DAN HIBIKI versus KEN MASTERS
Round. 6 (UDON/Capcom/Shinseisha)
Where: Street Fighter Alpha Vol.1 When: 2007
Why: Masahiko Nakahira How: Masahiko Nakahira

The Story so far...
Since his victory against Sagat, Ryu has become a despondent warrior, fearful of his own power and nature as a fighter. Having taken a job as hired muscle on a drug running vessel; Ryu is picked up by Interpol when they intervene in his ship's course, and suffer the horrors of the uncontrollable dark hadou energies Ryu harbors within.

Despite fears that he may again succumb to the dark hadou, Ryu agrees to join a mission to infiltrate the underground fighting scene, where an international criminal organization called "Shadaloo" is recruiting street fighters into their ever growing army of assassins and criminals. Accompanying Chun-Li through the sewers, Ryu finds himself locked in an astral battle against the mysterious fortune-teller, Rose.

Having been warned that his life would be changed by the intervention of two warriors garbed in blood red; Ryu takes Chun-Li to an official fighting arena, where just such an individual is about to fight. His oldest friend and fellow practitioner of the mysterious ansatsuken fighting style of Goutetsu -- Ken Masters; American fighting champion!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Ken 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Ken 3 (Straight A)
Speed: Ken 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Ken 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Draw 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting Ability: Ken 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy Power: Ken 3 (Explosives)


- The son of a Hong Kong martial artist; Dan Hibiki's life becomes dedicated to a quest of revenge when his father is killed in battle with his Muay Thai fighting rival, Sagat. Against all odds Dan appears to succeed in avenging his father's death by defeating Sagat, unaware that his despondent opponent allowed him to win. Blissfully ignorant; Hibiki goes on to begin promoting his saikyo-ryuu fighting style and forming new rivalries in the martial arts arena.

A thoroughly unremarkable fighter, Hibiki's style is heavily derived from the ansatsuken method practiced by fighters like Ken and Ryu, with some additional inspiration from the Muay Thai fighting style of Sagat.
Dan is capable of limited ki manipulation with attacks such as his self-taught, short ranged, one-handed fireball, the Gadouken. More potent is his dankukyaku aerial attack, which features a triple hitting combination of kicks, easily blocked.

- Born to a wealthy American and his Japanese wife, Ken Masters is placed in the care of martial arts master, Gouken, at a young age. There he befriends and trains with a young Japanese fighter named Ryu, with whom Ken would have a lifelong bond and rivalry. Together the fighters hone their skills in the unnamed Ansatsuken fighting discipline, whilst mastering the energy harnessing attacks of the Hadou technique. When Gouken is murdered by Akuma, master of the dark hadou; Ken joins Ryu in the search for the man responsible, bringing the pair into conflict with the nefarious criminal organization, Shadaloo.

Ken is a supreme athlete, having won many martial arts competitions in his native America. His fighting style is much the same as Ryu's; featuring the Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku hurricane kick, as well as the hadouken and shoryuken energy attacks.

The Math: Ken Masters Ranking: Ken Masters (#53)

What Went Down...
Dan enters the arena to resounding antagonism from the crowd, who are retaliating to the apparent indescretions of previous fights, where Hibiki has been known to cheat to win. I'm not sure if this is really a fair depiction of a character better known for being utterly useless, but given that this is depicted as a finals confrontation, I guess those sorts of explanations are required by some... I digress...

Hibiki is somewhat taken aback by the angellic blonde who enters the ring as his opponent, drastically undermining the fighting quality that no doubt earned Ken a spot in the tournament finals. This tournament is revealed to be Ken's first official outing, leading to further taunts from the over confident Hibiki, who receives a guarantee from his opponent that he'll finish him off with a minimum of time and pain.

Ken's boastful claims appear under threat as the pink-garbed Hibiki launches into his dankukyaku flying kick the second the match starts -- or so it seems!
Ken proves more than ready for a fight, easily blocking the triple threat kick of Dan's assault!

Ken puts on a Masters-class, leaping into a rising knee that puts Dan right in a stunned ready position for Ken's own special kick attack -- the tatsumaki senpuu kyaku! The spinning kick collides for four clean strikes, knocking Dan even sillier than usual!

From the crowd, Ryu can sense an imminent victory in Ken's favour, but Hibiki's arsenal is not yet exhausted! Feeling the pressure, Dan looks to strike-out with a powerful uppercut attack modelled on Ken and Ryu's shoryuken, but before the "koryuken" can be executed, Ken counters it with a devestating fly kick!

Recognising Dan's fighting arsenal as little more than a knock-off of his own, Ken unleashes a devestating combination - the beginning of the end of his show of superiority. Looking to impress Ryu, Ken summons his ki energy for a finisher the likes of which has never been seen -- a multiple hitting shoryuken combo!

The move sends a hush through the crowd as Dan's defeated body hurls through the air, coming to a harsh and bloodied landing. Ryu in particular is left in awe, recognising the move as forbidden by their master, Gouken, for it's connection with the dark hadou.

Ken soaks in his first official tournament win as the crowd erupts into cheer.

The Hammer...
Well, after another tired day, I make the feeble gesture of giving you your expected winner: Ken Masters!

The beginning of the month has been dedicated to a lot of features revolving around boxing and competition fighting [Immortal Iron Fist #11, Daredevil: Man Without Fear #2, Phantom #927], so it seemed like a great opportunity to come back to Street Fighter, which has been a recurring feature on the Infinite Wars. In the recent past, Street Fighter's been a great hits grabber for us, in particular the now infamous Street Fighter Legends #2 review, which features Zangief's accidental groping [of Rainbow Mika]. Mmm, classy!

The significance of Street Fighter II in 1990's mainstream pop culture is undeniable.
Most of you who were alive in the middle of the decade should be familiar with a lot of the icons of the series, even by the abstraction of their commercial value. Comics fans from the era will have had specific confrontations with the Street Fighter stable when they collided with the Marvel Comics super heroes in a series of Versus games, which are still regarded to be among the very best 2D beat 'em up video games!

