What are the best projectile characters in Street Fighter V?
Street Fighter V, when compared to the previous entries of the series, definitely has a much easier combo mechanic. Gone are the days of the intricate techniques of Focus Attack Dash Cancels into Ultra Combos or 1-frame links.
As such, being approached by an opponent, especially a rushdown character, has never been more dangerous. And for this reason, zoning, the act of keeping your opponent at a distance, is incredibly important in the game, and even though zoning is significantly harder in SFV than in SFIV or SFII, there are still many characters who apply this principle quite effectively.
Fireballs serve exactly this purpose, and they can even be used in different ways and even incorporated in combos. For this list, we’ll be considering not how good a fireball is, but how crucial it is to a character’s game plan, and how good that makes a character.
5. Akuma
SFV - Akuma Move List
Akuma is the quintessential glass cannon. He has an above-average damage output, combined with below-average health and stun. With Akuma, you destroy or get destroyed.
He’s equipped with many different tools, not only in offensive terms but also when talking about mobility. Akuma is dangerous from all angles and all distances and his standing medium kick is a scary weapon to face in neutral, as it has tremendous range and speed, and it can be canceled into most of his special moves.
Akuma can shoot multiple types of fireballs, including the infamous Gohadoken. He can shoot the red Shekia Goshoha, which hits multiple times and can be incorporated in combos, and the air fireball Zanku Hadoken, which has an absolutely terrific EX version. He can even boost the effects of all these fireballs during Dohatsu Shoten.
For this brilliant fireball mix-up, Akuma has to be one of the best fireball characters in the game.
What Makes Akuma Great:
- High damage output
- Fantastic mix-up game
- Incredibly vast arsenal
4. Oro
SFV Champion Edition - Oro Move List
Lore wise, Oro is probably one of the strongest characters, if not the very strongest, and that is even why he uses only one arm to fight because if he were to use both his arms it would be too easy. When he was released, however, Oro was somewhat lackluster, as possessing so many quirky moves and fun combos were not enough to compensate for his less-than-good normals.
That’s all changed now with the latest patch, of course, but everyone still remembers that before the big buffs he got, Oro’s game plan was all about one thing: Tengu Stone. The V-Trigger II requires Oro to absorb enough damage and spend enough time to fill a full 3-bar V-Gauge, but the payoff was sure worth it. Tengu Stone has Oro summon random objects that can come with different properties, and all it takes is that one of the objects connects with the opponent to let the party start. With each hit and each move that Oro throws, the random objects follow in irregular trajectories and hit the opponent, leaving them in a hitstun state that grants Oro the chance to follow up with any combo he likes. Because the objects are always at least 3, there is room to even just spam the same button over and over again, and it will become a combo until the V-Timer is drained and all the objects go away.
Until Oro gets his V-Gauge filled, he still needs to survive in neutral and most importantly, try to zone the opponent out while waiting for the perfect opportunity to jump in and initiate his signature juggle combos. His charged projectile can be shot with different angles and speeds, allowing Oro to anti-air with it, and the EX version is multi-hitting and will follow the opponent’s movements like a slow missile. His Onibi V-Skill is a giant orb projectile with a massive hitbox and multiple hits, that is slow-moving but bounces up and back and can be shot with 3 different selectable trajectories. Oro can combine his V-Skill and fireball to create one of the wildest, craziest and effective zoning attacks in a big dance of energy orbs of multiple trajectories, sizes, and speeds.
What Makes Oro Great:
- Seeming randomness that is hard for the opponent to read
- Long combos with an incredibly high number of hits
- Marvelous mix-up based zoning game
3. Luke
SFV Champion Edition - Luke Move List
Luke will likely be presented as the main character for Street Fighter 6, and Capcom has been making sure we understand that. Luke was released as undoubtedly one of the strongest characters on the roster.
His normals are great, they’re hard to punish and they move Luke forward; his fireball, the Sand Blaster is so fast it’s hard to react to; he has a great uppercut and he has multiple forward-moving special moves that can be used in different situations. His meterless Flash Knuckle has 3 variants, each with different combo routes, and each one can be charged to have a different effect. The best part is that you don’t even need to charge for too long, and even if you don’t want to bother with timing your charge, you can stock it by using V-Skill 1.
