The World Warriors

Street Fighter has never been overly concerned with realism, but Blanka was the first character in the series that made you question whether or not he was even human. The feral man from the Brazilian rainforests looks like he was lifted from the pages of a comic book! His fighting style is just as distinctive as his green skin, and he moves with the ferocity of a wild animal. While most of his contemporaries rely on martial arts or other proven fighting styles, Blanka hurls himself around like a cannonball and literally bites his opponents. He also has the uncanny ability to channel electricity through his body. Even though he’s the most tempestuous character on this list, Blanka’s motivations are profoundly wholesome. All he really wants out of life is to be reunited with his long-lost mother.

Street Fighter IV (and its various updates) helped usher in a Renaissance of fighting games, so I feel compelled to recognize one of its new characters on this countdown. On that note, Juri Han is easily the most interesting debutante from the SFIV pantheon. The sadistic Taekwondo expert from South Korea derives pleasure from inflicting pain on others, and her thirst for violence is unquenchable. She’s a great rushdown character with a flashy moveset, and she’s the only character in the series built around four different kick buttons. Juri’s ruthless approach to battle helps secern her from other Street Fighter women, and I’m rather fond of her fashion sense. (Her leather catsuit is a thing of beauty!) She’s an unabashed sadist who fights like an untamed animal, but her seductive charms cannot be denied.

Zangief is a massive wrestler from Soviet Russia who’s renowned as a national hero. It’s easy to see why the Red Cyclone is so beloved. He’s the type of guy who fights bears for fun, and the scars on his body are a reflection of his intestinal fortitude. Although Zangief was the largest character on the Street Fighter II roster, his size came at a cost. He’s exceedingly slow, he has limited range, and he’s an ideal target for projectile attacks. He’s absolutely devastating if he can get his hands on an opponent, however. His special moves are difficult to pull off, but they inflict incredible amounts of damage. His fighting style is ideal for advanced players, but newbies might be intimidated by how complex he is. In other words, he’s exemplary of how powerful characters should be balanced in fighting games.

Every great franchise needs a great villain, and Sagat filled this role in the original Street Fighter. Even though the Emperor of Muay Thai played second fiddle to M. Bison in Street Fighter II, his appearance in the game was an achievement in of itself. Aside from Ken and Ryu, Sagat was the only character from the first Street Fighter that was featured in the sequel. Sagat was the winner of the first World Warrior tournament, in fact, and he was given the scar across his chest after he was declared the victor. Sagat is fueled by vengeance – which is why he joined Bison’s Shadaloo organization in the first place – but he mellows out over time and devotes his energy into becoming a better fighter. He’s over seven-feet tall and has one of the deadliest movesets in the entire series, but there’s always room for self improvement.

Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers introduced four new characters, and Cammy was easily the most compelling of the bunch. As a member of the British special forces, her past was shrouded in mystery and her personality was subdued. Nevertheless, there were a number of reasons why she stood out. She was only the second woman to be featured in the series, for instance, and her thong leotard was at least two sizes too small. That’s basically a recipe for popularity! Cammy was the smallest character on the roster by far and she lacked projectile attacks, so she relied on explosive, close-range assaults and deceptively powerful throws. Cammy has an interesting moveset and a unique look, and this is probably why she’s featured in so many crossover titles. Anyone with a pulse should be able to understand her appeal.

The playable roster in the first Street Fighter was limited to two nearly identical characters who shared the same moveset. Ryu was a disciplined martial arist from Japan, and Ken was his American rival and former training partner. Ken looked flashier than Ryu because of his blonde hair and vibrant red gi, but he was basically a glorified palette swap. As the series progressed, the differences between the fighters became more pronounced. Generally speaking, Ken is more aggressive than his rival. Ryu is comfortable spamming his enemies with fireballs, while Ken is most effective at close range. Ken plays second fiddle to Ryu when it comes to marketing and overall visibility, but he has been a staple of the Street Fighter series since the very beginning. After all these years, he’s still my favorite character to play as.

The Street Fighter series revolves around world-class fighters from around the globe, so a teenage girl like Sakura Kasugano was bound to stand out. Her sailor-style school uniform seems out of place in a fighting tournament, but it works within the context of the Street Fighter Alpha games. One of the defining aspects of the Alpha trilogy was its distinctive anime art style, after all, so it made sense for Capcom to embrace one of the most common anime character archetypes. Sakura is infatuated with Ryu and chases him around the world in an effort to prove herself to him. To that end, she copies his “Shotokan” fighting style and uses most of of his moves. She’s noticeably weaker than Ryu and her form isn’t as exact, but she’s one of the most relatable fighters on this list. You have to admire her dedication.

Choosing the top Street Fighter villain was surprisingly easy. Sagat was demoted after one game, Gill fights in a diaper for some reason, and M. Bison got his ass handed to him as soon as Akuma was introduced as a secret boss in Super Street Fighter II Turbo. Akuma eliminated M. Bison within moments of making his debut, and he’s easily the most intimidating character the series has ever seen. Although he’s largely defined by his raw power, he also has teleportation abilities and an assortment of other unpredictable techniques at his disposal. Akuma can be described as a stronger and faster version of Ken and Ryu, and he was actually banned from tournament play for being too powerful. Against all odds, he’s even more unstoppable when he takes the form of Shin Akuma or Kuruoshiki Oni.

Ryu’s appearance on this list should come as no surprise, but it’s better to be predictable than contrarian. (Leaving Ryu off of this countdown would be like leaving Goku off a list of best Dragon Ball characters.) Ryu is the face of Street Fighter. The Japanese martial artist has had a prominent role in every Street Fighter game, and he has also represented the series in numerous crossover titles. His visage has been used in countless advertisements, and nobody on this list has been featured on more game covers. Although many of his contemporaries use the same fighting style, Ryu is the guy who made the Shotokan techniques popular in the first place. I’ll forever associate the Hadoken with Ryu, for example, and the giant scar on Sagat’s chest is a constant reminder of how effective his Dragon Punch is.

The last four characters that we’ve examined have all used the same fighting style, so leave it to a gal like Chun-Li to buck the trend. As the only girl on the original Street Fighter II roster, Chun-Li has always been a trailblazer. She’s obviously gorgeous, and her powerful thighs are the stuff dreams are made of. At the same time, the “Strongest Woman in the World” has other credentials that have nothing to do with her sex appeal. She’s one of the fastest characters in the series, she can somehow jump off the sides of the screen, and she can use her legs as veritable gyrocopter blades! Nearly two dozen women have been playable in the Street Fighter series, but if you Google “Street Fighter girl”, you’ll still get a featured snippet that’s focused on Chun-Li. She’ll always be the First Lady of Fighting Games.