A new contender has entered the arena for Street Fighter V. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce Necalli. Don’t get to close, he’s got that look in his eye that says he might be a biter.

Necalli is a brand new character, and not simply one that’s been dusted off from an older game. His back story is yet to be revealed but his name is the Aztec word for ‘battle.’

His introduction trailer shows him handing Ken a bit of an ass kicking. Apparently he’s not convinced about the new hair-do either. Speaking of hair, Necalli’s undergoes a violent transformation during the bout. This V-Trigger mode powers him up for a while opening up new combos, varied frame data and a new Critical Art attack. It looks well worth powering up, just for the additional flare alone, as the floating hair effects look absolutely stunning.

His main moveset seems, in part, to be inspired by Blanka’s open-handed ‘claw strikes’. The fast nature of his rush attacks looks like he’s set to be more of a ‘quarter circle’ special moves guy rather than a charged striker like Bison or Guile. That said, he does seem to have a lot of throw moves in his bag. Maybe his controls will integrate both styles? Other moves include a ground pound that results in an adjustable explosion under the feet of opponents.

Take a look at the new trailer and let us know what you think. Don’t forget to read about how you’ll be able to earn DLC characters for free in Street Fighter V.