The Street Fighter Movie Revives a 30-Year-Old Rivalry

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Capcom gave everyone their first glimpse of the new Street Fighter movie at The Game Awards 2025. This film, a Paramount Pictures production, will be very different from the 1994 version starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. While the older movie attempted a more realistic take on the Street Fighter world, the new one is embracing the over-the-top and quirky elements of the games. The filmmakers are paying close attention to detail, with costumes and character designs – like Ryu and Ken’s karate uniforms and Guile’s famously large hairstyle – being directly inspired by Street Fighter II.

However, this isn’t true for the character Dan Hibiki, a comical version of Ryu and Ken who first appeared in the 1995 game Street Fighter Alpha. In the games, Dan usually wears a pink karate uniform similar to Ryu and Ken’s, but with a dark t-shirt instead of going bare-chested. For the film, he’ll be sporting a pink suit and a gold necklace with a coin-shaped pendant.

Dan Hibiki Was a Jab at Another Fighting Game Character

In the Street Fighter series, Dan is intentionally designed to be a weak and comical character. He fights using a style similar to Ryu, Ken, and Akuma, but he’s much less skilled. The game’s story explains this by saying he didn’t finish his training and has to make things up as he goes along. However, the reason for his weakness actually comes from a playful jab at someone involved in the game’s development.

Following the massive success of Street Fighter II, Takashi Nishiyama, a former Capcom employee, developed a fighting game for SNK called Art of Fighting. Some people at Capcom believed Art of Fighting was a strong competitor, and its main character, Ryo Sakazaki, was often compared to Ryu from Street Fighter.

Dan was designed as a joke character to playfully mock SNK and their game, Art of Fighting. He shares some similarities with Ryo—both wear shirts under their martial arts uniforms and throw fireballs using only one hand, unlike most characters with that fighting style in Street Fighter. Dan’s long ponytail hairstyle is also a nod to Robert Garcia, Ryo’s friend. By making Dan a purposefully weak fighter, Capcom was essentially making fun of the characters in Art of Fighting.

Capcom and SNK have a long-standing and collaborative relationship. This is evident in recent games like Street Fighter VI, which included characters from SNK, and Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, which featured characters from Street Fighter. Despite this cooperation, a playful competition remains between the companies, highlighted by the recurring character Dan in the Street Fighter series. Later Street Fighter games playfully referenced SNK’s Art of Fighting by adding details to Dan’s outfit similar to those worn by Ryo.

The Street Fighter Film Understands the Games

How does all of this connect to the new movie adaptation? Some viewers have pointed out that Dan’s outfit looks a lot like the ones worn by Robert Garcia in Art of Fighting, aside from the colors. While the suit itself isn’t too unique, the necklace really confirms the connection, as it’s been a signature part of Robert’s design since the original game. In the film, Dan is still meant to be a humorous take on SNK fighting games, but he seems to be more inspired by Robert than by Ryo this time around.

Dan probably won’t have a major role in the movie. He only appeared in a couple of quick scenes in the trailer, and the last one showed him being easily defeated by Zangief. This quick loss seems designed to emphasize how strong Zangief is before he fights a more important character. That said, the filmmakers clearly know the Street Fighter universe well, as evidenced by Dan’s accurate costume.

The filmmakers aren’t just copying the original material; they’re including subtle references and inside jokes that most viewers probably won’t understand, showing how much they care about it. However, some parts of the new film, like the actors chosen or its look, have caused disagreement among fans.

Despite the playful rivalry, Capcom’s ongoing teasing about SNK suggests they might incorporate elements that fighting game fans enjoy from that series.

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2025-12-16 04:38