There are already plenty of superlativeStreet Fighter 6 players around the globe, for a game that’s extremely fun to play AND watch. It’s simply the newest installment in a franchise that’s long been one of the most popular fighting game series around. The first year of a game is the time when many of the world’s biggest challengers try to establish a good and early place in the tournament scene for themselves. It took no time for certain faces among them to become the best of the best, the finest players around in their craft. These are the players winning tournaments left and right, or at least placing high enough in matches that several stream and in-person watchers are taking notice.
10. Chris Wong
Chris Wong enters the mayhem that is a tournament match.
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Wong "Chris Wong" Yuk-cheung hails from Hong Kong, and has been involved in the Street Fighter tournament scene since the Street Fighter V days. It’s an important distinction that Wong has been considered one of the best Street Fighter players in the world for several years. But he made a memetic name for himself by never quite becoming THE best… until now, anyway.
Wong is very good, but retained the position of being a perpetual second best in tournaments despite his strong performances for years. This happened for so long a time that it led to jokes about him being cursed to never be a big-time winner. He’s also known for his sheer stoicism, rarely showing emotion on the stage as he’s playing. This attitude transfers over to his gameplay, with a Luke that carefully looks for openings in the opponent’s defense to capitalize on. You can see this in the top image chosen.
Note the phrasing mentioned in the above paragraph, where Wong *was* cursed. This is no longer the case, as he recently won the Capcom Pro Tour: France Offline tournament. This earned him a spot in the full Capcom Pro Tour X tournament set to begin in February 2024. Wong has done this by mastering his Luke, the character he apparently wants to ride with for life… or at least until he gets nerfed. We’ll see.
Best Characters:
-Luke. That’s all for now. Time will tell if he sticks with him in the future.
Major Tournament Achievement:
-1st Place in Capcom Pro Tour: France Offline Winner on November 5, 2023 -- $15,000
-2nd Place in Capcom Pro Tour World Warrior: East Asia Final on November 26, 2023 -- $1,750
Chris Wong’s Twitter Account: https://twitter.com/ChrisWong1028
9. Snake Eyez
Snake Eyez celebrates a victory in Street Fighter IV.
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American Darryl “Snake Eyez” Lewis has been a staple among the Street Fighter tournament scene since the release of (*breathes*) Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. He embarked on his quest to become an established name with his first tournament win in that very game at Evo 2010, during which he played Zangief. He’s established himself as the best Zangief player around in every Street Fighter game, through thick and thin -- emphasis on both.
Street Fighter players tend to fluctuate between the characters they want to focus on between installments, usually gravitating towards the top-tier faces on the roster. The most respectable aspect of Snake Eyez is how he’s stuck with Zangief through the best and worst times, when buffed and nerfed, when high tier and (largely) low tier. Zangief was rarely considered one of the strongest characters in Street Fighter V, and is even lower on tier lists for Street Fighter 6’s first season. Yet, Snake Eyez is sticking with his big bear-wrestling man.
More importantly: He’s winning with him. If there is any player with a character showing how lower-tier faces in Street Fighter 6 have mere limitations that need to be overcome in tournaments and especially in online play, it’s Snake Eyez with Zangief. He’s playing the character so well in matches that he’s made several other tournament players second-guess Zangief’s flaws, particularly in how he has trouble closing the gap on opponents with projectiles. Those flaws still exist, but he knows how to work around them. He’s also doing all this with a controller, in contrast to all the players using expensive fight sticks and switch boxes.
Best Characters:
Zangief. He might play other characters in SF6 eventually, as he also used Kage in SFV.
Major Tournament Achievement:
-1st Place in Capcom Pro Tour Online Event: North America West on August 27, 2023 -- $2,500
Snake Eyez’s Twitter Account: https://twitter.com/Snake_Eyez_
8. iDom
iDom, seen here pondering his next expert move.
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Derek “iDom” Ruffin is one among the several younger players on this list, with his competitive fighting game life starting in 2017 with Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. But he’s made quite an impact in Street Fighter corners, the fighting game franchise actually getting new installments. In this time, he’s become one of the strongest Street Fighter players in recent memory, thanks to his proficient play in Street Fighter V.
