Street Fighter 2026: Meet The Characters in The Movie

Eighteen roles, and almost every one of them can throw a punch. Director Kitao Sakurai has pulled together actors, wrestlers, a UFC champion, a comedian or two, and a country musician in a mask.

Here, we’ve listed ALL the Street Fighter characters who appear in the Street Fighter movie.

And if you want to check out other video game movies coming to the big screen, TGV’s coming soon list has all the latest!

A Deeper Look at The Street Fighter Characters

Fortunately for Sakurai, the Street Fighter characters are very multidimensional, so he has a lot to work with. With that, we have also taken this opportunity to dive deeper into these characters while also looking into the actors and actresses playing them!

1. Ken Masters Played by Noah Centineo

Ken Masters has been around since the very first Street Fighter game in 1987, usually spotted by his blonde hair, red gi, and a fireball that looks suspiciously like his best friend’s. He’s Ryu’s training partner and rival, which in martial arts terms means they love each other and also really want to win.

Noah Centineo takes the role this time, and the 2026 film sets him and Andrew Koji’s Ryu as estranged fighters pulled back in by Callina Liang’s Chun-Li for the World Warrior Tournament. For context, Damian Chapa played Ken in the 1994 version, so there’s a bit of history to live up to here.

Reactions have been mixed but curious, largely because audiences mostly know Centineo from rom-coms rather than roundhouse kicks. He’s spoken about leaning into physical training and bulking up for the part, which suggests he’s taking the “world warrior” bit fairly literally.

2. Ryu Played by Andrew Koji

Ryu is the one you probably picture first when someone says “Street Fighter” — the quiet wanderer in the white gi, trained by Gouken, endlessly chasing the next level of his own discipline. He’s also the guy who gave the world the Hadouken, which you have almost certainly shouted at a friend at some point.

Andrew Koji takes the role, and if you’ve seen Warrior, Bullet Train, or Snake Eyes, you already know he does his own fighting. He’s a British actor and trained martial artist, which means the choreography isn’t hiding behind fast cuts and hopeful editing.

Reaction from fans has leaned positive, mostly because Koji looks the part without trying too hard to look the part. He’s spoken about playing Ryu as someone genuinely restrained rather than just stoic — less brooding statue, more person keeping something in check.

3. Chun-Li Played by Callina Liang

Chun-Li first showed up in Street Fighter II back in 1991, an Interpol officer with legs that do most of the talking. In the film, she’s the one recruiting fighters — including Ryu and Ken — for the World Warrior tournament, which makes her the closest thing this story has to a driving force.

Callina Liang plays her, and if the name feels new to you, that’s fair. She appeared in Steven Soderbergh’s Presence, the thriller Bad Genius, and Apple TV+’s Foundation before landing this one.

Reaction to her casting has leaned positive, helped along by a trailer outfit that stays notably faithful to the blue qipao-style look fans have known for decades. Liang has spoken about a significant physical transformation and fight training for the part, which suggests she understood the assignment.

4. Bison Played by David Dastmalchian

M. Bison runs Shadaloo, a criminal organisation with global reach and very few HR policies. He throws Psycho Power around like it’s a personality trait, which, honestly, it sort of is.

David Dastmalchian takes on the role this time, following Raúl Juliá’s famously theatrical version from the 1994 film. That’s a lot to live up to, and fans noticed immediately — reactions have leaned curious and cautiously optimistic, mostly because Dastmalchian has a habit of making unsettling characters feel oddly grounded.

He’s spoken about the casting with genuine enthusiasm rather than trying to out-shout the legacy. The plan seems to be less impression, more interpretation, which is usually the smarter move.

5. Akuma Played by Roman Reigns

Akuma is the fighter who chose power over everything else, and Roman Reigns brings the exact physical presence that role asks for. It’s his first announced project since stepping away from WWE, which makes the casting feel less like a stunt and more like a natural next step.

