Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie

Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, known as Street Fighter II Movie (ストリートファイター II MOVIE) in Japan and Australia, is a 1994 Japanese animated film adaptation of the Street Fighter II fighting games written by Kenichi Imai, directed by Gisaburō Sugii and animated by Group TAC. The film, originally released in Japan on August 8, 1994, has been adapted into English in dubbed and subtitled format by Manga Entertainment. Group TAC later produced the anime series Street Fighter II V. The fight sequences of the film were choreographed by K-1 founder Kazuyoshi Ishii and professional fighter Andy Hug.

Plot
The opening credits roll and screen a fight between Japanese martial artist Ryu, and Muay Thai champion Sagat. During the battle, Sagat is about to defeat his opponent, but Ryu scars him with the Shoryuken and ends the fight with a Hadouken.

Years later, following the assassination of the Minister of Justice in London, Albert Sellers, by Cammy, a brainwashed MI6 agent, Chun-Li, an Interpol investigator, suggests that they join forces with the U.S. military to conduct an investigation against Shadaloo. However, Captain Guile, who is out for revenge against Shadaloo's leader, M. Bison, refuses the alliance, preferring to hunt Bison down alone. Elsewhere, at his base in Thailand, Bison orders a worldwide manhunt for Ryu, having witnessed his spectacular fighting potential during the battle with Sagat, whom he has now recruited into his criminal organization, along with the Spanish claw-wielding narcissist Vega and the American belligerent boxer Balrog. However, Ryu's ability to hide his power has stopped the monitor cyborgs from detecting him, even during his fights with Fei-Long and some Shadowlaw thugs in India.

In the United States, Ryu's former training partner and rival, Ken Masters, is facing problems of his own. Although he is in a relationship with Eliza, he still yearns for a worthy challenge, having fought no one as good as Ryu since they parted ways years before. During a tussle between Ken and Thunder Hawk, a monitor cyborg catches sight of Ken's abilities and notifies Bison, who learns of Ryu and Ken's common history and their near-equal fighting skills.

Chun-Li tracks down Guile, showing him he can't do it on his own, and eventually persuades him to put his personal vendetta on hold and accept Interpol's help. In his first act, Guile warns the Jamaican fighter Dee Jay that Shadaloo is targeting him, and Chun-Li destroys a nearby monitor cyborg to prove it. Watching on a monitor from his VTOL jet, Bison dispatches Vega to kill her. After showering in her apartment, Chun-Li finds herself ambushed by the assassin and a brutal fight ensues. Guile hears about it and races to the apartment. Though Chun-Li manages to defeat Vega before Guile arrives, she is severely wounded by his iron claw and falls into a coma shortly after the latter arrives on the scene. She is hospitalized and apparently fighting for her life. At the hospital, Guile learns from Interpol about Ken and his past with Ryu. They attempt to find him, but unfortunately, Bison arrives ahead of them and captures Ken, brainwashing him into becoming his newest soldier in Ryu's place. Shortly thereafter, Guile and Interpol manage to locate Ryu, training with E. Honda in the mountains of Thailand.

Guile races to his location and warns him about Ken, but Bison suddenly arrives and unleashes Ken upon Ryu. Ken beats Ryu savagely, and Ryu, unwilling to harm his possessed friend, does not fight back. Bison confronts and defeats Guile, but, as a final insult, leaves him alive, while Balrog emerges from the VTOL and engages Honda, who defeats him. Battered and bleeding, Ryu finally resolves to fight back against Ken, but memories of their past together wreak havoc on Ken's mind and he finally breaks free of Bison's influence. Enraged, Bison attacks Ken with his Psycho Power and tosses away his unconscious body. Infuriated, Ryu attempts to do battle with Bison, but has very limited success. As they fight, Ken awakens and uses his master's teachings to mend his broken body and rejoin the battle. Bison having the clear advantage using his Psycho Power's teleportation, opts to fight them on their own level instead. Through a combined effort, Ryu and Ken manage to pummel Bison into submission, and seize the opportunity to launch a combined Hadouken which hits Bison square and rockets him into the sky. However, the Hadouken immediately returns and hits Bison's VTOL jet, with Bison himself nowhere to be seen. Honda, meanwhile, recovers the bodies of Guile and Balrog.

Interpol and the U.S. military destroy Shadaloo's base in Thailand, putting an end to the crime syndicate. Guile is called urgently to the hospital. He finds that Chun-Li is awake and overjoyed at the news of Shadaloo's fall, while Guile is delighted that she has woken from her coma. Elsewhere, Ryu and Ken bid each other farewell and part ways once again. As Ryu begins his journey anew, he is ambushed from behind by a huge truck with Bison in the driver's seat, having somehow survived their previous battle. Ryu leaps towards the truck to fight Bison again.

