Street Fighter 6’s release is looming, which has players excited about the game’s newest ninja: Kimberly Jackson. Unlike Luke, who was introduced in Street Fighter 5, Kimberly is a brand-new character. As such, not a lot is known about her, apart from a brief background and an exhibition of skills in her gameplay trailer.
The Street Fighter franchise is known for mixing up its roster by swapping out existing characters with brand-new ones. Six fighters will make their debut in the latest sequel, each with unique skill sets and backstories. Some of them are even connected to characters in previous installments, with Street Fighter 6's Kimberly being a student of Capcom’s iconic game-crossing ninja.
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Kimberly Jackson’s Story in Street Fighter 6
The game’s official website has a directory of Street Fighter 6’s all-new roster of characters at launch. Kimberly’s page describes her as a prodigy who graduated from college early, despite her ordinary upbringing. With her intellect, she can do anything she puts her mind to, and Kimberly was dead-set on being a ninja under the tutelage of Guy.
Guy was originally a character in Capcom’s beat-em-up franchise Final Fight before he crossed over to Street Fighter. He made his debut in Street Fighter Alpha, with his official description stating that he’s a Japanese-American grandmaster of Bushinryu, which is a form of Ninjutsu. He trained under Bushinryu grandmaster Zeku, who also appeared in Street Fighter 5. According to Street Fighter 6’s official website, Kimberly started as an uninvited student of Guy’s. Now, she’s set to surpass her teacher to become the 39th successor to Bushinryu.
Kimberly is also connected to Ken Masters through her uncle, Albert Jackson. Albert was an adviser to the Masters Foundation who went missing after Ken was framed for a criminal conspiracy. In the Street Fighter 6 demo, Kimberly can be heard asking characters about the whereabouts of her uncle.
Kimberly’s Gameplay in Street Fighter 6
Kimberly adopts some of Guy’s moves, like his side kick and Hozanto, which involves using her elbow to do a forward jab. She has a unique take on ninjutsu, opting for spray paint instead of the usual smoke bomb to distract and deceive enemies about her position in a fight.
Kimberly is an effective Street Fighter mix-up character, which means that players can utilize her different high and low moves that keep opponents guessing as to how they will block and counter. Her key special move is her sprint, which she can cancel into a light, heavy, or medium kick. When she collides with an enemy while sprinting, she will automatically leap off an opponent, which gives her the chance to do a dive kick or a throw.
This character also has an arsenal of delayed explosives that she can throw to distract opponents. Keen Kimberly players can use this resource to extend their combos. Her main mobility move is her spray can bomb, which lets her teleport. This is great for baiting opponents into committing to a move, which the player can then punish with a mix-up.
Kimberly’s three super moves are Bushin Beats, Bushin Ninjastar Cypher, and Bushin Scramble. The first causes her to sprint toward an enemy. If Kimberly connects, she’ll give the opponent a brutal beatdown. Bushin Scramble, on the other hand, is a dive kick that transitions into different wall-jumping kicks and resolves with a dive bomb. When Kimberly uses Bushin Ninjastar Cypher, she beats her opponents in the air with her spray cans before tackling them onto the ground. She also gets a walk speed and attack power boost after using this super art.
Like Luke, Kimberly is seen as one of the future faces of the Street Fighter franchise. Her unique move set and fresh character design make her stand out from the current roster, while her backstory involves taking on a new skill and surpassing her mentor. This is an excellent reflection of the Street Fighter esports’ new top players, whose innovative playstyles have brought down the veterans of the game.
Street Fighter 6 releases on June 2, 2023, for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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