The Ultimate Street Fighter 6 Tier List for Season 2

Why Do You Need a Street Fighter 6 Tier List?

When it comes to fighting games, your raw skill is what matters the most. However, when it comes to Street Fighter 6, the character pick can definitely make all the difference even for experienced gamers, and especially for beginners. The game offers very deep mechanics and good balance but not all the characters are equally great. Some are good for quick attacks, others can do better for slower, tactical fights. That is why we decided to deliver the Street Fighter 6 tier list with the best to the worst playable characters. Also, we will share a few useful tips for beginners.

And before we begin – we want to remind you that we include the characters from the initial roster up to the Fall 2024 (October), with half of Season 2 already delivered and another half still expected for the release next year. 

Also, we want to warn you – in some countries Street Fighter is not available for playing online due to different reasons not explained by Capcom. So, you just need to install a reliable VPN and gaming with friends in SF6 will become accessible from any corner of the world. That’s it – let’s start with our ultimate Street Fighter 6 tier list in 2024!

About Street Fighter Main Mechanics and the Importance of Each Character

Street Fighter 6 has the core mechanics based on strategy, timing, and adaptive skills of all the characters. Each fight will challenge you to use these core mechanics in a different way every time. No two fighters feel the same because of this core system.

The most important mechanic in Street Fighter 6 is the Drive System. Each character from the S6 roster has – Drive Impact, Drive Parry, Drive Rush, and Drive Reversal. The system of Drive Gauge is very important to master. Guile can use his projectile-heavy skill to keep the opponent away while using the Drive Impact. While a brawler like Ken uses Drive Rush to close the gap quickly and pressure with aggressive combos.

Some characters are only made for zoning, like Dhalsim, who can keep the opponents away from him by hitting them with long-range attacks.

Some characters, like Cammy, need speed to get in close to someone and never stop rushing them down. The great thing about the mechanics of Street Fighter 6 is diversity. However, this factor affects the balance and we need to create a tier list for Street Fighter 6.

All the Current Characters in Street Fighter 6 (Including Season 2 DLC):

1. Ryu is a god of fireballs and uppercuts;
2. Chun-Li is an iconic fighter beloved for her high-speed kicks;
3. Luke is a former Special Forces soldier who is quick and very aggressive;
4. Jamie is a master of the Drunken Fist style;
5. Guile has a signature move called the Sonic Boom for zoning attacks;
6. Juri is a queen of the “sadistic” flair and follow-up attacks;
7. Kimberly combines speed and unexpected combos for the sake of aggressive style;
8. Ken returned with classic moves like Shoryuken and Hurricane Kicks and everything in between;
9. E. Honda still delivers an impressive grappling system like no other in the Street Fighter 6 character tier list;
10. Blanka in a blue jumpsuit is always ready to surprise with shocking attacks;
11. Dhalsim has long limbs and fire attacks for zoning tactics;
12. Dee Jay is very fast to deliver the rhythm-based blows;
13. Manon combines elegance and strength being very lethal at any range;
14. Marisa is a tall gladiator who simply relies on brute force to crush her opponents;
15. Zangief brings devastating throws due to his massive size and grappling;
16. Lily is exceptional for the rushdown experience and agile moveset;
17. Cammy is still an unbeatable close-range fighter with a fast recovery;
18. JP is a real long-range psycho who can manipulate space around him;
19. Rashid (Season 1 DLC) is a wind master known for his mobility and parkour;
20. A.K.I (Season 1 DLC) is a poison master who is good for zoning and damage over time;
21. Ed (Season 1 DLC) combines the intense psycho punches with quick movements;
22. Akuma (Season 1 DLC) is great for the overwhelming offense made with great fireballs, teleports, and devastating combos;
23. M. Bison (Season 2 DLC) delivers his infamous psycho powers like Scissor Kicks and Psycho Crusher. He is a star of many Street Fighter 6 tier lists – just check this Reddit thread;
24. Terry (Season 2 DLC – Fall 2024) is another iconic fighter with moves like Rising Tackle and Power Wave;
25. Elena (Season 2 DLC Spring 2025) returns with her graceful capoeira style that combines fast, fluid movements;
26. Mai (Winter 2025) is expected for her well-known rapid attacks and Fatal Fury’s strikes;

You can read more about each character on the fan-made Wiki page. It is quite an interesting and detailed guide you should read! 