Characters

 * Main


 * Secondary

1995 home video version
Two English dubbed versions were released directly to VHS and Laserdisc in 1995 by SMV Enterprises: a tamer, PG-13 version and an unrated version which contains, among other things, a slightly more revealing shower scene featuring Chun-Li that is still censored from the original Japanese version. The UK version contains the Chun-Li shower scene and all profanity and is rated 15 by the BBFC. In addition, a slightly different version of this movie appears on both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the Street Fighter Anniversary Collection as a bonus feature accessible from Hyper Street Fighter II 's Gallery Mode. It is more censored than the PG-13 version in terms of language, and contains some other minor edits not related to mature or vulgar content. The American VHS releases and the version in the North American Street Fighter Anniversary Collection were pan and scan while the Region 1 DVD has non-anamorphic widescreen. The European VHS version is non-anamorphic widescreen. These localized English versions replaced used licensed, popular alternative, Western soundtracks from Korn, KMFDM, Alice in Chains, Silverchair and other bands, as well an instrumental score.

2006 DVD version
An Uncut, Uncensored, Unleashed DVD of the movie was released on July 18, 2006 and addresses the complaints made about the censored English versions of the film in 1995. Unlike the previous unrated version released in the US which was still censored, this release is uncut from the original Japanese version and for the first time ever (for non-Japanese releases of this movie), it contains the original Japanese soundtrack in addition to the English soundtrack (both featuring a new Dolby Digital 5.1 mix). It is a double-sided DVD, with one side containing the English dub with the English soundtrack and the other side containing the original Japanese voices with the original Japanese soundtrack with optional English subtitles.

The video on the English and Japanese sides differ, though, with the Japanese side sporting what appears to be a new, higher quality transfer from the original Japanese master. Like the original Japanese release and the UK release, the movie is presented in 1.85:1 non-anamorphic widescreen. Also, the addition of Chun-Li's shower scene and a longer credit roll makes the Japanese cut of the film longer by three minutes. The dubbed U.S. and UK versions are still slightly cut. The U.S. version has two words containing "f---" from it, one with the scene with Dee Jay and the scene with Bison, Guile, E. Honda, Ryu, and Ken.

The Australian Manga/Madman DVD release is the only version of the movie to date that is completely uncut outside of Japan as Madman and Manga used the original Japanese negatives for the Australian release instead of using Manga UK or USA's masters for unexplained reasons. The English dub on the disc is the original dub recorded by Manga Entertainment and Animaze, free from any editing of profanity and both English and Japanese dubs have been remixed into 5.1 audio. Easter eggs on the DVD contain three Japanese trailers for the movie as well as the Japanese master of the movie which contains the original Japanese credits. The aspect ratio of the Australian release is an anamorphic 1.77:1.

Netflix
As part of their 2008 deal with Starz Entertainment, Netflix made the first completely uncut version of the film available on demand, which includes the unedited shower scene featuring Chun-Li, as well as both uses of the word "fuck" not available in previous U.S. releases. This version of the film is dubbed in English with the original Japanese soundtrack in addition to the Western soundtrack.

Street Fighter Anniversary Collector's box
A Blu-ray release was included with the Street Fighter Anniversary Collector's boxset, which was released on September 18, 2012. Unfortunately the quality of the movie is neither 1080p nor 720p and contains no nudity, according to the interview with CAPCOM's product manager:

''- Will the Street Fighter II movie be on Bluray for the 360 edition? For the PS3 edition? Will it be 1080p?

- It will be included on the Blu-ray for both versions, and it will be in standard definition (no HD version exists).''

''-What edit of the animated SF2 movie is being included? Is it going to be completely uncut?

''-I kinda know what this basically boils down to, and the answer is, no nipples. Sorry.

2013 Kaze Release
The film was released with a fresh 16:9 1080p transfer on Blu-ray and as a DVD/Blu combo set in 2013 by Kaze in France with the standalone Blu-ray being distributed in the United Kingdom by Manga UK. The release uses stereo audio tracks of the French, original Japanese and heavily censored English dubs (lacking the 5.1 mixes included with the 2006 release) but features the full uncut video with the Chun-Li shower scene intact. The English subtitles are forced and are derived from the Japanese language track.

Japanese version
There were two CDs released in Japan of the soundtrack.

First CD (release date 8/01/1994):
 * 1) Yuji Toriyama – Fighting Street
 * 2) Yuji Toriyama – "Plot"
 * 3) Big Life – "Cry"
 * 4) Yuji Toriyama – "Enter VEGA"
 * 5) Ryoko Shinohara w Tetsuya Komuro – "Itoshisa To Setsunasa To Kokoro Tsuyosato"
 * 6) Yuji Toriyama – "Battle-Blanka & Zangief"
 * 7) Alpha-Lyla – "Break!"
 * 8) Yuji Toriyama – "Mission"
 * 9) Alpha-Lyla – "Kitsusuki Nagara Atsukunare"
 * 10) Yuji Toriyama – "Assassination"
 * 11) Yuji Toriyama – "Farewell – Ryu & Ken"
 * 12) Ryoko Shinohara w Tetsuya Komuro – "GooD LucK"
 * 13) Yoko Shimomura – "A Riddle/Gouki Theme" (bonus track)

Second CD (Release date 11/21/1994):

The entire second CD consisted of the musical score pieces by Tetsuya Komuro that did not appear on the first CD.


