


Bison were omitted from the original version of Street Fighter EX2, although Darun, Pullum and M. Allen Snider, Blair Dame, Darun Mister, Pullum Purna and M. Dhalsim, who was in Street Fighter EX Plus α, also returns along with four additional characters new to the EX series: Blanka and Vega from Street Fighter II, along with new characters Sharon (a redheaded female special agent) and Hayate (a Japanese swordsman).

Recurring Street Fighter characters Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Zangief, and Guile, all of whom were in the original Street Fighter EX, return in EX2, along with original characters Hokuto, Doctrine Dark, Skullomania, and Cracker Jack. However, the player cannot connect any move with the same move, nor is it possible to cancel special moves into basic moves during an Excel Combo. During an Excel Combo, the player begins with a basic move and can follow up with a different basic move or follow-up a basic move with a special move, which can be followed by a different special move. Much like the "Custom Combos" featured in the Street Fighter Alpha series, Excel Combos allows player to connect a series of basic and special moves for a limited time. The primary new feature in the game are "Excel Combos", ("excel" being an abbreviation for "extra cancel"). The original version of Street Fighter EX2 retains all of the features from the previous game, Street Fighter EX Plus, including original features such as "Guard Breaks" (unique moves which cannot be blocked by an opponent) and "Super Canceling" (the ability to cancel a Super Combo into another Super Combo).
