When Capcom unleashed Street Fighter V to the world earlier this year, they did so with a promise: that we would never see any “upgraded” versions of the game like we did in the past. That promise means that Capcom plans to forgo “Super” or “Turbo” editions of their game, which became a bit of a humorous, if annoying gaming tradition over the years.
Capcom has instead promised to provide balance changes for free to players, as well as provide new characters, stages, and costumes through multiple “seasons” releases, much like Microsoft has done with their successful revival of Killer Instinct which has just completed its third season of content upgrades.
Since Street Fighter V’s February release, we have seen Capcom complete their first season of additional content with the addition of six new fighters; Alex, Guile, Balrog, Ibuki, Juri, and Urien to round out the original sixteen that were included on launch day.
Now that the first season of Street Fighter V DLC is in the books it’s time to start asking the question: what’s next?
What fighters will be or should be included in the inevitable second season?
It’s probably fairly safe to assume that Capcom will release between six to eight characters for Street Fighter V over the course of next year. (Eight new fighters would bring the roster up to thirty playable characters.) These new warriors will be a mixture of returning favorites, brand-new, never-before-seen warriors, and possibly guest appearances of iconic characters from other Capcom series’.
While Capcom has not given any hint in regards to what or who we will be seeing when Street Fighter V’s second season begins rolling out in 2017, it’s still fun to speculate.
So here is a wish list of sorts of some of the World Warriors that I’d like to see arrive in Street Fighter V.
Oro
In a vast cast peppered with oddball characters, Oro stands out as a winner in the Street Fighter pageantry of the unique.
Oro is an old hermit (think Street Fighter’s version of Yoda) whose only appearance was in Street Fighter III. Despite being extremely old (he’s rumored to be over 130 years old) Oro is an exceedingly powerful fighter. In fact, his power is so great that he has to tie one of his arms behind his back in order to give his opponents a fair shot at victory.
Oro’s fighting style is as unorthodox as his appearance. He mixes a charged projectile attack with screen-spanning jumping kicks and even a command grab. The unusual nature of his move set made Oro a challenging character to master, which likely led to his omission from the roster in the various versions of Street Fighter IV.
Street Fighter V is a whole new ball game, and that provides a huge opportunity to retool Oro a bit, while also making sure to retain the attributes that made him so unique.
I could see Oro getting a nifty V-Trigger move where he un-binds his arm, and gets a few moments to display the full range of his power. A great candidate for that would be a revamped version of his Street Fighter III Super Art, Kishin Riki, which altered his punches into grabs that could not be blocked.
Of all of the multitudes in the Capcom character stable, a return of Oro provides some of the most intriguing possibilities for Street Fighter V. Capcom has also shown a penchant for bringing back some of the more obscure members of the Street Fighter roster back for SFV. Who would have initially expected Birdie to be on the launch day roster? We’ve also had Street Fighter III alum; Ibuki, Alex, and Urien join the cast of Street Fighter V, so it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for Capcom to keep the SFIII revival train rolling with a return of Street Fighter’s craziest hermit.
Odds of Oro coming back: 6/10
Juli/Juni 
This selection is a bit unorthodox, and some may say that I’m cheating a bit by naming two characters, but hear me out.
First off, a little background – In the Street Fighter story line, Julie and Juni are part of Shadaloo’s “dolls” program, a group of twelve brain-washed assassins who were trained to do the unquestioned bidding for the head of the international crime cartel, M. Bison. The duo made their first appearance as in Street Fighter Alpha 3 as basic palette swaps of another one of Bison’s former agents, Cammy.
Capcom could retool Juli and Juni so that they are more dynamic; adding a move-set that helps set them apart from Cammy, however, the real fun could be in the potential use of Street Fighter V’s V-Skill system.
Juli/Juni could operate as two separate characters occupying the same character slot, with the V-Skill used as the way to swap between the two during a match. Both characters would have a different set of moves, which would make the player have to think strategically about which character is being brought in for which situation.
It would also be really cool to see the duo swapped mid-combo, which would add a gargantuan amount of possibilities during a match.
The V-Trigger skill could be utilized to bring both characters on screen at the same time.
The two characters at the same time scenario have precedence as well. Street Fighter Alpha 3 forced players to face off against both of the dangerous ladies at once during the course of that game’s single-player campaign.
