How To Dominate As M. Bison in Street Fighter 6

Capcom's guide is great, but here's some additional tips!

Bison can be a bit wild if you don't know how to control him. / Image: Capcom

Now that M. Bison is live in Street Fighter 6, its time to learn how to play as the Dictator. M. Bison isn't a particularly beginner friendly character so it's going to be important to understand how he plays. Whether you want to pick him up as a main, have him as a pocket pick, or just want to understand more about him, here's somethings to know about M. Bison and how to wrap your brain around his playstyle.

1. Like Guile, Blanka, and Honda, M. Bison is a "Charge" Character

Like his previous iterations, M. Bison is a "charge" character. That means some of his move are executed by holding down or back and the quickly pressing forward and a attack button. If you've been playing characters like Ryu, Akuma, or Luke charge characters can be hard to wrap your head around.

That being said, if you've progressed in the World Tour, you can play the KA*RA*TE mini-game in the single player mode to practice charge inputs.

2. Psycho Mine is CRITICAL

At first glance, it's easy to infer that M.Bison's "Backfist Combo" is an important tool for him. It not only is a great combo ender, but it also applies (and detonates) Psycho Mine. But don't just think the Mine is for extra damage or combos. It's a status that makes nearly everything Bison can do more dangerous.

The first thing it does is give Bison HUGE frame advantage on his special moves. Basically this means moves that weren't safe before (like his Knee Press and Psycho Crusher) are now safer to do. If your opponent blocks them, you can still act first.

Also, if you land an EX Psycho Crusher when your opponent has the Mine on, you get a huge cinematic throw that let's you combo afterwards. This unlocks MASSIVE damage for Bison's combos and is central to his game plan.

3. Use His Strong Buttons To Control Space

SF6 Bison is also a call back to some of the older versions of the character that had great normals. In this game, Bison's standing medium kick, crouching medium kick and standing medium punch are great for neutral game.

In the same vein, Bison as tons of special move cancels and combo paths from light punch and kick. Meaning that even small openings provide him with big combo opportunities. Do not ignore his great buttons.

4. Shadow Rise Is Powerful, But Don't Abuse It

The "Shadow Rise" is Bison's command jump that gives him access to his signature aerial moves, "Devil Reverse" and "Head Press." These techniques are can lead to some very confusing situations for your opponents because they don't know which move is coming out when Bison jumps.

However, keen eyed fighters will be able to parry, reversal or drive rush away from these moves leaving you open to counter attack. Over use Shadow Rise and you'll find yourself getting blown up quick.

5. Bison Lacks a True Reversal.

Some of the best characters in the game have moves that are invincible on start-up and can beat out aggressive opponents. Moves like Ryu/Ken/Akuma's "Shoryuken," Luke's "Rising Uppercut," and Juri's "Tensinrin" are all examples of reversals. Bison does not have an analogous move.

What this means is that he's going to struggle against opponents that can keep up pressure on him without burning Super Meter or Drive Gauge. So if you want to avoid a sticky situation, you'll want to be utilizing Bison's phenomenal Drive Rush and mobility to be the aggressor yourself.