Who are the best Street Fighter guys of all time?
There have been several iconic characters throughout Street Fighter’s history, male, female, or even both, in the case of Seth.
For this list, we’ll be putting the amazing women of the Street Fighter universe to the side and focus on the guys that move the story forward and that have carried Street Fighter’s history throughout history. These guys are simply awesome.
10. Guy (Debut: Street Fighter Alpha)
Of course, we cannot talk about Street Fighter’s best guys without talking about Guy himself. Originally a Final Fight character, Guy moved on to the roster of World Warriors when Street Fighter Alpha came out in 1995.
A sneaker-wearing ninja with an array of incredible and cool-looking moves, Guy is a rushdown character with ridiculously good corner carry and flashy combos that will hook any spectator. He is amazingly fast and his jump is one of the best in Street Fighter’s history, in terms of speed and length.
Guy came back in Street Fighter IV and fans have been waiting for him to come back ever since. In Street Fighter V, Zeku, Guy’s master, is a playable character and utilizes many similar techniques in his young form, as he is a veteran of Bushin-Ryu, Guy’s martial art.
9. Zangief (Debut: Street Fighter II: The World Warrior)
Next on our list is the original grappler of them all. Debuting back in 1991, Zangief shaped the path not only for all subsequent Street Fighter grapplers but for the grappler archetype in Fighting Games in general.
Zangief’s goal is easy: to get close and grab you. This is grappling 101, and if you’re fighting the Russian wrestler you’ll need to keep him at a distance, which is not as easy as it seems despite Zangief’s slow speed.
His command grabs take out so much damage it never fails to amaze us, and in SFV, Zangief has a terrific air-to-air command grab to add to his arsenal that definitely makes up for him being without his classic Banishing Flat. Beware of the Red Cyclone!
8. Cody (Debut: Street Fighter Alpha 3)
Originally a Final Fight character, Cody Travers has had one of the funnest character developments in the entire cast. He started as a reckless brawler, fighting to survive in the slums of Metro City and setting off on the path to rescue his then-girlfriend, kidnapped by the Mad Gear Gang. Cody’s unhinged behavior has led him to be locked up for several years, but he has climbed his way up in society to become the current Mayor of Metro City.
Pugnacious and snarky, Cody’s personality is captivating and it fits his fighting style like a glove. He is a good guy with a strong sense of justice but he has no holds barred when fighting, recurring to the dirtiest of tricks and tactics to get the upper hand. From launching sand at opponents’ eyes, throwing pebbles and rocks, using foreign objects like knives and pipes, and sucker-punching his foes outta nowhere, it’s hard to keep up with all the shenanigans Cody keeps up his sleeves.
In SFIV, all his battles have a random knife laid in the middle of the stage for Cody to pick up and use at will, and in SFV, his neutral game and damage output are top tier. It’s basically impossible to not have fun when playing this character, as you have access to a lot of cool features, such as feinting to throw a projectile or swiftly dodging and counter moves like they’re nothing.
7. Urien (Debut: SF III: 2nd Impact - Giant Attack)
As the tyrant brother of the leader of the Illuminati, Urien greatly differs from his brother in his approach to leadership, believing in fear and subjugation as effective tools to rule.
Urien is emotionally unstable and has trust issues with anyone but himself, and usually lets his disrespectful and violent tendencies control his actions.
He has one of the most interesting tools in Street Fighter, called the Aegis Reflector. It poses a threat both offensively and defensively, as it can be used for creative and high damaging combos and can reflect fireballs back to the opponent. It also allows all sorts of step-ups. In SFIII, where Urien made his debut, Aegis Reflector was one of his Super Arts and his entire plan was to hold his own on the neutral game while filling meter for Aegis. In Third Strike, there are many unblockable set-ups made possible with it.
Because you can manipulate the positions of the mirrors and use them in all sorts of crazy combos from all sorts of different angles, Urien can rob any player at any time, no matter how low his life bar is.
6. Yun (Debut: SF III: New Generation)
Yun is a hyped, upbeat, and vivacious youngster from Hong Kong. He loves skateboarding, kung fu martial arts, and his twin brother, Yang.
He is an overwhelming character that utilizes his kung fu to dominate his opponents. He has a fantastic dive kick and his playstyle is a combination of high mobility and aggressive offense.
Yun can quickly close the gap in distance between him and his opponent, so he can be up close where he excels. His combos are sharp, high-damaging, and tough in execution, and Yun’s playstyle is based around dishing out as much damage as he can each time he catches opponents with his combos, keeping up the offense, and avoiding getting hit in the process.
His most feared move is Genei Jin, his Super Art in SFIII and Super Combo in IV, which grants his moves increased recovery and fuels his specials with additional properties. If Yun gets to open you up in the corner, it’s juggle time, and until the Genei Jin timer runs out you’re in for a world of hurt.
5. Guile (Debut: SF II: The World Warrior)
Sonic Boom! Guile is undoubtedly one of the main characters in the Street Fighter universe. This American Air Force major first appeared in Street Fighter II, seeking revenge for the death of his friend, Charlie Nash.
