What are the best Street Fighter scenes from the movie adaptations?
Street Fighter is an incredibly successful video game franchise and like any other successful franchise, it has had many adaptations in varied forms of media.
When it comes to full-length feature films, the 1994 animated movie started it all, and we have been graced with a bunch of great (and also not-so-great) scenes throughout the past 30 years.
15. Ryu reencounters Ken (Street Fighter II: Return to the Fujiwara Capital)
Street Fighter II - Return to the Fujiwara Capital: ~the fighters who leapt through time~ (Eng subs)
Start at: 05:28
A short film, but a film nonetheless, Street Fighter II: Return to the Fujiwara Capital is an educational movie where the World Warriors are sent back in time 1300 years into the past to Fujiwara when it was the capital of Japan.
In the very first moments of the picture, Ryu is wandering ancient Japan on his own, with no idea of what is going on and how he came to be there, until finally he reencounters Ken, who has been living in this timezone for 3 years and is ready to teach Ryu (and the viewers) everything there is to know about the capital of Fujiwara so many years ago.
14. Intro Sequence (Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation)
Street Fighter Alpha The Animation 1999
Start at: 00:00
A terrifying sequence fit for a horror movie in which we are exposed to the fundamental question of the movie: will Ryu succumb to the Satsui no Hado?
It is pretty ambiguous if we’re watching the birth of Akuma, Ryu’s internal conflict, or a nightmare blending both concepts, and it sets the tone for the 2000 OVA film.
13. Chun-Li vs Gen (Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun Li)
Street Fighter:The Legend Of Chun Li - Chun Li VS Gen
Start at: 00:00
In a movie where the action is generally lackluster and pretty lame, this first encounter between our protagonist and her new master has an exciting fight scene that emulates those of classic Kung Fu cinema from Hong Kong, well choreographed and swiftly shot.
Every movement is perceptible and both characters’ personality becomes crystal clear in a short scene that kills the thirst for martial arts.
12. Ryu and Chun-Li Fight Criminals (Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation)
Street Fighter Alpha The Animation - Ryu and Chun-Li
Start at: 02:47
A scene with excellent animation showing Ryu and Chun-Li in action fighting some thugs.
The fight includes a realistic albeit pretty cool Spinning Bird Kick, Ryu dodging actual bullets, and a final blow that leaves Chun-Li and Sakura speechless, showing how fighting can be something absolutely beautiful.
11. Ryu vs Fei Long (Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie)
STREET FIGHTER II THE ANIMATION MOVIE. Ryu VS Fei Long FIGHT
Start at: 00:00
This a fairly simple and short fight scene but it is special for retaining the humble essence of two traditional martial artists competing.
At the end of the fight, Ryu earns Fei Long’s respect with an amazingly animated Tatsumaki Senpukyaku.
10. Kaiju Battle (Street Fighter)
Zangief VS E.Honda Street Fighter
Start at: 00:00
During the climactic battle at the end of the movie, Zangief and E. Honda fight each other on top of the miniature city that Bison uses to choose his targets.
When Guile’s soldiers watch this on the security camera, Godzilla-like sound effects fill the scene while Gief and Honda destroy the miniature city in what is one of the most hilarious comedy highlights of the movie.
9. Cammy Quick Assassination (Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie)
Cammy owns security from 'Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie'
Start at: 00:00
In a hardcore assassination scene, Cammy White bursts out of a crowd and out of her disguise to assassinate the politician Mr. Sellers.
She bypasses Mr. Sellers’ bodyguards with ease and in typical Cammy fashion, and the assassination move itself is so incredible that it could perfectly be made into a throw in a modern game. This scene is truly unforgettable to Cammy fans.
8. Goken’s Hadoken (Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist)
Street Fighter - Master Goken - Hadoken (English Subtitle)
Start at: 00:00
While Ryu and Ken are training under Gouken, the old Assassin’s First master decides it’s time to teach them the Hadoken technique. He shoots the fireball against a training dummy, destroying it completely.
