Laura was recently officially revealed for Street Fighter V at the Brasil Game Show! While she had been leaked earlier through a Famitsu article (a surprising move in itself) we now have more information on how she plays and a couple of notes on her background.
First of all, her name is Laura Matsuda. Fans of the Street Fighter III series may recall the name Sean Matsuda, the apprentice of Ken Masters, and the dude who wears the yellow gi. Sean is actually the younger sibling of Laura, and while both practice the same fighting style, Sean incorporates more influences from Ken. She is a Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, specializing in the Matsuda style of Jiu-Jitsu of her family and fights to propagate the good name of Matsuda Jiu-Jitsu. Laura is described as a grappler character designed for up-close mixups and mindgames. Contrary to the conventional image sometimes associated with grapplers (see: Zangief) Laura moves quickly and even possesses her own projectile!
Laura’s V-Skill is called Linear Movement. Holding down both medium-level attack buttons in addition to either left or right will allow her to bolt forward or backwards. It seems to absorb a hit right (and maybe only?) upon activation. Pressing no direction will cause Laura to perform an overhead attack. Laura’s V-Trigger is the Spark Show, a state that enhances her moves. Her Linear Movement travels further, her projectile covers a greater distance, and her attacks (including grabs) induce greater Stun. Stun is great because when your opponent’s internal Stun gauge reaches a certain point, they will be dizzied and unable to act.
Check out her character trailer below! She clearly recalls Street Fighter veteran Blanka in more than one way. Also, note that the second Street Fighter V beta is starting soon, scheduled for October 22nd – 25th. See more in the second source link below for details.