If there’s any time for Capcom to be bold enough to take such a huge chance on including a dual-character like Juli and Juni, then season 2 of Street Fighter V would be the time.
Odds of Juli/Juni arriving in Street Fighter V season 2: 3/10.
Rufus 
The Big Man is a brash, obnoxious, but humorous fighter that some players love to hate.
First introduced to the world as one of the original cast members of Street Fighter IV, Rufus combined an unorthodox mixture of speed and power, behind a veneer of glutenous obesity, to create a very interesting mix-up game that kept opponents on their toes.
On a personal level, Rufus evokes a bizarre primal reaction of hatred and disgust from my buddy and Street Fighter sparring partner, Sean. So any opportunity to improve my Rufus skills while annoying my friend is an opportunity that I would relish.
Rufus’ mix-up game would fit in well with the structure of Street Fighter V. I could see a V-Skill consisting of a mini armored version of his Big Bang Tornado from Super Street Fighter IV, with V-Skill being the longer version of the move.
We’ve only had one original Street Fighter IV character make it onto the Street Fighter V pantheon of warriors thus far, (Juri) and of all the fighters that were introduced in the Street Fighter IV series, Rufus would be the most likely candidate to make the leap to Street Fighter V.
Sadly though, I don’t know if his personality type would be needed at this point in the game, with the role of obnoxious slob currently occupied by Birdie.
Odds of Rufus kung fu-ing his way into Street Fighter V: 5/10
Sagat 
Capcom has not been shy in tweaking the game play styles and execution of many of the fighters that have returned for Street Fighter V. Characters like Ken, Zangief, and Ibuki, all received adjustments that make them play very differently than their previous incarnations.
In the case of the former Muay Thai king, Capcom really doesn’t need to adjust that much. Sagat’s slower, plodding pace, coupled with his penchant for endless zoning via high and low Tiger shots already provides him with enough of a distinction over other Shotokan’s. (Ryu and Ken)
For Sagat’s V-Skill, I could see Capcom re-implementing his Angry Charge move from Street Fighter IV. This move acted as a way for Sagat to power up his next Tiger shot. The V-Skill version in Street Fighter V could allow him to absorb a hit, while also powering up his next fireball.
Sagat’s arsenal could become even more formidable through a timed V-Trigger move. Once triggered, Sagat would gain the ability to throw super Tiger shots for a brief period of time. These shots would be super in that they would be large enough to cover both high and low zones, thus forcing the opponent to block or jump.
For his Critical Art, Capcom could retain a version of his Tiger Destruction Ultra Combo from Street Fighter IV.
A return of Sagat would also fit in nicely to Street Fighter V’s story line, (what little bits there are) as they could finally chronicle his departure from the Shadaloo crime syndicate, and his eventual replacement by F.A.N.G.
Odds of Sagat kicking his way his way into Street Fighter V: 8/10.
Guy 
This one is a long-shot, but Guy was one of my favorite characters to play in Street Fighter IV, and I’d love to see the Final Fight series guest return in Street Fighter V.
Guy used a mixture of ninjitsu speed and agility to confuse his foes, and keep them on their toes. This led to a very unconventional style, which when played right, would really knock opponents off their game. It was always fun for me when I would catch a fighter in the middle of a jump with a devastating mid-air suplex courtesy of the Bushin Izuna Otoshi.
The main part of Guy’s game was the wide array of options that he had with his specials. He had the aforementioned Bushin Izuna Otoshi, where he would flip through the air at his opponent and either end with the player choosing to elbow drop on top of the opponent, or they could risk the suplex.
He also had a run move which could be ended with three different options depending on what button you pressed in the middle of the run. He could either stop, perform a hard slide, or an overhead attack.
It was a lot to take in, but that’s what made Guy so fun and interesting to play as.
Capcom has shown that they are willing to add unconventional characters to Street Fighter V, (R Mika anyone?) so a strong case could be made for them to bring in Guy.
If Guy were to return in Street Fighter V then Capcom needs to do everything they can to keep his options open, and maybe expand them if possible.
They could move his Run from being a command move (quarter circle, forward) to being his V-Skill. They could still retain his ability to option into the three different ending moves, as well as expand his options by allowing it to be cancelled into a different special. Being able to run and then cancel into his vertical Hurricane kick (Bushin Senpukyaku) would be an ideal way to fill in Guy’s lacking anti-air game.