Really, the man was a dominating force later in SFV’s life, making a name for himself after winning the Capcom Pro Tour 2019. He was the ultimate winner of several of the game’s final tournaments just prior to Street Fighter 6’s release, coming in first place in East Coast Throwdown 2022, Capcom Pro Tour: US East #4, and the Capcom Pro Tour 2022 World Warrior: US East Regional Final. He was proficient with both Laura and Poison, but excelled with several characters in SFV. It’s difficult not to mention his heartbreaking loss at Evo 2022, the biggest SFV sendoff tournament, but he came oh so close in second place.
IDom has yet to make the same impact in Street Fighter 6, yet deserves credit here. No one is better than he is with Manon, and he rivals Snake Eyez in being dedicated towards mastering a lower-tier character. Despite her position on the tier list, he’s excelled with the character in tournaments, and is only improving. If he wishes hard enough, perhaps she’ll get buffed after the Capcom Pro Tour ends.
Best Characters:
-Manon. That’s it for now
Major Tournament Achievement:
1st Place in Capcom Pro Tour 2019 in Street Fighter V: $250,000
4th Place CPT 2023 World Warrior: US East Regional Final in Street Fighter 6: $1,000
iDom’s Twitter account: https://twitter.com/idomnyc
7. Nephew
Nephew addresses his audience while streaming.
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Nephew is another one of the newer players to come onto the Fighting Game Community scene, also making his start in 2017, like iDom above. He’s made a name for himself largely in Street Fighter, first establishing himself as a force in Street Fighter V with Kolin. It was easier to take notice of him as he started winning tournaments, something that happened oh-so-coincidentally around the time Kolin was buffed.
Nephew made sure to establish himself as a force early in Street Fighter 6’s life. He immediately gravitated towards Juri, one of the game’s best rush-down characters, as one of the key players who proved just how big of a force she is. SF6 is still fresh, but he’s already shown how he excels with several characters in the game.
There are rush-down players, and then there’s Nephew. Watching his Juri in action makes it clear that he loves to stay in the faces of other players, psyching them out in the process as they frustratingly try to counterattack his Juri. Kolin is unlikely to arrive in SF6 anytime soon, if she ever does, but he’s adapted to Juri just fine and will perhaps stick with her throughout the game’s life.
Best Characters:
-Juri, his biggest focus
-Cammy, who he’s also used
-Chun-Li, who he’s also used
-JP, who he uses infrequently
Major Tournament Achievement:
1st Place in Capcom Pro Tour 2023 World Warrior: US West Regional Final -- $3,500
Nephew’s Twitter account: https://twitter.com/nephewdork
6. Fuudo
Fuudo's clasping that trusty arcade stick while celebrating among the tournament audience.
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Keita "Fuudo" Ai is one of the more well-known Fighting Game Community names around, a Japanese player who first debuted on the scene in 2011. He got his start in Sega’s Virtua Fighter 5 series, but fully established his name as a defensive and destructive force worldwide during the Super Street Fighter IV days. He left his mark when he effortlessly won Evo 2011 with a vicious Fei-Long, racking up few losses in the process.
Fuudo was effective during the Street Fighter V days, but never made quite the same impact despite a solid handful of first-place finishes. His time in Street Fighter 6 thus far doesn’t qualify as him being “back” per se, but he is wreaking havoc again. He’s also doing it with another Street Fighter character who debuted in Super Street Fighter II: Dee Jay.
There isn’t a better Dee Jay player around right now other than Fuudo, the SF6 version of which fits his playstyle as being defensive when he needs to be, but making sure to capitalize on damage opportunities afforded to him. This goes double when the character has the opponent in the corner, which leaves them vulnerable to a Drive Impact or EX attacks. Dee Jay can pair all those techniques together for big combos and damage, with Fuudo himself turning some matches into combo videos.
Best Characters:
Dee Jay, his main
Dhalsim, who he first played before drifting to Dee Jay
Major Tournament Achievement:
1st Place winner of the Capcom Pro Tour 2023 World Warrior: Japan Regional Final -- $3,500 (in a clean sweep during the finals, at that)
Fuudo’s Twitter account: https://twitter.com/TheFuudo
5. Tokido
Tokido does the Akuma winning/Shun Goku Satsu pose in front of an audience that adores him and his play style.
