The Street Fighter movie will bring some all-time favorite characters to the big screen from one of gaming’s greatest franchises, including icons like Ryu, Chun-Li, M. Bison, Vega, and more. From the film’s first footage, some of the characters look as if they stepped right out of the video game, while others carry a few key differences. We’re breaking down each character from the film and how they compare to the character designs in the games, starting with everyone’s favorite oddball, Dan.
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17. Dan Hibiki – Andrew Schulz
One of the most oddball characters in Street Fighter is the joke character of Dan Hibiki, and Andrew Schulz will be bringing his own version of Dan to the big screen. The biggest carryover from the game version is the pink color scheme and the long ponytail, but everything else is pretty different.
In the games, Dan wears a pink gi with a purple shirt and gloves, further playing on the fact that he’s an alternate to Ryu and Dan. In the movie, Dan now wears a full pink suit jacket and pants with a pink belt and pink shirt, going all in on the color scheme. The goofiness seems to be fully intact though, even if the look is vastly different, and that’s what matters at the end of the day, especially for a character like Dan.
16. Vega – Orville Peck
Out of all of the film’s adaptations, Orville Peck’s Vega is one of the most different from his video game counterpart. Part of that is due to only seeing one version of the character, as in the poster and in the footage, Vega is wearing a longer purple jacket over a black dress shirt.
There is the recognizable sash around the waist, but it’s gold instead of red. There’s a chance that we see the yellow and blue pants make an appearance, but the iconic mask is accounted for, as is the claw on his hand. If he switches costumes or takes the jacket off, we could see an even closer likeness, but as of now, this is probably the biggest character change from the original design.
15. Balrog – 50 Cent
Next up is the boxing great known as Balrog, who will be played in the film by 50 Cent. One of the key elements you notice right away is Balrog’s recognizable hairstyle, and the red boxing gloves are accounted for as well. There’s even some blue in the shorts, though it is a different color blue than Balrog’s typical design.
This is one of those choices that does make sense, as Balrog now looks like your typical modern boxer. That said, between the removal of the sleeveless shirt and the change in color for the trunks, it is a bigger departure from the original design.
14. Chun-Li – Callina Liang
Chun-Li is one of the franchise’s most popular characters, and Callina Liang is a force to be reckoned with as the character in the early footage. From the games to the screen, the costume keeps the original suit’s blue theming, and the piercing blue actually to me looks a bit better in the movie version. There’s been a big change in the cut of the top, as gone are the puffy shoulders in favor of a sleeveless design.
The bangles are replaced with bracelets, and the pants are now a darker color as opposed to the lighter brown. The hair is all a darker black as well, and there are no white accessories anymore either. To be honest, it’s a really slick look, but it does change quite a bit from the original design.
13. E. Honda – Hirooki Goto
On the surface, E. Honda’s look from the games seems like it would be easily transferable to the big screen, as there’s not much to it. It’s essentially his blue and white mawashi and a red face paint, and yet neither of those seems to have made the jump to live action.
That’s not to say he won’t wear it at some point in the film, but right now the only looks at Hirooki Goto in the part of E. Honda shows a spot-on hairstyle, but only a plain white mawashi and no face paint to speak of. While there are only two main items of change here, they are the biggest items, which is why he’s at this point on the list.
12. Zangief – Olivier Richters
Like Vega, this is one that could change depending on Zangief’s final form in the film, as the character’s original design is pretty straightforward. In the film, Olivier Richters is wearing a red shirt underneath a vest, with each one open in the middle. All of this is different from the standard game version, which is just a gold belt, red trunks, and gold and red wristbands and boots.
What is spot-on is the likeness in the face, as both versions have the trademark feauhawk with a full beard. If at some point in the film Zangief gets rid of the shirt and vest, this goes much further up the list, as he will pretty much be spot-on with the games.
11. Don Sauvage – Eric Andre
It’s apparent from the first trailer that Eric Andre is going to be an absolute delight as Don Sauvage, and while there are differences in the look from the game, the vibe is still very much intact. Sauvage trades in a gold suit for a dark red one, and at least in the poster, he isn’t wearing the American flag-themed top hat.
Other than that, the overall look is pretty close, and Andre is even holding the American Flag-themed bullhorn in the poster. There’s also always a chance he switches to a different suit during the film, but even if he doesn’t, the Sauvage look is very much there.
10. Joe – Alexander Volkanovski
There’s not exactly much to Joe’s overall look, and most of it has been recreated by Alexander Volkanovski for the movie. The red jeans and belt with the star belt buckle are accounted for, as is the blonde hair. The only thing missing from this particular iteration is the grey tank, but it’s not a deal breaker in any sense of the word. All in all, Joe made the jump pretty seamlessly.
