With the Switch 2’s launch, Street Fighter 6’s last season two character, Elena, has finally been revealed and released in tandem with a Switch 2 version of the game. What this also meant was that news about Season Three would not be far behind. Many anxious fans got their wish granted in short order at the Summer Game Fest reveal. While fans may have already known the lineup of Sagat, Crimson Viper, Alex, and Ingrid to be coming as a result of an industry insider, even the most knowledgeable fans are probably questioning one inclusion. Now that it’s known to be legitimate, I think Capcom is going to a very specific place, which could hint at the next direction for their fighting games, just like Terry and Mai in season two. It was not just a one-sided crossover, however, as Chun-Li and Ken are to appear in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves as DLC, as well. As of writing, I’ve been able to get my hands on Sagat through the Street Fighter 6 — Year 3 Ultimate Pass.
Of all the iconic Street Fighter characters, Sagat is one of the most infamous, being both a competitive staple and the boss of the original Street Fighter. The towering titan of Muay Thai is well known for his tiger-themed moves, and if the recent Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is any indication, telling kids to “try again” after being defeated by him. I can understand – having to deal with his deadly long limbs and oppressive screen control has kept him in players’ minds as one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Time has passed, however, and the man who was on the receiving end of the Satsui no Hado is no longer the same. Sagat is no longer a part of a terrorist organization and has had his own battles with Satsui no Hado, retreating to the mountains with his tiger companion Willa Maiu to live the rest of his days in peace. That is, until a certain Dictator seeks him out once again in the events of Street Fighter 6.
Sagat has not just changed in the story, but also advanced his mastery of Muay Thai. Trading in his Angry Charge for a more Muay Thai-centric moveset than ever, it’s hard not to get excited about this character’s return. Sagat does lose some versatility in the form of only having one version of Low Tiger Shot, but gains a “Jinrai” of his own in the form of Tiger Nexus. Tiger Nexus has three followups, an overhead, a risky high attack, and a launcher. Sadly, this move is not as powerful as Ken’s, but a true student of Muay Thai knows when to inflict the most damage. Sagat’s options don’t stop there, with his Level 2 Super Art: Savage Tiger. Savage Tiger has startup invulnerability, and four versions depending on whether you want damage, a launcher, a side switch, or okizeme. Sagat has some other tricks up his sleeve, such as Tiger Knee Crush, when spaced correctly, being plus on block. Overall, despite Sagat being officially labelled “Easy” by Capcom in terms of “Ease of Use”, those who look to don the eyepatch will have to practice and become familiar with any scenario other street fighters bring their way, as the specific routes and options you’ll have to choose are myriad.
Who’s Next?
Street Fighter 6 — Year 3 Ultimate Pass doesn’t just contain Sagat — it comes with the mandatory beautiful stage set in Thailand, Proud Spire. This does seem to mean there is only one stage up for grabs this season instead of the previous seasons’ two. You also receive some Drive Tickets, two additional outfits for the squad for the pugilists of Season Three, along with their colors. As usual, you’ll be getting the DLC characters as they release: Sagat is out as of the time of writing, C(rimson). Viper will be joining the cast in the Autumn of 2025, and you can check out her teaser trailer already. Alex will be joining the cast as of early Spring 2026, and the ominous Ingrid will round out Year 3 Ultimate Pass in late Spring 2026.
What else do we know?
While three of the fighters in this pass are bonafide Street Fighters, Ingrid is the odd Goddess out. While the fearsome Sagat is the only fighter out as of writing, I think we can look at how many of the veterans that are currently in Street Fighter 6 got a glow-up to determine what to expect from these upcoming three fighters:
C. Viper: Undercover Agent, Mom, and Girlboss
C. Viper, or her most used alias, Maya, joined the Street Fighter cast in Street Fighter IV. While we don’t know much about the secret agent, she’s serious, willing to use gadgets, and quick to dispose of any who stands in her way. This has made her the enemy of many, as is normal for CIA agents, but strangely enough, one of Juri’s few friends. While we’ve only seen her in one other fighting game since her debut (Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds), the competitive scene in particular fell in love with her advanced mechanics like “seismo-cancelling”, super jumping, “seismo loops”, feint-cancelling, and Negative Edge. Hell, if you were good enough at feinting, you could avoid damage with it as long as it didn’t have too many hits. It is hard to say how Capcom will keep the high-execution character intact, but we’ve seen many returning fighters have more options than ever before. Regardless, if you want to step into this agent’s tech-enhanced battlesuit, you’re sure to have to put practice in before overwhelming your opponents with style, feints, and whatever gadgets she has up her sleeve this time.
Alex: Patsy or Pugilist?
Alex is a kid from New York who was inspired by one of the very worst “heels”, and I don’t mean in the squared circle. Surprisingly, that’s about all you need to know. Originating in Street Fighter III: New Generation, he was supposed to be the new poster boy for Street Fighter, but that didn’t exactly work out. Though a popular character that’s been in a number of games, including most recently Street Fighter V, he’s usually not very good in them. Alex is a fairly unique character in that he isn’t completely motion or charged-based, and he is somewhere between a grappler and a brawler. With Street Fighter 6, we have seen Capcom move away from charge moves as a whole, though they are still present on characters like Guile, Blanka, and Dictator (M. Bison).
