Ryu (リュウ, Ryū^?, written as 隆 in the original Street Fighter) is a video game player character created by Capcom, the main protagonist of the Street Fighter series.^[4] Having premiered in the first Street Fighter in 1987, Ryu appears as the lead character from the game along with his best friend Ken Masters participating in the Street Fighter tournament. Further games from the series show Ryu to be highly focused on his training, aiming to become the strongest he can. However, his powers also attract several criminals who want to use him for their plans. In some games, Ryu has an alternate form known as Evil Ryu (殺意の波動に目覚めたリュウ, Satsui no Hadō ni Mezameta Ryū^?, lit. "Ryu with the surge of murderous intent awakened", abbreviated Satsui Ryu in Street Fighter Zero 3).

Ryu has been the lead character of the Street Fighter series since the first game and has appeared in crossovers involving the franchise. He is also featured in manga from the series, anime adaptations and the 1994 live-action film.

Character design[link]

In the first Street Fighter game, Ryu wears a tattered white karate gi with a red hachimaki (headband), red gloves, and red shoes. Also, a constant trait in his design is the Fūrinkazan (風林火山^?) kanji motif (meaning Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain), battle standard of the historical Japanese military leader Takeda Shingen, embroidered into his obi, simulating Karate Dan degrees.^[5] In Street Fighter II Ryu is shown to be older, with brown hair, brown gloves, and a red hachimaki. He also fights barefooted this time.^[6] The Alpha series features a Ryu much like the one depicted in the original Street Fighter, with light red hair and a white hachimaki. In the Street Fighter III games, Ryu has black hair and facial stubble to show his growth in age. Street Fighter IV is chronologically set between II and III and so Ryu has a more mature look than he does in Street Fighter II but still not as aged looking as in Street Fighter III.

Ryu's name was based on the designer Takashi Nishiyama's name. This was due to the fact that, when written in Chinese, "Takashi" could also be read as "Ryu". Furthermore, Ryu's Hadoken energy attack was based on the wave motion gun from the titular spacecraft of the sci-fi anime series Space Battleship Yamato, which Nishiyama watched during the seventies. His other two techniques from the first Street Fighter game were inspired by actual martial arts moves which were exaggerated for the character.^[7] Because he was the only playable character in the original Street Fighter, Ryu's designer, Manabu Takemura,^[8] wanted to make him easy to identify with. In Street Fighter II, the character was selected for inclusion due to his presence in the first game, symbolizing the concept of a Japanese martial artist. As the series progressed, the design was made more muscular to coincide with the concept, while his white gi, considered his most defining characteristic by the development team, was meant to let viewers know he was "a karate master at first sight".^[9]

In video games[link]

[edit] Street Fighter series

Ryu debuted in the first Street Fighter as the primary playable character in the game, with his best friend, rival and sparring partner Ken Masters serving as the second player's character. Both compete in the tournament depicted in the game in order to test their strength against the tournament's champion, Sagat.^[10]

His next appearance was in 1991's Street Fighter II. Set several years after Ryu defeated Sagat in the first tournament, Ryu participates in a second tournament. In his ending in the game, Ryu wins the tournament, but does not stay for the ceremony, already seeking his next challenge.^[11]

Ryu's backstory, along with those of other Street Fighter characters, would be explored in the subsequent Street Fighter Alpha prequel series. The first game, Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams (1995), features Ryu confronting Sagat as his last opponent in a rematch following their first fight.^[12] Street Fighter Alpha 2 (1996) depicts Ryu on a quest to confront Akuma, his master's brother and enemy. After their match, Akuma reveals that Ryu possesses the "Evil Intent" (殺意の波動, Satsui no Hadō^?, lit. "Surge of Murderous Intent", sometimes translated as the "Dark Hadou") within him, the same power Akuma uses.^[13] In the Street Fighter Alpha series, there is an alternate selectable version of Ryu known as "Evil Ryu". Similarly to Akuma, Ryu takes this form when succumbing to the evil intent, and becomes more violent. It was not until the international versions of the game, Street Fighter Alpha 2, that Evil Ryu was introduced as a secret character in the games.^[14] In Street Fighter Alpha 3 (1998), Ryu is sought by M. Bison, who seeks to use him as his next host body.^[15]

Ryu and Ken would return in Street Fighter III (1997) and its updates. While Ryu's motivation in the game and rivalry with Ken would remain the same, he was also shown getting acquainted with several of the new characters featured in the game.^[16][17] Ryu appears in Street Fighter IV, which takes place after Street Fighter II but before Street Fighter III. A new appearance of Evil Ryu in a Street Fighter game was confirmed in Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition by a teaser trailer^[18], and later confirmed as a secret boss and playable character by leaked video footage.^[19]

Ryu has appeared in spin-offs related to the main Street Fighter series such as the Street Fighter EX series produced by Arika.^[20] Byron Mann portrays the character in separately produced arcade and console games based on the American film of the series, both titled Street Fighter: The Movie, where he wears Ryu's characteristic white karate gi and red headband.^[21]

Other games[link]

The character has also been featured in Capcom's inter-company crossovers such as the Marvel vs. Capcom series, the SNK vs. Capcom series, Namco x Capcom and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars.^[22][23] Some games of the SNK vs. Capcom series also include Evil Ryu as an unlockable character.^[24] In Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, Ryu has the ability to change his moveset to the ones from Ken or Akuma while fighting.^[25] He also appears in Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, a puzzle video game featuring super deformed characters along with the sequel, Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix, which is instead a fighting game.^[26] Ryu is one of the first fighters to appear as a playable fighter in the crossover fighting game Street Fighter X Tekken,^[27] and is also seen in the Tekken X Street Fighter poster along with Jin Kazama.

