Capcom has properly unveiled Akuma for Street Fighter 6 in a new trailer that also confirms a spring release window.
The video, below, shows a typically angry but this time older Akuma punch the head of a statue clean off its shoulders with what looks like a ghostly, red Shoryuken (Street Fighter’s iconic Dragon Punch move). An overpowered Akuma in a Street Fighter game? Well it wouldn’t be Akuma if he was balanced, would it?
Eagle-eyed fans have already noticed a glimpse of Ryu in the Akuma trailer, which suggests the two rivals will once again battle it out in a shower of fireballs. Elsewhere, the trailer is set within Akuma’s new stage, which is a riff on Akuma’s stage from Street Fighter Alpha 2. That’s all we have for now, as fans wait for the Akuma gameplay reveal.
Akuma now has a more striking presence complete with gray hair. We also used Buddha statues and animals as references for his musculature in an attempt to give the character a more memorable aesthetic.
— Street Fighter (@StreetFighter) March 12, 2024
- Game Director, @takaNakayama pic.twitter.com/IbPchTrYYI
Akuma's reveal follows the release of fellow DLC characters Rashid, A.K.I., and Ed. Akuma rounds out the game's first year of DLC characters, with Capcom yet to announce a second year. Here's the official blurb on Akuma:
"The demonic Akuma joins the Street Fighter 6 roster and rounds out the list of the award-winning fighting game’s Year 1 characters when he hits the streets starting in spring 2024! Players can throw hands with Akuma across all three game modes, including Fighting Ground, World Tour, and Battle Hub. We look forward to sharing much more on Akuma soon. And stay tuned later this year for captivating announcements on Year 2 content and potentially even some fun events coming to the Battle Hub!"
Street Fighter 6 sold three million copies in the seven months after going on sale in June 2023. Street Fighter 6 got off to a strong start with one million sold over launch weekend, then hit two million copies sold after just over a month on sale.
Commenting on the two million sales milestone, Capcom said Street Fighter 6 was “generally progressing in line with our expectations”, adding it hoped positive word of mouth would fuel follow-up success.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
