Laura Matsuda

Laura Matsuda
Street Fighter character
Laura Matsuda in Street Fighter V
First gameStreet Fighter V (2016)
Created byTakayuki Nakayama[1]
Yoshinori Ono[2]
Designed byTakayuki Nakayama[3]
Toshiyuki Kamei[4]
Voiced byEN: G.K. Bowes
JA: Yoko Hikasa
Portrayed byNatascha Hopkins[5]
In-universe information
Fighting styleBrazilian jiu-jitsu
OriginBrazil
NationalityBrazilian

Laura Matsuda (Japanese: ララ マツダ/松田) is a fictional character from the Street Fighter series of video games, making her first appearance in 2016's Street Fighter V. She is the sister of Sean Matsuda, a character from 1997's Street Fighter III. She is from Brazil, and much like fellow Brazilian character Blanka, she utilizes electricity in some of her attacks. In English, she is voiced by G.K. Bowes, while in Japanese she is voiced by Yoko Hikasa. Meanwhile in live-action media, she appears in the web mini-series Street Fighter: Resurrection, played by Natascha Hopkins.

Created by game director Takayuki Nakayama at the request of Capcom's Brazilian branch and series producer Yoshinori Ono's own inspirations from visiting Brazil, Laura went through multiple character designs during the course of development. In many of them an emphasis on beauty was placed, as well as capoeira-inspired movements and Japanese views on Brazilian culture. Nakayama in particular wanted her designs to illustrate the character's buttocks, originally wanting them to be exposed due to his belief that Brazilian women develop larger posteriors as they exercise.

Laura received mixed reception: while her moveset and gameplay were praised, her story and lack of character were criticized. Additional criticisms were levied against her character design, which some, including those in Brazil, felt was too sexualized, particularly accusing it of pandering to the male gaze. Academic study also discussed this aspect, with some reiterating these concerns, while others saw her as a more positive portrayal of sensuality and Brazilian culture.

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  5. ^ Romano, Nick (2016-12-20). "Watch Season 1 of the 'Street Fighter: Resurrection' Web Series". Collider. Retrieved 2024-04-11.