We’ve learned that Sean Matsuda, younger brother of Laura Matsuda, appears to have been white-washed in Street Fighter V.

Featured above, a fan got their hands on the final build of the game during a local sponsored tournament, and promptly took shots of the game’s comic book-like story moments. The above shot is from Laura Matsuda’s story, where her younger brother Sean appears.

This is how he looked in Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition:

While Sean isn’t playable in the game, he made his playable debut in Street Fighter III: New Generation.

It’s worth mentioning that all of the in-game art (including these story panels) are done by veteran Capcom illustrator Bengus (べんがす), and his style, even with the same character, can sometimes change wildly.

Still, it remains unclear if the above shot of Sean’s new design is a lighting effect, or if he truly has lighter skin like his older sister.

If true, this isn’t the first time a character has undergone a seemingly racial change in the series – Birdie used to be white and skinny but later became dark, muscular, and somehow got bigger lips (Editor’s Note: This was chalked up to him being ‘sick’ in the original Street Fighter).