>>138466as I recall, he said pre-op in Japan, post-op in US, but that position has since changed to "let the individual decide" IE the same no-answer that every Japanese game dev gives for unexplained plot points.
I can't even find consistent source son what she was designed as. Some say she was "newhalf" from the start, others say she was female but changed over Capcom US objecting to violence against women- which was silly because Double Dragon had Linda and no one griped, and because saying she's transgendered doesn't much matter if she looks female. Calling her a crossdresser also doesn't work because she has visible watermelon tits.
Then there's Roxy. I don't think they've ever explained her. I've heard "male crossdresser" and "100% female" answers on her, seems they've put so much effort into Poison that they didn't bother with the recolor.
....and Poison Kiss from Mighty Final Fight is a 100% female totally separate character form either of them. If that game even counts as canon.