'Street Fighter 5' character roster rumors update: Ken Masters to be no-show

Capcom

One of the most elusive PlayStation 4 titles is the next installment in the "Street Fighter" series. Still, hardcore fans keep on speculating on how "Street Fighter 5" will look like when it is released, and which characters will make it to the list of fighters.

In the latest round of speculations, there are 15 characters that would comprise the latest fighters' roster for the game. Making their comeback are franchise mainstays Ryu, Chun Li, Alex, and Nash. Together with the four are Elena, M. Bison the dictator, Dudley and Urien; and to complete the old cast are Abel, C. Viper, Poison, and Hugo. 

Meanwhile, another character mainstay, Akuma, will be debuting as a Day 1 DLC character. 

Noticeably absent from the roster is Ken Masters. According to rumors, Ken will not be appearing in the latest instalment of "Street Fighter." To make up for the character's absence, "Street Fighter 5" will instead introduce two new characters, Kuan and Sherry. 

Kuan hails from Vietnam, and is considered to be the right-hand man to M. Bison. He is a former military man and dabbles into science. As such, he injects himself with drugs to complement each of his three fighting styles.

In addition to Kuan, there will also be a new female fighter called Sherry. She is in her 20s and is actively pursuing Kuan, who she believes kidnapped her mother. Her fighting style is rumored to be a cross between Cammy's and Fei Long's. 

Apart from the character leak, there are also speculations that prior to the official release of the game, there will be an online beta to gauge the newest game. In the beta, there will be three unlocked stages, and players can choose their characters from M. Bison, Sherry, Alex; Nash, Ryu, and Chun Li. The beta release will be available for players who pre-order the game. 

"Street Fighter 5" is scheduled for release in the early months of 2016 for the PlayStation 4 and PC.