Lionel Rafale unveiled for Virtua Fighter Crossroads

Lion? No, you are mistaken. It's Lionel this time, but Virtua Fighter Crossroads still has a broad 2027 release window.

As promised earlier this week, Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio have shared the latest Virtua Fighter Crossroads reveal, and it showcased Lion Ra- No wait, “Lionel” Rafale, and despite the name change, he’s still rocking the Mantis style kung fu of previous Rafale appearances, complete with sharp strikes and educated kicks.

Sega and RGG Studio showed off Lionel Rafale in the latest trailer for Virtua Fighter Crossroads. One of the revealed story protagonists, Cielo, has a run in with Lionel in a back alley pavilion. After some short introductions, Lionel proceeds to beat the brakes off of Cielo with a series of Mantis strikes, grapples, environmental attacks, and tricky kicks.

Lionel Rafale marks the latest of a handful of characters we’ve seen in action behind Akira, Sarah Bryant, Wolf Hawkfield, new protagonists like Cielo, and an antagonist only currently known as the Bakunawa Killer, although Jackie Bryant has also been briefly teased.

With Rafale confirmed, the dripfeed of news for Virtua Fighter Crossroads continues with only a 2027 release window at this time. Stay tuned to the game’s topic for more news and updates.

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