Director Kitao Sakurai leans into the arcade energy rather than apologising for it, and the teaser that debuted at The Game Awards gave you your first proper look at Akuma standing there, unbothered. You don’t need to know his backstory to understand the message — he’s the ceiling every other character is trying to reach.

6. Guile Played by Cody Rhodes

Guile is the U.S. Air Force major with the flat-top haircut you could balance a drink on, and a personal grudge that drives most of his story. His Sonic Boom and Flash Kick are the kind of moves you probably attempted in your living room at some point.

Cody Rhodes, currently one of WWE’s biggest names, takes the role, and the first-look images did a lot of heavy lifting for fans who were unsure. The hair alone convinced a decent chunk of the internet, which tells you how much that detail matters.

Rhodes has spoken about the physical demands of the fight scenes and the moment the full cast comes together on screen. He’s also no stranger to cameras, having appeared in The Naked Gun remake, Arrow, and Warehouse 13 before this.

7. Dan Hibiki Played by Andrew Schulz

Dan Hibiki arrived in Street Fighter Alpha back in 1995 as the series’ running joke: a self-taught martial artist with a failing dojo and unshakeable belief in himself. He’s the guy who taunts before he wins anything, and somehow you end up rooting for him.

Stand-up comedian Andrew Schulz takes the role in the 2026 film, which is either perfect casting or a very confident dare. Reactions online have been split — some fans think a comedian is exactly right for Dan, while others worry the character will tip too far into pure comic relief.

Schulz has spoken about treating Dan as someone who genuinely believes he belongs among fighters like Ryu and Ken, rather than playing him as a punchline. That approach matters, because Dan only works when the sincerity underneath the swagger is real.

8. Balrog Played by 50 Cent

Balrog first showed up in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior in 1991, designed with Mike Tyson in mind. Putting a rapper-turned-actor with an actual boxing background in those gloves is the kind of casting decision that explains itself.

This film leans hard into the Street Fighter II roster, which is where most of your nostalgia probably lives. Kitao Sakurai directs, and Momoa also serves as a producer, so the tone sits somewhere between sincere martial arts movie and knowingly loud spectacle.

Balrog has been on screen before — Grand L. Bush played him in 1994, Michael Clarke Duncan in 2009 — so 50 Cent is the third actor to take the role. He also skipped the stunt double, which is a bold sentence to type about a boxing character.

9. Dhalsim Played by Vidyut Jammwal

Dhalsim first appeared in Street Fighter II back in 1991, and he’s still one of the most recognisable fighters in the roster — a yogi with stretching limbs, fire-breathing attacks, and a habit of hovering mid-air. He’s also one of the few characters who fights reluctantly, taking part to support his family rather than for glory.

Playing him is Indian action star Vidyut Jammwal, known at home for the Commando and Khuda Haafiz films, and this marks his Hollywood debut. Reports suggest he was selective about which project would introduce him to US audiences, which explains the wait.

The response in India has been warm, particularly after his first look dropped — bald head, war paint, very little ambiguity about who he’s playing. Jammwal trains in Kalaripayattu, a South Indian martial art, so the physical side of Dhalsim was arguably always going to land.

10. Blanka Played by Jason Momoa

Blanka is the green-skinned fighter from the Brazilian jungle, born Jimmy, who debuted in Street Fighter II back in 1991. He has orange hair, an electric charge he can fire off at will, and a fighting style that leans heavily on biting, rolling, and general chaos.

Jason Momoa takes the role, which is either the most obvious casting choice ever made or a wonderfully strange one, depending on who you ask. Fans reacted warmly when the news broke, and the first clip Paramount shared in July — Blanka versus Andrew Koji’s Ryu — did nothing to cool that down.

Momoa has leaned into the physicality rather than hiding behind effects, which suits a character who mostly communicates through growling and electricity. It’s a role that could easily tip into silly, and he seems fine with that.

11. Zangief Played by Oliver Richters

Zangief is the Russian wrestler who turned spinning people through the air into an art form, first stomping into arcades with Street Fighter II. He’s all muscle, no subtlety, and somehow still one of the most likeable fighters on the roster.

