Capcom’s Shadaloo C.R.I. recently released Sagat’s early concept art, alongside details concerning his newest design.

Sagat’s newest iteration in Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition hasn’t seen any drastic changes. The Shadaloo C.R.I. recently uploaded a collection of concept art for the King of Muay Thai, which highlighted his nomadic status, as well as revealed an intent to stay true to old-school Muay Thai style.

“He’s a character that has a lot of flavor, so there wasn’t much we could change about him,” artist Takayuki Nakayama wrote. This is certainly true: Sagat maintained his iconic design with minimal changes in dress, donning a simple shawl over which to hide his scar from the trembling masses. “His body is covered in scars from training and his fights,” Nakayama explained, “so he wears the upper body cloth in order to not frighten the villagers – the kind considerations of a king.”

Alongside Sagat now pads a beautiful and ferocious tiger, named ‘Phicit Willa Maiu’ or ‘Willa Maiu’ for short. According to Nakayama, the tiger’s full name means ‘victorious courageous cat’ in the Thai language, although Sagat originally named him just ‘Maiu,’ or ‘cat,’ in kittenhood. Concept art shows Maiu wearing an eyepatch to match his owner, with bandages and a scar, to boot. Fans can check out the artwork here.

Source: Shadaloo C.R.I. (Capcom)