The success of last year's Samurai Shodown can't be understated. SNK somehow managed to not only revive a long-dormant franchise but secure its popularity with a presence at EVO and a crossover with Soulcalibur. The game has sold well, has been supported with a bunch of DLC, and is set to receive even more DLC characters this year.
At EVO Japan 2020 last night, SNK revealed the third character coming to season pass two. In addition to Mina Majikina (who was revealed last year after the success of the main game) and Sogetsu Kazama (who was accidentally revealed with news of an arcade port), fan-favorite character Iroha will be making her debut to official Samurai Shodown canon.
Debuting in Samurai Shodown VI, Iroha is one of the most requested characters to make an appearance as DLC. I went to a preview event for the revived fighter last year and almost every question I got was, "Will Iroha be on the roster?" Well, I can now say a resounding yes. She even still retains her sexy maid costume.
A quick glance on Twitter shows that many are a bit confused by Mina's redesign. It turns out most assumed that Samurai Shodown was a complete reboot of the series. It's actually a soft reboot, taking place before the 1993 original, but after Samurai Shodown V: Special. That's odd and confusing, but it explains why Mina is now sporting an eye-patch.
Sogetsu's inclusion is something most people assumed would be happening. As part of season pass one, his brother Kazuki Kazama was added to the roster. The two haven't ever been separate in games, so it made sense that the Yin to Kazuki's Yang would get a spot as DLC. Iroha is surprising since she's never been in an "official" title in the series.
Considering this soft reboot managed to add Shiki to the storyline, it does make sense. SNK wanted to bring back old fans and appeal to a new audience, so it set this latest game at an earlier point in the timeline. By doing so, characters from basically any game could be added.
Source: SNK PR