Guile stands out for having one of the most straightforward game plans in the game. He only possesses 2 Special Moves: the iconic Sonic Boom and the Flash Kick, which serve the purposes of zoning and anti-airing, respectively.
What makes the Sonic Boom so terrifying is that it has amazingly fast recovery so even if you manage to jump over it you’ll probably just get blocked, if not anti-aired. With his V-Triggers in SFV, Guile adds even more projectiles to his arsenal, and particularly his V-Trigger 1 allows Guile to shoot multiple Sonic Booms in a row for the first time since his debut, allowing for crazy extended combos that are awfully dangerous when the opponent is in the corner.
Guile also has a wife and daughter and they are the ones who keep him from falling down a dark path of revenge. His wife is the sister of Ken Master’s wife making him and Ken brothers-in-law.
4. M. Bison (Debut: SF II: The World Warrior)
M. Bison is the final boss from the culture-defining Street Fighter II, and as the head of Shadaloo he continues to be one of the main antagonists throughout the Street Fighter series, barring an infamous absence in Street Fighter III.
With dreams of world domination and fueled by the negative energy named Psycho Power, Bison will not measure any consequence from his actions in order to achieve his goals and often resources to human experimentation and all other kinds of atrocious crimes against humanity. He’s a megalomaniac and has died multiple times, but he always seems to find a way to resurrect in a new body.
Bison’s gameplay is all about pressure as he can keep pushing his opponents to their limits with the constant use of his relatively safe special moves like the Double Knee Press and control the air with his Head Press and Devil Reverse.
M. Bison is the perfect choice for those who, like himself, like to play the oppressor’s game, choking their opponent out of options and not leaving any breathing room.
3. Ryu (Debut: Street Fighter)
Ryu is a wandering vagabond in constant search of better control over his power. Having been the poster boy for the Street Fighter series ever since its first installment in 1987, Ryu’s probably the most recognizable face in all of the franchise.
Ryu is the ultimate embodiment of everything Street Fighter is all about, and if you learn how to play him then you pretty much have laid the groundwork to learn any other character in the game, as every Street Fighter character’s gameplay is based around Ryu’s.
With a simple design, an iconic moveset, and the relatable goal of constant self-improvement, Ryu is the most popular character in Street Fighter.
His struggle against his dark side in the form of Satsui no Hado is an exciting journey that was witnessed over the years and which ultimately led to his Evil Ryu persona, which is simply put one of the greatest Street Fighter playable characters of all time.
2. Sagat (Debut: Street Fighter)
Next up, we have Thailand’s own, Sagat. Former martial arts champion and the original boss in Street Fighter (1987), turned into one of the 4 Kings of Shadaloo under M. Bison, turned respectful and honorable fighter in search of self-improvement, this character has gone through one of the most impactful character developments in the whole series.
Tiger Shot is a fireball that can be thrown high or low, and with recovery so fast that with good execution Sagat can keep shooting these fireballs like an automatic rifle. And if the opponent tries to jump in, Sagat can throw his Tiger Uppercut, which is an excellent anti-air, capable of scaring his opponents into not jumping at all.
Sagat’s serious nature and deep character evolution add an entire layer of profoundness and epicness to a series also known for over-the-top gimmicks and comedic nature, making him an integral part of Street Fighter’s DNA.
1. Akuma (Debut: Super Street Fighter II Turbo)
Akuma, known as Gouki in Japan, only wants one thing: to keep honing his skills at the cost of his own humanity, fully embracing the dark nature of the Satsui no Hado, and constantly searching for powerful opponents to test his skills. Appearing for the first time as a hidden secret boss in Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Akuma has grown to become a mainstay not only in every Street Fighter game, but he has actually commonly seen on many other fighting games, from even rival developers.
Akuma is the brother of Ryu and Ken’s master, Gouken, and he represents absolute consumption by Stastui no Hado. In the lore of the series, Akuma is arguably the most powerful being in the world and many of the other characters have engaging, intricate relationships with him.
He’s equipped with many different tools, not only in offensive terms but also when talking about mobility. Akuma’s dangerous from all angles and all distances, and his Demon Flip allows for exclusive mix-ups.
He always has his classic unblockable finishing move, Shun Goku Satsu (or Raging Demon), which remains one of the most damaging moves in the game, if you can land it.
As a glass cannon type of character, Akuma is the perfect aggressive character for aggressive players who want to try to destroy their opponent while risking being destroyed in the process. Messatsu!
Street Fighter is full of amazing guys and so many of them with such interesting abilities. From Dhalsim’s fire-breathing yoga to Blanka’s electricity-generating body, and from Hakan’s oil wrestling to Dudley’s gentleman ways, there is no shortage of awesome dudes to keep here, but ultimately not everyone can be part of the top 10.
Hopefully, this list helped you get a better idea of what makes these guys awesome and so iconic in the fandom of Street Fighter.
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