magazine Hardcore Gamers commented that by 2002 "Mai has become a leading figure in fighting games to the point that many fighting games characters feature characters looking oddly like her", such as Jam Kuradoberi in Guilty Gear and Kasumi in Dead or Alive. The character Kali's look in the Korean game Dragon Nest was partially inspired by Mai, as was an alternative costume for Chun-Li Super Street Fighter IV. The red kunoichi costume of Kasumi in the arcade version of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate was created as an official homage to Mai (who herself later appeared in the Last Round edition of the game). Giovanni Simotti, designer of Akane the Kunoichi, intended look of the titular character on the game's cover as "a small tribute to two of the most famous kunoichi from the history of the videogames – a mix of Mai Shiranui with a bit of Ibuki". Reactions Critical reception and popularity Mai Shiranui's sex appeal escalated her popularity in Japan and worldwide, while the character herself is regarded as a female icon of SNK. Play Time claimed that "already a cult" of Mai had existed in Japan by 1994, two years after her debut. According to Kotaku's Ashcraft writing in 2010, "Mai is one of the most popular and recognisable fighting game characters. Her image has been recreated in countless figurines and endless fan art". Japanese arcade gaming magazine Gamest named her as one of the best characters for at least five consecutive years in its annual awards, placing her second in 1994, tenth in 1995, 21st in 1996, 28th in 1997, and 25th in 1998. It was similar in the Japanese Neo Geo magazine Neo Geo Freak, where she was for example third in 1998; Mai had been also voted the most popular female Neo Geo character by the female readers of Neo Geo Freak in 1997. Mai was the most-illustrated character in a 2009 fan art contest held by SNK Playmore and art website Pixiv to commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of the King of Fighters series. Mai was declared the 11th top video game heroine from the 1990s by Japanese magazine Famitsu in 2015, and landed fourth in their and SNK's joint poll for the most popular Neo Geo character in 2018. She was also voted the second most sexy fighting game character in history in a 2018 Japanese poll. UGO Team commented in