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.

RYU versus SAGAT
The Superstar of Muay Thai: The Grand Prison Battle Symphony (Group TAC/Capcom/Manga)
Where: Street Fighter II V Ep. 9 When: June 1995
Why: Gisaburō Sugii How: Kōji Tsujitani/Skip Stellrecht & Banjō Ginga/Peter Spellos

The story so far...
After years apart, the martial arts brothers Ken Masters and Ryu are reunited when the wealthy Ken invites his Japanese friend to stay with him in the United States.

Together the two embark on a journey to hone and develop their fighting skills by making the uncontrolled environment of the world their dojo.
With the help of their tour guide, Chun-Li; Hong Kong delivers the pair gang violence at the underground fight club, Kowloon Palace, and a clash with martial arts actor Fei Long on the set of his newest action picture.

Ken and Ryu join forces with Fei Long at Chun-Li's father's dojo, where Thai mercenaries, hired by the Ashura, attack to assassinate the dojo master, police Captain Dorai, who has been assigned to take them down.

Though the Muay Thai mercenaries are comprehensively defeated, Ken and Ryu are excited by the unique qualities of the powerful joint-driven fighting style.
They soon take leave for Thailand to get a firsthand experience, but things go wrong when the Ashura seek revenge by planting drugs on Ryu. While Ken seeks out evidence for the masked man who framed him, Ryu is forced to face prison life, and the wrath of Sagat -- fallen Emperor of Muay Thai!

Previous Form:
Ryu (#27): Ranking victories over Balrog, Sagat, and Zangief.
Sagat (#180): Defeated at the hands of Dhalsim and Ryu, with a victory over Ryu also.

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

- 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.
- Additional: Ryu and Sagat have a fierce rivalry dating back to the first Street Fighter, where Ryu's defeat of the Muay Thai master left him humiliated, and baring the scars of their battle. It was this result, along with an unexpected rematch, that has set the pair up with a record of 1-1-0 (a win each).

The Math: Draw The Pick: Ryu

What went down...
Having defended himself against prison toughs, Ryu garners the attentions of greatly respected and pampered prisoner, Sagat. A former Muay Thai fighting champion, Sagat's honor is seemingly replaced by the inevitability of a lengthy sentence and the traditions of inmate social politics.

Sagat rises from his extravagant corner of the prison, sending a wave of betting through prisoner and guardsman alike. One of the prisoners brings Sagat his ceremonial Mongkon head circlet, and gloves for each of the fighters, adding a touch of ceremony to the occasion.

Delighted by the prospect of a genuine one-on-one with a greater Muay Thai fighter, Ryu straps the gloves on and takes a Thai stance. Sagat is amused by the Japanese upstart's intentions to meet him on his own terms. He quickly introduces Ryu to his style, throwing a kick to knock him off balance, before hitting a devestating diving blow!

The blow leaves Ryu in a spin and sends a brief hushed awe through the crowd of inmates. Sagat follows it with another stiff kick to the head that makes good use of his reach advantage, before connecting with another string bone-shattering blows - kicks, elbows and knees all included!

Struggling desperately against the barrage of Sagat's explosive attacks, Ryu desperately launches his own counter effort. Though he forces Sagat into defensive blocks, it's not long before the master reasserts himself with yet another knock-out blow, this time an uppercut!

As Ryu continues to get knocked around by the much larger fighter, the action finally draws the attentions of corrupt prison warden, Nuchitt.

The warden watches on with sadistic delight as Ryu again makes an attempt to fight back. He displays a basic mastery of Muay Thai fundamentals that shocks even Sagat! With Ryu's skill level advancing, Sagat unleashes his fully fury with a string of blows that culminate in the legendary tiger knee crush!

The move sends Ryu hurtling back into the prison wall, where he leaves a smearing blood stain as his body slumps lifelessly to the ground.

Believing the Japanese fighter defeated, Sagat walks away to the cheers of the inmates, only to hear a shocking voice from behind! Sagat turns to find his opponent standing and at the ready, showing strength and determination far beyond the young fighter's years.

Ryu acknowledges that Muay Thai has many further levels to be mastered, and removes his gloves to display a more familiar technique. Sagat charges him, and gets an immediate taste of the finesse of Ryu's trained feet.



Ryu unleashes his own flurry of kicks and punches, evening the scores by spraying the champion's blood. Despite the impressive power of his attack, Sagat remains standing, and impressed by his opponent's skill and honor, he reveals the predicament that brought him to be imprisoned.