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams features Ryu as an unlockable costume swap for the game's protagonist Soki.^[28] Although his incarnation there is much slimmer, this change is merely cosmetic and does not affect gameplay. Ryu also has a cameo appearance in the shooting game Varth: Operation Thunderstorm. He was also planned to appear in the now-cancelled game Mega Man Universe.^[29] A Ryu-inspired costume for players to use in Sony's LittleBigPlanet was released in 2008 as downloadable content for the title.^[30]

In other media[link]

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Live-action[link]

Ryu is played by Byron Mann in the 1994 film version of Street Fighter, where Guile is the lead character. Ryu (given the surname "Hoshi"), and Ken are traveling con artists who steal money from rich crime lords through schemes such as selling modified toy guns. He and Ken eventually work with Guile to infiltrate Bison's headquarters.^[31] By luring Guile to Bison's base, Ryu plays an important role in Bison's downfall. In the film's climax, Ryu personally fights and defeats Vega in battle, and his rivalry with Sagat is absent.

Despite not appearing at all in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li, Ryu is mentioned at the end of the movie as a formidable Japanese fighter entering a tournament.

Jon Foo also played Ryu (given the surname "Takashi") in the fan film Street Fighter: Legacy

Animation[link]

In the 1994 film Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, Bison captures Ken and brainwashes him, forcing Ryu to fight his former friend. But Ken manages to resist Bison's brainwashing and the two ultimately work together to defeat Bison. He was voiced by Kōjirō Shimizu in the Japanese version and Skip Stellrecht in the English dub.

Ryu also appears in the US TV series and is once again replaced by Guile as the protagonist since it is a continuation of the 1994 live-action film. Near the end of the series, however, the story shifts focus to Ryu and Ken, making them more prominent as they face several enemies such as the Mad Gear gang. In both the film and the series, Ryu's name is incorrectly pronounced as "Raiyu", though in the movie Guile and Bison are the only ones to pronounce his name correctly.

The premise of the 1995 Japanese TV series Street Fighter II V centers around a young Ryu and Ken, who travel the world with Chun-Li to improve their martial art skills by challenging other fighters. He was voiced Kōji Tsujitani in the Japanese version and once again by Skip Stellrecht in the English Animaze dub, while in the ADV Films dub he was portrayed by Brett Weaver and then later by Tommy Drake.

The 1999 original video animation Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation centers around Ryu's inner conflict with the Dark Hadou, as seen in the Street Fighter Alpha manga and games, though adding original elements such as the appearance of Ryu's supposed younger brother, Shun, and their conflict with Professor Sadler and Rosanov. The 2005 OVA Street Fighter Alpha: Generations features a similar storyline, but is unrelated to the previous Alpha anime. The latter implies Ryu to be the biological son of Akuma.

Manga[link]

UDON's comic book adaptation of the Street Fighter plot places Ryu in the center of the events of the comic. Ryu grows up training in the art of Shotokan and all the while fighting off the urge of the Satsui no Hadō. He trains to be a strong fighter without relying on the hatred and consumption it brings. After returning from the first Street Fighter tournament, Ryu discovers that his master (Gouken) has been slain by his brother (Akuma) and sets out (along with Ken Masters) to avenge his death. Like in the Alpha series, Ryu is a boy. As a powerful fighter who shows great potential, this draws the attention of M. Bison as well as Chun-Li and Guile, who believe there is a criminal connection between the two at first but do not know exactly what the root cause of Bison's interest in Ryu actually is. He also trains Sakura during the second arc of the comics and later on trains with other fighters (specifically Dhalsim and Gen) to give himself a better chance against Akuma. Like the official story, Sagat is consumed with thoughts of revenge against Ryu for taking his honor at the first Street Fighter tournament but he does seek him out to warn him of Shadaloo's advances. During the final series of comics, Ryu attends Bison's tournament and advances all the way to the final stage (including getting his long-awaited rematch with Sagat). However, before he is able to fight Bison, Akuma intervenes and soundly defeats Bison instead. The plot then shifts to the battle between Akuma and Ryu as the concluding fight of the comic series. During the battle, Ryu is tempted to give into his dark intent to defeat Akuma at any cost but refuses, which allows Akuma the upper hand. All seems lost but at the very last moment, Gouken's spirit is revived and he finishes the battle with Akuma. Ryu passes out before the fight can conclude and is rescued from the sinking island by Dhalsim. Following the battle, Ryu's mind is finally freed from the Satsui no Hadō and he believes he no longer needs to rely on it if he wants victory.

Promotion and reception[link]

Ryu artwork was featured on an officially licenced animated Nubytech/UDON joypad for the PlayStation 2,^[32] and a Mad Catz wireless joypad for the PlayStation 3.^[33]

Ryu is consistently ranked as one of the most popular and memorable characters from the Street Fighter franchise as well as gaming in general among critics. GameSpot featured him in their article "All Time Greatest Game Hero".^[34] He additionally ranked number seventy-one on UGO Networks's "Top 100 Heroes of All Time" article.^[35] UGO also placed him at #2 on their list of "Top 50 Street Fighter Characters", stating "Whereas Ken is flashy, Ryu is contemplative, tortured and driven."^[36] IGN ranked him first in their "Top 25 Street Fighter Characters" article, stating "Ryu is a testament to the virtue of simplicity in character design. White gi, dark gloves, red headband for a little touch of color, and that is it. It's rare, when you think about it, to see too many fancy pieces go into the making of an icon".^[37] GameDaily listed him at number two in their "Top 20 Street Fighter Characters of All Time" article, stating "He always seeks a bigger challenge, and that determination makes him one of our favorites";^[38] in a later character profile article for Ryu, they stated "Ryu is a formidable fighter that gets the job done.... Bottom line, you can't go wrong with Street Fighter's most iconic character."^[39] The same site ranked him sixth along with Ken in the Top 25 Capcom Characters of All Time with editor Robert Workman saying "It was just impossible to choose between one of these world warriors".^[40] He has also been recognized as on of the best gaming characters from all time. He was voted as one of the best fifty characters in both a Famitsu issue and the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition from 2011.^[41][42] In the February 1992 issue of Gamest magazine in Japan Ryu ranked third Best Character of 1991.^[43] In the January 30, 1997 issue Ryu ranked number thirteen in Top 50 Characters of 1996.^[44]

