There are so many video game movies in the world. And honestly, a lot of them are bad. Some of them, though, are so bad that they’re kind of amazing. This is the case with Street Fighter: The Movie.
Make no mistake, this is a bad, sometimes dumb, and often-times cheap-looking film. However, it’s also an absurd amount of fun to watch, especially due to some of the performances. Whether it’s Raul Julia’s General M. Bison or even the movie’s version of Zangief, played by Andrew Bryniarski, it’s hard to not be entertained by the over-the-top characters on-screen. Also did you remember that pop star Kylie Minogue is in this movie? You do now.
Given that it’s been 26 years since Street Fighter: The Movie first debuted in 1994, now seemed like as good a time as any to look back on one of the most iconic bad video game movies ever made. It’s stuffed full of familiar characters, Easter eggs from the video game franchise, and some very strange references to things that you never knew existed in the Street Fighter universe.
Take a look at everything we found in the film below, then make sure to check out our deep dives into the likes of Super Mario Bros., Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, as well.
1. The real Shadaloo
In Street Fighter II, Shadaloo is a “mysterious crime organization” headed by M. Bison. In the movie, though, it’s the country he’s occupying and essentially holding captive.
2. M. Bison
Bison was the chief antagonist of Street Fighter II, so of course he’s the primary villain in the movie. More than that, though, Raul Julia’s portrayal of the character is delightfully over-the-top. Were Bison any less charismatic and dramatic, there would be almost no reason to watch the movie.
3. Chun-Li
In the film, Chun-Li is a TV news reporter with a vendetta against Bison, who had her father killed. That backstory was created for the movie. The character was first introduced in Street Fighter II.
4. Guile
Guile is an American colonel in the military group the Allied Nations. Being an American soldier doesn’t stop Jean-Clause Van Damme from using his thick Belgian-French accent, though. That said, he’s got the build needed for Guile and looks great breaking out the character’s reverse spin kick. Guile was first seen in Street Fighter II.
5. Cammy
Cammy was the franchise’s second female fighter. Her first appearance was in Super Street Fighter II. In the film, she’s one of Guile’s most trusted allies in the Allied Nations.
6. T. Hawk
T. Hawk, another character introduced in Super Street Fighter II, is also an ally of Guile’s in the movie, accompanying him on his missions.
7. Dee Jay
Upon his introduction in Super Street Fighter II, Dee Jay is seen as a rather happy guy who always had a smile on his face. In the movie, he’s one of Bison’s evil underlings and seems to do most of his computer hacking. He also reveals a peculiar former job, which we’ll get to.
8. Vega
Vega was first seen in the game Street Fighter II and his character translates rather well to the movie. He’s a Spanish prizefighter that wears a mask to protect his looks and takes out his opponents with a claw. Much like in Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, Vega works with Sagat in the film.
9. Vega’s stage
Vega’s is one of the stages that the movie has paid tribute to in the film, featuring him fighting in a cage, not unlike the one he appears in for Street Fighter II.
10. Sagat
In the movie, Sagat is an arms dealer working for Bison and a former cage fighter that was known as Iron Fist. That’s not the case in the games, though. Sagat first appeared in Street Fighter II.
11. Sagat’s statue
While the movie didn’t recreate Sagat’s stage, a piece of it did pop up in his lair. A statue in the background resembles the one he fights in front of in Street Fighter II.
12. Ken
What’s Street Fighter without Ken Masters? In the movie, he and Ryu are hustlers trying to make money by conning Sagat with a bad weapons sale. Thankfully, they eventually see the light and join the good guys. He first appeared in the original Street Fighter.
13. Ryu
Like Ken, Ryu first appeared in the original Street Fighter game. It’s not until late in the movie that the characters get their trademark reg and white outfits. Instead, they spend a lot of the movie in a lot of denim. The early ’90s were bad.
14. E. Honda
This sumo wrestler first appeared in Street Fighter II. The movie turns him into one of Chun-Li’s associates, working undercover as her broadcast technician. Essentially he broadcasts her news reports from a van.
15. Balrog
Balrog, who was an unplayable character in Street Fighter II, is also recast as one of Chun-Li’s crew. In the film, he operates the camera during her reports.
