The Street Fighter 6 pre-order trailer, a look at Manon, the graceful judo practitioner

In the previous blog I mentioned that Street Fighter 6 Director Takayuki Nakayama, Producers Kazuhiro Tsuchiya, and Shuhei Matsumoto, and Designer Yusuke Hashimoto were doing a much better job with design, diversity, and inclusion than in either SFIV, and SFV. Although they were working with Capcom on the previous games the final direction of the series was in the hands of Yoshinori Ono, whom as a director I had argued took the franchise into some dumb places. The roots of some great characters were in both SFIV, and SFV, however some of the best ideas seemed left on the cutting room floor. The decision to put Rufus in the game instead of King Cobra set the tone that Mr. Ono would be going with during his time leading the projects. I had mentioned previously that Capcom was able to make a memorable character out of an ugly stereotype in the early days of SFII. Mr. Ono didn’t seem to have the same level of insight that I believe the franchise deserved. I contend that many of the new cast members in Street Fighter 6 are an attempt to redo the plans the staff had much earlier.

In the planning stages of SFIV the team wanted to introduce an androgynous young grappler.The skinny boy in pigtails would eventually evolve into the hulking Abel. The French-raised fighter was a master at judo. The game series had always had a spot open for the various fighting arts, including judo. The decision to make Abel large, and muscular, along with the rest of the cast, was specifically to make him appeal to western audiences. Capcom saw that the most popular games in the USA featured buff characters. Popular FPS titles like Doom, and Gears of War had characters that were more bodybuilder than standard body types. Hence Abel was hyper muscular, as were Ken, and Ryu. Even skinny characters like Dhalsim now had broad shoulders, and developed pecs, and biceps. Not only that, but the game also gave Abel some absurd judo throws to show off his strength.

It was the animation that I found most jarring with the new characters introduced in SFIV. The fact that the obese Rufus could move faster than the skinniest fighters took me out of the game. But that was just a part of a bigger trend. The best grab moves in the series were impossible, but plausible. The fact that Abel would grab an opponent by the collar, and easily swing them around like a Tom and Jerry cartoon made little sense in context with the lineup. It was certainly believable against small, and skinny fighters like Sakura, or Dhalsim, but looked absurd when doing that to E. Honda, Zangief, or Hugo. Plus what exactly was Abel grabbing if the opponents did not have a collar? These were things that the designers did not seem to consider. Not only that but some of his moves lacked the setup that coded the special attack as a judo move. Street Fighter 6 needed a cast whose moves were grounded more in that plausible reality. In order to do that the studio had to literally go back to the drawing board. What they gave us was a new take on the original SFIV plans.

A fighter that we could identify was French was on the menu. Accomplishing this was easy. Using the colors of a national flag was one way that the artists at Capcom would code the lineup. In an early Abel draft, as well as an alternate costume we see him wearing wrestling tights, and a gold medal. Manon’s costume features similar colors, and striping on her outfit as well. In order to make her appear as more of a judoka rather than a wrestler she is wearing a juka top, along with her medal and black belt. Notice however that Manon is wearing her top off-the-shoulders in a very fashionable way. Not only that but her hair is colorful, and stylish. These are all details that support her story. According to her bio she is “A super model and world champion judoka, Manon is an idealist, forever seeking self-improvement in the pursuit of beauty. She struts the catwalk of street fighting to become the world's strongest model.” We can see a bit of her flair in the trailer, and can make comparisons to other fashion icons, and beauty figures like Paris Hilton.

I strongly hoped that Manon was a practitioner of Savate, and with the cut of her outfit even predicted her to be one. It turned out that was not the case, but there was a reason for the tights after all. The range of motion they provided complimented the grace she fought with. We see her spin, leap, and twirl in the air with the ease of a ballerina. If she is a supermodel, then it stands to reason she might be an accomplished dancer as well. Manon might be the most polished model in the genre. No doubt she knows more about the world than other affluent girls that attended a prestigious finishing school.

The SF6 pre-order trailer is filled with many examples of Manon fighting with the grace of a dancer. The moves of Juri, or Chun-Li are focused on delivering strong attacks with their legs, and not so much with their hands. Chun-Li is rooted in sweeping kung-fu strikes, whereas Juri has more open tae kwon do kicks. Manon’s legs are long, and lanky. Her thighs are nowhere as thick, and developed as Chun-Li. This means she does not do a lot of striking with her legs, however her flexibility as a dancer helps her cut down the space between opponents with a leaping kick, while setting up another grapple.

