After a long absence from the series, Karin Kanzuki has finally returned for Street Fighter V, and she sure looks fast. Last seen in Street Fighter Alpha 3, the spoilt little rich girl has traditionally been seen as the rival to Ryu’s protégé, Sakura.
Judging from the trailer above, the Karin looks largely similar to he original incarnation, unlike the drastic changes made to characters Ken and Birdie. Check out the details of her play-style below:
In Street Fighter V, Karin is a well-rounded character, possessing a wide array of strikes and moves at her disposal for any situation. Utilizing her new dash move allows her to close the distance quickly between her opponents and go in for a quick high-low attack or throw.
And just when the opponent thinks they’ve figured out how to deal with the pressure, Karin’s V-Trigger completely changes up her game plan by allowing her to perform her signature Guren Ken multi-string attacks and variations. Players who enjoy attacking with speed and a large variety of tools will find Karin to be extremely satisfying to utilize.
V-Skill: Meioken
Karin lunges forward with a devastating palm strike that dissipates projectiles and knocks down the opponent if it connects, all while helping to build her V-Trigger gauge. By holding down the buttons, players can charge the move for a split second, giving it better hit and block properties.
V-Trigger: Kanzuki-Ryu Guren No Kata
Karin channels her inner Ki to unlock the true potential of the Kanzuki fighting style, giving her access to the Guren Ken attack, which in itself possesses over half a dozen different follow ups and variations. After the initial Guren Ken, she is able to transition immediately into an overhead attack, a low sweep, a flying throw, another quick set of strikes, or even a backdash to bait out counterattacks. This gives her immense flexibility in controlling the flow of the fight, ensuring that she comes out on top.
With Karin now confirmed, there’s now only two empty character slots left for returning characters in Street Fighter V. Recent leaks have suggested Urien and Alex – Street Fighter III: Third Strike characters – could be the remaining two, but are the rumors true? We’ll just have to wait and see…