Street Fighter 6 M. Bison impressions — Once a boss, always a boss

Year 2 of Street Fighter 6 kicks off with the return of another classic Street Fighter II character: M. Bison…or maybe he’s Vega…you can probably at least call him Dictator? This time around, even he doesn’t know for sure. Bison’s bout of amnesia following the events of Street Fighter V makes for one of Street Fighter 6’s strongest refreshes of a returning fighter, both from a gameplay sense and an aesthetic one.

As you might expect for the boss of an evil criminal organization, Bison’s playstyle has historically boiled down to bullying. His long-reaching attacks allow him to dominate the space between his opponent, wearing them down to a breaking point until they leave themselves open for devastating combos. Bison’s Psycho Crusher and Scissor Kick (Double Knee Press if you want to be lore-compliant) convey his playstyle as a space control-freak. They allow Bison to cross long distances and stuff out certain counters, allowing him to continue the pressure if spaced and timed correctly.

Bison retains the essence of his oppressive ways, but has forgotten his manners in his SF6 incarnation. Whereas before his moves and animations implied an air of dignity and superiority, he has now dropped all pretenses. His unkempt look and raggy clothes give a far different impression than his military getup. Only his pet horse harkens back to his roots, albeit in a way that implies that this is a Bison far past his heyday. His glory days behind him, he is a wilder, more fearsome fighter. And it’s not just because he stopped wearing a shirt.

The change that immediately stood out to me was his new Scissor Kick. Before, its power was primarily limited by the fact that it’s tied to a charge input: it can’t be executed on-demand and inherently limits your movement potential, because you have to be holding backwards to build the charge. Those chains have now been cut; Bison has seemingly forgotten about the charge requirement and can do Scissor Kicks with a simple quarter-circle input, totally changing the dynamic of the move. Now, he can essentially close the distance and stab his opponents with a pressure tool whenever he wants. These kicks prove safe on block if properly spaced, and either avoid or bury a lot of your opponent’s spacing tools like low attacks. If you land the kick, then Bison can begin his reign of terror with offensive mix-ups.

It’s kinda ridiculous! I’m far from a Bison expert, but even I found myself cutting otherwise competent opponents down to size with the pressure these Scissor Kicks provide. Scissor Kicks were already an essential tool in Bison’s arsenal, now they’re practically a constant.

Comparing the Scissor Kick to Psycho Crusher is almost comical. It’s still a decent move, but one appropriately limited by the need to charge it up. Unlike the kicks, you’re less safe on block so it’s more about using it as a counter attack. Psycho Crusher functions as a potentially expensive risk, one that more often than not pays off. It shuts out projectiles and aerial attacks fairly reliably, so as long as you have a good hunch on how the opponent will try to handle the distance between the two of you, let ‘er rip.

In a way I actually like how the changed input differentiates Scissor Kick and Psycho Crusher. They always had their unique uses, but previous iterations of Bison bordered on making the Psycho Crusher feel like an inferior version of the Scissor Kick. That’s still the case I guess, but their differences are now far more pronounced and their uses more easily distinguished.

Previously, these special moves mixed with some nice poking tools and aerial maneuvers were how Bison controlled the match. SF6 goes one step further and adds Psycho Mines to his arsenal. By landing the right move, Bison will plant mines on his opponent. They’ll explode after a set amount of time or by landing specific types of attacks, leading to extra damage. These mines let Bison to dictate the battle to a whole new level – with the right setups he can dominate the opponent with free hits on block or big damage combos.

This more ruthless Bison fits with the kind of game SF6 is at its core. The tried and true bully tactics have been supercharged and expanded upon, leading to the type of aggressive play that SF6 encourages. While I think it’s far too early to say where he’ll end up strength-wise in the meta of Street Fighter 6, he definitely feels strong. He may not be the boss of this game in particular, but let’s not kid ourselves. Bison is always the boss. I’ve struggled a bit to play Bison in the past, but given his new Scissor Kick, even I’ve been able to have fun playing him this time around.

It stands to reason then that Bison’s a great addition to SF6. He is in a lot of ways, but I do have some mixed feelings on his return overall. Even with the changes to his appearance, fighting style, and the potential this new direction has for him as a character, I feel a little disappointed that Capcom felt the need to bring Bison back right now. The last time that Bison failed to make an appearance in a Street Fighter game was in Street Fighter III, over 20 years ago. Given that a major focus of Street Fighter V focused on defeating Bison supposedly for good, it feels like they should have him sit at least the next game out for that decision to have any weight (no, Street Fighter III technically taking place after parts of V doesn’t count!).

Am I surprised that Bison lived to fight another day? Not really, it’s kind of his thing. However, the Street Fighter series has already introduced so many other unresolved threats like G, Gill, and JP that it seems a little uninspired to already come crawling back to the old reliable dictator. Still, whether it was now or in Street Fighter 7, Bison was always going to have a long future of bullying ahead of him. While I’m disappointed in the premise, I am impressed by the execution, and ultimately that’s what matters most when it comes to something inevitable like this. Bison has been the “boss” of Street Fighter since the second game and in some way or another he always will be. His appearance in SF6 builds on that legacy and solidifies his place as a mainstay, despite whatever ambitions the storytelling of Street Fighter may or may not have.

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