On March 17, Street Fighter 6 will introduce a new downloadable character, Alex, a figure inspired by professional wrestling. Kenny Omega of All Elite Wrestling was responsible for performing the motion capture that brought Alex to life. Speaking at the IGN Fan Fest 2026, Omega shared that his involvement in the motion capture came about due to a surprising misunderstanding during initial conversations.
The Unexpected Path to Motion Capture Stardom
Omega explained to IGN how the process unfolded initially around the character’s moves.
“When the news broke and they told me, we signed the NDAs and we know who the characters are and Alex will, in fact, be one of them. And they said, for you being such a good sport, it’d be cool if we, you know, put a move of yours in, maybe one or two or a taunt or something,”
Omega told IGN.
He continued to describe the mix-up that led to him working on the motion capture in person:
“I had said, ‘wow, that would be great. I just don’t know when I could fit that into my schedule to do the mocap for it.’ And they’d said, ‘oh, wait, you do the mocap for it?’ I said, ‘yeah, is that what you were talking about or no?’ They said, ‘oh my, if you would do the mocap for it, that would be awesome.’ And so a misunderstanding on my part is what led to me actually going to the studio and doing a slew of mocap for the character. If there was ever a better time to be stupid, that was one of them, because it worked out in my favor completely to not understand what they were talking about at that moment. So because of that one discussion, I got invited back to the next year’s Tokyo Game Show. And then before doing the game show, I stopped over at Osaka, where they do the mocap for Capcom. And we hammered it out in one day. It was a grueling 10 or 11 hour shoot. I remember losing like eight or nine pounds of water weight, but it was so worth it and so fun.”
Collaborative Process and Familiar Challenges in Motion Capture
Omega noted that the game developers welcomed his input during production, and he could see his wrestling moves reflected in Alex’s final animations. He also commented on the unusual nature of performing wrestling moves without a live audience, a challenge made familiar by the pandemic environment.
“I think because of COVID, I got used to wrestling and performing in front of no one. It reminded me of kind of being back into an empty arena and just having cameras all around me, but there’s no sound. There’s no adulation. There’s no people. I see staff here and there, but it brought back memories of the COVID era for sure.”
The Legacy of Alex and New Signature Moves Inspired by Kenny Omega
Alex originally debuted in the 1997 arcade game Street Fighter III: New Generation as a professional wrestler introduced to become the face of the franchise. In Street Fighter 6, Alex features super moves such as Raging Spear, Sledgecross Hammer, and The Final Prison. Additionally, his alternate level 2 super move, called the Omega Wing Buster, draws direct inspiration from Kenny Omega’s signature moves, including the V-Trigger, Snap Dragon Suplex, and the One Winged Angel.
Looking Ahead Following Fan Fest 2026
This announcement formed part of the developments unveiled at IGN’s Fan Fest 2026. Fans can look forward to more updates and new game content throughout the year by following upcoming events like the Tokyo Game Show and other Capcom announcements. Kenny Omega’s involvement bridges the worlds of professional wrestling and gaming, promising an exciting evolution for Street Fighter 6 players eager to explore Alex’s new abilities in the digital arena.
