After Tifa, I Really Want These 5 Guest Characters In A Street Fighter Game

The fighting game rumor mill has been aflame this week with reports that Final Fantasy‘s Tifa may be in the pipeline to appear as a DLC fighter in Street Fighter 6. While Street Fighter has played with guest characters by bringing in characters from franchises like Fatal Fury or Final Fight, the inclusion of Tifa would be a big swing for the series. It would be introducing a character not necessarily connected to the fighting game genre, while also bringing over a character from an entirely different publisher. That kind of move isn’t unheard of — just look at how many crossover characters appeared in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, including some Street Fighter icons.

If Street Fighter is going to follow in Nintendo’s footsteps and start incorporating more guest characters, there’s no reason other Capcom mainstays like Morrigan from Darkstalkers or Leon S. Kennedy from Resident Evil couldn’t make the leap over to the fighting series. However, those kinds of crossovers do happen in broader franchise games like Marvel vs. Capcom. These five characters would be true guest spots given their place at the heart of other franchises and have the personality, potential move sets, and history to make for good additions to Street Fighter.

Goro

If you’re looking at the Sega library, the obvious pick to pit the cast of Street Fighter against would be from one of the publisher’s fighting franchises, like Virtua Fighter. That wouldn’t be the best pick, though, as Goro Majima from the Yakuza: Like a Dragon series would be a more entertaining figure to throw into a Capcom throwdown. The Yakuza lieutenant has gradually developed into a uniquely bizarre character, with his fusion of hard-hitting combos and absurd pirate-themed attacks in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii feeling like a fitting style of combat for the Street Fighter series.

The Goro of recent Yakuza games especially feels attuned to the bombastic weirdness that the Street Fighter series has always thrived on, capable of alternating between gritty grabs and over-the-top combos with ease. Goro would also be perfectly at home in the weirdness of the Street Fighter series, fitting in nicely amongst the martial-arts masters, would-be world conquerors, and giant green beasts.

King

Street Fighter and Tekken have already had crossovers in the past, so seeing some more crossover between the franchises would make sense. 2012’s Street Fighter X Tekken pitted their larger rosters together, while Tekken 7 incorporated Akuma as a guest character. Street Fighter 6 could return the favor by bringing in a character from the Tekken series to their own absurd take on the fighting genre — and the right pick would be the professional wrestler, King.

While seeing Jin and Ryu face off has a certain appeal, King would bring a more befitting fighting style to the game. His approach to quick grappling and powerful blows could make him an interesting foil to characters like Zangief, highlighting that up-and-close style of combat that can counter lighter characters with a series of devastating blows. King’s ambitions would also be fitting for the combat-driven world of Street Fighter, so seeing him thrive in that space would be an entertaining time for anyone who is a fan of the character.

Mario

Mario is one of gaming’s most iconic characters and — thanks to the Super Smash Bros. franchise — has been duking it out with crossover characters for a while. However, Mario has rarely appeared outside of a Nintendo-driven game. It would be exciting to see the Mushroom Kingdom plumber face off with more than just Ryu, with his cartoonish aesthetic potentially translating well to the more cell-shaded animation of the Street Fighter series.

Ryu and Ken made appearances in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, so Mario returning the favor would be an entertaining chance to see how the character holds his own against different styles of fighting games. It would also be a fitting crossover given Nintendo and Capcom’s long history of past collaborations, a fun guess spot for both companies — and fans who’ve always wanted to see if Mario’s fireballs could really counter Ryu’s Hadoken.

Scorpion

One of the fundamental rivalries in modern gaming has always been between Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, with the two games defining much of the arcade era with their addictive gameplay and different tweaks on the genre. Scorpion vs. Ryu was a constant debate on playgrounds, making the actual inclusion of one of them into the other’s game would be an absolute blast. Scorpion’s move set would bring a uniquely brutal touch of range to the game, making him a directly interesting foil to Ryu.

It would also just be fun to see the Mortal Kombat design recreated in the Street Fighter aesthetic, reimagining one of the fighting game genre’s most iconic fighters in a completely different style than players have ever really seen him in. Plus, the possibility of seeing how Street Fighter adapts to a character mostly known for his brutality sounds like a very fun experiment for a fighting game franchise that’s often resisted getting too grisly.

Goku

Okay, hear me out; Goku might seem overpowered to appear in a Street Fighter game, but that’s underselling some of the absurd feats that the Street Fighter cast have accomplished over the years. Goku also has the varied martial-arts abilities to make for a compelling move list, potentially elevating him as a guest character who could be played in a lot of different ways. Dragon Ball adaptations in gaming, like Dragon Ball FighterZ, have taken cues from the Street Fighter fundamentals, so it wouldn’t be a massive swing to see Goku fit into the Capcom series as a contender.

Similar to seeing Ryu face off with Scorpion, it would also be a huge nostalgia play for audiences who grew up with both franchises, which would nevertheless feel fitting for both franchises. Goku, as a character, would love the chance to run up against the unique fighting styles of the Street Fighter cast. The possible inclusion of Tifa highlights that Street Fighter could have a lot of fun with a broader number of guest characters, something that Goku could take to the extreme.