The pumpkin-themed pugilist will be the second character added since the game’s June release. Find out more inside!
Arc System Works has announced the second additional character coming to Guilty Gear Strive, and it is none other than the masked-wearing warrior Jack-O Valentine.
The official press release describes Jack-O as "an artificial life form fused with the protagonist Sol’s former love’s consciousness with high skills in combat and a powerful arsenal that allows her to overtake her opponent easily." You can watch her reveal trailer below.
Jack-O first became part of the Guilty Gear universe in 2000's Guilty Gear X, the second-ever Guilty Gear game. She was not playable in that game, appearing only in protagonist Sol Badguy's ending. She would not become playable until the first expansion to Guilty Gear Xrd, Revelator, in 2016.
The announcement of Jack-O's inclusion was made during the Guilty Gear Strive North American Finals of Evo 2021 Online. The top 8 NA Finals matchups were the following:
Winners Bracket
- Jonathan Tene vs Matthew "TempestNYC" Tulloch.
- Hector "Macho" Cajigas vs Julian "Hotashi" Harris.
Losers Bracket
- Steve "Lord Knight" Barthelemy vs Steve "Supernoon" Carbajal.
- Dominique "SonicFox" McLean vs Jessika "DEB" Neva.
The tournament is still going on now over on the official Evo Twitch stream. The winner of the event will join Super Smash Bros. pro William "Leffen" Hjelte, who won the EVO Online European Guilty Gear Strive finals. Leffen never lost a set during the EU event, defeating veteran Guilty Gear player Uriel_Legion in the Grand Finals.
Jack-O joins Goldlewis Dickinson as part of Guilty Gear Strive's Season Pass. Goldlewis was revealed on July 21, dropping into the game on July 27. If you want to learn more about the in-universe Secretary of Defense (no, really), check out SaintCola's Goldlewis guide.
Three more characters are coming as part of the Season Pass, one releasing in 2021 and the others coming in 2022. Arc System Works has not revealed the specific timing of those additions as of this writing. Jack-O unlocks for Season Pass owners on August 27, then made available for separate purchase on August 30.
The new character Jack O' Valentine has spurned a unique trend on social media with users trying to do the weird but fun Jack O' Challenge.
Guilty Gear Strive is available now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Guilty Gears news and updates.