While ya'll are concerned about the shota reveal, I'm here wondering if Street Fighter (which this seems to be entirely based on) does not have side-stepping?
Because....Hey, even if it is -- they live in a 3D world. Why can't opponents evade your projectiles by moving aside...? Why do you need to take it head-on, and plan around it? That's just really, really stupid. The world is not 2D.
That makes me believe that at no point, will there ever be a twist reveal, that: "hey, even though the physics/logic of this world seems to work based on street-fighter, you don't REALLY need to abide by it, ya'know?"
This would've been the perfect chance to make that twist.
"We don't have side-stepping during combat, but he moved in a different way, other than backwardsor forward anyway! Nani! How!?"
"...I....I just walked, like normal, what?"