Playing him is Olivier Richters, the 7-foot-2 Dutch bodybuilder better known as “the Dutch Giant,” who you may have spotted in Reacher and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. That’s a fair bit taller than Andrew Bryniarski, the 6-foot-5 actor who took the role in the 1994 film.

Fans have been unusually calm about this one, mostly because casting the tallest man available feels like the correct answer. Richters has leaned into the physicality side of things rather than trying to reinvent the character, which is probably what you want from a man whose signature move is a pile driver.

12. Vega Played by Orville Peck

Vega is the Spanish cage fighter who joined the roster in Street Fighter II, working as one of M. Bison’s enforcers while being deeply, almost tenderly obsessed with his own face. Hence the mask, the claw, and a fighting style built on speed rather than brute force.

Playing him is Orville Peck, the South African country musician who has spent his entire career performing in a fringed mask and never showing his face. You can see why casting him felt less like a stretch and more like someone finally reading the assignment.

It’s his first film role, and fans have mostly reacted with amused approval rather than scepticism. Peck has teased the look on Instagram, focusing on the physical training and the costume details, which suggests he understood that Vega is 90% presence and 10% claw maintenance.

13. Cammy Played by Mel Jarnson

Cammy White is the blonde braids, the red beret, and the legs that do most of the talking. She started out as one of M. Bison’s brainwashed assassins before breaking free and joining MI6 — a clone with a conscience, which is a lot to fit on a character select screen.

Thai-Australian actor Mel Jarnson takes the role this time, following Kylie Minogue’s version in the 1994 film. You may already know Jarnson as Nitara from Mortal Kombat (2021), which means she’s no stranger to playing someone who solves problems with her elbows.

Reaction has been mostly curious rather than divided, partly because she’s still a relative newcomer and partly because she actually looks the part. Reports suggest she leaned into the physical side of the role, training for the fight work rather than leaving it all to stunt doubles.

14. E.Honda Played by Hiroki Goto

E. Honda has been around since Street Fighter II, a sumo wrestler who turned the Hundred Hand Slap into one of the most recognisable moves in the series. He’s built like a wall, moves faster than he should, and genuinely believes sumo deserves more respect on the world stage.

Hirooki Goto takes the role, and if the name sounds familiar, that’s because he’s a former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion with decades in New Japan Pro-Wrestling behind him. Peter Tuiasosopo played the part back in 1994, so there’s a bit of history here.

The response has leaned positive, mostly because fans like seeing an actual heavyweight athlete in a role that asks for real physical presence. Goto has kept things low-key publicly, treating it less like a career pivot and more like another physical challenge to prepare for.

15. Juli Played by Rayna Vallandingham

Juli is one of M. Bison’s Dolls, a group of young fighters brainwashed into serving Shadaloo without question. She first appeared as a playable character in Street Fighter Alpha 3, and her fighting style leans on speed and precision rather than raw power.

Rayna Vallandingham takes the role, and she brings genuine credentials — she’s a multiple-time world champion in taekwondo before she was old enough to vote. That background matters here, because Juli’s appeal has always been the clean, sharp movement rather than big dramatic speeches.

Reaction from fans has been mostly positive, largely because casting a real martial artist in a martial arts film feels like a reasonable idea. Vallandingham has spoken about wanting to honour the character’s physicality, which suggests she’s treating the choreography as the performance rather than something bolted on afterwards.

16. Joe Played by Alexander Volkanovski

Joe is one of the original eight Street Fighter characters, a former U.S. kickboxing champion who’s spent most of his life in the background of the franchise. He’s not Ryu, he’s not Chun-Li, and honestly, that’s part of the appeal here.

Alexander Volkanovski, the UFC featherweight champion, plays him — and in the teaser shown at The Game Awards 2025, he arrives with long blonde hair, which is a noticeable departure from his usual bald head. Fans reacted mostly with amusement and curiosity, partly at the wig, partly at the idea of a real fighter finally playing a fighter.

Check out the Street Fighter movie offical trailer here: