Street Fighter II V

is an anime series produced by Group TAC, loosely based on the 1994 fighting game ''Super Street Fighter II Turbo''. The series is directed by Gisaburo Sugii, who also directed '' Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie'', and aired in Japan from 10 April to 27 November 1995 on YTV.

Premise

The series stars Ryu and Ken, teenage martial artists who embark on a journey to improve their skills after experiencing brutal defeat at the hands of Guile. Along the way, they become acquainted with other ''Street Fighter'' characters, such as tour guide Chun-Li, martial arts movie-star Fei Long, Muay Thai champion Sagat, and Indian monk Dhalsim. Eventually, they find themselves in the crosshairs of the criminal syndicate Shadowlaw and their leader, the enigmatic M. Bison, after defeating Ashura, one of their subordinate organizations.

Among the agents of Shadowlaw are Russian bear wrestler and hired muscle Zangief, seductive British assassin Cammy, who is unaware of her employer's connection to Shadowlaw, and Interpol double agent Balrog. The Spanish nobleman Vega also appears as an antagonist, although he is not connected with Shadowlaw.

Unlike '' Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie'', which stayed close to the original game's storyline, ''Street Fighter II V'' takes several liberties with its source material. It features redesigned versions of most of the game's characters, whose appearances, backstories, and personalities deviated greatly from their traditional depictions. While the show was set in 1995, the present year of its original airing, the ages of the characters were altered to make most of the cast younger than they were in the games. For example, Ryu's year of birth was changed from 1964 to 1977. Out of the seventeen characters featured in ''Super Street Fighter II Turbo,''the latest game in the series at the time, only Blanka, Dee Jay, E. Honda, and T. Hawk do not appear in the show.

Akuma makes several cameo appearances during crowd scenes, but is not actively involved in the story.

