The Big Apple Brawler Returns: Alex Officially Drops in Street Fighter 6 Today

The wait is officially over, and the servers are already feeling the impact. Capcom just dropped the highly anticipated third character for the Year 3 Character Pass, bringing the absolute legend Alex back into the Street Fighter 6 ring today!

The hype for the Street Fighter III protagonist was so massive that his arrival literally just broke the all time concurrent player count peak for the game on Steam. Whether you are ready to hit the Battle Hub or test his combos in the training room, there is a lot to unpack with this massive update.

Grapples and Controversies

While the fighting game community is thrilled to have the heavy hitting wrestler back, his lore is currently setting the internet on fire for all the wrong reasons.

• The Arcade Mode Uproar: Every DLC character gets a story slideshow when you beat Arcade Mode. Well, Alex just broke the community because his ending reveals he marries and starts a family with Patricia. For those who do not know the deep lore, Patricia is the daughter of Tom, who is Alex’s adoptive father and the cousin of his late mother. Yes, the fanbase is currently losing their minds over this highly questionable writing decision.
• The Look: Putting the wild story aside, his design is flawless. You can rock his brand new pro wrestling attire in Outfit 1, or max out your World Tour bond to unlock his classic Street Fighter III look complete with the iconic green pants and red bandana.
• The Moveset: Capcom actually brought in wrestling legend Kenny Omega to do the motion capture for Alex! His new Prowler Stance is incredibly dangerous, blending devastating command grabs with heavy strikes that will completely shatter your opponents drive gauge.

Shifting The Meta

Alex did not arrive alone. This update is bringing some massive system changes that will completely alter how we play the game.

• Massive Balance Patch: The entire roster just got hit with a major balance update. The biggest system change is that overhead attacks performed out of a Drive Rush have been standardized to be minus three frames on block across the board, making them way less oppressive to defend against.
• Mega Man Crossover: To celebrate the drop, Capcom also launched a surprise Mega Man Star Force and Battle Network collaboration. If you log in today, you can claim exclusive gear and check out the themed decorations taking over the Battle Hub.

Seeing a legacy character like Alex shatter Steam records proves exactly why Year 3 of this game is hitting so hard. Having Kenny Omega supply the wrestling animations is the ultimate chefs kiss for the character, even if we all have to collectively pretend his new Arcade Mode ending simply does not exist. With Ingrid slated to wrap up the season in late Spring, the competitive scene is looking incredibly healthy.

For BREAK THE META, this is WILD SURF. Catch you on the next drop!