5 Street Fighter Characters Who Deserve a Bigger Role in SF7

The cast of the Street Fighter series is vast, with many characters consistently playing a big part in any entry through the story or a slot on the main roster. Iconic fighters like Ryu, Ken, Blanka, Guile, and Chun-Li are mainstays, always set to appear no matter what Street Fighter game is releasing. However, some characters deserve more than to just be in the background or as an Easter Egg, with many long overdue for a larger role in a potential Street Fighter 7.

Some characters that have been fully fledged fighters in Street Fighter‘s history have had little to no role in the game they’re featured in, even if they are fan-favorites. Oftentimes, the most players will get from a character is a single arcade mode ending that briefly ties into their motivations for fighting. While this works for characters only meant for one appearance, like guests or odd fighters like El Fuerte and Hakan from Street Fighter 4, others with multiple appearances have this done to them over and over.

5. Q/G

The mystery of Q from Street Fighter 3: Third Strike is one of the series’ greatest unknowns, as the tall mask-wearing fighter has never had their origin or purpose explained. Similarly, the so-called “President of the Earth” G introduced in Street Fighter 5 is subject to the same mystery, proclaiming the unity of people through powers of the planet itself. Very little is understood about either character, with many fans believing that they are one in the same, transformed over time from different eras of the franchise.

Street Fighter 7 may finally be time to draw back the curtain on G or Q, finally giving them to time in the spotlight they need after so many years. Although part of the charm of these characters is their blank backgrounds, the nagging theories and rumors about their intentions has to lead somewhere eventually. Perhaps one of the two will be revealed as a potential final boss, or both will be unveiled as opposing forces that drive the plot of the next game. Regardless of how they are integrated, it would be fascinating to have these characters return.

4. Sakura

Sakura is another “Shoto” style character like Ryu, Ken, and Akuma, but is certainly the character representing the archetype with the least amount of attention in Street Fighter. This is a shame, because not only is Sakura an often requested favorite, but her personality couldn’t be more different from the other characters who perform Hadoukens and Shoryukens. Over time, Sakura’s play style has varied from those she admired, forming a unique spin on an already recognizable series of special moves.

For most Street Fighter games, Sakura is merely a huge fan of Ryu, giving her little agency of her own outside of devotion to finding the series’ poster child. However, in Street Fighter 5, Sakura had slightly more depth, working in an arcade that was reflected in an overhauled outfit for the fighter. With appearances as a guest in Rival Schools, Sakura could lean into her own misadventures within the scope of Street Fighter 7, alongside other characters like Karen and Akira that she has interacted with before.

3. Rashid

When it comes to new additions to Street Fighter, Rashid is one of Capcom’s best, sporting a striking design and incredibly fresh combat style through his control of sand and wind. The highly acrobatic nature of Rashid matches his fun-loving demeanor, which has captured the hearts of fans in Street Fighter 5 and Street Fighter 6 through his status as a playable fighter. Yet, despite the consistent interest in this character, his role in any game he’s in is disappointingly small.

Street Fighter 5 barely featured Rashid in his “story,” displaying him as a very shallow character with little to do. Similarly, Street Fighter 6 merely had him as a streamer going around and recording fights within World Tour, having little to nothing to do with the game’s story. As such, Rashid seems somewhat relegated to the background instead of the spotlight he so clearly craves. For Street Fighter 7, perhaps it is time to give Rashid the same amount of attention as other newcomers like Luke have gotten.

2. Sean

When it comes to characters Street Fighter has left behind, Sean is usually at the top of the conversation. While many SF3: Third Srike characters are overdue for a comeback, such as Makoto and Dudley, Sean has been a character that is consistently relegated to cameos or Easter Eggs ever since his debut. While not the strongest character in Third Strike, this aspiring student of Ken was never given a chance, being skipped over in SF4, SF5, and SF6. With SF5‘s Laura being introduced as Sean’s sister, it almost feels like Capcom has a vendetta against the character.

This character is almost the opposite of Sakura, refusing to completely adopt “Shoto” styles in favor to develop his own techniques. Evasive rolls and leaping kicks show off an infectious enthusiasm with the character, with moves like tossing a basketball projectile showing a whimsical fun other Street Fighter figures tend to not have. With Ken’s drastically changed status in Street Fighter 6 through his story, it feels only natural that Sean gets time in the sun looking for a way to help his friend and teacher.

1. Cody

While everyone looks toward the future of the Street Fighter series, it’s often easy to overlook the big changes that have already happened. One of the biggest shifts to any character’s “role” in the franchise comes from Cody, a fighter originally from the Final Fight beat-em-up series from Capcom. Cody was originally a character who was a prisoner wrapped in chains and stripped jumpsuit in Street Fighter, before SF5 saw him promoted all the way into the mayor of Metro City.

When Final Fight character Mike Haggar retired, he named Cody as mayor, causing the character to clean up their whole act in SF5. This was a monumental shift from what was expected, with the character retaining their rough fighting style with a refined new look reflecting their new position. The responsibility given to Cody added a new dimension to his character, and one that fans expected to see shown often in Street Fighter 6‘s World Tour mode. That being said, the large world of Metro City in that mode never showed Cody in any real capacity.

The failure to uphold this premise is a great failing of Street Fighter 6, in my opinion, as it robs the character a chance to really explore the new role they’re in, even if it’s just through an arcade-style story. Cody’s leadership of Metro City could be central to a new narrative in the series, or help establish connections to other fighters new and old to justify their spot on a future game’s roster. From this fact alone, Cody should have a larger role in Street Fighter 7, at least to give other fighters an opportunity to prove themselves.

What characters from Street Fighter do you think deserve a larger role in a future game? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!

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