Line #408 WMG/StreetFighterV


1	[[WMG: Obligatory roster guesses]]
2	* '''Chun-Li''', '''Ken''', and '''Akuma'''
3	** Chun-Li's not exactly a guess considering she was right there from day one. Ken would be a strong possibility, though.
4	** Confirmed for Ken! His gameplay trailer was released yesterday (July 9), and now he's among the official roster.
5	** Akuma now confirmed as well.
6	* '''Dan''' and '''Sean''': Considering the latter's opinion of the former, it'd be interesting to see what would happen if the two meet. Also, in the case of Dan, assuming that this game takes place after both ''IV'' and ''III'', he could've differentiated himself further from being a Shotoclone.
7	** Dan's confirmed for Season 5 DLC.
8	* '''Poison''' and '''Hugo'''
9	** Poison's confirmed for Season 4 DLC.
10	* '''R. Mika''': Because Ono and Capcom can only troll fans for so long...
11	** Confirmed.
12	* '''Q''': Maybe we'll finally find out what the hell he is.
13	* '''Haggar''': We've already got plenty of ''Final Fight'' characters as part of the roster in previous games, and his appearance in ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3'' proved that he's not just a Zangief-clone. Plus, like the Dan-and-Sean guess above, if Hugo makes it in as well, it would make for an interesting rivalry.
14	* '''Blanka''': He's Ono's favorite character, bananas have been teased, this is practically a given.
15	** Confirmed for Season 3.
16	* '''Oro''': Again, this game takes place after ''IV'' and ''III'', and elements of ''III'' will be incorporated. Also, Oro is one of only three ''Street Fighter'' characters that were NOT part of ''IV'' with significant figurines or statue figures created in the years since ''SFV'' would've likely existed at least as an in-house concept. The others are Charlie, whose confirmed return is one of ''SFV''[='=]s major talking points, and...
17	** Obviously, his V-Trigger will involve Oro simply unbinding his other arm and going to town with enhanced versions of his specials and Critical Art(s), much like how he had the MAX versions of his Super Arts in ''III''.
18	** Oro's confirmed for Season 5 DLC.
19	* '''Alex''': Who also happens to be the main character of ''III'', the face of a dark "I will be back" billboard at the Half-Pipe in ''Ultra IV'' (albeit as a remnant from the stage's origins in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'', where the same billboard shows up), and whose pants in his recently-released statue figure have a somewhat different style in the back end than they have in his game appearances thus far.
20	** Alex has been spotted as a backgrounder in the City of Chaos stage, but it remains to be seen if he'll be the last returning veteran of the initial roster or, failing that, make the cut as a DLC character.
21	** Data mining ''SFV''[='s=] beta has revealed Alex as one of the DLC characters.
22	* '''Gill''' and/or '''Urien''': Going by the WMG a few blocks below positing that the Illuminati likely "[[CameBackWrong rebuilt]]" Charlie, then let him loose to take out the Dictator (either willingly or because they couldn't hold him, possibly a combination of the two), it's entirely possible at least one of these two brothers will appear in at least a Nash-related cutscene.
23	** Data mining ''SFV''[='s=] beta has revealed Urien as one of the DLC characters. Gill has since been annouced as another Season 4 DLC character.
24	* '''Vega/Balrog (Claw)''': He's an EnsembleDarkhorse and a Shadaloo member.
25	** Vega's been confirmed.
26	* '''Balrog/M. Bison (Boxer)''': He's a ''Street Fighter II'' member and like Vega, probably has a role in Bison's story.
27	** Data mining ''SFV''[='s=] beta has revealed Balrog as one of the DLC characters.
28	* '''D.D.''', '''Rook''', '''Ingrid''', '''Death''' and '''Mike Haggar'''
29	* A previously unplayable character such as a ''Final Fight'' enemy like '''Edi. E''' or '''Joe''' or '''Geki''' from the first game.
30	** Joe's biggest problem is that his only notable move, a rolling sobat, was given to Cody when he showed up in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha 3''. This, however, could lead to Joe pulling the reverse and gaining a few Cody-inspired moves as part of his movelist expansion [[labelnote:(for example...)]]Instead of the Criminal Upper, Joe maybe performs an attack similar to [[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam Gundam Maxter's]] Cyclone Punch from ''Gundam Battle Assault 2''?[[/labelnote]] or even being reinvented as a more of a [[UsefulNotes/MixedMartialArts MMA]] fighter (it helps that the Ghost from ''VideoGame/FinalFightStreetwise'', who may or may not be Joe, was a pit fighter), complete with a V-Skill revolving around [[PressurePoint creating "weakpoints" and striking them again from extra damage]] (like Azrael's Drive in ''VideoGame/BlazBlue''). There could also be a rivalry between Joe and Balrog that sly alludes to the whole "Mike = Balrog?" deal and the iconic intro to ''SFII''. It doesn't hurt that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JjaHuZwXB0 Joe's theme,]] one of the few legitimately ''good'' pieces of music in ''SFI'' ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46JC_t_S8N8 doubly so]] for its ''Fighting Street'' arrange), would sound quite nice if remixed by Fukusawa.
31	* '''Juri Han''': Fits well as a main antagonist and is an EnsembleDarkhorse to boot. Plus, who doesn't like them kicks?
32	** Her V-Trigger would be the Feng Shui Engine. It only makes sense.
33	** Data mining ''SFV''[='s=] beta has revealed Juri as one of the DLC characters.
34	* One of the two other students of Psycho Power that M. Bison failed to kill, as stated by Capcom.
35	* '''Evil Dan''', a version of Dan under the influence of the Satsui no Hadou. Dan actually comes to realize how weak he really is in comparison to everyone else, and learns about the Satsui no Hadou, and decides to tap into it. Just like Evil Ryu, this is more of a "WhatIf" character who isn't actually canon.
36	** He may also become the biggest GlassCannon in the history of the franchise: He'll hit like a freight train, but even being grazed by light punches would shave off large amounts of his health. This sort of massive gamble in playstyle would easily continue to make him a JokeCharacter, just in the tier of superpowered version of characters (Evil Ryu, Shin Akuma, etc.).
37	* '''"Sunburnt" Sakura''', much like Charlie's new design is inspired by his dubiously canon ''[=MvC=]'' counterpart Shadow, Sakura could be further differentiated from her inspiration like Ken was, perhaps as V-Trigger as she had a swap Super in ''[=MvC2=]''.
38	** With Karin's recent confirmation, it'd be a missed opportunity to not have Sakura involved. In the vein of the above, having her "Sunburned" form as her V-Trigger could be Sakura tapping into that frightening fighting potential of hers that Dan instantly takes notice of in the ''Sakura Ganbaru!'' manga, reflected in her becoming Akuma-Lite for a brief time.
39	** However, all that seems to be completely jossed, as Sakura comes back in SFV without the tan, and as a part of the Season 3 roster in Arcade Edition.
40	* '''Guile''': The poor guy's been going after Bison and searching for clues as to whether Charlie Nash is still alive for so long that it's only inevitable that Guile be added to the roster, too, if only to finally give him some proper closure. In addition, with Nash's reveal, it'll be interesting to see what Guile's reaction would be if he discovered that his best friend actually survived the explosion in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha 3'' only he CameBackWrong: either a severe HeroicBSOD or a RoaringRampageOfRevenge (or both).
41	** The fact that Charlie is far more flashier than in previous installments also means that Guile's inclusion would give fans a "classic" take on the archetype. In fact, Guile could be given defensive touches and take a few pages out of Remy's book ([[CounterAttack Blue Nocturne]], anyone?) to bolster his turtling game.
42	** Data mining ''SFV''[='s=] beta has revealed Guile as one of the DLC characters.
43	* '''''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterEX EX]]'' series character''': While Capcom's attempt at making a 3D arena version of the series was a complete bomb, some of the characters in it are pretty original. The most likely candidates are [[{{Toku}} Skullomania]], [[MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter Area]], and [[PsychoForHire Doctrine Dark]].
44	** Probably unlikely, as the characters are owned by Arika (the developers of the ''EX'' series). Arika has also been willing to use the characters for their own purposes (Allen and Blair showed up in ''VideoGame/FightingLayer'', and Hokuto, Kairi, Blair, D. Dark and Shadowgeist in a 3DS test program), so Arika would probably drive a hard bargain to let Capcom make use of the characters.
