Wu-Ruixiang

Wu-Ruixiang (呉瑞香, Wú ruìxiāng) is a new character introduced in Samurai Shodown (2019). She is voiced by Seira Ryu.

Development
It was decided from the beginning of the development that the three new characters would follow the concept of a handsome warrior, a woman with great power, and Feng Shui. Director Nobuyuki Kuroki then asked character designer Yumi Saji to design the character first, and then later he'll begin to flesh out the various elements. Kuroki states that the team decided to include a gag called Megane (メガネ), which is actually acknowledged by SNK officials to be inspired from a Scooby Doo character Velma Dinkley. They added a detail where she'll look her for glasses if you're disarmed.

Story
A descendant of an ancient and honorable feng shui clan, Wu-Ruixiang is a woman who serves the Qing dynasty. With a mission is to protect generations of long mai, she travels to various places under the emperor’s command. She calls forth powers of divine beasts, and her secret art can even summon a dragon.

Personality
She is wise, but extremely clumsy. She also dreads exercise as she tends to seclude herself indoors.

Powers

 * Fire Powers - Ruixiang can create fire with her compass to attack her opponents.
 * Water Manipulation - Ruixiang can manipulate water with her compass to attack her opponents.
 * Lighting Manipulation - Ruixiang can manipulate lighting with her compass to attack her opponents.
 * Sand Manipulation - Ruixiang can manipulate sand with her compass to attack her opponents. A leafless tree grows on the sand, besides some stones.
 * Dragon Summon - Ruixiang can summon a dragon with her compass to attack her opponents.

Fighting Style
Unusual for a fighter, let alone with the entire casts armed with weapons, she has little in her arsenal apart from her compass that also acts as her shield. However, the aformentioned compass can trigger traps and unleash horizontal projectiles that can even go above or under, and has some use as anti-air. She can even reflect back projectiles.

Ruixiang relies on traps and juggles, and some mindgames to be effective, likening her to Kakyoin in Capcom's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Unlike him however, her offenses are lacking as her range is very short and needs to close in on the opponent, which presents real risks. As she is extremely defensive, she has to rely on her own (often flawed) wits, pokes, weapon bouncing and disarms. However, many of her desperation moves can be juggled for unexpectedly powerful damage. Played right, Ruixiang can be a powerful reactive character that relies on constant punishing and reflexes.

Music

 * San-San - Samurai Shodown (2019)

Game Appearances

 * Samurai Shodown (2019)