GamesRadar writer Tyler Wilde published an article focusing on Ken's and Ryu's development across the franchise under the title of "The evolution of Ken and Ryu".^[45] The Guardian recommended Ryu and Ken for beginners in Street Fighter IV with the former being better at fights from distances as a result of his projectiles moves.^[46] In GameSpot's "Great Loves" article Ryu was described as "one of the most independent men in the world of video games" as he is only interested in training to become stronger fighter in contrast to other Street Fighter characters who have romantic interests.^[47] UGO listed Ryu's headband twenty-sixth on their list of "The Coolest Helmets and Headgear in Video Games".^[48] In GamesRadar's article "The 56 characters of Marvel vs Capcom 2", Ryu was described as "The heart and soul of the Street Fighter series" and "probably the most well known fighting game character in the world".^[49]

Evil Ryu was noted to be a stereotype of protagonist gaming characters who reveal an evil alter-ego ruining the character's appealing traits.^[50] UGO Networks editor Paul Furfari chose him as one of the top 50 best Street Fighter characters, commenting that despite being a "what if" form from Ryu, it made the Street Fighter Alpha series more entertaining due to the potential his moves had.^[51] Such form shown in Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition was noted to share traits from both Ryu and Akuma.^[52][53] GameSpot stated that since he uses modified versions from known techniques, he was one of the least interesting additions to the game.^[54] His stronger damage executed have been commented to the point Game Informer mentioned he was even stronger than Seth, the Street Fighter IV boss.^[53][55] In a GamesRadar article by Michael Grimm, a fight between Evil Ryu and Devil Jin was written as one of the ones players wanted to see in Street Fighter X Tekken as the two are evil alter egos from two existing characters sharing also similar designs and movesets to their original forms.^[56]

One of Ryu's quotes from Street Fighter II stated "You must defeat Sheng Long to stand a chance." Such quote caused controversy within gamers who wondered whether there was actually a character named Sheng Long. Although the quote was actually a mistranslation, it was exploited as an April Fool's various times by gaming magazines.^[57][58] Nevertheless, the character was referred in the video games based on live-action films as Ryu's teacher. Moreover, the fans' request to include Sheng Long, led to Gouken's inclusion in Street Fighter IV.^[59][60]

References[link]

This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (March 2012)

Bibliography[link]

• Studio Bent Stuff (Sept. 2000) (in Japanese). All About Capcom Head-to-Head Fighting Game 1987-2000. A.A. Game History Series (Vol. 1). Dempa Publications, Inc.. ISBN 4-88554-676-1. 
• Monthly Arcadia Editorial Staff (Oct. 2008) (in Japanese). STREET FIGHTER IV MASTER GUIDE 拳の書. エンターブレインムック ARCADIA EXTRA VOL. 69. Enterbrain. ISBN 4-7577-4513-3. 

External links[link]

	Japan portal
	Video games portal
	Fictional characters portal

• Quotations related to Ryu (Street Fighter) at Wikiquote

Look up ryū in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Ryū (竜 or 隆 or りゅう or リュウ, Ryū^?)  listen (help·info)

• Ryū (school), a school of thought or discipline (for example a fighting school).
• Dragon: the Old Potter's Tale (龍, Ryū^?), a book by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
• Ryū (manga), a series by Masao Yajima and Akira Oze
• Ryu (Korean name), a common Korean family name
• Monthly Comic Ryū, a manga magazine in Japan
• Ryū, the Japanese word for a Japanese dragon

People[link]

• Ryu Fujisaki, a manga artist

Fictional characters[link]

• Ryu Hayabusa, the protagonist in the Ninja Gaiden series.
• Ryu (Street Fighter), a leading character in the Street Fighter video game series.
• Ryu Jose, a character from Mobile Suit Gundam.
• Ryu Kumon, a minor character in Ranma 1/2.
• "Wooden Sword" Ryu, a Shaman King character.
• Ryū, Raoh's son from Fist of the North Star.
• Ryu (Breath of Fire), the protagonist in the Breath of Fire series
• Ryuuwon, creator of the Jaryuu in GoGo Sentai Boukenger

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Street Fighter (ストリートファイター, Sutorīto Faitā^?), commonly abbreviated as SF, is a series of fighting games developed in Japan in which the players pit the video games' competitive fighters from around the world, each with his or her own unique fighting style, against one another.

Since Capcom released the first arcade game in August 1987,^[1][2] the series has had total home software sales of 33 million units,^[3] and arcade cabinet sales of over 500,000 units generating more than $1 billion in revenue,^[4][5] qualifying for the list of best-selling video game franchises, with its best-selling entry Street Fighter II exceeding $1.5 billion in revenue.^[6] The franchise has enjoyed significant success all around the world.

History[link]

[edit] Street Fighter (1987)

Street Fighter made its debut in the arcades in 1987. It was designed by Takashi Nishiyama and Hiroshi Matsumoto. The player took control of martial artist Ryu, who competed in a worldwide martial arts tournament, spanning five countries and ten opponents. A second player could join in at any time and take control of Ryu's rival, Ken.

The player could perform three types of punch and kick attacks (which varied in speed and strength) and three special attacks: the Hadouken, Shoryuken and Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku. These were performed by executing special button combinations with the controls.

