Controversy Meets Legacy: Street Fighter V's Newest Character Design

Content originally posted to Instagram on August 4, 2021. For post context: from top clockwise, the characters in the picture below are Luke, Alex, and Ryu.

Unpopular fighting game opinion: I actually think Street Fighter V’s new character Luke is OK??? If you haven't seen the latest trailer featuring him, check it out below:

Sure, good fighting game character design is subjective. And I personally wish he had a different hair color at least….but for the standards of Street Fighter design specifically, his design works enough for me. Simple with signature outfit colors (peep that Capcom blue-and-yellow!), yet some personal touches to distinguish him (why so many stars on his body though??). Beyond that, consider how Capcom seems to be positioning the guy.

He’s part of SF’s future according to the devs, he talks about wanting to be like a certain someone, and is then shown beating down Mr. SF himself, Ryu…is he the future protagonist of Street Fighter VI who seeks to be at Ryu’s level or higher?? If he was designed with that intention, I suppose his design makes even more sense. The veteran Ryu, who wears a worn-dorn traditional karate gi and uses an ancient martial arts style vs. the fresh-faced Luke, who’s decked out in clean modern gear and seems to be some sort of MMA fighter? It’s the classic "old vs. new" matchup, and that’s what makes me like him a bit more.

Capcom attempted to do this before by making the protagonist of Street Fighter III Alex, a newcomer wrestler who also happened to be a blonde American like Luke (lol). The SF III Ryu Final manga from 1997-98 honed that idea further, framing Alex as someone who wanted to surpass Ryu as a fighter. In the end, that idea never really took off…only time will tell if Luke does and if fans warm up to him. So far, many don’t seem to like him. Guess it all depends on how he plays!