Capcom's Street Fighter II is among the most popular video games ever made. Created in 1987 as an arcade attraction, roughly 25 million people had played the game by 1994 as it became more accessible with the rise of home gaming consoles.
As a result, a slew of multimedia adaptations, offshoots, and tie-ins have been produced over the last 25 years. Street Fighter continues to be a popular commodity among gaming consoles, in print, and on the big and small screen. Since 1994, numerous movies and TV series based on the game have been produced.
Street Fighter II: Return To Fujiwara Capital (1995)
Made as a semi-sequel to Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, Return to Fujiwara is a short educational animated film that sends Ken, Ryu, Chun-Li, and E. Honda back to the ancient Japanese capital. With very little combat, the short serves as more of a historical travelogue.
Once the four street fighters reach the ancient city of Fujiwara, Ken gives Ryu a tour of the place while providing historical factoids about their ancestors and time travel. E. Honda attempts to show them his new sumo move, but he and Chun-Li become separated from Ken and Ryu in Fujiwara, prompting a citywide search.
Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li (2009)
With a paltry 17 Metascore and 3.4 IMDB rating, The Legend of Chun Li is the worst live-action Street Fighter adaptation to date. Fans felt the film totally missed the mark regarding one of the series most storied characters.
Kristen Kreuk stars as the titular Chinese warrior who witnesses the kidnap of her father as a child at the hands of the ruthless M. Bison (Neal McDonough). Years later as a grown woman, Chun-Li vows revenge on Bison, surviving a gauntlet of familiar villains en route to finding her father. Despite a few solid fight scenes, the film was lambasted for its dull, uninspired story.
Street Fighter (1994)
The inaugural live-action adaptation of Street Fighter came in 1994 with Jean-Claude Van Damme in the badass role of Colonel Guile. As Guile's primary foe M. Bison, the film marked the last theatrical release of Raul Julia's career.
Written and directed by Steven E. de Souza, the film traces Guile's attempt to find Bison, who has kidnapped a trio of soldiers, including Blanka (Robert Mammone). With the help of Ken (Damien Chapa), Ryu (Byron Mann), Chun-Li (Ming-Na Wen), and Balrog (Grand L. Bush), Guile leads a perilous search and rescue effort while combating a slew of arch enemies. Although it boasts an underwhelming 4.0 IMDb rating, the film has become a campy cult favorite among the most ardent Van Damme fans for the passable fight sequences.
Street Fighter: The New Challengers (2011)
Street Fighter: The New Challengers is a 90-minuted direct-to-DVD anime that features the same anime style as Street Fighter: Round One - Fight! The story also boasts juicy matchups between Chun-Li and Blanka, Ken and Vega, and introduces fan-favorite characters such as Balrog, and Fei-Long.
The most harrowing part of the film comes when the vindictive Vega crashes Ken's wedding shower with plans to turn it into a gory massacre. However, the animation was criticized for boasting some awkward visuals in the comic book style.
Super Street Fighter IV: Juri OVA (2012)
Super Street Fighter IV: Juri OVA is a 35-minute short animated film based on the Street Fighter IV video games. The story follows Juri Han (Eri Kitamura), a Korean Taekwondo expert fortified by her possession of the Feng Shui Engine implanted in her eye.
When Juri goes on a brutal killing spree, Guille, Chun-Li, and Cammy are dispatched to stop her at once. After beating Chun-Li to near death, Juri makes a daring escape. Fans of the film appreciate the wicked cliffhanger the finale presents, as Juri gets away following a riveting battle with Cammy on an airplane.
Street Fighter: Round One - Fight (2009)
In Round One - Fight, Ken and Ryu set out to solve the murder of their revered martial arts sensei, Gouken. The task proves difficult when M. Bison mysteriously orders henchmen Cammy, Vega, and Sagat to tail Ryu and spy on his every move.
