One of the characters I was most excited to get my hands on at EVO 2026 was Yasmin, the first Filipino character and after spending a good amount of time with her, I walked away impressed. While this isn’t a full review, it’s more than enough time to get a feel for what Capcom is trying to accomplish with Street Fighter 6’s newest fighter.
Right away, Yasmin stands out. Her design is beautiful, her color palette is unique, and she feels like she naturally belongs in the Street Fighter universe. Gameplay-wise, she’s exactly what rushdown players have been waiting for. Think Ibuki. Yasmin is built around movement, mix-ups, and keeping her opponent guessing every second of the match. She has the tools to constantly shift her positioning and force you to stay locked in, making her one of the most aggressive characters in the game.
Her normals were another pleasant very interesting. Several are multi-hit attacks, which isn’t something you see often in Street Fighter, but they aren’t free. Proper spacing is important because throwing them out carelessly will absolutely get you punished. She rewards smart, calculated offense rather than reckless pressure.
If there’s one downside I noticed, it’s her damage. Her pressure is excellent, but the payoff doesn’t always match the amount of work you have to put in. That could change as players optimize her, but it’s something that stood out during my time with her.
Where I have mixed feelings is her identity. Yasmin immediately reminded me of Ibuki, not just because of her playstyle, but because several of her animations and supers feel familiar. I also couldn’t help but see similarities to moves used by Karin and Nash in Street Fighter V. None of that makes her less fun, but I couldn’t help but notice it. Capcom has already stated her fighting style comes from her family heritage.
That said, if Capcom explains these similarities through the game’s lore the same way they have with characters like Ryu, Ken, Akuma, and Dan, then I’m all for it. Street Fighter has always embraced shared fighting styles, and that could easily make Yasmin’s design feel intentional instead of familiar.
The biggest surprise? I don’t normally play rushdown mix-up characters. Ibuki was never someone I seriously picked up. Yasmin, however, is different. She’s one of the few new characters that immediately makes me want to head into Training Mode and start learning.