Street Fighter was ported to many popular home computer systems of the time including PC. In 1988, it was released on the NEC Avenue TurboGrafx-CD console under the new name Fighting Street. Street Fighter was later included in Capcom Classics Collection: Remixed for the PlayStation Portable and Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

[edit] Street Fighter II series (1991)

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, released in 1991, was the first true sequel to the original Street Fighter, following an unsuccessful attempt to brand the 1989 beat 'em up game Final Fight as a Street Fighter sequel, and an officially commissioned spin-off Human Killing Machine on the ZX Spectrum, Amiga and other home computers.^[7][8] It was one of the earliest arcade games for Capcom's CP System hardware and was designed by Akira Nishitani (Nin-Nin) and Akira Yasuda (Akiman), who were previously responsible for Final Fight and Forgotten Worlds. The release of the game had an unexpected impact on gaming and was the beginning of a massive phenomenon. By 1993, sales of Street Fighter II exceeded $1.5 billion in revenue,^[6] equivalent to $2.32 billion in 2011.^[9]

Street Fighter II was the first one-on-one fighting game to give players a choice from a variety of player characters with different moves, an option which created hitherto unknown levels of depth and replay value for an arcade game. Each player character had a fighting style with approximately 30 or more moves (including then-new grappling moves such as throws) as well as two or three special attacks per character.

In the single-player mode, the player's chosen character is pitted sequentially against the seven other main characters before confronting the final four 'boss' opponents, who were CPU-controlled characters not selectable by the player.

As in the original, a second player could join in at any point during single player mode and compete against the other player in competitive matches, with the multiple available characters allowing for more varied matches.

The original Japanese version of Street Fighter II introduced an African-American boxer boss character, a parody of real-life boxer Mike Tyson. In order to avoid any likeness infringement lawsuit from Tyson, Capcom rotated the names of three of the boss characters for international versions of the game:^[10] The final boss, called Vega in the Japanese version, was given the M. Bison name; the talon-wielding Spanish warrior known as Balrog in the Japanese version was renamed Vega; and the boxer became Balrog.

Street Fighter II proved to be popular due to all these factors, eclipsing its predecessor in popularity, eventually turning Street Fighter into a multimedia franchise.^[11]

The first official update to the series was Street Fighter II - Champion Edition (pronounced Street Fighter II Dash in Japan, as noted by the prime notation on the logo), which allowed players to play as the Four Devas (the computer-controlled boss characters) and also allowed two players to choose the same character (with one character drawn in an alternate color pattern). The game also featured slightly improved graphics (including differently colored backgrounds) and refined gameplay. A second upgrade, titled Street Fighter II′ - Hyper Fighting (or Street Fighter II Dash Turbo in Japan), was produced in response to the various bootleg editions of the game. Hyper Fighting offered faster gameplay than its predecessors, different character colors and new special techniques.

Super Street Fighter II, the third revision, gave the game a complete graphical and musical overhaul and introduced four new playable characters. It was also the first game for Capcom’s CP System II arcade hardware. The fifth and final arcade installment, Super Street Fighter II Turbo (Super Street Fighter II X in Japan) brought back the faster gameplay of Hyper Fighting, a new type of special techniques known as "Super Combos" and a hidden character, Akuma.

Numerous home versions of the Street Fighter II games have been produced following the original game. The original Street Fighter II was ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992. As of 2008, the original SNES game is still Capcom's best-selling game.^[12] It was followed by a Japanese-only version of Street Fighter II Dash for the PC Engine in 1993. Hyper Fighting received two different home versions as well in 1993, an SNES version titled Street Fighter II Turbo, and a Sega Genesis counterpart titled Street Fighter II′ - Special Champion Edition (Street Fighter II Dash Plus in Japan). The following game, Super Street Fighter II, was also ported to the SNES and Genesis in 1994. Later that year, Super Street Fighter II Turbo was released for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, and also appeared in a PC version for Windows (released by the now defunct GameTek).

In 1997, Capcom released the Street Fighter Collection for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn, a compilation which includes Super and Super Turbo, as well as the newer Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold (Street Fighter Zero 2′ in Japan). It was followed by Street Fighter Collection 2 (Capcom Generation Vol. 5 in Japan), also released for the PlayStation and Saturn, which includes the original Street Fighter II, Champion Edition, and Hyper Fighting. In 2000, Capcom released Super Street Fighter II X for Matching Service in Japan for the Dreamcast, a version of the game which featured an online two-player versus mode. In 2003, Capcom released Hyper Street Fighter II for the arcades in Japan and Asia to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the series, a hybrid version of Super Turbo which allows player to select between versions of characters from all five previous Street Fighter II games. Hyper was released in North America and the PAL region via its ports for the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox (released as part of the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection along with Street Fighter III 3rd Strike). In 2005, the three games in Street Fighter Collection 2 were included Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 1 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. A version of Super Turbo (along with the original Street Fighter) was later included in the 2007 compilation Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2, also released for the PS2 and Xbox.

An updated version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo came to the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade service in November 2008.^[13] The game, titled Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, has fully redrawn artwork, including HD sprites 4.5x the original size, done by artists from UDON. This is the first time the Street Fighter characters have new sprites, drawn by Capcom, since Capcom vs. SNK 2 in 2001. The game has several changes which address character balancing issues, but also features the original arcade version gameplay so that players can choose between the two.^[14]

Street Fighter II and Super Street Fighter II are also available as downloadable games for select cellular phone services.

[edit] Street Fighter Alpha series (1995)

The interquel Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams (Street Fighter Zero in Japan and Asia) became the next game in the series. The game used the same art style Capcom previously employed in Darkstalkers and X-Men: Children of the Atom, with settings and character designs heavily influenced by Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie. Alpha expands on the Super Combo system from Super Turbo, by extending Super Combo meter into three levels (allowing for super combos to be stored up), and also introduces Alpha Counters and Chain Combos (also from Darkstalkers). The plot of Alpha is set between the first two Street Fighter games and fleshes out the back stories and grudges held by many of the classic SF2 characters.^[15] It features a playable roster of ten immediately playable characters (and three unlockable fighters), comprising not only younger versions of established Street Fighter II, but also characters from the original Street Fighter and Final Fight such as Adon and Guy.