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Hajime "Tokido" Taniguchi is easily the most well-known face featured among this list. The player from Japan has been around the fighting game scene since the 1990s, in the days of the Street Fighter II titles and the older iterations of SNK’s The King of Fighters series. He won his first championship at Evo 2002, the very first worldwide fighting game tournament event under the Evolution Championship Tournament label, at the tender age of 17 in Capcom vs. SNK 2.
He has, since this time, made a strong impact in multiple fighting games -- especially the Street Fighter titles. It would take far too long to detail all his victories in the Street Fighter IV titles, during which Tokido made a fierce impact in his return to the scene alongside the franchise itself. Even though he’s getting older, he’s still winning tournaments, recently coming in first place during the Street Fighter V sendoff tournament at Topanga World Championship 2023 in May 2023.
Tokido is still in his “settling in” stage in Street Fighter 6, which still includes winning tournaments when it’s someone of his impressive skill level. He only came in fourth place for SF6 during Evo 2023, but it’s quite an achievement that he was by far the oldest player to do so. Tokido truly shines with Akuma (and Sagat to a lesser extent), and seems to be biding his time until the character arrives in SF6 in spring 2024.
Best Characters:
Ken (expect him to pick up Akuma when he arrives)
Major Tournament Achievement:
1st Place winner in the Capcom Pro Tour 2023: World Warrior: Japan #3 -- Winnings not disclosed
1st Place winner in the Frontier Cup online tournament -- Winnings not disclosed
Tokido’s Twitter account: https://twitter.com/tokidoki77
4. NuckleDu
NuckleDu making his way onto the stage during the Capcom Cup.
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Du "NuckleDu" Dang has hovered around the Fighting Game Community tournament scene since 2012, coming onto the scene during the Street Fighter IV days. But he made his first serious impact after winning the Capcom Cup in 2016 with a powerful R. Mika in Street Fighter V, playing the character when she was at her best during the game’s first season. He also played a highly aggressive Guile, despite the character being played defensively more often.
NuckleDu’s career was derailed a bit after surviving a serious car accident in 2020. He made the decision to stop competing indefinitely afterward, but was convinced to continue competing by Capocm’s representatives. He took their advice and continued to enter tournaments after recovering, though not many SFV tournaments were being held around this time thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.
NuckleDu fully returned to the scene with Street Fighter 6, and is one of the best Guile players around. He’s racked up several 1st-place finishes in the game thus far, though has yet to win a tier 1 tournament. Considering how proficiently he’s playing, it’s only a matter of time before he emerges victorious in the big leagues again.
Best Characters:
Guile, his main
Cammy, a secondary he’s occasionally used
Major Tournament Achievement:
1st Place winner of Capcom Cup 2016: $230,000
1st Place winner at CEOtaku 2023: $2,530
NuckleDu’s Twitter account: https://twitter.com/NuckleDuDang
3. Punk
Punk celebrating a victory in the only way he knows how to.
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Victor "Punk" Woodley is one of the most well known and most successful players in the Street Fighter tournament scene, thanks to the sheer amount of wins he’s racked up in a short time. He’s won eight total Capcom Pro Tour premier events thus far, won the 2017 ELEAGUE Street Fighter V Invitational, and was the runner-up at Street Fighter V’s Evo 2017 tournament, losing to the aforementioned Tokido. He was known for his incredible Karin, who favored both aggressive and defensive maneuvers when situations called for them.
It's also incredible that he racked up these achievements while balancing his time with several other fighting games. Punk has also competed in tournaments for Dragon Ball FighterZ, Mortal Kombat 11 and the recent Mortal Kombat 1, Under Night In-Birth, Guilty Gear Strive, DNF Duel, and more. Over the years, however, Street Fighter has been his most successful game.
This shows through how proficient his play has been in the Street Fighter 6 tournament scene thus far. Punk didn’t win Evo 2023 (we’ll get to who did), but he was the highest-ranking American in the tournament thanks to his incredible Cammy play. He has, thus far, come in first place in several lower-ranking tournaments, so it’s only a matter of time before Punk is incredibly victorious at a top-tier. Well, unless other players seriously adapt to his Cammy.
