Meet A.K.I., the Poisonous Newcomer in Street Fighter 6

Street Fighter 6, the latest installment in the iconic fighting game series, has been adding new characters to its roster through DLC. The first one was Rashid, the Middle Eastern wind master who joined the game in July 2023. The second one is A.K.I., a maniacal poison aficionado who will be available in September 2023. In this blog post, we will take a closer look at A.K.I., her background, her fighting style, and her role in the game’s story.

Who is A.K.I.?

A.K.I. (アキ, Aki?, Simplified Chinese: 阿鬼) is a new character who makes her debut in Street Fighter 6. She is a student of F.A.N.G., the second-in-command of Shadaloo and one of the main antagonists of the game. A.K.I. shares F.A.N.G.'s obsession with poisons and has mastered the use of various toxins in combat. She also has a sadistic and psychopathic personality, enjoying the suffering of her opponents and viewing her fighting technique as a form of art.

A.K.I. has a unique appearance that reflects her poison theme. She has pale white skin and wears a stylized, open-backed cheongsam in black and skintight black pants. Both feature red trim and appear to be made of snakeskin. She has uniquely-shaped white hair based on a traditional Japanese straw hat called a “kasa” (related to the word “umbrella” in Japanese), which is seen as an assassin’s symbol. Her eyes are cardinal red, as seen in her teaser trailer¹. She sports a pair of slim metal gauntlets with a claw on each finger, which are worn over her long, sharp nails that are coated with poison. Each finger of the gauntlet is made up of multiple sections that can extend outwards, giving her additional reach through the use of poisoned chains. These chains are wrapped around her forearm when not in use.

How does A.K.I. fight?

A.K.I.'s fighting style is based on Chinese Kenpo and Shequan (Snake Kung Fu), which she learned from F.A.N.G. She uses her gauntlets, nails, and chains to deliver fast and flexible attacks that can inflict poison damage on her enemies. Her poison can cause various effects, such as slowing down the opponent’s movement, draining their health over time, or reducing their defense. A.K.I. can also manipulate her poison to create different shapes and projectiles, such as spheres, needles, or clouds.

A.K.I.'s V-Skill is called Poisonous Touch, which allows her to charge up her poison and unleash it in different ways depending on the button pressed. She can either perform a lunging claw attack that causes heavy poison damage, or throw a poison ball that can bounce off walls and floors. Her V-Trigger is called Venomous Rain, which enables her to create a large cloud of poison above her head that can rain down on the opponent or be detonated by pressing the V-Trigger button again.

A.K.I.'s Critical Art is called Deadly Kiss, which is a cinematic move that shows her seducing the opponent with a kiss before injecting them with a lethal dose of poison that causes them to explode.

What is A.K.I.'s story?

A.K.I.'s story in Street Fighter 6 is connected to F.A.N.G.'s plot to revive M.Bison using the Black Moons, a set of satellites that can emit an electromagnetic pulse that can destroy anything electronic. A.K.I. serves as F.A.N.G.'s loyal assistant and bodyguard, helping him with his experiments and eliminating anyone who gets in his way. She also has a personal grudge against Rashid, who is one of the heroes trying to stop Shadaloo’s plan.

In World Tour mode, A.K.I. can be encountered as an enemy or an ally depending on the player’s choices. She can also be customized with various items and costumes, such as TMNT-themed outfits that were added as part of a crossover event².

In Arcade Mode, A.K.I.'s path is called Poisonous Art, which features fights against other characters who use poisons or toxins, such as Vega, Juri, Necalli, and F.A.N.G.

Why should you play as A.K.I.?

A.K.I. is a character that offers a lot of variety and creativity in gameplay. She can use her poison to control the space and pressure the opponent from different angles and distances. She can also mix up her attacks with different timings and directions using her chains and projectiles. She is a character that rewards players who like to experiment and adapt to different situations.

A.K.I. is also a character that has a lot of personality and flair. She has a distinctive voice and appearance that make her stand out from the rest of the cast. She also has a lot of taunts and quotes that show her twisted sense of humor and confidence. She is a character that can be fun to watch and play as.

A.K.I. is a character that will add more depth and diversity to Street Fighter 6’s roster. She is a character that will appeal to fans of F.A.N.G., poison users, or villains in general. She is a character that will challenge and entertain you with her poisonous art.

If you are interested in playing as A.K.I., you can purchase her as part of the Year 1 Character Pass DLC, or the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition of the game. You can also buy her with Fighter Coins, the game’s digital currency. A.K.I. will be available in September 2023, so stay tuned for more updates and gameplay videos.