45	** Just to nitpick: ''EX'' was actually a modest success up to ''[=EX3=]'', and [[TwoAndAHalfD it wasn't actually (fully) 3D]]. Anyway, the licensing issues are the biggest roadblock, and neither Capcom nor Arika seem interested in working out a deal (for over a decade now), to the continued annoyance of the ''EX'' series faithful.
46	* '''[[VideoGame/AsurasWrath Asura]]''': If Akuma, as well as his Oni form, are involved in the game, those two will pick up right where they left off!
47	* '''A guest character from ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}''''': While the notion of putting ''Darkstalkers'' characters in other games is pretty much redundant at this point, putting them in a big-name series like ''Street Fighter'' could potentially drum up enough interest for Capcom to finally consider reviving the franchise (it helps that Yoshinori Ono also wants the franchise to be revived).
48	** This will most likely be [[SuccubiAndIncubi Morrigan]], but it would be nice to finally show someone like [[WolfMan Jon Talbain]] some love.
49	* '''Elena''': Being a fairly popular character who was noticeably requested before being added late onto ''SFIV''[='s=] roster (that is, she wasn't playable until ''Ultra Street Fighter IV''), the developers might have decided that ''SFV'' will include her from the start.
50	* '''Rolento''': See Elena.
51	* '''Zangief''': May be a rival of sorts to Haggar as a means to illustrate the similarities and difference between the two.
52	** Also, Mika was established as a [[HeroWorshipper really]], ''[[LoonyFan really]]'' big fan of Zangief's in her ''Alpha 3'' debut, [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot so it'd be strange to not have Mika interact with her idol after all of these years]] (in-universe and out). Plus, while ''V'' isn't going for the full-on ''SFII'' nostalgia of ''IV'', Zangief's status as one of the original World Warriors probably gives him a better chance of making it onto the roster than Hugo ''or'' Haggar, with his more plodding playstyle potentially serving as a good contrast to the nimble and acrobatic, mix-up-focused Mika or the straightfoward but faster and more strike-oriented Alex. [[CharacterRosterGlobalWarming No reason there can't be more than one grappler in this game, right?]]
53	** Zangief confirmed.
54	* '''Sagat''': Even though he canonically jumped ship from Shadaloo after ''Alpha 2'', Sagat's the lone member of the Four Devas missing now that Balrog's set to be included as DLC, so it's natural to assume Capcom will eventually complete the set. Beyond that, he's Ryu's other main rival and one of the longest-standing members of the ''SF'' crew. I'd say the Emperor of Muay Thai has good chances for Year Two DLC. His V-Trigger will likely be some variation of his Angry Charge from the ''Alpha'' and ''IV'' series, except for that it not only buffs his Tiger Uppercut, but reduces the recovery of Sagat's fireballs to Old Sagat levels, giving many players [[OhCrap flashbacks]] to the ''SFII'' days of old.
55	** As of Arcade Edition and as part of the Season 3 character pass, Sagat makes his eventual return in SFV. Though he's saved for last.
56	* '''Rose''': She's Bison's EnemyWithout as well as something of the series' BigGood, and ''IV'' had her being cryptically prophetic about Ryu's fated battle against Bison, whom she's personally failed to kill [[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha twice]] [[VideoGame/StreetFighterIV before]]. Unless Bison [[DroppedABridgeOnHim offed her behind the scenes between games]] (which seems unlikely taking Rose and Guy's ''SSFIV'' endings into account), there's no reason Rose wouldn't be involved now that her other half has resurfaced. Soul Reflect might be turned into her V-Skill (with forward or backward DI accounting for the other two versions of the special, much like how Rashid has two V-Skills), and either [[DoppelgangerAttack Soul Illusion]] or [[OrbitingParticleShield Soul Satellite]] as her V-Trigger (the latter may be a safer bet, so as to not overlap with similar moves like Genei Jin, Seiei Enbu, and Feng Shui Engine).
57	** Rose's confirmed for Season 5 DLC.
58	* '''Yun (& Yang)''': The Lee Bros. have been popular and fairly recurrent characters in the verse since their debut and the Bustling Side Street stage supposedly takes place in Hong Kong, their country of origin, [[http://shoryuken.com/2014/12/09/yun-and-yang-customizable-signs-possible-secrets-hidden-in-street-fighter-v-teasers-background/ bearing more than a passing resemblance to their stages,]] particularly [[http://i2.wp.com/shoryuken.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/sf3-2i-yun-stage.png the one in]] ''[=NG/2I=]'' (note the Fei Long movie poster, neon signs, and scaffolding). Should Yang, the more overlooked twin, not make the cut, Yun may possibly be able to summon him for attacks like in ''[[VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium CvS2]]'', not unlike Mika and Nadeshiko. The other alternative is that they fight as a single unit (think ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom'' or ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone''), sharing a lifebar and switching out back and forth with their attacks.
59	* '''Dudley''' and '''Makoto''': Two other [[EnsembleDarkhorse fan favorites]] from ''III'', who have the added benefit of not drawing the same kind of ire Yun has been known to induce, much like the aforementioned Elena. Sure, they were just in ''SSFIV'', but that didn't stop Ibuki, did it?
60	* '''Gouken's daughter ("Ojou-san")''': Obligatory WTF-inducing shot in the dark. While she likely has been wiped clean from the slate of ''SF'' canon at present, she did at one point exist within the mythos and though Gouken himself may be included at a later date (as he's already a NPC), the fact that she's described as wearing a gi ([[http://smg.photobucket.com/user/futaenokiwami/media/ojou-san.jpg.html like so]]) suggests Ojou-san has at least some martial arts instruction courtesy of her dad. Having another female (and possibly more traditional) Shoto could prove interesting regardless of Sakky's pending inclusion. And given that Ojou-san resembles [[VideoGame/ArtOfFighting Yuri Sakazaki]], [[TakeThat well...]]
61	* '''Eagle''': He hasn't made a single appearance since he made a major comeback in ''VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium'' and then popped up in the portable versions of ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Street Fighter Alpha 3]]'', plus it would be interesting to see how he would interact with Birdie and Zangief.
62	* '''Hunter''': Just for the sake of having [[UnexpectedCharacter another surprise]] ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' character, this ''Final Fight 3'' enemy could utilize multiple sports into his attacks, such as soccer, basketball, Frisbee throwing, baseball, American fooball, golf, etc. His theme could be a remix of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JYlCrP4t5k&t=164s Law and Disorder]].
63	* '''The other two Neo Shadaloo members''': Falke has already been confirmed to be in the game, so it's pretty likely that the other two will make an appearance in the future. The gorilla in particular would be highly interesting being the first animal to be playable in a ''Street Fighter'' game, even if it has the potential of leading to mass fan outcry of [[Memes/{{Transformers}} "STRET FITER NOT MUNKEY!"]]
64	* '''Eleven''': He was a part of Illuminati's G-Project experiment, and was tossed aside by Urien being deemed a failure. You think he'd wouldn't feel resentment towards Urien for this? C'mon, that's some good story potential right there!
65	** Surprisingly, confirmed!
66	* '''Maggio''': He's looking for his older sister Aprile, who has been turned into one of Bison's Dolls, so he has a good motivation to participate in the game's events, and his design looks a bit to unique to simply be a detail only mentioned on the Capcom Fighters Network. Not to mention a [[KillerYoYo yo-yo fighter]] would be pretty unique for ''Street Fighter''.
67	* '''Seth''': With the inclusion of Gill, Seth is the only missing final boss from the numbered Street Fighter games.
68	** Seth was confirmed at the 2019 Capcom Cup. As an added bonus, Capcom even lampshaded his final boss status when they announced him.
69
70	[[WMG: Background coloring of the roster's [[http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x453/theDromader/Street%20Fighter%20Start%20Roster%20Blanks_zpsghnpaz5k.png portraits]]]]
71	The green represents returning characters, the blue represents characters which had not been in ''Street Fighter IV'' or ''Street Fighter II'' or had not been in a ''Street Fighter'' game for a while and the purple represents the new characters such as Necalli.
72	* Capcom's Matt Dahlgren confirmed [[http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2015/sep/03/street-fighter-5s-launch-roster-will-comprise-eight-classic-fighters-four-brand-new-and-four-we-havent-seen-while/ in an interview with GameSpot]] that green is for "characters you'd expect in a ''Street Fighter'' game", blue for characters that haven't been seen in a while and purple for new characters. What Dahlgren meant by "characters you'd expect in a ''Street Fighter'' game" (whether it covers just ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' characters, or is expanded to characters in ''III'', ''Alpha'' and/or ''IV'') is still up in the air, though.
