Key Points:
- The official roster for the upcoming Street Fighter 6 solidified all but four of the names: Akuma, Ed, Rashid, and AKI. Yet, these names were leaked in June.
- Akuma, Ed, and Rashid have all appeared in previous Street Fighter titles. Out of those four names, only AKI is new.
- In addition to the leaked character design of AKI, there is a rumor that she is a protégé of the character F.A.N.G., the deplorable second-in-command of Shadaloo.
Capcom has released the full launch roster for the upcoming Street Fighter 6. There are a lot of returning characters, as well as a healthy roster of new challengers. However, there are a few names missing from the Street Fighter 6 character launch roster. By now, everyone knows about the leak that happened back in June. Character art for 22 characters seemingly confirmed the entire roster for the new game.
The official roster solidified all but four of the names: Akuma, Ed, Rashid, and AKI. To date, these four have not been mentioned in any official material coming from Capcom. So, who are these characters, and when (or if) will we be seeing them in the game?
Street Fighter 6 Characters: the 4 Missing Fighters
Out of those four names, only AKI is new. Akuma, Ed, and Rashid have all appeared in previous Street Fighter titles. These four are very different in their character traits and fighting styles. So, let’s introduce the four missing Street Fighter 6 characters.
#1: Akuma
- The first official sequel in the Street Fighter series
- First player vs. player game where you could choose your characters from a lineup
- New attacks, such as grappling moves
- Play in matches against your friends
First up is returning villain Akuma. We were first introduced to the demonic warrior in Street Fighter 2 Turbo, an updated version of Street Fighter 2. He has had many looks over the years, from his original black gi and red hair and eyes to a long mane of white hair and yellow loincloth. His character design in the leak showed him with his signature red hair and eyes, but wearing only a tattered black loincloth and leggings.
Akuma’s sole purpose in life is to train, become stronger, and defeat the most powerful enemies he can find. And he can find a lot of enemies. He doesn’t get along with anyone, even other baddies like M. Bison. In fact, his arch enemies are Ryu and Ken, the two most prominent good guys in the game series.
He uses a fighting style known as Ansatsuken, or “Assassination Fist” in Japanese. This is actually a real-life martial art but it bares litter resemblance to Akuma’s move set in the game. The style is the anthesis of Ryu’ Shotokan style, another point that drives their rivalry home.
#2: Ed
Another character that was left off the launch roster is Ed. He was originally introduced in Street Fighter IV as Bandaged Boy. In that game, he was seen as a young boy who was rescued and taken in by Balrog, the American Boxer and series regular. By the time Street Fighter V rolls around, Ed is a teenager sporting an impressive physique.
His new character design in the leak shows him wearing a baggy hoodie open in the front, a new shirt, jeans, and sporting his trademark blue eyes and blonde hair. Ed is a relatively recent character in the series, so he doesn’t have deep backstories with many of the other characters like Akuma or Ryu do. Still, he is an interesting character due to his ability to wield Psycho Power.
Psycho Power
This power is one of the only reasons that Balrog decided to save Ed from the clutches of Shadaloo in the first place. Other fighters in the Street Fighter canon can use this power, most notably Chun-Li and M. Bison. Ed’s aptitude for this power is why he was kidnapped by Shadaloo in the first place. He was one of the many kidnapped as a possible new body for series villain M. Bison.
It would be interesting to see Ed at some point. He is a solid character with an interesting backstory and there is plenty of setup for him.
#3: Rashid
- Pre-order now to receive a new costume Color for each character!
- Includes all content (excluding fighting chance costumes, brand collaboration costumes and Capcom Pro Tour DLC) from both Street Fighter V and Street Fighter V: arcade Edition.
- Adds each character, stage and other content that released after arcade Edition and will include all launch content coming to this new version; in total: 40 characters, 34 stages and over 200...
- Fighters can battle their way through a variety of exciting single-player and multi-player modes Designed for players of all skill levels, including story mode, arcade mode, team battle, ranked match,...
- In addition to the main game and the included characters, stages and costumes, new v-skills for each character and a balance update will be released, adding new gameplay improvements and more depth to...
The final returning character is the laid-back Middle Eastern fighter Rashid. Rashid is just chill, he loves new technology and has an adventurous spirit. He wears a white, sleeveless trench coat tucked into a black sash. He is always decked out in the latest tech, including an eyepiece that flashes when he uses his V-Trigger move.
The character first showed up in Street Fighter V on a quest to find his missing friend. Rashid’s friend is a scientist that was kidnapped by Shadaloo to help them create Black Moons, or Psychopower Stratospheric Aircraft (PSA). Before Rashid could find her, she was killed by F.A.N.G., M. Bison’s second-in-command. This started a bitter rivalry between the two enemies.
Rashid’s fighting style is Parkour, which is exactly what it sounds like. He uses a wide variety of acrobatic moves and environmental tricks to defeat opponents. Like Ed, Rashid is a relatively new character in the Street Fighter series but it would be great to see him in the game at some point.
#4: AKI
And now we come to the most mysterious of the four leaked characters, AKI. The character has never appeared in a previous Street Fighter game, so very little is known about her. Her character design did excite fans of the series though, and there are a few rumors about her backstory. Just to be clear, these are only rumors; Capcom hasn’t mentioned anything about AKI officially.
The only thing we do know for sure is her character design from the leak. She is wearing what looks like a long black dress with no sleeves and high heels. She has white hair, long claw-like fingers, and large hoop-ish earrings. In addition to the character design, there is a rumor that AKI is a protégé of the character F.A.N.G., the deplorable second-in-command of Shadaloo.
This is only a rumor, but would confirm her as a villain in the series if true.
©delcarmat/Shutterstock.com
Street Fighter 6 Characters: When are We Getting Them?
It is likely that we are looking at the first four characters to be released as DLC. Almost nothing is known about the story of Street Fighter 6 so far, including who the main antagonist of the game is. So, it is hard to speculate where these characters will fit in. Still, it would be hard to imagine Capcom creating character designs without the intention of releasing them.
The other possibility is that they will be non-playable characters in the story mode but that is unlikely. Mostly because three of them have already made appearances as playable characters, and it’s not something that is often done in the SF series anyway.
We hope to see all four of these characters at some point. There are a lot of interesting stories that could be told, and they would add even more flavor to an already packed roster. But until Capcom makes it official, we’ll just have to live with the rumors.
Up Next…
- How Much of Tesla Does Elon Musk Actually Own? As Elon Musk sells off more and more of his shares in Tesla, the question bears revisiting.
- How to Edit Videos on Windows 11 (with Photos) Got a video you need to edit? Here’s a guide to do your editing on Windows 11.
- Who Is Responsible When Self-Driving EVs Get Into Accidents? As self-driving cars become more common, accidents will become a liability issue. Who would be at fault?