Sagat reveals common themes beyond their fighting spirits.
Having refused to throw a fight to end his dominance as champion, Sagat found himself at the centre of an Ashura plot to frame him for drug possession. His passion rekindled, Sagat calls an end to the fight, and promises Ryu protection.

With the intentions of taking half the kitty from betting, the warden steps in to demand the fight continue. Despite the threat of reprieve, Sagat defiantly throws down his gloves and walks away. The corrupt warden draws a chain and intends to attack Sagat from behind, but Ryu intervenes.

Disrespected, the warden draws a pistol, eager to take revenge on the only two inmates to have resisted his tortures without a scream.

As the warden prods the gun barrel at Sagat's stomach, he hatches a scheme to disguise the murder as the result of a riot attempt. Ryu obliges the claims, leaping into the air before Nuchitt can pull the trigger. He kicks the gun from his hand, giving Sagat an opening to pound his powerful fist against the warden's face.

The pair double team the podgy warden, putting an end to his threats.
Ryu and Sagat salute each other in triumph as the crowd of inmates cheers the decimation of their torturous warden.

The hammer...
Well, I guess you could call this one a double feature.
It was a tough call to make, but while the expected battle of Sagat/Ryu ends in a draw, I think we could call their battle with Warden Nuchitt a seperate, and victorious affair.

So, if by now you haven't figured it out: I like Street Fighter.
Truth be told, I may very well love Street Fighter, in a strictly non-prison movie fashion, which sort of brings things awkwardly full circle, eh?
Shades of Midnight Express collide with the martial arts standard of learning fighting techniques from wrongly accused inmates, but the influences of this particular episode of Street Fighter II V aren't one-way.

It's interesting to note that Sagat, learning of Ryu's contemplations of hadou, sends him in the direction of India to seek out the wisdom of the yoga master, Dhalsim. Eagle-eyed fight watchers will recall a similar scenario in the previously featured Street Fighter II #2, where Sagat and Ryu meet up on that same path.

To the best of my knowledge there's nothing in the games to connect these events, so it does lead one to wonder if this might be another case of UDON absorbing various influences from the Street Fighter medias.

It's interesting to observe Sagat as a purely heroic figure.
Certainly in the tradition of the games he has served the role of inadvertant villain as boss and sub-boss in the first two installments. A menacing appearance and association with Shadaloo and Bison further defined a dark path for the character, but ultimately his arc in the games represents much the same philosophies as Ryu's struggle with dark hadou.

A serious of obstacles delays the purity of Sagat's vengeful confrontations with Ryu, and ultimately he comes to renounce such a bitter goal. Even so, sins of the past continue to dog him as Dan Hibiki, in a parody of common SNK themes, seeks revenge for the death of his father, who was responsible for Sagat's eye damage. Like the recent Wizard debacle, this parody proves all too feasible in the Street Fighter world, and may be lost on many.

As we roll on to Street Fighter IV in 2008, a lot of fans are clamouring for the return of their favourite characters. I myself would delight at the opportunity to play Sagat in what is expected to be a technological revolution for the series, but at the same time, regret the potential shift in character that might incur.

We're still running considerably behind on updates, so I might leave the pondering to you, the reader. If you've got any thoughts on Sagat, or anything else Street Fighter, feel encouraged to drop a comment. Otherwise, stay tuned!

The Fight: 5.5 The Episode: 5.5

It can be surprising how often a fanbase can completely miss something as prominent as a thirty episode series. If you're among the uninitiated and are enjoying getting a sneaky look at "Street Fighter II V", stay tuned as it maintains a backbone to our Saturday Street Fights. Though as thorough as possible, note that our episode reviews leave plenty of gaps, so if you're looking for DVD set this Christmas, head over to Amazon and think about checking it out!

QUICK FIX DOUBLE FEATURE: Triumph or Die!
AKUMA versus GOUKEN
(UDON)
Where: Street Fighter II #1 When: November 2005
Why: Ken Siu-Chong How: Arn

Quick Fix...
Well, that didn't work terribly well, did it?
If you missed out, I thought I'd throw up a twenty-four hour poll to narrow down the selections for this week's Street Fighter entry. The results were... non-existent, to put it politely, which might just be a commentary about the Infintie Wars regular readers, and SF.
If you've got feelings on Street Fighter - good or bad - I encourage you to drop a comment and let us know!

