Ryu won’t be having a good time in Street Fighter 6 soon, with the news that his long-time rival, Akuma, is finally coming to the latest entry in Capcom’s fighting series. Fans, on the other hand, will have a great time with his addition, as he is one of the most popular characters in the series. With the release of a new trailer, we’ve gotten our first glimpse of what Akuma will look and fight like in Street Fighter 6.
The trailer itself has some incredible vibes. It shows Akuma training in his new Street Fighter 6 stage, a candlelit cavern with lava and giant stone statues that is an iteration on Gokhento, his stage from Street Fighter Alpha 2. Intercut are short lines of text talking up Akuma’s battle prowess. Finally, we see Akuma launch a powerful punch that separates a massive statue’s head in a show of strength that puts Chris Redfield’s boulder punching to shame. The trailer ends with the line, “Akuma is coming in Spring 2024,” which feels like an ominous warning after seeing his power in the trailer.
The trailer also shows off Akuma’s new design in Street Fighter 6, which is further detailed in a post on the game’s social media account. This iteration of the character appears older than he has in the past, but no less powerful. His striking red hair has been replaced by a head of white and gray stretching from his ponytail to his lengthy beard. The trailer’s setting is also going to be Akuma’s stage.
Fans have known that Akuma would be coming to Street Fighter 6 for some time, as he was announced as part of the year one DLC for the game, but it’s been a long wait. Of the four DLC characters that were part of the game’s year-one plan, Akuma is the last to be released (the first three being A.K.I., Rashid, and Ed). While we don’t have a concrete release date, past DLC characters typically release about a month after their teaser trailer drops, so expect Akuma sometime near the end of April. After that, Street Fighter 6 will begin to detail its year two plans, which will include all new DLC characters to look forward to.
