Lili gets a makeover, just in time for Street Fighter 6!

Quick update today. If you didn’t get a chance to see the new trailer featuring Zangief, Lili, and Cammy please have a look. It is chock full of new moves for the returning character, and a complete makeover of the new character. I wrote a bit about Lili’s early design on a previous blog specifically I said 

“Lili’s outfit Inspired in part by Mayan fashion, which is more Central American, than Mexican. The Aztec, and Mayan cultures did not exist at the same time, nor in the same part of Mexico. Many character artists don’t necessarily know this, but lack of knowledge is not an excuse for coloring all natives with one brush. There were hundreds, if not thousands of unique indigenous tribes in North, Central, and South America. Lili is an okay design, much better than the joke characters featured in SF IV, or the cannibal featured in SFV.”

I do not now if Designer Yusuke Hashimoto took my criticism to heart, or the other Mexican voices asking for less stereotypical designs. Either way he went back to the drawing board, and delivered a much better character. Her look, choice of colors, and cut of her costume seem authentic, but are anything but traditional. Let’s start with the most obvious things. A number of elements were taken away from her look. The feather was taken out of her headband, and necklace. As was the war paint across her nose. A single string of beads does a lot more to sell her native roots, rather than movie stereotypes. Her weapon is decorated with accurate native patterns. Her costume is less of a poncho, or folksy dress, and instead made of denim. The material is durable, and long lasting. It is easily identified with the west, and native traditions. The cut of her shirt, pattern, and color choices were very deliberate. They reflect jaripeo culture, a sort of Mexican cowboy subculture. A jaripeo is actually a bull rider, so the toughest type of cowboy. Western hats, dresses, boots, and shirts are very in fashion. These are the types of things that a young girl like Lili would actually wear.

The addition of fringes, or tassels helps show movement on the costume, and is entirely accurate to the cultures she reflects. Also the pattern on her shirt is accented with red, and green over a white band. This is a nod to the colors of the Mexican flag. Even her denim shorts are red so they stand out. Her stage is a celebration of Mexico with some very obvert cues, but also details that I don’t think a lot of people noticed.

Yes there is a stereotypical guy wearing a poncho, and sombrero in the background. Also there are bottles of beer, pulque, and possibly mezcal or tequila in the background as well. Look beyond that to the elements that Capcom wanted to highlight, and celebrate. Starting with the banner above one of the trailers. It says Gente Orgullosa, which literally translates to Proud People. We understand that the “Thunderfoot” tribe doesn’t have much, but they do have family, and culture. This comes across in the myriad of details. Some of which include the alebrije. These are colorful creatures that sometimes resemble monkeys, dogs, birds, and jaguars. If you have seen the animated film Coco then you know what I’m talking about. There is a statue of an alebrije in the background. But that isn’t the only statue. There is a larger head with headdress in the corner. It looks like a mask worn in Aztec, and possibly earlier Sican ceremonies.

The more typical Mexican details are obvious. There is an enormous Aztec calendar in the background, piñatas, as well as paper picado, or streamers, hanging in the stage as well. We’ve seen these things before in other Mexican levels, such as those featured in the King of Fighters series. The real subtle things are hidden in plain view. The desert plants are accurate. We see an agave plant, it is native to Mexico, and it can be harvested for its sweet nectar, or to help make tequila. The yellow sunflowers are also native plants. They are used to decorate memorials, graves, and religious icons. They represent faith, loyalty, and adoration. There is also a hairless dog in the background, these are known as Xoloitzcuintli, or Xolo for short. Again, if you’ve seen the movie Coco then you remember these dogs.

Last of the details I’d like to mention are the Guerrero águila, or the “Eagle Riders/Warriors.” There is a statue that is easy to miss in the colorful stage. These are the fearsome warriors of the Aztec empire. They would wear elaborate armor made of animal bones, skins, and decorate their headdresses with bright feathers. In this way the gods would be able to see them in battle, and grant them favor. We can imagine that the massive T. Hawk would be considered the biggest warrior for the tribe, and Lili is trying to walk in his footsteps. What were some of the details that you found in the trailer? I’d like to hear about it in the comments section please. As always 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!