In "Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike", Makoto features a unique fighting style, resulting in her having a fan following, according to battle director Taisaku Okada. Battle planner Atsushi Tamamura stated that she lacked the ability to produce big combos, requiring players to think of how to make each blow land. He added that she was a character who could scare an opponent into not pushing any buttons as Makoto approaches. Okada states that she is one of the three characters categorized as "evil," or "arashi" ("devastating/rush-down"), gameplay-wise; he explains that she is categorized as such because of her ability to defeat her opponent if the match goes her pace for even a moment. "Super Street Fighter IV" retains much of her mechanics from "3rd Strike". In both games, Makoto has amongst the slowest walking speed, while having amongst the highest running speed. Okada commented that she was an extreme in both regards, making her a difficult character to get used to for even more experienced players. He adds that players with no experience in fighting games who try her before any other character, they may have no problem controlling her. Tsukamoto, operator of the "Street Fighter IV" development blog, commented that the inclusion of characters from "3rd Strike" gave the development team trouble, specifically mentioning Makoto, who he states was difficult to master, but entertaining to use due to her speed.