Super Street Fighter IV: First New Characters
Story, Moves and History of T. Hawk, Dee Jay and Juri
Oct 1, 2009
It took a decade for a true sequel to the Street Fighter series to return to arcades and consoles, but only about a year for a sequel to Street Fighter IV to be announced. Super Street Fighter IV promises balance tweaks, new additions to the Ultra Combo system and of course new characters.
Every character from the Street Fighter II series made it to Street Fighter IV – Except for T. Hawk and Dee Jay. With their return, the reunion is complete. Along with them comes a brand-new character: Juri, who marks more firsts than one would expect.
Dee Jay- Charged and Well-rounded
A kickboxer from Jamaica, Dee Jay wants to use his performance at the Street Fighter tournament to promote his music career. It isn’t as noble a goal as some characters have, but neither is El Fuerte fighting to find new recipes or Zangief fighting to impress random kids at a park. Dee Jay and his omni-present smile hasn’t appeared much outside the Street Fighter II series: He was in the console versions of Street Fighter Alpha 3, but if it wasn’t for Super Street Fighter II Turbo: HD Remix he would still be in limbo.
Dee Jay is a charge character with a balanced set of special moves. The recovery on his Max Out projectile is similar to Guile’s Sonic Boom, while his Dread Kick is good for pressure and to finish combos. For close-range Dee Jay has his multi-hit Machine Gun Upper, while his Up Kicks are a serviceable anti-air. Dee Jay doesn't excel in any particular area, but his versatility gives him a chance in any match up.
T. Hawk – The Nimble Giant
The chief of a Mexican tribe, Thunder Hawk investigates M. Bison’s Shadaloo organization for its habit of stealing his tribe’s land and kidnapping its people. Like Dee Jay he hasn’t appeared much beyond the Street Fighter II series. Also like Dee Jay and several other Street Fighters T.Hawk's a stereotype, in his case the denim-and-feather-wearing Native American, cranked up to a point where it's hard to tell if Capcom is trying to take refuge in absurdity.
T. Hawk’s design protocol was to be even bigger than Zangief and Sagat. Like the Russian his game revolves around crushing 360-degree throws, and like Sagat his normal attacks have great reach. However, T. Hawk tosses aside lariats in favor of flinging himself at opponents with his Hawk Dive. He also has an anti-air in the Tomahawk Buster, although it's usually him that is trying to get close.
T.Hawk's mobility comes at a high risk: The Hawk Dive gets fast results, but a predicted Dive is punishable and outside of that he has few tools against fireballs. Players have to be patient and choose their openings if they want to win.
Juri- A New Character of Odd Firsts
Not much is know about Juri other than her nationality of South Korea, her fighting style of Taekwondo and her artificial eye provided by final boss Seth's S.I.N. corporation.
Taekwondo fighters are nothing new to fighting games, and most represent Korea in tribute to the nation where the style originated. Juri is the first in both regards in the Street Fighter series. Considering the style's popularity it’s strange that it took so long for a practitioner of Taekwondo to enter the arena. In contrast, SNK's King of Fighters games regularly features the Korean Team, where even the characters who don't use the style wear Taekwondo uniforms.
Juri is also the first evil female in a Street Fighter game. In the Street Fighter Alpha series Cammy, Juli and Juni were Shadaloo agents, but they were brainwashed. SF4’s C. Viper worked for S.I.N. - as a double agent for the CIA. For continuity heads Juri could be the first girl who wants to cause pain and suffering.
More news and characters are sure to be revealed as the game reaches its Spring 2010 release date. While there is already a good idea of how Dee Jay and T. Hawk will play, fans won't figure out Juri's strategy and how character tweaks will affect competitive play until after the game is released.
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