The Ultimate Street Fighter 6 Tier List Including the Season 2 Characters

Finally, we can get to our ultimate Street Fighter 6 characters tier list in detail. We’ve included the Season 2 characters as well. Just like with our Warframe tier list, we’ve ranged the characters from “S” as the best balanced up to “D” as the worst balanced for the players who play SF6 not professionally.

S-Tier (The Best of the Best)

Guile

Guile is the best at zoning thanks to Sonic Booms and Flash Kicks. He even got to be more dangerous with Season 2 buffs to his Drive Gauge. Guile is definitely one of the most consistent characters for all playstyles.

Ken

Even with minor nerfs Ken keeps following his aggressive rushdown style. His Dragonlash and Jinrai kicks are very powerful. While his playstyle is straightforward, the overwhelming offense he can deal with keeps him in most top tiers.

Akuma

Recently added Akuma brings insane power, courtesy of his demon-inspired move set. Akuma has the potential to be extremely powerful with burst damage, safe jump setups, and fireball control. His health bar may be way lower compared to most, but surely the damage covers that up.

Rashid

Rashid’s hurricane of attacks, along with volatile movement, makes him almost invincible. After a few slight nerfs, Rashid’s excellent mobility and pressure skills keep him very close to the top.

Juri

Juri’s speedy offense with Feng Shui Engine makes her very fearsome. She fully dominates the fighting arena with fireballs and inflicts really devastating combos with stocked Fuha attacks.

A-Tier (Close to the Top)

Bison

The “daddy” comes back with his classic Psycho Crusher and Scissor Kicks. His tremendous walk speed and ability to drain so much Drive Gauge make him extremely dangerous.

Blanka

Blanka’s a tough read for the opponents because of his weird movement and electric mix-ups. His damage did take a little beating from the Season 2 nerfs, but overall, he is still a good pick.

Luke

Despite the fact that Luke received a few nerfs in Season 2, he is still a great all-around character. Fireballs and combos with his fists make him quite reliable in most matchups.

Zangief

Zangief returns in a big way, with major buffs like new combo routes and more Drive Gauge damage. His heavy damage potential is with his Cyclone Lariat and command grabs. But he sucks against zoners such as Guile and JP.

A.K.I.

A.K.I. became a prominent character after a few buffs to her poison mechanics. Her Venomous Fang works well as an anti-fireball tool, and she also does more damage than before. A.K.I is a unique and strong character with her zoning and poison skills.

Chun-Li

Speed and versatility have always been Chun-Li’s strong suits, but the light attack damage lacks the fuel. She still has some of the best air combos and pressure games.

Cammy

Cammy still has her iconic high-energy offense, but Season 2 really brought the “nerf-hammer” down on her Spin Knuckle move. She’s still very good at getting in close and overwhelming her opponent with power.

Dee Jay

Dee Jay’s mix-up game remains deadly, but he was definitely hit hard by the infamous Season 2 scaling nerfs. Still, he is blessed with some really good zoning and rushdown options.

Marisa

Marisa is a tanky grappler who severely punishes you for the mistakes of your opponents. She’s slow but hits like a truck. She’s a great pickup for players who enjoy big heavy attacks.

B-Tier (Good but Flawed)

JP

At one point he was considered one of the strongest characters in any Street Fighter 6 tier list. But Season 2 nerfs to his zoning tools really brought him down a peg.

Ed

Ed’s psycho-powered fists and extremely easy-to-pick-up moves make him highly accessible. But the slow startup and lack of any real overheads keep him from truly contending at a high level. Ed is still a menace in mid-range scraps, but he has a few unforgivable drawbacks.