73	** And with Dhalsim's reveal, the answer is "just ''SFII'' characters."
74
75	[[WMG: The [[http://i.imgur.com/kwXyV2K.jpg silhouette]] of six characters.]]
76	They are from left to right: Balrog, Guile, Alex, Ibuki, Juri, Urien.
77	* The announcer leak reveal the first set of characters is the correct ones, though whether the order is correct or not is in question.
78	* Confirmed through datamining.
79	** The order is wrong though. The correct order as revealed by Capcom is Alex, Guile, Balrog, Ibuki, Juri, Urien.
80
81	[[WMG: Charlie has been ReforgedIntoAMinion]]
82	This seems fairly obvious. His gameplay trailer presents him as a dark and sinister force with none of his good qualities. Capcom has toyed with the possibility of bringing Charlie back under the influence of Bison's Psycho Power in the past (Shadow as a secret character in ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroesVsStreetFighter'' followed by Charlie going by the Shadaloo codename "Shadow" in in the UDON comic book series, both cases showing him using Psycho Power-enhanced abilities). ''SFV'' just looks to canonize that at long last.
83	* But Charlie is the one who rescued Abel ''from'' Shadaloo, and it's been established in the comics that he is at least somewhat resistant to brainwashing via Psycho Power, so this might be less likely. Alternatively, Charlie may have broken M. Bison's hold on him.
84	* Probably true, but he probably isn't working for Bison, but for Gill/Urien/whoever is currently running the Illuminati. He has the same forehead gem that Gill and Urien have, and the official website shows Charlie in an Egyptian setting with statues identical to the ones that appear in the Egypt stage of ''Street Fighter III''.
85	** This is indeed the case according to the UDON-produced comic book ''Street Fighter V: The Life and Death(s) of Charlie Nash'' that was a SDCC 2015 exclusive, but UDON's continuity most likely isn't entirely congruent with actual ''SFV'' canon. (For starters, Charlie is turned into [[VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroesVsStreetFighter Shadow]], is shot in the back by a helicopter a la ''Alpha 2'' once snapped out of his brainwashing by Guile and Chun-Li, and is then revived by his Psycho Power so that he can basically enact his actual HeroicSacrifice from ''Alpha 3'', whereupon the "Secret Society" eventually recovers and reconstructs his body.)
86
87	[[WMG: Charlie is working alone, attempting to bring down Shadaloo]]
88	We know that Charlie freed Abel from Shadaloo at some point, so he obviously isn't working for Bison, at least anymore. This leaves a few possibilities; working for Gill and the Illuminati, or working on his own to bring down Bison. If Charlie was working for Gill, he likely wouldn't have been allowed to give Abel to the mercenaries after he rescued him, leaving Charlie working alone as the best possibility. As for the gem in his forehead, It's possible that the Psycho Drive exploding infused him with the powers he has now, and the Illuminati is responsible for actually rebuilding him. And as for his new, darker personality, he likely has PTSD from either dying and being restored to life, or from the traumatic injuries and surgeries.
89	* On top of that, Charlie isn't the type to go along with Bison willingly, and doesn't show the normal signs of Psycho Power brainwashing; purple sclera and short, emotionless single phrase speech. The Illuminati are also known for producing physical aberrations via experimentation, like Necro and Twelve.
90	* Wasn't Shadaloo already gone by ''Street Fighter III''?
91	* If Bison is back, then it's likely that they just went into hiding, keeping all their activities on the down-low.
92	* A Q&A session for ''SFIII'' that was released before ''SFV''[='s=] announcement established both Bison and Shadaloo as alive and operating during ''SFIII''. If it was ever intended for Bison and Shadaloo to be gone come ''SFIII'' then that intent was retconned before ''SFV''[='s=] announcement. Especially considering how the time gap between ''SFII'' and ''SFIII'' is now iffy due to the presence of multiple "kid" characters from ''SFIII'' in ''SFIV'' (such as Ibuki).
93	** ''IV'' is explicitly set a year after ''II'' and the ''III'' series takes place at the turn of century. Fans generally assume ''II'' and ''III'' follow their real-life release dates (1991-1994 and 1997-1999, respectively), so while the narrative is [[ContinuitySnarl a bit wonky]], the presence of the "kid" characters in ''IV'' isn't as disruptive to the timeline as many claim. (Ibuki, for example, had a graduation exam and went to a ninja university in ''3rd Strike'', meaning she could be [[VagueAge anywhere around 17-19 then]] and still be in high school a few years prior.)
94
95	[[WMG: This game will have more new characters than returning ones a la ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'']]
96	While the entire roster might not be new like the one from ''Street Fighter III'' was, since Capcom might want to bring back some familiar faces like Charlie to help bring older fans in, this is an entirely new game in the series and not an update to a previous one. They could get away with at least half the cast being new characters.
97	* Jossed, for now at least. There will be 12 returning characters and four brand new ones. How things change with DLC remains to be seen.
98	** As of Arcade Edition, 7 DLC characters are new to SFV, while the other 11 are returning legacy characters.
99
100	[[WMG: Bison's storyline in this game is his body is deteriorating.]]
101	The white hair under his cap is a sign of this. He is becoming increasingly more in need to BodySurf to a new host as his current body has been degenerating since the destruction of Seth (so basically a retread of his arc with Ryu in ''Alpha 3'' but this time with an impending deadline as opposed to simply enhancing his power).
102
103	[[WMG: Creator/SonnyStrait will be Nash's English VA.]]
104	And for good measure, he will sound like a really grim version of [[Franchise/FullmetalAlchemist Maes Hughes]]' voice. This will be an ActorAllusion to the parallel between the relationships of Hughes & Mustang and Nash & Guile and how the former's death/disappearance motivated the latter's quest in both cases.
105	* Seems to be Jossed, as Jack Calabrisi ([[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Lars]] in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'') seems to be the one cast.
106	* Double Jossed, as Creator/MikeMcFarland is his voice. Close enough!
107
108	[[WMG: All future character reveals will be on [[AscendedMeme Tuesdays]].]]
109	Sadly they didn't follow through with that since Ken was revealed on a Thursday (at San Diego's Comic-Con 2015). Would have been a neat gimmick.
110	* Most things related to video games, including the games themselves are released on Tuesdays.
111	* Rashid was revealed on a Friday, so consider this Jossed.
112
113	[[WMG: Charlie was stitched back together by [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Emily von Gerdenheim]].]]
114	The sloppy stitching and the fact Nash's forehead skin graft has a third eye (taken from Donovan, maybe?) would seem to be something of a tell in this case. Victor's sister Emily probably has their father's notes, and put them to use putting Charlie back together. Plus, it's been established that ''Darkstalkers'' ''does'' take place in the same universe, though an unspecified amount of time beforehand.
115
116	[[WMG: The Arcade Mode final boss is Necalli in a permanently V-Triggered state]]
117	The way Necalli is designed when he unleashes his V-Trigger just screams "final boss", especially when you look at the scars on his body, which resemble V's, which seems to be a running theme with ''Street Fighter V''.
118	* As of Arcade Edition, this may not be probably the case, as there are different "routes/ladders" depending on the various SF titles chosen, if anything, he'll be on the SFV route, but probably not on the explained above, however, consider this possibly jossed as Shin Akuma takes that idea with the permanent V-Trigger state.
119
120	[[WMG: Juri Han will become leader of S.I.N. and Necalli will serve as her [[TheDragon Dragon]].]]
121	Necalli will be our sub-boss (most likely in a perma-V-Trigger), and Juri will be our final boss. She will have become much more powerful since ''IV'', and may end up causing Bison to pull a temporary HeelFaceTurn of sorts. Of course, this is all assuming Juri's ending in ''IV'' is canon.
122	* Jossed: Juri is [[spoiler: working for the Illuminati]].
123
124	[[WMG: The final boss of Arcade Mode won't be as hard as Seth was in ''Street Fighter IV'']]
125	And in a [[{{Trolling}} nice]] [[SarcasmMode twist]], the next final boss really won't be hard as Seth, he/she will be ''harder''.
126	* As of Arcade Edition, consider Shin Akuma to be this.
127
128	[[WMG: There will be a way to play as Yamato Nadeshiko]]
129	Possibly via a cheat code or a special costume that has her and R. Mika switch positions.
130	* As of Arcade Edition, that still hasn't be the case, other than PC modding.
