In a special stream earlier today, Capcom laid out their plans for Street Fighter V: Champion Edition’s final DLC season, including four of the five characters being added.
The first fighter revealed is Street Fighter Alpha classic Dan Hibiki. He has been known for a long time as Street Fighter’s resident joke character, and now that he has another move shamelessly stolen from an SNK character (all in good taste) and some taunts that look like no joke, Dan is primed to take the world by storm. His fellow Alpha character Rose will also be joining the fight, with her infamous Soul Satellite super teased by the PlayStation Blog to be returning. Joining them will be the old master Oro from Street Fighter 3, an unknown fighter, and one other surprise.
Akira Kazama, the skull-adorned biker high school student, is making her first fighting game appearance in almost 20 years! One of the most popular characters from Capcom’s classic Rival Schools franchise, Akira was fondly remembered for the gameplay of her two separate versions (with and without her full biker gear) and for her excellent design. This marks the first time a Rival Schools character has been playable in a Street Fighter game, SF staple Sakura having been playable in RS many years ago. Capcom has also teased that some Rival Schools mechanics are being repurposed for her, which implies that she may have an unusually strong air game. Rival Schools was actually a testing ground for many mechanics that appeared in the Marvel Vs. Capcom series, including team supers, launchers, and air combos. Oldschool Capcom fans are keen on seeing how she turns out later next year.
Finally, to top off this refreshingly transparent showing of Street Fighter V from Capcom (please don’t ask, the last few years have been agonizing), we got a roadmap covering the next year. It seems the remaining Street Fighter V development team is taking things slow in quarantine, with Dan coming out this Winter and the rest of the characters releasing in the Spring, Summer, and Fall of 2021. Alongside them, we’re also getting at least four stages, a variety of costumes, balance changes, and a new game mechanic dropping alongside Dan.
Capcom’s next fighter is evidently a while off, but Street Fighter V: Champion Edition is here to keep us company. This was a fantastic presentation, and I hope more like it comes from the fighting game division in the future. And please, please tune up the netcode.