Street Fighter Alpha 2 features all-new stages, music and endings for some characters (some overlapping with those from the original Alpha).^[16].It also discarded the Chain Combo system in favor of Custom Combos (which required a portion of the Super Combo meter to be used). Alpha 2 also retained all thirteen characters from the original, adding five new characters to the roster along with hidden versions of returning characters. Alpha 2 was followed by a slightly enhanced arcade release titled Street Fighter Zero 2 Alpha and was released in Japan and Brazil, was ported to home consoles as Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold (Zero 2′ Dash in Japan).

The third and final Alpha game, Street Fighter Alpha 3, was released in 1998 (following the release of the original Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact and Street Fighter EX). Alpha 3 introduced three selectable fighting styles and further expanded the playable roster to 28 characters.^[17] Console versions of the three games (including the original Alpha 2 and the aforementioned Alpha 2 Gold) were released for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn, although versions of specific games in the series were also released for the Game Boy Color, Super NES, Dreamcast and even Windows. The home console versions of Alpha 3 further expanded the character roster by adding the remaining "New Challengers" from Super Street Fighter II. The Dreamcast version of the game was backported to the arcades in Japan under the title of Street Fighter Zero 3 Upper. A version of Upper (simply titled Alpha 3 outside Japan) was released for the Game Boy Advance and added three characters from Capcom vs. SNK 2. A PlayStation Portable version titled Alpha 3 MAX (or Zero 3 Double Upper in Japan) contains the added characters from the GBA version and Ingrid from Capcom Fighting Jam.

[edit] Street Fighter EX series (1996)

In 1996, Capcom co-produced with Arika (a company founded by former Street Fighter II planner Akira Nishitani) a 3D fighting game spinoff of the series titled Street Fighter EX, developed for the PlayStation-based ZN-1 hardware. EX combined the established Street Fighter cast with original characters created and owned by Arika. It was followed by an upgraded version titled Street Fighter EX Plus in 1997, which expanded the character roster. A home version with further additional characters and features, Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha, was released for the PlayStation during the same year.

A sequel was released in 1998, titled Street Fighter EX2, developed for the ZN-2 hardware. Custom combos were reintroduced, and the character roster was expanded upon even further. EX2 also received an upgraded version, Street Fighter EX2 Plus, released in 1999. A PlayStation version of EX2 Plus, was also released.

A third game in the series, Street Fighter EX3, was released as an early title for the PlayStation 2 in 2000. This included a tag team system, a mode that let a single player fight up to three opponents simultaneously, and another new Character Edit mode that allowed players to give a new character Ace a selection of special and super moves after purchasing them with experience points. The cast brought back many characters from the previous game.

Some of the Arika-owned characters from the series were later featured in other games developed by the company. The Namco-distributed arcade game Fighting Layer featured Allen Snider and Blair Dame from the original EX, while Skullomania would reappear in the PlayStation game Fighter Maker, as well as in the PlayStation 2 music game Technictix.

[edit] Versus series (1996)

Capcom has also produced fighting games involving licensed characters from other companies and their own properties. In 1994 Capcom released the Marvel-licensed fighting game X-Men: Children of the Atom, which featured Akuma from Super Turbo as a hidden guest character. It was followed by Marvel Super Heroes in 1995, which featured Anita from Night Warriors.

Capcom would release a third Marvel-licensed game, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, in 1996, a full-fledged crossover between characters from X-Men and the Street Fighter Alpha games that featured a two-on-two tag team-based system. It was followed by Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter in 1997, which expanded the roster to include characters from Marvel Super Heroes; Marvel vs. Capcom in 1998, which featured not only Street Fighter characters, but also characters from other Capcom properties; and Marvel vs. Capcom 2 in 2000, which was produced from the Dreamcast-based NAOMI hardware.

Capcom also produced a series of similar crossover fighting games with rival fighting game developer SNK Playmore. The games produced by Capcom includes Capcom vs. SNK in 2000, which features character primarily from the Street Fighter and King of Fighters series. It was followed by a minor upgrade, Capcom vs. SNK Pro; and a sequel titled Capcom vs. SNK 2, both released in 2001. All three games were produced for the NAOMI hardware as well. The SNK-produced fighting games of this crossover includes the Dimps-developed portable fighting game SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium for the Neo Geo Pocket Color in 1999 and SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos for the Neo Geo in 2003.

From 2003 to 2008 the Versus series of Capcom fighting games saw no new releases, though Capcom and Namco produced the crossover action role-playing game Namco × Capcom for the PlayStation 2 in 2005.

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes, released on December 11, 2008, features characters from both Tatsunoko Production and Capcom properties, including Street Fighter characters Ryu, Chun-Li, and Alex as well as characters like Ken the Eagle of Gatchaman and Casshern of Neo-Human Casshern on Tatsunoko's side. Initially released only in Japan, demand from fans saw the game receive an international release entitled Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars on January 26, 2010.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds was released on February 15, 2011 and includes Akuma, Chun-Li, Crimson Viper, and Ryu. The game features completely new visuals and audio, three-on-three gameplay like previous entries in the series, and online play. The game was also intended to have downloadable content, but the content was disrupted due to an earthquake and tsunami in Tōhoku and released along with additional new content on separate game titled Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

Street Fighter X Tekken was released on March 6, 2012, featuring over 50 playable characters from both the Street Fighter and Tekken fighting franchises. While Street Fighter X Tekken was developed by Capcom, Namco is currently developing their own crossover title, Tekken X Street Fighter.^[18]

Ryu and Ken are among the characters confirmed to be playable in the upcoming Project X Zone, a role-playing game that draws characters from various Sega, Namco-Bandai, and Capcom franchises.

