User blog:Sclera1/Maki (Street Fighter)

Maki Genryusai (源柳斎 マキ) is a video game character in the Final Fight and Street Fighter series. Designed as a Bushin ninja along the same lines as Guy, she plays very much like him in both games, being the fast character in Final Fight 2 and the agile ninja with various running attacks in Capcom vs SNK 2. Maki is notable for being the only original character from the SNES Final Fight sequels to make return appearances in later games.

Conception and History
First appearing in Final Fight 2, Maki is portrayed as a ninja practitioner of the Bushin-ryuu fighting style taught by her father, and has a short temper. She is also the former leader of a bosozoku gang, who loves to get into street fights. English localizations of the game modified this, describing Maki as peaceful girl who hates fighting in the manual.

Years after the game, Maki appeared in a Street Fighter manga starring Sakura Kasugano titled Street Fighter: Sakura Ganbaru! by Masahiko Nakahira in which she and Sakura fought each other. Nakahira redesigned Maki's appearance for the manga, a look that would be reused in her later video game appearances.

Design
Maki is a bit of a stark contrast in comparison to her sister, being taller and blonde. Her hair tends to be long and held back in a ponytail, her bangs a lighter color than the rest. She wears a red female ninja garb, but designed more in mind for function than flair, showing only her neck and some of her cleavage. Beneath she wears a semi-transparent vest as shown in Final Fight 2's introduction when she calls Haggar. She sports arm and leg guards with small boots. Her alternate palette in Final Fight 2 changes her outfit color from red to blue.

For Capcom vs. SNK 2 and later appearances, Maki's design was updated, resembling her appearance from the manga. She now wears red tennis shoes similar to the ones wore by Guy in the Street Fighter Alpha series and wields a tonfa, which was originally a pick-up weapon in Final Fight 2. Her hair is shown to be one complete color now, the leg guards removed, and the shirt part of her attire is now closed. Some of her attacks tend to reveal also she wears black underwear beneath her skirt.

Protional artwork from Club Capcom magazine for Final Fight 2 presented a design for Maki in casual attire in front of her motorcycle. Here she wears a black leather halter top that buttons up near her neck, black biker-style gloves, yellow baggy pants fastened by a black rope, and a long pink bandanna. Her hair isn't tied back in this design and is more of an auburn color retaining the brighter highlights for her bangs, and appears to be crimped.

In video games
Maki is introduced Final Fight 2, the plot revolving around the kidnapping of Maki's father and sister, Genryusai and Rena, by the newly revived Mad Gear gang led by Retu. With Rena's fiance and Genryusai's student Guy off training and unable to help, Maki enlists the help of Haggar and Carlos to save them.

After this game, Maki didn't appear in another title until Capcom vs. SNK 2, with a modified outfit and searching for Guy to decide who the successor to the Bushin-ryuu should be, but being unable to by the game's conclusion. Street Fighter Alpha 3 Double Upper and Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX for the Game Boy Advance and PSP respectively continued this plot, with Maki locating and fighting Guy, but calling a stalemate till a later time after having their fight interrupted by M. Bison. This appearance in the Alpha series would also tie into Sakura Ganbaru, with Sakura serving as her mid-boss.

Gameplay
In Final Fight 2, she is the quick type of the three main characters in contrast to Mike Haggar and Carlos Miyamoto. Her Reppukyaku drains vitality when it connects with enemies, a trait carried on into her later appearances.

Promotion and Reception
A Japan-only 4" figurine of Maki was released as part of a set of three for Capcom vs. SNK 2 by Capcom, resembling her artwork from the game by Kinu Nishimura.

Hardcore Gaming 101 editor Kurt Katala compared Maki from Final Fight 2 to a "sexy Mai Shiranui ripoff", and added that while she looks cool, she doesn't play much differently than Guy. Comparisons to Mai have been made by other sources, including IGN.