flashy while doing so.
5. Cammy (Delta Red Ultimate Assault)
The assault begins at 3:13.
Cammy is one of Street Fighter 6’s quickest characters. This means she excels with landing fast attacks before the opponent can realize what’s happening to them. These can lead to combos to maximize the damage off hit-confirms.
This one starts with a Jumping Hard Punch for regular usage or a punish, then continues with a crouching Hard Punch and links with a Medium Punch. This can quickly be canceled with a Drive Rush with a back + Hard Kick being executed afterward to take the opponent airborne. This is followed by another Drive Rush followed with a back + Medium Punch that’s followed by a back + Hard Kick for the juggle, and super canceled into a Hard Kick Spiral Arrow, and then finishes with a Level 3 Super Art.
This is a lot, but worth it for a combo that will take around 60-70 percent of the opponent’s health, depending on whether the first jumping Hard Punch attack is a punishing attack or not. Even if it wasn’t, it’s still damaging, and flashy to boot.
Cammy is nimble, but compensates by dealing big damage very quickly. Her attacks are fast, and can seriously damage the opponent before they realize it or get their attack out. These can lead to big combos, and it’s best to spend the meter to get the most damage out of the opportunity as possible.
Cammy is another character where you’ll want to go into a burn-out state after using the Drive meter, though this combo won’t use all of it. This makes it an essential combo. You can keep a little Drive meter just in case the opponent tries to use a counterattack afterward to keep them in check, if it doesn’t result in a KO. This combo, and many of her other techniques, make Cammy a frightening character to fight in the hands of an advanced player, let alone an expert.
4. Manon (Grand Pas de Deux)
The stylishness begins at 7:00.
Manon is not a combo-heavy character, with her focusing on mind games and tricks to use her command throws on characters. But this makes the few combos she has worthwhile, those she performs with her expected grace.
This corner combo starts with a back + Hard Punch hit, an EX Rond-point, then another EX Rond-point followed by a Drive Rush. Another back + Hard Punch hit will continue the juggle, which is move-canceled into a Hard Punch Renversé, which itself is super-cancelled into a Level 3 Super Art.
This combo will burn the entire Super meter, but will preserve just enough Drive meter to prevent Manon from going into a burn-out stage. This can enable the player to use another move to play mind games with the opponent afterward. It’s good to have the option after this combo itself will drain about half the opponent’s health.
Manon’s best techniques are her grapples, with her kicks coming in second place. So, it’s no surprise that her combos also have a bunch of throws in them. Using a combo like this will show the opponent that they fully know how to play Manon, to get the most out of her damage potential.
This also means that Manon isn’t at a bad disadvantage when in a burn-out state. Unless the opponent is playing Zangief, they should be staying out of her throw range regardless. Those throws are powerful regardless of the state she’s in, but the occasional graceful and stylish combo also makes her a great character to rely on.
3. Marisa (Power of the Hunting Goddess)
The crushing begins at 8:09.
Marisa is a powerful-looking character. As you could have guessed, she has some hard-hitting and vicious combos. It was tough to settle on one of them here.
This incredibly powerful one starts with a charged back + Hard Punch, then a normal back + Hard Punch (though any other normal attack can be used to start this combo), the Hard Punch Dimachaerus Special move, a partially-charged Crouching Hard Punch, a Drive Rush with a quick back + Hard Punch, canceled by another Drive Rush followed by a back + Hard Punch that’s super-cancelled into an EX Phalanx attack. This is followed up by another back + Hard Punch canceled by a Hard Punch Gladius, which is super-canceled into a Level 3 Super Art.
This move does big damage, around 70 percent even on a character with average health. It can be the kiss of death if they’ve taken any damage beforehand.
This combo and others show why any player should immediately start praying for mercy if Marisa is merely punching them. She has several techniques that can be super-canceled and linked into combos, meaning one hit will never be the end of it. The combo above is one of her longer ones, but it’s worth keeping around.
Of course, it’s possible to play Marisa well by merely using normal attacks too. But you’ll want to put the fear of God into them, like that combo above will. Marisa is also a lot of fun to watch, so don’t forget to be entertaining too.
2. Guile (Crossfire Somersault Break)
Combat duty begins at 8:10.
Guile has been capable of executing big combos since his reintroduction in Street Fighter IV. But his combos have never hit as hard as they do in this game.
Take this corner one. It starts with a standing Hard Punch, then is canceled with a Drive Rush and a quick forward + Medium Kick, which links to a standing Medium Punch, which itself links to a crouching Medium Punch and is canceled into a Light Punch Sonic Boom. Then, perform a back + Hard Punch while the opponent is still in a damage state, and follow up with a Hard Kick that’s canceled into a Level 3 Super Art.
This combo does big damage, a little over half the health of an opponent. Even better, this doesn’t use much of the Drive meter, leaving Guile free to perform other setups afterward.
Guile has plenty of ridiculously long and flashy combos, but those are more for showing off than doing a lot of damage. This is the best combo that’s both lengthy and does big damage to the opponent, while leaving Guile himself at a slight advantage with all the Drive meter he’ll have left. There’s a good reason why he’s a top-tier character, though his moves aren’t easy to execute.
Guile has plenty of combo possibilities despite his typically-limited move set. Street Fighter 6 presents one of the best versions of the character yet, and anyone who plays him can be a fearful force. That goes double when a player practices these combos and can perform them in a match.
1. Ken (Jinrai Overhead Max Damage)
The toastiness starts at 3:12.
Ken is one of the best characters in the game. His combos show why the winner of Evo 2023 used the character to go all the way to the top.
Here’s one of his best and flashiest. It starts with a Medium Kick Jinrai Kick, which leads into the Gorai Axe Kick for the start of the overhead. This links to a standing Medium Punch, which is canceled into a Drive Rush and a quick standing Hard Punch, itself special move-canceled into a Medium Kick Dragonlash Kick. This continues with the move being linked to a crouching Light Punch while the opponent is hit-stunned, which links into a standing Medium Punch, and then canceled with another Drive Rush. Follow that up with another standing Hard Punch, and a Medium Kick Dragonlash Kick, a crouching Light Punch, which links into the standing Medium Punch and standing Hard Punch target combo. Follow these up with two Light Kick Jinrai Kick combo juggles, and finish it off with a Level 3 Super Art.
This is a lot of steps, but the damage is worth it. This will do nearly 60-percent damage to the opponent, while also teaching them that you are not to be messed with while playing Ken. It will take time to get this combo down, but the learning experience is worth it for anyone who wants to master the character
Learning this combo will teach everyone that you are no scrub with Ken, even though it’s easy to make it through matches by using only his most basic attacks. It also shows why he’s a top-tier character. Ken is fun to play, with moves that can trick and overpower most other characters, as the starting attacks in this combo show.
You should save this combo for when you’ve mastered Ken’s other attacks, and have nailed down the timing. Some of them, like the Drive Rush Cancels and dashing attacks, can be tough to master. But you’ll be formidable once you do. It’s a lot of fun to style on an opponent like this, even if it leaves them fuming.
There’s always an opportunity for these combos to no longer work in future versions of Street Fighter 6, since Capcom has plenty of balance patches planned for the game’s future. That doesn’t mean we can’t look and gawk at how hard-hitting and flashy these combos currently are. Good luck learning them, as anyone who does will truly be THE Street Fighter 6 expert.
