LAS VEGAS—Ken Masters, the Street Fighter mainstay, is the newest DLC character to join Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. That’s unsurprising news, as developer SNK made the reveal last year, and I got hands-on with the character prior to flying out to Evo 2025, the world’s largest fighting game tournament and convention. However, SNK reached out for an interview that was originally supposed to occur during the show, but shifted to email due to a scheduling conflict. So, below, you’ll find my Q+A with Yasuyuki Oda (Lead Producer, City of the Wolves) and Masami Obari (Animator, City of the Wolves’ Ken anime opener).
(Credit: SNK)
PCMag: Ken Masters is City of the Wolves’ newest DLC character. Oda-san, please walk me through how SNK decided that he (and Chun-Li, who is coming Winter 2025) would be the Street Fighter representatives to appear in Fatal Fury?
Oda-san: We wanted a character that was as iconic to the Street Fighter franchise as Terry and Mai are to Fatal Fury. Ken, who also has a history and rivalry with Terry, ended up being the best choice. In the same vein, Chun-Li has a rivalry with Mai and is such an iconic character for the Street Fighter series that we felt we had to get her in the game.
PCMag: How much freedom do you have to interpret Ken in terms of visual design and move set?
Oda-san: We are extremely grateful to Capcom who has given us plenty of creative freedom to adapt Ken. We wanted to use his Street Fighter 6 version as a base and then add his most iconic moves from previous Street Fighter games. I think we were able to maintain Ken’s identity while also creating a unique version of him that fans can enjoy.
PCMag: Will CotW receive any guest characters from other fighting game publishers besides Capcom?
Oda-san: We’re still looking into it, but unfortunately, we don’t have anything to announce right now.
(Credit: SNK)
PCMag: Before CotW launched, some fans were bewildered by Ronaldo and Salvatore’s inclusion. What has been the fan reaction post-launch? And do you envision adding more real-world people to the roster?
Oda-san: These two talents have allowed us to reach audiences around the globe that we’d never before imagined for the game, or even the fighting games genre at large. We don’t have anything to share about future collaborations at the moment and will reveal more if and when there’s more news.
PCMag: As a developer, you spend years designing the fighting mechanics. Do players ever use the systems in unexpected ways that surprise you? Can you give an example of that?
Oda-san: With the way we develop games now, we test the game over and over again before launching it, so it generally turns out as expected. In the past, we had plenty of surprises from the players (haha). This isn’t a problem if the game continues to work properly, but back then there were many bug-like issues that needed fixing. In that era of SNK, we often released games with a sense of anxiety.
PCMag: One of the surprising aspects of City of the Wolves was the inclusion of the line-sway system. Will you include that feature on more stages? Or, perhaps, add other stage mechanics, like the ring outs from the Real Bout series?
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Oda-san: We are still considering how we should approach mechanics like ring outs, but as for line-sway, we would definitely like to add the feature to more stages.
(Credit: SNK)
PCMag: When I interviewed you in 2023 ahead of City of the Wolves’ release, you mentioned looking at American comic books as a visual inspiration. Which comic books or artists inspired you while the team created City of the Wolves’ cool look?
Oda-san: Originally, both Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting were influenced by American comic books. There isn’t a particular comic book that the art style was inspired by, but the way American comics use shadows and tones is something that greatly influenced us.
PCMag: Obari-san, in the fighting game circles, you’re known for the classic Fatal Fury anime feature story. Did your design philosophy change while working on Ken, a Capcom character, as opposed to the SNK characters?
Obari-san: When I draw Fatal Fury characters, I try to focus on drawing them in a way that showcases both their beauty and coolness. However, I feel that the charm of Capcom’s characters lies in their wildness, so I tried to emphasize that in this case.
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(Credit: SNK)
PCMag: When you create an anime intro for City of the Wolves, do you feel the need to replicate gameplay moves or do you go in a different direction?
Obari-san: I am a big fan of the game, so while I emphasize the movements and effects that are from the actual game, I try to express them in a way that is unique to animation.
PCMag: How has the animation production process changed between the time when you worked on the original 1990s Fatal Fury anime and City of the Wolves?
Obari-san: In the past, cell and film animation had limitations that arose from the time it would take to develop film and camera work used in cell animation, but these limitations are no longer a problem.
PCMag: In the very cool, new City of the Wolves animated intro, there’s lots of fierce emotion to match the combat. In terms of storytelling, what did you want to convey in terms of character personality or themes?
Obari-san: I wanted to express the change of generations in my animation. Terry, from Rock’s point of view, was an admired figure who eventually became someone that he wanted to surpass, so the climax of the game features a clash between the two of them. I also wanted to depict the resolution between Terry and Geese in the anime, which was not included in the game. The appeal of Fatal Fury is that each character has a well-developed setting and backbone.
For more on Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, check out our full review. After that, read my take on the Ken Masters DLC.
About Jeffrey L. Wilson
Managing Editor, Apps and Gaming
