Capcom’s announcement ofStreet Fighter 6has been warmly embraced by the fighting game community. It’s an excitement thatStreet Fighterhasn’t had in a long time and Capcom appears to be doing everything to maintain this momentum. It’s released multiple trailers sinceStreet 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 forStreet Fighterfans, 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 fromnewcomer Luke, in which he mockingly says “Hadouken!” and mimics Ryu’s hand gestures for the iconicStreet Fighterattack.RELATED:Street Fighter 6 Confirms Return of Guile and His Epic HairTaunts aren’t new toStreet Fighter, of course. The mechanic is common to the modern fighting game genre and was first added to theStreet Fighterfranchise forStreet Fighter Alpha. The inclusion of taunts inStreet Fighter 6isn’t a surprise, but they’re still a fun feature to be confirmed. With Capcom’s effort to advertise the personalities behind each member ofStreet Fighter 6’s roster, taunts help show their approach to competition and sportsmanship uniquely.
Friday’s taunt teaser forStreet Fighter 6does raise an interesting question, though. WhileRyu’s tauntseems to be standard, a taunt that can be used against any given opponent, Luke’s taunt seems specific to Ryu (or to any ofStreet 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 certainStreet Fighter 6charactershave 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 forStreet Fighter 6and 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 Fighter 6’s gameplay, mechanics, and monetization in the months to come.
Street Fighter 6releases in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
