Sakura

I know it's a little to early to say but in my opinion it's never to early for speculation! Who do you think will be in it? Personally I've seen a lot of support for Vega to return, but who else? Maybe Sakura? Any thoughts?

Preface: I’d never even heard of Dark Sakura when this idea came to mind. I was amazed to see that this character already existed at one point, with that exact name. Not evil, shadow, violent, or raging Sakura, but Dark Sakura. What are the odds? This will obviously be a different take than the character in the series/crossover. I don’t claim to be a Street Fighter expert, so forgive me if this wouldn’t line up with what’s canon (my subconscious made it, after all).

A few nights back, I had a crazy fever dream, and thought it would actually make for an intriguing twist to a character in the games. I don’t think the character the dream was about was Sakura per se, but I think she would work well (especially now that I’ve done some more digging on her history and see this isn’t unprecedented).

The story begins at night, with the only light being the stars above and what emanates from the paper walls of the dojo we just ran out of. Akuma is attacking (a la Assassin's Fist), and the last thing you remember is your sensei (Dan, in this case?) telling you to escape. Most inside are already dead. As you hide lying face down on the ground just over a small hill a dozen or so meters away, you peek over to see the silhouette of Dan knocked to the ground, and your training partner (Kari? Need help on the best fit here) being held in the air by her neck after she rushed over to defend her sensei. You know if they can’t defeat him, there’s no way you stand a chance.

As you close your eyes and start to cover your head, hoping it all goes away, you realize you cannot sit idly as your friend is about to be murdered. If only someone would stop him. What if you chose to disobey your sensei and do something about it? A surge starts rushing through your veins. A surge of anger. A surge of murderous intent.

Like flipping a switch, you rush in, eyes glowing red. You get the drop on Akuma, striking him with a combo that knocks him to the ground. You look down at him with a piercing gaze of rage as you charge your attack, preparing to finish him off. Just as you start to release your new super – Shinku Gohadoken - he kips up and teleports behind you, your fireball singeing the ground where he just lied. You turn your head when you feel his hand on your shoulder, and he says, “Yes! I knew I sensed the Dark Hado in you like I did in your idol Ryu.” As he turns and walks away, he leaves you with the challenge, “Feed it, and come find me when you’re stronger.”

She come back to her senses, realizing the dangerous line she just crossed. Now she, like Ryu, must wrestle with the satsui no hado within her.

What do you think? Would this be an interesting take on a character like Sakura, or would it be better suited for a different character? Regardless, I thought it was wild enough I had to share.

I knew that the Sakura Ganbaru manga was canon.

I knew that Maki’s Alpha 3 story was canon.

Street Fighter 6 proved I was right.

I’m glad that Capcom managed to acknowledge their friendship after 18 years (or 17 overseas & in Europe).

I only got one match in, which was my A-Sakura versus his A-Ryu.

Of course, Mako being the rank he's at, I obviously lost. However, I did get close to taking the second round off him, mainly because I blocked his Shin Shoryuken. That being said, though, I had fun - losing is all apart of the learning curve after all, and I can see why he's considered the best Alpha 3 player of the bunch.

7. C. Viper

6. Akuma

5. Cammy White

4. Ryu

3. Sakura Kasugano

2. Ken Masters

1. Sean Matsuda - I'm new to the character the first time

1. Shes cute & adorable.

2. Her voice sounds very good.

3. She’s popular among of the fanart

4. She always like Ryu A lot

5. She has a lot of costumes

6. Shes an owner of the arcade

7. Shes a high school girl

8. I like the “Street Fighters Legends: Sakura” comic

9. They have her in Fortnite

10. And Lastly, cosplayers cosplaying as Sakura