What Mai's gameplay trailer reveals about the character

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Street Fighter 6 is well into year 2 of its DLC. With M. Bison and Terry Bogard receiving varying levels of warm reception, the community has naturally been looking forward to the game's next character. With Mai Shiranui just around the corner, Street Fighter 6 fans should look out for a few things.

Mai Shiranui joins Terry Bogard as the first guest characters ever to join Street Fighter. Just like Terry, Mai Shiranui happens to be from Fatal Fury and has made many appearances throughout The King of Fighters franchise. Even though these are two classic fighting game franchises, there are sure to be plenty of people there Street Fighters wider audience who may not be familiar with Mai.

Street Fighter 6 Guest Hunter Mai Shiranui Terry Bogard

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Street Fighter 6 producer hopes for more guest characters after Terry and Mai

Street Fighter 6's producer is hoping for the possibility of including more guest fighters after the Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui DLC in the Year 2 Pass.

Mai Shiranui brings Fatal Fury to Street Fighter 6 DLC

Mai Shiranui's Street Fighter 6 game can burn bright

Gameplay is often one of the biggest ways guest characters stand out. Terry Bogard was certainly no different, taking inspiration from Fatal Furys own lane system to create an incredibly unique design. While Terry's viability has often been questioned, the creativity of his moveset has left many excited to see where Mai Shiranui can take the game next. Thankfully, Mai Shiranui's gameplay trailer has answered many of these questions.

Unfortunately, Mai can't quite fade into the background like Terry does. But Mai still references the lane change mechanic, as one of her kicks sends enemies into the background for a short spin. Aside from that, many of her moves are true to her classic fighting style, with her fans creating plenty of opportunities for combo extensions. Most impressive of all, Street Fighter 6 introduces Flame Stocks to her kit, which is a stackable resource that allows Mai to grant her special moves and super arts.

The Mai Shiranui DLC coincides with a major event for fighting games

Considering it's so close, Mai Shiranui's release date is the first thing fans should be excited about. Mai is currently scheduled for release on February 5th and will be coming into the game alongside new content for players to sink their teeth into. While her default outfit is based on her most iconic look, her Outfit 2 appears to be inspired by her redesign from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves.

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves will be released on April 21, which is just two months after Mai joined Street Fighter 6. This makes for a pretty natural cross-marketing between the two, meaning fans could be in for Mai Shiranui to make some references to the upcoming title. While a new Fatal Fury the game is plenty of reason for fans to get excited, Mai Shiranui's established connection to Street Fighter will likely have an even bigger grip on her inclusion in their DLC.

Fatal Fury and Street Fighter 6 have a lot of history

Another important thing that fans should expect is for Street Fighter 6 to take advantage of their shared continuity with Fatal Fury. Even if Street Fighter never hosted guest characters before terry, lots of Street Fighters own characters have stepped into various crossovers. Among these crossover series, Capcom vs. SNK is one of the most iconic, and arguably the most important for Mai.

Capcom and SNK were once rival publishers that eventually became more friendly thanks to, among other things Capcom vs. SNK. Similar to Ryu and Chun-Li as the faces on Street FighterTerry and Mai have long been the faces of SNK thanks to their roles in Fatal Fury. When the time came for the two iconic fighting game franchises to cross over, it was only right for their most iconic characters to face off. Mai Shiranui quickly formed a fierce rivalry with Chun-Li, and it has been referenced in other crossovers since then.

Now Mai will finally get in Street Fighter for the first time, this rivalry can be expected to last. Of course, Mai may have a lot to say to Terry in the World Tour when they cross paths, but her interactions with the World Warriors are a big part of this DLC's appeal. Barring a miracle from Rock Howard, another one is a bit unlikely Fatal Fury character will make it to Street Fighter 6 in the near future. Thankfully, Mai should have no problem getting to know the rest of the game's cast.

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