Games
From memes to movies, we take a look at how Street Fighter’s influence is everywhere.
Street Fighter may be a fighting game, but its reach goes far beyond that. In this second part of our two part series, we look at how Street Fighter has also influenced pop culture, films and Internet memes in several quirky and interesting ways.
Don't miss part one of this series: Street Fighter: Defining the fighting game genre
Leading Man (and Lady)
While Street Fighter’s gameplay keeps fans coming back for more, its appealing characters also play a huge part in the series’ popularity. And no character is more important than the franchise’s unofficial mascot, Ryu.
Clad in nothing more than a white gi and a flowing red headband, Ryu’s design is elegant yet memorable. It is close to thirty years since his first appearance, but the Japanese martial artist still remains one of the most recognisable figures in pop culture. Embodying strength with a sense of righteousness, his quest to grow stronger is a simple, yet easily relatable one. The importance as a character is perhaps only overshadowed by one other.
The first playable female fighting game character in the franchise (and perhaps genre), Chun Li is often hailed as a trailblazer for female characters in video gaming. Before Chun Li, most females were depicted as objectives to be saved or background decorations. Depicted as smart, capable and powerful, her popularity triggered the inspiration of many female heroines to come. It’s no wonder the two characters are popular among cosplayers.
From the arcade cabinet to the silver screen
Street Fighter’s popularity was such that Capcom was willing to finance two live action movies; Street Fighter released in 1994, and Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, released in 2009. Sadly, both were critically panned.
There has even been two unofficial Hong Kong films featuring characters from the Street Fighter Series; City Hunter and Future Cops. If you ever wanted to see Jacky Chan in a Chun Li outfit, here’s your chance:
Fortunately, for fans looking for a faithful live action adaptation of Street Fighter, Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist fits the bill. Consisting of 13 webisodes, Assassin’s Fist focuses on Ryu and Ken’s early days studying under their master, Gouken. A sequel, Street Fighter: World Warrior is being filmed at the moment and is due to be released this year.
Tuesdays and theme songs
One bright spot coming out of the 1994’s Street Fighter was Raul Julia’s (RIP) performance. Despite the general awfulness of the movie, Raul Julia delivered a superlative performance as Shadaloo overlord M. Bison. Most memorably, he delivered this gem of a line that has become an internet meme:
“It was Tuesday” is not the only M Bison meme to come out of Street Fighter. M. Bison’s over enthusiastic reaction to Guile being beaten up in the Animated Series has been a popular video floating around the internet.
Not letting M. Bison have all the fun, Guile’s theme music was also one of the Internet’s favourite memes. Composed by Yoko Shimomura (most noted for her work on Kingdom Hearts) and Isao Abe, Guile’s theme music seems to go with videos of all types and genres, signalling triumph over adversity or a sudden twist of fortunes. Just check out the video below to see (hear) for yourself:
Blazing balls of Fire
We wrote previously that three special moves, the Hadouken, Shoryuken and Tatsumaki originated in the original Street Fighter. Ever since then, these three moves (and other special moves from Street Fighter) have only gotten more popular over time, manifesting themselves in various forms in our day to day life.
TV Shows like Family Guy have parodied Street Fighter’s special moves, while superhero of the moment Deadpool used a Shoryuken on Kitty Pryde in the comics. When it comes to music, British band Hadouken! named itself after the technique, and the ArcticMonkeys have an instrumental demo titled “Chun-Li’s Spinning Bird Kick".
There was a trend in 2013 where people posed pictures of themselves throwing a Hadouken. MMA fighter Shane Campbell even threw a Hadouken at his hapless opponent in the ring, before pummelling him.
What’s next?
With Street Fighter V’s eclectic range of new heroes (F.A.N.G anyone?), I am sure it’s just a matter of time till we see the next Street Fighter themed sensation hit the world. Who knows what else this venerable fighting series may inspire in the editions to come.
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