In the initial release of Street Fighter V earlier this year, many players thought it seemed Capcom was holding back. DLC was announced and among the stages and costumes available for purchase there was a tease for 6 characters who would become available throughout 2016. The newest addition to SFV was announced through a trailer on the official Street Fighter YouTube page: Ibuki.
Ibuki, that’s a name which is familiar to most fans of the Street Fighter franchise. After being a favorite character in Street Fighter III and IV, Capcom has recently posted a new trailer featuring the return of our favorite ninja-in-training. Aside from her usual aerial attacks and in-air combos, it looks like she is bringing a couple of new tricks along in her most recent arrival.
When first released back in SFIII, Ibuki was known mostly for her ability to juggle opponents and throw off the rhythms of many other fighters. Because of her fast pace and odd timings, she was very slippery in the past and could feel close to unbeatable in many match ups. After seeing the trailer most seasoned players will notice that this version of Ibuki has several differences when compared to earlier iterations. Whether that is good or bad still remains to be seen.
Bombs Away
The first major difference I noticed in the Ibuki trailer is her use of bombs. Not very ninja-like, but she never was your typical stealthy fighter. Although it is tough to say exactly how this new mechanic will effect her play, it does seem like it will introduce a new timing into the game. The bombs are thrown by Ibuki and do seem to have a timed fuse (we hope at least). Upon exploding it appears the bomb will render the opponent air-born and unable to react to follow-up damage. This makes me suspect trap setups and several dirty combos will begin with a little blast.
Aerial Advantage
Aside from the new explosive mechanic, I also noticed several different aerial movements at multiple levels. She also seems to have a parachute-type move which looks like it will both slow her fall speed and prolong her time in the air. This is the type of mechanic a skilled player will most likely be able to exploit for finding new angles of attack.
Both the bomb and parachute mechanics seem like they have the potential to be problematic and will most likely need a little tweaking in upcoming patches. It is possible that Capcom nailed them both right out of the gate, but that’s a bet I would not be willing to make.
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Street Fighter V has been available to the public after its initial release back in February 2016, but the game and competitive meta continues to shift. With new patches being released, and new fighters being introduced and stages coming into play via DLC, SFV has yet to fully settle. Ibuki is the most recent to join a cast of 6 characters being added to the game post-launch. Also, in June, Capcom is expected to release a free story mode for the newest game in the Street Fighter family. This story mode is expected to feature over an hour of cinematic content to help connect the current installment with Street Fighter IV. The uncertainty and new additions continue to make Street Fighter V exciting to play and even more exciting game to watch at the top level over the last several months. At the time this article was written no official release date has been set, but because of recent character release trends it seems Ibuki will be playable by the end of the month.
