Final Street Fighter V character, Luke, launches in November
As part of the Street Fighter V Summer Update 2021, Capcom showed off the last three characters of Season 5 who will complete the roster. The highlight announcement was the reveal of Luke, the final character for the game who will bring the total number of fighters to a sizeable 46. He also serves as the capstone to six years of additional content for SFV, spanning over five seasons of DLC that added to the game’s initial roster of 16 fighters.
From his reveal, Luke already exudes a cocky and brash personality, some slick fingerless gloves, a nose bandage probably there just for looks, and some dog tags that might be a hint towards his story. A first glance at his design might cause some to write him off as “Ryu/Ken-lite,” but director Takayuki Nakayama and producer Shuhei Matsumoto hint towards Luke playing an important role in the Street Fighter series moving forward.
Peep Luke’s announcement trailer below:
Luke appears to emphasize high attack speed with plenty of combo potential thanks to his quick mobility. Of particular note is his projectile attack, a blindingly-fast beam that can keep enemies in check from a distance. He also seems capable of dealing out damage, though beyond his agile movements, his ability to defend himself is still up in the air.
Most curious of all, though, are the developers’ comments on how Luke will add importance to the franchise from here on. During the Summer Update event, Nakayama said that Luke will “give us a glimpse into the future” with Matsumoto adding that he “has a bright future in the world of SF.” This seems to hint that Luke will play an important role in the next Street Fighter game, perhaps serving to replace Ryu as the main character. We’ll have to wait until Capcom officially announces the rumored Street Fighter VI to find out, but it’s no doubt an exciting prospect for fans.
Luke is set to launch in November, with Capcom promising more information on the SF social channels in the coming months.
In addition to Luke’s reveal, the developers also showed off more details on previously-announced combatants Oro and Akira, the fourth and fifth fighters of Season 5 respectively. Returning from the Street Fighter III series, Oro’s moveset is a combination of old and new moves that gives him a wide range of maneuvers to keep him unpredictable. Rival Schools mainstay Akira Kazama makes her SF debut and focuses on close-quarters combat, and is also able to call on her brother Daigo as a V-Trigger assist. These two will launch later this week on August 16th alongside the new Online Tournament Mode that allows players to host their own public or private SFV tournaments.
Street Fighter V is developed by Capcom and is currently available in three editions for the PlayStation 4 and PC. You can watch the entire SFV Summer Update 2021 event here:
Via Capcom Unite.
