For over five years now, Capcom has been iterating and expanding Street Fighter 5 into the fully-featured and competent fighting game that it's become today. When the game initially released, Street Fighter 5 was criticized by fighting game fans just as much as media critics for its lack of content, inconsistent online experience, among other concerns. In 2021, during the last content year for the fifth mainline entry, the game is in a far better condition than it ever was. With a filled out roster of 40 characters, along with a slew of new game modes and mechanics improving the game, Street Fighter 5's last year is looking really strong, especially with the new DLC.
The final five DLC characters on the way to the game are ending the life cycle of Street Fighter 5 on a relatively high note, depending on what the final mystery character will be. Fan-favorite characters like Rose and Dan are making their way into the fifth game, alongside the classic Street Fighter 3 character Oro, as well as the brand new character Akira from Rival Schools. However, considering Rose is only the second DLC character in Season 5 (releasing in April), Street Fighter 5's fifth DLC character may not be revealed until much later this year. That being said, depending on who it is, Street Fighter 5's last character could end the game's life with a bang or a whimper.
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Similar to Season 3's DLC characters, this last season of characters has almost entirely been revealed beforehand, save for the last character. Season 3's additions of Sakura, Blanka, Falke, Cody, G, and Sagat were all announced prior, alongside the launch of Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition. Last season was a little different, with the final DLC character in Season 4 marking the relatively surprising release of Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition. However, with Season 5, Capcom has unveiled nearly all of the characters coming to Street Fighter 5 save for the last one. Obviously, with little to no context or clues as to who the last character could be, fans are guessing.
The general sentiment on Reddit for Street Fighter 5 fans guessing on who the last character could be is pretty straight forward, understandably so. Many believe that because the fourth character is already a crossover, with Akira coming from Rival Schools, that the fifth character will likely be a completely original character. Some have even posed the idea that the new character could serve as a bridge to the next Street Fighter game. Alternatively, many believe that since Rival Schools is technically in the Street Fighter extended universe, that the last character will be a crossover character with another fighting franchise, which isn't out of the realm of possibility.
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As for the most likely outcome for the last character, there's likely two specific scenarios: It's a completely new character to the Street Fighter universe, or it's another classic character from the series that's yet to be represented in Street Fighter 5. Considering the second-to-last character being added to Street Fighter 5 is a crossover character, it's possible the last fighter in the game will be a series veteran. The last two seasons have added a Street Fighter veteran fighter as the final seasonal DLC in the game, that being Sagat, Gill, and technically Seth. As for what iconic character could be added to Street Fighter 5, it could be any number of iconic characters.
There is the chance that Street Fighter 5's last roster addition could be a new original character, which wouldn't be completely out of the realm of possibility. Street Fighter 5 has introduced several interesting brand new characters to the series like Zeku and Menat, so a final new character to send off the game would be welcome. Of course, that's a big risk to take as the final roster addition to the game, especially if Street Fighter 5 is going to be around for a long time before the next installment. Especially if the character is particularly broken or disappointing, Street Fighter 5's lasting impression on players may not bode well if it's a character that's largely loathed by fans.
In terms of what's most likely for Street Fighter 5, the best way to send the game out on a high note would be to bring back an already loved character from the series' past. Street Fighter 5 has already included several Street Fighter 3 characters like Ibuki and Gill, so many figure another Third Strike/A New Generation character like Dudley or Makoto could be the last character. Others have posited that a more notable/legendary character in Street Fighter like Fei Long or Gouken could be added as well. The point is that adding a completely original character as Street Fighter 5's last character is a far more risky endeavor compared to a notable series veteran.
Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition is available now on PC and PS4.