Summary
In lore,Street Fighterhas some of the strongest characters around. Ryu can punch trees down with a single fierce punch. Balrog’s hardest shots can kill an elephant. Akuma can survive thousands of feet underwater and lift shipwrecks all by himself. But in-game, Ryu tends to be average, Balrog below average, and Akuma can die to a few combos if players manage to put him on the defensive.
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But this can all change depending on the game. The series has used multiple different gameplay styles over its 35 years of history, and various characters have found themselves sliding up and down the tier list. While some characters tend to be reliable no matter their strengths, others have remained in the doldrums. These are the weakest characters inStreet Fighterby tier.
8Zangief
In real life, getting on the wrong side of a muscle monster likeZangiefwould be a bad situation. InStreet Fighter, they’re just an easy target. The Red Cyclone isn’t really designed for the high tier. He’s more for the seasoned players to test themselves. To see if they can still win matches with no fireballs, harder move commands, and larger hurtboxes to go with his slower speed in general.
Many have managed to do so and have even won tournaments in his weakest games. His strongest showing was likely in theStreet Fighter 4games, where players could close the distance and nullify projectiles with his Banishing Flat punch. Even then he was more mid-to-lower-mid tier. When he lost this green hand move inStreet Fighter 5and6, he went back to the bottom of the pile.
7FANG
Shadaloo’s replacement for Sagat inSF5proved to be unpopular inboth looks and gameplay. The series has never really looked realistic, butFANGfelt like a Hanna-Barbera cartoon villain in an anime world. He could’ve worked as the dastardly, slimy schemer he was meant to be if he schemed more and shrieked less. As such, most fans aren’t exactly torn up over him being succeeded by AKI inStreet Fighter 6.
But that’s just FANG’s design. How about his moves? His poison mechanic made him one of the few characters able to inflict chip damage, and skilled players could use him as an effective trapper. However, his poison didn’t do that much damage in the long run. He also had less health than most of the cast and was too slow and floaty to dodge hits, making him vulnerable up close. Ultimately, he was more poisonous to his players than his opponents.
6R.Mika
By contrast,Rainbow Mikawas one of the strongest characters inSF5in the game’s early run. Even by its end, she had a comfy spot in the middle of the tier list. Too technical for easy wins, but quick and strong enough to stand out over Zangief and FANG. Even then, this was only becauseSF5completely changed her move list from her debut inStreet Fighter Alpha 3.
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Sure, she still had her fanservice design and flying hip moves. She was also technical, with a variety of different moves to suit different situations. However, most of her attacks left her open for punishment, making controlling stage space hard for her. Her throw range wasn’t very good, and she had a hard time building up super meter, which is just as well as herSardine Beach Special super was pretty bad.
5Birdie
It must’ve been a frustrating time for anSFfan in the early 1990s. They waited years for a proper sequel toStreet Fighter 2instead of yet another re-release. Then, once Capcom finally moved past the game, they made a prequel inStreet Fighter Alphainstead. Even then, it was a prequel toSF2, not the originalStreet Fighter, makingSF2the realSF3all along!
Still,SFA1brought in newer, bolder anime-inspired graphics, multiple super combos, and new looks for old designs.Birdiereturned fromSF1and was playable for the first time. Not that players were missing much. His attacks were too slow, his throws were easy to avoid, and opponents could mash out of his big Level 3 super to punish him. It wasn’t untilSF5that he was improved enough to rise to the dizzying heights of mid-tier.
4Hugo
Big bodies are traditionally at a disadvantage in fighting games as their giant size makes them easier to catch into combos. Nonetheless, players can learn to handle it and use the archetype to their advantage. For example,Hugo AndoreinStreet Fighter 3: 3rd Strikeis low tier, but not horribly so. With his hard hits, Hand Slaps, and throw setups, he can be a solid contender. Especially when players get the hang of parrying to leave opponents open.
This wasn’t the case for Hugo’s debut inStreet Fighter 3: Second Impact. His attacks and throw range were bad, his defensive game was worse, and nearly everyone could hit him off the ground (OTG) on knockdown with their supers. Hugo returned to the bottom tier inSVC: SNK Vs Capcom Chaos, where his slow speed was so bad that the best tip given for him was to go back to the character select screen and pick someone else instead.
3Sean
SF3: 3Sis arguablythe best fighting game ever made, and is certainly one of the most beloved. But it wasn’t rated for its balance. The game practically belongs to Ken, Chun-Li, and Yun, with the occasional Ryu, Yang, and Hugo poking up now and then. Twelve is generally seen as the archetypical Worst SF3 Character™, but the big glop of white goo is more competitive at high levels thanSean Matsuda.
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Strangely enough, Sean was supposedto be a joke character from the start. He was initially planned to be a handicap option for experienced players to use when fighting newbies.SF3: New GenandSIobviously didn’t get that memo as he was actually quite strong in those games. But afterSF3: 3Snerfed his attacks, like turning his nifty Dragon Punch variation into a pitifully short-ranged, double-armed uppercut, he was doomed.
2T. Hawk
Speaking of beloved fighting games,Super Street Fighter 2 Turbois generally regarded as the best of theSF2re-releases. Again, it’s not because it’s fair or balanced either. In fact, it has a bunch of developer oversights players can use to their advantage. For example, T. Hawk’s crouching strong punch has an invisible hurtbox placed above and in front of him that players can hit with standing-high attacks.
T.Hawkwas meant to be a more agile grappler option in regularSuper Street Fighter 2.ButSSF2Tbroke him. Even without phantom hurtboxes, his attacks are easy to punish and barely build super meter. Still, he has to go on the offensive as he has no defensive options. His only advantage was his throws, which could be dangerous in the right hands. However, even this was nerfed whenSFA3reduced its effective range. The poor guy can’t catch a break.
1Dan
Just because a character’s bottom tier doesn’t mean they’re unpopular or won’t improve. Many people rather like Sean’s design and would like to see him return inSF6over his more technically-sound big sister Laura. He has made background cameos, and in lore he’s driven to improve, so seeing him become a competent alternative to Ken would be cool. Besides,SFalready has an intentionally bad shoto inDan Hibiki.
Made as a parodyof SNK’sArt of Fightingduo Ryo and Robert, his moves had pitiful range and recovery, from his nigh-on useless Gadōken to his unsafe Kōryūken. He’s bottomed out lists forStreet Fighter Alpha 2,Ultra Street Fighter 4,Capcom Vs SNK 2, andSF5. As such, it feels anticlimactic to rank Dan as the lowest-tier character as he’s meant to be bad and will likely remain bad. Though if that’s what it takes to get a good Sean, it might be worth it.
