I haven’t played Street Fighter 6 in quite a while, but I have been paying attention to the new DLC characters, especially their visual presentation. Every fighter looks great and oozes individuality in ways that feel faithful to both the realistic and fantastical aspects of the series, but one character who drew my attention in particular was Arjun.

Like the classic SF2 character Dhalsim, Arjun hails from India. Physically, however, they are very different. Dhalsim is relatively average in height and has virtually no fat on his body, to the point of looking almost starved, as a representation of how his yoga training has allowed him to transcend the body’s limitations. Arjun, on the other hand, is a massive 6’9” and 320 lbs. Interestingly, however, while he’s naturally got more meat on his bones than Dhalsim, he also looks a lot “smoother,” with a lot less muscle definition compared to a large chunk of the cast, both male and female. It’s a conscious design decision that I think is really awesome, and a continuation of SF6’s move towards having a greater variety of body types while still having everyone look like capable fighters.

To me, the way the muscles and fat sit on Arjun gives the impression that he mainly does body weight exercises (including those found in yoga) and has a lot of practical strength. His muscles are large but not massive, and his abs are visible but not extremely cut. He comes across to me as an exaggerated version of a strongman or athlete from an older era, like Charles Atlas or Karl Gotch.

If you compare Arjun to other towering figures, the differences become even clearer. Zangief also has a layer of fat, but the muscles underneath make him seem like someone who’s gone through harsh training (wrestling bears!) dedicated to building up as much mass as possible. Sagat returned to having a relatively lankier frame reminiscent of his SF2 design (as opposed to the mountain of muscle he’s been since the Alpha games) that is more in line with what Muay Thai fighters look like.

I think what I especially like about Arjun is that he makes an impression while having less defined musculature compared to what you typically see in fighting games and media. In a world where movie stars have to undergo ridiculous amounts of training, dehydration, and possibly even steroids to gain bodybuilder physiques, you have a literal fictional character who eschews that aesthetic.