With Street Fighter IV on the home console horizon, some of you are going to be enjoying the repeating emergence of Street Fighter on the Infinite Wars. On the other hand, there seems to be a real divide between Japanese culture and American comics fans, who may or may not be typified by their rigid preconceptions. For the more accepting of you, I hope each time we dive deeper into the Street Fighter canon, you maybe come to see just how similar the fictional worlds of these and superhero characters can be.

Now, about those video game characters: a lot's been happening with Street Fighter IV since we last talked SF, and I kinda wish I'd jumped on that much sooner, because I've lost a little bit of the wind I had in my sails!

Top 25 Gaming Warriors
#1 Ryu (Capcom)
#2 Dhalsim (Capcom)
#3 Guile(Capcom)
#4 R. Mika (Capcom)
#5 Ken Masters (Capcom)
#6 Sagat (Capcom)
#7 Fei Long (Capcom)
#8 Raiden (Midway)
#9 Noob Saibot (Midway)
#10 Akuma (Capcom)
#11 Sakura (Capcom)
#12 T.Hawk (Capcom)
#13 Jin Kazama (Namco)
#14 Rose (Capcom)
#15 Chun-Li (Capcom)
#16 Vega (Capcom)
#17 Scorpion (Midway)
#18 Birdie (Capcom)
#19 Balrog (Capcom)
#20 Gouken (Capcom)
#21 Sodom (Capcom)
#22 Ganryu (Namco)
#23 Bruce Irvin (Namco)
#24 Dan Hibiki (Capcom)
#25 Zangief (Capcom)
Fortunately a little energizer came in the form of El Fuerte; the latest addition to the returning SFII legends.
First impressions? Well, it's nice to see Capcom following up on Abel with another character steeped in fighting styles. El Fuerte represents the lucha legion of libre wrestlers popularized by American and Asian genres of high risk, high-flying pro wrestling. In the Alpha series of games Rainbow Mika touched upon the style, but never to any thorough extent, so one might expect moves designed to take advantage of the gravity scripts inherent to 3D CG models, along the lines of trademarks from Rey Mysterio, Great Muta, Ultimo Dragon, and other well known pros.

I find myself bouncing back and forth between unbridled excitement, and bitter scepticism.
The reveal of a French mixed martial artist named Abel brought me back to joy after the bitter deviation of a new character like Crimson Viper, whose design and concept was heavily removed from the classic concept of proficient fighters from around the world.

Just as Abel's release was coloured by Crimson Viper, I find El Fuerte reflecting off of Abel. Measuring the characters on a cumulative scale, Abel suffers from the follow-up of an equally uninspired visual, in the surprisingly dull looking Mexican luchador.

Capcom have a history in the wrestling genre with the Slam Masters series, which featured around the same time as Street Fighter II, boasting a more outlandish cast of professional wrestling characters. With such a pedigree behind them, the bland design of El Fuerte is especially disappointing, and given game director Yoshinori Ono's history as co-creator of Fighting Evolution's, Ingrid; one can't help but wonder if the desires of fans and the strengths of the series might be lost on the current creative team.

Love or hate Crimson Viper, it's impossible to deny that there's an investment in the character both in terms of visual, and in the in-game construction of her movements and reality. That said, the character really brings back horrible memories of Street Fighter III, where the bulk of the cast was bumped for characters depicting more outlandish qualities, rather than anything familiar to a nation or established fighting art.

With Abel, upset fans were treated to something more traditional with a character who wears his nation on his sleeve (literally!), and boasts a very traditional martial arts asthetic. That said, the character manages to be a pale comparison of cartooned characters like Ken, Ryu, or Sagat, each steeped in their martial arts history, but heavily developed into individual characters.
Maybe one should be more forgiving. Maybe it would be more just to recognise the potential for evolution in characters like Abel and El Fuerte, but for such a prominent series... I guess there's an expectation for more immediately inspiring results.

Rival beat 'em up franchise, Sega's Virtua Fighter, introduced gamers to fictional lucha libre El Blaze, who comes adorned with Rey Mysterio inspired regalia in what undoubtedly made for a more immediate impact.
I don't want to sound overly negative, because I'm definitely looking forward to Street Fighter IV. At the same time, discourse should never be something frowned upon, even if I'm a little off my game and maybe not quite articulating the historical references to the extent I wish I was.

The big news over the past few days is a countdown hinting at information about the new Mortal Kombat, which, if the case, means the American market is about to be flooded with franchise beat 'em ups! The selection; ranging from Soul Calibur, to Tekken, and now the previously promised eighth Mortal Kombat; promises to give Street Fighter IV a run for it's money, at least in Western markets.

I'm not doing terribly well here, but I want to give a minute to Masahiko Nakahira's work on Street Fighter Alpha, because it somewhat resonates with some of issues regarding the creative course of the games.

Where Yoshiniro Ono might have a slightly confused passion for moving the series forward, Nakahira pays homage to the games and their history through his story which is very nearly an adaptation of the Street Fighter Alpha video game.
You really get an appreciation for Nakahira's attention to detail when you break down something like this fight between Dan and Ken. Certain concessions are made for the sake of the story. Dan's given an implied fighting credibility by his position in the tournament final, which is fairly atypical of his character, but is, as noted, explained away by a spate of cheating. Breaking down the mechanics of the fights and scenes, even away from the trademark moves, really shows an almost slavish attention to the game and it's animated sprites.

Another noted change [for the sake of story] was the development of the shoryuken, a staple of the games, as a move connected to the dark hadou.
Nakahira does well to create a cohesion with otherwise silly concepts, like evil Ryu, developing the unwritten conclusion of the first Street Fighter game, which sees Ryu scarring Sagat with the finishing punch [interpreted in Street Fighter #1], as the first awakening of the dark hadou in Ryu.

Nakahira pays a delightful respect to the first game's boss and subsequent stalwart, Sagat, recasting him as an unbeatable villain in his legendary showdown with Ryu. Unlike frustrated scenes like the SFII animated movie, Sagat dominates the Japanese fighter, defeated by the shoryuken as a last resort, rather than a finishing blow on an embarassing defeat.

Nakahira recalls this kind of strength in his Street Fighter III: Final Ryu, where Sagat's journey continues despite the character's omission from the third official installment - a fact that again points to Nakahira's fantastic understanding of the of the brand. An understanding that seems to have alluded many Capcom teams that have taken over the franchise with the dissolving of the original teams. There's probably more to be said about that, but for now, it's a wrap. Night guys!

