Street Fighter V had a rough start as a game with little single-player content, poor character balance, and inconsistent online play. Over the years since its release, it's come a long way and turned into one of the most well-balanced fighting games of the generation.

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In February, Capcom released a major patch with Dan Hibiki that rebalanced the game. Some characters got major improvements that they needed to be viable, the best fighters were adjusted and normalized to even out the playing field, and some others were just given everything they needed to potentially become new top tiers.

10 Ryu

Street Fighter fans joked for a long time that Ryu hasn't been in Street Fighter V since the game's first season since Capcom didn't seem to know how to make him work. His combos were inconsistent, his comeback factor was nonexistent, and his game plan seemed all over the place. On top of that, if players wanted to use a Shoto character like Ryu, Akuma was better in every way so most people dropped Ryu for someone else.

Capcom acknowledged this in the winter update and now Ryu is a beast. His damage and stun output are unlike any other Shoto in the game, and he has some of the best defensive options as well. This great defense with staggering offense makes for a character that nobody can approach without caution, and he's become a force to be reckoned with for sure.

9 E. Honda

E. Honda has been slowly on the rise since his release but never really seemed to get the attention he deserved until Street Fighter V competitions moved online. Honda has always been great against half the cast and struggled against the other half, but now he seems to do better in most matchups.

The winter update gave Honda better defensive options with the new V-shift mechanic and made his anti-air damage stronger, deterring opponents from jumping in on him. He now embodies the turtle style and will use his high health and devastating damage to keep enemies at bay.

8 Cody

Cody was a great example of a mediocre character before the winter update. His damage was standard, the mix-ups were pretty good, and he had a lot of good tools. The issue with Cody was that all of his tools didn't seem to work well together to make a complete character.

With the winter update, Cody might be one of the best characters in the game since he can cover a lot of angles and deal solid damage off of fundamental play. It's great to see iconic characters like Cody find a place in this game since so many players love his design and personality.

7 Sagat

Another iconic character of Street Fighter who didn't make it in until season 3, Sagat had a lot of issues on release. For one, his zoning damage was lackluster, and he couldn't force much of an approach from his opponent. Street Fighter V is also very offense-based, so his defensive playstyle was at a disadvantage from the start since he has slow buttons.

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In the winter update, Sagat's special moves got better start-up speed and became more consistent in long-range conversions. These things sound small in theory but have made world of difference in practice. Sagat is scary to fight now and his game plan is unique with a focus on execution and space control unlike any other character in the game.

6 Kage

Kage is the flashiest character in Street Fighter V with crazy aerial combos, explosive damage, and unique versions of Shoto special attacks. Lots of players wanted to use him, including professionals, but felt underwhelmed by his actual performance. Kage suffers from short-ranged normals, inconsistent combos, and low health, which seemed to outweigh any positives that came from using him.

In the latest season of the game, Capcom has addressed a lot of these issues and made Kage more rewarding to play. Kage's combos now work at further ranges, and he was given new combo routes to use some of his flashier aerial attacks that didn't get much use. He's a lot stronger than he used to be and Kage fans are excited to see how much these changes make a difference in the future.

5 Alex

Alex has been in Street Fighter 5 since the game's first season but has hardly ever felt like it. His game plan was based around getting hard reads on his opponent to do damage, but he couldn't keep up his offense consistently since his moves would push him away from the enemy even on hit.

In the winter update, Capcom finally gave Alex options to keep up his pressure and more range on his command throws. There were other quality of life changes but overall, his major flaws seem to be remedied, and he's become a solid character. He went from probably the weakest character in the game to one of the scariest to fight against.

4 Blanka

Many fans have considered Blanka to be underrated since he has the best anti-fireball moves in the game and the highest mobility. Blanka has also been receiving buffs pretty steadily since his introduction to the game and has become extremely strong this season.

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Blanka already had one of the most reliable anti-air buttons but now he has another that cancels into his hop, which leads to strong mix-ups after stopping a jump in. With all the defensive changes to the game, and so many characters losing their anti-air buttons, this change is extremely unique and has transformed Blanka's game plan a lot.

3 Balrog

Balrog has been on both ends of the balance spectrum in Street Fighter V. He was a menace in season 2 that could rob any player of a round off of two hits, and it was really frustrating to deal with. After that, Balrog was toned down to make up for his explosiveness and saw less play in the competitive scene.

In season 5, Balrog has shown again that he's not someone to take lightly. His V-triggers and V-skills now complement each other well, leading to two distinct play styles to counter certain matchups. His signature rush punches also became safer to use on block, which made his oppressive pressure even better.

2 Sakura

Sakura was another character introduced in season 3 who fans didn't think much of on release. She had great walk speed and cool combos, but couldn't stand up to Akuma as a Shoto, so she was overlooked. After a while, pro players started showing results with Sakura, and she shot up on everyone's tier lists.

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Sakura now has one of the most unique anti-air buttons in the game that juggles into an uppercut for solid damage and continued pressure. She also received buffs to her ability to get in and activate her comeback factor against defending opponents, which is a valuable resource in Street Fighter 5. Since Akuma got nerfed, it's possible that Sakura is now the second-best Shoto character, right behind Ryu.

1 Ed

Ed's character design is completely new to Street Fighter V, as his commands and moveset work differently than any other character in the game. He was designed for beginner players so they could adjust to the game but his balance was all over the place. As a character, he didn't seem to work and had such weak moves that there was no point in using him.

As of season 5, multiple pro players have started to use Ed and have shown results. His pressure is now as strong as most of the roster's and it's hard to stop Ed from getting his game plan going. Now more than ever, Ed is definitely someone to look out for.

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