Poison's gender has been the subject of much controversy and debate, and has been represented in conflicting ways over the years. According to Final Fight game director Akira Nishitani, Poison was originally designed as a newhalf because of concerns that portraying violence against women would be controversial.
In 2008, Yoshinori Ono, the producer of Street Fighter IV, stated that in Poison is considered a post-op transexual woman in American localizations, but in Japan she "simply tucks her business away to look female". In a 2011 interview, he stated that Capcom does not have an official stance on Poison's gender, and it is left to the viewer's interpretation.
In 2012, Akira Yasuda, Poison's creator, commented that he considers her to be transgender in American localizations, but cis in Japan.
In 2014, Nishitani commented on Twitter that in his personal view, Poison was a woman, but the character's canonical gender is left open to interpretation.
Appearance
Official pre-production concept art with "newhalf" text (1988)