As for Guy’s V-Trigger ability – It would be amazing to see the return of the Custom Combo ability from Street Fighter Alpha 2!
For Guy’s Critical Art, I would keep the Bushin Muso Renge, which if combined with a combo cancelled into a Custom Combo, could provide a level of delicious insanity.
My fear though is that if Guy were to arrive in Street Fighter V, Capcom would limit his options in a similar fashion to what they did with Ibuki; which in her case resulted in in a loss of moves and radical shift in her style of play.
Adding Guy to the Street Fighter V mix could provide some intriguing possibilities for both the character and the game as a whole, however, I don’t feel that he had the popularity needed to make the season 2 roster.
Odds of Guy confounding us with an appearance in Street Fighter V: 3/10.
Blanka 
Simply put, the beast from Brazil MUST come back to Street Fighter!
Out of all the characters mentioned, Blanka is the odds on favorite to be included in any potential Street Fighter V season 2 roster.
I mean being series producer, Yoshinori Ono’s favorite character has to have SOME perks, right?
From a game play perspective, Blanka would be a natural fit in the Street Fighter V roster.
Capcom’s willingness to radically adjust the familiar has led to the near elimination of “charge” moves in the game. Therefore, I would propose keeping all of Blanka’s charge moves intact, as that lack of change would already set him apart from the rest of the roster.
I know – you’ve been mashing punch for the electricity since you were old enough to mash. Things change. Give it a chance.
One thing I would change however, is his classic electric shock, traditionally performed by rapidly mashing on a punch button. Instead, I’d move this into his V-Skill, which would alter the move from being a prolonged electrical vortex – to a quick burst of energy. It would still have the same armor properties as it did previously, which would also mean the same vulnerability that it had to projectiles and certain other moves.
Blanka’s V-Trigger skill could energize the beast, surrounding him in a vortex of energy for a time, (or as in Necalli’s case, it could last the rest of the round) and allow him to add extra power to his specials, or even open up additional combo opportunities by stunning opponents if they made contact with him.
For Blanka’s Critical Art, I’d like to see some sort of combination of his previous Street Fighter IV Ultra’s: Lightning Cannonball and Shout of Earth.
It would be feasible to see a Critical Art that started off as a small area-bomb of electricity, and then ended in the electricity-laden roll across the screen. This would make opponents have to think extra hard about a jump-in, while also giving Blanka a chance to strike at someone from a longer range.
As one of the most familiar characters in the long line of icons that make up the Street Fighter universe, it is almost unimaginable to think that Blanka wouldn’t make it into Street Fighter V in some way, shape, or form.
Odds of Blanka rolling into Street Fighter V: 9/10.
These characters and scenarios are just a few of the many possibilities that could find their way into a second season of Street Fighter V.
Capcom has a huge stable to characters from the nearly 30 year (next year) history of the Street Fighter franchise. Plus, there is always a chance that we could see guest characters from some of Cacom’s other titles slip into SFV.
How about Final Fight series alum, Mike Haggar, who is the only member of the trio of Mike, Guy and Cody to not see action in a Street Fighter game.
What about seeing a guest character from another Capcom fighting series like Rival Schools?
RS roster member Tiffany is one of the girls in the background of Street Fighter V’s Kanzuki Beach stage, so we could be seeing them set the table for her to join the cast, which they previously did with Alex being in the New York city stage prior to him joining the cast.
Tiffany of Rival Schools fame is on the left.
Or what about original characters like Ingrid, who has a huge online fan base, but has never appeared in a numbered entry in the series?
What about the possibility of seeing a guest fighter from another fighting franchise?
Street Fighter mainstay Akuma will be very prominently featured in Tekken 7 – what about a Tekken character making a guest appearance in Street Fighter V? We already know that the Tekken roster can fit nicely int the Street Fighter style of play, thanks to 2012’s Street Fighter X Tekken, so a guest appearance wouldn’t be out of the question.
In any event, Capcom has done a fair job of diversifying their Street Fighter V roster and the only thing we can truly expect at this point, is the unexpected.
So what did you think of this list? Is it in line with what you hope to see in Street Fighter V? What other characters or changes would you like to see in the game? Let me know in the comments section below.
Written by The Watchman
He’s also an actor, a reporter, a pro wrestling connoisseur, and some say he’s a cat whisperer.
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