Beginners of Street Fighter 6 should turn their eyes to these characters.
Street Fighter 6 is almost here, and it’s looking to be the most newcomer-friendly Street Fighter title yet. With a robust launch roster of eighteen characters, there’s a character for everyone to pick up, whether players prefer the offensive rushdown of Juri and Ken, or the defensive screen control of Guile and Ryu.
However, with the current open beta on the go, players are likely wondering which of the eight characters available would be best for them to pick up and play in the short time allotted. Thankfully, a large portion of the cast is fairly simple, especially when using the new ‘Modern’ control scheme, so new players can easily hop in and enjoy Street Fighter 6 with little to no experience.
Updated on June 30, 2023, by Harry Schofield: With Street Fighter 6 out now and the launch roster rising to eighteen from the open beta’s eight, there are several newly-accessible characters who are just as well suited to newcomers. While much of the new launch roster, such as the tricky trap character JP and graceful grappler Manon, is on the more complex side, there is still no shortage of characters that don’t require hundreds of hours to master. The following list has been updated to add a few more Street Fighter 6 characters that are perfect for beginners to pick up and train with. 8 Luke
Arriving as the new face of the Street Fighter franchise, Luke is clearly designed to attract new players with his cool-guy attitude and self-confident charm. Luke’s normal moves almost all advance him forward, helping him close the gap and get in on his opponent. His special moves include his fast-moving fireball Sandblast and his anti-air attack in Rising Uppercut, both useful for helping new players understand how to poke at enemies from a distance and defend from jump-ins. His Level 1 Super Art, Vulcan Blast, can be used to finish juggle combos out of light or OD Flash Knuckle, as well as punishing reckless fireballs from full-screen.
His signature special move, Flash Knuckle, has three unique versions depending on the strength of the punch used and can be held down to charge for even more damage. As these different Flash Knuckles are intuitive in how they can be used in combos – light Flash Knuckle combos out of light attacks, medium Flash Knuckle combos out of mediums, etc – and can often combo into each other, players who pick Luke will quickly get to grips with how Street Fighter’s combos function. 7 Ryu
Having served as the protagonist of the series for 30 years and staying similar to his original appearance throughout, Ryu is easy to pick up and play. Keeping his classic Shotokan moveset, Ryu can use his Hadoken fireball to keep opponents away, his Shoryuken to anti-air, and his Tatsumaki Senpukyaku to advance forward and phase through fireballs. Combined with his long-reaching and relatively fast normal moves, this all-rounder moveset is perfect for players who want to steadily learn the basics of Street Fighter.
In addition to his classic moves, Ryu can also use his Donkey Kick – a quick straight kick perfect for ending combos or extending with its OD variation – and Hashogeki – a close-range energy blast to maintain pressure – to keep opponents in check. His Level 1 Super Art, Shinku Hadoken, is especially useful for tacking on extra damage to combos and countering opponent’s projectiles on reaction due to its speed and projectile priority. Ryu has been the jack-of-all-trades for years and is still a solid option for new players to learn Street Fighter 6.