Lily

The buffs to her combo routes and damage in Lily’s Season 2 made her far more competitive. She has strong air-based attacks, as well as a rushdown style, but is very vulnerable to zoning.

Ryu

Ryu has always been part of the core cast within the series, but even though his Denjin Charge gives him some really strong fireballs, he’s always going to be eclipsed by both Ken and Akuma. Ryu is much more of a no-nonsense style that is reliable but lacks the explosive potential others have.

Jamie

Jamie’s very unique drinking mechanic makes him one of the strongest characters, but he requires certain skills. Jamie can shell out some decent damage once he’s all powered up, but the fact that he’s so weak early in the match holds him back in our Street Fighter 6 tier list.

Dhalsim

Dhalsim has incredible zoning skills because of his slow movement and high execution requirements. He’s really strong when in the right hands, yet a bit frustrating for most beginners.

Kimberly

Kimberly is a character with a fun and tricky set of quick mix-ups, but when she is opposed to heavier defense characters, she falters quickly.

C-Tier (Struggling)

Manon

Manon’s rewarding, powerful throws can be quite satisfying but only for casual players. However, she has a slow neutral game and risky attacks that make her very vulnerable.

E. Honda

E. Honda is good with Sumo Headbutt and Oicho Throw, but his unidimensional gameplan is very bad for competitive matchups. E. Honda is a good casual-friendly character.

D-Tier (The Worst)

Terry

It’s great that Terry came from Fatal Fury, but his extremely limited toolset and weak heavy attacks make him the weakest DLC character. All his moves are very clumsy and risky.

If you feel confused, then we’ve prepared the comparison table of all the characters from our Street Fighter 6 tier list. 

Do you like our ultimate list? Or do you find it outdated? Make sure to leave your feedback. Also, we recommend you check the video dedicated to the Street Fighter 6 Season 2 tier list. 

The Street Fighter 6 Difficulty Tier List

Our Street Fighter 6 pro tier list wouldn’t be full without categorizing the characters according to the difficulty of their skills and playstyle. We’ve ranged the fighters from the easiest (for beginners) up to the hardest to play (for eSports athletes).

Easy Tier (Beginner-Friendly)

• Ryu’s very basic move set and well-rounded playstyle make him both easy to pick up and viable at higher levels of play;
• Guile’s zoning tools are pretty easy to understand for beginners;
• Ken is easy to use due to his fast combos and aggressive movements;
• Cammy would be a perfect fit for novice players who enjoy playing fast-paced, rushdown styles. She’s got pretty easy combos to pull off;

Medium Tier (Players With Some Experiences)

• Juri – high speed and mix-up potential make her quite easy to handle;
• Luke has very simple combos and hard-hitting boxing punches that can get players started quite easily;
• Zangief – his moves are powerful but demand real attentive positioning and timing;

Hard Tier (Challenging to Master)

• Dhalsim with slow movements is one of the most challenging characters in any Street Fighter 6 tier list;
• Jamie’s drinking style is also tough to handle;
• JP requires a lot of careful planning and prediction for his zoning playstyle;

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the best character in Street Fighter 6?

As of October 2024, the best characters in the Street Fighter 6 tier list among most players are Guile, Ken, and Rashid (though, it is disputable). These characters are very strong across most matchups, but again, it’s about the skill and playstyle of the player.

Who are the newcomers in Street Fighter 6 Season 2?

In Season 2 of Street Fighter 6, M. Bison, Terry Bogard, Elena, and Mai are joining the roster.

What is the Street Fighter 6 tier list of the DLC characters?

Akuma and Rashid are easily considered top-tier characters.

Conclusion

Street Fighter 6 continues to build steam with its diverse cast, thrilling mechanics, and new characters coming to the roster. Whether you’re an SF veteran or just a newcomer, you can find the character to fight for your skill in this competitive game.