Evo was cancelled this year for several reasons, and while that’s ultimately a good thing, it left many fighting game publishers without a platform to make announcements. So we saw some ad hoc streams, including a recent Capcom-only presentation that gave us a look at Street Fighter V’s final season. A number of new characters have been announced to close out one of Capcom’s more controversial fighters, and it’s an interesting group to say the least. But if you aren’t a Street Fighter guru, you may be wondering who the heck some of these weirdos are. Have a seat, kiddos; it’s time for a history lesson.
Street Fighter V Season V Characters Guide
A total of five characters are coming to round out the Street Fighter V roster, and we got to learn who four of them are. The final character, who will hopefully not be a new version of Ryu, remains a mystery for now. But that doesn’t mean the other additions aren’t exciting in their own rights. We have quite a spread, ranging from two Street Fighter Alpha alumni, a Street Fighter III escapee, and even a character from Rival Schools we haven’t seen in ages. We figured it would be a fun exercise to not only list those characters, but also go over who they are and where they came from.
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Dan (First appearance: Street Fighter Alpha, 1995)
Dan is the black sheep of the Shotokan fighters, who was training with Ryu and Ken until master Gouken kicked him out. After Sagat, who killed Dan’s father, pretended to lose in a fight out of pity, Dan opened his own Saikyo-ryu dojo.
Dan is a total joke character, made as a parody of SNK fighters Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia. His moves always have bizarre properties, and he usually has taunting options no other character does. Despite being competitively useless, Dan is a beloved character who players love to use for a laugh.
Rose (First appearance: Street Fighter Alpha, 1995)
Rose was my main in Street Fighter IV, so you know I’m all aboard this hype train. Introduced alongside Dan in the Alpha series, Rose is notable for being the third woman in the series following Chun-Li and Cammy, and for her major interactions with M. Bison in the series’ storyline. She’s also heavily based on a JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure character, which is more relevant now than ever.
Rose made a story-only appearance in Street Fighter V before now, emerging as the mentor of new character Menat. It’ll be interesting to see if her move set is similar to the usual, of if she has any tricks similar to what Menat can do up her sleeves.
Oro (First appearance: Street Fighter III, 1997)
Over the years we’ve seen some of the underdogs of the Street Fighter III cast trickle their way out into other games, and Oro is the latest of that trend. Oro’s presence in the overall Street Fighter story is largely in the background, but he’s an absurdly powerful hermit-like character who essentially has supernatural powers, including some form of immortality. He takes an interest in Ryu over the course of Street Fighter III.
While Street Fighter V takes place before Street Fighter III, Oro does make brief appearances in multiple character stories, mostly to show up and say cryptic things. Now that he’s returning as a playable character, we’re interested in seeing if his role is meaningfully expanded.
Akira Kazama (First appearance: Rival Schools, 1997)
Rival Schools, directed by Hideaki Itsuno of Power Stone and Devil May Cry fame, is one of Capcom’s more obscure fighting game series, mostly because it didn’t really survive beyond the Sega Dreamcast. People love the goofy high school theme however, and the series’ colorful connections to the Street Fighter universe.
Akira is making her first appearance outside of Rival Schools, following a botched attempt to bring her to the cancelled Capcom Fighting All-Stars. She’s a tough biker-type character who is initially a mysterious presence, hiding behind her motorcycle helmet while searching for her missing brother. The mask eventually goes away of course, and players notably got to choose between both versions.
And there you have it – a brief introduction to the new characters on the way for Street Fighter V Season V. We still have one more character to go, which Capcom is holding off as a surprise planned for later. In the meantime, you can see the roadmap above, which includes new stages, costumes, and balance adjustments in addition to the new characters.
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Are you excited for this new group of Street Fighter V additions? Are any of them a favorite, or are you stoked for some renewed Rival Schools love? Let us know what you think over on the Prima Games Facebook and Twitter channels!
