Very recently, Capcom held a summer update livestream for Street Fighter 5. The main focus was on the next two DLC characters for the game, Oro from the Street Fighter 3 games and guest star Akira from Rival Schools (another Capcom fighting game series), but things ended with a surprise first look at the final DLC character who, up until this point, had been a complete mystery.
After months of theorizing who it could be, a popular returning character, a crossover guest star like a King of Fighters character (which would also serve as cross promotion for King of Fighters 15), or a brand new face entirely, it turns out it's the third one. Named Luke, fans not only have a name and face, but also a short demonstration of his fighting style and abilities.
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Judging by his design and his accompanying stage, Luke appears to be Street Fighter 5's take on an MMA fighter, with him also bearing the classic Capcom colors of blue and yellow. Between his chest tattoo, the star markings on his wrists, and the "USA" embroidered on his shorts, he is undoubtedly meant to be American. While he seems to mainly prioritize fighting up close, he is capable of throwing projectiles (possibly just by punching the air hard enough) and can even charge up his punches, with his wrists sporting what look like bursts from an engine or something.
Even less is known about Luke's actual character and backstory, with his trailer beginning with him commenting on becoming "a man like him" someday. Who he could be referring to is a complete mystery. Perhaps it's meant to be Street Fighter poster boy Ryu since he's the only other character to appear in the trailer, but it's just as likely he was only picked as Luke's opponent because he's Street Fighter's mascot.
What's interesting about Luke is that Capcom describes him as "a key player in the future of Street Fighter." It's not a hard confirmation, but this sounds as if Luke is, in actuality, a sneak peek at Street Fighter 6, possibly a new main character to take over from Ryu. Capcom did attempt something like this before with Street Fighter 3, where Alex took over as the main protagonist (although Ryu did still appear as a playable fighter).
Exactly what Capcom's statement means likely won't be revealed until Street Fighter 6 actually comes out, and that's likely not happening for a while. Although it hasn't technically been properly announced yet, everyone knows it exists and is waiting for an official announcement from Capcom. According to rumors, though, it was meant to release this year but suffered from internal delays, which is what led to this last season of DLC for Street Fighter 5 being made. At the very least, fans can look forward to learning a little more about Luke in November.
Street Fighter 5 is available now for PC and PlayStation 4.
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