Alex also had a fairly unique mechanic in the Street Fighter III series, where his moves were more damaging when the opponent had their back turned. Additionally, he could deal more stun this way. This was not continued (as a mechanic, at least) in other games, so it will be interesting to see if Alex could have some capability to deal more damage, drive gauge damage, or “stun”(stun is used very differently in Street Fighter 6) as they explore opening and refining his moveset. While it is hard to say where Alex will land in Street Fighter 6’s meta, as with many other returning characters, I can only hope the expanded and more faithful movesets many other characters received will also be considered for Alex. I also hope his legs aren’t on backwards this time.
Ingrid: What is this, some sort of Crossover episode? Probably.
While the previous three characters, Sagat, C. Viper, and Alex, are fairly expected pulls from the universe of Street Fighter, Ingrid is an odd choice for a number of reasons. Ingrid has a bit of a reputation as what I’d like to call “Capcom’s Failed Crossover Mascot”, first set to appear in the canceled Capcom Fighting All-Stars: Code Holder before debuting in the reviled Capcom Fighting Evolution. In Capcom Fighting All-Stars: Code Holder Ingrid was going to be one of the eponymous Code Holders, with her Code being “Isis”. She then appeared in Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX, which would be considered a victory if that version weren’t trapped in “PlayStation Portable Jail” and only single player. Recently, Capcom has updated Capcom Fighting Collection 2 to include not only her, but the rest of the “PSP Jail” characters in Street Fighter 3 Alpha Upper within that Collection. This is awesome for preservation and may just give us a bit more information about what to expect next from Capcom.
Considering Ingrid’s strange journey to actually being in a game fans want to play, it is fairly hard to talk about her and how she might play, but here we are: Ingrid is a cosmic being, or possibly even a primeval being who opposes dark forces such as the Satsui no Hado. Though her appearance may be that of a young girl, in combat, she seems to quite easily toy with her opponents through both her generally relaxed attitude and absurd abilities, such as her Sun Upper and Sun Lower abilities, launching the opponent clear off the screen for them to return with Ingrid able to follow up for more punishment.
I am a bit concerned about a character who is more powerful than the “God” Gill and how that is going to be represented in Street Fighter 6. This is also more or less a first in Capcom non-versus games. Street Fighter’s power levels have consistently been based around (wait for it…) characters who are world class, but ultimately street-level martial artists. I suppose if you’re fans of characters who clearly outclass others but will “lose” when it’s fair, like Nagoriyuki in Guilty Gear: Strive, Zamasu in the Dragon Ball games, Kirby in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Elizabeth and Margaret from Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, or Rachel Alucard of the Blazblue games, you may want to consider playing as Ingrid.
There is one last very exciting point that Ingrid’s closing out this Season Pass may represent in terms of what is in the future for Street Fighter, and potentially another fighting game developer. As I’ve talked about before, Ingrid is an extremely powerful character and at one point, was “Capcom’s Failed Crossover Mascot”. We’ve seen Capcom finally take on guest characters in the form of SNK’s Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui last season, but what does Ingrid mean for the next season? Or possibly, Capcom’s next Crossover? Ingrid will be arriving in late Spring 2026, which ends May 31st. The Season 2 trailer was made public as of June 7th, 2024, which also means Capcom and SNK had inked the deal between the two to swap characters for some time now. Specifically looking at Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, half of this exchange, though the Season Pass won’t end until Mr. Big is released in Early 2026, Chun-Li will make an appearance by Winter 2025.
With Terry and Mai appearing in Street Fighter 6, and now Ken, and later Chun-Li coming to Fatal Fury, do you have any interest in working together with Capcom once again for another entry in the Capcom vs SNK series? Or is that a far off dream?
Oda: That would be something, wouldn’t it? However, there is nothing I can talk about at this moment. We are always happy to receive questions like this because it shows how enthusiastic the fans are for another Capcom vs. SNK. It’s a great source of motivation for us.”
-IGN: SNK Speaks on Ken in Fatal Fury, Chun-Li DLC Teases, and Capcom vs SNK | Evo 2025
While the obvious crossover many would think for Capcom would be Marvel vs Capcom 4, I don’t imagine that’s off the table, but with Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls being Sony and Marvel’s big fighting game bet (that we know of), I don’t think this is the next crossover we should expect from Capcom. The next most likely game would probably be Capcom Vs SNK 3, especially seeing how Capcom and SNK have repaired their relationship and are collaborating. With two years of prep time, I can easily see an announcement for one of the most heavily anticipated games in the form of CvS3 getting an announcement or trailer at EVO 2026. Though I do wonder if SNK’s Saudi Arabian connection will have soured things behind the scenes.
That, my good people, is why Ingrid being announced here may be more important than any of us think.
Street Fighter 6 — Year 3 Ultimate Pass is available for purchase for $47.99, with Sagat, the first DLC character, out now. The Pass wraps up with Ingrid’s release in late Spring 2026. The Street Fighter 6 — Year 3 Ultimate Pass is available for Switch 2, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam.
