Street Fighter 6is well into Year 2 of its DLC. With M. Bison and Terry Bogard receiving varying levels of warm reception, the community has naturally been looking forward to the game’s next character. With Mai Shiranui right around the corner,Street Fighter 6fans should be on the lookout for a few things.
Mai Shiranui joins Terry Bogard as the first pair of guest characters to ever joinStreet Fighter. Just like Terry, Mai Shiranui happens to hail fromFatal Furyand has made plenty of appearances throughoutThe King of Fightersfranchise. Although these are two classic fighting game franchises, there are bound to be plenty of people inStreet Fighter’s broader audience who may not be familiar with Mai.
Mai Shiranui Brings Fatal Fury to Street Fighter 6 DLC
Mai Shiranui’s Street Fighter 6 Gameplay Could Burn Bright
Gameplay is often one of the biggest ways for guest characters to stand out. Terry Bogard was certainly no different, taking inspiration fromFatal Fury’s own lane system to craft an incredibly unique design. Although Terry’s viability has often been in question, the creativity of his moveset has left many excited to see where Mai Shiranui could take the game next. Thankfully,Mai Shiranui’s gameplay trailerhas answered a lot of these questions.
Unfortunately, Mai can’t quite dive into the background like Terry does. However, Mai still references the lane change mechanic, as one of her kicks sends enemies into the background for a brief spin. Other than that, many of her moves are true to her classic fighting style, with her fan tosses creating plenty of opportunities for combo extensions. Most impressive of all,Street Fighter 6introduces Flame Stocks to her kit, which are a stackable resource that allows Mai to empower herspecial moves and Super Arts.
Mai Shiranui DLC Coincides with a Big Event for Fighting Games
Considering it’s so close, Mai Shiranui’s release date is the first thing fans should get excited about. Mai is currently scheduled to be released on February 5 and will enter the game alongside new content for players to sink their teeth into. While her default costume is based around her most iconic look, her Outfit 2 seems to be inspired by herredesign fromFatal Fury: City of the Wolves.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolveswill releaseon April 21, which is just shy of two months after Mai joinsStreet Fighter 6. This makes for a pretty natural cross-promotion between the two, meaning fans could be in for Mai Shiranui to make a few references to the upcoming title. While a newFatal Furygame is plenty of reason for fans to get excited, Mai Shiranui’s established connection toStreet Fighterwill likely have an even greater hold of her inclusion in its DLC.
Fatal Fury and Street Fighter 6 Have a Lot of History
Another important thing that fans should expect is forStreet Fighter 6to take advantage of its shared continuity withFatal Fury. AlthoughStreet Fighterhas never hosted guest characters before Terry, plenty ofStreet Fighter’s own characters have made the jump into various crossovers. Among these crossover series,Capcom vs. SNKis one of the most iconic, and undoubtedly the most important for Mai.
Capcom and SNK were once rival publishers who eventually became more friendly thanks in part toCapcom vs. SNK. Similar to Ryu and Chun-Li being the faces ofStreet Fighter, Terry and Mai have long been the faces of SNK thanks to their roles inFatal Fury. When it came time for the twoiconic fighting game franchisesto crossover, it was only right for their most iconic characters to face off. Mai Shiranui quickly formed a fierce rivalry with Chun-Li, and it has been referenced in other crossovers ever since.
Now that Mai will finally make her way intoStreet Fighterfor the first time, one can expect this rivalry to keep up. Of course, Mai might have plenty to say toTerry in World Touronce they cross paths, but her interactions with the World Warriors are a huge part of this DLC’s appeal. Barring a miracle from Rock Howard, it’s a little unlikely that anotherFatal Furycharacter will make it intoStreet Fighter 6in the near future. Thankfully, Mai shouldn’t have any problem getting familiar with the rest of the game’s cast.
