Schoolgirl Shoryukens in 2018?
This weekend saw some of Street Fighter V’s finest players gather in Boston, Massachusetts for the North American Finals of the Capcom Cup 2017, held at Red Bull Battlegrounds.
After a weekend of hard-hitting and intense matches, PG|Punk’s Karin took the gold, beating out Idom’s formidable Laura in the finals. A major boost to Punk’s confidence ahead of the looming Capcom Cup, which will take place on December 10. At the conclusion of the event, a trailer was shown at the conclusion hyping the upcoming Pro-Tour final, but it was noted by eagle-eyed viewers that the video ended with what appeared to be blossom petals floating through the air.
If this wasn’t enough, the Battle Grounds show was closed out with a beautiful flurry of confetti, some of which were formed in the shape the Cherry Blossom, the national flower of Japan, where it is known, of course, as “Sakura”. A photo of the decoration was taken by long-time Sakura player Alex Myers.
For well over two years now, two prominent names have been oft-repeated by fans when requesting new characters for the Street Fighter V roster. The King of Muay Thai, Sagat, is one of them, and the super-cheerful fangirl, Sakura Kasugano, is another.
To double-down on Sakura petal imagery like this feels like more than coincidence, so I can understand why fans of the knuckle-flying teen are getting all in a tizzy. Nevertheless, the truth will out at the Capcom Cup very soon.
“Sakura” confetti at Red Bull Battlegrounds [EventHubs]