In the meanwhile, we roll on to take a look at two significant historical points in the Street Figher history, each important to the shaping of destiny for the franchise mascot -- Ryu.

As significant as Ryu [and Ken] have been to identifying the series, another character has managed to follow on the tradition of the "shotos" to, for some, overshadow them. That character, as even many casual gamers will know, is Akuma; better known in Japan as Gouki.

Akuma is said to be the brother of the martial arts master who schooled Ken and Ryu in their ansatsuken style of karate. Gouken and Akuma each trained under the master Goutetsu in this style, but Akuma would become seduced by the dark power of the Hadou-ki harnessed in their style. His compulsion for fighting would see him swallowed by the dark hadou, and he would eventually kill Goutestu, perfecting his shun goku satsu attack -- the raging demon.

Akuma made his first appearance in the game series in Super Street Fighter II Turbo, leaping into the arena to defeat Bison if all sub-bosses are defeated without losing a round, before then challenging the player to final battle.
Akuma became the first hidden character in the Street Fighter series, following the now historical April Fools gag in a 1992 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, which described a non-existent secret character hidden within the game.

Becoming a stalwart of the series, Akuma would become fleshed out as a villain of murderous intent governed by a strict code. Only the strongest fighters would be worthy of his lethal intent, including Bison, whose reign as chief antagonist of the Street Fighter series would be brought to an end by the wandering fighter.

For Ken, and particularly Ryu, Akuma would remain the subject of unfinished business. Ryu's own mysterious origins would begin to intersect with Akuma's as he finds himself confronted by the same Dark Hadou that corrupted his master's killer. Fandom would begin to question whether Ryu and Akuma may be tied not only by blood spilled, but by that which flowed common in their veins.

Perhaps the only man who could have ever been trusted to deliver Ryu the truth was his adoptive father, Gouken. It was before Ryu's conquests as a Street Fighter that Gouken found himself face-to-face once more with his brother.

Confronted at his dojo, Gouken finds himself forced to fight to again prove the supremecy of his pure art over the zealous faults of the Dark Hadou.
He unleashes a mighty leaping strike on his brother, who makes the claim that Gouken should have killed him when the chance was his.

Denouncing Akuma's self-destructive path, Gouken explodes with the mastery of the unknown arts, delivering a swift kick which sets Akuma up for the rising fist of the sho ryu-ken!

The blow of the dragon fist isn't enough to rattle Akuma's cage. He charges a dark hadou-ken fireball, blasting his brother before attacking with a rising knee. He professes a the brilliance of his developed dark style, and makes threatening speculations about whether or not Gouken's students would be more receptive to his art.

Distracted by fear for Ryu, Gouken leaves himself wide open for the killing blow. Revealing to his brother the greatness of his Dark Hadou, Akuma utilizes his shun goku satsu -- raging demon attack -- murdering his own brother in his own dojo!

Leaving the symbol of his kanji smeared in the master Gouken's blood, Akuma leaves his brother dead, to be discovered by his greatest student, Ryu. So begins the inevitable clash between Ryu and Akuma. In the name of revenge, or justice?

This is the path it seems Ken Siu-Chong and UDON comics will eventually come to explore, in a far more confronting manner than that of the Alpha animated movie, which sees Akuma retaining his neutral qualities to an extreme unimaginable for a confrontation between murderer and student.

One would imagine this arc will coincide with the convergence represented by Bison's tournament, which has been alluded to as the purpose of the current incarnation of the Street Fighter II on-going series. At this point in time it's actually hard to tell if a tournament is quite literally the intentions of the writing, but I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Evil Ryu is a well known variant on the character depicted in the games, and as Ryu walks a nomadic path across the world, the series looks to poke and prod at how well prepared Ryu will be for both his confrontation with Akuma, and the possession of the Dark Hadou. The tempered change seen in Sagat [Street Fighter II #2] is a good indicator for hope for Ryu, which is a segue into...

The Fix: 4 The Issue: 5.5
Winner: Akuma

[I'm not generally a big fan of variant covers, but when it comes to an issue I'll take whatever's on the shelf. It just so happens this is a superb Ed McGuinness cover, which I'm very fond of! Arn provides a harsh digital painted style for the prologue feature here, reminiscent of Ted Wing III, who provides covers for The Kirby Martin Inquest!]

