Best Character Glowups in Street Fighter 6

Jul 16, 2023

Street Fighter 6 features lots of familiar characters, like Ryu and Chun-Li, but they're rendered in an all-new style.

Every time a popular fighting game franchise gets a new entry, fans expect certain favorite characters to return. And to show that time has passed since the previous game, it's expected that those characters will have a new appearance. As the latest entry in the popular Street Fighter franchise, Street Fighter 6 is no exception to this rule.

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12 classic characters return for the sixth entry of Capcom's fighting game titan, and each has received a visual overhaul. For better or worse, no character looks 100% the same as they did in their original appearance. Of these 12 characters in Street Fighter 6's default roster, a handful have better glow-ups than others.

While many returning characters look to be better off, Ryu's buddy Ken Masters looks like he's been through the wringer. Sporting more disheveled hair, Ken looks like he hasn't had a decent night's sleep in months. His classic red gi is now gone, replaced with red sweatpants, a gray top, and a brown jacket.

Despite his pants being in his signature red, Ken's new look doesn't have a lot that really screams "Ken." While it's justified in-game with him being on the run, the look is a little too generic compared to other glow-ups. He could still look disheveled and haggard without sacrificing so much of his visual identity.

Guile belongs to the club of video game characters who look better in 2D than 3D. While his flat-top looked passable in pixel art, it looks absolutely ridiculous in 3D. Unfortunately for Guile, the rest of his new appearance does him no additional favors.

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The stubble combined with his haircut makes Guile look hilariously unkempt. And while his blue jumpsuit is meant to invoke a uniform, the white sleeves and collar make it look like overalls from a distance. It's one of Street Fighter 6's weakest looks, but at least it maintains enough of Guile's visual identity.

Dhalsim marks the point where the Street Fighter 6 redesigns start to markedly improve. A common theme of these glow-ups seems to be the passage of time, and that's more apparent with Dhalsim than anyone. The usually bald fighter now sports a snow-white beard, making him look remarkably older.

He's traded out his shorts for a short robe around his waist, and his skull necklace for one with a series of rings. It combines for a more peaceful and serene look that suits Dhalsim perfectly. While the design doesn't take many big swings, it still looks great.

Blanka's is probably the most fun of all the redesigns in Street Fighter 6. While he usually just wears tattered pants, Blanka has opted for a half-done pair of overalls and a yellow scarf around his neck. It's a departure from his iconic look, but it suits Blanka rather well.

The best part of Blanka's redesign is his new, expressive face. Blanka's previous looks always made him look angry, but his new face allows for a range of fun expressions. Overall, the glow-up is a fun look that's sure to please Blanka players.

While Chun-Li's new outfit doesn't change much, her redesign has subtle changes that gel to make an excellent appearance. The best part of Chun-Li's redesign is her demeanor, her acting calmer even compared to her previous incarnations. With Chun-Li believed to be in her fifties here, she seems wiser.

The lighter color of her outfit, combined with its water motif, makes this subtle shift in personality even more apparent. Her iconic bracelets are back but are less bulky and spiky to fit this overall theme. All the important aspects of Chun-Li's iconic look are present, but they’ve been slightly altered for a more serene look.

Despite being one of Street Fighter's newer characters, Juri Han has become one of its most iconic villains. Befitting this, Street Fighter 6 has given her an appropriately evil redesign. Her colors seem to be reversed from her Street Fighter IV appearance, with her wearing a white top and black pants.

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The best part of her redesign is her new haircut, which really drives her evilness home. She now sports asymmetrical bangs that cover her left eye at certain angles. It's also been styled to resemble devil horns, highlighting her aggressive nature and fitting in nicely with her spider motif.

Fans widely regard Ryu as the main character of Street Fighter, so it's appropriate that he received one of Street Fighter 6's better glow-ups. While he still wears the bottom half of his iconic white gi, he now wears a faded red sash across his chest. The most notable change in his appearance is his beard, now his default look.

With the beard and faded colors, Ryu appears to have a similar look of dishevelment to Ken, with one key difference. While Ken looks appropriately stressed, Ryu looks serene and at peace with himself. That, combined with his new look still bearing recognizability, make this an awesome glow-up.

Dee Jay is one of Street Fighter 6's most surprising returning characters, considering he's far from the franchise's most iconic name. However, he's received one of the game's best glow-ups. While normally shirtless with track pants and a ponytail, Dee Jay now rocks a considerably more fun look.

His pants are now patterned after the Jamaican flag, and he now sports a full head of shoulder-length hair. His sunglasses, gold chains, and open jacket combine for a more fun and refreshing look. Compared to his more restrained classic look, Dee Jay's Street Fighter 6 glow-up is packed with personality.

Considering he debuted as Street Fighter V's final DLC character, many fans were surprised that Capcom had positioned Luke as the mascot for Street Fighter 6. To fit this new status, he was given possibly the biggest visual overhaul of all. Instead of his former generic shirtless look, he has been given an outfit suited to his new main character status.

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Aside from his more realistic haircut, Luke now rocks longer pants, a white shirt, and a blue, sleeveless hoodie. Many of his tattoos are either covered up or removed, though the pattern of his shirt imitates his former chest tattoo. Luke's redesign keeps the core of what worked, but revitalizes it to marvelous effect.

Street Fighter 6's best glow-up comes in the form of series mainstay Cammy White. Upon the reveal of her new look, the internet was flooded with fanart. Though it was mostly of the pose she struck in her trailer, her new outfit had attracted plenty of fans.

Cammy rocks a much shorter, more practical haircut, though her iconic bangs and scars remain intact. She has traded in her green leotard for a crop top with a light blue jacket sporting the flag of her home Britain on the back of it. It's a much more fun look that still contains enough of Cammy's iconic look to be recognizable.

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Garrett has wanted to write for a living ever since he was a kid. A shameless geek from a young age, being a senior gaming lists writer at CBR is a dream come true. If he's not playing action games, RPGs, or Nintendo games, it's a safe bet he's thinking about them. His other obsessions include superheroes, sci-fi, and fantasy.