A large amount of information for Street Fighter 6 has dropped during the 2022 Tokyo Game Show. Fans now know most of the game's features and its launch roster, with a closed network test coming in October. Players now have a good idea of what the Battle Hub’s huge lobbies contain, and how their avatars will interact with the attractions within. There was also a demonstration of how the Street Fighter 6 character creator will work, and what events and special fights await in the globe-spanning World Tour.
The massive amount of content in Street Fighter 6 speaks to the renewed effort Capcom is putting into it. From the wacky Extreme Battle to the visual representation of frame data available in Street Fighter 6 Training Mode, it seems like every part of the game is being handled with care. That may also extend to the story, since the most recent trailer showing the introductory video for World Tour snuck in a surprising reveal. Even with all eighteen launch fighters revealed in said trailer and four more leaked ones that are probably coming as DLC, this person is separate from the rest and one of the last that fans expected to show up.
The Fighting President Returns to Street Fighter
The opening movie is primarily composed of moving text and images showing all the playable characters that will be present when Street Fighter 6 launches. At the end, everyone assembles for a group shot. However, astute viewers will notice that one extra character was shown earlier in the trailer. Immediately before the group is shown, the image of a bearded man in a large-brimmed hat is shown, with several lines of text quickly covering the screen. Viewers who pause the video right as this section begins will quickly draw parallels to an older popular character.
While it isn't confirmed, signs are pointing to G, the self-proclaimed President of the World, returning to Street Fighter 6. The person shown near the end of the World Tour opening shares G's hat, the top folds of his waistcoat, and the general style of his beard. However, a case could be made that the figure is actually the similar-looking new character JP, who appeared on his own screen earlier in the trailer. JP may have a closer beard and mustache to this figure, but he also has much longer hair than G and the mystery person. Their clothing is also significantly different, with JP wearing a number of items around his head that aren't visible here. Unless it's a misdirection, it seems like this is meant to be a tease for G.
What G Could Be Doing In Street Fighter 6
G's presence in Street Fighter 6 comes as a surprise, but it makes a lot of sense in retrospect. Every numbered Street Fighter game has a new protagonist and villain associated with it. While the villains are usually obvious, the heroes are less so, with Ryu, Guile, Alex, Abel, and Rashid representing their respective debut games. One would think that Necalli is the poster villain for Street Fighter 5, but official art showing the series’ bad guys has used G instead. This decision is strange, as G came too late to be a boss character and spent his story appearances on little more than some friendly self-marketing. However, conversations with Rose and Gill strongly imply that more is going on with this odd presidential figure.
He seems to have some sort of plan involving using the Gate of Harmony to unite all of Earth's people with the planet, and by extension him. G also has unexplained ties to the sinister Street Fighter 3 character Q in his story costume and moveset. What all of this seems to indicate is that G will be a central figure in Street Fighter 6’s World Tour, possibly as or alongside JP and even Q. The story may involve the Mad Gear gang acting as antagonists during the Metro City portion, but a new threat featuring characters with abbreviated names could appear later on. Whatever the case, G's involvement marks a new kind of multi-game setup for Street Fighter, and hopefully it will be as exciting as it sounds.
Street Fighter 6 will be released in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