---

RYU versus SAGAT
Two Years Ago... (UDON)
Where: Street Fighter #1 When: September 2003
Why: Ken Siu-Chong How: Joe Madureira

Quick Fix...
... So, it's a bit of a Street Fighter history lesson in today's entry. Hopefully you're all paying attention, and taking notes, because there might be a make-up poll sometime in the future. (Actually, that seems highly unlikely...)

Before the eventual expansion of the [game] series with titles like Alpha, most fans were probably more familiar with Street Fighter II, whether they knew it, or not.

Alpha, [called Zero in Japan], boasts one of the fullest rosters of characters come it's third incarnation; but is traditionally regarded as a prequel, begging the question: What happened to Street Fighter 1?

Perhaps naively, I thought UDON might have taken a slower burn to the Street Fighter franchise, particularly given the good will engendered by their association with CapcomUSA. As it stands, the series have mostly been dedicated to adding a linear condition to elements established in the Alpha and SFII games, with the spine of the story revolving around, we believe, events leading up to Bison's SFII tournament.

Largely skimmed over are the events of Street Fighter, which was a significantly less successful side-scrolling beat 'em up game, maligned for it's easily broken arcade punch-pads. It featured many characters popularized through revamps in the Alpha series, most prominently; Birdie, Adon, and Gen.

Street Fighter gave a second-player the option of playing as Ken, but featured Ryu in the main player's slot, and the occupying portion of retroactive story.
It was here that Sagat made his first appearance, acting as the final regional boss in his native Thailand, and for the entire game. The canonical significance of the first game can be distilled into this single fight.

In UDON's account, Sagat taunts Ryu as he throws a spinning kick into a block.
Fighting undercover with an audience gathered, Ryu attempts to block a charged tiger blast with his own ki attack, the hadou-ken!

Sagat's blast proves too powerful, throwing the Japanese fighter into the air!

Dust kicks up as Ryu digs his heels in to screech to a grinding halt. Sagat, aggressively seeking to maintain the advantage, charges and leaps into the air, his giant Muay Thai knee leading.

Sagat's airborne attack inadvertently puts him in the perfect defenseless position for Ryu's rising shoryu-ken!

The rising dragon fist rips through Sagat's chest, spraying a gush of blood from the wound that opens up in the arc of the punch!

The mountain of Muay Thai muscle comes to a harsh crash landing! Leaving his scarred opponent in a puddle of blood, Ryu leaves victorious.

The details of the fight have varied over it's many interpretations, but the retroactive significance is always the same: This is the moment Sagat becomes Shadaloo's pawn, as he inevitably begins a bitter quest for revenge on Ryu.
The strength of their rivalry diverges depending on individual characterization, but the bond between the characters remains in most translations.

Bison is seen in the UDON strip, fulfilling his retroactive role as secret financieer for the first street fighter tournament. He would emerge from the shadows for Street Fighter II, with a trio of fighters at his side; Vega, Balrog and Sagat!

That about wraps up our passing through the Street Fighter universe for another week. If you've just joined us, you might like to know that we're sponsoring a Street Fighter into our top five ranks through weekend reviews! Duh!
Tomorrow the statistical spectacular continues as we wrap up Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Mondays with our month of DOOM! Further emphasising that as much as this is a website dedicated to superhero comics, there's no denying that the video game is friend to the fanboy.

The Fix: 5 The Issue: 6
Winner: Ryu

[This was the first time I ran across Joe Madureira's pencils since his infamous withdrawl from comics work, to "play X-box." Regular readers will know Joe Mad for his role as upcoming penciller on Ultimates 3, being written by Jeph Loeb, who will reteam with collaborator Ed McGuinness for Ultimates 4. FULL CIRCLE, peeps!]

QUICK FIX DOUBLE FEATURE: Go For Broke!
VEGA versus DAN HIBIKI
The Tournament Begins (Group TAC/Capcom/Manga Entertainment)
Where: Street Fighter Alpha When: 1999
Why: Shigeyasu Yamauchi, Joe Romersa, Reiko Yoshida, & Kirk Thornton How: Kazuyuki Ishikawa

Quick Fix...
With the various goings on around the place, we've had an influx of new readers. Some of them have actually arrived here because of previous Street Fighter entries, but for those who haven't, let it ring out through the village: I'm as keen on superheroes as I am on beat 'em ups!

Okay, so maybe not all beat 'em ups, but I think I've got the basics covered. SF, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, Dead or Alive. Sure, I can stretch to some of the others, but this would undoubtedly be my core, with DOA bridging the familiarity gap between those I'm less aware of, like the SNK series, and those I love, like Street Fighter!

