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| Capcom |
Making his playable debut in Super Street Fighter 2, Dee Jay was introduced as a happy-go-lucky kickboxer and global music artist from Jamaica. In Street Fighter 6, Capcom brings backs the don dada with a new look that was long overdue.
As a series veteran, Deejay retains his signature moves like Double Rolling Sobat, Air Slasher, Machine Gun Upper and Jackknife Maximum, along with new moves like Jus Cool and Weekend Pleasure.
He is now voiced by Zeno Robinson, an American voice actor most known for voicing Hawks in My Hero Academia, Cyborg in Young Justice and Goh in the Pokémon anime. Zeno replaces Chris Cain, who has voiced the character since Street Fighter IV.
Meanwhile Dee Jay's Bathers Beach stage in Street Fighter 6 is the life of the party and perfectly embodies the character's lively and jovial demeanour. Bathers Beach is basically a beach party beaming with life, amidst a setting sun on a tropical island.
However the biggest take away from Dee Jay's inclusion in SF6 is his new character design which has been toned down to accommodate the game's photorealistic art style.
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| Capcom |
While Deejay still grins ear to ear like a Cheshire cat, he doesn't look as silly doing so and his smile appears more natural compared to his outlandish lockjawed grin in Street Fighter IV.
Facial expressions aside, Dee Jay is now also sporting natural locs styled with a headband. This is a major upgrade from his outdated signature braided mohawk hairstyle seen in past games.
Other notable changes to Dee Jay's design include a new pair of stylish shades, large gold chains adorned around his neck and pants which resemble the colour scheme of the Jamaican flag. Talk about drip.
Simply put in Street Fighter VI, Deejay receives a modernized design which actually looks cool and is befitting of a world famous musician from the island of Jamaica.
Deejay receives a modernized design which actually looks cool..
The problem with Dee Jay previously is the fact that his was style was out-of-date and he just wasn't cool enough for someone of his celebrity status.
Dee Jay felt more like a lost member of the Coolings Runnings cast than a renown musician, which is ironic because he was one of the only Street Fighter characters in the mainline series created by Capcom USA.
Though to be fair he was created in 1993, based off African American martial artist Billy Banks and conceived in a video game thrive with racial stereotypes, so you have to take that into consideration.
However it's not far fetched to believe that like newcomer Kimberly, Capcom possibly consulted with Black professionals when designing Dee Jay for Street Fighter 6, to make sure he was a more actual representation of a Jamaican person.
Dee Jay is still a fun loving fighter who loves to dance and party, however the less cartoony visuals of Street Fighter 6 has given him a more redeemable appearance that will age well in the future.
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Street Fighter VI release date is the June 2nd, 2023.