Capcom's announcement of Street Fighter 6 has been warmly embraced by the fighting game community. It's an excitement that Street Fighter hasn't had in a long time and Capcom appears to be doing everything to maintain this momentum. It's released multiple trailers since Street Fighter 6's reveal, including character showcases like Guile and new features like Game Face that lets players act smug before a match. Now Capcom has a new teaser for Street Fighter fans, sharing a video showcasing Ryu and Luke's in-game taunts.The teaser trailer shared by Capcom is just 10 seconds long, but it packs a hilarious punch with the time it's given. It starts with Ryu doing a basic taunt in which he says "Come on!" and strikes a pose. That's followed by a more pointed taunt from newcomer Luke, in which he mockingly says "Hadouken!" and mimics Ryu's hand gestures for the iconic Street Fighter attack.Taunts aren't new to Street Fighter, of course. The mechanic is common to the modern fighting game genre and was first added to the Street Fighter franchise for Street Fighter Alpha. The inclusion of taunts in Street Fighter 6 isn't a surprise, but they're still a fun feature to be confirmed. With Capcom's effort to advertise the personalities behind each member of Street Fighter 6's roster, taunts help show their approach to competition and sportsmanship uniquely.
Friday's taunt teaser for Street Fighter 6 does raise an interesting question, though. While Ryu's taunt seems to be standard, a taunt that can be used against any given opponent, Luke's taunt seems specific to Ryu (or to any of Street Fighter's many other Hadouken users, of course). That could mean that Luke, or maybe even other fighters, have multiple different taunts. It's also possible that Luke mocks the Hadouken against every opponent, though that would be somewhat odd.
As a concept, the idea of multiple taunts is very attractive. Even a simple system where only certain Street Fighter 6 characters have extra taunts for lore-related rivals would be fun. But a more complex system where players could customize their taunts, potentially even purchasing new taunts via microtransactions, would undoubtedly prove successful.
Capcom has only confirmed that taunts are returning for Street Fighter 6 and nothing more. Regardless, for a 10-second trailer, Luke taunting Ryu by mocking his Hadouken has certainly started a larger conversation than it may have initially seemed. Expect to hear more about Street Fighter 6's gameplay, mechanics, and monetization in the months to come.
Street Fighter 6 releases in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