131
132	[[WMG: The friend Rashid is looking for is [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Shaheen]].]]
133	It'll serve as a teaser for ''Tekken X Street Fighter''.
134	* Jossed. The name of Rashid's friend is Azam.
135	** Double Jossed. Azam is Rashid's butler, not his missing friend.
136	* Jossed: While we don't know their name, the story mode's ending confirms that Rashid'e friend is female.
137
138	[[WMG:A revamped incarnation of [[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Final Bison]] will serve as the game's TrueFinalBoss, turning him into, moveset-wise, a carbon copy of General from ''VideoGame/GlobalChampion''/''Kaiser Knuckle''.]]
139	Thus becoming the greatest (or worst, depending on your views) SNKBoss of all time since... well, the aforementioned General. Omega Mode in ''Ultra'' was simply the beginning of the end.
140
141	In all seriousness, since Bison wasn't killed off between ''II''/''IV'' and ''III'' like many were led to believe, Rose's prophecy of Ryu's final battle with Bison (the whole "the stars align to herald his coming" deal, remember?) would logically have to come true here unless Capcom wants to extend the warranty on Bison's JokerImmunity to [[VideoGame/MegaManX Sigma]] or [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} Dracula]] levels. If so, and if Bison is still using the body that was manufactured for him in ''IV'', one capable of withstanding more (but not all) of his full Psycho Power like his original/''Alpha'' body could, it stands to reason he'd once again take off the kiddies gloves for his last stand, mirroring the events of ''Alpha 3''.
142
143	[[WMG:Rashid will become the new protagonist of ''Street Fighter V''.]]
144	Following the pattern of ''III'' with Alex and ''IV'' with Abel. One could imagine if Rashid will take the role of the protagonist.
145	** Seemingly confirmed. Rashid's gets the majority of the story battles, and his search for his friend is one of the primary plotlines of the story mode.
146	** Now outright confirmed, as the Capcom Fighters Network character profile for Rashid calls him "the protagonist of the game's story mode."
147
148	[[WMG:Stages will once again be character-based.]]
149	* '''Kanzuki Estate:''' Karin Kanzuki (obvious connection and inspiration for this WMG)
150	* '''Bustling Side Street:''' Chun-Li (clearly a Chinese location)
151	* '''Forgotten Waterfall:''' Ryu (peaceful and isolated, good for training), Necalli (forgotten/unknown like him), or a new character.
152	* '''Union Station:''' Cammy or Birdie (screams Britain for the former, kinda urban for the latter). Maybe both?
153	* '''Hillside Plaza:''' Blanka(? Heavily hinted as such), Sean, or an unrevealed new character.
154	** And her name is Laura.
155	* '''Underground Arena:''' Filled with Russian iconography and clearly relevant for Zangief.
156	* '''City in Chaos:''' Ken and/or Charlie (both being American and whatnot)
157	** Both characters have previously been associated with the West Coast and Midwest [[note]]Ken's ''Alpha'', ''Alpha 2'', ''Alpha 3'', and ''Second Impact'' stages all take place in the San Francisco Bay Area and it's suggested Ken's a native of the San Fran area; Charlie's ''Alpha'' stage is a nighttime variant of Ken's, his ''Alpha 2'' stage is in Detroit, and his ''Alpha 3'' stage is given as "Frankfort Hangar, USA" which might also place it in Michigan (the stage select map makes it hard to tell for sure)[[/note]], but Ken's stage in ''Third Strike'' was a variant of Alex's, who does hail from the Big Apple, so maybe?
158	* The minaret-like structures seen on the top left area of Necalli's artwork are a ''very'' subtle reference to the ''Templo Mayor'', an ancient Aztec site located in what is now the middle of Mexico City. It's theorized therefore that he will have a stage set amongst the ruins.
159
160	[[WMG:Laura is Blanka's disciple]]
161	This explains why she manages to use electricity, also her Critical Art is a variant of Blanka's signature RollingAttack.
162	* Consider this completely jossed. While Laura does appear in Blanka's Story, she doesn't refer to Blanka as a teacher/student or anything of the sort.
163
164	[[WMG:Laura's story will explain how Sean became Ken's student]]
165	So Laura is the heir to Matsuda family fighting style while Sean is her younger brother. Her trailer also shows her fighting Ken, and Sean's backstory is that he wanted to become Ken's student after seeing him in a U.S. Martial Arts championship. Thus, Laura's story will have her travel to participate in the U.S. Martial Arts Tournament and fight Ken. She'll lose (or Ken will put up a hell of a fight) while Sean is watching, and it gives Sean the idea on how to get out of his family's shadow -- by becoming Ken's student.
166	* The problem with this WMG is that all evidence so far points to ''V'' being set after the events of the ''III'' series, such as WordOfGod stating Bison was laying low between ''IV'' and now because he realized the influence the Illuminati had in global affairs, Shadaloo's operations included, so unless Laura's meeting with Ken is depicted as a flashback, Sean would already be Ken's pupil at this point in time unless he broke away from Ken for whatever reason. She ''could'' chew out Ken for [[JokeCharacter half-assing her brother's training]] or mention him in some other capacity (and Sean might cameo in Laura's story anyway), however.
167	** Capcom's UK community manager revealed the game takes place before ''Street Fighter III'' -- check out the 32:50 mark of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-CGjPjBSuw this video.]]
168	*** Strange... I guess Capcom doesn't want to move too far beyond the ''II'' era in-universe (possibly making the timeline more convoluted in the process), but this does make the WMG likely.
169	* This would be the perfect chance to have a [[SelfDeprecation "Take That, Us!"]] moment, with Laura being absolutely FURIOUS with Ken, blaming ''him'' for Sean's sudden drop in fighting ability. In the original ''Street Fighter III'', Sean was actually one of the better top tier characters before being ''massively'' nerfed to JokeCharacter status in ''2nd Impact''.
170	** Actually, Sean was middle of the road in ''NG'', maybe upper-mid, then surged to top-tier in ''2I'' (generally agreed to be third behind Ibuki and Akuma) before dropping to dead last (below even Hugo!) in ''3S''. Still, it'd be great to see Capcom somehow acknowledge this.
171
172	[[WMG: Blanka is actually a member of the Matsuda family]]
173	The fact that Laura's fighting style is so similar to Blanka's is ''not'' a coincidence. To this poster its clear Blanka, or Jimmy, was actually a member of Matsuda family, most likely either Laura and Sean's long lost cousin. The shackles on Blanka's ankles were probably a training tool used by the Matsuda's as a means to perfect their fighting style, and Jimmy before that plane crash was only just starting to train in the style. He ended up subconsciously perfecting certain moves and aspects of it during his time in the wild while combining it with his own personal touches as he tried to survive. The reason his mother did not mention about his heritage was because she married into the family, and either she thought Blanka was too emotional immature to handle the mind blowing revelation that he's part of a larger family and/or she was just so incredibly happy to ''see'' Jimmy alive after so long she forgot to mention it.
174	* Consider this jossed, while Blanka is now in SFV, his story in that takes a different angle to this WMG here. Although he happened to bump into Laura, he doesn't see her as a relative or anything of the sort.
175
176	[[WMG: On the topic of the friend Rashid is looking for...]]
177	The friend Rashid is looking for is either one of two people, in my opinion. He's either looking for...
178	* Charlie Nash. Perhaps, like Abel, he became friends with Charlie when he was young, and was in denial about his "death" so he believed Shadaloo captured him (which, from what I'm guessing, they probably did).
179	* Abel. Mostly because Abel seems too important to disappear after one game, and Bison seems to have a thing for experimentation.
180	** Jossed. Rashid is looking for a friend of his named Azam, though this doesn't necessarily mean he hasn't crossed paths with Charlie or Abel in the past.
181	** Double Jossed. Azam is Rashid's butler, not his missing friend.
182	* Jossed: It's a female childhood friend turned hacker and game designer who was kidnapped by Shadaloo.
183
184	[[WMG: Saikyo ninjas?]]
185	There are several pink-clad ninjas in the background of the Kanzuki Estate, unless this Troper's eyes are being deceitful. The only character that distinctly stands out for their [[BuffySpeak pinkishness]] is Dan... who, if you recall the last game, started up his own dojo. Maybe after Sakura convinced him to update his ad so people could actually find the place, he trained presumably competent people who could use/adapt Dan's Saikyo style into something worthwhile, with those people becoming a ninja order that wears pink in respect for their teacher?
