When Capcom upgraded Street Fighter IV into Super Street Fighter IV, they promised the addition of eight new characters.  That wold have been just fine, but since they love us so much, the Japanese publisher opted to add two more fighters, bringing ten new characters to the roster for a total of 35 “World Warriors.”  While this marks the largest roster of any Street Fighter game to date, Capcom apparently isn’t satisfied, and will be adding even more characters to the arcade version of Super Street Fighter IV.

Eventhubs.com has posted a flyer for the arcade verison of the game, which asks the pseudo-question, “Here Comes New Challengers,” but according to Kotaku, the Japanese text over this question is more direct, approximately equating to "The Appearance Of New Challengers!"  The addition of new fighters to the arcade version of Super Street Fighter IV would be essentially the opposite of what happened with Street Fighter IV, where new characters were added to the console version.

By my count, there have been a total of 57 unique playable characters (including boss characters) in the Street Fighter series, leaving 22 available for expansion.  Of course, Capcom could also create entirely new characters, but it’s a safe bet that at least a few will be existing characters.  Super Street Fighter IV machines will start showing up in Japan this weekend, so we’ll likely hear about the new additions very soon.  In the meantime, here are my picks for Street Fighter characters that need to be added to the arcade release and, eventually, become DLC for console versions.

Sean - Ken’s protege from the Street Fighter III series is in need of a post-adolescent makeover, and as we all know, one can never have enough Hadoken-throwers.

R. Mika - With new fighters like El Fuerte, Rufus, and Hakan, the Street Fighter IV series has shown that it isn’t afraid to show its goofier side, and R. Mika is right up there with the goofiest.  Plus, she’d probably have a crush on El Fuerte, which would be adorable.

Geki - Ya gotta have a bad-ass ninja.  Tekken has Yoshimitsu, Virtua Fighter has Kage Maru, Samurai Shodown has Galford, and Dead or Alive has Ninja effing Gaiden.  Hell, Mortal Kombat is practically nothing but ninjas, and yet the Street Fighter franchise hasn’t had a proper male ninja character since 1987.  It’s time to bring back Geki, expand his character a bit, and join the ninja train.

Joe - Another Street Fighter I character who hasn’t seen action since the late 80’s, Joe actually appears in the title sequence for Street Fighter II.  That should be enough reason right there.

Remy - Emo is in, and Remy is the very definition of Emo.  Skinny jeans and a permanenent look of indifference may not win fights on their own, but Remy’s moveset made him one of the most frequently played characters in all of Street Fighter III: Third Impact.  Plus, he’s got a mysterious history which may involve Abel, one of Street Fighter IV’s most popular new characters.

Elena - Elena just missed the cut on Super Street Fighter IV, so her inclusion in an update seems almost inevitable.  Not only is she a quick fighter with a capoiera-inspired style, she’s also damn near naked, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that people like naked women.

Q - Easily the most mysterious character in the franchise, Q is nearly a blank slate for Capcom to work with.  All that’s really known about him is that he’s big, strong, and quiet.  He may be a cyborg.  He may be a robot.  He may even be a group of different people who all dress and fight alike.  No one knows, and only Cacpom can decide.  Regardless, he’s extremely cool looking, and he’s a character that players want to know more about.

Poison - Remember the whole “people like naked women” thing from earlier?  Well, on a similar note, people also like slutty chicks.  Poison is the sluttiest thing to ever appear in a Capcom title, so her inclusion seems like a no-brainer.  They might want to sort out that whole “does she have a penis” thing before hand, though, just to be safe.

Alex - When Street Fighter III came out, it was clear that the series was moving forward. The number one indicator; Ryu was replaced by Alex as the game’s main character.  Of course, as the III series went on, Ryu was brought back, because he’s friggin’ Ryu, but Alex was still the poster boy for the series. He has barely been mentioned since, and is due for a comeback, and with the large amount of wrestlers in Super IV, Alex would have plenty of competition in the ring.

Mike Haggar - Speaking of competition in the ring, Mike Haggar, the former mayor of Metro City is just about the baddest dude to ever throw on wrestling tights, and probably the most requested character to not yet appear in a Street Fighter game.  Super IV added Cody and Guy to the roster, and the two quickly became favorites of players of all skill levels.  Adding their former friend would likely see similar results as former Zangief players would flock to the new grappler in droves.