It's been over 7 years since the last entry in the franchise, but Street Fighter 6 has arrived at last. Capcom's latest foray into the genre has taken note of many complaints players had about the series' previous iteration, and has crafted a more approachable, nuanced, and customizable game that both fighting veterans and complete newcomers can engage with and come away having had a blast doing so.
There are three control schemes built into Street Fighter 6, each designed for players with varying levels of experience. Classic is exactly what it sounds like, the controls Street Fighter fans are used to. Modern, simplifies the controls for newcomers but retains the tactical nuance of the series. And Dynamic, for players who just want to press a few buttons and watch the punches fly. In each case, there are a host of absolutely devastating combos that players can execute. Even if these combos don't guarantee victory, they certainly won't hurt anyone's chances.
8 Manon: Révérence ~> Grand Fouretté ~> Dégagé
Manon is a new character introduced in Street Fighter 6. She hails from France, and fights like how players might imagine a pissed-off ballerina would throw down. She looks the part too, which might make some players underestimate her. That will stop shortly after her foot collides with their face.
Manon employs a ton of spinning kicks and strikes, but one combo players can always go to is triggering her Révérence move (Back + Heavy Punch) and then following it up with Grand Fouetté (Quarter-Circle Forward + Punch into Kick). Manon will punch her opponent square in the face, then follow up with a spinning kick. This combo can be further extended with her Dégagé move (Quarter-Circle Back + Kick) which keeps those kicks a-spinning.
7 Chun-Li: Serenity Stream ~> Senpu Kick ~> Spinning Bird Kick ~> Tenshu Kicks
Chun-Li is one of the most iconic characters in the Street Fighter franchise. She even had a movie based on her back in the day. There was little doubt she would be among the roster of characters in Street Fighter 6, and her flurries of fast and rangy kicks are as powerful and dangerous as ever.
Chun-Li's most potent ability has always been the way she can close quickly from mid-range. This combo, which opens with her Serenity Stream and breaks out with Senpu Kick (Quarter-Circle Back + Punch into Medium Kick) is great for breaking down defenses. Players can then follow up with Spinning Bird Kick (Hold Down into Up + Kick) to close in from mid-range. To add a juggle to the end of this combo, use the Overdrive version of Spinning Bird Kick, then follow up with Heavy Tenshu Kicks (Down + Down + Heavy Kick) to land four quick strikes while the opponent is airborne.
6 Luke: Light Punch ~> Medium Punch ~> Heavy Punch ~> Flash Knuckle ~> Eraser
Luke's return to Street Fighter 6 comes with a few tweaks to his moveset, making him more beginner-friendly than he was in the past. Luke's strength comes from being in close range, with most of his combos dealing their damage from in close. However, he has a selection of abilities that help him close the gap.
Many of Luke's strongest combos begin in this same manner, with a standing Light Punch into a Medium Punch into a Heavy Punch. These attacks aren't particularly hard to block, but they help Luke close ground. After those three strikes, players can follow up with any of Luke's Special Moves, but Flash Knuckle (Quarter-Circle Back + Punch) is great in that it's both strong on its own and very useful for extending the combo further. For example, if players opt to use his Overdrive Flash Knuckle, they can then string that into his Eraser Super Art (Quarter-Circle Back + Quarter-Circle Back + Punch), which guarantees a knockdown when it connects. Players can then punish their opponent further on wake-up.
5 Kimberly: Hidden Variable ~> Heavy Kick ~> Medium Punch ~> Heavy Punch ~> Bushin Senpukyaku
Another of the new characters added to the roster of Street Fighter 6,Kimberly is an American girl who uses a Bushido fighting style unique to the franchise. She's a fast-moving fighter who possesses a number of skills that aren't outright attacks but instead are used to quickly close ground on her opponent.
Opening a combo with Overdrive Hidden Variable (Quarter-Circle Back + Punch) will launch Kimberly into the air, making the next Heavy Kick an aerial attack. The Medium Punch into Heavy Punch follow-up extends the combo, placing her opponent in position for a Heavy Bushin Sempukyaku (Quarter-Circle Back + Heavy Kick) to close out the assault. If players find their positioning is slightly off after the Heavy Punch, a Quick Dash leading into the Bushin Senpukyaku will add an extra effect to the attack.
4 Ryu: Light Punch ~> Light Punch ~> Light Punch ~> Hadoken
While Chun-Li may have been the focus of a Street Fighter movie, no character is more iconic to the franchise than Ryu. He's been the face on the box art for decades, and his signature Hadoken move has transcended the games themselves into pop culture legend.
This sequence makes great use of that signature move. It's nothing fancy, but Ryu's most reliable combos won't be, as he's one of the more beginner-friendly characters on the roster. It starts off with a sequence of three Light Punches in succession. The third Light Punch is then canceled into Ryu's Hadoken (Quater-Circle Forward + Punch). What makes this combo so effective is how it can dish out a fair amount of damage without needing to sacrifice Ryu's positioning to do so.
3 Guile: Medium Kick ~> Light Punch ~> Sonic Boom ~> Dragon Suplex
Guile has been a mainstay in Street Fighter since 1991's Street Fighter II: The World Warrior and it's no surprise he returns to the game's character roster once again, complete with his absurdly-tall flattop haircut. He also finally has eyebrows! Thanks, Capcom.
This combo starts out similar to how many other characters will begin a ranged combo, but Guile needs to add an extra punch to build up his charge timer. Starting with a crouching Medium Kick and then following that with a Light Punch sets Guile up nicely to execute an Overdrive Sonic Boom (Hold Back into Forward + Punch) which guarantees an enemy knockdown if it connects. This allows Guile to either continue with a sequence of carefully-timed Sonic Booms or to execute a Dragon Suplex Throw (Light Punch + Light Kick) to close the combo out.
2 Dhalsim: Yoga Teleport ~> Heavy Kick ~> Divine Kick ~> Yoga Flame
Dhalsim is one of the most unique characters on the Street Fighter roster. He is simultaneously one of the hardest characters to master and one of the hardest to play against. His stretchy attacks make him one of the best anti-air characters in the game, and despite his slow movement speed, his range can more than compensate for it.
Another of Dhalsim's abilities that helps offset his movement speed is his Yoga Teleport ability, which does exactly what it sounds like. This combo opens with an Aerial Yoga Teleport (Forward + Punch x 3) and an aerial Heavy Kick once he reappears, sending him back down at the opponent. Follow that up with a Divine Kick (Back + Medium Kick) and then close out with Yoga Flame (Half-Circle Back + Punch) which will knock the opponent down. Players can then follow up with a Yoga Throw (Light Punch + Light Kick) on the downed opponent, or take the opportunity to retreat to a safe distance.
1 Jamie: The Devil Inside ~> Medium Kick ~> Swagger Step ~> Freeflow Kicks
The official canon rival of Luke, Jamie is a new fighter arriving in Street Fighter 6, and the first to employ the Chinese drunken fist fighting style. Jamie is a difficult character to get a handle on because his moveset requires him to take a drink of his "herbal concoction" (non-alcoholic, of course) throughout the fight to unlock his more powerful moves.
Jamie's ability The Devil Inside (Down + Down + Punch) will increase his Drink level, which opens up a set of new abilities. Players can then execute this combo, beginning with a Medium Kick, then flowing into Swagger Step (Quarter-Circle Back + Punch), and then into Freeflow Kicks (Quater-Circle Forward + Punch into Forward + Kick into Forward + Kick), an overwhelming assault of kicks that will conclude by knocking down their opponent.
Street Fighter 6 was released on June 2nd, 2023, and is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