186	* Jossed: The ninjas are all from the Kanzuki clan's personal ninja order.
187
188	[[WMG: The censorship applied to Cammy and R. Mika is only temporary]]
189	Capcom only applied it in order to make sure the ESRB gives the game a T rating. Shortly after the game's release, they'll change it back via an update patch.
190	* As of Arcade Edition, consider this to be completely jossed, as its left that way due to possible ESPN and Capcom Cup mandates. PC modding restores it, though however there's nothing like this on the [=PS4=] version.
191
192	[[WMG: Fang/F.A.N.G. [[BaitAndSwitchBoss will be killed by the]] TrueFinalBoss if certain conditions are met prior to his fight in Arcade Mode.]]
193	Upon beating every opponent without losing once and getting at least three perfects, either Akuma (In a callback to ''Super Street Fighter II Turbo'') or [[spoiler:a powered-up M. Bison]] will interrupt the fight just before it begins and brutally murder him, before turning towards the player character and fighting them in his place.
194	* Doubtful that F.A.N.G. is going to be the final boss, though - he is merely [[TheDragon Bison's right-hand man]], after all.
195	* Yeah, if anything, either that powered-up M. Bison or a Necalli permanently in V-Trigger (especially with the way Necalli's V-Trigger works) is more likely gonna be the final boss.
196	** However, as of Arcade Edition, Akuma is exactly this, as Shin Akuma (but not what you expect from the above). The portions of the above are jossed for Bison/F.A.N.G./Necalli.
197
198	[[WMG: Necalli will become a boss character in some form.]]
199	The way he's shown in the introduction sequence certainly seems to hint at this.
200	* As of Arcade Edition, consider this possibly jossed.
201
202	[[WMG: F.A.N.G. is a [[VideoGame/XComEnemyUnknown Thin Man.]]]]
203	He's really tall and skinny, his head has a weird shape, he uses poison in his attacks, he wears the same type of glasses, and the music used in his reveal trailer sounds a lot like something out of ''Enemy Unknown''.
204
205	[[WMG: Evil Ryu will be a secret boss character]]
206	In the 16 character trailer, we can see Ryu tapping into the Satsui no Hado when battling Necalli. This could be hinting at Evil Ryu making an appearance, most likely as a boss character. This would make sense if Necalli is indeed going to be the final boss.
207	* As of Arcade Edition, consider this possibly jossed. Shin Akuma makes his return.
208
209	[[WMG: Balrog will be {{retcon}}ned like no tomorrow]]
210	In this [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-BWJ9fUE0M#t=16s Story Mode trailer]] between 0:16-0:21, there is a man seen from the back whose face isn't shown at all. He slowly holds his head down, worried as he oversees [[ColonyDrop Bison's newest plan that will devastate the Earth]] in [[RaceAgainstTheClock 24 hours]]. Many people believe that this is Balrog.
211
212	Considering the military side cap he's wearing, Balrog is a part of the US military and is in fact a [[TheMole mole]] within Shadaloo's ranks and has been a covert operator observing the evil syndicate for several years. His backstory is vague enough that this could work, not to mention that he hasn't had much limelight in ''Street Fighter'' lore thus far, so there's several things he could've done behind the scenes. He's not a part of the initial roster for ''SFV'', one reason being that Capcom doesn't want us seeing him being heroic yet. It wouldn't be surprising at all if Guile and/or Chun-Li was aware of his role, as well.
213
214	Balrog is likely a GeniusBruiser that was [[ObfuscatingStupidity playing up the]] DumbMuscle money loving act all while obtaining valuable intel about Shadaloo. Being one of the top 4 members, what's to say that this didn't give him or someone from his team easy access into Shadaloo's computer systems to see the countdown in the first place?
215
216	Ono also said that the story of ''SFV'' will be far deeper than any other ''SF'' entry thus far. Many of those "What if?" scenarios seen in characters' battle encounters and endings will likely be cast aside. The same goes for encounters with Balrog in past games, which were barely relevant to the main stories.
217	* Jossed: That's not Balrog, but Byron Taylor, a new character working for the US military with Guile.
218
219	[[WMG: Balrog is now working with the Illuminati]]
220	In the official teaser [[http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1557/15576751/2975258-sf5-1.jpg silhouettes]] for the DLC characters, Balrog seems to have the symbol for the all seeing eye (an Illuminati symbol) on his outfit.
221	* Confirmed: Balrog sells his services to the Urien as in his story mode.
222
223	[[WMG: Chun-Li's father is still alive...somehow]]
224	During story mode, Vega makes a remark to Chun-Li about knowing his fate, and departs as soon as she asks what he means. This would contradict past events, such as Gen and Bison directly referencing her father's death, but it's certainly possible.
225
226	[[WMG: Rashid's missing friend is.....]]
227	Juri. He mentioned they work for S.I.N, ran in bad with Shadaloo, and has an eye-pun in their username. All 3 of these would apply to Juri. As she's DLC, her story would either show how she ended up in such a situation, or serve as a conclusion to Rashid's journey.
228	* Alternatively, C. ('''see''') Viper.
229	** Can't be Viper, because Viper herself warns Rashid against hunting down Shadaloo during his story mode.
230	* Necro.
231	** Jossed.
232
233	[[WMG: Obligatory Top Tier Guessing.]]
234	Game's really close coming out anyway so now might be a good time to start making guesses on who's going to dominate the scene for now.
235
236	My guess for Top ''V'' Characters (see what I did there) in no particular order are: Nash, Bison, Karin, Chun-Li and F.A.N.G.
237	* As of March 2016, Bison is among best in online (majority of the top 200 players use Bison), while Infiltration has won two major tournaments as Nash. Karin and Chun-Li are considered very good. F.A.N.G. is unfortunately not as lucky.
238
239	[[WMG: The DLC characters are all being developed simultaneously]]
240	We were initially guessing that Balrog was the first DLC character to be released, as some players got to test out a nearly-finished build of him at Capcom Cup 2015. However, this was later Jossed by Capcom, who would state that Alex would be our first DLC character. Why would they release him first when Balrog is basically good to go? My guess is that the characters are all being developed at the same time, and will either be released in the order shown on the Season Pass (Alex - March, Guile - April, Balrog - May, Ibuki - July, Juri - August, Urien - September), or in a different order altogether.
241
242	Why would they all be developed at once? Well, perhaps...
243
244	[[WMG: The DLC characters will factor into the Cinematic Story Mode]]
245	We can see Nash looking at a photograph of Guile in the trailer, as if to show he still has some sense of humanity left and hasn't been completely consumed by the desire to kill Bison. Not only that, but makes a cameo in the Character Stories as well alongside fellow DLC characters Balrog, Juri and Ibuki, with all of them sporting redesigns. Why would they be popping up here? Well, if half the DLC roster is to be released before the Cinematic Story Mode goes live in June, it would only make sense for some, if not all the DLC characters to factor into it, especially if they're all being developed simultaneously as discussed in the above WMG.
246	* Confirmed, all six characters have a role to play in the story mode, though their importance and screen time varies.
247	** Balrog is the fourth King of Shadaloo and appears most of the time Shadaloo is involved in anything, [[spoiler:although he may be ready to betray them to the Illuminati]].
248	** Guile rejoins Chun-Li and Cammy to hunt down Shadaloo and M. Bison, and meets up with Charlie.
249	** Juri is on her own now, but has taken a job from the Illuminati to take down Shadaloo. [[spoiler:She also helps [[EnemyMine Cammy and Decapre]] rescue the other Dolls from Shadaloo, apparently her resentment of Cammy was nothing compared to that of M. Bison.]]
250	** Ibuki was invited to a party at the Kanzuki estate, and gets pulled into the fight against Shadaloo when Karin brings together the rest of the World Warriors to launch an assault on the Shadaloo base.
251	** Alex has a friendly tag team match with Laura against Zangief and R. Mika, until they are interrupted by a blackout caused by Shadaloo. Alex later meets Dhalsim who is looking for a chess piece that Alex had in his possession.
252	** Urien is working behind the scenes, as the Illuminati are trying to stop Shadaloo ahead of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'', he does little but berate [[spoiler:Helen]].
253
254	[[WMG: F.A.N.G's acronym]]
255	It actually stands for [[AffablyEvil Friendly]] And NiceGuy.
256	* To this troper however...no, not really.
