Living up to that reputation, Capcom revealed a new Ryu theme for Street Fighter 6 yesterday. You can see it (well, listen to it) embedded in this article, below. Whilst anyone with ears can hear that this new track (called Viator) is funky, upbeat and – importantly – catchy enough to withstand multiple listens, some fans are complaining that it’s not Ryu’s classic theme. A cursory look at the comments in the Youtube video, or under the tweet that announced the new theme, shows that fans basically want one thing – and one thing only: Ryu’s classic theme. Viator is upbeat, funky, and sounds… happy! Does this reflect the fact that the fighter has finally gotten the Satsui no Hado under control, and is feeling all the better for it? Does it reflect the fact that he’s finally got his life sorted out, whereas his contemporary – Ken – seems to be going deep into Kirk Van Houten territory? Who knows. I think it’s nice Ryu has got something different going on, but the fans are clamouring for something a bit more low key. “No, this doesnt fit to Ryus mood and state of consciousness,” says one Twitter user in response the the theme. “This music is in sharp notation, chaotic, hightened, colorfull, playfull, leightweighted… thats not Ryu.” “Everything in this game is looking fantastic but these new themes are just… unnecessary,” says another. “Classics are classics, don’t change something that doesn’t need to.” “Ouch. First Chun-Li, now Ryu,” says another (edited for clarity). “Iconic themes, gone. Please have an option for classic themes or even SF6-style remixes, because this is not Ryu at all. Bummed out about this since everything else looks perfect.” It’s easy to understand why people are salty – change is hard to accept! – but this is a new generation of Street Fighter that’s naturally going to come with some new additions and some notable departures. If we have to trade in classic tracks for verified bangers like this one, so be it! There’s probably going to be some kind of DLC or bonus that lets you get legacy music somewhere – enjoy the new music whilst it’s fresh, and let that bassline take over your soul. It’s what Ryu – new, happy Ryu – would want. Street Fighter 6 launches in 2023 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC (via Steam).