[edit] Street Fighter III series (1997)

Street Fighter III: New Generation, made its debut in the arcades on the CPS3 hardware in 1997.^[19] Street Fighter III discarded the character roster from previous games (only Ryu and Ken returned), introducing several new characters in their place, most notably the grappler Alex, who was designed to be the new lead character of the game, the popular ninja girl Ibuki, who was planned as compensation for Chun-Li as the female lead, and Gill, who replaced Bison as the game's main antagonist. Street Fighter III introduced the "Super Arts" selection system and the ability to parry an opponent's attack.^[20]

Several months after its release, it was followed by Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact, which made adjustments to the gameplay and added two new characters, Hugo and Urien, as well as the return of Akuma and bonus rounds. Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, released in 1999, was the third and last iteration of Street Fighter III, bringing back Chun-Li and adding four new characters.

The first two Street Fighter III games were ported to the Dreamcast as a compilation titled Double Impact. Ports of 3rd Strike were released for the Dreamcast as a stand-alone game and then included in the compilation Street Fighter Anniversary Collection for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Gill also became secretly playable on the console version although you can also play as Gill on the arcade version by using Twelve's X.C.O.P.Y. super move. In 2010, Capcom announced Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Online Edition.^[21]

[edit] Street Fighter IV series (2008)

The original Street Fighter IV game concept, Street Fighter IV Flashback, never made it past the proposal stage.^[22] On October 17, 2007, more than eight years since the release of Street Fighter III 3rd Strike for the arcades, Capcom unveiled Street Fighter IV at a Capcom Gamers Day event in London. Conceived as a direct sequel to the early Street Fighter II games (particularly Super Street Fighter II Turbo), Street Fighter IV features the return of the original 12 world warriors and recurring hidden character Akuma, along with four new characters (as well as a new boss character) in a storyline chronologically set between Street Fighter II and Street Fighter III. The gameplay, while still 2D, features cel-shaded 3D graphics inspired by Japanese sumi-e paintings. The Super Combo system, a Street Fighter mainstay since Super Turbo, returns along with new counter-attacking techniques called "Focus Attacks" ("Saving Attacks" in Japan), as well as new "Ultra Combo" moves, similar to the Rage Gauge seen in games from SNK Playmore.

The arcade version, which runs on the Taito Type X2 hardware, was distributed in Japan on July 2008, with a limited release in North America and the United Kingdom in select arcades in August. A home version was released in the USA and Europe in February 2009, on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and in July 2009 for Windows PC. This features an expanded character roster, as well as all-new animated segments that show each character's backstory, and a training mode similar to the Expert Challenges in Street Fighter EX. The cast includes six characters new to the Street Fighter series. Yoshinori Ono had hinted that the only two Street Fighter II characters absent from the game, Dee Jay and T. Hawk, could be available in the game at a later date. Instead, they were to be included in a whole new version of the game.^[23]

On September 28, 2009, Capcom announced Super Street Fighter IV. The game includes ten additional characters including two characters new to the franchise - lithe Korean female villainess Juri and bulky Turkish oil wrestler, Hakan. Capcom implemented character balance adjustments and added second Ultra moves for each character. The game features an improved online experience with new modes of play. The game was released on April 27,^[24] 2010 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 at a discounted price point. If a Street Fighter IV savefile is detected on the system of play, two additional character colors (ink and sketch effect) are available.^[25]

Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition was released on December 16, 2010 containing all content from the console release, and featuring additional characters including Yang and Yun from Street Fighter III.^[26] Seth Killian of Capcom said Arcade Edition was to be the last update to the IV series.^[27] On June 15, at E3 2010, a portable conversion of Super Street Fighter IV was confirmed for the Nintendo 3DS. Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition features 3D stereoscopic technology, multiplayer, and all 35 characters from the original Super Street Fighter IV release.^[28] At Evo 2011, Ono announced that a balance patch for Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition had been approved by Capcom. The patch was free of charge.^[29]

Characters[link]

Related media[link]

Film and animation[link]

In Japan, an animated film produced by Group TAC titled Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie was released theatrically in Japan in 1994. An English adaptation of the film produced by Manga Entertainment, which was first released on home video in 1996. Group TAC also produced an animated TV series Street Fighter II V, which first aired on Yomiuri TV in 1995; and a two-episode OVA series, Street Fighter Alpha: The Movie, released in 1999. English adaptations of both productions were produced by Manga Entertainment as well.

A second OVA based on Street Fighter Alpha, titled Street Fighter Alpha: Generations, was produced specifically for the English market by Studio A.P.P.P.

An American-produced live-action film, titled simply Street Fighter, was also released in 1994, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as Guile, this version's main character, opposite the late Raúl Juliá as General M. Bison. This film inspired an arcade game and console game both titled Street Fighter: The Movie. The film also inspired an American-produced animated TV series Street Fighter, which lasted two 13-episode seasons from 1995 to 1997.

In 2006, Hyde Park Entertainment and Capcom announced its intention to produce a film adaptation of the game series in a joint venture, with the storyline to focus on the Street Fighter character Chun-Li. Screenwriter Justin Marks was attached to write a script for the adaptation. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li was released on February 27, 2009.

Also in 2009, OVA Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind ("Street Fighter IV: Arata naru Kizuna") was released by Studio 4°C. Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind is an animated movie directed by Jirō Kanai that was featured in a bonus disc included in the Collector's Edition of Street Fighter IV for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.^[30] The film adaptation was part of Capcom's multi-platform launch for 2008 that also launched video games and a potential TV series in 2008.^[31]

In Asia, a downloadable voucher for a Super Street Fighter IV movie featuring Juri was given in the Collector's Edition of the Xbox 360 version. The 40-minute feature serves as an origin story to Juri and a canonical precursor to the game. Although having been fully dubbed in English, the movie has not made it outside of Asia due to copyright issues.

