Summary
Street Fighter 6’s first season of DLC was announced before the game’s launch, and with the recent release of A.K.I, it is already halfway over.SF6sees the now much older original characters settling into new ways of life following the defeat of Shadaloo inSF5, accompanied by a new generation of fighters. While Ryu has overcome the temptation of the Satsui no Hadou, he is still challenged by one fighter who gave in to it: the murderous Akuma. Akuma is scheduled to beStreet Fighter 6’s final DLC character for the first season, meaning that one of Ryu’s most fearful rivals will be back, bringing a much more violent take on the Shoto fighting style along with him.
Ryu has long been established as the defaultStreet Fightercharacter for newcomers. He is the face of the series, and his mechanics helped to establish the foundation of the series' fundamentals. Ryu fits into theshoto archetype. He has a fireball, an uppercut, and can effectively fight up close and control space. He is the baseline for this type of character, while Ken and the upcoming Akuma will provide more aggressive variations. While Ken is focused on speed and rushing the opponent down, Akuma, in previous entries, has been something of a glass cannon. This seems unlikely to change inStreet Fighter 6.
Akuma Has a Long History in Street Fighter
Akuma first made his debut inStreet Fighter 2:Turbo, the fifth iteration ofSF2. He has since appeared in essentially every game in the series. While Ryu’s struggle with the Satsui no Hadou is no longer his character’s primary struggle,Akumais still invested in him as an opponent, and his evil nature likely means that the villain is here to stay. His importance in game play also reinforces this fact; Akuma is often the most intricate Shoto in any givenStreet Fightertitle. A few ideas often define Akuma:
Akuma is a Glass Canon that Requires High Precision
One of Akuma’s defining traits in previous games is that he has lower health than most other characters. WhileSF6equalized most characters' health, it would be unsurprising to see Akuma have the lowest health in the game. To make up for this, Akuma has traditionally had a ton of different attacks that he can use in almost any situation.Timing inStreet Fighter 6is essential to every character, but if this iteration of Akuma is like previous ones, he will be particularly challenging in that aspect. While he has a ton of options, his combos have often been intricate, meaning that playing him requires consistency and skill in order to maximize damage and avoid getting killed.
Akuma Will be an Aggressive Character in an Aggressive Game
Street Fighter 6is a game that already rewards aggression, so Akuma will likely push that to its extreme as the franchise’s resident glass canon character. Drive rush has given most characters an effective way of closing the distance between them and opponents, so Akuma’s strength inSF6will be determined by how rewarding his combos are. Ken has stood out as one ofSF6’s best characters because of the amount of damage he can get off of combos beginning with simple jabs, so if Akuma can compete in that regard, he will instantly be a viable character incompetitiveStreet Fighter. Akuma has traditionally had a lot of options in the air, which will also help to set him apart inSF6.
While the details ofAkuma inStreet Fighter 6are still undisclosed, players can expect a character that rewards precise and aggressive game play, and probably a character that is punished for their mistakes more than others in the game. Akuma isn’t unapproachable, but he is typically a character best suited for the hands of veteran players with a lot of experience. It is fitting, then, that his release follows the addition of Ed. He was added inSFVand offered simplified controls, which could makeStreet Fighter 6’s Edthe perfect character for players seeking to transition from modern to classic controls.