Some fans might ask, why Street Fighter?
It's failed to make the transition to "3D," it doesn't have FMVs, it often lacks in the story department, and the wheels really fell off during the process of Street Fighter III and the pseudo 3D Ex series.

I'd say, sure, a lot of that is true, but the undeniable appeal of that initial idea, and the memorable revamp it underwent going into Street Fighter II keeps me wanting more. It's the characters and the style that have made a loyal fan of me, and also represent such interesting ideas for comic, manga and animé.

As a brand, Street Fighter is now regarded as little more than a nostalgia product to be regurgitated in several vaguely different forms. The product has arguably been squandered over the years, hovering too long around tweaked revisions at the cost of casting an illusion of forward momentum. SFIII, the final true attempt to move forward, remains one of the most disappointing, redeemed only by it's final revision which made long overdue inclusions of classic characters.

Consistency of characterization and the purity of the design seemed lost on the final generation of Capcom contributors. Garrish pseudo-superheroes, monsters and robots replaced the classic formula of martial arts caricatures, complimented by broad, but distinctive, ethnic strokes.

This is a fact almost certainly recognised by those that would develop the property for the minority market still interested. Largely more popular in the US, the Street Fighter Alpha animé "OVA" project was produced, paying close homage to versions of the characters not yet capitalized upon in animated form.

While Alpha stays much closer to the popular starring characters like Ryu, Ken and Chun-Li, it expands it's cast from well known supporting characters [Sakura, Birdie, Akuma] to cameos with Alpha initiates like Adon, Rolento and Cody.

Narrowly missing out on entering an American Street Fighting tournament held in a partially demolished highrise, Ken Masters accompanies an enthusiastic Sakura to find Ryu. There they witness one of the tournament matches, a brutal encounter between the vainglorious Spaniard, Vega; and the similarly arrogant, but entirely unjustified - Dan Hibiki.

Vega makes good use of his acrobatic abilities, leaping into the air with Hibiki already on the back foot after suffering a slash from Vega's wrist-mounted claw.
The Spaniard twirls earthbound, slashing this time at the pink-garbed martial artist's face.

Vega finds his way behind Dan, wrenching back on his neck before pulling back with his full weight to position Hibiki on Vega's feet. With a springy strength, the masked matador launches his opponent, catching him in mid-air with a flipping stomp. Unrelenting, Vega looks to finish the fight with trademark brutality.

Letting out a shrill scream, Vega buries his claw in the floored Hibiki's chest, erupting a volcanic explosion of blood and gore. Though his mask hides his emotions, one can only imagine the ecstatic pleasure the sadistic Vega takes.

It would be diplomatic to express some kind of interest in the Dan character, but let's be honest, the world loves a bastard. Vega is one of the prime examples of the enticing and pure characterization of Street Fighter's elite.

Vega is unashamedly comprised of utterly vivid portions of vanity, psychotic massochism, all mixed with the glamor of the Spanish matador. Though his connection to the martial arts is marginal at best (his style lazily described as Ninjitsu by American translators), he remains one of the most memorable characters to come from the first revamp, Street Fighter II.

The Alpha "movie" does manage to stay relatively faithful to the characters and concepts, even though it pinwheels on entirely original material to this particular story. Included for the first time, a data-obsessed scientist, his power absorbing android, and a much maligned fictional Brazilian brother to Ryu.

When laid out like that, it's perhaps evident just how remarkable it is that Alpha can be recalled in such positive regard. Again a testament to the power of using the characters well; Alpha peppers cameos throughout, staying closer to an independent story than the revered SFII animated feature, but utilises the cast much better than the unrelated sequel that follows: Generations.

Even so, with so much weight behind the cast of the series, it's a wonder there wasn't more effort made, particularly in the sequel, to include more characters into the story. It seems unfair to disregard the tale of Ryu/Akuma as what it is, but I think those broader, second-tier character appearances are really what remains the driving force behind any successful Street Fighter venture.

The Fix: 4.5 The Movie: 5.5
Winner: Vega

[Yes, I'm using the US names. In a perfect world we'd have a streamlined, one-answer option, but with CapcomUS now owners of the franchise, I'm pulling rank. If you're interested in Street Fighter, but are unfamiliar with the story, SFAlpha is a great place to get acquainted, particularly with core characters like Ryu and Ken.]