Manon's moves are more plausible for the character, and more important, are more believable for a judoka. Unlike other martial arts judo, and ju-jitsu are not about size, and strength. Certainly a large person with a grasp of the martial arts could do some serious damage. Judo is not about strength, it works through leverage, balance, and a fulcrum. A smaller opponent can easily flip a larger person. Anyone that has tripped over a bench could tell you that gravity does most of the work of falling over. We see these things in action in the SF6 footage. Manon may have dance-like moves, but she also grips her opponent like an actual judo practitioner. In all of her throw moves we see her drop her hip under the opponent’s center of balance. Then she sweeps the leg, and flips them upside down. She grabs their wrist, and controls the landing. It doesn’t matter if the character has a collar to grab onto or not, she is simply tipping them over. They may be exaggerated attacks, but these are fundamental judo moves.

Unlike the cartoonish moves that Abel was given in SFIV, the ones that Manon employs are grounded in actual judo. She doesn’t swing opponents in the air, or toss them like rag dolls. Her throws do not require her to be overly strong. Even massive characters like Hugo, and Abigail would flip head over heels if someone tripped them over their center of gravity. The best moves in the series are inspired by actual martial arts, whether it is a karate uppercut, Muay Thai knee, boxing punch, or wrestling suplex. They can all be made to look fantastic, while not breaking the suspension of disbelief for the audience. In paying attention to all of these elements in the costume cues, moves, and animation of Manon I think that the SF6 team has created a fighter that has more staying power than Abel. The thing that Capcom does better than most studios is exaggerate the method, and outcome of the attacks in animation without going overboard. This is the magic of creating Street Fighter special, and super attacks.

I have established that Kimberly is another take on the Guy template, JP follows closely on the heels of Falke, and that Manon appears to be a new version of Abel. What about Marisa, the other new character revealed in the SF6 pre-order trailer? Is she a new take on an existing character, or is she an entirely new idea? I would argue that Marisa was a redo of one of the cringiest characters in the series. I will explain how, and why in the next blog. I hope to see you back for that. I would like to hear your take on any of the new characters slated for SF6. Who are you going to main when the game drops in 2023? Let me know in the comments section. 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!

A look at Marisa, the Street Fighter 6 gladiator...

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 please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

A first take on Jamie, the new Street Fighter 6 character

The full Street Fighter 6 trailer dropped recently. Make sure to check it out before continuing. Today we are going to focus on Jamie, the young kung-fu fighter. He is one of the new characters introduced in the footage, and apparently the friendly rival to Luke. I will be going through every character announced so far, the changes made to those returning, as well as those that were leaked in more depth. But for now let’s focus on Jamie. The character is listed as from Hong Kong. As you may know it was previously under British colonial rule before being handed over to China. Culturally they people from Hong Kong had more western influences, and freedoms, thus the transfer to a more authoritarian government was met with resistance. Jamie is similar to other young Street Fighter (SF) characters in that he wears what appears to be traditional martial arts gear, with a hint of modern touches. This trend for the series started in 1997 with Street Fighter III. Yun, and Yang were twin brothers that wore what appeared to be traditional outfits, but skateboarded, and inline skated respectively.

The other thing that stood out for the character was the name. Jamie is not a name that we might consider traditionally Chinese. To be fair, a number of Asians have both traditional names, and adopted western names. For example Lee Jun-fan was the birth name of Bruce Lee, and Fang Shilong is the birth name of Jackie Chan. Capcom often gives the staff leeway on the names they select. James Goddard named his Black kickboxer DeeJay in Super Street Fighter II. It is well known that pro fighting game player, and Seth the boss in Street Fighter IV was named after former Capcom Community Manager Seth Killian. If I were to guess where the name Jamie came from it would be from actress Jamie Lee Curtis. She famously attended the EVO tournament in a full Balrog / Claw costume. She has been known to dress up as various pop culture icons in order to attend conventions incognito with her family.

Jamie moves unlike almost any other character in the series, or in fighting games in general. In the trailer we see footage of him spinning, flipping, and tumbling with a ton of dexterity. He has quick strikes which are a mix of kung-fu punches, but with the footwork that appears like an uprock, the foundation of competitive breakdance. His stance, and movement is dance-like, it stands out like a “ginga” does for capoeira practitioners. Given his design, it stands to reason that the young fighter is having fun with his natural abilities, as well as his training.

At first glance the character appears to be a master of Drunk Fist kung-fu. He carries a gourd, which is often filled with wine, according to popular media. Although his stance, and fist positions seem to be those of a traditional kung-fu master, very few of his strikes appear to be based on any traditional form of kung-fu.