EDIT: Once again, I failed to mention that the top twenty five is provided by cumulative rankings determined over two years of Infinite Wars. Take them with a pinch of salt, and understand they only represent a focused interpretation.

The Fight: 4 The Issue: 6.5

As always Amazon links are provided for your convenience, just incase you should decide you've found yourself so thoroughly tittilated, you feel like making an impulse purchase. By using the purchase links provided, you help sponsor future entries in the Infinite Wars, which is really very nice of you. Mwah, mwah.

RYU versus KEN
The Deadly Phantom Faceoff: The Battle Spirit Hidden Between Body and Soul
(Group TAC/Capcom/Manga)
Where: Street Fighter II V Ep. 12 When: July 1995
Why: Gisaburō Sugii How: Kōji Tsujitani/Skip Stellrecht & Banjō Ginga/Peter Spellos

The story so far...
On a journey to hone their fighting capabilities, old friends and martial arts brothers, Ken and Ryu, embark on a journey across the globe to encounter different techniques and practises of the fighting arts.

These world warriors encounter and study men from China, Hong Kong, and the United States, but it's the advice of the fallen emperor of Muay Thai; Sagat; that leads the pair to jump aboard Ken's private jet to seek a secluded village in India. There, they hope to learn the teachings of the mysterious yoga master, Dhalsim; master of hadou.

Their arrival proves expected as Dhalsim denies the prophecized beasts the teachings he bestowed upon Sagat. Determined to prove themselves as more than mindless brutes, Ken and Ryu remain in the village despite Dhalsim's distance, and endear themselves to the villagers and children.

When bandits arrive at the village seeking the fabled treasure of the forbidden Cave of Ancients, Ken and Ryu rush to their rescue. It is here they face their greatest test as Dhalsim emplores them to not endanger the lives of the villagers unnecessarily. At the order of the surviving bandits, Ken and Ryu enter the tample that claimed the lives of other tomb raiders, walking in with Dhalsim's warning that the monster hidden within is merely a reflection.

Previous Form:
Ryu (#15): High rating victories over Balrog, Sagat, Zangief, & Vega.
Ken (#31): Victories over Sodom & Sagat; with ties against Fei-Long and Ryu.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Ryu 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Ken 3 (Straight A)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Draw 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Draw 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting Ability: Draw 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy Powers: Draw 3 (Explosives)


- Ryu is a Japanese fighter who was orphaned and raised by the master of the mysterious unnamed ansatsuken fighting style, Gouken. A life of training would develop Ryu into one of the greatest fighters in the world, utilizing Gouken's fighting techniques and mastery over the hadou ki energies.

Ryu is an incredibly well rounded fighter capable of harnessing his ki for trademark attacks such as; the Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku hurricane kick, Hadou-ken fireballs, the Sho-ryu ken dragon uppercut, along with an array of variations of each.

- Ken Masters is a practitioner of the same unnamed ansatsuken martial arts technique mastered by Gouken, Akuma and Ryu.

The style is heavily identified with the mastery over ones ki energy, allowing them to summon powers by methods of hadou. Ken has mastered the hadou-ken fireball and sho-ryu ken rising dragon punch, with a particular flair for the latter.

Ken is a well respected United States tournament champion, having won many tournaments and gained many accolades in his native America. It is this encompassing success that drives him to seek new challenges across the world.

Additonal: Essentially identical in their earliest fighting appearances; Ken and Ryu have been the subject of fan-debate for decades. In previous encounters on the Infinite Wars, they have only ever tied against one and other, representing the continued struggle for superiority that traditionally is said to favour Ryu's power and dedication, despite Ken's highly regarded skill.

History: Draw (0-0-2)
The Math: Ken Masters The Pick: Draw

What went down...
Reluctantly Ken and Ryu enter the Cave of Ancients under the order of the ruthless armed bandit, who already witnessed the effects of the temple's "monster" when it claimed the lives of his two fellows.

With Dhalsim's warnings ringing in their ears, they wander into the darkness where they find themselves engulfed in smoke. Without warning the two are seemingly yanked from their physical bodies, experiencing an astral projection that sees their spirits careening out of control toward a cliff face.

When they awaken, each fighter believes himself to be alone. That is, until a beam of light ushers the entrance of the legendary guardian monster, who protects the treasures contained within the Cave.

The monster appears to both as a hulking, ancient clay warrior who towers over them phsycially and asthetically. Even so, Ken and Ryu both confront the demon with wanton regard for their own safety, concerned only for the fate of the villagers, and the lure of combat.

Ryu verbally assaults the monster with accusations of murder, before taking a ready stance that provokes the monster to break it's silence. The clay warrior sends a thundering echo through the ill-defined space as it charges toward it's prey, letting loose the roar of a warrior.

Elsewhere; Ken suffers the jab of his own monstrous opponent, who puts a halt to his charge with a stiff jab. Ken charges once more at the monster, leaping into the air with a flying kick, ultimately dodged by the surprisingly spry giant.

Ken follows with a barrage of secondary attacks that connect, while Ryu finds himself on the painful end of a combination of blows from the clay warrior.

The monster winds up, connecting with a harsh, direct punch to Ryu's face!
Wiping the blood from his mouth, Ryu refuses to back down, despite noting the guardian's speed and strength, surprising for his size. Likewise; Ken makes his own pledge with the commitment of his fist, which strikes at his foe.

While the pair of wandering fighters face their respective demons, Dhalsim grows despondent. Sensing their progress from outside the cave, he telepathically sends an echo of his cryptic warning, "Beasts, do not forget! The cave is only a mirror which reflects your own hearts!"

Too concerned with fighting, the pair of martial artists fail to ponder on the master's words, instead resorting again to the exchange of blows, over ideas.
To Dhalsim's dismay, the pair launch into another all-out attack.

The guardian(s) continue to show considerable fighting prowess, evading the competent strikes of both fighters, only to deliver it's own with devestating precision! Each fighter suffers a succesion of punches and kicks, culiminating in two seperate uppercuts that rock both Ken and Ryu, respectively.