---

SAGAT versus DHALSIM
Yoga Mind Trick (UDON)
Where: Street Fighter II #2 When: December 2005
Why: Ken Siu-Chong How: Skottie Young

Quick Fix...
Street Fighter Alpha takes full advantage of one of the unique skills of the Japanese, maintaining a relatively simple story, but using style over substance to justify maintained interest in the product. It skillfully dwells on the minutia, without actually going into any depthy meaning or layers. It simply is what it is.

Fortunately, while many of the Street Fighter characters have struggled to develop more complex motivations in film or game; the good folks at UDON manage to maintain not only a beautiful and recognisable visual approach -- but also a script that compliments much of what we know of the characters, while still directing them in a unique, reasonably progressive story. Again, it isn't revolutionarily dense, but on the twenty-two page platform of a comic book, the luxuries afforded in animation quickly melt away.

For comics, Street Fighter perhaps represents one of the most inviting and exciting licenses available. Irrespective of it's in-built fanbase, the characters represent the ultimate in branding. Even the best of the second-tier is instantly recognisable thanks to brilliantly simple design. Each character brings not only a trademark visual, but a two-dimensional characterization that is an extention of their look, a trait that leaves plenty of room to elaborate in an on-going medium, without presenting a slate too blank to enjoy from the beginning.

These well defined characters really do lend themselves to an on-going medium, providing recognisable perspective from which they can clearly react to the on-going events of a story or situation. A true master would be able to develop and shape these characters into more depthy personas, but even the contemporary average need only stay faithful to succeed as the SF brand requires.

UDON does well to do a little bit of both, meandering it's way through familiar concepts (like Cammy White's brainwash ordeal under Bison), but also adds developing spice to stories and relationships, like Sagat's search for knowledge and power in the wake of his famous defeat at the hands of Ryu (circa the first, often forgotten side-scrolling Street Fighter game).

Either taking inspiration from the Street Fighter II V animated series, or arriving by the same logics; UDON takes Ryu on a journey to the mysterious yoga master, Dhalsim. Hoping to find inner peace and a control over the potential of the dark hadou energy, Ryu discovers Sagat, who has also been training to control his inner rages and become a better fighter.

In this back-up story taking place after Sagat's defeat of Ryu [Street Fighter II #2], we learn of Sagat's journey with Dhalsim, and the beginnings of his exploration of the mysterious yoga arts.

With the glow of a campfire to light them, Sagat confronts Dhalsim in the heart of a forest. There he challenges Dhalsim to prove the value of his yoga teachings, apparently unconvinced of their capability to aid his already impressive strengths.

Dhalsim gladly takes the challenge, using his defying contortions to evade Sagat's kicking attack. Instead of matching the violence, the stoic Dhalsim makes a fool of Sagat's brutish style, forcing blood to cascade from the Muay Thai fighter's nose with little more than the power of his energy.

Dhalsim follows it - extending his limbs to strike Sagat's proud jaw - before sending him through a tree with a devestating body blow.

The yoga master schools Sagat not in the physical art of fighting, but the clarity of mind. He decrys Sagat's motivations, and willing surrender to anger and hatred, "... the most distracting and dangerous of those emotions."

With quiet confidence, Dhalsim declares there is much he can teach Sagat, before punctuating his point with his signature attack, the yoga flame!

On his knees, Sagat opens his eye to discover he is unharmed. Dhalsim reveals the power of the mind, prompting Sagat to take a meditative position by the campfire. He is now Dhalsim's student.

Most casual fans will recognise Sagat as the scarred Muay Thai fighter of the series, and may even recall his position as final of the three sub-bosses in Street Fighter II. He supersedes Balrog (boxer) and Vega (see above) as Shadaloo bosses working for Bison, his motivations directly influenced by his apparent defeat (and scarring) at the hands of Ryu, who defeated him with the legendary sho-ryu ken attack that left his chest marked forevermore.

It's those origins that always leave me a little conflicted about a Sagat who is portrayed in a more positive style. In the TV anime series, SFII V, Sagat is portrayed as a fallen champion who was framed when he refused to take a dive for the criminal pawns of Shadaloo, the Ashura. In prison he encounters Ryu, undertaking a similar quest to develop his martial arts skills, and the two become friends as Ryu reignites his fighting spirit and good heart.

If I had to choose, I'd definitely take the UDON version.
Having missed a chunk of the first series, I'm not certain when I assume Sagat has not yet come into the service of Shadaloo. His motivations resemble Ryu's more closely, desiring only of fighting superiority, initially in the name of besting Ryu in a rematch, but after Dhalsim's training, in a more general sense.