 * 1) "Opening Fight - Ryu vs. Sagat"
 * 2) "Ryu's Training"
 * 3) "Ryu and Ken's Friendship"
 * 4) "Fei Long and Ryu's Battle"
 * 5) "Fei Long and Ryu's Quiet Friendship"
 * 6) "Honda and Dhalsim's Battle"
 * 7) "Chun Li"
 * 8) "Dee Jay"
 * 9) "Balrog's Eyes"
 * 10) "Balrog and Chun Li's Battle"
 * 11) "Vega Psycho Power"
 * 12) "Possessed Ken"
 * 13) "Ryu and Ken (Wake Up, Ken!)"
 * 14) "Life and Death Struggle"
 * 15) "Heated Friendship"
 * 16) "Chun Li's Sad News"
 * 17) Ryoko Shinohara w Tetsuya Komuro – "Itoshisa To Setsunasa To Kokoro Tsuyosa To (Q Sound Mixed Version)"

Both CDs were released in Japan by Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.

English version
The Alternative/Grunge-oriented musical score for the English version was composed by Cory Lerios and John D'Andrea.

Songs featured in the movie include:


 * 1) Korn – "Blind"
 * 2) Alice in Chains – "Them Bones"
 * 3) Silverchair – "Israel's Son"
 * 4) In the Nursery – "Hallucinations" (Dream World Mix)
 * 5) Black/Note – "Evil Dancer"
 * 6) KMFDM – "Ultra"
 * 7) Smokin' Suckaz wit Logic – "Cuz I'm Like Dat"
 * 8) Intermix – "Mantra"

Video game
Capcom produced a video game adaptation of the film simply titled Street Fighter II MOVIE. The game was released exclusively in Japan for the PlayStation on December 15, 1995, and for the Sega Saturn on March 15, 1996. Despite the similar title, it is unrelated to the arcade game Street Fighter: The Movie, nor with the home console game of the same name, both based on the live-action film. Although unreleased in America, the game was shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo under the title of Street Fighter II: The Interactive Movie.

The player takes control of a new type of cyborg that has been secretly developed by Shadaloo. The objective of the game is to develop the Cyborg's abilities by analyzing the fighting techniques of martial artists around the world in order to gain enough strength to challenge Ryu in combat. The gameplay consists of watching FMV clips from the actual movie itself (as well as scenes made specifically for the game itself) and analyzing them using the "search" command. For example, if the scene is shown which involves a character performing a kick technique, then the cyborg's kick abilities will increase by pointing and clicking on the character's kicks. On each stage, the player has a limited amount of time to analyze their surrounding as much as possible in order to gather the most data.

While the majority of the game is strictly a life simulation, the final battle between the Cyborg and Ryu is a one-on-one fighting segment that features the same game system as Super Street Fighter II Turbo (including the presence of the Super Combo gauge). All of the Cyborg's acquired abilities can be put to use in battle. The Cyborg's special moves are the same ones used by Ken in Super Street Fighter II Turbo, including his Shōryū Reppa Super Combo.

The player can keep track of their Cyborg's development via a save file or through a passcode and test their Cyborg's current abilities against a virtual hologram of Ryu. This practice segments can also be played with a second player. The game also includes a database featuring information on the characters from the film.

Manga
A manga adaptation of the film was authored by Takayuki Sakai and serialized in the monthly CoroCoro Comic in 1994, later republished in a single collected edition. An English adaptation of this manga was published Viz Communications as a six-issue comic book in 1996.

Reception
The movie was released to a generally favourable response, earning a 74% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie was praised for its semi-realistic fight sequences. It was also praised for its faithful treatment of the source material. It is often highly regarded as the best Street Fighter anime as well as one of the best video game to movie adaptions. It is widely considered to be far superior to the 1994 adaptation starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raúl Juliá, although it gained a small cult following during the years.

Legacy
The movie served as the basis for Street Fighter Alpha. Many elements and character designs were integrated into future games of the series (in particular, the Street Fighter Alpha series). The film's final battle is very loosely adapted into Ryu's story in Street Fighter Alpha 3, where Ryu's sub-boss is a brainwashed Ken, whom he must defeat before facing Bison.

The movie's success lead to the production of Street Fighter II V, an anime series depicting younger versions of Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li travelling the world and meeting and battling various fighters such as Guile, Fei-Long, Sagat, Dhalsim, Vega, Cammy, Balrog and M. Bison; and Street Fighter Alpha, an anime film depicting the appearance of a young boy named Shun claiming to be Ryu's younger brother and apparently possessing a connection with Akuma, a man once acquainted with Ryu. Though neither is set in the same continuity as the film, the English dub of both productions saw a handful of the film's voice actors reprising their roles.