Ken Masters Isn't Sad, Homeless Or Divorced, Capcom Assures Following Viral 'Sad Ken Masters' Meme

It's been just over three months since leaks of Street Fighter 6 seemed to imply that the once-energetic fighter Ken Masters had lost his smile and optimism, as the once blonde, clean-shaven and red gi-ed fighter was depicted bearded, haggard and wearing a depressingly poop-colored jacket.

The leaked character design led to an influx of jokes and memes about Sad Ken Masters in June, with artists imagining the once fiery hero had lost his wife and kids, probably picked up an addiction or two and overall lost his way in life. This morning, Capcom confirmed that couldn't be farther from the truth.

The gaming company released a trailer for the upcoming Street Fighter's single-player campaign mode that opens with Ken Masters working on a construction site with the braggadocious attitude fans of the series have come to expect from Ken.

Ken sure doesn't look like a broken man in the trailer, and Capcom released more detailed information on the character on its website that confirmed he wasn't a washed-up alcoholic like memers depicted him as, but rather in the midst of a badass plot to take down a mastermind who framed him for a crime.

In the bio for Ken on the Street Fighter 6 website, Capcom describes Ken thusly:

Former US National Fighting Champ, and ex-VP of the Masters Foundation. Accusations of orchestrating a criminal plot have forced Ken to abandon his family and business and go into hiding.

There you have it — Ken hasn't lost his signature look because he lost his wife and kids. Rather, he's in disguise to protect them.

Many fans of Ken were thrilled to discover they'd gotten baited into thinking Capcom had essentially saddled him with relentless emotional baggage, and that the fighter they'd come to know over decades of Street Fighter was still as energetic and (reasonably) well-adjusted as ever.

Those who want to see how Ken's story plays out will have to wait until "2023" sometime, as Capcom still hasn't provided a release date for the game.