EVO news keeps rolling out and hoo boy is this one a doozy for those interested in the upcoming Virtua Fighter Crossroads, the sixth installment in the illustrious Virtua Fighter series from Sega. We now have another “new” character to join the previous four in the form of the Bakunawa Killer.

The Bakunawa Killer, who I will now just call Killer, is probably the flashiest addition to the roster yet and for good reason. With his elaborate mask disguise, Chinese style hitman attire, and long braided hair Killer has some classic Chinese style to him, enhanced by his fighting style which sees a lot of what you’d see from Shaolin style fighting game characters like the butterfly kicks, the hands-behind-the-back kicks you’d see from kung fu masters, various palm techniques and the like, Killer definitely knows his brand of fighting style.

And that leads us to the interesting thing about Killer’s identity. Crossroads is looking to be a much more story driven game than previous Virtua Fighters, and the man behind the mask will be a key mystery in the plot. Many people are already speculating, due to his moves, that this is the successor to Virtua Fighter staple Lau Chan. Lau Chan, a kung fu master and veteran of the series since the first Virtua Fighter, is almost certainly dead by the time of Crossroads, being diagnosed with an incurable disease in Virtua Fighter 4. Compounded with Lau Chan’s daughter Pai Chan’s reaction to seeing Killer’s face and we know that this is going to be someone huge.

So now there is speculation that Killer is a secret son of Lau Chan, a hidden student of his, or a returning character. That last one is a big sticking point, as the top contender for killer’s identity isn’t a hidden student, but rather a very public one. Lei Fei, an evil shaolin monk who debuted in Virtua Fighter 4, has been itching to steal Lau Chan’s fighting style since his debut. With Lau dead Lei Fei could have stolen his techniques, and killing opponents is definitely within Lei Fei’s wheelhouse. But then again, Lei Fei is bald not to mention Killer will likely be taking Lau Chan’s spot on the roster, and Lei Fei’s own unique and original moveset is more than justifiable on the main roster as well. So that theory’s up for debate.

Still, it’s odd to care so much about the story of a game, but Virtua Fighter Crossroads is looking to be an exciting release and complete package of a video game, so seeing cool characters like Killer definitely can’t hurt! Virtua Fighter Crossroads is set to release 2027.