Sagat, like Vega, is one of those secondary characters that really jazzes me.
Highlighted by his varying characterization, Sagat's story really doesn't begin until it breaks away from Ryu, and even then further depth is sketchy, additions like his service to Bison, and his arrogant student, Adon, being noteworthy.

Still, despite this general consistency of minimally developed characters, I just can't get enough of Street Fighter. Still months behind on purchases, it's perhaps the UDON translated manga and original releases I'm missing the most right now. Maybe to make up for it, we'll consider a little experiment...

The Street Fighter universe famously brought about a convergence between gamers and comic fans with the Capcom versus Marvel series, and it's many different entries. On a website dedicated to ranking superheroes based on their fights, can they possibly hold their own against an incursion of street fighters?

There are only three months left in season 2007, so maybe we'll play a little game with Saturdays. Let's see if A) I can keep it up, and B) if a Street Fighter character can usurp a top five ranking in 2007 before the year is through.
One would expect someone like a Ryu to take the spot, but without specifically contriving such a result, we'll leave it open. We may just get a surprise!

The Fix: 3.5 The Issue: 6
Winner: Dhalsim

[UDON continue to honour Capcom with their contributions to the Street Fighter franchise. Will they contribute to catapulting a Street Fighter into the Infinite Wars top five? Drop a comment and show your interest, and stay tuned to see if the impossible can happen! Get ready fighters. Go for broke!]

RYU versus SAGAT
(UDON Comics)
Where: Street Fighter II #2 When: December 2005
Why: Ken Siu-Chong How: Alvin Lee

The story so far...
Having already tasted defeat at the hands of the murderous Akuma; Ryu sets out to better prepare himself for avenging his master, Gouken.

Seeking balance and means to protect himself from being engulfed by the same dark hadou that seduced Akuma, Ryu follows his nemesis Sagat to India.

There he finds the yoga master Dhalsim, who has taken Sagat as his student. Ryu is intrigued by Dhalsim's passive teachings of strength of mind, and ponders how such uncharacteristic techniques could be employed by Sagat.

Just a he asks his question, the answer emerges from behind the curtain.
Ryu stands face to face with his nemesis: the Muay Thai champion - Sagat.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Sagat 4 (Steroid Popper)
Intelligence: Sagat 2 (Normal Human)
Speed: Ryu 3 (Trained Athlete)
Stamina: Ryu 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Ryu 2 (Normal Human)
Fighting Ability: Ryu 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy Powers: Ryu 3 (Expolsives)

Like so many times before, these stats do not accurately capture just how tight a match up this is. Like so many classic feuds, this is potentially a see-sawing situation, with both characters being incredibly well matched.
These stats are, however, probably somewhat indicative of Ryu's legendary victory over Sagat.

Perhaps the most notable gap between the two is strength.
Though there's a legitimate argument that strength in a human fight is only so effective, when possessed by a fighter as skilled as Sagat, it regains it's credibility as a supreme advantage.

Sagat's strength is inherently connected to his incredible size, which also extends to give him an advantage of reach. This makes his Muay Thai kicks all the more formidable, not to discount his mighty punches.

Ryu's superior speed is a potential counter for some of Sagat's advantages of size and strength. Particularly in the case of tiger energy attacks, where Sagat is perhaps slightly slower and less naturally gifted with harnessing his chi.
The hadou techniques employed by Ryu are also a distinct advantage, quite apparently more powerful than Sagat, particularly before his extended training.

It was Ryu's sho-ryu-ken attack that scarred Sagat's chest.

Rounded down, Sagat is an incredibly formidable opponent by any measure.
That said, Ryu's skill and development characteristic to many Japanese martial arts heroes places him ahead of the pack. His earnest, good nature always ensures a potential comeback in the face of adversity, also.

What went down...
Energies crackle as the two mighty world warriors clash.
Sagat's newly grounded focus makes his tiger fists surprisingly effective in an energy clash against hadou chi.

Ryu hurtles through the wall of Dhalsim's temple, rolling with the blow to ready himself for the stalking Sagat.

Sagat throws a verbal assault, questioning Ryu's motives for seeking him out before the next Street Fighter tournament. It was there he had intended to reveal to Ryu his true power, under the situation of a rematch.

Struggling to block a diving foot, Ryu throws a kick and reveals that he sought Sagat out because he respected his prowess as a fighter, and needed his help in order to tame the dark energies threatening his soul.