Ryu unleashes a violent spray of retaliatory punches, finishing with a roundhouse kick that puts the guardian on the back foot, but fails to topple it. The monster comes back strong with a spinning combination of back handed fists that finishes with a diving kick that sends the Japanese fighter airborne!

Exhausted, Ryu pauses on his knee for a moment, digesting the severity of his situation. Strategizing leads only to thoughts of the monster's incredible power, and his skilled fighting style which almost resembles that of his best friend, Ken. Recalling his absent friend, Ryu summons a second-wind to attack once more, demanding to know what the monster did with Ken!

Meanwhile, Ken finds his front blocked, only to be sent through the air with a stiff punch that takes the wind out of him. On the floor, Ken nurses ribs that are broken, and has his own moment of thought, recognising determination in the guardian that mirrors that of his friend, Ryu.

After another explosive exchange of blows, Ken and Ryu each seek a finishing blow with the last of their energies. Alas, both fighter is struck down simultaneously by their guardian opponent with comparable force, leaving them both down for the count, and severely injured.

The pause gives both fighters opportunity to further consider their positions.
As they both lie injured and exhausted, they notice the same unlikely reactions in their seemingly inexhaustible monster opponent.

Though unable to stand and blinded in his left eye by the monster's powerful kicks, Ryu begins to see clearer than before. Likewise, Ken begins to ponder the words of Dhalsim, and the predicament his astral trip has placed him in.
Considering the keys to victory, Ken notices the monster adopt a meditative position similar to that which he and Ryu had imitated from Dhalsim when they sought to prove patience to the Yoga monk.

It is this finally beat that breaks the illusion, and reveals to Ken and Ryu both, the identity of their monster: Each other!

With the test over, the two injured fighters struggle to travel to their goal. Nursing broken ribs, blinded eyes, and severe exhaustian; the two badly beaten fighters retrieved the statuette they were to sent to find, and gingerly stumble their way back to the villagers whose lives are threatened.

The hammer...
Y'know, one of the things I find really fun about a site like this is the accumulation of data. Drawing upon that sports league connection, we get a scenario like this, where two characters have met in combat three times, and each has resulted in a draw!

Some might call that a little tedious, but not only does it provide a wonderful comparison between two characters, but also makes the next confrontation all the more dramatic! Because, really, what we do here isn't much different, in many ways, to what you find in any professional fighting sport card around the world. Which is but one of the many charms to our little experiment here.

Much like the Sagat/Ryu encounter [Street Fighter II V Ep. 9]; this entry comes with an append-fix. After emerging from the Cave with their trophee; Ken and Ryu are met with a double cross by the raider who doesn't want to be identified by two city-slickers.

Having proven themselves worthy by surviving the test of the guardian; Ken and Ryu finally get a chance to witness the pacifist monk in action. Having stemmed the flow of ki in the bandit's last living cohort, Dhalsim goes about quietly disabling the armed men.

When the head bandit turns his guns away from the exhausted fighters to the meddlesome Dhalsim, he finds the Yoga monk holding his ammunition magazine with an eerie smirk. This precedes another pressure-point attack that paralyzes the bandit by restricting the flow of life energy through his body.

Much like the defeat of Nuchitt, we're going to tack this on as a bonus victory for Dhalsim. This may be a little generous, but heck, I have a real soft spot for the Yoga flamer, and it seems fitting, given that he has been announced along with screenshots of Ken and Ryu, for Street Fighter IV.

Despite noting the long standing unliklihood of a sequel, the Infinite Wars featured [apparently logical] speculation that a fourth instalment might finally arrive [The New Challengers!] came good. In October Capcom confirmed Street Fighter IV, accompanied by a brilliantly visual trailer for the game.

It was this week that the eager fanbase was finally privy to screenshots, answering many questions about visual direction, and the nature of the new generation's gameplay.

If anyone ever tries to tell you gamers are any different from [comics] fanboys, you can pretty comprehensively laugh in their face. The same kind of negatives exist in both realms, and they were out in full force with the release of images [like the above], which depict the new direction for the series.
Of course, as much as I'd love to act smug and superior, I'm not without my own minor qualms about recent developments.

First, I just have to say; the only thing more disturbing than Street Fighter fans desperately barking about keeping the games in the pixel arena of 2D fighters -- is the fact that a good many of them whole heartedly mean it!

Comics fans know all too well the perils of fanbases obsessively reluctant to progress. It's an attitude that can potentially render a company's attempts to move forward impotent, and given the odds that were put against SFIV ever happening, that's a concerning prospect. More so, considering that SFIV has revealed itself to be something many-a-fan, myself included, dreaded: another retread of the now classic (and devestatingly recycled) Street Fighter II.

Placing it in this era presumably gives makers not only a familiar place to start with, but also a cast of characters already well exposed to much of the purchasing portion of the public. If one was to read between the lines, SFIV's tagline, A New Beginning, mind indicate that this will at least mark the definitive account of SFII, paving the way for regular sequels that pay more attention to progession of story, and satisfaction of experience. [Yes, that's setting myself up for disappointment, but I can dream!]

Still, for a negative, getting the opportunity to play as characters like the confirmed Dhalsim and Chun-Li, is anything but a punishment. Sure, it raises a lot of mathematical questions, but it gives us a chance to reexperience these characters in the ever-popular domain of cell-shaded polygons, which in this instance, carry a more detailed render than many cartoony predecessors.
It's a textured look that seems to be becoming something of a hallmark of next gen games, but really, it's both unlikely, and far too soon to consider this the status quo. For Street Fighter IV, it's the happy medium between progress, and the classic depiction of characters.

Not wanting to delve into the mire of more negatives, I close with a few notes. I would agree with some fans that there's work to be done in better identifying the characters, particularly in facial structure. That said, for all the iffy artwork, it was kind of interesting to see a pseudo-realistic depiction of Ryu that actually made me think Japanese! This pastiche of grimey realism and manga sensibility is just further indicative of it's SFII origins, which a good many newbies probably won't recognise.

The Fight: 4.5 The Episode: 6

And just in case the SFIV made you forget what brought us all here, maybe you want to do some last minute Christmas shopping on Amazon! You'll again note the many episodes between each feature from SFIIV, making it an ideal series to explore further, if you've enjoyed these reviews!

