Mai Shiranui – “the true queen of fighters” has entered Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. One of my definite favorites has decided to return to Southtown at the behest of an old rival. You can’t keep a good fan favorite out of a series. Mai Shiranui has appeared in every Fatal Fury game, to some degree, since her debut in Fatal Fury 2.
Omitted from Super Smash Bros Ultimate(for reasons), King of Fighters XII, and King of Fighters 11, Mai’s last appearance in Garou was in Mark of the Wolves. B. Janet might have her hands full as the queen returns. Mai’s traded up her old gi for a bit more of a biker look.
SNK dropped the information along with her trailer:
Successor to Shiranui-style ninjutsu. Following an important tip-off from dutiful monk Sokaku Mochizuki, this modern-day kunoichi proceeds to South Town with purpose—her intense flame and ever-refined techniques lighting up the darkness therein.
“Darkness therein” is concerning, but at the same time, there are several hints as to who this could be referring to. Billy Kane’s back, for starters. Which could mean that a certain final boss might be lurking in the shadows. A cutscene of Terry and Rock do hint at Geese Tower being used by someone. This all could be connected.
As for Mai, it looks like some of her classic tools are remade. Some of her King of Fighters XV normals are here. The Kagero No Mai Initial Gear Super DM gets a bit more vertical with the hit. Her classic move Super Deadly Ninja Bees is back as an Initial Gear, also. Her Flying Squirrel attack is also shown here as a possible break move. The cherry blossom touch is here, too.
One tidbit about the Mai Shiranui reveal is the fact that she has her KoF-based costume in this. This could be a new feature that the game has which hasn’t been revealed yet to give legacy characters their old threads back. Surprisingly, Mai is the only character to show this feature unless she’s turning into that for the Hidden Gear super.
With Mai Shiranui’s trailer coming out at Gamescom, SNK has also released new information regarding the upcoming release. 17 Fighters are expected at launch. Rebecca Rose will be giving Mai her new English voiceover since King of Fighters Maximum Impact. SNK stated in interviews that anyone can make a return to Southtown from previous Fatal Fury games. Raiden has also been shown to appear, and there are plenty of hints to seeing who will be next. Will Andy also be joining the only member of his fan club in City of the Wolves?
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is due April 24, 2025, on PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, and the Epic Games Store.
