Manon in Street Fighter 6, representing a style over 200 years in the making

Today we’re going to look at Manon (originally listed as Mimi in the leaked concept art), a new character in Street Fighter 6. She hasn’t been officially announced, like some of the other ones I have previewed so far. So everything I’m going to talk about it just to place her in context. I think that understanding the roots of a character, their design, and especially their fighting art can help you appreciate them a little bit more. Manon is a leggy female fighter, she seems to be kick based. I mentioned her briefly on my symmetry blog. I said she looked like a balance to Juri. She was a sort of “good” version of the evil striker. It’s her implied form of fighting that I think is long overdue for the series. Manon hails from France, and based on the cut of her uniform it is likely that she represents a form of kickboxing known as Savate.

Savate translates to “old shoe” in French. The style of fighting is a few centuries old, and was created by French sailors. I do not believe for one second that the sailors just happened to invent a new form of fighting on their own. Quite the contrary, I think they picked up a number of lessons from various older forms of combat. In my history of the martial arts I mentioned that Buddhism started in India, and moved east. The monks helped pollenate the fighting arts throughout Asia. What I never talked about in the blog was how the fighting arts did not solely pollenate in one direction. Grappling was the oldest of fighting arts, with striking arts evolving from them. The differences between Muay Thai, and Karate were very distinct. One form was considered older, more lethal, while the other was more scientific in approach. Those nuances were applied to characters like Sagat, and Ryu, and in the process made them icons. They represented a pure style of their respective art.

The thing about the fighting arts, and their practitioners, is that many fighters throughout history were not content studying one style alone. The best fought against, and learned from different schools. In the process becoming MMA practitioners a few centuries before the term mixed martial arts was coined. These fighters in turn created new schools of fighting. Perhaps they taught a form of karate that included the kicks of kung-fu, the punches of boxing, with the knee, and elbow strikes of Muay Thai. Perhaps they taught the grappling techniques of Mongolia, with the throws of judo, and the joint locks of ju-jitsu. Masters of the fighting arts went back, and forth between different provinces, as well as continents. They dissected different forms, and found what worked for their method. I have no doubt that Savate was born from French involvement in global trade.

The “Silk Road” made famous by Marco Polo was only the beginning of Europe’s fascination with the East. Seafaring nations including England, Portugal, Spain, and France looked to set up trading routes all throughout the Indian Ocean. France specifically had been trading in Asia since the early 1500’s. Like many of the other nations of Europe they too looked to expand their empire. France colonized parts of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, and created French Indochina in 1887. I have no doubt that the French sailors that had been traveling through the ports of Thailand, Malaysia, and Burma were exposed first-hand to the ancient fighting arts of Muay Thai, as well as silat, and Muay Boran. Almost three hundred years of picking up techniques from port, to port, and refining them while on a ship helped make savate a distinct fighting style.

Savate is more akin to kickboxing than Muay Thai. The emphasis is on controlling distance, leaving space for kicks, and punches. In Muay Thai the fighters try to close the distance and kill an opponent with knees, and elbows. The uniform of the practitioners is also distinct. We picture a white gi, and black belt when we think of karate. We think of shorts, and corded wraps for Muay Thai boxers. In savate practitioners wear very light shoes, boxing gloves, and tights. I’m sure that the tights are part of the reason why it isn’t more popular with the men in the US. At the same time I’m surprised that Manon does not wear tight pants, shoes, or gloves. However part of what makes a Street Fighter design unique is that they only try to caricature the fighting art, not make it completely accurate. Manon’s uniform has about as much in common with Savate, as Juri’s does to Tae Kwon-Do. While you may not be aware of savate in US pop culture, its influence has been here for generations. The villain Georges Batroc the Leaper debuted in Marvel comics in 1966. This mercenary was played more recently in the Marvel films, and television shows by MMA legend Georges St-Pierre.

As far as video game adaptations there aren’t many notable savate heroes. Remy in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike was the first savate fighter in SF history. However most of his moves were poached on the techniques employed by Guile in SFII. Aside from that Ubisoft tried to represent the style in 2013. The Fighter Within debuted for Xbox One Kinect. The character Vincent “Vince” Taylor was a kickboxer, and savate practitioner. The Brit had a gentlemanly look about him. It helped capture the “proper” spirit of the French art. Sadly this game was a miserable experience. Character designs aside, there wasn’t a saving grace to it. The control, and game play left many wondering if Ubisoft just published a game that was still in beta. That’s why few people ever talk about it, or what the studio was going for. I am hoping that Manon sets a new standard. Already I love her design.

As I mentioned at the top of the blog she seems to be a balance to Juri. Like the other female stars her hair has a unique color, and shape. Her long legs, and exposed thighs were made for some fancy kicks. How those kicks will be different from Elena, Chun-Li, Cammy, and Juri remains to be seen. Either way the tireuse (female Savate practitioner) looks heroic. She wears the colors of her nation right on her costume. Look for the blue, white, and red dashes along her shorts. She also seems to be wearing a gold medal, with a ribbon also made in the national flag colors. A bit of trivia for you Savate was an exhibition event in the 1924 Olympics. I don’t think Manon is supposed to be 100-years-old. Instead Capcom is showing us that she’s the best in the sport, and a match for the World Warriors. I am eager to find out more about this character, and her special moves as the release date gets closer. What do you think of the character? Are you a fan of the striking arts? Is there a form of fighting you wish was in the series? I’d like to read your takes in the comments section. If you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!