After announcing that Mai Shiranui will be finally coming to Street Fighter 6 this February 5, Capcom snuck in some details about her narrative in the game’s Arcade mode. As it turns out, Mai’s infatuation with another character in the King of Fighters and Fatal Fury franchises spurs her to cross over to the Street Fighter world.

Mai is in Metro City because of Andy Bogard

According to a Capcom dev blog posted on Steam, Mai travels to Metro City hoping to find Andy Bogard – Terry Bogard’s younger brother. Her infatuation with the young ninja spurs her search and on the way, she meets other colorful characters (as can be seen when she encounters Juri). Seeing as fellow Fatal Fury/King of Fighters alumnus Terry Bogard came to Metro City to fight strong opponents and eat at the new Pao Pao Café prior to the kunoichi’s arrival, there is a high probability that Mai is also searching for Terry to ask him where Andy is.

Mai loves Andy, but does Andy love Mai?

It is currently unknown if this version of Andy Bogard reciprocates Mai’s feelings. In Fatal Fury, Andy views Mai like a younger sister, as the two of them trained under Mai’s grandfather, Hanzo Shiranui. Because of this and his dedication to martial arts, Andy routinely turns down Mai’s advances in the hopes of retaining their sibling-like relationship and strengthening his skills.

Andy and Mai’s relationship is different in the King of Fighters franchise, as the two have clearly expressed romantic interest in each other. While Mai is just as flirtatious as she is in Fatal Fury, Andy seldom expresses his feelings for her. Despite Andy’s stoic nature, he deeply cares for Mai and their relationship evolves throughout the King of Fighters games.

Fighting games aren’t particularly well-known for their storytelling prowess, but it would be interesting to see which version of the Andy-Mai relationship will be considered canon in Street Fighter 6. The game already has its share of weird relationships (such as the humorous marriage partnership between Marisa and Zangief in the latter’s Arcade mode story), so having another funny, one-sided crush, or a more serious relationship would add more depth to the game’s lore.

Mai Shiranui arrives on February 5 in Street Fighter 6, which is available for PC (Steam), PS4/PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.