Street Fighter 5’s New Character Debut Causes Mixed Fan Reaction: Who Is Rashid?

Street Fighter 5 does not even have a release date set yet, but fans waiting for the new release from Capcom are excited about the latest information teased about the new game. According to IGN, Yoshinori Ono announced a new character, named Rashid, at the Games15 Video Game Show in Dubai, after teasing the big reveal on his Twitter before making the announcement.

Rashid is just one of the new characters introduced to the game this month. He is a Middle-Eastern fighter who has the “ability to harness the power of wind.” A teaser trailer for the character released by Capcom shows Rashid in action, and he has some fun-looking skills that includes the ability to create mini-tornados. IGN described the character’s skills in their report.

“He throws a short range tornado that extends vertically, likely as a set up for combos as he jumps over the blocking Ryu as seen in the video. He appears to toss out mini-tornadoes, possibly as his anti-air move for players jumping in on him. Rashid also has a roll that allows him to duck underneath projectiles, allowing him to close the distance on an opposing player.”

Rashid is special in the world of Street Fighter. He is the first Middle Eastern character to appear in the core franchise. Capcom released several photos of the new character to their Facebook after the announcement.

Capcom also revealed some of his game skills in a blog post on Capcom Unity.

“V-Skill 1 (MP+MK) – Front Flip: Rashid performs a high flying flip over the opponent. Pressing kick during the Front Flip results in Rashid performing a divekick.

V-Skill 2 (Down+MP+MK) – Rolling Assault: Rashid closes the gap between himself and the opponent with a quick front roll. Pressing kick during Rolling Assault results in Rashid kicking upward at the

V-Trigger (HP+HK) – Ysaar: Rashid throws out a slow moving whirlwind that closes in on the opponent and causes damage to them if they touch it. While the whirlwind is out, Rashid can use it to increase his movement on any attack that propels him forward.”

“I am Rashid of the turbulent wind. Remember the name well!” http://t.co/GQtudusghe pic.twitter.com/DzZXWHXdjm

— Shoryuken.com (@shoryukendotcom) September 11, 2015

Not all fans are pleased about the new character, though. Some fans commented on Capcom’s post on Facebook to share their feelings about the company announcing a Middle-Eastern character on September 11.

One commenter joked, “Is he ISIS or Al Queda?” Another person said, “Released [an afghan fighter on 9/11 smooth very smooth.” The comments about the September 11 release did receive one push back comment. One fan pointed out that, “To all of those people commenting on it being in ‘bad taste’ to release this character on 9/11… HE’S SAUDI ARABIAN!!! Lol”

Street Fighter 5 will have 16 playable characters; fans will see two more new characters announced before the release next year. Fans of the game series have had one opportunity to try out the game through a beta that was released in July. However, the beta was closed early due to technical difficulties.

According to WCCF Tech, Yoshinori Ono spoke about Street Fighter 5 in an interview released earlier this year, and he seemed excited to share the entirely new game to fans of the franchise.

“With Street Fighter 5, we have a fantastic opportunity to create something with a larger scope, a game that encompasses all that Street Fighter has become in the last few years, but which also expands on that to become something it has never been before as well. So now we want to create something that nobody is expecting. It’s going to be a title that caters to fans, of course, but one that also invites completely new players onto the scene. Street Fighter 4 was about reviving a passion. Street Fighter 5 is about growing that passion.”

What do you think about Street Fighter 5‘s latest character addition? Will you put Rashid in a fight?

[Photo courtesy of Capcom via Street Fighter on Facebook]