Akuma arrives along with an impressive update for Street Fighter 6

Capcom’s latest fighting masterpiece is getting even bigger today, as Street Fighter 6 welcomes the legendary Akuma, and much more.

Still rocking that weird-beard

An iconically ‘Street Fighter’ character who’s been left out of the Street Fighter 6 party til today, Akuma is finally here for players to grab and add onto their games. The super-powered villain arrives in an older, but likely no less dangerous form for the fighting game, capping off Year 1 of the game’s post-launch roadmap.

And while you’ll be able to of course play as him if you buy into today’s drop, fans will also find that Akuma is live across all three of the game’s modes. Like all of the other DLC characters before him, that means Akuma is ready to fight and train in Fighting Ground, in his “natural habitat” in World Tour, and has spread his influence to Battle Hub, where players can equip their avatars with his gear and moves.

Updating…

Along with the above, today also brings a lengthy list of fresh additions, via an update. According to Capcom, those include new Battle Hub “experiences”, the Outfit 3 pack, balancing updates and a whole mess of additional stuff, some of which is likewise Akuma-related.

• Giant Akuma: A brand new Battle Hub raid event, – “Giant Attack” – pits all players in each Battle Hub server against a larger-than-life Akuma! Accumulate Attack Points by completing various activities, squad up with others in the Battle Hub, then launch a mega-powered Hadoken to defeat the enormous foe by May 31 for special rewards!
• Test Your Might Against SiRN Akuma: Think you have what it takes to beat the best of the best? How about a stronger, fiercer, smarter version of Akuma? Test your luck at any of the special Battle Hub cabinets and earn exclusive rewards for defeating SiRN Akuma!
• Suit Up in New Outfit 3 Content: Battle it out in style with all-new Outfit 3 designs for all four Year 1 DLC characters, including Akuma, Ed, A.K.I., and Rashid!
• Major Battle Balance Update: With the release of the final Year 1 DLC character comes a fresh new battle facelift for all characters on the roster. Check out all the changes in the detailed patch notes here.
• New Universal Reversal Mechanic: All 22 characters now have a brand-new Recovery Drive Reversal move that can be performed while getting back up from a knockdown!
• New Combo Trials: Head to Fighting Ground and perfect all new combos for select characters via Combo Trials due to the battle balance update.
• Custom Music Setting & New BGM Bundles: Want to listen to specific BGM tracks while doing battle? No problem! Check out the new Character BGM Settings in the Audio tab and turn the volume to 11! There’s also a new BGM bundle available for purchase via Dive Tickets or Fighter Coins featuring songs from the Street Fighter series!
• New Challenge Screens: All new challenge screens are available to spice things up as you gear up for a fight!
• New Avatar Items: Head to the Shop and check out all the new Avatar items available to deck out your Avatar and fight with a fresh new fit!

Capcom press release

As mentioned, Akuma’s release brings Year 1 to a close. Not to worry though, as it appears as though the Street Fighter 6 train isn’t stopping any time soon, with Capcom hinting that Year 2 is on the way.