SAGAT/VEGA versus KEN/RYU
Revenge Match (Universal/Capcom)
Where: Street Fighter When: December 1994
Why: Steven E. deSouza How: Byron Mann, Damian Chapa, Wes Studi & Jay Tavare

The story so far...
For con-men Ken Masters and Ryu Hoshi, things quickly go from bad to worse when they travel to the Thai rebel state of Shadaloo. Looking to take advantage of an arms race between UN Peace Troopers and the soldiers of would-be warlord, General M. Bison; the pair of swindlers import phony weapons with the intent to get in, and get out.

Ken and Ryu make a powerful enemy in Thai underworld crime boss, Victor Sagat, who captures the pair to parade as fodder for his champion Spanish cage fighter - Vega! The con-men avoid lethal combat, finding themselves apprehended along with their enemies, by UN forces led by Guile.

Colonel Guile convinces the pair to use their connections to stage a fake breakout and assassination, using the scenario to earn the goodwill of Sagat.
Though Ken and Ryu are successful in embedding themselves in Bison's operation, the ultimate battle nears, and they are soon uncovered for the spies they are. With Bison's fortress crumbling under UN incursion, Ken and Ryu go their seperate ways, leaving the Japanese fighter to walk alone into a trap...

Previous Form:
Sagat (#58): A win, loss, and draw, all against Ryu.
Vega (#117): A quick fix gimme victory over Dan Hibiki.
Ryu (#20): The leading street fighter with victories over Balrog, Sagat, & Zangief.
Ken (#62): A string of ties with Ryu, and solo victory over Sodom.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Sagat 4 (Steroid popper)
Intelligence: Ken Masters 3 (Straight A)
Speed: Vega 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Draw 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Vega 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting Ability: Ryu 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy Powers: Ryu 3 (Explosives)


- Ryu, a Japanese orphan, and Ken Masters, son of a wealthy American heir, were raised and trained by the master of the mysterious unnamed ansatsuken fighting style, Gouken. Despite their distinct personalities, a life of training would develop the pair into two of the greatest fighters in the world.

Both are skilled well rounded fighters capable of harnessing hadou ki for trademark attacks such as; the Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku hurricane kick, Hadou-ken fireballs, the Sho-ryu ken dragon uppercut; along with an array of variations of each, some uniquely specialized to the fighter's minor differences.

Ryu's dedicated fighting ethic and intrinisic mastery of the hadou arguably makes him the more powerful of the two. That said, Ken's brash attitude overshadows his finely honed fighting skills, which surpass perhaps even Ryu's.

- Known as the Emperor of Muay Thai, Sagat is supremely skilled in the fighting style often referred to as the "science of the eight-limbs."
Revolving mostly around elbows, knees, fists, and kicks; Sagat's Muay Thai takes full advantage of his height and physical strength. Complimenting his furious style is the development of various ki attacks that stem from a fierce rivalry with hadou practitioner, Ryu. Many of these energy attacks not only rival the Japanese fighter's weapons, but also imitate them, ie; the tiger uppercut, and tiger fireballs.

Though he spent much time with the criminal element Shadaloo, Sagat's character is not traditionally evil. After a lengthy period seeking vengeance against Ryu, Sagat even came to regret impulsive violence, and found some degree of peace.

- The street fighting arena provides convenient abandon for the blood lusting Spaniard called Vega. Harboring homicidal tendencies, the narcissistic psychopath in the protective mask made a name for himself as a matador.
Turning his natural swift and speed to the martial arts, Vega values nothing more than the source of his vanity - his beautiful features - and protects them as best he can, while exacting brutal violence with the aid of his clawed gauntlet.

Vega's speed and agility were particularly complimented by the underground practise of cage fighting. In this domain, few can challenge the matador, and many have tasted bitter defeat at the end of his blades. It was this killing instinct that made him the perfect assassin for Bison's Shadaloo operations.

The Math: Draw The Pick: Ken & Ryu

What went down...
Having experienced a clash of ethics, the usually inseperable fighting buddies Ken and Ryu are indeed seperated, as the Bisonopolis headquarters begins to crumble under the pressures of UN Peace Troopers, technological damages, and the sheer destructive energy of Raul Julia's performance as Bison.

Seeking the riches hidden within Bison's personal sanctum, Ken inadvertently stumbles upon a video screen revealing live footage of a hapless Ryu walking into a trap inexplicably sprung by the dastardly duo of Sagat and Vega.

As he brilliantly searches for a way out in the lowest depths of the Bison-Gym, Ryu finds himself set upon by his filmic arch-rival -- Vega! The Spaniard unleashes a surprise claw attack that scratches the surface of Ryu's gut.
Sagat's typically silent goon utters his first line of the film whilst donning his mask, delivered with the cold grit of Eastwood's ADR double, "Where were we?"

Ryu springs a straight kick that shunts Vega back-first into a row of gym lockers, marking the first of many such collisions. Vega recovers, walking into the devestating heroic retort, "You were losing!", before doing his darndest to prove otherwise with the aimless swings of a six-movie slasher star.

Ryu plays the defensive, slipping the jab wherever possible while avoiding Vega's uncharacteristically unrefined attacks. The technique serves him well until he is unceremoniously informed of the two-on-one odds when Sagat enters the fray with a high kick, followed by a clumsy knee combo.

Vega takes advantage of the low ceiling and double-team situation, scoring some points with a successful swinging kick. Ryu collides with a locker, marking the third such occasion during the fight. [You'll have to stay tuned for the full scoop on the locker situation! - Mike "Play-by-Play" Haseloff]

Vega presses the advantage with a jumping forward kick, but Ryu is skilled enough to deliver a defensive-offense of small blocks and hits. He nervously backs up, putting a support structure center to he and his two foes, when suddenly a red streak strikes Sagat -- player two has entered the game!

Putting friendship before greed, Ken joins his brother in arms' side, lending his impressive fighting skills to the fray, and effectively bringing his utterly inspired character arc to a conclusion.

Having spent the heroic reunion generally menacing and grimacing, Sagat and Vega launch a syncronised flying attack on their individual foes. Going against established convention, the villains continue to pursue their film-long rivals, Sagat to Ken, and Vega to Ryu.

