Street Fighter V featured 16 characters at launch.
The initial roster included returning fighters such as Ryu, Chun-Li, Ken, Cammy, Zangief, and M. Bison, alongside newer faces including Rashid, Laura, F.A.N.G., and Necalli. Four of the 16 launch characters were new to the Street Fighter series.
That number applies to the original release in February 2016, not to the game’s eventual roster. Capcom expanded Street Fighter V through seasons of downloadable content and updates, ultimately adding 30 more playable characters. Later editions, including Arcade Edition and Champion Edition, therefore contained far more fighters than the launch version.
The launch count is also easy to confuse with Street Fighter IV’s original roster or with the larger character totals advertised for later versions of Street Fighter V. The base game’s relatively small roster was one reason early reviews criticized its lack of content, even though the fighting system and presentation were widely praised.