16. Guile rats out his friend
This is less of an Easter egg or reference and more of a chance to put Guile on blast. While speaking directly to his enemy M. Bison, he tells his friend Charlie that he’s coming to save him. Immediately, this tells Bison that he has someone important to Guile held captive. Why would the colonel give that away?
17. Blanka
Truly, Charlie can blame his transformation into Blanka on his “friend” Guile. Oddly, this is two characters that have been condensed into a single person. Blanka was first introduced in Street Fighter II and was born with the name Jimmy, while Charlie joined the fold in Street Fighter Alpha–one year after the movie.
In the film, Charlie, which Bison reveals is short for Carlos, is pumped full of “DNA mutagens” and “anabolic plasma.” Those, somehow, turn him green with long orange hair and deform his face. Yes, it looks cheap.
18. Zangief
Zangief is another of Bison’s thugs in the movie and one that seems rather dimwitted. Like in the games, he is covered in scars. After first appearing in Street Fighter II, it was revealed those scars came from wrestling bears.
19. So many special moves
Yes, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is full of characters doing their special moves from the games. However, Street Fighter: The Movie is no slouch. Guile breaks out a few reverse spin kicks, Ryu lets loose a very underwhelming Hadouken, and E. Honda even does a hundred hand slap at one point.
20. Dhalsim
Dhalsim is one of the movie’s biggest departures from the game. In the games, he’s a master of yoga that can stretch out his limbs. He also breathes fire. In the movie, he’s a scientist being held captive by Bison and is forced to help create Blanka. He originated in the game Street Fighter II.
21. Game over
What happens when you lose to M. Bison? According to the general himself, it’s “GAME OVER!” Bison’s screaming those two words after blowing up Guile’s boat is maybe the best part of the movie.
22. Bison’s a true gamer
And how did he blow up Guile’s boat? Of course, he did it by using his Street Fighter II control deck to release land mines. Bison is the only real gamer in this movie.
23. M. Bison’s stage
His stage provides some inspiration for his base of operations in the movie, including the giant bell prominently hanging in the middle of the ruins he is occupying.
24. E. Honda is a kaiju
In one of the movie’s many sillier moments, E. Honda and Zangief fight while crashing through a miniature model of Bisonopolis, the nation Bison intends on creating. They look like human kaiju and, fittingly, the movie includes the sounds of Godzilla’s roar at this point.
25. Dee Jay’s old boss
We mentioned Dee Jay’s old employer earlier, and it’s one of the most bizarre throwaway lines. As he tries to escape while Bison fights Guile, he says he never should have left Microsoft. While this does help explain how he ended up as Bison’s tech expert, it really makes you wonder what he did at Microsoft and how he would compare Bison and Bill Gates as bosses.
26. Vega’s scars
His beautiful face is forever scarred by Ryu. Vega’s head is pushing against burning metal, leaving him with a horrible scar. We guess the mask wasn’t so useful after all.
27. Who is Sawada?
Cammy and T. Hawk are Guile’s closest associates in the film, and both have major roles in the games. What about Captain Sawada, though? The character is introduced early in the film and seems to be there for most of Guiel’s outings, though he doesn’t say much. What’s more, his only video game appearance is in Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game.
So who is he? That’s where things get weird. According to Polygon, Japanese actor Kenya Sawada auditioned for the role of Ryu. The studio behind the movie decided to instead cast actor Byron Mann, who went on to star in the film. However, Capcom was pushing for Sawada, given that he had appeared in Japanese commercials as a character similar to Ryu.
The solution was to create a new role and cast Sawada in it. Interestingly, all of his English dialogue is dubbed over due to the actor’s skills in the language.
28. Those victory poses
We take it back, this is the silliest part of the movie and it’s perfect. After defeating the villains, of course, the heroes all strike their familiar poses from the game–except for Sawada, who had never appeared in a game at this point. It’s the perfect way to end this movie.
29. The worst-hidden Easter egg ever
But we can’t go anywhere without mentioning perhaps the dumbest Easter egg in any movie ever. While Chun-Li, Balrog, and E. Honda pose as circus performers, Chun-Li climbs into a barrel. When Honda puts the top onto the barrel, it clearly reads “CAPCOM” in big red letters.
