As an avid fan who has sunk countless hours into SF titles over the past decade, I eagerly dove into every Street Fighter 6 demo and test build available to study the roster intensely. Now with the full game nearing launch, I feel ready to definitively rank SF6‘s characters into beginner-friendly and advanced competitive skill tiers.
These SF6 tier list rankings aim to help all levels of players better understand each fighter‘s overall viability based on objective measures like combo damage potential and subjective qualities like how technical they feel to control.
My criteria for rankings includes:
- Damage output — How much health can they convert into during optimal combos?
- Execution difficulty — Do their abilities require complex inputs or tight timing precision?
- Mobility — Can they control space and navigate the stage effectively?
- Range control — Do their attacks cover areas well for zoning and footsies?
- Comeback potential — Can they reverse momentum with strong V-System mechanics?
By evaluating all SF6 characters across these critical factors, I’ve separated them into distinct tiers ordered from the strongest and easiest to pick up options down to more niche fighters requiring hardcore dedication.
S Tier: Meta Defining Forces
Right off the bat, these top tier characters stand out as go-to selections for their clear competitive advantages and newcomer friendliness. Their versatile toolkits offer dynamic offense, defense, range control, and simple Bread ‘N Butter combo execution to confirm major damage consistently. They’re extremely well rounded fighters able to contest in most matchups.
Luke
As SFV’s final DLC character, Luke already proved his tour de force potential with straightforward boxing tools packing heavy punches and rewarding combos. He retains that same fundamental style in SF6 but with lots of frames trimmed to make his punches faster and harder to contest.
- 1420 damage midscreen BNB without meter
- Long 5 frame jab excellent for pressure
- Fast dash lets him chase well during pressure
- Anti-air shoulder tackle leads to easy combo confirms
- V-System absorbs 1 hit of damage for clutch saves
For newbies, Luke exemplifies fundamental SF footsies focused on quicker strikes and post-combo okizeme setplay to lock the opponent down. And veterans will appreciate how consistently his core punishers and advantage states allow optimization against advanced opponents. Well rounded excellence with no clearly exploitable weaknesses.
Kimberly
The Bushinryu fighting style of newcomer Kimberly is a movement based rushdown fan’s dream come true. Her special ninjutsu art lets her swift warped movement to strike instantly from unexpected angles and quickly open opponents up.
- 1700 damage BNBs with solid corner carry
- Ninjitsu teleports enable tricky left/right mixups
- Fast advancing specials build huge momentum
- Kunai and shuriken keep pressure safe
- V-System clone assists combos and defense
Kimberly unlocks overwhelming offense once she gets in through warp pressure, but initially struggles if zoned out. So mastering her fast ninja-like mobility is critical to success. Overall incredibly fun and unique aggro potential perfect for unlocking clutch comebacks.
Chun Li
It wouldn’t be Street Fighter without the First Lady of fighting herself. Chun Li retains her lightning fast mobility with polished versions of her signature precision combo tools to kick opponents into submission.
- Easy 1550 damage meterless BNB combos
- Dominates close range with fastest 3 frame normal
- Kikoken projectiles aid fantastic footsies
- Still retains iconic lightning legs mixups
- Stocks meter quickly to unleash Critical Arts
Few can compete with Chun Li in scrappy poke situations up close where her flowing normals enable extended hits. And she builds meter rapidly to threaten with her Critical Art instantly killing low health foes. Textbook rushdown that exemplifies SF’s combo flow.
A Tier: Strong All-Around Contenders
Slightly more specialized than top tiers, A tier fighters lose some generalized effectiveness but make up for it with very strong specific strengths. Their gameplay leans decisively towards either offence or defense excelling in those focused niches.
Ryu
No surprises here! Ryu makes his trademark appearance with his quintessential toolkit polished to fundamentals perfection. His grounded fireballs and anti-air Shoryukens already feel snappier to execute while new mechanics expand his combo flexibility.
- Easy 1600 damage 1 bar BNBs
- Fireballs and sweeps ideal for footsies
- Shoryuken uppercuts excel at interrupting foes
- New super cancels expand juggle states
- V-meter boosts specials powerfully
Ryu is the poster child for teaching solid SF basics with all his signature special moves feeling great. And his adjusted mechanics let veterans explore more optimized damage through juggle states. Hard to go wrong learning SF6’s system with Ryu.
