Dynamic Italia
Street Fighter II - Victory

Since I reviewed the (lousy) film based on the video game of the same name, I feel compelled to review the anime also based on the video game “Street Fighter II.”

Produced in Japan in 1995, it was distributed in Italy a few years later (in 1997, when I was still 17 years old and physically functional).

I must say that “Street Fighter II” as a game always attracted me, but I never played it much in the arcades because I was really awful. I couldn't achieve anything, not even with the strongest characters. Better at the PC where I had infinite possibilities to continue.

Putting aside these memories, I feel the need to make an important clarification. Although the anime in question bears the name “Street Fighter II Victory” (I've never understood the “Victory”), it has absolutely nothing to do with “Street Fighter II.” On the contrary, the anime seems to be much more inspired by the video game “Street Fighter Alpha” and its successors (my favorites). This is true both in terms of plot and character design. While some characters look different in appearance (starting with Ryu, who is presented as a 16-year-old boy with spiky hair, Chun-Li, 15, much more graceful in the anime design, and not least, Charlie, completely different from the video game character), many other “distinguished colleagues” from street fighting do not even appear (like Blanka or Honda).

In short, this little twist might have made the anime less enjoyable, especially in the eyes of the most ardent fans of “Street Fighter II.”

Another thing that was decided to implement was keeping the Western names of the characters unchanged, so as not to further disrupt the plot. For those who do not know, in the Land of the Rising Sun, where the games & manga were conceived (including the anime), the names are entirely different. For example, the Western M. Bison is the Eastern Commander Vega; the boxer Balrog is Bison in the East; the masked “flying” warrior Vega is Balrog in the East. Charlie in the East is called Nash, and finally, Akuma (the legendary Akuma!) is called Gouki in the East.

Other (painful) notes on the characters. In the video game “Street Fighter II,” Shadow Law (Bison's organization) is essentially composed of Sagat, Balrog, and Bison himself. Here, however, we find Sagat, undisputed and famous champion of Muay Thai, among the good guys, imprisoned in a Thai jail because of Ashura (a “branch” of Shadow Law). In prison, he will clash with Ryu, becoming his friend.
In reality (that of “Street Fighter Alpha” and the “Street Fighter-World” in the manga), Sagat and Ryu are linked by a historical rivalry. Indeed, the latter, during a fight, struck him hard, leaving a scar along his entire chest and defeating him, thus winning the “Street Fighting” tournament title. Indeed, in the “Street Fighter Alpha” video game, it is Sagat who is the final opponent of Ryu, and when the two meet, Sagat touches the scar, swearing revenge.

Again, the character of Balrog is completely out of place! Beyond not being a boxer (although he has the physical characteristics), he becomes a corrupt Interpol agent paid by Bison to kill Inspector Dorai, Chun-Li's father, tasked with investigating Shadow Law.

Putting aside these details, it is also possible to infer a strong connection to “Street Fighter Alpha 2 and 3,” where the final boss of ALL fighters is Bison. The link is represented by the inclusion, for example, of Charlie, a great friend of Guile (perhaps the only connecting element with “Street Fighter II,” both in appearance and in his role as an air force sergeant). Poor Charlie, besides being completely redesigned and rendered unrecognizable (from blond, he becomes brown-haired and bearded!), is destined to die even in the anime (indeed, in both “Street Fighter Alpha” and “Street Fighter Alpha 2,” even though he wins against Bison, Charlie has an ending where he dies. Mbah! However, in “Street Fighter Alpha 3,” he will take his revenge!). Another connection with the “Alpha” series is the presence of the ultimate babe Cammy White, Balrog's hired killer, tasked with eliminating Dorai (in reality, she believes she must eliminate a dangerous, infiltrated, and corrupt agent. When she discovers the truth, for Balrog, it will be “tough nuts” or, better, paraphrasing a famous phrase of the legendary Lino Banfi, for Balrog it will be “diabetic birds”!!!). It doesn't end here. The character of Fei Long, for example, is an additional element of connection with the “Alpha-game” series. Born as a “tribute” to the legendary Bruce Lee, he was first introduced in one of the series following “Street Fighter II” (“Super Street Fighter II” in 1993). We will find him in “Street Fighter Alpha 3,” extremely strong and deadly. While in the anime, we will only witness a couple of fights. The first with Ken (very nice) in which he loses, the second with Cammy where there will be no winners or losers.

Moving on to the anime plot, it develops over 29 episodes, overall enjoyable and full of twists.