257
258	[[WMG: Dhalsim will die in the events of ''SFV'' and be replaced by Manesh in a future game.]]
259	As in [[Fridge/StreetFighter the Fridge Horror regarding Dhalsim]], Necalli might be killing off Dhalsim. Meanwhile, it is suspicious that Dhalsim's Story Mode is all about Manesh's training montage. So the only logical conclusion is that Manesh is being groomed by the story as Dhalsim's SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute who will be taking his place in a future game.
260	* Jossed, at least on the dying part. Necalli fails to devour Dhalsim during the story.
261
262	[[WMG: The real reason why Birdie became a BigEater]]
263	In Birdie's ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Alpha 3]]'' ending, he breaks into Shadaloo's base after unexpectedly defeating Bison, with the intention of using Bison's Psycho Drive to become super-duper powerful. As one might expect, however, [[EvilIsNotAToy it doesn't work]]; the Psycho Drive actually ''weakens'' him instead, and he gets trapped inside, too, so when he eventually got out, he was most likely weakened ''a lot''.
264
265	Obviously, his ''Alpha 3'' ending isn't canon, but that's not to say we can't apply BroadStrokes. Maybe, one day, during the events of the ''Alpha'' series, Birdie snuck inside the Psycho Drive when Bison was off [[ButForMeItWasTuesday murdering people on Tuesdays]] just to see what would happen; maybe he thought the power of the Psycho Drive would increase his chances of getting his own back against Ryu for [[VideoGame/StreetFighterI that beating he received back in England]]. In any case, he was severely weakened, but was able to escape before Bison found out. Unfortunately, he was so weak that he had to take several months off work, which Bison granted, [[AffablyEvil being well-known for his]] [[SignedUpForTheDental generous incentives for prospective henchmen]]. It was during this time that he got slighly pale again from Psycho Drive-induced sickness (from which he also derives his infinite supply of Psychic sneezes), and he began over-eating to compensate for his loss of energy.
266
267	His newfound over-eating habits eventually became routine, so he continued to scarf on {{Hammerspace}} doughnuts and various other things even after he had recovered, thus developing his characteristic gut. Incidentally, by the time he recovered, he had also moved up quite a fair bit on the [[CharacterTiers Tier List]], so maybe the Psycho Drive ''did'' make him stronger after all.
268
269	[[WMG: Rashid is the DisappearedDad of C. Viper's daughter, Lauren, which is why he's out to find Viper]]
270	Viper disappears during the events of ''V'' and Rashid goes out to find her. Before she vanished, C. Viper warns Rashid not to pursue Shadaloo because it's dangerous. It would also [[PapaBear explain why they are so close in social media]]: he's keeping close tabs on Lauren and Viper. His presence and watchful eye from afar also explain why Lauren is basically living a good life financially, if Viper's arcade ending from ''Street Fighter IV'' is any indication. The only reason they aren't married or in a relationship is due to a combination of MarriedToTheJob and DangerousWorkplace.
271	* Jossed: His childhood friend is one of the [[spoiler:hackers kidnapped by Shadaloo to help with Operatio C.H.A.I.N.S. She's also dead]].
272
273	[[WMG: Helen is in fact an Illuminati agent]]
274	She just happens to be the one that "finds" Charlie and helps him recuperate. Come on, she's a plant!!!
275	* [[spoiler:Confirmed by the ending in the Cinematic Story Mode. She's Kolin, Gill's secretary, in disguise.]]
276
277	[[WMG: The reason why Charlie and Guile aren't friends anymore]]
278	It's because Charlie has a massive grudge towards the military he was once part of, since [[CavalryBetrayal it decided to betray him just when he had defeated M. Bison]] in ''Alpha 2''. After Charlie was, um... "[[CameBackWrong fixed]]" by the Illuminati, he engaged in a quest for answers why the military betrayed him, and discovered that many of his former higher-ups were allied with Shadaloo. It would explain why he's so cold to Guile after so many years apart -- because Guile wasn't there when he was betrayed, Charlie thought his best friend/pupil had abandoned him. Guile's promotion twisted the knife even further, as Charlie now associates military personnel of higher rank with loyalty to Shadaloo -- therefore, Guile's higher rank makes him a Shadaloo agent by default.
279	* Jossed: Charlie holds nothing against Guile in the Story Mode, he's just more fixated on defeating Bison. And Guile didn't abandon Charlie; he offered to help in that fight against Bison but Nash refused to take him.
280
281	[[WMG: Ryu's "special training."]]
282	In the story, Ryu is briefly PutOnABus because he is tasked by Gouken to undergo "special training" so he can control the Satsui no Hadou. Where does Ryu go? He crosses dimensions into the world of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' Just some food for thought:
283	* Ryu is no stranger to crossing dimensions if his guest appearance in ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' is any indication. Assuming that that particular encounter is canon, it would have taken place during or after ''Street Fighter IV'' as Ryu and Evil Ryu appear in their ''Street Fighter IV'' incarnations. After Ryu is knocked back into his own dimension by Akuma, Ryu goes back into training after succumbing to the Satsui no Hadou in the fight against Asura which sets up his appearance in ''Street Fighter V'', where he is training to suppress the Satsui no Hadou. Gouken then instructs Ryu to cross into another dimension so that he can learn to fight without relying on the Satsui no Hadou, with that other dimension being the world of ''Smash Bros.'' Lo and behold, not only is Ryu's appearance in ''Smash Bros.'' lifted from his model from ''Street Fighter V'', Evil Ryu is nowhere to be seen in ''Smash Bros.''
284	** FYI, the Lost Episodes of ''Asura's Wrath'' are, according to WordOfGod, [[CanonDiscontinuity non-canon]]. (RuleOfCool and RuleOfFun were almost certainly in play.) That doesn't detract from the rest of the theory since Ryu still struggles with the Satsui no Hadou in the actual story of ''V''.
285
286	[[WMG: Bison is really trying to stop the Illuminati]]
287	According to [[http://game.capcom.com/cfn/sfv/column-130265.html his official SFV bio,]] conquering the world is NOT the purpose of doing acts like launching the Black Moon. You can ask what Bison would need such power for, if not world domination.
288
289	''SFV'' has the Illuminati carry out a scheme to end Shadaloo, with Bison's death at Charlie's hands written in prophecy. And while Charlie fails to slay Bison, Bison dies at Ryu's hands with Shadaloo falling.
290
291	''SFV'' establishes that Bison's death is necessary for the Illuminati to go ahead with its plans for mankind. Now, I propose that Bison knew about the Illuminati, its leadership, and its plans. He was seeking power to crush Gill and end the Illuminati's designs on the world. The Illuminati caught wind of this and come SFV is moving against him, reviving Charlie to serve as an assassin.
292	* That may be true, but even if so he's still pure evil. This isn't either Shadaloo or the Illuminati being dark heroes all along, but two evil organizations — one the robber baron, the other the moral tyrant — [[EvilVsEvil plotting against each other]].
293	* Possible that some time between getting resurrecting after getting killed by Akuma in ''SFII'' and after the events of ''SFIV'', Bison found out that the Illumanati actually ''exists'', initially writing it off as conspiracy theory superstition, and it was subtly manipulating his actions the whole time. Of course, being the arrogant mass murderer with a God complex that he is, Bison decides to put his usual world domination plot on hold to concentrate fully on building up resources to ultimately destroy the Illumanti, leaving him unopposed to TakeOverTheWorld for real. Of course, thanks to various factors, Bison fails spectacularly...
294
295	[[WMG:Five Season 2 Characters]]
296	{{Word of God}} says the five non-Akuma DLC characters will be "new to the SF universe." This is an interesting choice of words considering that it can be interpreted as:
297
298	A. Being a brand new character like Rashid, Laura, etc.
299
300	B. Be from a Capcom franchise outside of SF like Final Fight, Rival Schools, etc.
301
302	C. Being a returning non-playable character who is now playable (possibly for Helen/Kolin).
303
304	The Five's silhouettes can be seen [[http://i.imgur.com/UdAMQ96.jpg here]]. Already the upper left one has been claimed to be Helen/Kolin followed by Ed, Abigail and Menat. Possible guesses for all of them are:
305	** Gen's Disciple-Would fit with Gen getting killed by Akuma in the latter's story mode.
306	** [[Videogame/{{Tekken}} Kazumi Mishima]] presumably to explain how she saved Akuma.