In 2010, actor and filmmaker Joey Ansah co-directed Owen Trevor's live-action short film Street Fighter: Legacy, starring John Foo as Ryu and Christian Howard as Ken.^[32][33] That same year, Capcom’s vice president of strategic planning and business development Christian Svensson has confirmed that there will be more Street Fighter films in development.^[34]

Comic books[link]

Manga[link]

Masahiko Nakahira did four different Street Fighter manga series: Cammy Gaiden (translated and released in English as Super Street Fighter II: Cammy by Viz Media), Street Fighter Zero (translated and released in English as Street Fighter Alpha), Street Fighter: Sakura Ganbaru! and Street Fighter III: Ryu Final. Street Fighter Alpha, Sakura Ganbaru and Street Fighter III: Ryu Final have all been released in English by UDON. Two characters created by Nakahira, Evil Ryu (introduced in Street Fighter Alpha)^[35] and Karin Kanzuki (from Sakura Ganbaru) have been integrated into the Street Fighter video games.

Masaomi Kanzaki's Street Fighter II manga was one of the few Street Fighter manga titles translated into English.

U.S. comics[link]

Malibu Comics launched a Street Fighter comic series in 1993, but it flopped, lasting only three issues.^[36]

UDON had been licensed by Capcom to produce a U.S. comic book based on the Street Fighter franchise, in addition to Darkstalkers and Rival Schools. This series draws not only on the established Street Fighter canon, but also occasionally addresses various continuity retcons, and even draws from fanon and non-official sources as well. In 2005, UDON released Street Fighter: Eternal Challenge, the first Capcom series history and art book to be translated into English. Later, UDON continued from its original Street Fighter series (based on SF: Alpha and Super SF Turbo) with Street Fighter II and Street Fighter II: Turbo. Three separate Street Fighter Legends mini-series and a Street Fighter IV mini-series were also released.

Novel[link]

Card games[link]

In 2006, Sabertooth Games released a Street Fighter set for its Universal Fighting System (UFS) game along with a set for Soulcalibur III. This was not the gaming companies first release for UFS, that being a battle box for Penny Arcade. Later added licenses were based on SNK's King of Fighters and Samurai Shodown. The first set for Street Fighter featured cards for Chun-Li, Dhalsim, Ken, Ryu, Sagat and Zangief. A later expansion, Street Fighter: World Warriors, included the remaining characters from the original Street Fighter 2 arcade series: Blanka, Balrog, E. Honda, Guile, M. Bison and [Vega. Another set, titled Street Fighter: The Next Level, was released parallel with the SNK release. The characters included are Akuma, Fei Long, Dudley and Cammy. A new expansion, Street Fighter: The Dark Path was released in 2007 along with the next Soulcalibur III set, Soul Arena. Characters include a new version of Chun-Li and Evil Ryu, along with Adon, Charlie, Rose, Sakura, T.Hawk and Twelve. A new set, entitled Street Fighter: Extreme Rivals, which was also released in 2007, features Cody, Dee Jay, Ibuki, R. Mika, and a new version of Ken. That same year, Sabertooth Games released an exclusive battle pack featuring a battle between Ryu and Akuma; these two 60-card decks are fully compatible with the UFS and contain 36 unique cards.

Another trading card game, the now-discontinued Epic Battles (released by Score Entertainment), also featured Street Fighter characters, as well as characters from other fighting game franchises, such as Mortal Kombat.

Role-playing game[link]

In 1994, White Wolf released Street Fighter: The Storytelling Game based on the series and featuring characters from Super Street Fighter 2. The system used many of the game mechanics of the World of Darkness games.

Popular music[link]

In 2007, the American band Man factory released the first installment of its Street Fighter-themed rock opera trilogy, titled Street Fight!, which revolves around characters and events taken from the video games and Street Fighter storyline. In 2010, the band released the second part of the album, titled Round 2.

Online slot game[link]

Irish software company CryptoLogic has released a "Street Fighter II" slot machine themed after the series.^[37]

References in popular culture[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2012)

Due to the enduring popularity of the series, it has been referenced a number of times in various movies, television shows, and other mediums. Some of these include:

• Jackie Chan's film City Hunter features a fight scene where Chan and his opponent (played by Gary Daniels) transform into various members of the Street Fighter II cast, including Ken, Chun-Li, Dhalsim and Guile.
• In the Family Guy episode "Tiegs for Two", Peter Griffin and an Asian dry-cleaners operator named Mr. Washee-Washee did battle in a parody of the original Street Fighter II. Peter had the move set of either Ken or Ryu, while Mr. Washee-Washee had the move set of E. Honda.

• The comic book limited series Kingdom Come features a minor character named Tokyo Rose, who is modeled after Chun-Li.
• Issue #17 of the comic book series Gen 13 Bootleg has a cover parodying a match from Street Fighter, with the characters Grunge and Burnout dressed as Ryu and Ken respectively.^[38]
• Issue #25 of the comic book series Secret Six features a cover parodying the layout and writing style used for the character select screen in Street Fighter IV, with the cast of Secret Six replacing the Street Fighter characters.^[39][40]
• Issue #27 of the comic book series Deadpool features a scene where the titular character performs the Shoryuken punch on Kitty Pryde in order to provoke Wolverine into fighting him, even going so far as to call out the move's name like in the video games.^[41] He also uses the technique in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds.