His V-Trigger 1, Fully Armed allows him to use Rock Smasher, which is a multitude of Sand Blasters that cause a knockdown, and due to the speed of these projectiles, they are awfully hard to react to. Furthermore, if Luke catches the opponent with his EX Sand Blaster, he can convert it into the high-damaging, high-rewarding Thermobaric Thrash. Because the V-Gauge is only drained by the use of Luke’s projectiles, this activation allows Luke to quickly take control of the pace and spacing of the match very efficiently.
What Makes Luke Great:
- Fantastic neutral game thanks to high-quality normal attacks
- Super easy to hit-confirm into damaging combos from short to mid-range
- He has unique advantageous mechanics like his V-Trigger and forward-moving normals that make him stand out from everyone else
2. Sagat
Street Fighter V Arcade Edition - Sagat Move List
Next up, we have Thailand’s own, Sagat. Former martial arts champion and the original boss in Street Fighter (1987), turned into one of the 4 Kings of Shadaloo under M. Bison, turned respectful and honorable fighter in search of self-improvement, this character has gone through one of the most impactful character developments in the whole series.
Sagat has been a zoner since day one, and although he is not as powerful as his Street Fighter II iteration, he is definitely still relevant at his game. Tiger Shot is a fireball that can be thrown high or low, and with recovery so fast that with good execution Sagat can keep shooting these fireballs like an automatic rifle. And if the opponent tries to jump in, Sagat can throw his Tiger Uppercut, which is an excellent anti-air, capable of scaring his opponents into not jumping at all.
If his Tiger Uppercut is enhanced with his V-Skill 1, Angry Charge, it will deal more damage and stun, increase his V-Meter, add juggling properties to the move that allow him to follow up with new combos, and best of all, it will knock the opponent far away, at a perfect range for Sagat to keep doing what he does best, and that is zoning.
He can also shoot his Tiger Cannon with his V-Trigger 1, allowing big damage and juggling combo opportunities. Since Sagat’s Tiger Shot variants are such a fundamental part of his design as a fighting game character, he needs to be this high on the list.
What Makes Sagat Great:
- Terrifying DP in Tiger Uppercut
- Has a total of 7 different types of fireballs, counting different speeds, sizes, and height
- Has extremely long limbs that make his normals great at poking, albeit slow
1. Guile
SFV - Guile Move List
Sonic Boom! Guile stands out for having one of the most straightforward game plans in the game. He only possesses 2 Special Moves: the iconic Sonic Boom and the Flash Kick, which serve the purposes of zoning and anti-airing, respectively.
Because both these moves require the player to essentially be defending for a few frames before usage, Guile is perfect for those who prefer playing a more defensive style, keeping the opponents away with Sonic Booms and stopping their jump-in attempts with the Flash Kick to stay in control of the match.
What makes the Sonic Boom so terrifying is that it has amazingly fast recovery so even if you manage to jump over it you’ll probably just get blocked, if not anti-aired. With his V-Triggers Guile adds even more projectiles to his arsenal and particularly his V-Trigger 1 allows Guile to shoot multiple Sonic Booms in a row for the first time since his debut, allowing for crazy extended combos that are awfully dangerous when the opponent is in the corner.
Plus, a Sonic Boom infused with his V-Skill 1 can serve as a wall that not only protects Guile while he walks forward but also will catch any jump-in attempt right on the spot. At the end of the day, it’s mad difficult to get past the wall that is Guile.
What Makes Guile Great:
- Simple and straightforward gameplay
- Great defense
- Excellent zoning game with Sonic Boom and its variants
Fireballs have amazed fighting game fans since they first saw their first Hadoken, and it is a staple of 2D fighting games.
Even though the practical use of projectiles in Street Fighter varies a lot from game to game, they end up always being one of the most important factors in how the game is fundamentally played.
Mastering the usage of a fireball is not easy, and it requires great skill to correctly time the shooting of a fireball, as the wrong fireball at the wrong time brings the danger of a big-time punishment. Hopefully, this list helped you look for the best characters if you love to decimate your opponents by shooting energy manifestations at their faces.
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