Street Fighter 6 Tier List: All characters ranked

Street Fighter 6 is the most approachable the series has ever been, offering an incredible roster of Fighters. Capcom has given us a generous assortment of newcomers but has also respected the old guard. The big question is, who’s the best? It’s an impossible question to answer definitively, but we can certainly try with our Street Fighter 6 Tier List: All characters ranked. I firmly believe that unless you’re a pro player, your favorite Fighter will always be the best. If you’re still searching for that character, maybe this list will help.

Street Fighter 6 Tier List: All characters ranked

Selection Criteria

Every Tier List needs a theme, as they are meaningless without one. This Tier List ranks every character in Street Fighter 6 on their ability to climb the ranks online. As with any Tier List, this is opinion-based, but I will update this article as time passes to reflect trends and how player habits evolve. Ultimately, my thoughts will change as the game grows, and the fighters will undoubtedly spread out more. Take this as a bit of fun, and don’t let this list (or anyone else’s) stop you from playing with your favorite. If you’re still trying to figure out what control scheme to use, check out our guide which explains everything.

S-Tier

• Dee-Jay
• Guile
• JP
• Ken
• Manon

A-Tier

• Cammy
• Juri
• Kimberl
• Luke
• Marisa

B-Tier

• Blanka
• Chun-Li
• E. Honda
• Ryu

C-Tier

• Jamie
• Lily
• Zangief

D-Tier

• Dhalsim

Tier List Explanations

As mentioned above, I’ll update this Tier List as the game and player base evolve. If Capcom updates Street Fighter 6 with balance patches or if new abusable tech is discovered, it will change the standings here. As the game is so new, only a fool would consider any Tier List ‘absolute.’ First impressions are still important (and fun to argue about!), so here’s my reasoning for the list above. 

S Tier

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Dee-Jay

I never thought I’d see the day when Dee-Jay would be S Tier, but here we are! Capcom must have been in a good mood when they put his move list together because Dee-Jay does everything. His OD Air Slasher (charge B, F+PP) is a blindingly fast double fireball that makes your average fireball user green with envy. He has strong pokes that are fairly safe, so it’s always his turn, and his Juggling Dash makes Dee-Jay invincible to projectiles because why not? 

If you’re still unconvinced, his Drive Rush is one of the best in the game, and his combo damage is terrifying. Dee-Jay does it all and is one of the best characters to dance through the ranks with.

Guile

As always, Guile is a defensive monster with countless ways to bully and frustrate opponents who try to close in on him. You may think Drive Impact in the corner would be a massive issue for Guile, but a good player will always be ready for that. A Guile player with solid defense is oppressive just by existing, and you can’t say that about any other fighter.

Guile can dictate the pace of fights and feeds on his opponent’s impatience and hasty specials if you don’t mind charge inputs.

JP

JP is a powerful ‘zoner’ who’s frustrating to play against and can dominate the long-range game like no other. He has everything he needs to damage his opponents from afar and keep them at that range. If his opponents close the distance, he has multiple ways of resetting the fight, like his Teleport (Departure: Window).

Being the best at long range wouldn’t be enough to land this fighter in S Tier, but he has a counterattack (Amnesia) to deal with close-range foes, which is insanely strong. His opponents need to make the most of their time up close, but Amnesia makes them fear pressing buttons instead. A deadly fighter, and one you can soar through the ranks with.

Ken

At the time of writing, Ken is the most played character in the game. That statistic doesn’t mean much on its own, but he’s the most popular character among the top 1000 players as well. Ken has everything you could want from a fighter in Street Fighter 6. He’s a ‘Shoto,’ so he has the tools to deal with every scenario and can exert a ton of pressure with specials like his Jinrai Kick.

Ken also boasts a ton of decent moves in neutral, and his Triple Flash Kicks and Chin Buster target combos are straight-up nasty. Compared to Ryu, this Fighter has it all and can blow up players with a very aggressive play style.

Manon

It may be controversial putting Manon so high, but if any fighter is going to have their mechanics tweaked early on, this is where I’d put my money. Manon has great range and excellent pokes to go with her ridiculous throw mechanic; more on that in a moment. She doesn’t have a ton of bad matchups, although fighters like Guile and JP can be a real pain. Manon’s command throw ‘Manege Dore’ is why she’s S Tier for now, as she earns a Medal every time she uses it. With 5 Medals, Manon’s throws do more damage than Zangief’s, and the crazy part is, they persist for the entire match.

As players get more familiar with Manon’s playstyle, I expect to put her down a tier or 2, but for now, she blows up players online across all ranks.

A Tier

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Cammy

I’ve fought Cammy more than any other fighter in Ranked and the Battle Hub. At the time of writing, DreamHack Dallas has just concluded with Punk winning with Cammy as well. Despite her popularity, I don’t think Cammy is the strongest Fighter in the game. She has to work for her damage, and although her Hooligan Combination gives her many options, she can get punched out of it very easily.

I have been playing a lot with Cammy in Street Fighter 6. It feels like the moment her opponent starts to clam up, she wins the round. If that doesn’t happen, it’s an uphill struggle. Cammy has excellent burst damage and approach tools, but many are already wise to her tricks, thanks to her popularity.

Juri

Juri is crazy strong in Street Fighter 6 but narrowly loses out on the spot in S Tier because she’s tricky to use. She has excellent normals, and simple combos like Crouching Heavy Punch into Tensenrin (DP+P) do obnoxious amounts of damage.

Juri has to manage Fuha stocks to enhance a few of her specials. She’s not totally reliant on them, but this mechanic does make her a little tougher to play. Still, Juri is a dangerous fighter, and her great normals make her shine.

