Alex’s inclusion in Street Fighter 6 has revealed more details about the character, including his evolving relationship with the series’ longtime female NPC, Patricia. As Alex is the “adoptive son” of Tom, who is the biological father of Patricia, the romantic turn to their connection has recently been questioned by fans.
Having lost his parents at a young age, Alex was taken in by his father’s best friend, Tom. Street Fighter 6’s World Tour mode reveals that, in addition to being his dad’s sparring partner, Tom was also the cousin of his mother. By this definition, Tom is Alex’s first cousin, once removed. As a veteran soldier, MMA fighter, wrestler, and owner of a gym in New York, Tom would spend his time training Alex while the former’s daughter, Patricia (who is Alex’s second cousin at this point), watched on.
Tom took in Alex soon after the latter’s parents died, giving him the title of Alex’s adoptive father and making Patricia Alex’s adoptive sister. While this is expressed explicitly in the English translation, the original Japanese text describes Tom simply as Alex’s “sodate no oya” (育ての親), which is a much more ambiguous term. It roughly translates to “foster parent” but has several meanings. Not limited to legal parent-child adoption, it can also refer to “a person who raises a child,” and “a person who has devoted themselves to nurturing someone (such as in a sport).” While there is an ongoing debate as to the meaning of “育ての親” in the Japanese version of Street Fighter 6, the fact that Tom and Alex have a familial relationship seems to remain the same throughout all of the translations (some fans suspect that the decision was made to justify Tom taking in Alex while the latter was still young).
Further deepening your bond with Alex in World Tour mode reveals his promise to Tom to protect Patricia. Despite being weak at the time, his resolve, combined with Tom’s training, made Alex into the fighter he is today. While Alex and Patricia’s relationship began as familial (Alex can be seen holding a baby Patricia in his arms), it soon evolved into a deep friendship and, as we’ve recently found out, eventually blossomed into romantic love.
Arcade mode ends with Alex returning home to a pregnant Patricia. As the two are lying down to rest, their unborn daughter kicks her mother’s stomach, startling Alex and signaling hope for their future.
So there you have it. Even though Patricia is Alex’s second cousin by blood, the two managed to get married and foster a life together. In case you were wondering, the act of marrying your second cousin is legal in all 50 states in the U.S.A., which is where Alex and Patricia hail from. Given how family men in Street Fighter like Guile and Ken never seem to give up the quest for strength, it’s unlikely that becoming a father will stop Alex from wrestling people to support his loved ones.
Street Fighter 6 is available on Windows (Steam), Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
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