When Col. Guile and Chun-Li catch wind of Bison's plot, they seek to assist Ryu any way they can. The 68-minute movie is directed by Joe Whiteaker and functions more like an animated comic adaptation than a dynamic feature film. Fans of the film are quick to note the superb artwork as one of the main reasons for its appeal.
Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind (2009)
Released as supplemental material on the PS3 collector's edition of Street Fighter IV, The Ties That Bind is an animated movie adaptation directed by Jiro Kanai.
Plot-wise, the story picks up when Cammy suspects a detonation blast to originate from Shadaloo. Along with Chun-Li and Guile, the trio set out to find answers. A voyage through the Amazon leads to the discovery of a natural cause for the energy blast. Still, they must contend with a secretive plot hatched by Maya, aka the Crimson Viper. While an overall mediocre title, the film remains memorable for Cammy's electric showdown with C. Viper.
Street Fighter Alpha: Generations (2005)
Released six years after Street Fighter Alpha, Generations continues the saga as a 45-minute animated prequel directed by Ikuo Kuwana. The fun, fast, and ferocious short film has drawn praise for its superb animation.
Set before the events of Alpha, Generations mainly focuses on the relationship between Ryu and Akuma (Gouki). Ken and Sakura make appearances as well, encouraging Ryu to take on Gouki's challenge to a duel. During the battle, Ryu is overcome by the Satsui no Hadou, cryptic evil energy, which he is hesitant to use.
Street Fighter: The Animated Series (1995)
Street Fighter: The Animated Series consists of 26 episodes that aired between 1995 and 1997 on the USA Network. The story continues the action depicted in the live-action feature film released the year prior, as Col. Guile looks to defeat M. Bison and his evil minions.
Fusing elements from Street Fighter, Street Fighter II, and Street Fighter Alpha, the series featured all 17 characters from the 1994 arcade game Street Fighter II Turbo. The biggest plaudit the series received was how unexpectedly funny the characters are, including M. Bison, who provides one hilarious in-joke after another geared toward hardcore fans of the franchise.
Street Fighter Alpha (1999)
While Guile takes center stage in most screen adaptations of the video game, it's Ryu who serves as the primary character in the 1999 animated film, Street Fighter Alpha.
When Ryu is possessed by dark energy, he becomes the target of a mad scientist who wants to harness the power for his own good. Meanwhile, Ryu reunites with his estranged younger brother. While many extolled the new action and storylines in the 94-minute film that did not originate from the games, others praised superior artwork and the mysterious storyline.
Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (1994)
Critics, gamers, and moviegoers alike agree that Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie is among the best cartoon adaptations of the Capcom title. Released ahead of the 1994 live-action feature film, the story concerns M Bison's attempt to locate the best fighter in the world.
When Bison targets Ryu, the nomadic warrior proves too difficult to pin down. As a result, Bison goes after Ryu's American childhood friend Ken Masters, who also trained under martial arts master Gouken. With unrelenting fight scenes, excellent animation, and a lively musical score, fans couldn't ask for more.
Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist (2014)
With 13-episodes spanning more than two-and-a-half hours long, Assassin's Fist features one of the most exhaustive and thorough Street Fighter back-stories to date.
Starring Christian Howard as Ken Masters and Mike Moh as Ryu, the 12-episode series from director Joey Ansah chronicles the two warriors' detailed history coming of age under their martial arts instructor, Gouken. The series earned acclaim for its story authenticity, complex subplots, expert hand-to-hand combat, and meaningful relationship between Ken and Ryu.
Street Fighter II: V (1995)
Loosely based on Super Street Fighter II Turb0, Street Fighter II V is an anime that lasted 29 episodes from 1995 to 1996. Directed by Gisaburo Suggi, the series follows Ryu in San Francisco. When Ken meets him in the city, they attend a local bar. When Ken hits on a woman, her boyfriend starts a fight with him. Upon defeating the foe, Ken learns the man was a friend of Col. Guile.
The most superior Street Fighter adaptation delivers exactly what fans expect, including the finest artwork, the most epic battles, compelling character arcs, and a consistent entertainment value.