Just when some may have thought burnout was setting in from playing Street Fighter V, we are reminded that the 30th Anniversary Collection is due out very soon, so it’s time to look forward to revisiting all of the older versions once again. It isn’t just for the different mechanics, engines, or stylish pixel art though, as the series boasts some varied characters as well. The series has had a long life and is constantly recycling old fighters or bringing in new faces from the crowd, but there are still some world warriors who slip through the cracks. Join us, as we remember some of Street Fighter’s forgotten warriors.
Sodom
Sodom was a real pain back in Final Fight 1 and 2. A hulking menace in a scary Japanese mask, he was a real threat, but that idea is shattered once anyone learns his backstory. An American, this self-taught fighter is a huge Japanophile, but one with a horrible misconception of the culture. Of course, no one could tell him that. Because of this, he had become kind of a joke amongst fans, but the developers attempted to improve him without actually changing much, though with some tweaking after his time away, he could make a powerful comeback.
He fights with weapons, katanas (his namesake in some games) and a pair of jitte, making him a bit unique for the series. It matches his look, but a few updated moves are needed. His goal is set on rebuilding the Mad Gear gang from his glory days, but to effectively do that, he’ll need to become that familiar threat once again.
Remy
No one is a fan of Remy’s look, a mix between emo and flamboyant with leather pants, but the French-born kickboxer fights well and is a fun character after some practice, so it’s a shame that he only appeared in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. He’s another character with daddy hang-ups, and some weird sister issues as well; he keeps her dead body encased in ice. Remy hates his father, also a fighter, for abandoning them and causing the death of his sister, so he became a world warrior.
Yeah, I’m not sure it makes much sense, but he goes as far as to rat out his defeated opponents to the police for participating in illegal street fights. Alex is right, Remy needs mental help, but he seems to be looking for a new path, one that will give his cruel and cold heart a new purpose. Change the look, make the origin less like ‘Mr. Freeze,’ and players will have a cool combatant again. Pun intended.
Ingrid
She may look cute, innocent and a tad vapid, but this character is a little psychic with a dash of psycho. She has access to the same Psycho Power that series antagonist M. Bison taps in to. According to Ingrid though, her abilities are even more pure than those of the villain, but they are not quite the same as Rose’s Soul Powers either. Little is known about her origins other than a few hints, but her abilities seem to be extensive and varied, even including time travel, making her more of a plot device rather than a fleshed out character.
This silver-haired beauty was originally meant to debut in a cancelled Capcom fighting game, but made her first appearance in the PSP title Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX instead, meaning that a chunk of players may have missed playing as her. She also later appeared as a guest in other titles, as well as being playable in Capcom Fighting Evolution. Maybe it’s time for this Eternal Goddess to come back, depowered and with more of a purpose.
Juli and Juni
The duo is a part of Bison’s elite guard and special assassination squad, a twelve member all female entourage referred to as the ‘dolls,’ each named after a different month. They’ve been brainwashed to serve their evil overlord, and were eventually sent after Cammy with whom they are closely connected to. Juli also has much more of a backstory later on, as T. Hawk’s missing girlfriend, Julia. Before the two were separated into individual characters though, they used to fight as an on-screen pair, battling the player as a single unit, throwing the enemy off with speed and their own set of special moves.
The current story seems a little bleak for them, but other dolls have made their appearance in recent games (Decapre in SFIV), so why not bring back a couple with a unique gimmick for the series? Juli and Juni should make a return as a duo again, figuring out how to let the player control both at the same time, tagging each other in to decimate their opponent.
Maki Genryusai
Originally seen beating her way through Final Fight 2, Maki is the younger sister of Guy’s fiancé, and shares similar training and fighting techniques with the fellow hero. Her origin had this ninja girl as the former leader of a young motorcycle gang, but the English version censored that cool tidbit for some reason (bring that back). She is a fan favorite character, having appeared in other games like Capcom Vs. SNK 2, and Maki has made several lists for being one of the hottest fighting game characters.
A return to the Street Fighter series will help Maki step out of the shadow of being called a Mai Shiranui ripoff, reigniting her feud with series regular Sakura, challenging Guy for his title, or hunting down the remaining members of the Mad Gear gang. Debuting in Street Fighter Alpha 3, she’s another quick fighter with rapid-fire combos, who sometimes wields a tonfa, which could all be easily incorporated into a newer iteration of the series.
