Tales of the Bottom Tier: ***** is the new Dan

If you ever wondered who the weakest character in Super Street Fighter 4 was, you might have considered Capcom’s favorite jokester, Dan Hibiki. But according to Daigo, Mago, and Tokido (three of SF’s greatest Japanese players), there’s a new candidate for bottom tier in Super.

Who is it? Well, just saying it would spoil all the fun. Let’s listen to what these guys have to say:

Haha, that’s right. It’s not Makoto. It’s not Gen. It’s not even Dan (let that sink in for a moment).

Hakan, the oily new addition to Super Street Fighter 4 is, supposedly, the new fail tier. Now, mind you, this is just the casual opinion of three players only a month after the game’s release. But, that being said, they do make some valid points:

• Hakan needs oil in order to be competitive
• His oil animation takes to long to be used safely
• Several of his moves are unsafe or fail to add anything to his options

Personally, not having used Hakan in any serious capacity, I can’t comment on his strengths other than to agree that he is reliant on oil. The fact that he starts unoiled (despite his intro animation showing him fucking bathing in it) also means he has an uphill battle to fight from the get-go. One particularly insightful comment on EventHubs by irrenmann could drastically help Hakan’s game:

“The only change I’d make to Hakan is this: he should start every round with a long-lasting oil-up already in effect. After all, he does this in his introductory animation! It should last as long as a Heavy Kick Oil Shower.

This would remove the panicky need to oil up at the beginning, which is what allows opponents to keep the pressure on and prevent Hakan from reaching his full power. This single small change would allow Hakan to focus on creating opportunities to oil up rather than trying to steal such opportunities against an opponent who is fully aware of that goal. In other words, he could focus on *staying* oiled up, rather than *getting* oiled up.

I think because of the oil mechanic and the fact that he is not combo-based, his potential seems limited at first to most players. But I think some dedicated players will eventually master him and pull off some big wins.”

This is a great suggestion, and if Capcom does end up addressing Hakan’s weaknesses with a balance patch, I hope they consider this one first second.*

*Capcom: Please make curing Makoto’s muscular dystrophy your primary balance consideration.