Ryu leaps a tiger blast, countering with a tornado kick, which Sagat blocks.
He continues to compliment Sagat, whilst ducking a roundhouse kick, but the Muay Thai king is only insulted by Ryu's implication that he provided little more than a sparring opportunity.

Sagat shows just what kind of sparring partner he can be, delivering a thunderous knee to the jaw of the rattled Ryu.
Ryu notes the greater focus and controlled strength in the once brazen fighter. He delivers a fist, but the "effortless" strokes of the Muay Thai king continued to be too much for the Japanese shotokan fighter.

Ryu was able to block an elbow, and dodge a roundhouse, but Sagat's fluid motions connected into another devestating knee, this time to the stomach.

As Ryu begins to desperately question his ability to avenge his murdered master, Dhalsim solemnly declares that Sagat's victory is guaranteed.
"Ryu... You are fighting with despair and rage in your fists. You have already lost."

As Ryu looks to land a distracted punch, Sagat finds an unlikely opening and seizes it.
With energies crackling, Sagat unleashes the science of the eight limbs on Ryu in a devestating Tiger Raid combination. The finishing attack is so powerful, it sends Ryu into an adjacent wall.

With his opponent hunched against the wall, Sagat moves in, but does not finish him. Instead, to Ryu's surprise, he strikes the wall beside him, and walks away.

Sagat tells Ryu that he will be granted the same opportunity to train under Dhalsim before they meet again, and when they do, it will be at the rightful place - the upcoming Street Fighter tournament.
He tells Ryu that if it is the darkness in his soul that he must master, then Dhalsim's sage training is the answer.

Sagat then bows before Dhalsim, thanking and acknowledging all the truths he spoke. And then, he leaves Ryu to train.

The hammer...
Well, who would've thought back at the beginning that it would be Sagat who not only walks away victorious, but also takes the moral high ground.

In various mediums the character has been interpreted many different ways, and I have to admit, initially I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about this righteous Sagat. Ultimately, I think he's probably handled quite superbly, and faithfully to the source material of the video games.

Although not necessarily very poignant or trendy, I'd have to call this one of the best books coming out right now. Having grown up loving Street Fighter and it's characters, I'm probably not the most impartial source to ask, but I honestly think this just has to be one of the most exciting books going around.
In fact, it joins Blue Beetle and Nextwave in a month of picks that were chosen just because they made me so enthusiastic.

UDON's long awaited venture into publishing brings with it it's own special advantages and disadvantages.

Being an artist driven venture highlights perhaps both the good and the bad.
One of my first criticisms would be the multitude of variant covers coming from the group. This remnant of the collector's boom of the nineties has begun to make itself a prevelant fact of our industry once more, but unlike some other fans, I'm not one to change my mind on the matter because of trends.

While not one to support variant covers, I won't let a second or third cover stand in the way of availability. I was only able to pick up the "2B" cover of this particular issue, and I have to give full credit to UDON and Skottie Young for a pretty superb piece of art. In fact, that is true of the entire production.

Utilizing space and resources well, UDON offers up a truly cinematic experience with it's CG laced, Capcom inspired art. Any fan of the Street Fighter series will be thoroughly impressed by the art direction Alvin Lee follows.
This style truly grounds every punch, kick, and yoga flame in the Street Fighter universe, and as a diehard fan, I love every minute of it.

The adaptation process deserves further praise on the writing side, also.
While not the most subtle or refined piece of writing, the overall character arcs and traits are asthetically pleasing. Drawing from a canon that is far less specific than a Tekken or Mortal Kombat, UDON and Ken Siu-Chong do well to steer close enough to the canon of the video games, while still telling an original and linear story.
Fans of the video games won't be spoiling the next page for their friends, but this touch ensure an extra fanboy buzz where projects like the Street Fighter II V animé series, or the previously reviewed Tokuma effort, don't have the joy of familiar characterization.

Of course, as I said, being so art driven, this might not be for the ilk particularly attracted to the thick, dialogue driven contemporary books that sell so well.
This certainly isn't the book for the insecure comic reader. Sometimes a little obvious, but always entertaining, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in over the top martial arts, and/or pretty fight books.

No doubt you'll be seeing more Street Fighter reviews (and praise) from me in the future. I love it!

The Fight: 5 The Issue: 6

NEXT: We wrap up the three-month DC versus Marvel madness, and examine just who really won the war. It's a Secret Wars on Infinite Earths spectacular! Be here!