Since its release in 2019, Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid has continued to update its roster with new characters, but its two latest additions will take the fighting game by storm. Ryu and Chun-Li from the Street Fighter franchise will be suiting up as Power Rangers starting in May and will take on any and all challengers. While both franchises aren't new to crossovers, how two of the most recognizable characters in fighting games wound up in Battle for the Grid is an interesting journey that includes perfect timing and the seal of approval from an industry legend.

Battle for the Grid is a tag-team fighter similar to the classic Marvel vs Capcom games from the 90s. In it, players select a team of two or three and are able to swap out characters in the midst of battle. Rose Silvestre from developer nWay's Community and Marketing team told IGN in April how he felt Capcom is one of the founding fathers of the tag-team subgenre of fighting games. Ryu and Chun-Li were a big part of those early Marvel vs Capcom titles that inspired Battle for the Grid, so a partnership with the video game developer was a no-brainer.

Related: Fighting Games That Don’t Fit The Street Fighter Mold

However, Street Fighter would first appear in the mobile game Power Rangers: Legacy Wars (also developed by nWay) when Capcom fighters Ryu, Chun-Li and Akuma were added back in 2018. These three fighters were added to Legacy Wars as they appeared in Street Fighter, unlike the characters fans will see in Battle for the Grid. As nWay's console fighting game became more popular, fan requests for another Street Fighter crossover grew and eventually caught the eye of both developers until it eventually came to fruition.

Why Are Ryu & Chun-Lin In Power Rangers: Battle For The Grid

Ryu Power Rangers Battle For The Grid Skin

In the IGN interview, Silvestre explained how nWay was introduced to Capcom. Power Rangers creator Saban introduced the two sides before Power Rangers was acquired by Hasbro in 2018. In a meeting with the video game company, nWay found out longtime Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono was a big fan of Power Rangers, and Capcom suggested "it would be cool" if Ryu and Chun-Li wore the iconic suits. nWay shared Capcom's enthusiasm and got to work on bringing the fighters to Legacy Wars and eventually Battle for the Grid.

The designs of Ryu and Chun-Li's suits in Battle for the Grid were a collaboration between nWay and Capcom's Udon Entertainment artists. Once the concepts were agreed upon by both sides, Saban worked to help develop the suits including the Ranger Coins both fighters will have. All parties involved agreed Ryu would have the Crimson Hawk and Chun-Li the Blue Phoenix, which also inspired the designs of their Power Ranger suits, and the rest is history.

Battle for the Grid's story involves Lord Drakkon, a corrupted alternate universe version of Tommy Oliver, who travels across time and space to defeat and steal the power of all Power Rangers. Zordon sends a distress signal to the Rangers across multiple timelines and dimensions to gather together and stop Lord Drakkon. This is where this version of Ryu and Chun-Li come from, and how they fit into the universe of Power Rangers: Battle For The Grid.

Next: The Best Boxers In Video Games

Source: IGN