Twelve
He seems like a throwaway character; a bland polymorphic android who serves the Illuminati as well as Urien. He speaks only in binary (unless no one is around and he wants to have some fun), and his mission is to retrieve the prototype failed experiment, Necro. What makes him different is the ability to shape weapons out of his limbs, an air dash, a crawl maneuver, and brief invisibility, making him highly versatile, especially when it comes to dodging, and a unique addition to the roster on Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike.
His super technique though can be a ton of fun, allowing Twelve to copy his opponent (a la Shang Tsung) and perform their special moves. Design wise, he has an interesting look, even if it is mostly one color, and terrifying eyes. However, the coolest thing about the character comes from the comics, where he masquerades as M. Bison until being exposed by Sakura. Something along those lines, and the fact that one of his endings hints that he is sentient, could make for a fun plot in a future game.
Blair Dame
My only pick from the offshoot series of games, Blair Dame originally appeared as an intriguing secret character in Street Fighter EX before becoming a regular in later iterations of the title. She also made an appearance in the Arika developed Fighting Layer. Her background is similar to Karin’s, but she is more than just a rich girl who fights to settle a grudge. Blair learned her arts in the name of protecting the ones she loved—a noble effort. This multi-styled fighter is also well-educated, spending most of her free time traveling the world with her butler Sebastian and bodyguard, C. Jack—a cool character in his own right—looking for new opponents to learn from and test herself.
It may take some practice, but getting good with this character can be fun, even though she gives up some defense in exchange for speed. She’ll be appearing in Fighting EX Layer which is scheduled to launch this year, but she hasn’t been in a proper Street Fighter title since SF EX because the character is actually owned by Arika, a group of former Capcom employees. Despite that, we’d certainly love to see her make a return home. Just be careful, because this princess hates to lose.
Q
One of the strangest characters in the franchise (almost beating out Skullomania), Q is an odd looking figure who hides his identity behind a trenchcoat with a hat and metal mask combo. He’s another fighter from Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike that is dangerous in the right hands, but I’m not sure the developers actually gave him much thought. The names of his moves are less like identifiable techniques and more just descriptions of actions others have seen him do, and his third Super Art, Total Destruction, looks like he is attacking with his crotch. It doesn’t help that the move ends with an explosion.
Whomever or whatever Q is, his background remains mysterious, even to government agencies who want to question him about appearing at the sites of various disasters and murders. His mystique even extends to not having a stage of his own that would give away his origin or home. He needs to be added back in just so we can learn more about the character, but his low speed and high-defense may need to be tweaked to make him more competitive as well. At the very least, we might get more about Q’s origin when fellow mysterious single lettered character G joins the Street Fighter V roster.
Eagle
Straight out of the first Street Fighter, appearing as the second opponent in the England portion of the game, Eagle is a former bouncer turned MI6 agent from England. In fact, he loves his country of origin so much that most of his moves are named after locations there. Eagle did return to be a playable character in Capcom Vs. SNK 2 and Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, where he established himself as a bigger player by going after Sagat.
This refined gentleman is a master of stick fighting, but that isn’t the only art he studies or trick up his sleeve, as he has beaten some of the best. Eagle is a snazzy dresser, and some of his features were based off of Freddy Mercury, though his outfit might need to be updated more to look less like Dudley. Can’t have everyone wearing suit pants with suspenders. Also, various lines of his Japanese dialog have caused fans to speculate that the fighter may be bisexual or gay, which could be a cool thing to explore for the character.
Sean Matsuda
This young Brazilian athlete was inspired to fight by watching Ken Masters, but from the moment he became a disciple of the best American fighter, Sean would spend most of his time in an effort to prove himself worthy. Sean is an intense young pupil and full of passion, but finds himself flat on his back when rushing into altercations with new opponents because he is untrained. Meanwhile, Ken tells him to improve and create his own style.
Like his master though, Sean is from the Shotokan school, and somewhat quicker than most of his fellow practitioners, but that speed and raw style leaves him wide open for attacks. Sean was a fan favorite, easy to use, and versatile in the right hands, but later versions nerfed him. Now that his big sister Laura has entered the new fight, maybe it is time for Sean to get a different haircut and re-enter the fray, restored to his original grandeur, and ready to show what he’s learned.
MORE FIGHTING GAMES:
– Street Fighter: The Miniatures Game Punches Through Its Kickstarter Goal
– 15 Best Fighting Games On Xbox One
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