A.K.I. slithers into Street Fighter 6 on September 27 – full gameplay details revealed

Double, double coil and trouble. A.K.I., the maniacal mistress of poison will slither her way into Fighting Ground, World Tour, and Battle Hub in Street Fighter 6 starting September 27 on PS5 and PS4. Feeding off orders from her master, A.K.I. injects poison into enemies that dare stand within striking distance–all with a smile. You can’t fix her, but she will fix you.

A new character to the Street Fighter series, A.K.I. snakes through life only to please her outstanding and phenomenal master F.A.N.G from Street Fighter V. Under orders to dig into the remnants of Shadaloo, she finds herself infatuated with the powers that be.

In World Tour, help A.K.I. find her herbal medicine in Tian Hong Yuan, a new area where you can increase your bond with her and learn her deadly moves. Put those moves to use in the Battle Hub in the ever popular and always wacky Avatar Battles. Explore how the addition of poison improves your custom combos.

Game Director Takayuki Nakayama spoke on the team’s inspiration on designing a visually striking character like A.K.I.

“The character design we landed on was a pale-skinned disciple with her fighting style being a combination of the Poison Hand and the Fanged Snake Style martial arts. Therefore, we decided to proceed with A.K.I. being a white snake that carries poison.

Her snakeskin Chinese dress has a beautiful sheen like a black mamba with material that looks ominous when it shines and animates. The serpentine pattern you see from her chest to her stomach was meant to resemble the belly of a snake.

Her distinctive hairstyle was an idea that came from outside of the design team, which incorporates the symbol of an assassin: “kasa” (umbrella in Japanese) through her hair. Based on this concept, we tweaked the way her eyes hide behind her hair and the overall silhouette. We took extra care in making the silhouette of the collar and the way her eyes are hidden to look alluring when viewed from the side.”

A.K.I. has learned from her master about the best uses for poison, but her nails offer a twisted reminder that she is a different creature altogether. Excelling at long-range combat and with the ability to poison enemies through her cauldron of tricks, A.K.I. controls the stage waiting for her prey to blink.

Like F.A.N.G, once A.K.I. poisons an enemy, their vitality will slowly deplete as long as the effect remains. If A.K.I. gets hit, the poison will dissipate. From a distance, she can use Serpent Lash, sending her nails flying forward like a chain, poisoning enemies she hits. The OD version of Serpent Lash hooks on to enemies, allowing A.K.I. to hop forward to close the distance. When she strikes an opponent who is already poisoned with moves like Serpent Lash, a Toxic Blossom triggers where the resulting explosion can open enemies up to follow-up attacks.

Her fireball–Nightshade Pulse–sends a bubble forward that also poisons enemies on hit. She can strike the bubble with Nightshade Chaser to pop it in advance, increasing the area of effect. A.K.I. can also use Orchid Spring to place a puddle of poison in front of her, which affects opponents who step in it.

Snakes always lurk where their prey can’t see them. A.K.I. can use Cruel Fate to flip backwards toward enemies, sending her nails to strike from above. Like a contortionist, she can instantly coil to the ground and under enemies with Snake Step.

A.K.I. takes this even further with Sinister Slide, where she can slither from full screen to avoid threats while stalking forward. From Sinister Slide, she can perform three actions: Venomous Fang sees her leaping forward to poison enemies, Heel Strike starts combos on a successful hit, and Entrapment wraps her body around enemies to constrict them.

A.K.I.’s Level 1 Super Deadly Implication launches enemies in the air with a kick and traps them in a gigantic poisonous bubble, leaving them across the stage. Her Level 2 Super Tainted Talons extends multiple talons forward and leaves a large pool of poison in its wake that lasts for a significant amount of time.

During A.K.I.’s Level 3 Super–Claws of Ya Zi–she pierces various pressure points on the enemy’s body and injects a poison that detonates from within. Getting tied up in these chains will see you screaming in agony.

A.K.I. will be unlocked for owners of the Year 1 Character Pass, Deluxe Edition, or Ultimate Edition on September 27. Get a taste of her poison for an hour with a Rental Fighter ticket, which can be obtained in a Fighting Pass. Don A.K.I. in an elegant additional outfit, which is also available when she unlocks.

Speaking of, the A.K.I. Arrives! Fighting Pass will release on September 1 and contains cosmetic items to help prepare for A.K.I.’s incoming concoction.

Whether it’s from her tongue or the brewing poison, the soft hissing grows ever louder approaching the end of September when A.K.I. is introduced in Street Fighter 6 on PS5 and PS4.