Ryu, having utilized the age-old tactic of stripping down, flips Vega down, while tangling his claw in his discarded gi top. Meanwhile, Ken is embattered by the unconvincing knee strikes of the emperor of Muay Thai.

Ken fights back, putting a bouncy punching ball between he and his skilled opponent, while Vega and Ryu engage in more competent flashy combat.

The trading of blows between Ryu and Vega culminates in the big screen debut of trademark power moves! Ryu delivers what passes for a hadou-ken in a movie apparently too grounded in reality to indulge in a full-fledged fireball.

Not to be outdone, Vega rolls his way into the rolling crystal flash, otherwise known as a claw jab preceded by a pointless roll. As if to continue to up the stakes, Sagat and Ken continue their dance, giggling and dancing around a punching ball like a pair of lovesick schoolgirls.

In a historic piece of physical comedy, Ken punches the wobbling ball so it collides with Sagat's smirking mug. Unphased, Sagat delivers a kick designed for intimidation, so powerful it explodes the tethered bobbing rubber ball!

Meanwhile, Vega continues to resort to wild slashings with his clawed fist, finding a punching bag in the absence of a ducking and weaving Ryu.

Ryu parrys his way to the gym's stone wall, where a raging incinerator is conveniently placed, presumably for all your garment disposing and face burning needs after a long work-out.
Vega's claw initiates the opening of the furnace, allowing Ryu in a struggle of strength to push Vega's steel masked face up against the heat!

Sagat uses some of the assorted weight-training equipment on hand to strangle Masters, only to have the handles turned against him in a ball-busting counter!
With Sagat on the ropes, Ken borrows an eye-bulge from Charlie Sheen, before delivering what is presumably the closest thing to a sho-ryu ken uppercut that Damian Chapa could muster.

Meanwhile, still reeling from the seering pain of the furnace's heat, Vega exerts the last of his flamboyant energy in final battle with Ryu. Delivering a string of trapped headbutts, Ryu continues the assault with a thoroughly unattractive grimace/scream combo, that would surely insult the vainglorious Vega.

As Vega tries to deliver a killing blow, his claw is yanked from his fist by a weight bar, leaving him to engage Ryu in pure hand-to-hand combat.
In another embarassing display of homage, Ryu delivers a hurricane kick with single revolution, putting an end to Vega's lineless, but none the less impressive display of dive-and-roll villainy.

And as if to emphasize just how weak Chapa's Ken is, he's still putting the finishing moves on Sagat, needing to luck his way into Sagat punching the stone wall, before delivering a roundhouse kick, to finish.

Well, when I say finish, Sagat seems more tired than beaten, as Ryu and Ken leave, with Ken delivering the moral of his story, "I owe you. If I hadn't met you, I might've become you."

Swoon!

The hammer...
And the winners of this exciting tag battle? I'm going to say Ken and Ryu, because it sure as hell isn't the fans.

Oh, alright! It's a soft target and I think we've already had our fun.
Ironically, given the ire USM has suffered, I don't actually have a venomous slew of curses to lavish upon this worthy alumnist of the IMDB worst 100 movies of all time.

As fans of comics, we're all too familiar with the disgruntled cries of diehard fans, disappointed by the latest adaptation of their favourite heroes. I'd like to think a lot of us even have perspective enough to recognise sometimes this is the sole motivation for the total panning of a big screen project (Hulk, Blade: Trinity, Daredevil...); but I suppose it's ironic that, apparently, despite commanding franchised ticket sales at the box office, everyone hated this.

I guess, particularly if you flash back to 1994, you have a related problem.
Sure, these days it's a nostalgia brand, but what you youngsters will fail to appreciate is the sheer blanket dominance of Street Fighter in a gaming market that was blossoming into the entertainment powerhouse we know today. Arguably, Street Fighter had the benefit of being a part of that market while it still had very strong novelty value, to expose it through arcades and social consciousness alike.

Which is where we arrive at the fact that, while Street Fighter: The Movie clearly has a very specific and independent story in mind, it completely under estimates the mainstream familiarity of the Street Fighter characters. Unfortunately, every man, woman, and child probably had some idea of what the Street Fighter character should look like, and a Blanka that would make Ferigno blush, this wasn't it!

Of course, that's not to say the movie isn't without it's charms.
I think it deservedly earns cult status through it's early-nineties, neon colour palette, and bizarre trappings as a hybrid between Good Morning Vietnam and Super Mario Brothers. It's peppered with all kinds of oddities, typifying the logic defying powers of a Van Damme in his prime! Simon Callow?! I mean, REALLY?! Slumming it in Street Fighter?! Take that McKellan! He was openly gay first, too!

Perhaps one of the greatest ironies of the film is the appropriate pronounciation of Ryu, which goes against the "ree-yoo" verbage popularized by [other] film(s) and video game alike.

It's also with some interest I note the content of the featured fight.
From what I'm told, the ever-brilliant censors of the United States see fit to edit large chunks of this battle, removing specifically the relatively tame portions involving Vega's face burn and claw attacks. You Yanks sure do breed a special kind of crazy, don't you?

Perhaps connected due to TV edits is a lot of confused fan contention about whether or not a hadou-ken does in fact appear in the film. Well, gleefully absorb the unedited violence as it appears here, albeit in stills. The hadou-ken, as gradually noted by know-it-alls across the internet, is more of a traditional open palm strike, broken up by a two-second flash of a completely white frame.
Argue all you like fanboys, but it counts!

The Street Fighter film has been a looming threat in our weekly fight clubbing antics. The franchise's martial artsy credibility, and vague connection to comics, has been a gym-incinerator level convenience for my shameless fandom.
Introducing the Van Damme vehicle not only spices up the batch, but hopefully delivers a diversity to our pursuit of a top five street fighter.

Much like the video game, I've been trying to hold off a character like Bison, bucking against UDON's handling of the character to give a sense of earning.
Sure, I'm aware that Bison is hardly the most exciting character in the Street Fighter world. And sure, Raul Julia's plastic-set chewing performance isn't going to set the readership on fire, but, well... I'm still sort of looking forward to delivering the Guile/Bison battle sometime in the coming weeks.

