The new Street Fighter 6 character is really into nail art

(They're poisonous and she stabs people with them.)

Street Fighter 6's next character is "A.K.I.," a tall, sinuous woman with poisonous fingernails who'll make her series debut this fall. In her teaser trailer, Aki delights in poisoning someone who just wanted to buy some medicine, stalking about them in a circle and describing the horrible effects of the botulinum toxin she's just dosed them with. Not very nice!

SF6's official accounts describe Aki as "a maniacal poison aficionado" who "can’t wait to sink her nails into her opponents." Some are speculating she might be the heir to, or apprentice of, poison master F.A.N.G. from Street Fighter 5. Either way it's clear she's squarely in the villain camp.

Tall and armed with long vicious claws atop her fingernails, Aki has a few places she could obviously slot in SF6's lineup of fighters and fighting styles. Her fast movements and claws give her rushdown fighter potential, but with her height and Fang connection there's a chance she could be more of a zoner who wears down opponents from mid-range.

Street Fighter 6's first Year 1 DLC character was Rashid, who released this summer. He's a returning character from SF5 with windy powers who can blow up a tornado and cut down opponents midair with his curving projectile attack. After Aki this Autumn, Year 1 Character Pass owners will also get Ed and Akuma.

SF6 has been a hit, selling past two million copies in just five weeks. We gave it an 89% review, with Mollie Taylor calling it "a bombastic, colourful, all-out package that is ready to cater to every playstyle and skill level, doing it with a degree of finesse that has well and truly set the bar high for the next generation of fighting games."

I can't help but be worried for the Street Fighter community, though, because their general response to Aki's reveal suggests they're down bad. "I can fix her," say many on social media.

OK, but first, say "ahh."

A maniacal poison aficionado, A.K.I. can't wait to sink her nails into her opponents in autumn 2023.💅 Feed your obsession with her by keeping your eyes peeled for more details to come. #StreetFighter6 pic.twitter.com/POp8fE3OiRAugust 7, 2023

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Jon Bolding is a games writer and critic with an extensive background in strategy games. When he's not on his PC, he can be found playing every tabletop game under the sun.

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