Weeks of anticipation built from cryptic social media posts by Six Flags Great America came to an end Thursday with the park announcing its first new roller coaster since 2019, a record-breaking attraction called “Wrath of Rakshasa,” which will debut in 2025.
The coaster will feature both the world’s steepest drop on a dive coaster, as well as the most inversions on a dive coaster, with a 96-degree drop beyond vertical and five inversions.
But what exactly is a dive coaster?
Here’s what you need to know about the roller coaster ride that has excited millions in America, but not many in the Midwest:
What is a dive coaster and what makes it different from other roller coasters?
The diving roller coaster, a steel roller coaster model produced by Bolliger & Mabillard, features a unique seating configuration, with passengers traveling in three-row trains, seated six to ten passengers abreast. In the case of Wrath of Rakshasa, passengers will be seated seven abreast.
Dive roller coasters get their name from their initial drop, usually over 100 feet and taken at a vertical or beyond-vertical angle.
In addition to the incredibly steep incline, riders are held at the top of the chairlift hill for several seconds by a holding brake, tilting riders forward while providing a perilous view of the drop ahead before descending.
The trains of most dive coasters, including Wrath of Rakshasa, are floorless, meaning that riders’ feet dangle above the track, with the floor used for boarding disappearing once the train is dispatched.
Passengers will be secured with a shoulder restraint vest, similar to that used on Great America’s other roller coaster, X-Flight.
B&M, the manufacturer behind Wrath of Rakshasa, has frequently partnered with Six Flags Great America in the past, creating Batman: The Ride, Raging Bull and X-Flight, among others.
How big and fast is Wrath of Rakshasa?
The upcoming roller coaster will be the third
-the park’s tallest roller coaster when opened, measuring 180 feet tall.
The roller coaster’s drop will be the park’s third-largest at 171 feet, behind Raging Bull’s 208-foot drop and Goliath’s 85-degree, 180-foot drop.
With 3,239 feet of track, Wrath of Rakshasa will also reach a top speed of 67 miles per hour, making it the fifth-fastest roller coaster in the park when it opens.
In addition to the unique drop and blistering speed, the roller coaster will also feature five inversions, giving passengers plenty of upside-down time during this thrilling ride.
Wrath of Rakshasa will be located in the County Fair section of the park, which is also home to Demon and American Eagle, the former of which was the subject of removal rumors that turned out to be unfounded, as Demon will remain in the park.
How many diving roller coasters are there?
Wrath of Rakshasa will be the 18th dive coaster built by Bolliger & Mabillard, although only their eighth in North America.
Many Midwestern roller coaster enthusiasts are particularly deprived of the few American dive coasters, of which only one, Valravn at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, is located in the Midwest.
The other six dive coasters operating in North America are listed below:
- SheiKra – Busch Gardens Tampa Bay – Tampa, Florida
- Griffon – Busch Gardens Williamsburg – Williamsburg, Virginia
- Valravn – Cedar Point – Sandusky, Ohio
- Yukon Striker – Canada’s Wonderland – Vaughn, Ontario, Canada
- Emperor – SeaWorld San Diego – San Diego, California
- The Suspense of Dr. Diabolical – Six Flags Fiesta Texas – San Antonio, Texas
- Iron Threat – Dorney Park – Dorneyville, Pennsylvania
The diving roller coaster with the biggest drop is Yukon Striker, which plunges riders 245 feet while reaching speeds of nearly 81 miles per hour.
What led to this announcement?
The announcement comes nearly a month after Six Flags began posting several cryptic messages, teasing fans on social media with a series of unusual posts and sparking widespread speculation about what might come next.
The most recent release was on Wednesday, when officials revealed they would make an announcement at 11 a.m. Thursday, however, details were released earlier.
It all started on July 18, when a video was shared on the park’s social media accounts with the caption, “Something is coming, just wait.”
Then, a week later, another six-second video clip showed the eyes of what appeared to be a predatory animal with the same message #FearThe Wrath.
This clip was captioned “It is found through the eyes of demons”.
On August 1, the park posted the words “you don’t want to see him angry” on its social media, posting another six-second video clip with the message #FearTheWrath.
In this case, the clip was accompanied by what sounded like the grinding of a claw.
Last week, a revealing message was posted on the park’s social media channels, when it shared an eight-second video rapidly reciting the following words in order:
TEASE DEMON SEVEN STEEL FIVE DROP 2025, followed by the message #FearTheWrath.
The caption mirrored similar teasing, saying, “SOMETIMES it’s OK to wait.”
Fans focused on the word choice, potentially referencing the Demon Ride, a looping roller coaster that has been at the park since it opened in 1976 and has operated under its current theme since 1980.
“If you take the Demon away from me, I will be so sad,” responded one enthusiast on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Another commenter wondered if this meant Demon would undergo a restoration, while others pointed to an unoccupied space near Demon that once housed the Buccaneer Battle, a water attraction where guests traveling in a boat were sprayed with water guns by spectators.
“The demon is said to be ‘looking’ towards the old Buccaneer battlefield,” one Facebook commenter said.
Coaster enthusiasts’ responses on X correctly predicted that the park would add a diving coaster.
Although the park hasn’t welcomed a new roller coaster in five years, a new flat ride, Sky Striker, debuted at the park last month.
The announcement follows the merger between amusement park giants Six Flags and Cedar Fair, which created the new Six Flags Entertainment Corporation.
The company said it will invest in new attractions and food and beverage, with the post-merger entity operating 42 amusement and water parks in 17 states and three countries.
Similar announcements have also started rolling in at the company’s other parks, with Kings Dominion in Virginia set to receive a wing-launching coaster from Bolliger & Mabillard, while Canada’s Wonderland is set to add Alpen Fury, a wing-launching coaster with nine inversions, the most in North America for a coaster of its type.
