The Gakuran update is here, and there’s actually quite a bit to mess around with this time. The two things that immediately caught my attention are the new Ali fighting style and the Hakari rework. Both feel flashy, both have some really nice effects, and more importantly, they don’t play exactly the same. Ali seems much more focused on speed and making your movement difficult to read, while Hakari has that heavier offensive threat thanks to its special crit.
But the fighting styles aren’t the whole update. We also got a map expansion, dozens of accessories, new uniforms and faces, more music, emotes, and—finally—jumping.
Yep, jumping is now actually a thing.
So, if you’ve just loaded into the update and you’re wondering what changed or which of the new styles looks stronger, here’s everything you need to know.
Gakuran New Town Update Guide – Codes, Hakari Rework
Let’s start with Ali because this is probably the style you’ll notice immediately once somebody starts using it against you.
The style is based on legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, and the inspiration is pretty obvious from the stance alone. Your character uses that light, mobile boxing movement associated with Ali rather than standing completely still waiting to throw punches.
It gives the style a lot of personality before you even start fighting.
More importantly, that movement carries over into how the style actually plays.
Ali M1 Attacks
Ali’s M1 punches are really fast.
Once you start connecting them, the speed immediately stands out compared with slower fighting styles. You can throw out punches rapidly, which makes Ali feel aggressive without making the character feel heavy or sluggish.
From what I’ve seen so far, Ali looks like it could easily end up being one of the stronger styles in the game.
The quick M1s are also a good match for what Ali appears to be designed around: keeping pressure on an opponent while constantly making them guess what you’re going to do next.
And the M2 takes that idea even further.
How Ali M2 and Afterimages Work
This is easily the coolest part of the Ali style.
Using M2 creates afterimages of your character while moving.
At first, it might just look like a fancy visual effect, but there’s an actual purpose behind it. The movement makes it harder for the other player to read exactly where you’re going.
Instead of giving your opponent one obvious movement to react to, you’re creating these additional visual movements around yourself.
It fits Muhammad Ali surprisingly well.
You’re not simply standing there and trading hits. You’re moving around the opponent, making yourself difficult to read and then looking for an opening.
There’s another little detail worth knowing, too.
Press Ali M2 Twice for Extra Movement
Try activating the M2 more than once.
Pressing it twice appears to produce additional movement/afterimage actions, giving you more freedom to mix up how you approach someone.
This could make Ali particularly annoying in PvP once players get comfortable with it.
Rather than using M2 the exact same way every fight, you can change your movement and potentially make the opponent hesitate before committing to an attack.
That unpredictability may end up being one of Ali’s biggest strengths.
Hakari Rework Explained
Hakari is the other major fighting-style change in the Gakuran update.
The basic attacks include the usual M1 attacks followed by an M2, but Hakari has some additional effects that make successful hits much more satisfying.
One of the coolest details appears when you continuously land attacks.
Successful consecutive hits can produce a Black Flash-like visual effect, which gives Hakari’s attacks considerably more impact visually.
It isn’t just the effects that make Hakari interesting, though.
Hakari’s Crit Is the Big Deal
The reason Hakari may have the advantage over Ali is its special crit attack.
That crit can deal a lot of damage, giving Hakari something Ali doesn’t necessarily have in the same way: a very threatening burst-damage option.
That’s why, between the two, I would currently give Hakari the edge.
Ali’s speed and movement are excellent, and I can absolutely see good PvP players doing some ridiculous things with its afterimages. Hakari, however, combines its regular attacks with a powerful crit, which can make it much more dangerous when the opportunity to punish someone appears.
That doesn’t automatically mean Hakari will be better for everyone.
If you’re someone who loves fast movement, pressure, and confusing opponents, Ali might actually feel better to play. If you’d rather have something capable of hitting extremely hard when you get the opening, Hakari looks like the more appealing choice.
We’ll probably get a much clearer picture once players spend more time testing both styles.
Ali vs Hakari: Which Style Looks Better?
Based on the early showcase, I’d put Hakari slightly ahead of Ali.
Hakari’s crit is the main reason.
Having an attack capable of dealing serious damage can make a massive difference during fights, especially when you’re playing against someone who knows how to defend against normal pressure.
But I wouldn’t sleep on Ali.
Its M1 speed already looks excellent, and the M2 afterimage mechanic gives it a type of movement that could become incredibly useful in the hands of experienced players.
