The Season of Five: My Street Fighter V Season 5 picks

Five is the name of the game for Street Fighter V Season 5. Well, actually it’s Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, however, Capcom recently revealed not just the existence of Season 5 but also that it will be bringing five more characters to complete the game’s roster. Thus, it's the season of five!

Street Fighter V, despite its less than stellar launch, bad netcode, and often criticized monetization practices; churned out a lot of great matches and tournaments that will live on in the FGC forever. Now that we’ve gotten official confirmation that the game is nearing its conclusion, it’s hard not to feel nostalgic.

As much as I’d like to fill the list with my favorite characters from the franchise, some of them wouldn't fit into the Street Fighter V timeline. Lucky for me, most of my favorites have already made it into the game, so I really can’t complain. Instead, I’ll make my picks for Street Fighter V Season 5 based on the game’s story, character associations, and cameos. 

Juli & Juni

Ideally, this should be Decapre since she had a bigger part in the Street Fighter V story, A Shadow Falls and Cammy’s character story. However, I decided to go with the duo in the hopes of a unique playstyle in the game. I can’t say how for certain, but it would definitely be cool to get two dolls in place of one, especially since A Shadow Falls had us use a couple of them that felt a little too generic.

Storywise, Juli and Juni aren’t together in Street Fighter V, but the end of A Shadow Falls allows room for a lot to happen afterwards. The reason a 2-in-1 character has to be them is because of their dramatic battle from Street Fighter Alpha 3 in which you face them together at the same time. Capcom could also model them after R. Mika and her former tag-team partner, Yamato Nadeshiko. I’m not picky.

Elena

Similar to my previous choice, the Kenyan fighter is on the list due to her playstyle. In Street Fighter IV Elena could heal herself and also had odd hurtboxes due to her low stance and long limbs. She was a nightmare to deal with and constitutes a different playstyle from what's currently in Street Fighter V.

Admittedly, she doesn’t add much to the story but Elena has had quite a few rivals across the titles she’s been in, like Makoto, Sakura, Ibuki, and even Ryu. If nothing else, Elena will be a fun addition to the roster that should be just as frustrating to deal with as she was in the previous Street Fighter title.

Q

The mysterious character Q joins my list of hopefuls due to all the unknowns surrounding him. It’s unclear whether Q is male, female, non-binary, or some sort of automaton. He is known to appear around disaster and crime sites, meaning it shouldn’t be too hard to add him to the game’s story, but then it begs the question, "what was he doing during A Shadow Falls?"

Another huge reason why Q is on my list is because he bears a lot of similarities with G, President of the World. For example, G’s V-Skill resembles Q’s taunt, while his alternate story costume resembles the Street Fighter III character’s outfit, with the only real difference being their masks and color. The latter was however rectified with the inclusion of G’s 15th color, which is the same as Q’s default look. Including Q in Street Fighter V would not only prove that they’re two different people, but should also finally shed some light on the mysterious character.

Sodom

This Final Fight boss basically forced his way onto my list, thanks to his presence on the 2019 Capcom Pro Tour stage that's supposedly a ring in Metro City. The Japanophile is impossible to miss considering he's the only NPC standing in the ring and his model boasts more detail than all the rest. 

Frankly, speculation after the stage was first revealed had Sodom pegged for a 2019 release, so his addition is by no means a stretch. Granted, last year was Final Fight's 30th anniversary, hence the stage and the Mad Gear reunion going on in the background, but Capcom paid a lot more attention to Sodom than anyone else featured in the stage. That includes the series' recurring protagonist, Haggar. 

So maybe, just maybe, Sodom will be regaling us with his fanboy antics as he most likely tries to revive the Mad Gear Gang once more. 

Rose

The Italian Fortune Teller Rose has haunted Street Fighter V right from the beginning. First appearing in Charlie Nash's character story, she's also shown up as a silhouette to her apprentice Menat, and had a cameo in G's story. One of the few characters in the franchise to survive several run-ins with M.Bison, she's also tried to guide Ryu's path to becoming the world's savior and is well aware of the Dark Hado that threatens to consume him. 

Rose discovered in the past that she shares the same powers as M. Bison, which has prevented her from defeating him and has led to him escaping death a few times. Having her confirm the Street Fighter V villain's death or making her his salvation once more could be an interesting development, albeit a familiar one. Yet, it would serve to keep the psycho power fueled villain in the franchise a while longer. 

Street Fighter V Season Five will bring the last batch of characters to the four-year-old game, which is why they need to be special and have symbolic value. Supposedly had Capcom not received the support of fans and Street Fighter V: Champion Edition sold poorly, then we wouldn't be getting this additional season of content. However, reverse is the case and Capcom gets to reveal the final batch of characters which will take the game's roster up to 45. 

It's unknown when Capcom will decide to share more information regarding the new season's characters, but all fingers point at an EVO Online announcement and something scheduled alongside Capcom Pro Tour 2020. Therefore, it shouldn't be too long before we discover just how many characters I guessed right, if any at all.