Every gamer knows a series of Street Fighter games, which began as an arcade platformer, but gradually grew into one of the largest and most famous fighting games in the world. Six games of this series have already been released - and one should not be surprised that the last of them has the serial number “five” - the thing is that after the second part the Street Fighter Alpha game was released - that’s why the sixth game appeared under the fifth number, like the fourth under the third, and so on. In the game Street Fighter, the characters appeared gradually - in each new part a certain number of "newcomers" were introduced, and not all took root and remained in the series for a long time. Therefore, in this article you will learn about those heroes who have remained part of this large-scale project for as long as possible, which is why they have gained immense popularity among fans. The only thing you need to remember is about the features of the first game, because it was a platformer. Accordingly, all the characters that appeared there, except for the main two heroes, were non-game - they were your opponents at one or another stage of passage. Only in further parts of the Street Fighter series did characters become playable, which greatly attracted gamers who liked one or another hero in the first part, but he simply could not play for him.
Ryu
If you start the story about the heroes of this series of games, then you should definitely do this with Ryu. Street Fighter is a series in which Ryu is the main character, it was he who was the protagonist of the first part, and for him you had to pass that platformer. Later, when the game was transformed into a fighting game, he still remained one of the most important and attractive characters. Throughout the series, Ryu is positioned as a modest and serious young man who has honor and dignity. He travels around the world, gradually improving his martial arts skills. In general, the image of Ryu is positive, but he also has a downside. In fact, the main character is obsessed with various martial arts, and when he is very addicted, then a dark force awakens in him, which forms part of his soul. With her, the character has to fight constantly, but if Ryu loses, then the light can behold a real monster. Fortunately, he has reliable friends on whom he can rely in the event that his dark side begins to overcome him. Without Ryu, Street Fighter would have been a completely different series, so it’s impossible to underestimate the color of its main character. However, of course, not only he exists in this universe - there are other no less interesting heroes.
Ken
In later games of the Street Fighter series, the characters were created unique, that is, they had their own appearance, their own combat features, their super tricks. However, at the very beginning, when the game was still a platformer, the second playable character who joined Ryu in the event that the second participant sat down for the game was Ken. And this was not a completely new and unique character, but simply Ryu, whose figure was painted in a different color. They had the same battle style, absolutely identical tricks, which differed among themselves with only one throw. But over time, the game developed, became increasingly popular, so Ken separated from Ryu and became an independent character. His fighting style still remained similar to the one that Ryu demonstrates, but he had his own tricks, combinations, and so on. And most importantly - he had his own personality. Unlike the calm and serious Ryu, Ken Masters is a hot-tempered and vibrant person who never reaches into his pocket for a word and is always ready to engage in battle with any opponent. Ken is unpredictable and sometimes even selfish, but in general he has a big heart and sincerely worries about all his friends, and he is ready to give everything he has to protect them from any hardships.
First woman
This heroine has become a landmark not only for this series, but for the gaming industry as a whole. Before her, in all computer games, including the first part of Street Fighter, the characters were always male. You could play only as a man, you fought mainly only with men, all dialogues took place only between men. Women in most cases were an object of salvation, friends of important male heroes, random weakest opponents on the battlefield, and also just part of the background. But in the second part of this series, a heroine appeared who changed everything. Chun-Li joined Ryu and Ken along with several more new characters to diversify the gameplay. It was inferior in strength to all male heroes, but at the same time was faster than all. Her story in the gaming universe is this: Chun-Li is an agent of Interpol, and she is investigating the death of her father. She goes to the killer - he is the head of a criminal syndicate. She even manages to get to him, but he, being a martial artist, easily overcomes the girl and informs her that if she comes closer to him at least once, he will kill her just like her father. As a result, Chun-li begins to work on himself and improve his fighting skills in order to eventually be able to defeat his main opponent. It is worth noting that this heroine appears in all subsequent games of the series, that is, only Ryu and Ken, who appear in all six episodes, participated more in her events.
Akuma
Akuma is a very interesting character in the Street Fighter series, which appeared in the second part of the series as a secret game character, as well as one of the main bosses. He later appeared in all parts of the series except the last. Who is this hero? He and his brother Goken studied with one of the greatest masters of all time, Gotetsu. It was he who taught them the incredible technique of warfare, and he also taught them the need to deal with his dark side of the soul. Goken learned his lesson, but Akum didn’t. He succumbed to the influence of dark forces to gain even greater power, and in this state he killed his teacher. From this moment the brothers parted ways. Goken began to teach everything that he learned from Gotetsu, two little boys - Ryu and Ken. After some time, Akuma turned to Goken and challenged him to a duel in which he was defeated. He asked his brother to kill him, but Goken spared Akum. A certain amount of time passed, and Akuma reappeared at Goken and this time defeated him, killing him with special equipment. But Goken also mastered a special technique and disconnected his soul from the body, so that only a vessel died in battle. After some time, Goken restored his body and returned to the world to watch his students Ryu and Ken, and also to meet again with Akuma, who continued his travels around the world, fighting various fighters and not disdaining their murder. In the series "Street Fighter" this is one of the most powerful and most evil heroes.