In the mean time, I am again dragging my knuckles on updates.
It might be a good time to consider some kind of retraction for any implied or explicit promises of updated daily content. At this point I've got all kinds of "real" things going on, along with the never ending struggle to enter the industry not just as a stat-counting fanboy, but as a creative contributor.

And hey, it's been a while since I've mentioned The Kirby Martin Inquest, isn't it? It's a full-sized, 22-page first issue, and it's only $2.99 [plus shipping] from the good folks at ComixPress, who are now promising faster delivery on orders!
Any and all support is always greatly appreciated, and if you do pick it up, be sure to swing by and drop a comment. I'd love to get some reviews going!

The Fight: 4.5 The Movie: 4.5

It seems the best days of Van Damme's career are behind him, and while Street Fighter didn't slow it down immediately, it probably isn't opening many doors right now, either. Good thing: Van Damme is an amateur philosopher! Bad thing: He passed up the Johnny Cage role in the MK games, to do this movie instead.

SHUN versus ZANGIEF
The Tournament Begins (Group TAC/Capcom)
Where: Street Fighter Alpha When: 1999
Why: Shigeyasu Yamauchi, Joe Romersa, Reiko Yoshida, & Kirk Thornton How: Kane Kosugi, Hidenari Ugaki, Reiko Kiuchi, Kazuya Ichijô

The story so far...
Having returned to Japan for a major street fighting tournament; Ken Masters, wealthy United States champion, reunites with his fighting rival and best friend, Ryu. Together they mourn the death of their master, Gouken, and together face the threat of the dark hadou energy that threatens Ryu.

In an effort to curb the dark energy rising in Ryu, he limits all fighting activity, opting only to accompany Ken to the tournament, along with a young Brazilian orphan claiming to be Ryu's half-brother.

Though Ken would ultimately be side-tracked and miss registration, the young Brazilian boy, Shun, would go on to enter and pitted against overwhelming odds. Emerging from the opposition cage the Russian man-mountain: Zangief!

Previous Form:
Zangief (#319): Suffered defeat against the tag team of R. Mika and Sakura.
Ryu (#56): Recorded victories over Balrog & Sagat.
Shun: Making his debut in the Infinite Wars.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Zangief 4 (Steroid Popper)
Intelligence: Draw 2 (Average)
Speed: Ryu 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Zangief 5 (Marathon Man)
Agility: Ryu 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting Ability: Ryu 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy Powers: Ryu 3 (Explosives)


- Shun is a young Brazilian boy with very basic, informal training in the martial arts. He has developed an innate connection to the dark hadou, apparently inherited from his father, along with an underlying viciousness in battle.
Though he claims to be Ryu's younger brother, this ultimatley proves to be part of a larger plot to recreate Ryu's more powerful mastery of Hadou.

- Ryu is a Japanese fighter who was orphaned and raised by the master of the mysterious unnamed ansatsuken fighting style, Gouken. A life of training would develop Ryu into one of the greatest fighters in the world, utilizing Gouken's fighting techniques and mastery over the hadou ki energies.

Ryu is an incredibly well rounded fighter capable of harnessing his ki for trademark attacks such as; the Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku hurricane kick, Hadou-ken fireballs, the Sho-ryu ken dragon uppercut, along with an array of variations of each.

- Known as the Czar of Wrestling and the Red Cyclone; Zangief has established himself as one of the most powerful fighters in the street fighter circuit.
Having entered training funded by the Soviet Union government, Zangief learnt to harness his impressive strength in bizarre attacks such as the spinning piledriver -- said to have been learnt while training in the unforgiving storm of Siberia, where he was plucked up by a twisting wind mid-piledriver.

Zangief is both physically and mentally a slow mover, but his instincts for battle can never be underestimated, nor should his courage as a super-patriot of the long dead Soviet Union.

The Math: Zangief The Pick: Zangief

What went down...
Lowered to a platform formed by decaying levels of an abandoned highrise, Shun is confronted by the looming visage of the Russian powerhouse, Zangief!


Delighted by the challenge, Shun leaps immediately into a spinning roundhouse kick that leaves the Russian stumbling. He follows with an unrelenting diving heel kick that crushes the wrestler's nose in a spray of blood. The combination proves sufficient to allow the leaping youngster to topple his giant opposition.

Far from defeated, Zangief rises to counter Shun's leaping attack with a rising uppercut. Knocked helplessly into the air, Shun suffers a volleying elbow drop, only to be snatched from his descent to suffer a more motivated plummet.

Debris from the crater left by Shun's face begins to hop and skip as a dark energy ripples through the arena. The invisible force rattles Zangief as Shun rises with a pink hue in his eyes. Observing from lower levels, Ken and Ryu, though seperated, each sense the rising ki of the dark hadou that repels Zangief.

The Russian man-mountain makes a conceited effort to put a preemptive stop to the massing energies, charging in with a driving knee that swats the entranced Shun across the battlefield like a ragdoll.

Moving at staggering speeds for a man of his size, Zangief catches the flopping body of the young Brazilian, snatching it in a muscle bound bearhug.

Zangief leaps into the air looking to turn the grapple into a suplex, but finds himself now faced with a second opponent, and Ryu rushes to intervene on the behalf of his supposed brother. The Japanese fighter leaps through the air, clipping Zangief with a flying kick.

He uses his fancy feet to catch Shun and bring him to a soft landing.
Ryu makes a vague order of Shun to stop it, the kind of command only an older brother can make. Alas, the snarling Zangief moves like a moth to the flame, making an unspoken demand of combat from one of the two.

Ryu indulges the Russian, throwing a kick that Zangief manages to avoid with another display of surprising agility. He turns the tables, knocking Ryu down with a sitff headbutt, setting the Japanese fighter up for his patented spinning piledriver!

With Ryu floored, Zangief is unrelenting. He brings a giant-sized boot crashing down upon Ryu's exposed chest.

The battered Shun lets out a pathetic exclamation, too weak to even make steady progress toward his supposed brother. The peril faced by his protector proves enough to once again summon the haze of the dark hadou, this time for more noble causes. Shun's spine straightens as his body is renewed.

The silent menace of the Czar of wrestling turns to face the source of the energy, turning his back on the leveled Ryu. As before, Zangief swats Shun to curb the gathering of his energies, sending him hurtling to the edge of their combative platform. Inexperienced with such energies, Shun is unable to move, dangling helplessly over a fall of many hundreds of feet.

