Blanka's SFV Reveal Has The Fighting Game Community Electrified
By TJ Denzer ·
As the second addition to Street Fighter V's cast in its third season, Blanka was recently revealed by Capcom and the community went wild. We looked to players and pros to see where they fell on the classic SF character's return.
If you’re an aficionado of odd Street Fighter facts, maybe you knew that February 12 is the birthday of Blanka. If so, maybe you were more prepared for Capcom’s shenanigans than the rest of us when you saw him in the line-up of new characters for Street Fighter V’s Season 3 of new characters. The company took the initiative to give Blanka his big new reveal on his special day, as well as stating he’ll be playable in Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition next week. Since his reveal, the fighting community at large has been everywhere from grounded to ecstatic in their opinion of the beast man’s return.
The classic character and electric beast has been rolling opponents and sparking up their lives since Street Fighter II: The World Warrior back in 1991. It would appear he’s set to do the same in Street Fighter V with his trademark agility and unusual approach to offense.
Users on the Street Fighter Reddit and Shoryuken.com have been in a diverse array of discussion since the reveal. Some players are ready, to hit the ground running with the character while others are only mildly curious or a little cautious of Blanka in his early showing.
“He looks really good,” posted Shoryuken member Savagery. “Not too happy with his [Critical Art] starting with a slash attack but everything else looks solid!”
Meanwhile, quite a few professional players inside and outside the the Street Fighter circuit took to social media to weigh in on the arrival of the beast man. Over at Echo Fox, Yukio “Chocoblanka” Momochi was thrilled to see the namesake of her handle finally make his appearance.
“Dangerous and dangerous,” gushes chocoblanka in a Twitter post. “Next week!! I’m actually dead with the flu, but it’s like I’m resting for Blanka. We are ready for next week!”
Momochi’s enthusiasm was shared by fellow Echo Fox SFV pro Justin Wong, who seemed generally pleased with a good bit of Blanka’s showing and expressed a consideration to switch over to the character for regular play.
Time to main blanka... Story plush outfit too strong and that V Trigger II from him is too fun!!!! WE OUT HERE IN THE JUNGLE https://t.co/bG2ISdmXI3
— Echo Fox Justin Wong (@JWonggg) February 12, 2018
Wong’s notation of Blanka’s story costume has been a beast in of itself throughout the reactions to his reveal. For those who don’t know, Blanka’s Story costume appears to be a goofy-looking plush doll variation of him. The sight of it is enough to evoke a laugh on its own, but many of the community most certainly got in on the fun, including Justin Wong.
BRUH... WHO WOULDNT MAIN BLANKA IF YOU CAN LOOK LIKE THIS!!! pic.twitter.com/wUNUSFTptW
— Echo Fox Justin Wong (@JWonggg) February 12, 2018
Evil Geniuses player Ricki Ortiz had a slightly different take on Blanka’s story costume.
Imagine getting set played by this. pic.twitter.com/QzZIKP61RG
— ✨Ricki Sophie Ortiz✨ (@HelloKittyRicki) February 12, 2018
She raises a good point. What would it feel like if you got swept by this arts n’ crafts creature? No doubt, troll players and those looking to feed on the salt of their opponents might be hotly considering Blanka for the sake of the laughs and rage when they land those final blows.
With that in mind, not everyone is thrilled to see Blanka back. Traditionally, the character has always been tricky for how bulky he looks, playing off his bestial background to bring all sorts of unusual agility, evasion, and offense to the game, suitable for tripping players up and keeping your standard fighter off-balance. Adel “Big Bird” Anouche of NASR eSports and Red Bull noted the return of Blanka’s unconventional style and a maybe-joking, maybe-not intention to avoid competition during the initial launch of the character.
Blanka looks more annoying than ever
— Adel (@Bigbird_fgc) February 12, 2018
I'm skipping online for the 1st week after blanka drops
Meanwhile, other less enthused fighters included folks like Arman “Phenom” Hanjani of Nordavind, who poked at an idea that few people were clamouring for a Blanka return. Phenom made the bold claim that it was simply at Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono’s behest that Blanka made a return at all.
Rain or shine, Blanka has thundered onto the stage and players all over the board from the bronze to the grandmasters have taken notice. Some players are already working to figure Blanka out and probe the beast for strengths and weaknesses. Fighting game highlight channel HiFight has already begun putting together a series of videos that show off various quirks to Blanka’s playstyle. They’re picking the character apart, finding out what makes it tick, and making the early moves to show players what they can and can’t do when it comes to Blanka’s defense and offense.
Blanka Rolling Attack on blockhttps://t.co/X4KB1QzmBp pic.twitter.com/VfgtlgYcdU
— HiFight(ハイファイト) (@HiFightTH) February 13, 2018
Wherever you stand on Blanka, whether the sparks are flying or not, there’s no denying that Blanka has most certainly made the biggest impression since his arrival in 1991. For better or worse, players had best be prepared as the character rolls out for play in Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition on February 20, 2018. Why not brush up on your defense with our breakdown on the Importance of Blocking and evasion in the meantime?