Guile
Charge character aficionados will enjoy Guile’s adjusted versions of his methodical keepaway tools. The pacing changes breathe renewed life into his Sonic Booms and opportune Flash Kicks to make his zoning dominance refreshed.
- One of the best fireball games for controlling space
- Anti-air and priority normals to swat approaches
- New one-hit armor V-Skill for clutch defense
- Can charge special moves while moving now
- Easy confirms into 1600 damage combos
If Guile controls the stage and meters his Booms properly, the opponent will struggle to muscle their way through his barrage safely. Mastering his defensive pacing requires dedication but solidifies strong fundamentals.
Zangief
Lastly, the hulking wrestling machine Zangief should strike fear into the hearts of anyone stuck point blank with him. SF6 further refines his command grab offense to be utterly suffocating if he scores a clean hit.
- 1920 damage midscreen throws into SPD!
- Walk speed buffs make SPD threats more credible
- Several grabs with extended range to avoid whiffs
- V-Skill lariat finally gives him a projectile counter
- Can flex through fireballs menacingly with Muscle Spirit
Zangief always dictated oppressive okizeme pressure whenever he grabbed an opponent. But his limited approach tools made actually landing the command throw difficult. SF6 finally gives him the movement and counter measures he desperately needed to enable more grabs more consistently.
B Tier: Flawed but Fun
B tiers feature more polarizing fighters with very apparent weaknesses holding them back from higher competitive viability. But in the hands of specialists dedicated to maximizing their unique traits, these characters can still steal some games with the right mindgames and rushdown.
Blanka
After being absent from SFV’s base roster, everyone’s favorite electrifying green beast Blanka unfortunately hasn’t gained many new tricks so far in SF6 compared to large overhauls many classic characters received.
- Familiar bite attacks and roll mixups
- V-System gives roll extra damage and speed
- Hasn’t received many new neutral tools
- Frame adjustments on specials improve safety
- Narrow offensive options still easily predictable
Blanka’s vicious rolling can unexpectedly maul the unwary. But his stubby normals and commitment heavy special moves give him glaring weaknesses in disadvantage states and zoning matchups. Some gimmicks but requires heavy work compared to SF6’s more adjusted vets.
Deejay
Flamboyant kick boxer Deejay is another SF5 returnee without huge systemic changes…yet. His dancing fighting rhythm still relies on getting within optimal Max Machine Gun Kick range to start pressure.
- Machine Gun Legs enable annoying high/lows
- New EX uppercut useful in some juggle combos
- Floaty jump arcs help hop fireballs
- Many normals still have lacking priority
- Can struggle escaping offense momentum
Deejay’s funky fighting flow dances to its own beat compared to traditional SF combos. But the singular cadence gets predictable fast against observant defense. Until he hopefully gets more tuneups soon, Deejay remains a tough sell over other rushdown.
C Tier: Specialized Struggle
Last and unfortunately least, C tier occupants face clear uphill battles compared to the rest of the SF6 cast presently. They each bring very distinct flair but at the cost of heavily pronounced shortcomings holding them back outside niche situations. Dedicated loyalists might find pocket pick potential but anyone else shouldn’t expect too much currently.
Lily
Ethereal rhythm battler Lily channels plenty of supernatural charm alongside her ghostly friend Asako. Her musical movement options introducing Capoeira style attacks feel highly unique on paper but very awkward mechanically.
- Teleport dashes and extended float combos
- Various musical attacks introduce new combo theory
- Suffers catastrophically low damage output
- Steep execution barrier despite complexity
- Severely lacking fundamental tools otherwise
Lily stretches Street Fighter’s traditional template the furthest into uncharted design territory through her paranormal abilities. But the cost is clearly lopsided risk/reward ratios compared to more fundamentals focused fighters. Diehard loyalists have much lab work ahead decoding optimal applications.
Closing Thoughts
And there you have it! My current Street Fighter 6 tier list dissecting the entire starting roster with help determining who seems poised for domination or desparation. Remember matchups can affect viability so don’t assume tiers dictate everything absolutely.
I‘m eager to keep testing theories once SF6 officially releases and subsequent balance patches shake up perceptions further. Maybe some dark horse picks will emerge and rise while struggling bottom barrels get retooled fully.
But for now this guide aims to steer newbies towards fundamentally strong options to learn core SF mechanics smoothly and give veterans preliminary impressions on how classic characters changed contextually.
Let me know which SF6 fighters stand out most for you down in the comments! I‘m happy to discuss and debate specific intricacies of these awesome characters all day. Until next time, happy brawling!
