Street Fighter 5 Update Adds Luke As Final Character In Roster

A Street Fighter V update has added Luke, a brand-new character to the franchise and the game’s final Season 5 fighter. As SFV’s final season comes to a close, developer Capcom has kept busy ensuring its fighting game series and characters remained visible elsewhere in gaming. Recently, characters Guile and Cammy got Fortnite skins, while fan-favorite Akuma joined the behemoth-slaying action of Monster Hunter Rise.

When Street Fighter 5 Season 5 was first revealed, players quickly began to theorize about who the game’s final character could be. The inclusion of Akira from the Rival Schools franchise quickly fanned the flames of speculation that another obscure fighter could make a guest appearance. Instead, original character Luke was revealed as the last Season 5 addition, an announcement initially met with some disappointment. However, interest in how SFV’s Luke fights and controls rose as Capcom detailed Luke’s role in the Street Fighter franchise’s future.

Related: How A Bug In Street Fighter 2 Led To The Birth Of Fighting Game Combos

Post-release, Capcom has fully detailed Luke’s moves, specials, and V-Triggers in a new Street Fighter 5 YouTube trailer. The character is primarily offense-based, with each of his punches advancing Luke towards the opponent, something that typically rare to find in a SFV’s character’s moveset. The gameplay footage also shows some considerable juggle potential for Luke, especially when his opponent is cornered at one end of the stage. This heavy emphasis on juggle combos – those that keep a foe airborne and defenseless – has been a staple of Season 5 characters, with others like Rose and Akira having major parts of their movesets focused on aerial combat.

Where Luke differs most from his fellow Street Fighter Season 5 characters is in terms of his V-Skills and V-Triggers, special mechanics unique to each fighter. For most characters, using a V-Trigger activates a single special attack or give the character access to a series of special moves for a limited time. With Luke, offense is rewarded by adding to his V-Gauge meter with every successful attack while V-Trigger is activated, which is the exact opposite of how the mechanic works for every other character in the game. Players have taken this as a hint that Street Fighter 6 may have a rushdown-focused gameplay core which rewards aggression and pressure rather than defensive tactics.

Luke’s arrival in Street Fighter 5 effectively marks the end for the game, which has come a long way since its barebones launch in 2016. While no official information has been announced about the next Street Fighter game, the new Season 5 Luke gameplay is intriguing. It will likely be some time before Street Fighter 6 will be shown, but Luke could be proof there’s a lot to look forward to.

Next: Street Fighter V: 5 Advanced Tips & Tricks the Pros Use

Street Fighter V is available for PS4 and PC.

Source: Street Fighter/YouTube

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