What We Learned From the Rashid Street Fighter 6 Trailer
In a move shocking everyone, including us here at Esports Illustrated, the Street Fighter 6 team dropped their reveal trailer for Rashid. Considering EVO is in a matter of weeks, it would have been easy to believe that his debut would happen at the major tournament. But instead, we got our first look at him already and boy is he…mobile. You’ve only got till the release date on July 24th to prepare for him, but here’s what we could glean from the announcement.
His Core Kit Is Virtually Unchanged
Rashid wreaked havoc on the ladders back in Street Fighter V. His speed, irregular projectiles and ability to deal damage from crazy angles lead him to being a beast in that game. In fact, many players rated Rashid as one of the best characters in the game at many points in its life. Due to that, his playstyle isn’t that different.
His Whirlwind Shot is still there as his primary zoning tool and Spinning Mixer will still be a combo ender. Rashid’s much-maligned (because it was so good) V-Trigger 1, Ysaar, returns as his level 2 super move. Needless to say if this was a character that gave you fits in the previous game, prepare for some pretty nightmarish flashbacks in SF6.
He Can Skip Neutral Even More Now
Part of what made Rashid so good is his ability to dictate the pace of a match through his rushdown. His Eagle Spike and movement options meant he could close the distance better than almost any character. This looks to be the same in SF6. In a game that’s prioritizing aggression and longer combo strings, Rashid looks to be particularly strong.
One of his new moves, allows him to basically flip over projectiles and low attacks with a high arcing jump. And if that wasn’t crazy enough, he can then attack from the air with a unique double jump move. These two additions make him unanimously the most dangerous fighter in SF6 in the air. Oh, and he’s got an airthrow too.
Leaning More Into Breakdancing
Street Fighter 6 producer, Shuhei Matsumoto, told IGN Japan back in 2022 that hip-hop and urban tastes “feel like Street Fighter”. And outside of Kimberly, no one really embodies that as much as Rashid. While she represents graffiti, one of the pillars of hip-hop culture, Rashid leans on breakdancing.
Many of his moves and especially his Drive Impact are all based in breakdancing and it brings a whole new life to the character. Rashid was already a dynamic fighter, but his update in SF6 makes him feel even more spirited.