Kimberly

Kimberly is a monster up close with all the tools she needs to get in and stay there. Her Sprint (QCF+K) is a great gap closer and has many useful extensions. Hidden Variable (QCB+P) is a superb teleport ability, and she boasts a breakneck walk speed.

Kimberly is excellent if you enjoy mobile characters and can assault her opponents from multiple angles. She has a gauge to manage for her Spray Cans, and just like Manon, these persist through rounds. These Cans are spent on use but feel less awkward than Lily or Jamie’s gimmicks. Said characters are lower in the tier list for that very reason.

Luke

I’m tempted to put Luke higher because he’s a solid all-rounder and gets a lot out of the new Drive mechanics. It’s too early to say for sure, but Luke is quite popular in higher ranks and can pull off respectable damage combos from light attacks with his OD Flash Knuckle. 

Luke has no glaring weaknesses and solid normals to bolster everything else. I won’t be surprised if Luke strolls into S-Tier in the future.

Marisa

Marisa can output some of the highest damage in the entire game and has plenty of tools to throw her opponent’s timing off. Going for perfect parries against her is risky, as her specials are chargeable and deal obnoxious amounts of damage if they connect. 

Marisa has a few downsides to offset her strengths. Firstly, her anti-airs are lackluster, and she has trouble dealing with opponents who jump close. Marisa must also land Counter Hits to combo off light attacks. Her strengths outweigh her problems, and she deserves her spot in the top half of this Tier List.

B Tier

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Blanka

It’s easy to forget Blanka is even in this game at times. For now, that’s a huge strength. His Heavy Rolling Attack (charge B, F+HP) is already infamous for how annoying it is to deal with. Usually, attacks like this are easy to block and punish, but Blanka bounces away from his opponent afterward, keeping him safe.

Strictly for climbing ranks, you’ll snag plenty of rounds from players who simply don’t know how to deal with Blanka. Monster characters are traditionally unpopular in fighting games with a low pick rate. He’ll net you plenty of wins if you’re willing to tame the emerald beast.

Chun-Li

The Street Fighter 6 iteration of Chun-Li is very difficult to play, a far cry from her 3rd Strike days, when she dominated every facet of the game. Difficult execution doesn’t make a character bad, but she really has to work for her damage. That said, she has excellent, long-reaching, light attacks and is great in the neutral game.

Chun-Li seems to divide the most opinions out of every character in the roster. Some players think she’s an unmistakable S-Tier character, and others are considering dropping her. This uncertainty about her strength lands Chun-Li square in the middle of the list.

E. Honda

I’ll put my hands up and admit E. Honda’s placement will likely change. I’m unsure if I’m unlucky, but I barely see this Fighter online. This doesn’t mean Honda is bad. On the contrary, he’s pretty good on paper! His Sumo Smash (charge D, U+K) is ridiculous, as Honda maintains frame advantage even if it’s blocked.

As with Blanka, Honda’s Sumo Headbutt (charge B, F+P) is hard to punish as he bounces back on landing. He has plenty of tools to keep him in the driver’s seat of a fight, and since nobody knows the matchup, enjoy your free wins.

Ryu

As always, Ryu is a powerful, well-rounded fighter in Street Fighter 6. As a ‘shoto,’ Ryu has tools for every situation in the game. He can control space with his fireballs and punish jump-ins with his Shoryuken. Ryu is squarely in the middle of this list because he’s ‘honest.’ He must work for his damage and lacks ways to surprise his opponents. 

This Fighter has to win the hard way, and although he’s more than capable of doing so, other characters have an easier time doing it.

C Tier

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Jamie

The breakdancer in C-Tier will surely anger a few people but hear me out. Jamie is a great fighter that can do ridiculous damage as long as his gauge is at level 4. The issue is Jamie’s gauge resets every round, and he’s forced into a risky playstyle if he wants to access his explosive damage combos. In many ways, Jamie shares the same issues as Lily; an over-reliance on their gimmick that requires consistent management.

If that assessment sounds a little harsh, remember, Manon (who’s chilling in S Tier) only needs to land five throws for her max damage. On top of that, she can do it over an entire match.

If this was a ‘Cool Character’ tier list, Jamie would be on his own, dancing on the competition in S+ Tier. He lacks the threatening tools to place higher in a roster jam-packed with powerful characters.

Lily

I rated Lily much higher until I started practicing with her online. Lily has great range with her clubs (although characters like Manon outclass her here) but feels entirely reliant on her Wind Stocks. Without Stocks, Lily feels weak and incapable of outputting scary damage as so many other characters can. It’s not all bad; several of her B&B combos end in her gaining a stock, and she’s mechanically simple to play. If she’s left unchecked and can abuse her Stocks, Lily is nasty but feels crippled if that doesn’t happen.

Zangief

Grapplers have traditionally never ranked particularly high in tournaments, and I don’t see that changing with this iteration of Zangief. He has no real way to deal with cross-ups, and many fighters can bully him. Zangief also lacks ways to follow up after he’s landed a knockdown, a situation he has to work hard to get. 

Make no mistake, he’s capable of blowing people up with his insane damage, and I bet we will be arguing about his Modern controls until SF7 is released. These alone don’t make enough impact to push him higher up the list for now.

D Tier

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Dhalsim

Dhalsim is in D Tier because I don’t think anyone has figured him out yet. He’s a notoriously difficult character to play, and there doesn’t seem to be much reward for learning a fighter so complex. Naturally, Dhalsim is decent at long-range but doesn’t seem as good as he was in SFV up close. It’s early days, and Dhalsim has never been the most popular character in Street Fighter. If that changes in the future and new tech is discovered, I’d love to put this legacy character higher.