The looks of awe on the faces of Ryu and Ken as they witness the technique for the very first time in their lives is a unique touch that really leaves a warmth in the heart of any viewer who knows the legacy of the move and the impact the Hadoken will have on the lives of both young men.
7. C. Viper vs Cammy (Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind)
SFIV: C.Viper vs Cammy
Start at: 01:05
While working as a double agent, Crimson Viper is sent by set to try and draw Ryu’s Satsui no Hado power. When Viper confronts Ryu, they are interrupted by Cammy, and a battle between the two females ensues.
C. Viper demonstrates overwhelming might, and Cammy eventually falls to her, sadly. This unleashes the Satsui no Hado within the Wandering Vagabond, and he turns into Evil Ryu to completely beat the hell out of C. Viper in a great scene.
6. Opening Scene (Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie)
Street Fighter 2 - The Animated Movie - Ryu vs Sagat
Start at: 01:33
A legendary fight scene between Ryu and Sagat, this well-animated, hype battle sets the epic tone for what will unfold for the rest of the movie.
Highlights here include the bloody scar opened in Sagat’s chest by Ryu’s Shoryuken and Ryu’s iconic Hadoken blast that transitions the scene to the movie’s title.
5. Ryu vs Akuma (Street Fighter Alpha: Generations)
Street Fighter Alpha - Generations
Start at: 29:50
The final fight of the 2005 Japanese anime film, with detailed, action-packed animation.
Strikes, throws, Hado explosions left and right, this is the fight we waited so many years for after the previous Alpha adaptation, Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation.
4. Double Hadoken (Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie)
Street Fighter 2 - The Animated Movie - Double Hadoken
Start at: 1:27:42
This is the climatic final battle of the original animated movie. Epic, dramatic, and violent. Every single blow has palpable weight and impact, and the entire fighting sequence is fantastic.
It is the end of it, however, that gets the spot on this list. Ryu and Ken perform a double Hadoken to finish the fight, and the visuals of it are so captivating that it was even used in the intro for Street Fighter Alpha 2. The battle itself would also be replicated in the secret dramatic battle mode in Street Fighter Alpha.
3. Ryu vs Ken (Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist)
Street Fighter - Ryu Vs Ken
Start at: 00:00
This scene proves that perfect adaptations do exist. In the classic rival battle between fellow apprentices Ryu and Ken, all of the game’s tropes are flawlessly adapted into live-action.
In the end, the drama is real when Ryu starts succumbing to the Satsui no Hado and starts charging up his Metsu Hadoken. Desperate times call for desperate measures and Ken running to his friend to challenge him with the first fiery Shoryuken of the feature film is astonishing.
2. Vega Attacks Chun-Li (Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie)
Street Fighter 2 - The Animated Movie - Vega attacks Chun-Li
Start at: 49:46
A super intense battle that showcases Vega’s sadistic violence and Chun-Li’s unwavering will.
The scene is iconic for being preceded by an explicit scene where Chun-Li is bathing but what really elevates this is the raw brutality and overwhelming arrogance of Vega abruptly crumbling and resulting in a mental breakdown for the matador when Chun-Li ruins his most precious feature: his beautiful face.
1. It Was Tuesday (Street Fighter)
It was Tuesday - Street Fighter 1994
Start at: 00:00
Bison dressed in a luxury robe and his signature hat welcomes Chun-Li into his headquarters.
The Strongest Woman in the World confronts the dictator with her motivation for vengeance and Bison delivers a unique line made iconic by Raul Julia in this legendary performance which continues to be referenced by fans to this day.
The Street Fighter fanbase has had a love-hate relationship with most of these adaptations, which bring as many wrongs as rights but that ultimately constitute part of the mythos of the series.
Even some of the most poorly received adaptations like Street Fighter (the 1994 live-action movie) are recurringly witnessing a cult following and added nostalgic value, and the franchise continues to expand thanks to that. And for those who watched these movies as kids, they will forever hold a very special place in their hearts.
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