With Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition seemingly winding down its content cycle, the game's full roster has finally taken shape. Although it started out with a paltry 16 characters, it's grown to include a fleshed-out roster of 38 characters.
Despite that, a lot of fan favorites and characters from the story mode are not playable. Considering some of the characters who were included, it's a bit surprising not seeing some characters on the roster. Now, we're taking a look at some characters with noteworthy absences who should've found a home in Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition.
Crimson Viper has been rumored to be coming to Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition for a long time. She even shows up in several characters' stories, but she hasn't made a playable appearance. With her character seemingly following the actions of Shadowloo, it would be easy to include her into the action.
Her play style was unique when she debuted in Street Fighter IV, and there hasn't been a fighter like her since. Her mix of fire and electric gadget-based attacks could easily be used as separate V-triggers. Furthermore, her moves could also be expanded to allow temporary barriers and traps, making her more of a trap character. C. Viper would also be a great addition to the cast as she's yet another female character but she plays nothing like the other female fighters.
Dudley is a much faster boxer character than Balrog but the differences between the two pugilists don't end there. Dudley is much more light on his feet and relies more on quick punches and movement. Where Balrog is a brawler, Dudley is an artist. He may not have any real tie to the overall narrative of Street Fighter V, but neither does E. Honda.
His V-Skill could switch between two stances, one for quick attack and the other for powerful attacks, or it could switch to be his counterattack. Dudley's quick fighting style would make him great in the neutral. He was one of the most popular character in Street Figher III: Third Strike and was loved in Street Fighter IV, so Dudley would be a no-brainer addition to the roster.
While Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition has dozens of characters, it still doesn't have a Bruce Lee-style fighter in its roster who relies on direct strikes, precise movements and a strong constitution. The Street Fighter franchise has three characters that fight like this: Fei Long, Yun, and Yang. Yun is arguably the most popular of the three and he would add a lot of simple yet flashy action and combos to the game.
Yun has a connection to Chun-Li so that could be used as a means to incorporate Yun into the story. One of his V-Triggers could be his Genei-Jin ability and the other could be him summoning his brother Yang for assistance, similar to R. Mika's trigger. He might not be the strongest character but he's always a spectacle to watch.
Makoto plays a lot like Akira from the Virtua Fighter series, with very strong attacks and slow movements; she's a wall that's nearly impossible to overcome. She's almost the complete polar opposite to Yun. Makoto has a rivalry with Ibuki but that isn't mentioned in Street Fighter IV, so that rivalry could be initialized in the story here.
Makoto's fighting style hasn't been replicated and is perfect for the more neutral-friendly style of Street Fighter V. She needs to be played in a very meticulous way that rewards patience and reading your opponent, and that could work especially well with the game's crush counter system, which Makoto seems designed to exploit.
Another character who has already shown up in the story, Sean, originally was introduced in Street Fighter III, and we now know he is Laura's brother. Sean could make an interesting addition since he was trained by Ken in that game. Accordingly, he plays like a Shoto characters there. However, at this point in the story, he doesn't even know Ken yet.
All of his fighting ability would probably be from his sister, so Sean might play like an unseasoned version of Laura, with maybe some moves indicative of his Shoto future. Sean is also shown to be a big basketball fan, and it would be interesting to see him incorporate a basketball or basketball-related moves into his developing fighting style. Sean is just a very open prospect since he's essentially in between the formative years of his training.
Rose was a very powerful character in Street Fighter IV, and she has a connection to the game through her apprentice Menat. She is also connected to M. Bison, since his Psycho Power is the opposite of her Soul Power. Her age also presents interesting design opportunities that could see her purple, wavy hair take on streaks of grey as her other0wordly power grows.
Similar to her apprentice Menat, she could even be a tap-based fighter now. However, because of her increase in power, she could have more defensive options. Her soul power increase could also make her Critical Art a fascinating spectacle. Based on her design alone, Rose has always been one of Street Fighter's most fascinating characters, and she deserves more attention from the franchise.
Add Comments