Street Fighter fans react to divorced Ken story leaks in SF6

The recent Street Fighter 6 gameplay reveal was enough to get Capcom and fighting game fans excited. The trailer, which showcases a new story mode, redesigns for fan-favourites Ryu and Chun-Li, as well as the debut of new faces like Jamie was received with extremely positive feedback by the community.

Sadly for the developers, a plethora of leaks ensued in the hours following the reveal at the Sony State of Play, including artwork for 22 characters that are set to either be a part of the initial roster of Street Fighter 6 or are being worked on as the first wave of DLC.

The developers would confirm the leaks as real via social media, in a tweet made on the official Street Fighter page on June 3rd, Capcom appreciated the positive response to the redesigns..

Among the characters that got leaked, which include World Warriors such as Dhalsim, Cammy, and Blanka, as well as other fan-favourites like Juri, there was a very bleak-looking Ken Masters, Ryu's long-standing rival and training partner. If rumours about his story development are true, there's a reason why the Ken we'd get to see in Street Fighter 6 looks like a former shadow of himself.

Is Ken really getting a divorce in Street Fighter 6?

Ken is known by Street Fighter fans as an extrovert and easy-going character, a far cry from the stoic nature of Ryu. His relationship with Eliza has developed over the last SF games, first starting as Ken's girlfriend in Street Fighter II, later to be introduced as a married couple with a kid, Mel, in Street Fighter III.

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Street Fighter IV and V, prequels to III, gave fans a little more insight into their marriage. However, SF6, which is finally going past Street Fighter III in the series timeline, will see Ken lose his family.

According to a leak from 4Chan, which you should take with a grain of salt, Ken will get lost in his pursuit of being as strong as he can, just like Ryu. As a result, Eliza moves on and takes Mel with her, leaving Ken in a broken state as seen in the leaked artwork.

We will avoid spoilers in case you haven't seen Ken's new look in Street Fighter 6 but if you're keen on seeing how Masters will change, you can check out all the leaked artwork right here.

As a result, fans are reacting in all sorts of ways. Some are interested to see how Capcom develops this story if it ends up being true. FGC legend Jay "Viscant" Snyder said that this new Ken look makes more interested in the character than "in the past 30 years."

SF6 Ken no longer looks like he wants to have a friendly spar with Ryu and definitely looks like he wants to rough me up behind the Wendy's to buy some Steel Reserve.

I'm more interested by Ken now than I've been in 30 years. I want to know wtf happened.

Art style matters! https://t.co/z3By6KcyCy

— Jay Snyder (@JayViscant) June 3, 2022

Of course, memes flooded social media, comparing the iconic fighter to a crypto bro that just lost all his fortune after a failed NFT investment.

Regardless of whether the leak is true or not, it'll be interesting to see the backstory behind this more scruffy Ken look, considering he was always presented as a more civilised, almost fashionable character.

For more on all things fighting games and Street Fighter related, check out our dedicated section filled with tournament results, tier lists, and more.

Featured image courtesy of Capcom / PlayStation.