M. Bison can’t stay dead. The iconic series villain returns in Street Fighter 6 as part of the Year 2 Character DLC. The latest gameplay trailer shows off his new look, hints at the new direction of his character story, and gives players a look at his latest moveset.
The hooded, long-haired M. Bison has lost his memories, but hasn’t lost his lust for power. In the gameplay shown, M. Bison has his iconic Psycho Crusher move back as a regular move after it was only a super move in Street Fighter 5. On the other hand, his fireball from the Alpha series and 5 don’t seem to have returned.
The Street Fighter 6 official Steam page details a mechanic new to M. Bison: the Psycho Mine. Bison can plant Psycho Mines in his opponents if he hits them with his new move Backfist Combo. The mines will detonate if he hits them once again with either the Backfist Combo, Psycho Crusher Attack, or Devil Reverse; or if enough time has passed, they will detonate on their own. Bison’s opponents can prevent this by hitting Bison before the mines go off.
Aside from his new, disheveled look, M. Bison is accompanied by a horse in his entrance, victory pose, and in World Tour Mode. While it gives him an appropriate Horseman of the Apocalypse vibe, it may also be a light reference to the 1994 live-action Street Fighter movie. In the movie, Raul Julia plays M. Bison, and a Napoleon-style painting of him riding a horse can be seen in his base, as seen throughout the clip shown below.
His well-known classic outfit, which he also wears in the 1994 live-action movie, isn’t lost to time: it will also be appearing in Street Fighter 6 as his Outfit 2. If the Year 2 DLC fighters abide by the same constants as all previous characters, players will be able to unlock Bison’s Outfit 2 for free by raising his Bond level in World Tour Mode.
Additionally, players won’t have to wait long to add Bison to their character lineups. His release date is just around the corner on June 26, only a month and a few days after Akuma’s release. With EVO taking place from July 19 to 21 this year, Bison may be legal for the tournament like Rashid was last year.
