Today, Capcom hosted the Street Fighter V Summer Update 2021, and it was absolutely packed with new info. We got an in-depth look at Oro and Akira, as well as the reveal of the final Street Fighter VÂ DLC character, Luke. After Vicious and Tasty Steve opened the event with a quick pre-show, we cut to director Takayuki Nakayama and producer Shuhei Matsumoto.
The show kicked off with Oro, the turtle hermit from Street Fighter III. His V-Skill I is Onibi, which was formally his Yagyodama from Street Fighter III, a slow-moving projectile that tracks the opponent. V-Skill II is Minomushi, a short hop that can be followed up with a punch or kick button for two unique attacks. The punch variation is an overhead, and the kick is a small attack that is safe on block. V-Skill I is designed for those who prefer playing from a distance, while V-Skill II is for those who enjoy a much closer offensive playstyle.
Oro’s V-Trigger I is Manrikitan, which gives him access to a command grab and an air throw. The former can be canceled after certain normal and special moves. V-Trigger II is Tengu Stone, Oro’s most infamous move from Street Fighter III. After activation, three random objects appear above his head that follow the opponent after Oro attacks. By pressing down after activation, he can summon five objects instead. Sometimes rare items will randomly appear that have extra abilities. This also lets Oro get new combos and strings that aren’t normally possible. For example, after his uppercut he can follow up the Tengu Stones with his critical art.
Overall, Oro looks like a fun character with crazy mobility options, like his double jump. He might end up being a mixup monster.
Hold the turtle, catch these hands
After Oro, we then got a look at the other upcoming DLC character, Akira from Rival Schools. Akira is similar to Karin as she is a very rushdown-oriented character. However, she also has lots of tools and unique options that separate her from other similar offensive characters.
Akira gets a new stage called Rival Riverside, which is outside of Gedo High School — the main setting from Rival Schools. In the background are two other characters from that series, Edge and Gan. Akira has a fireball type move, an uppercut, and a kick move with several different enders depending on the button pressed. Her V-Skill I is Kiko Rensei, which powers up her Kiko Kai fireball move. The EX version will do a wall bounce on hit, and can go through fireballs. The air version also gets a different trajectory and can even stuff anti-air attacks.
Her V-Skill II is Tsutenda, a launcher move right out of something like Rival Schools and Marvel vs. Capcom. Pressing up after landing this move will send Akira flying straight up after the opponent where she can perform additional moves in the air. She also has a unique ending move in this state. She is the only character to have this type of air combo and it is a great callback to Rival Schools. Her V-Trigger I is Otoko no Senaka, in which she summons her brother Daigo. Before Daigo lands, Akira is able to move freely, offering some mixup opportunities. Also, if Akira is hit, Daigo’s attack will still go through.
Can we bring Rival Schools back now? Please?
Lastly, V-Trigger II is Haten no Kamae, which puts Akira into a special stance. This stance has three different follow-up attacks that can combo after activation, and is good for blockstrings as well. She can land two of these attacks before her V-Gauge timer runs out. Overall, Akira looks like a very fun rushdown-type character who can create big mixup opportunities while applying a lot of pressure. She does look like she might have trouble getting in on the opponent during certain matchups, however (especially when she doesn’t have any meter).
Finally, we got the news that everyone was waiting for. Fans were hoping that the last DLC character would be a huge reveal like Kyo from The King of Fighters or something like that, but this was not to be. The last character for all of Street Fighter VÂ is a completely new entry named Luke — ironically voiced by Kyo’s Japanese voice actor. Nakayama was quick to point out on his Twitter, after the show, that this Luke is not the same Luke from the cancelled Capcom Fighting All Stars: Code Holder.
Luke is a boxer, and is very reminiscent of Steve Fox from Tekken. He has flicker punches, a full-screen projectile, and plenty of chain combos. Little is known about him as of now, but he does appear to have a connection to some other character in the Street Fighter universe. Who that is though remains a mystery for now. What we do know is that this is the final DLC character for Street Fighter V, and that Luke will release in November. During the cast, it was also mentioned that Luke plays some important role in future Street Fighter games. The message was reiterated later by the official Twitter account.
He sure doesn’t feel like a “final” character
Some upcoming events were also revealed. The Street Fighter League Finals will resume in September, and a new season will begin in October. As for Oro and Akira, they will release together on August 16, along with some improvements to the in-game tournament mode.
