One of the most invigorating games to watch at EVO 2025 was Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. From a lot and dramatic reaction Kojikoga to his loss in the top ten, to the amazing great finals Betwen Go1 and ET, and all the invigorating moments between them. It was a great reminder of how nippy the game could be. Although I was not able to talk to anyone from the SNK on the program itself, the producer Yasuyuki Odea and the animator with the Obari masses were kind enough to answer some of my questions through E -Maili regarding the release of Ken in City of the Wolves and several other topics that in my opinion would be compelling for SNK fans and in general.
One of the biggest surprises for me when I got Ken, is how it is similar to his counterpart SF6, although it is a completely different game. Can you talk a little about some challenges related to taking your beloved character from one series and adapting to a completely recent set of rules and mechanics?
Yasayuki Ode, the main producer of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves: The biggest initial concern was finding how to bring Ken to the Fatal Fury and the World system without exposing his identity as a character. Our team of programmers has so many people who are passionate about the Street Fighter series, and I think that their love and dedication in the series have really lost in all the petite details we are working on for Ken. With time, we slowly practiced how to turn on rapid speed and flashy attacks based on flames into the Wolves city system, constantly asking the question “what was missing?”, “What could we improve?”, “What were Ken’s strengths and where could we use it?” After many repetitive trials and mistakes, this version of Ken finally took the form.
Ken is a figure that has always been very sturdy in Street Fighter 6, thanks to the possibility of converting most of the regular hits on the block to kick Jinrai, which forces risky decisions in defense, plus a block gap closer to his ponderous digging dragons, at the top of really good neutral buttons and a balanced set of tools. Have you ever worried that some of these elements could make him too sturdy in fatal fury?
Ode: As you said, bringing Ken in the same way in Street Fighter 6 would undoubtedly make him a sturdy figure in the city of Wilków. Of course, we had to introduce careful corrections when we adapted it to the game. The integration of mechanics, such as braking and Rev Accel, was a challenge, but I think we were able to emphasize what Ken does unique, and also give fans a chance for a different style of playing in City of the Wolves systems. We are looking forward to what fans think and how they engage in this version of Ken.
When Terry and Mai appeared in Street Fighter 6, and now Ken and later Chun-Li to Fatal Fury, are you interested with Capcom in the next entry in the Capcom vs SNK series? Or is it a distant dream?
ODE: That would be something, right? At the moment, however, I can’t say anything. We are always cheerful to receive such questions because it shows how enthusiastic fans are for another Capcom vs. SNK. This is a great source of motivation for us.
How do you generally feel about the heroes of guests in martial arts? Do you think this is a hearty trend for this genre and do you think that we can see more in future SNK games, and even in future updates of fatal fury?
ODE: I think it’s a great trend. Of course, it is vital to respect the history and world of other games, but the introduction of guest characters has great potential for the future of combat games to create recent “chemical reactions”. I mean, this can lead to unexpected results and the birth of something recent.
As for City of the Wolves, there are still characters that we must bring before we start thinking about more guest characters. Ensure that we are focusing on it now. Even after Mr. Big publishing houses still have many recent characters and recent aspects of the game we are working on, so I can’t wait!
I know that it is still a bit free, and we have Joe first, but can you share the details about the appearance of Chun-Li in Fatal Fury? Will it be similar to Ken’s approach because you are looking for her iteration in Street Fighter 6 as the main source of inspiration?
ODE: We apply its SF6 version as a base, but because many of our employees are fans of the entire Street Fighter series, we have some surprises and smaller details that we plan to add. We want to create this version of Chun-Li, such as Ken, the culmination of all her past iterations, so I can’t wait.
For Obari-san, as it was to create animations for such a cult character that is outside the world of SNK, like Ken. Were there any characteristic accents you felt as if you were able to add or tried to keep as close to the source as possible?
Obari masses, animator about Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves: First of all, I would like to say that working on this project was a great honor. I am extremely grateful to Capcom for this occasion. As for the original elements, I would say that the most work was devoted to the design of these characters in my style. I would like to call it Bari-Ken! (Haha). It was extremely nice to attract Ken in the style and animation of the fatal anime fury.
Are there any crossovers of dreams you would like to work on, either in the field of martial games or outside?
Obari: I am a substantial fan of wrestling, so I would be very cheerful seeing cooperation with a real professional wrestler. When it comes to combat games, I would be excited, seeing the crossover with Voltage Fighter Gowiecizer, a game that I was originally responsible for the story and designing of the character!
And finally, canonically, what do you think, who would win in the fight between Ken and Terry?
Obari: To be truthful, I think Terry would win. I think they are evenly matched in terms of strength, but Terry wears a lot on the shoulders, and his will is sturdy because of it.
Considering this, as an anime director, I would rather not decide and have two workers to fight the common enemy.
Mitchell Saltzman is an editorial producer in IGN. You can find it on Twitter @Jurassicrabbit