Continuing his theme of brutality, the unfeeling and unspeaking Zangief drops his foot down on Shun's back. The blow echoes through Ryu, inspiring similar feelings as felt by Shun, tantilizing his already compromised hadou energy.

Zangief turns to find Ryu now upright, emenating a similar pink energy of the dark hadou. The kind fighter's disposition notes a distinct shift, far more menacing, and reminiscent of the fallen warior -- Akuma!

As the dark energies feed and build Ryu and Shun both, Zangief begins to charge at the Japanese fighter, hoping to cut him off in a similar fashion to Shun.
With a hint of vicious delight, Ryu gathers his hadou ki in his hands, summoning his dark powers for the hadou-ken.


Beams of light spark from Ryu's hands as he summons the attack, and with a vicious grin he moves swiftly to prepare it. Unaffected by the lure, Ken shouts desperately to his friend in an effort to break through the dark temptation.


Ken's cries manage to reach the embattled martial artist, who pulls his energy back at the last moment. The devestating hadou-ken energy blast narrowly misses Zangief, firing off into one of the decrepid walls of the skyscraper.

The massive display of power delights the man behind the tournament, the clandestine Dr. Sadler. As the very building shakes and partially collapses from the blast, he prepares his cybernetic puppet to enter the fray.

The observers of the tournament make it out with varying degrees of injury.
Ken is forced to tend to the injured young girl, Sakura, who accompanied him to the tournament; while Interpol agents Chun-Li and Wallace regroup in awe.

Zangief, still standing after the close call, plummets as part of the precarious fighting stage breaks away. The degree of resulting injury is uncertain, but Ryu remains the victor in their impromptu battle.

The hammer...
Your winner, with an assist from the much maligned animated original (Shun), Ryu! This victory elevates Ryu to the top of the cumulative sponsored Street Fighter stakes, but with only a month to go, it's starting to look unlikely for any character to make it into the 2007 top five, come year end.

Meanwhile, wow! We're running a few days late on our "daily" updates, and hopefully this entry, which is positively mammoth, made up for that a little. Barring chemical imbalance of being American, you would surely have to empathise with the ridiculous task that was, this entry's battle summary!
Of course, that would mean I also have to empathise with anyone crazy enough to attempt to read it... Hello!

We've discussed the dark hadou at length, and this is a great example of [Alpha]'s depiction of the struggle, early on. We see Shun, who is a much maligned pawn in the story, fulfilling his role in tempting the dark hadou and sucking Ryu into it's grips. Of course, you can find more dark hadou and Street Fighter through the afforelinked tag, or the previous cover to cover blurb.

Of real interest here is the characterization of Zangief!
Something that's always made this character particularly interesting was, despite his debut fresh out of the Cold War in the 1991 Street Fighter II, he was a Soviet character who wasn't particularly villainous. In fact, the story goes that as a Soviet super-patriot, he shared similar anti-Shadaloo goals as other All-American heroes like Guile!

It's interesting then to note the villainous portrayal the character has endured in the film medium in Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter II V, and the American feature film. The V series perhaps indicates an unlikely cross pollination from the American Van Damme vehicle, maintaining an endearing slavic dimness to the character, depicting him as manipulated or misunderstanding, more than evil.

In Alpha, Zangief appears here with no lines, in what was really a role that could've gone to any Street Fighter character. This is more about a glorified cameo than any kind of character statement, but it's interesting that it would be he who was chosen for the role of the almost psychotic antagonist to Shun.
Obviously at the heart of this scene was a desire to pit Shun (and Ryu) against an overwhleming physical presence, but excessive force and physical prowess together make a more fitting description for Balrog, than Zangief.

One has to wonder how the relationship between the US and Russia has shaped this character's destiny. Of particular note is Zangief's allegiance to the Soviet Union, which has been specifically referred to long after the formality of Russia.
It might be this very specific Soviet connection that has invariably conveyed a sinister quality to the character. We might call this the Drago-effect.

The Drago-effect is felt, albeit less specifically, even in the Street Fighter Legends spin-off mini from UDON comics. UDON seems to pepper reference to all avenues of Street Fighter lore throughout their product, and here again we have the dim-witted Zangief acting as brutal villain, unaware of the difference between the on-screen and off-screen aspects of professional wrestling.

In the games, Zangief is an idol for Japanese womens wrestler, Rainbow Mika.
Again providing some logic for Zangief's status as antagonist, UDON's efforts to recast Zangief and Mika as active components in a traditional wrestling profession, invariably demanding enemies of opponents: the face to the heel.

Of course, another contributing factor to Zangief's evolution is probably a symptom common to most beat 'em up video games. Be it for better or worse, traditionally there's a conceit to develop characters on broad strokes, and position them into the game however possible. This typically creates a hub of characters connected to the A-plot, while others fall by the wayside, suffering flimsy motivations and reasons for being involved.

Zangief connects broadly to the anti-Bison contingent of characters, who are many in the Street Fighter mythos, but does so without any real specific plot device. He simply fulfills the roles of powerhouse, wrestler, and Russian.
Broad strokes that leave the character open to new motives in adaptation, and generalized understandings.

Also, to be fair to Alpha, we've seen previously that the animé pays much less attention to the specifics of characters, instead using them in specific context.
Nothing about the film undermines the theory that Birdie is a brit-punk with desires of grandeur with Shadaloo, despite the fact he adopts a heroic role in the battle against Sadler. The circumstances justify the means, just as Zangief appears here simply as a competitor in a tournament, albeit as an especially, and uncharacteristcally vicious one.

If you'd like to see more tournament action, you can check out the only other battle featured from this tournament: Vega versus Dan Hibiki; or you can spin on to the second half's concluding tournament, featuring a wide array of cameos from the Alpha game series. In the mean time, I've got some catch-up to play!

The Fight: 6 The Film: 5.5

Street Fighter Alpha continues to be a great source of material for our weekend features. Though not the triumph of the franchise that Street Fighter II: The Movie represents, Alpha remains a great addition to any fan's collection! Still coming, more action featuring Chun-Li, Birdie, and Akuma!