Twenty-six years is a long time to wait for a sequel. When Dotemu, Guard Crush Games, and Lizardcube finally dropped the fourth entry in the legendary Sega franchise, fans weren't just looking for nostalgia; they were looking for a reason to keep playing beyond the first hour. It turns out, the secret sauce wasn't just the hand-drawn art or the pounding soundtrack. It was the roster. The Streets of Rage 4 characters managed to bridge a massive generational gap by respecting the pixelated past while introducing mechanics that feel modern, deep, and occasionally, completely broken in the best way possible.
Choosing a main in this game isn't just about who looks coolest. It’s about how you want to interact with the rhythm of the street.
The Original Trio and the Weight of Legacy
Axel Stone has seen better days. He’s got a bit of a "hobo-chic" beard going on now, and he’s slower than you probably remember from the Mega Drive days. But that’s the point. Axel is the quintessential "all-rounder" who actually requires a fair bit of technical skill to master in this outing. His Grand Upper is still legendary, but in Streets of Rage 4, it’s all about the defensive properties. Honestly, if you’re playing Axel, you’re playing a game of patience. You’re waiting for that opening to unleash a flurry of fists that ends in a screen-clearing special move.
Blaze Fielding, on the other hand, remains the queen of the streets. She’s faster, her vertical game is better, and her "Kikousho" palm strike is a literal life-saver when you’re cornered by those annoying Shield Cops. What’s interesting about Blaze is her aerial priority. While most characters feel heavy, Blaze has this flow that allows you to juggle enemies in a way that feels almost like a fighting game rather than a traditional brawler. It’s fluid. It’s satisfying.
Then there’s Adam Hunter. Fans screamed for him for decades. Seeing him return with a dash ability that none of the other "classic" characters have was a stroke of genius by the developers. Adam plays like a middle ground between a heavy hitter and a speedster. His combos feel deliberate. When he kicks, you feel the impact. He’s arguably one of the most balanced Streets of Rage 4 characters because he has the mobility to get out of trouble, which Axel desperately lacks.
The New Blood: Cherry and Floyd
Cherry Hunter brings the guitar. Literally. As Adam’s daughter, she fills the "speedster" niche previously held by Eddie "Skate" Hunter. She’s the only character in the base roster who can run. This changes the entire dynamic of the game. If you’re playing as Cherry, you aren’t just walking up to thugs; you’re darting in, landing a four-hit combo, jumping on their shoulders, and slamming their heads into the pavement. She has low health, though. One wrong move against a boss like Estel, and you’re toast.
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Floyd Iraia is the antithesis of Cherry. He’s huge. He has cybernetic arms. He can’t run, and his walk speed is basically a crawl. But man, his reach? Unmatched. Floyd is for the players who love crowd control. He can grab two enemies at once and bang their heads together. It never gets old. His "Gatling Punches" special is essentially a delete button for health bars. He represents the "tank" archetype perfectly, proving that you don't need to move fast if you can just pull everyone toward you with bionic magnets.
Understanding the "Star Move" Economy
Every character has a Star Move. It’s your "get out of jail free" card. But the way different Streets of Rage 4 characters use them varies wildly.
Take a look at the utility:
- Axel’s Spirit Burst is great for 360-degree clearing.
- Blaze’s Star Move is more directional but deals massive damage to bosses.
- Floyd creates a literal laser beam of death.
The game forces you to decide. Do you save that star for the final phase of a boss, or do you use it because three Galsias are about to poke you with knives? It’s a risk-reward system that keeps the gameplay from becoming a mindless button-masher.
The DLC Shift: Estel, Max, and Shiva
When the Mr. X Nightmare DLC arrived, it didn't just add more Streets of Rage 4 characters; it fundamentally shifted the meta.
