Mel Masters

SF5 is coming, and ever since I saw the trailers, especially Ken's trailer, I was inspired to draw or redraw characters based off of my own version of the SF 'new generation' cast.  Had that idea ever since Tekken 3 when Namco took a chance and placed the setting of the third game about twenty years after Tekken 2 while introducing Jin as the new protagonist in place of Kazuya.  That idea stuck with me, wanting to draw and write something for Street Fighter, though it took many years to flesh out that idea.  After so long, finally gonna put that on paper 'officially', and to start things off, we have Mel, one of the NPCs of the series, specifically the son of Ken and Eliza (aka. the kid who punched Ken in the nads).

Not the first to draw a grown up version of Mel, given the pictures out there on the interwebs, and I'm sure I won't be the last.  Anyways, Mel serves as the proverbial 'main character' of this next generation, and also serves as my own take of the Fatal Fury gang.  As such, he would be the Terry Bogard of that group.  Like Terry, he is a laid back and carefree in attitude, yet also a very skilled, very strong fighter.  Unlike Terry, he has no dead girlfriends.   Being the son of Ken as well as being the main protagonist, he's naturally a shoto character, his style revolving more around his father, namely being mainly aggressive and lights his opponents on fire, while also exhibits a few traits from his godfather, Ryu, specifically in regards to the Hadouken.  Compared to Ken in his youth, Mel is more subdued, more disciplined, thus his style reflects a little more solid moves to his father's flashiness, though Mel is still flashy in his own right.  As a nod to the SF2:V series, as well as his skill in using both the Shoryuken and the Hadouken, I gave him the 'Hadou-Shaoryuken' as a super.

While being a shoto, I didn't want to dress him up in his gi the way Ryu, Ken, and Akuma did.  So I opted to have the top tied to his waist the way Ryu does in one of his SF4 alternate costumes, as well as Ken currently does in SF5.  Got rid of the black headband, gave him a top and ankle wrappings to more or less complete the look.  Admittedly, wasn't sure how to dress him up beyond not wanting him to look like another Ryu and Ken, and did not want him in his t-shirt and shorts like he was as a child.  This was all I could come up with.  Also, I hate how his face ended up... At any rate, more people to come.

No references used, drawn with 7H, HB, and 2B pencils.

Mel and Street Fighter are property of Capcom.