9. Juli – Rayna Vallandingham
Juli’s costume is very much a modern adaptation that keeps the costume’s core elements, and it looks fantastic. Rayna Vallandingham is wearing a dark blue jacket with a blue shirt underneath that is the same color as her suit from the games, and it even keeps the orange tie as well. The hat and red gloves also make the jump over, so while this isn’t a 1-to-1, it evokes the original suit extremely well. That said, if you are just looking at a direct 1-to-1 comparison, there are some major changes in the individual elements.
8. Akuma – Roman Reigns
One of the most scrutinized characters in the film will assuredly be Akuma, simply due to his incredible popularity in the franchise. While we only got a glimpse of Roman Reigns in the role in the trailer, the character poster gives us a much better look, and many of Akuma’s core elements carry over to the film.
The gi isn’t as torn up in Reigns’ version, but it is much more weathered and worn, and the belt, hand coverings, and prayer bead necklace are also in the film’s design. The red hair is also fully present, with the biggest difference being how the gi is a darker, almost black color than the brighter purple in the games. You can definitely tell it’s Akuma though, and we can’t wait to see Reigns in action.
7. Blanka – Jason Momoa
When the Street Fighter film was announced, one of the most discussed characters was Blanka, as he posed a possible challenge to adapt in live-action, even if Jason Momoa was the one playing the character. Those fears have been eased greatly after seeing the character poster, which shows a green-skinned Momoa with the trademark orange hair, orange pants, and claws of Blanka.
We’ll have to wait and see him in action for a full verdict, but right now, he looks fantastic, and you can even see the shackles around the feet at the bottom of the poster for even more accuracy. The necklace is the biggest change, but it looks great, and we can’t wait to see Blanka destroying people in the film.
6. Dhalsim – Vidyut Jammwal
Another beloved character making the jump to the big screen is Dhalsim, who will be played by the talented Vidyut Jammwal. The film version of Dhalsim looks pretty perfect, as Jammwal is sporting the red paint on his head and face, and the leg and wrist adornments from the games.
The movie trades in the taped ankles and wrists for shinier bangles and bracelets, and instead of wearing a necklace of skulls, Dhalsim now has a necklace that features a more ornate design that we are likely to learn about during the film. Still, it’s unquestionably Dhalsim, and we can’t wait to see the character decimate an opponent with a fireball.
5. M. Bison – David Dastmalchian
Fan favorite David Dastmalchian will be bringing the villain of M. Bison to life on the big screen, and so far, he’s looking spectacular. M. Bison has had a multitude of looks in the games, but the stalwart costume is the long red jacket, black belt, red and black hat, along with the red cape, and while there are some tweaks, all of those have made the jump to the film.
Dastmalchian’s version is less a spandex jacket with the black line down the middle and more of a military jacket, but the red color scheme remains. That’s coupled with a black belt, a gold belt buckle, and black gloves, as well as the trademark red and black hat. The bigger shoulder pauldrons are gone, but they are still worked into the cape and feel much more natural while still getting the look across. It appears the same villainous Bison that fans love from the games will carry his look into the live-action film for the second time around.
4. Cammy – Mel Jarnson
Another fan favorite is Cammy, and Mel Jarnson feels like she literally jumped out of the video game into the movie. While this isn’t Cammy’s most well-known costume (that would be the green costume), this is about as perfect as you get for a costume translation from game to screen, and Jarnson is even sporting a long braid and the bangs from the original. This is pretty much perfect, so no notes.
3. Guile – Cody Rhodes
Speaking of perfection, it’s hard to get better than Cody Rhodes as Guile, both in terms of character and character design. The recreation of the trademark Guile flattop is the thing that sticks out most, but the green tank, green pants, and dog tags complete the look that fans know and love from the games. Like E. Honda, there’s not much to this look overall in terms of details, and yet the movie knocked each and every one of them out of the park, so it stands at a much higher spot in the list.
2. Ken – Noah Centineo
Next up is one of the game’s most identifiable stars, Ken, who is being brought to the big screen by Noah Centineo. Immediately evident is Ken’s iconic red gi, black sash, and blonde hair, as the film has checked each and every box. There’s not much to Ken’s character design, but it’s iconic and has stood the test of time for a reason, so it’s great to see the film not changing what isn’t broken and keeping the core look intact. Plus, Centineo’s whole look and stance just scream Ken as a whole, and we can’t wait to see him teaming up with Ryu in the film.
1. Ryu – Andrew Koji
Every franchise has those key characters that you absolutely must get right if you hope to have a successful film, and for Street Fighter, that’s the man known as Ryu. The film will see Ryu brought to life by star Andrew Koji, and if you were worried he wouldn’t be like the Ryu you know and love, that has been confirmed to be completely false.
Koji feels once again like he leapt from the video game to film, and is sporting the traditional white gi, red gloves, and red bandana the character is known for. He also just appears that he could dismantle you without a second thought, and since that’s kind of Ryu’s whole vibe at times, we think he’s a pretty spot-on representation of the character.
Street Fighter rolls into theaters on October 16th.
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A Nintendo 64 console over a collage of game box art from the system's library.