Balrog
The next character, who first appeared in the game Street Fighter II and met in total in four games out of six (with the exception of the first and third parts), is an American fighter Balrog. For a long time he was a professional boxer, but fought by his own rules, which crippled more than one professional athlete. When he purposefully killed another soldier with his blows, he was forbidden to take part in professional sports. Therefore, he went into a darker sphere, going to the service in the syndicate, where he was offered good money, and Balrog was always weak to them. He took orders to destroy opponents until the head of the syndicate was killed by the Akuma described above. Balrog went to work in a nightclub bouncer until the syndicate leader was resurrected in another body - then Balrog was returned to the syndicate, where he was instructed to monitor the clones in the laboratory. He tried to earn some money by getting a special device hidden in the lair of the syndicate, but it was destroyed, so Balrog did not receive money. This character is distinguished by cruelty and ruthlessness, as well as his main sin - the love of money, regardless of whether they are clean, dirty or bloody.
Cammy
Another character that appeared in Street Fighter II is Cammy. She became the second most popular female hero in the series after Chun-Li, and she has her own rich and fascinating history. It all starts with Cammy attacking Dhalsim in the role of a soulless syndicate doll to kill him. However, Dhalsim has in stock a special technique that allows him to clear Cammy's mind and free her from the influence of the syndicate. The syndicate sends Vega after her, who deliberately loses to her and tells her the story of how she was created to be a puppet in the hands of the syndicate. As a result, Cammy encounters the syndicate leader Byson, who tells her that more unconscious dolls were created on her basis. Cammy decides to save them, and she manages to win the fight with Bison, but in the end she loses consciousness, and with it the memory. Vega relates her to the threshold of the secret service of Great Britain, where she is hired because she retained all the combat skills that she acquired in the syndicate. When Cammy finds out that a big tournament is being held, she feels that something is connecting her with the tournament organizer, Bison. When she is there, she finds out that she was created as a new vessel for Bison, sent to the British secret service "undercover", but the loss of memory spoiled all plans of the syndicate. In the UK, Cammy was told that they did not look at her past and suggested that she start her life from scratch.
Dhalsim
Dhalsim is one of the most peaceful and friendly characters in the entire series of fighting games. He is a pacifist and believes that it is not necessary to use force unnecessarily, but at the same time participates in battles in order to earn money. He does this not out of selfish motives, but to save his village, which is in poverty without food, water and medicine. After a while, he finds a new goal - to defeat Bison, the head of the syndicate, which carries too much evil in this world. The two most important actions of Dhalsim in the universe of the “Street Fighter” are the destruction of Byson's body and the return of Cammy’s consciousness. Later, Dhalsim once again helps his village, which is left without water due to the dam. He admits that it is impossible to defeat the syndicate, because it is an endless evil, but at the same time notes that the good in the hearts of people is also infinite.
Bison
A lot has already been said about this hero, and you should already have understood that it was he who was the head of the criminal syndicate and the main villain in the universe of The Street Fighter. He possesses psychic power, which allows him not only to improve his fighting skills, but also to control the minds of other people, turning them against their own friends. Bison’s body was destroyed several times, but it was always recreated by scientists committed to his work - but all subsequent bodies were slightly weaker than the previous ones.
Gail
Another character worth noting is Gail. In terms of history, Street Fighter would have practically not lost anything if this hero had not been, because he plays a minimal role in the development of general events - only once does he help Chun-Li on the basis of a syndicate when he searches for his military comrade there. However, at the same time, it was Guil who was one of the characters most often chosen during the battle, second only to Ryu and Ken.
Sagat
One of the most interesting characters on this list is Sagat. Street Fighter II is not the game in which it first appeared, unlike all the fighters described above (except Ryu and Ken, of course). He first appeared in the first part of the game, where he was one of the bosses, but then he constantly began to appear in the games of the series as a game character. Sagat is a Muay Thai master who became the absolute champion in this kind of martial arts when he was still a teenager. Then he defended his title, killing the enemy, but losing his eye. In the first world tournament, he wanted to prove that he is the strongest not only in Thailand, but throughout the world. When he met Ryu, he practically defeated him, because of which Ryu released the dark energy that he used against Sagat, leaving a huge scar on his body. Sagat set out to take revenge from Ryu, because of which he ended up in a syndicate in the service of Bison. But there he gradually began to realize that anger should not be guided by a thief during a duel - because of this, he succumbed in battle with the son of the very fighter whom he killed, having lost his eye. Sagat - one of the most transformed during the series of fighters.
Vega
One of Byson’s closest associates in the syndicate is Vega. Street Fighter Wouldn’t be the same game without this hero. He is a nobleman and a bullfighter, but he goes out into the streets at night to ruthlessly kill and mutilate people by wearing a mask. As a result, he himself comes to the syndicate to work there, gradually becoming one of the leaders. He was in charge of Cammy’s cloning project and sent her to the British Secret Service. The fastest fighter in the series is Vega. Street Fighter is a series of fighting games in which it is very important to find the right balance and approach to each character.
Zangiev
One of the brightest heroes representing Russia in the series is Zangiev. Street Fighter has fighters from different countries, and Zangiev is present there on the personal instructions of Gorbachev, who sent the fighter to the tournament to fight the Bayson syndicate, because he gradually began to spread his influence over the USSR, which the Union government did not want. Naturally, the game has many more heroes, such as Edmond Honda, but they appeared in fewer episodes, so they did not appear in this article.