It's safe to say that SNK absolutely delivered with their rendition of Ken Masters in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. After spending some time with the iconic Street Fighter character in a special build provided by the developers, I can firmly state that anyone who's even remotely interested in either franchise should give it a shot.
If you're out of the loop and somehow don't know what's been going on between Capcom and SNK, suffice to say that both studios have been working closely together (again) for the past few years. It has led to very unique opportunities for fans, with Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui releasing as part of SF6's Season 2 DLC. Meanwhile, Ken Masters and Chun-Li are set to come out during City of the Wolves' first season of downloadable content.
Back on track, I'll preface by saying Ken's not my main in Street Fighter 6. Shotos are not something I'm usually drawn to (I rock Hokutomaru in Fatal Fury and Lily in Street Fighter 6, for example). Still, as someone who has experience with the genre, Ryu's fiery best friend has always been one of the most interesting to learn how to pilot.
Ken in City of the Wolves is, naturally, directly inspired by the SF6 version of the Shotokan. His main outfit is the same as in Capcom's latest title, with the down-on-his-luck hero missing his iconic red Gi in favor of a more construction work-appropriate attire. Luckily, if you're into his classic look, that'll be available right from the get-go. Furthermore, a spectacular rendition of Ken's SFII theme feels like the cherry on top presentation-wise. There is one more incredible Street Fighter track in the game but I won't spoil it for you.+
You may wonder how did SNK manage to adapt a character from a six-button fighting game into a four-button one. What kind of compromises did they have to make? Well, none, really.
If you've played SF6, COTW Ken will feel extremely good to control. SNK managed to incorporate his entire SF6 moveset despite having two fewer buttons to do so. The dopamine-inducing highly overpowered standing Heavy Punch is now a command normal. A similar case for all other heavy attacks Ken has in SF6 (standing Heavy Kick, sweep, etc.). If you're unfamiliar with the term, a command normal requires you to input a direction alongside a regular button. You may need some time to adjust, as some of these commands are diagonals, but it gives Ken an extra layer of depth that other characters don't have in City of the Wolves.
Another interesting thing that separates Ken from the rest of the cast is that he can super cancel his DP. The REV version of Ken's shoryuken can be special canceled into all of his five supers (including the Hidden Gear), something no one else in the cast can pull off.
On top of that, Ken can brake his heavy DP, letting you come up with incredibly crazy conversions if you manage to catch a jump-in. If you're not comfortable with DPs you can still use the universal anti-air command (down + Heavy Punch + REV) to score some solid anti-air conversions.
As for his special moves beyond the DP, they're all here: Tatsu (which is breakable), his quick dash (which is a quarter-circle back motion in COTW), Jinrai kicks, Dragon Lash. Nothing's missing. The sheer variety of tools he has access makes him an absolute blast to play.
Overall, if you're a Street Fighter player, let alone a Ken main, I highly recommend you dip your toes into City of the Wolves if you haven't. The first year of DLC comes with the game at no additional cost, and with discounts going amid Evo 2025, there's no better time to hit the streets of South Town.
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