Last month, there was a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate presentation regarding SNK’s Terry Bogard and other elements from the character’s games like Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters. However, during the presentation, creator of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Masahiro Sakurai stated that Mai Shiranui (who is also a character from The King of Fighters) would not be making her way to the game because according to him, “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is for good boys and girls of many different ages […].”

Now, in a series of events leading up to Mai Shiranui’s birthday, SNK has released a press release detailing the events of her birthday and how specifically, the event is for people of “all ages.” Whether or not that quote is supposed to be a direct reference to Sakurai’s presentation, it’s evident that SNK is trying to poke fun at the decision to not include Mai Shiranui in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Although Mai Shiranui wasn’t included in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, that didn’t stop fans from trying to put her into the game in the form of custom-designed stages. While the character herself may not be in the game, she lives on in content made by dedicated fans.

The birthday event itself will run from December 26 to January 6 at “The Akihabara Conatiner” venue in Tokyo, with Mai Shiranui’s birthday falling on January 1. As part of the event, guests will be able to make purchases from a pop-up store and will receive additional items if they spend a certain amount of money. For instance, those who spend over 6,000 yen will receive a bag of “delicious Shiranui Rice”while those who spend over 10,000 yen on January 1 will get a Mai Shiranui themed tote bag. Other items include fans, posters, t-shirts, pins, acrylic stands, and a lot more, so fans of Mai Shiranui or the games she’s part of (or maybe even both) are certain to find something to spend their money on.

In regards to Mai Shiranui herself, SNK has announced that The King of Fighters XV is in development - hopefully fans won’t have to wait too long to see her in a fighting game again.

Source: Twinfinite