There is a part in the trailer where Jamie says “my secret art” then goes for Luke’s throat. This was similar to a move used by Tony Jaa in Ong Bak 2. Jaa was playing the mythical fighter Tien in the film. Tien was a young prince that got kidnapped by pirates, and trained in multiple forms of combat. The character makes his way to some bandits that had brutalized him, and his friends earlier in the film, and fights off a slave trader using Drunken Fist. He grabs the villain by his Adam’s apple before throwing him through a stand via fishhook to the mouth. I sincerely hope that Jamie doesn't have the full attack in SF6.

Jamie’s style can be best described as “Breakdance Kung-Fu.” If you remember your SF history you will know that before Rufus there was a young Black fighter in the planning stages called King Cobra. Although he wore what appeared to be a traditional karate gi, his method of fighting was said to be a form of breakdance kung-fu. He sported sneakers, and a gold chain, showing just hints of an urban background. Sadly there was never a 3D model, or sprite built for this character, let alone the actual animated moves. All we have to go on are concept sketches.

To be completely fair, there was a fighting game character whose entire arsenal was based on breakdancing. Helicopter from Capoeira Fighter 3 used nothing but b-boy moves. Even his stance, and movement saw him performing the wave as he danced through the stages some 15-years-ago.

Many people feel that no great idea goes to waste. Elements of King Cobra eventually found their way into the series. Ken was given an alternate costume in SF IV that looked just like King Cobra’s. Also the fictional form of striking eventually found its way to Jamie. Which makes more sense than to give it to the Black kid from the US. Since Jamie is from Hong Kong, and blends eastern, and western cultures. So what exactly are the origins of dancing as a form of fighting? The roots are based on tropes, and racial undertones. The Black athlete, and Black entertainer are stereotypes known the world over. In many of the early fighting games Black characters were presented often as basketball players. At least one was presented as a dancer.

Mind you, before the internet, it was tough for Japan to get a finger on the pulse of US culture. All the gaming studios had to go by was pop culture references. The way Blacks were portrayed in movies, music videos, and TV shows did a lot to color their perception. Hip Hop was, and continues to be a major part of that perception. The cultural revolution moved into every corner of the world. The four elements of Hip Hop; rap, breakdance, DJ, and graffiti influenced everything from advertising, to fashion, language, and music of course. The trailer for Street Fighter 6 even begins with a graffiti styled version of the Capcom logo. 30+ years ago the Japanese studios were not as in tune as to the proper ways to reflect, let alone incorporate that culture.

The concept for Team USA in SNK’s iconic King of Fighters series was laughable. The trio of men in costumes that were reminiscent of back-up dancers for Salt n Pepa, or Janet Jackson made little to no sense in a fighting tournament. Yet the Japanese designers persisted. They continued putting in elements of Hip Hop into the games. Jamie may yet be the most in tune the studio has ever been to the elements.

Pay very close attention to the cut, color, and design of Jamie’s costume. It looks traditional, but is far from an actual outfit worn in classic China. The illusion of a certain form, and fit is a long-standing design legacy of Street Fighter. I spoke about it at length with Chun-Li’s costume. Most wushu, or tai chi uniforms are made of soft, silk material, but the shirts usually hang long, and the pants are baggy. Jamie’s has a cut top, exposed midriff, and the the shirt, and pants fit more snugly. Also instead of a sash belt, Jamie wears a red cord belt, to hold his gourd. Also note that in all of the footage revealed of the character he wears one pant leg rolled up. Sure enough the Hip Hop elements are not lost on this kid.

If you look carefully at his costume there is a repeated pattern over it. Some competition uniforms may feature an embroidered phoenix, lion, or dragon on them. However Jamie has a pattern reminiscent of the Louis Vuitton brand. As you may know a lot of rappers promote material displays of wealth. In videos, and photo shoots they are often showing off, or “flossing” diamonds, gold, and rocking brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Dolce and Gabanna, etc. Jamie’s version of the pattern uses the stars, and gourd motif, as a clever nod to the designer. Also Jamie is rocking some Cloud-label sneakers, instead of the flat-soled shoes that most practitioners wear. The cloud motif shows up on other parts of his outfit. Perhaps to denote his light, and airy fighting style. The use of non-traditional footwear again goes back to Chun-Li, who wore white wrestling boots instead of dainty slippers. Yun, and Yang sported Puma brand sneakers. As a nod to Keen Lieu, who was sponsored by the brand when Street Fighter III was developed.

These were the things that I was able to pick out about Jamie after seeing the footage of the character. I will be digging in to the rest of the cast over the next several weeks. I hope to see you back for that. Is there a character you would like me to look at sooner, rather than later please let me know. Also any feedback would be appreciated. What details did you notice about Jamie? What do you think of the SF6 announcement so far? Are you interested in playing this game when it’s released? Let me know in the comments section please. 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!