Or maybe nays?
Out of seemingly nowhere, Capcom decided to drop the first look at Mai Shiranui as the next DLC character of Street Fighter 6 via her teaser trailer a few days ago.
But unlike her compatriot Terry Bogard, we’ve been seeing much more of a split reaction when it comes to Mai’s appearance and design in SF6 — but how are you all feeling now that she’s had a few days to marinate?
Across our own comments and social media in general, Capcom and SNK fans have been sharing their takes and reactions to her reveal, and since there’s no gameplay yet, all we really have to go on is Mai’s overall look at the moment.
There’s been a real mix of those who feel the kunoichi just looks worse than she did in The King of Fighters 15, Dead or Alive 6 and how Mai is going to appear in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves with her new outfit.
And then there’s those who immediately jived with Capcom’s new take on the classic heroine, and others who were on the fence and started warming up to it.
We’ve already put together a comparison of Mai’s modern appearances, so you can see how she’s looked in other games side-by-side with SF6.
At least they’re all arguably better than Mai’s random crossover in a mobile zombie game earlier this year.
The main points of contention don’t really come from her red dress and costume and general, but Capcom’s direction for Mai’s face and hair.
Unlike KOF15, for example, where Ms. Shiranui had sharper facial features, she has a softer look to her face in SF6.
Even personally, I wasn’t very sure if I liked Mai’s newest design here or not, but I’ve come around on it quite a bit now, especially after understanding their apparent intention with her.
Mai’s face and hair with the short bangs line up much more with Shinkiro’s classic Fatal Fury and King of Fighters artwork for the character, however, it seems they could could still touch her up to make her feel more like “Mai” some more too.
Like Terry before, Capcom seems to be going more for a celebration of the original Fatal Fury titles as opposed to what SNK is doing with the series and fighters right now. And there were some questions about Terry’s appearance after his initial teaser too, which were mostly quelled after seeing him fully in action.
But whether or not you like that approach or think it turned out well or not is still up to personal preference.
So we’ve put together a couple of new polls for you all to vote and voice your opinions in.
Let us know below how you’re feeling about Mai’s first appearance in Street Fighter 6 below as well as which modern fighter you feel she looks best in.