Best Characters:
Cammy, who he plays the most
E. Honda, who he’s used as a secondary
Luke, who he started with
Major Tournament Achievement:
1st Place winner of Combo Breaker 2019: $10,055
1st Place winner of Capcom Pro Tour 2023 World Warrior: US East #3: Amount not disclosed
Punk’s Twitter account: https://twitter.com/PunkDaGod
2. AngryBird
AngryBird celebrates his hard-earned win at Evo 2023.
See AngryBird in action:
Amjad "AngryBird" Al-Shalabi has actually been on the fighting game scene since the Street Fighter IV days in 2012. He competed at local arcades in the United Arab Emirates, where he was recognized for his proficient play. This is what influenced him to try his skills in the Fighting Game Community on the grand stage by competing in tournaments, which has thus far made it clear that the expert play style he honed in the arcades was more than enough to carry over to the big arena.
He first made a name for himself as one of the few expert Zeku players in Street Fighter V. But he was eventually more dominant with Rashid, who he advanced far with at Capcom Cup IX. For all his strong efforts, he never came in first place in a top-tier tournament for the game, though he cleaned up in several Middle Eastern tournaments.
He has thus far made a strong showing in Street Fighter 6. AngryBird’s dedication helped him emerge as the winner in the first significant tournament for the game at Evo 2023, where he cleaned up with an extremely proficient Ken. He’s already made a large mark, though time will tell if he’s hit with the dreaded Evo Curse (that involves never winning a major tournament again) from here on.
Best Characters:
Ken, his main character
Cammy, his back-up
Major Tournament Achievement:
Evo 2023 Champion: $20,000
2nd Place at Gamers8 2023: $200,000
AngryBird’s Twitter account: https://twitter.com/fgc_angrybird
1. MenaRD
MenaRD cheers with the audience in his usual animated form.
See MenaRD in Action:
Saul Leonardo "MenaRD" Mena II has been a force to be reckoned with in Street Fighter and few other fighting game titles since coming onto the scene in 2017. He got his start with Street Fighter V, winning the Capcom Cup in 2017 and 2022 while placing very high in other tournaments he competed in. He largely did so while using a brutal and dominating Birdie, though it speaks to how skilled he is at fighting games that he excelled with several other characters, including R. Mika and Luke.
He's brought this dominating attitude to Street Fighter 6. MenaRD came in second place in the biggest tournament of them all at Evo 2023, losing to the aforementioned AngryBird. But he’s dominated in so many tournaments since then that it feels like he’s on a retribution streak. He’s won Capcom Pro Tour World Warrior East tournaments in the time since, two of which involved defeating the aforementioned Punk in the finals, and one involving beating the also-aforementioned NuckleDu. He’s clearly not stopping now.
It speaks to how proficient MenaRD is at SF6 that he can win multiple tournaments and multiple matches with multiple characters. He’s done this while shuffling through Blanka, Luke, and using a little JP, sometimes switching between them during matches in the same tournament bouts. He’s played other fighting games like Mortal Kombat 11, Injustice 2, and Guilty Gear Strive, but it’s clear that Street Fighter 6, and the entire Street Fighter brand, is where he’ll remain home.
Best Characters:
Blanka, who he’s great with
Luke, who he’s also great with
JP, who he keeps as a back-up
Major Tournament Achievement:
2nd Place at Capcom Pro Tour 2023: France Offline -- $7,000
1st Place at Capcom Pro Tour 2023 World Warrior: US East Regional Final -- $3,500
MenaRD’s Twitter account: https://twitter.com/_menard__
These are only the top 10 players, but there are plenty of others who remain competitive. Daigo Umehara, for example, may not be as dominant as he used to be as he’s aged , but he remains a formidable force on his own. The game goes for Alex Valle, the Fighting Game Community’s favorite granddad who’s been competing since the 1990s. This list is also bound to fluctuate as tournament competitors who aren’t being as closely followed as those above rack up surprising wins in some future tournaments. This list, like the others, is bound to fluctuate as Street Fighter 6 changes and evolves over the years.
