The fighting game community is buzzing after the Tokyo eSports Festa 2026 revealed some unexpected costume restrictions for its upcoming Street Fighter 6 tournament. While most tournament rules are pretty standard, this one’s raising eyebrows—and for good reason.
According to the official rulebook spotted by Game*Spark, players won’t be able to use Outfit 4 swimsuit variations for five female fighters: Chun-Li, Kimberly, Manon, A.K.I., and Cammy. These beachwear costumes dropped back in August 2025 alongside Sagat’s arrival and quickly became fan favorites, with player counts actually spiking when they launched. The kicker? Luke’s and Jamie’s swimsuit skins are totally tournament-legal.
The family-friendly angle
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Japan eSports Association are running this show, and their reasoning seems pretty straightforward. The tournament allows kids as young as six to compete (with their guardians present), so organizers are keeping things appropriate for all ages. Fair enough when you’re trying to maintain a wholesome environment for the kiddos.
What’s interesting is that other revealing costumes made the cut. Juri’s open-chest Outfit 3 and basically all of Mai Shiranui’s costumes except Outfit 2 are perfectly fine for competition. The organizers did mention rules could change at their discretion, so we might see more restrictions before the January 10 tournament date rolls around.
Not the first rodeo
This isn’t exactly new territory for competitive Street Fighter. Back in the Street Fighter V days, Rainbow Mika’s default outfit got flagged during televised matches, and her Professional costume with those oversized pom-poms was banned for making her hands look bigger than they actually were. Tournament costume bans usually happen for gameplay reasons, hitbox confusion, visual clarity issues, or technical glitches, but this one’s purely about keeping things kid-friendly.
The Tokyo eSports Festa 2026 runs from January 9-11 at Tokyo Big Sight, featuring tournaments for six games total, plus industry exhibitions and hands-on experiences. Street Fighter 6 mains will just have to leave the beach gear at home for this one.
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