Okay so, having burned through a lot of SF6, I've got opinions on a bulk of the cast both as fighters and as characters and HERE WE GOOOOOO
Luke: I'm biased because he reminds me of Ellen way too much. LOVE his kit, and the gymbro himbo thing is great. He's Popeye the Sailor Man from TikTok and one of his VS screen animations is literally him pogging. 10/10. (I'm not rating anybody else.)
Jamie: Lots of fun, love that his drink is NOT ALCOHOL IT'S NOT ALCOHOL YOU GUYS IT'S JUST AN HERBAL DRINK THAT IMPAIRS YOUR SENSES AND THAT'S BETTER SOMEHOW. Enormous style, hot little thottie, "what if Batman was a slut from Hong Kong"
Manon: Oh man I love her whole deal. Like, the entirety of her deal. I'm not good at grapplers personally but the way she does it plays nicely with my brain. Love the fashion. I'm gonna call her Pearl Stevenuniverse forever.
Kimberly: Holy shit she's fantastic. "Perky Ninja" is a trope that's been done a thousand times but I'm pretty sure this girl's my immediate favorite version of it. Her moveset is just so FUN, even if I'm kind of ass with it. Love her obsession with cassettes.
Marisa: BIG WOMAN. I love how she grabs you by the head and says "I am polyamorous and pansexual." Very partial to strong, dangerous redheads who love nudity and jewelry crafting, and I'm a sucker for like, Ancient Greek Fighting Styles, too.
Lily: I love how well thought-out she is--tiny character with extended reach due to war clubs, her proud tribal rep, her sweet sweet heart, and fellow "kid who fucking loves celery" solidarity. Also her moveset is fucking dangerous. The Only Winning Move Is Not To Play-ass opponent.
JP: [redacted]
Juri: Okay I know this is gonna be unpopular but: I wish she had a better writer. Top-tier concept with mid execution. "You're killing me... I'm the one who's supposed to be doing the killing!" is so un-smooth and I'm still reeling from it a week later. That said her style so far has been sudden huge, flashy intimidating moves that leave me reeling as I try to figure out what hell my poor Ellen is suffering through until she's done. I fear and respect her on fear alone.
Dee Jay: He's got a very fun kit of jukes, punishes, and combos, and getting the rhythm down for his supers is real fun! I think it would be cool if they gave him a second personality trait maybe.
Cammy: I love how much she loves cats. Her fighting style is way too fast for my brain to keep up with when I'm playing her, but that just makes her a nightmare to face. I love the work they put into showing her relationships with her siblings/found family/engineered family.
Ryu: Ryu is Ryu but man, his text conversations especially are a delight.
Edomondo Honda: Imagine not loving this guy. Couldn't be me. LOVE how they rendered his body in this one, absolute display of power in this musclefat. I have never tried chanko but now I really really want to.
Blanka: Wild Mutant Man Mama's Boy is such a fun direction for this character??? I've seen so many folks who were certain their extremely shallow marketing gimmick would Go Viral and seeing Blanka be this guy rules. I feel like there's a lot going on in his fighting style that I am not getting much use out of but the potential is extremely present!
Guile: Dude's USA Propaganda is so strong that it wraps right back around to hilarious. He's the classic Corner-Crouching Turtle Bastard for a reason. Surprisingly fun to play if only because his kit is geared toward observing and then knocking the shit out of people, which traditionally is counter to how I play (which is "entirely vibes-based and with zero regard to what my opponent is doing").
Ken: I like what they've been doing to differentiate him from Ryu! Kind of treading the line between "Fox and Falco Smashbrothers" and "Fox and Wolf Smashbrothers," in that they have very similar tools that they utilize differently. Personally I like Ryu's kit better. Character-wise I also dig the "yeah uh so i'm ruined socially and just kind of trying to lay low" thing.
Chun-Li: I love that she's not a cop anymore. Honestly her characterization as a Big Sister type rules and I love her just running kung fu classes. I want to get good with her kit but I'm havin' a little trouble.
Zangief: Modern-Mode Zangief is frankly cruel. I also love the depth of, like, him trying to teach his second-rate jobber buddies that Reading Is Cool!! and them just not getting it, and that from what I can tell him reading 300 books a year does not mean him reading 300 good books a year.
Dhalsim: Oh lord I love his characterization. The baseball bit was incredible, and feeding him Extra Mild curry is one of life's greatest joys. His kit is so much about dictating the flow of combat while moving at an absurdly slow pace that it feels like trolling. Would probably loathe a Dhalsim main if I knew one but we'll put a toe on both ends of the bridge when we get to it.