• The band Hadouken! named themselves after the technique of the same name.
• The band Emmure has made several references to the game and its respective characters; including Ryu, M. Bison, and Rose. The Shadaloo logo has also been featured on some of the band's related merch. Lead vocalist Frankie Palmeri has described himself as an avid fan of the series.
• The band The Arctic Monkeys has an instrumental track entitled "Chun-Li's Spinning Bird Kick".
• In rapper The Notorious B.I.G.'s music video for his hit single "Juicy", you can see people playing Street Fighter II when he raps the line, "Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis/When I was dead broke, man I couldn't picture this."
• Rapper Lupe Fiasco mentions the franchise in his song Gold Watch, saying "I like Street Fighter II, I just really hate Zangief. If only Ken and Ryu I find it hard to beat Blanka". He also has a song called "Yoga Flame" named after one of Dhalsim's signature moves
• The track "In the Garden of Eden", from Courtney Pine's album Modern Day Jazz Stories, DJ Pogo features Dhalsim samples.
• Rapper Ludacris mentions the Shoryuken move in his song "Can You Buy That" ("My money is 'Get over here, finish him! Shoryuken").
• Asian-American music group Aziatix mentions Street Fighter II character Dhalsim in the song "A Game" from their 2011 album Nocturnal, saying "Every track I lace, every move I make. Yoga fire, Yoga flame" (which are two of Dhalsim's signature moves).

Hadouken[link]

Hadouken or hadoken (波動拳, hadōken^?, IPA: [hadoːkẽꜜɴ], a Japanese neologism, literally "wave motion fist" or "surge fist"), is a special attack used by the characters Ryu, Ken, Sakura, Dan (whose version of the technique is named the Gadouken), and Akuma (Gou Hadouken), Sean (Hadou Burst), Allen (Soul Force), Kairi (Shinki Hatsudou) and Gouken (also called the Gou Hadouken). Takashi Nishiyama, the creator of Street Fighter, credits the 1970s anime Space Battleship Yamato and a missile called the Hadouho as the origin of hadouken.^[42] The hadouken and the shoryuken are the two archetypal moves of these characters. The move is achieved by the character thrusting their palms forward, sending a surge of spirit energy (or ki) flying towards the opponent (see chi blast). It is normally performed by the player moving the joystick or D-pad a quarter circle forward towards the opponent from the down position, then pressing a punch button (so, for example, a character facing to the right would execute the move by pressing ↓, ↘, →, and then "punch" in a smooth motion).

Most fighting games of the sprite-based era used projectile special moves, and while the actual type of projectile launched varies from game to game and character to character, the execution and behavior of these attacks are often rather similar to the Hadouken. These moves are sometimes informally referred to as a "hadouken", or fireball. The Hadouken can usually be performed in three different degrees depending on which type punch is used; these will affect its speed, damage caused on impact, amount of recovery frames, and sometimes its range. The Hadouken itself has many variations depending on the character in question that the move is associated with. For example, both Ryu and Akuma have used a fire-based variant of the move called the Shakunetsu Hadouken (灼熱波動拳) or "Blazing Surge Fist", which briefly engulfs its target in flames.

Later titles in the series that use super combo moves ramp up the power of the hadouken, evolving it into the Shinkuu Hadouken (真空波動拳 - Vacuum Surge Fist). This takes one of two forms depending on the game: an outsized fireball, or a blast of constant energy. Street Fighter III introduced the Denjin Hadouken (電刃波動拳), an unblockable, electrified version which could be 'stored' by holding down the Punch button, for timing purposes as well as enhancing damage and stun. In Super Street Fighter IV, Gouken can perform this technique; it is blockable, but will still inflict stun damage even if blocked. In the Capcom vs. SNK series, Satsui no Hadou Ryu used a more powerful version called Metsu Hadouken (滅波動拳), which acted similar to Denjin Hadouken, being unblockable and stunning the opponent. The latest game in the series, Street Fighter IV, brought back the Metsu Hadouken, though it instead acts simply like a more powerful variant of the Shinku Hadouken.

Interestingly, the Hadouken ability appeared in Mega Man X and its remake Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X as a secret move for X. It is only obtainable by having all heart tanks, sub tanks, weapons, and upgrades, (other requirements differ between the two games). The input is the same as in Street Fighter. This move can kill almost anything instantly, with the exception of several bosses. Even these, however, could be killed with two Hadoukens (although the final boss can be defeated with a single hit in the remake). In Mega Man X4, one of the bosses, Magma Dragoon, used the Hadouken ability. Another version of the Hadouken was created in Mega Man X: Command Mission, where if one is able to meet the secret boss(es), the Tails Clan [One-tails, Two-tails, etc. to Nine-Tails] in a battle, the Tails could throw the Annihilator Hadouken at them. It is a beam-like blast that hits all characters and causes massive damage, most of the time K.O.ing most characters. In Mega Man Xtreme and its sequel, a fighting style "Shotokan" can be acquired and allows X to use the Hadouken and the Shoryuken.

See also[link]

• List of Street Fighter games
• List of Street Fighter characters

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Street Fighter

• Street Fighter - Capcom USA's official Street Fighter page
• Street Fighter, an external wiki
• Street Fighter EX, an external wiki
• Street Fighter group - all the 135 games and related characters and platforms.
• Fighting Street - original game artwork
• Street Fighter Media - character artwork for all 86 Street Fighter characters
• Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Tribute - character artworks for 88 Street Fighter characters
• Eurogamer Retrospective: Street Fighter

Typical service street ("mews") in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. Mews are typically found at the back of older housing terraces (rows of townhouses) in the UK, with a more elegant street in front of the terrace.

Abbey Road, London

A street of center of Florence, Italy

A cobblestone street in Beirut, Lebanon

A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable surface such as concrete, cobblestone or brick. Portions may also be smoothed with asphalt, embedded with rails, or otherwise prepared to accommodate non-pedestrian traffic.

Originally the word "street" simply meant a paved road (Latin: "via strata"). The word "street" is still sometimes used colloquially as a synonym for "road", for example in connection with the ancient Watling Street, but city residents and urban planners draw a crucial modern distinction: a road's main function is transportation, while streets facilitate public interaction.^[1][2] Examples of streets include pedestrian streets, alleys, and city-centre streets too crowded for road vehicles to pass. Conversely, highways and motorways are types of roads, but few would refer to them as streets.^[3][4]