307
308	[[WMG: Falke's Voice Actors]]
309	Since {{Creator/NewGenerationPictures}} tends to have voice actors from all around the US and even Canada, it'll be fun to guess who voices Falke both in Japan and in America. For now, I'm going to put my guesses.
310
311	For the Japanese side, I will posit:
312
313	* Creator/MegumiHayashibara: For this one, I pretty much thought of Tsubame Ohtori from Cyberteam in Akihabara, a tragic brainwashed girl full of emotional anguish, which in the recent "test reports" on the Street Fighter twitter imply she is.
314	* Creator/KotonoMitsuishi: For this one, I referenced her voices as Juri Arisugawa from Revolutionary Girl Utena and Misato Katsuragi from Neon Genesis Evangelion, who are both troubled women with emotional issues. Mitsuishi also has an incredible amount of range that I believe would suit Falke very well.
315	* Creator/YuriShiratori: a woman who often voices mysterious waifs, and Falke gives me mysterious waif vibes.
316	* Creator/KumikoNishihara: The seiyuu of Shiori Takatsuki from Revolutionary Girl Utena who occassionally voices Femme Fatales, which I am somewhat expecting Falke to be judging by her appearance.
317
318	For the English side:
319
320	* Creator/LisaOrtiz: Wishful thinking considering she already voices Noemblu, but the deep voice she uses for Shiori would be SO GOOD for Falke.
321	* Creator/RachaelLillis: Again, wishful thinking due to me loving her voice since I was a little kid, but I would ADORE it if she voiced Falke using an inbetween of her Jessie voice and her Utena voice. I would die if that happened.
322	* Creator/MelaLee: Often voices elegant people like Rachael Alucard from ''[=BlazBlue=]'', Canary from ''Hunter x Hunter'', and Adult Tiki from ''Fire Emblem: Awakening'', Mela Lee could lend an elegant yet deadly voice to Falke.
323	* Creator/XantheHuynh: Her voice has been lent to elegant yet deadly characters such as Haru from Persona 5, and it'd be quite a shock for people to see a Love Live voice cast member (the mild Hanayo Koizumi even!) to be an unstable villain or even anti-villain.
324
325
326	Feel free to add your own Japanese and English voice actors to the speculation pile!
327
328	* All of the above are jossed. Her Japanese voice actress is Creator/SumireUesaka, while her English voice actress is Creator/KiraBuckland.
329
330	[[WMG: Cody, as Metro City's new mayor, will try to solve the Mad Gear problem by enlisting the help of Zeku and [[spoiler:his new Strider organization.]] ]]
331	* Cody's story mode will either use this plot point as a basis, or end on it. Then, if a second cinematic story mode is released, someone looking for Zeku's services (likely Menat) will go through Cody to find him, tying in Cody, Zeku and Abigail (as a Mad Gear boss) into a general story arc which they don't really fit nicely into otherwise.
332	* Or maybe instead of Mad Gear, they would have to deal with the Skull Cross Gang. This could even lead to members of the Skull Cross Gang becoming playable in the future (like say Arby, May, Hunter, Drake, Stray, and so on).
333	* Somewhat jossed; although Zeku does offer his services [[spoiler: and his organization]] to Cody (who doesn't really know who Zeku is beyond being Guy's master), he seems to rebuff the proposition. The offer still stands, though, and should the new story mode happen, the idea is still on the table.
334
335	[[WMG: G is connected to Q.]]
336	* There are many hints in-game that suggest that G is Q, before becoming Q.
337	** Both have a one-letter name.
338	** Both have similar physical builds, one point in particular being their height.
339	** G's story costume greatly resembles Q, and his 15th color palette for that costume is a direct reference to Q.
340	** If you listen closely to G's theme, the backing melody is almost the exact same as Q's theme, and it also shares the same type of beat.
341	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VivPApIEa5k G has several of Q's moves, except performed with more flair and motor control instead of clumsily like a zombie or a robot.]]
342
343	[[WMG: G is Q, but either no longer human or resurrected from the dead.]]
344	* Because Q's moves are degraded forms of G's, it's possible that in the process of becoming Q, G CameBackWrong, and that's why he can be clearly heard mumbling "I'm...abomination..." beneath the mask. Who has the ability to physically alter the human body and resurrect people from the dead? The Secret Society. They already did it once with Nash, so it's entirely possible that they ended up doing the same, or a new variation, with G.
345
346	[[WMG: G is not Q, but rather the template for Q, meaning Q is the "[[VideoGame/GuiltyGear Robo-Ky]]" version of G.]]
347	* There are many hints that Q is a robot. His entire head appears to be robotic in nature, since they go to great lengths in order to hide his skin, he acts and moves like a robot, and even his skeleton appears robotic when electrocuted. It's entirely possible for G's fighting data to be collected, but not his powers. Q lacks G's powers but uses clumsy versions of his physical attacks.
348
349	[[WMG: G is not Q, but rather controls him, and Q is multiple people]]
350	* G goes on about uniting the people of the world together as one, but what he's really talking about is creating a massive, worldwide HiveMind. Q is the result of someone buying into G's rhetoric and becoming "one" with him.
351	** Q moves in a stiff, robotic manner because he isn't fully in control of his actions, which also explains why Q and G's movesets have overlaps.
352	** Q appears in multiple places around the world seemingly simultaneously. Each Q is actually a separate individual who came into contact with G during his world travels and unfortunately fell victim to his brainwashing.
353	** Concept art of Q shows that his mask actually has a [[https://game.capcom.com/cfn/sfv/column/130020 keyhole]] on the side, implying that he's been locked inside the mask. G is the one who holds the key to unmasking Q (possibly keeping it inside his gold pocketwatch). One of the notes in Q's concept art also notes that he should "feel like he's being manipulated from behind the scenes".
354	** [[https://game.capcom.com/cfn/sfv/column/132495 G's concept art]] shows his Q-like story costume being worn by both a man and woman, implying that these two are followers and that there are some female Q's.
355	** G's ImageSong contains some choice lyrics that imply he's brainwashing people.
356	--->''"Be happy you don't have to think for yourself"''
357	--->''"Everybody takes part, whether you choose it or not"''
358	--->''"So don't ask why, just follow his stint"''
359
360	[[WMG: G's true identity is the demon '''G'''lasya-Labolas, the "President of Hell", and a far greater evil than the likes of Shadaloo or the Secret Society.]]
361	* As described [[http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sqkpt9 here]], there are several interesting pieces of evidence that paint G in a very sinister light.
362	** G's tattoos of the world on his body represent his idea of centrism: the world revolving around him.
363	** G owns a pocket watch, specifically the kind used by hypnotists.
364	** One of G's signature gestures is offering a handshake, which is symbolic of a contract.
365	** G's alternate costume is shown being worn by a woman, indicating a possible cult following which would be enforced by his Footube channel.
366	** Q is depicted as being in several places at once, indicating there are many Qs in existence.
367	** Q is depicted as being unable to control their own body, or even their own voice, being commanded and manipulated like a brainwashed puppet and forced to go against their own instincts into using G's fighting style.
368	** Q's wonpose involves them shedding a tear at the sight of their fallen opponent, sometimes before crushing their head beneath their foot.
369	** The fact that there are many Qs indicates that they are spies for G, sent around the world to spread his word.
370	** Q’s ending implies that he’s/they’ve been killing fighters. Glasya presides over ''bloodshed and murder''.
371	* Glasya is not the only Literature/ArsGoetia president whose name starts with G; Gaap also fits the bill, and is among the four main leaders with Beleth, Asmoday, and Belial to boot. Interestingly, while the Goetia refers to Glasya as a president and earl, the ''Book of Oberon'', calling him Gloolas, ranks him as a ''king.'' If G is Glasya, then being a president is perhaps a pretense to conceal his actual kingly ambitions. For even more fun, G is associated with gold, the metal needed to create the control lamens for ''kings''.
372
373	[[WMG: Future Season Pass rosters]]
374	* Season 4
375	** C.Viper- She'll be investigating the Illuminati or Q in her story.
376	** Necro- Will be on the run from the Illuminati in his story.
377	** Q- His story will reveal more about him or show his connection to G.
378	** Oro
379	** Sodom
380	** Phantom- F.A.N.G.'s apprentice from supplementary material whose story will focus on her training under F.A.N.G.