Briefly, Ryu from Japan receives a letter from Ken inviting him to America to stay with him for a while. Without thinking twice, Ryu rushes to his old friend, with whom he shared most of his childhood. Ken Master (the character's full name) will host Ryu at his house. To celebrate, they will decide to go out at night and have fun at a pub where they will encounter air force soldiers. I won't elaborate too much. The fact is that both Ryu and Ken will be beaten soundly, not by the soldiers, but by Guile alone, who will prove to be an unbeatable colossus.

From here, the decision to travel the world to meet all the best street fighters to challenge them. Thus begin the adventures of the duo, which will later become a trio (Chun-Li will join, the least serious character in the whole series who loses her head for Ken…).

During their trip to Thailand, with Sagat's help, they will discover the existence of Hado, a very strong spiritual force known only by an Indian ascetic. And it is in India that they will meet Dhalsim, initially hostile, who will then understand the boys' good intentions and teach Ryu Hado, who will, in turn, transform this spiritual energy into offensive energy (Hadoken).

And here, they got it all wrong. Because both Ryu and Ken have always known and been able to use Hadoken, a fundamental move of the Yuen school to which they belong. Trained in the fictional discipline of Akatsuken by their master Gouken, they learned the three main deadly moves of their martial art, namely Tatsumakisenpukyaku (the famous “spinning” kick), Shoryuken (or dragon punch), and finally, Hadoken (wave punch).

I just can't digest this discrepancy with the manga and the video game, especially because only Ryu will be able to master the energy of Hado, while Ken will manage toward the end, inventing a move with a ridiculous name (which means absolutely nothing), the “Hado-Shoryuken.” Ken’s lethal move has always been the Shoryuken, with various variants (like the “Shin-Ryuken” or “Shoryu Reppa”).

Fundamentally, in techniques, Ryu has always been superior in the use of Hadoken, while Ken in that of Shoryuken (which at maximum level becomes fiery).

All these details, their inclusion, could have made the anime much more beautiful and interesting.

Although that pseudo “Hado-Shoryuken” gets fiery, it is also true that it has nothing to do with the real Hado, which is a completely different thing in itself. However, the anime, I repeat, does not spare twists. From Ryu's kidnapping by the strong (and idiotic) Zangief, Ryu and Chun-Li's submission to Bison (who will physically violate Chun-Li… Sick pedophile!) with the implantation of a will-control microchip that will pit the two friends against each other in an epic duel to the death (and here, we see a “faint” connection with the manga, where the two friends are destined to face each other in a mortal duel which, in the anime, is not mortal); to the fight between Vega and Ken in the steel cage where the Spanish bullfighter (Vega is a bullfighter) jumps like a spring and delivers deadly blows up to the final 3-way duel with Bison, starring Ryu, Ken and Bison determined to save their skins, not to mention their assets and, finally, the world’s fate (but why do the bad guys always want to dominate the world?). And it will be here where we witness Bison’s supreme power, who will not hold back at all, even using his “Psycho Crusher,” a devastating weapon and another connecting element with the “Alpha” series.

What else to say? Little to nothing.

I found the series enjoyable. The connecting elements with “Street Fighter II” are indeed sparse (Guile, Zangief, and Dhalsim). Not even Ryu can be defined as such because of the character design that distorts him. The same goes for Chun-Li and Ken (the latter much more similar to the “Street Fighter Alpha” design), and at this point, I truly don’t see why the animated series was named “Street Fighter II Victory,” with that “II” that has nothing to do with it. “Street Fighter” alone would have sufficed.

Bison is incredibly evil. Sagat is too good, Balrog is too foolish, Fei Long is completely diminished in his role (I would have given him a more prominent role…), and Cammy… regrettably too enticing to be just an animated drawing…

Fundamentally, the anime, blessed with the excellent soundtrack “Tra Cielo E Terra” by Dhamm, overall, succeeded (except for some episodes where too many things are thrown in and stretched out). And it can easily pass with a satisfactory mark, even if it doesn’t earn full marks.

Lastly, a curiosity. Earlier, I mentioned the character Akuma, and I did it on purpose. In fact, Akuma appears sporadically in some of the anime episodes (we find him in India or, for example, in the hospital with an arm in a cast). I didn't understand the reasons for these appearances, which are truly idiotic.

I was truly disappointed not to see my favorite character from the entire “Street Fighter Saga” in action, the strongest, most powerful, and “complete” in every aspect. The one who first awakened the “dark side of the Hado”…

But this is another story that I might narrate in a (probable and only potential) review of the Street Fighter manga (or the video game, “Alpha” series, my favorite).

For now, I'll just say goodbye and invite you to enjoy the anime in question, should you not have done so already.

Sayonara a tutti, guys!