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Shiva is a fan favorite for a reason. He’s a "no weapons" specialist. He literally refuses to pick up a pipe or a sword; he’ll just kick it at the enemy instead. This sounds like a handicap, but Shiva’s mobility is so high that he doesn't need tools. His shadows do the work for him. Playing Shiva feels like playing a high-speed action game hidden inside a brawler. He’s arguably the strongest character in the game if you know how to manage his clones.
Estel Aguirre was a boss who became playable, and she kept all that "boss energy." She’s tactical. She uses grenades and flashbangs. She feels like a professional soldier dropped into a street fight. Her moves have a lot of "weight," and her ability to stun lock enemies makes her a monster in co-op mode.
Max Thunder is the return of the wrestling king. If you thought Floyd was a heavy hitter, Max is a nuclear bomb. His sliding tackle and power bombs are iconic, but in the fourth game, they gave him a "vortex" move that sucks enemies in. It’s chaotic. It’s loud. It’s exactly what the game needed to round out the "heavyweight" category.
The Retro Factor
We have to talk about the retro unlocks. You can play as the 16-bit versions of the characters from SoR1, SoR2, and SoR3. This isn't just a skin. These characters have their original move sets, their original sound effects, and they even lack the "wall bounce" mechanics of the modern characters.
Playing as SoR2 Axel feels like a completely different game than playing as SoR4 Axel. The retro characters are often "broken" in specific ways—like SoR3 Shiva’s infinite combos—which provides a fascinating history lesson in game balance. It’s a love letter to the fans who spent their childhoods in front of a CRT television.
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Complexity Beneath the Surface
The biggest misconception about Streets of Rage 4 characters is that they are simple. They aren't. Each character has a "hidden" depth through the Blitz moves and the alternate specials unlocked in the Survival Mode.
You can actually swap out your default Special move for something else. This turns the roster from a set of 12-15 characters into a massive library of customizable builds. Want an Axel that is more mobile? You can swap his moves to give him a better gap-closer. Want a Blaze that focuses entirely on area-of-effect fire damage? You can do that too.
The combo system is where the "Expert" level play happens. Using the environment—bouncing a punk off a wall, catching them with a mid-air knee, and then finishing with a ground-to-air special—requires frame-perfect timing. It’s more Street Fighter than Final Fight.
Nuance in Difficulty
Not every character is viable for a "Mania+" difficulty run. Or rather, some make it a nightmare. If you’re playing on the hardest settings, mobility is king. This is why you see so many high-level players gravitating toward Adam or Shiva. Axel’s lack of a run or a dash makes him a "true" challenge mode character in the eyes of the community. You have to know the enemy spawns perfectly because you can't just dash away when a Big Ben starts charging at you.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Session
If you're looking to actually improve your game or finally crack that S-Rank on Stage 12, here is how you should approach the roster:
- Start with Blaze (SoR4): She is the most forgiving character for learning the "bounce" mechanics. Her jumping special is great for avoiding ground-based attacks while maintaining offense.
- Unlock the Alternate Moves ASAP: Dive into the Survival Mode (from the DLC). The alternate moves for characters like Axel and Cherry completely change their tier placement. Axel’s "Dragon Roll" is a game-changer for his mobility.
- Abuse the Green Health: Remember that using a special move costs health, but it becomes "green" health. You can earn it back by hitting enemies. If you play aggressively, you can use specials almost infinitely. Characters with fast multi-hit combos (like Cherry or Shiva) are best for this "vampire" style of play.
- Master the Defensive Special: Every character has a "Neutral Special" that provides invincibility frames (i-frames). This is your primary way to dodge unavoidable damage. If you see a boss wind up, don't run. Press the special button.
The brilliance of the Streets of Rage 4 characters lies in their diversity. Whether you want the slow, methodical power of Floyd or the chaotic, screen-zipping madness of Shiva, the game rewards you for learning the nuances. It’s a rare example of a modern game that understands exactly why its ancestors were great while refusing to be held back by their limitations. Get out there, find your rhythm, and stop letting the Galsias take your health.