So I’d break the two down like this:
- Ali: Fast M1s, mobile playstyle, afterimage movement and unpredictable PvP potential.
- Hakari: Strong attacks, flashy hit effects and a powerful special crit capable of dealing heavy damage.
If you’re choosing purely from the early showcase, Hakari looks stronger overall. Ali, though, might have the higher potential for players who really know how to use movement.
48 New Accessories Have Been Added
The Gakuran update isn’t only about fighting.
There are also 48 new accessories.
That’s a pretty substantial customization drop for a single update, especially if you’re the type of player who spends almost as much time changing your character’s appearance as actually fighting people.
With 48 additional options available, there should be much more room to put together a character that doesn’t look identical to everyone else running around the map.
Four New Uniforms
Character customization also expands with four new uniforms.
The uniforms go alongside the new accessories and faces, so this update gives players several new ways to change their appearance instead of simply adding combat content and calling it a day.
It’s a smaller addition compared with 48 accessories, but more outfit choices are always welcome in a game where character customization is a big part of the experience.
Eight New Faces
There are also eight new faces available following the update.
Again, this isn’t something that’s going to completely change gameplay, but these smaller additions add up.
Between the 48 accessories, four uniforms, and eight faces, you’ve now got quite a few new combinations to experiment with when customizing your character.
The Map Has Been Expanded
One change that’s easy to overlook while everyone is busy trying the new fighting styles is the map expansion.
The playable area has been expanded with the Gakuran update, giving you more space to explore.
This should be especially noticeable if you’ve already spent a lot of time playing before the update. It’s worth walking around rather than immediately jumping into fights because you may find areas that weren’t accessible or present previously.
15 New Songs and More Music
If you use the in-game music players, you’ve got some new stuff to listen to as well.
The update adds 15 new songs, expanding the existing music selection.
Music obviously isn’t going to affect which fighting style wins a match, but it’s one of those background additions that makes the overall update feel bigger than simply dropping two combat changes.
New Emotes
New emotes have also arrived.
These give players some additional ways to interact or mess around between fights. Combined with the new character customization items, there’s definitely a noticeable social/customization side to this update alongside all the combat additions.
You Can Finally Jump
Okay, this one sounds almost ridiculous compared with a Hakari rework or an entirely new Muhammad Ali-inspired fighting style, but it’s genuinely one of the funniest additions to the update.
You can finally jump.
Jumping has now been properly added to the game.
It’s such a basic movement mechanic that you probably wouldn’t think twice about it in most games, but when you’ve been playing without it, suddenly having a jump button feels surprisingly significant.
It may also end up affecting how players move around both the expanded map and other players during fights. We’ll have to see how much practical use people find for it, but at the very least, movement doesn’t feel quite as restrictive anymore.
And yes, if you try it and nothing happens immediately, give it another shot. The showcase itself had a moment where jumping didn’t seem to work before it eventually kicked in.
Everything Added in the Gakuran Update
There’s a lot packed into this update, so here’s the short version if you’re checking whether you’ve seen everything:
- New Ali fighting style
- Hakari rework
- Ali’s fast M1 attacks
- Ali M2 afterimage movement
- Additional Ali movement when using M2 multiple times
- Hakari M1 and M2 attacks
- Hakari’s Black Flash-like hit effect
- Powerful Hakari special crit
- 48 new accessories
- 4 new uniforms
- 8 new faces
- New emotes
- 15 new songs
- Additional music-player content
- Map expansion
- Jumping finally added
It’s a pretty healthy mix of combat, customization, movement, and general world additions rather than an update centered around only one new feature.
The Gakuran New Town Update Guide ended up being more substantial than just an Ali style and Hakari rework.
Those are obviously the headline additions—and probably where most players will spend their time first—but the smaller changes shouldn’t be ignored. Forty-eight accessories is a lot, the extra uniforms and faces give character customization some much-needed variety, the map is bigger, and there are 15 additional songs to discover.
And somehow, finally being able to jump might be the change people have the most fun joking about.
As for the new fighting styles, Hakari would be my early pick if you’re chasing strength, particularly because of its damaging crit. Ali is the one I’d keep an eye on, though. Those fast punches combined with the afterimage movement could become nasty once experienced players learn exactly how far they can push the mechanic.
Either way, if you haven’t played since before the update, there’s enough new stuff here to make jumping back in worthwhile—quite literally this time.