Adel "Big Bird" Anouche on defending his title in Red Bull Kumite, Street Fighter 6 & Akuma
Red Bull Kumite is back once again, this time in New York, where it'll play host to the best of the best in the Fighting Game Community, including the reigning champion, Adel “Big Bird” Anouche.
Following his victory in Pretoria during Red Bull Kumite 2023, the first major Street Fighter 6 tournament, he’s since continued competing and joined Red Bull Raise Your Game as a mentor for Capcom's fighter.
I had the chance to chat with Big Bird before Kumite 2024 in New York to talk all things Street Fighter 6, defending his title and his advice to new players entering the FGC.
Returning Champ
Red Bull Kumite plays host to competitors from all over the world, all of which are at the top of their game with their respective characters. Big Bird is coming into this tournament as the current champ, something that, to most, could be a daunting prospect.
Click to enlarge“Obviously a lot of people are expecting a great performance from me because I'm the defending champ. Big Bird said. “But since I already won it, I feel like I already got a lot of the pressure taken off of my back.”
With players like Gachikun, Tokido and Bonchan also appearing, Big Bird is going to be facing stiff competition. As he put it, "It's going to be harder because a lot of the players have developed, like, none of them have played the same way since the last Kumite."
Marisa’s Mighty Return?
During Red Bull Kumite 2023, Big Bird swept the competition by using Marisa, a character that didn’t seem to have much in the way of competitive chops at first glance. However, Big Bird bucked the trend and proved that Marisa was a viable main. But what I wanted to know, was whether Big Bird would be continuing with her.
Click to enlarge“I'm going to be changing up a bit. I'll be playing both Marissa and Rashid. It's a first to five, so I feel like that kind of helps me a lot because Marissa can play the short set, but it's very volatile. In a first to five, I feel like she has a much higher chance. That's where she shines”
Enter Akuma
In June, Street Fighter 6 will be a year old, and since its release, it has gone from strength to strength in releasing new content, including a collaboration with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. However, its characters are always a new talking point. Recently, Ed entered the game, with his boxing prowess, and soon, the legendary Akuma will be making his grand return to the series.
“I'm excited because Akuma is a staple character and he's always hype to watch,” Anouche said.
“He's always fun. I'm not going to main him or anything, but it's going to be great to see someone like Tokido take this character to the next level because he's known for his Akuma.”
Of course, as we’ve seen in the art leading up to his release and in the teaser trailer above, Akuma is sporting a brand-new design, and even starting to show some grey hair, a testament to his longevity in the series.
“It’s going to be great to see and it'll be great to see how Akuma gets developed or how he will even look. I feel like there's going to be very different styles to the character. It's going to be great to see how people play Akuma.”
Looking To The Future
Every year, the FGC grows with new blood and fresh talent, eager to prove their mettle and start building their reputation. With Big Bird a veteran of the scene, I wanted to know what advice he would offer players looking to start their competitive careers.
“They need to start entering tournaments first,” Anouche explains. “I see a lot of new players hesitate to enter tournaments because they think they're not good enough. And that happens a lot more than people think. But all I’ve got to say, is you don't need to be the best in the world to start entering tournaments. You can enter the tournaments and you can gain experience.”
While a competitive tour de force, throwing yourself into the tournament environment is evidently an important step for any professional player. Not only because of the experience but, according to Anouche, “tournaments also help you see where you're exactly at and what you can work on. They help you see your weaknesses and they're fun at the same time, so. There are really no drawbacks to it.”
Moreover, Street Fighter 6, like Mortal Kombat 1 and Tekken 8, is aiming for longevity with its continuous adjustments to gameplay mechanics and burgeoning roster. But there’s always room for improvement in terms of tweaks.
“I would like to see some additional tweaks on Perfect Parry, Drive Rush, and Damage Scaling, a bit,” Anouche reveals.
“So, Damage Scaling will be cancelled when just say, you do a medium punch Drive Rush. The Damage Scaling there is fine. It's good. But when you do Drive Rush, just raw Drive Rush, the damage scaling there [is what] I think that they need to work on.”
Click to enlarge
As for new characters he’d like to see make their way back into the lineup:
“I’d like to see Viper come back. I don't know when she will come back, but I would be really excited if they bring her back. And this is a bit of a hopeful one, I don't think it will happen anytime soon, but I would like to see Guy come back because that was my first main for any fighting game that I made competitively. But, I feel like it might be a bit difficult because Kimberly is here and she's trying to play a bit similar to how Guy played in SF4.”
As we drew to a close, I had one final question. Of course, Big Bird is coming into this tournament as the reigning champ – but could he win Kumite again?
“I definitely can,” he said. “It's going to be significantly harder than last year, but it's not out of my grasp. I can definitely win it again.”
Red Bull Kumite 2024 takes place on March 16th & 17th 2024 in New York. If you’re looking for more on Street Fighter 6, be sure to check out our Street Fighter homepage, where you can find guides on every character from Cammy to Zangief, as well as character creation recipes.