381	* Season 5
382	** Elena
383	** Makoto
384	** Rose
385	** Gen
386	** Dudley
387	** Rolento
388	* Season 6
389	** Fei Long
390	** T. Hawk
391	** Dan
392	** E. Honda
393	** Hakan
394	** Gill
395	* The format, at very least, is jossed; Ono has said that SFV will be steering away from the Season Pass model. Most of the characters are likely jossed as well, as it's been subtly implied/theorized that the reason for no more Season Passes is that Capcom is not planning on introducing enough characters to V to justify an entire other Pass.
396
397	[[WMG: New character additions]]
398	* Someone from Delta Red as there is more than enough information to create fighting styles for anyone that gets added.
399	* A member from Neo-Shadaloo, either the gorilla or the other guy.
400	* Someone from the Illuminati that serves Urien in the same way that Kolin serves Gill. They'll be infused with his metal powers like she was infused with Gill's ice powers because there have been enough electric power characters already.
401
402	[[WMG: Possible GuestFighter choices]]
403	* [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Morrigan]]
404	* VideoGame/CaptainCommando
405	* [[VideoGame/BionicCommando Nathan Spencer]]
406	* A ''VideoGame/BreathOfFire'' character
407	* [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry Dante]]
408	* [[Franchise/ResidentEvil Leon Kennedy]]
409	* ComicBook/SpiderMan
410	* ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}
411	* [[VideoGame/FatalFury Terry]] [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters Bogard]]
412	* [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Jin Kazama or Heihachi Mishima]]
413	* [[Franchise/MortalKombat Scorpion]]
414
415	[[WMG: Zeku trained in Northeast Asia]]
416	* The Tungus Tribe of Siberia are said to be the original Striders since the 19th century. Zeku traveled to Siberia to learn about Strider training from the Tungus Tribe. Zeku is not the first Strider, but learned to be a Strider from them, and incorporates their teachings into his own Bushinryu style when travelling back to Japan. This Strider-Bushinryu hybrid martial arts style, Shin Bushinryu, is passed on to Guy of ''Final Fight'', Ginzu/Sho of ''Captain Commando'' in 2026, and Strider Hiryu of ''Strider'' in 2048.
417	* Zeku learns the Teki energy kick from training with the Striders in Siberia. This technique gets passed down to Tong Pooh and the Four Winds sisters, and Kirin from ''Osman'' and ''Cannon Dancer''.
418	* Strider Hiryu is born in Siberia eighteen years before the events of ''Strider'', claims to be both Tungus and Japanese, and may be a descendant of Zeku, who fathers a child during his stay in Siberia.
419
420	[[WMG: Zeku and Bushin the god of war]]
421
422	Zeku's outfit references Bushin the god of war from ''VideoGame/ForgottenWorlds''. Bushin is the patron deity of the Bushinryu fighting style that has lasted for centuries, has existed since at least the Sengoku period, and is rumored to have originated in Tibet. Guy is shown meditating in front of the statue of Bushin in the ending of ''Capcom Fighting Evolution''. Practitioners of Bushinryu follow the tradition of meditation "in the shadow of Bushin," as with the motto, "Always meditate in preparation for war." Bushin is a powerful but neutral being, providing inspiration to the students of his fighting style. Bushin is not outright malicious until Bios arrives in the 29th century and activates Bushin, converting the god of war to his own side, as Bios has done with the Egyptian deities in Pyramid World, and Fujin and Raijin in Sky World. Because the boss fight shows Bushin under the influence of Bios, Bushin's appearance in ''Forgotten Worlds'' is not representative of Bushin's true nature.
423	* Also, 2-P is implied to be the second Unknown Soldier. He later came back in “Streetwise” as 2-Ill. Maybe he’s become aware of this thing?
424
425	[[WMG: Zeku creates a different Strider timeline]]
426
427	In the original ''Strider'', the Soviet Union survives into the 21st century and is taken over by the Kazakh Federation. This is an alternate future timeline that is not the same future as ''Street Fighter''. Zeku ends up creating a more contemporary version of ''Strider'' in the ''Street Fighter'' setting that diverges from the main ''Strider'' games.
428
429	[[WMG: Phantom, F.A.N.G.’s protege, is an amnesiac Marz]]
430	Given that F.A.N.G. managed to survive the fall, it’s reasonable to think she did too, unless F.A.N.G. killed and ate her too. Her memories busted by a combination of the sheer trauma she had as a Doll and the fall, she ended up enlisted into the ranks of the very man who took her down.
431
432	[[WMG: If Dan Hibiki does make it into the game, it'll not be how you expect.]]
433
434	OK, so if Dan gets in as the fortieth character, he'd probably get in as either regular old Dan or an Evil Dan variation, right?
435
436	Wrong.
437
438	If Dan gets in, I can see two ways it'll go. One, he'll get in, but as a follower of G. He will be brainwashed and wearing the Q mask and everything and making cult references and stuff.
439
440	But, there's another way. What if Dan comes not as Dan, but as the Keiko X-Kira datamined from Dojo Mode? Let me explain: Dan is some way in the process of transitioning, and they or she aren't Dan anymore, but Keiko. And they love being Keiko and won't have it any other way.
441
442	Plus, it'd explain their absence from the game; they don't wanna come in the game until they've finished transitioning!
443
444	Oh, and if you want references: there's lots of references to Dan/Keiko preferring a feminine gender presentation, envying women for wearing clothes, and even saying "I'd make a cute girl" in their quote about Ed (I think??)'s Darkstalkers costume. Dan/Keiko, if Capcom tries it, might even be the second trans character in the game. And I'd love that.
445	* Likely {{jossed}}. Developer footage of Dan confirmed he's his usual goofy, pink gi-wearing self.
446
447	[[WMG: G's "everyone is me" talk is an allusion to Walt Whitman's ''[[Literature/LeavesOfGrass Song of Myself]]'']]
448	After all, G is characterized as flaming American "Uncle Sam" type, combined oddly with "We are all one" universalist rhetoric. And the most distinctly American version of that rhetoric is probably Whitman's all-encompassing "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_of_Myself#%22Self%22 self]]".
449
450	[[WMG: The final fighter of Season V (and the game overall) will be released in February 2021.]]
451	Given how the number 5 is a prominent motif in the game (if you couldn't tell by now), it seems fitting that the final fighter would be released on SFV's fifth anniversary.
452	** Jossed--the final fighter will release in Fall 2021.
453
454	[[WMG: Season V will include the gorilla and the man accompanying Ed and Falke in Ed's Story Mode ending.]]
455	Out of the three people that accompanied Ed in his ending, only Falke became playable, while the two mentioned above were left out. It's entirely possible for them to finally gain playable status before SFV finishes its run--and if not, there's always a potential ''Street Fighter VI''.
456	** Jossed for at least one of them--four of the Season V characters aren't the gorilla or the man. Given that there's only one slot left, at least one of them will be DLC, but not both of them.
457
458	[[WMG: Luke is connected to Joe and/or Captain Commando.]]
459	* Some of Luke's attack animations are dead ringers for Joe's, so Joe may have trained him in some fashion.
460	* Something's up with Luke's forearms: he can make them swell and turn red to enhance some of his attacks. [=CapCom=] has cyber arms with flamethrowers in them.
461	* Luke's star motif aligns with the prominent star on [=CapCom's=] jacket.
462
463	[[WMG: Luke is Charlie's son or at the very least connected to him.]]
464	* One of Luke's costumes [[https://media.eventhubs.com/images/2021/09/21_luk1.webp really emphasizes the similarity between the two]], especially the haircut.
465	** Jossed to an extent. Luke's father is not Nash, but the similarities between them may end up being noted by Guile, as Luke's story involves being assigned to his unit.
466
467	[[WMG: Luke is connected to the Q plotline.]]
468	* The introduction to Luke's story mode has several nods and allusions to Q, such as the crowd of people running away and the incident being described in a mysterious but dangerous manner. Perhaps the biggest allusion, however, is Luke's father bearing somewhat of a resemblance to Q.
469
470	[[WMG: Luke is a nod to ''VideoGame/StreetFighter2010'']]
471	* Future of Street Fighter" and shooting projectiles from his arms. The main character of that game did that and at least in the English localization, "Ken" (Kevin in Japan) was a street fighter at some point. He may be just a nod to that or Capcom's looking to work in that in a more fitting fashion.
472
473	[[WMG: The warriors whose souls Necalli is prophesized to devour are not Ryu, Dhalsim, and M. Bison]]

Context WMG / StreetFighterV