Today we’re going to look at Marisa, the new heavy hitter featured in Street Fighter 6. Marisa was leaked along with the rest of the lineup when only Ryu, Luke, Jaimie, and Chun-Li had been confirmed. So what do we know about her, and her fighting style? Nothing yet. At least nothing officially. But what can we infer from her design? Let’s start with the most obvious thing, her size. Marisa is huge. She’s easily the biggest female in a SF game, and possibly the tallest female character in the SF universe. I have to double-check, but I’m pretty sure of it. The easiest explanation for why a fighter like her appears goes to SF6 Designer: Yusuke Hashimoto. He Produced Bayonetta, and Directed Bayonetta 2. The leggy witch is actually eight feet tall, not as tall as Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil, but it is fair to say that Capcom has a thing for tall ladies. Not that I’m complaining, let alone the community.
Women of different sizes, and body types had been missing in pop culture. Little by little big women, strong women, and fat women started showing up. More important, they began being accepted. The gigantic Zarya as a tank character in the 2016 game Overwatch was a milestone. More recently Luisa Madrigal in the 2021 film Encanto gave Disney a wake up call. Studio executives were sure that her sister Isabela, who looked like a traditional Disney princess, would be the most popular character in the film. So they made sure there were dolls, and other merchandise of her available when the movie came out. Instead the big, and strong Luisa was the show-stealer. Both girls, and boys clamored for products featuring her. The company scrambled to put together soft goods, and get toys on the shelf due to the demand. Women have typically been presented as very curvy, and feminine in the SF series. Based on just her build Marisa is a welcome addition to the SF6 cast. To weigh all opinions let’s bring up a point. Pro E-sports player
Ricki Sophie Ortiz wondered if Marisa was possibly a trans character. It would be cool if she were, but we will find out in time. Whether Marisa is, or isn’t, the question demonstrated how far society had progressed since the series had started over 35 years ago.
Let’s talk about where Marisa comes from so we can figure out who she is as a character. She represents Italy in the newest tournament. Italy had been represented before in the SF universe in both 2D, and 3D games. Rose debuted in Street Fighter Zero / Alpha in 1995. She did not look anything like a traditional martial arts master. Her appearance mirrored that of Vega / Dictator. She had psychic powers, wore a dress, with heels, and fought with a scarf. It was inferred that she was
Romani fortune teller (try not to call her a gypsy because that word is actually a slur). This combination of elements worked in her favor, and she became popular with the fans. Her use of mystical powers brought the supernatural into the canon of SF. Vulcano Rosso was an entirely different type of fighter. His outfit seemed to be zipped together pieces of different colored leathers. Also making him look anything but a traditional martial arts master. He debuted in Street Fighter EX2+ in 1998. The flamboyant secret agent used quick strikes, and fire-based special attacks that he named after Roman landmarks. Marisa broke the trend, and looks like an MMA champion that could destroy someone in the octagon, as well as the street. To figure out her fighting style we should look at the clues that Capcom has given us.
The studio has created some beautiful stages set in Italy. The Roman Colosseum featured in SFZ was based on the location of the legendary fight between
Bruce Lee, and Chuck Norris in the film The Way of the Dragon. The canals of Venice, and the ship the Neptune are the backdrop of Rose’s memorable stages. With all of this history, and attention to detail I think that the team at Capcom went deep into the creation of Marisa. When I first saw her I thought of two things; ancient Italian football, and the roots of MMA. Let me explain.
Marisa’s costume, and even her haircut is very distinct. Over her trunks she is wearing a tabara, or armored skirt. This fashion item was worn by soldiers for thousands of years. From ancient Roman times, all the way up to Middle Ages there was a version of the skirt all throughout Europe. You can even see MMA fighters like Melvin Manhoef, and boxers wearing a version of this skirt. The shape of her hair is also distinct. Look at the way it falls flat over her ear, and around her eyes. Most female boxers, and MMA fighters wear thier hair in tight braids. This way it avoids getting in their eyes, or pulled inadvertinly in a grapple. Marisa's hair is shaped more like a
Chalcidian Helmet. Then there are the markings on her gloves. They look like a dagger, the same shape that she wears around her neck in a gold chain. This could be seen as a dagger carried by a
the Legionary or professional heavy infantryman. Unlike Guile, or Cammy, she doesn't appear to be dressed as a soldier. With the armor, and dagger motifs applied to her I would say she was designed after an ancient Roman gladiator.
Even though she is wearing gloves, the fact that she is not wearing boots suggests that she is not representing professional boxing. Also based on her other visual clues I'm going to say she is not practicing modern MMA. I am going to say that Marisa studies pankration,
an ancient form of boxing, and wrestling that was essentially the mixed martial arts of the first Olympics. According to legend pankration was created by Heracles, and Thesius in ancient times. Marisa may be representing the oldest form of western combat in a series dominated by Eastern traditions. As an aside, given her size, and build Marisa was probably familiar with Calico Fiorentino. This was an ancient version of rugby / football that is still played today. I coud imagine her plowing through guys in her youth, and giving her the confidence that she could take on the strongest fighters regardless of gender. This in turn lead to her identifying as the modern gladiator.
As for the colors assigned to her, I think they may be among the best choices in the new SF lineup. When it comes to color choices for a costume I am firm believer that less is more. Having one main color, and one or two accent colors defined the original World Warriors. Black is her main color, accented in gold. There is also red thrown in for contrast. We have seen examples of black, and gold as solid color choices previously. Darun Mister in the EX series, and King Cobra in the planning stages demonstrated that the combination worked surprisingly well. They also demonstrated that gold, the metal, worked as details on jewelry, and costume without distracting from the overall presentation.
The SF series has always had someone representing pro boxing. Ed may fit the bill in SF6, and we saw Luke throw some powerful punches in the trailer. I think Marisa is also set up to be a great puncher, and moreover be thought of as the heavyweight champ in the game. Ed, and Luke appear more like cruiserweights by comparison. I am eager to see a full trailer, and move breakdown for Marisa. Zangief has always been my go-to character, but it would be fun to have a grappler, and puncher as well like Alex, or not Marisa. What about you? What do you think she brings to the lineup? Is there a detail that stood out to you for this character? I'd like to hear your thoughts in the comments section. If you would like to sponsor me
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