While we’ll no doubt see a handful of new challengers enter the fray of Street Fighter V, there’s still quite a bit of demand for some old favourites. Look at Charlie Nash, a fan favourite who has been absent for several years. Some people were worried that Ken wouldn’t come back. So, with the recent announcement of new character Necalli, here’s a small handful of characters that I and surely others would love to see return.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Rolento

While not originally a Street Fighter character, Rolento is very much accepted as one due to his appearances in Street Fighter Alpha 2 and, more recently, Street Fighter X Tekken and Ultra Street Fighter IV. He doesn’t seem to be the most popular choice but I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for him.

It’s probably due to his performance rather than his actual fighting skills. Despite being obsessed with forming a military utopia, he has this weird combination of seriousness and humour. He doesn’t come across as a dictator like M. Bison; if you didn’t know about his plans, you’d think he was a skilled and perfectly friendly soldier. I guess you could call it charisma, and it’s something I’d like to see more of.

2. Zangief

If you were asked to name the first few Street Fighter characters that you could think of, Zangief would probably be one of them. Despite not being one of the ‘original’ fighters, he has appeared in nearly every game thus far, and even some of the crossover games and pretty much every film/TV adaptation of the series (the only exception being The Legend of Chun-Li). He was in Wreck-It Ralph, for crying out loud and was one of the few cameos to actually get lines.

I’d dare to say that Zangief is one of the series’ most iconic characters, thanks in part to his general awesomeness. He’s powerful and intimidating but also friendly and jovial. As far as personalities go, he’s definitely one of the best. And it’s always fun to play as a character that’s just brute force personified.

3. Juri

The Street Fighter series is filled with diabolical, despicable and outright evil fighters, but out of all of them, I’d probably pick Juri Han as my favourite. She may be one of the more recent characters (debuting in Super Street Fighter IV) but she seems to have quickly gained popularity (even amongst her creators), and for good reason.

She’s just so delightfully psychotic. No matter the situation, she has something nasty to say or do, and she takes so much pleasure in it. She revels in destruction and mayhem simply because she enjoys it, which in turn makes her entertaining to watch. She even shows off a slight sarcastic streak in Project X Zone, which is also where I was exposed to her Japanese voice actor who is quite simply amazing. Seriously, listen to her Japanese voice if you get the chance.

4. Dudley

As a British person, I love seeing Brits appearing in videogames. Even moreso when said Brit is the epitome of ‘gentleman.’ That’s Dudley. Formal and respectable, Dudley is the kind of man that some may aspire to be. His nature is not a sign of weakness; something he has proved time and time again due to his impeccable boxing skills. Not to mention he’s one of the more down-to-earth characters; his motivations ranging from getting his dad’s car back to finding new roses to put in his garden.

He’s also the perfect antithesis to the only other boxer in the series, Balrog – a dirty and selfish cheater who works for big bad M. Bison. It’s why a lot of people were happy to see Dudley appear in Super Street Fighter IV, as that was the first game where the two were both playable. In Dudley’s Arcade mode, Balrog was his rival and you finally got to prove why Dudley’s gentlemanly ways would always be superior.

5. Sakura

When you think about it, Sakura is a very basic character and one that we’ve seen countless times. She’s the obsessed fangirl, wanting to meet and be accepted by their idol (in her case, Ryu). Her fighting style is essentially a slightly more amateur version of Ryu’s. While she is an incredibly popular character due to her spunky personality, one can’t help but wonder why she keeps coming back. So why would I like her to appear in SFV? Simple.

So far, we’ve seen some characters changed quite radically. Charlie now looks more like a Frankenstein monster, M. Bison’s going grey, Birdie has put on weight and even Ken’s got himself a new (and apparently controversial) hair-do. I would love to see an older Sakura; one on the cusp of adulthood, one who is both wiser and stronger yet still retains a bit of her youthful optimism. Imagine her pulling off a proper Metsu Hadouken equal to Ryu’s. Sounds awesome to me. Make it happen, Capcom.