Characters

* Ryu
* Voiced by: Kouji Tsujitani (Japanese), Brett Weaver and Tommy Drake (English ADV dub), Skip Stellrecht (English Animaze dub)
::The main protagonist. He is a 17-year-old martial artist dedicated to the lifestyle of martial arts who strives to improve his fighting skills. He was raised in the Japanese countryside on the fictional island of Mikuni. His best friend and sparring partner is Ken Masters, whom he has trained in the same dojo since childhood, to perform moves such as the '' Shouryuuken'' and the '' Tatsumaki Senpukyaku''. After Ken flirts with one of the women accompanying them, Guile's soldiers attack him and Ken. Although they defeat the soldiers, Guile shows up and beats Ryu and Ken. The encounter with Guile humbles and inspires them to go on a journey to improve their martial arts skills, in hopes of challenging Guile to a rematch. During their travels, Ryu learns how to use a Chinese ki-based power called ''Hadoukou'' in the form of the ''Hadouken''. Unlike his in-game counterpart, Ryu wears prayer beads on his left hand and has short spiky hair. Additionally, unlike the games, in which he is stern and stoic, he is more upbeat and simple-minded, but always seeking a good challenge.
* Ken
* Voiced by: Kenji Haga (Japan), Jason Douglas (English ADV dub), Stephen Apostolina (English Animaze dub)
::Ryu's best friend, who is also 17 years old. He was born to a Caucasian-American father and Japanese mother, who he lives with in San Francisco in a mansion, and is the only son of the multi-billionaire Masters family. Ken's personality and backstory are mostly unchanged from the original game, as he loves to show off and be a womanizer. Unlike his in-game counterpart; Ken has red hair, like he did in '' Street Fighter: The Ultimate Battle'' (1994). Eventually, Ken learns to use the power of ''Hadoukou'' while Shadaloo is holding him captive. He and Ryu both master the '' Tatsumaki Senpukyaku'' and the '' Shouryuuken'', but he later empowers the ''Shouryuuken'' to the ''Hadou Shouryuuken'', and then shortens it to the ''Hadou Shouryuu''. In the English dub, Ken calls the move the ''Shouryuuken,'' while Ryu calls it by its English translation.
* Guile
* Voiced by: Tesshō Genda (Japan), Rob Mungle (English ADV dub), Kirk Thornton (English Animaze dub)
::A 22-year-old sergeant in the United States Air Force, stationed in San Francisco. He and his partner, Nash, have served together for many years. He takes pride in both the Air Force and his men and goes out drinking with them whenever he can. He regularly works out and lifts weights, and has won a boxing tournament. Unlike his game counterpart, his hairstyle is a crew-cut fade and his uniform is a navy-blue tank-top and khaki-green workwear; he later wears the same clothes but with reversed colors, along with a bomb-specialist black-vest. As well, he does not have a wife and daughter. The martial arts style that he uses is loosely based on combatives of the U.S military. Like his live-action counterpart from ''Street Fighter'', Guile has no ki-force and uses a powerless version of his signature ''Flash Kick;'' he also carries weapons and artillery. Following his encounter with Ryu and Ken in the bar, Guile is not seen again until the second half of the series, where he is sent to rescue Ken, Ryu, and Chun-Li after Shadaloo kidnaps them. After seeing Ryu and Ken defeat Bison, Guile is impressed and comes to respect them.
* Chun-Li
* Voiced by: Chisa Yokoyama (Japan), Tamara Lo and Junie Hoang (English ADV dub), Lia Sargent (English Animaze dub)
::A 15-year-old tour guide who Ken and Ryu hire upon their arrival in Hong Kong, who is seemingly 10 years younger than her game counterpart. She is the daughter of Dorai, the top inspector for the Hong Kong police who trains her in kung fu, both as self-defense and as part of her rearing. Like Ken, she comes from a wealthy and privileged background, although she is friendlier and more humble than him. She accompanies the pair throughout their journeys across Asia and Europe, but rarely engages in combat unless attacked or threatened. Ken becomes smitten with her to the point where he takes her on a shopping spree and buys her an expensive ring and clothes from various fashion houses. Despite this, it is never revealed if she reciprocates his feelings. She is not seen in her blue mini-qipao and white boots until the final season, where she is held captive at Bison's base. Changes to her outfit include the absence of her hair-bun covers as well as her pantyhose being replaced with kneepads. The only signature move that she uses from the game is her ''Yosokyaku''.
* Fei Long
* Voiced by: Kazuki Yao (Japan), Andrew Klimko (English ADV dub), Randy McPherson (English Animaze dub)
::One of Dorai's best students, a 17-year-old up-and-coming martial arts movie star whose insistence on "making the fight real" results in damage and injuries. Ken volunteers to be his opponent in a fight scene while touring Hong Kong with Ryu and Chun-Li, but the destruction the fight causes forces the director to halt the filming. After learning of his master's supposed death, he becomes distraught with grief and seeks to avenge him. While visiting the hospital where Dorai is staying, the Chief of Interpol informs Fei Long of the charade. Fei Long identifies Balrog as the Shadowlaw operative who ordered the hit on Dorai, with the assistance of Cammy after a fight with her in Dorai's hospital quarters. The only move Fei Long uses from the game is his ''En Geki Shu,'' which was a basic attack in the game.
* Sagat
* Voiced by: Banjō Ginga (Japan), Andrew Klimko (English ADV dub), Peter Spellos (English Animaze dub)
::The "King of Muay Thai". When he fought professionally, he was the champion of Thailand and was known as "Champ". After refusing to participate in a match for the Ashura syndicate, he is framed for selling drugs. One of the Ashura syndicate's men plants heroin in Ryu's luggage at the airport in Bangkok, leading to Ryu's imprisonment in the same facility as Sagat. While there, they gain each other's respect and learn more about Ashura. After Ashura's kingpin is arrested, Thai police discover evidence of Sagat's innocence and he is released from prison. Unlike his video game counterpart, Sagat does not work for Shadaloo, still has both eyes, and lacks a chest scar. Therefore, his rivalry with Ryu is more of a friendly one and not based on prior resentment. The only move Sagat uses from the game is his ''Tiger Knee''.
* Dhalsim
* Voiced by: Shōzō Iizuka (Japan), Mike Kleinhenz (English ADV dub), Steve Blum (English Animaze dub)
::A monk who lives in a remote village in India. He is a practitioner of yoga who possesses psychic abilities and predicted the eventual arrival of Ryu and Ken prior to their births. Sagat had earlier instructed Ryu to seek Dhalsim for advice about the ''Ways of Hadou''. Ryu and Ken are initially turned down, with Dhalsim describing them as "beasts", but he changes his mind after seeing them overcome the challenges within the village temple. However, he was unsuccessful in training Ryu to use the ''Hadouken'', which is inadvertently triggered in his body during a lesson.
* Vega
* Voiced by: Kaneto Shiozawa (Japan), Vic Mignogna (English ADV dub), Richard Cansino (English Animaze dub)
::Full name Vega Fabio La Cerda, or Balrog Fabio La Cerda in the Japanese version; his video game counterpart does not have a full name. He is an aristocratic matador who resides in a large mansion in Barcelona, where he moonlights as a cage fighter for rich socialites. He is noted for his sadistic and ruthless personality, as he is shown drinking both his own blood and the blood of his opponents. He is also highly vain and lashes out at those who damage his face. When cage fighting, he wears a mask and wields a three-pronged clawed gauntlet. During a bullfight which Ken, Ryu, and Chun-Li attend, Vega develops an obsession for Chun-Li and plots to kill Ryu and Ken, whom he sees as rivals for her affections. Chun-Li is initially attracted to Vega, but becomes terrified of him because of his sadistic tendencies. He breaks into her hotel and uses a "love potion" drug on her; while under its influence, she watches Vega and Ken fight in a steel cage at Vega's mansion. Although Ken defeats Vega, he nearly dies from his injuries. Vega's fate is not shown, but after Guile and Nash go to investigate his mansion, it is abandoned, indicating that he is either hospitalized or fled. Unlike his in-game counterpart, Vega is not affiliated with Shadaloo or M. Bison, and the only signature move he uses is his ''Flying Barcelona Attack''.
* Balrog
* Voiced by: Tomomichi Nishimura (Japan), Werner Richmond (English ADV dub), Joe Romersa (English Animaze dub)
::An executive officer at Interpol working as an informant for Shadowlaw. After an Interpol conference in which Inspector Dorai is appointed to head the investigation into Shadowlaw, Balrog hires Cammy and orders her to assassinate him. He tells her that Interpol secretly ordered the hit and that Dorai is a double agent who replaces the drug cartels he shuts down with a new one, with himself as its leader. Suspicions are raised when it is suggested that only a senior Interpol officer would have known of his investigations into Shadowlaw. After it is revealed to Interpol Dorai is still alive, Balrog orders Cammy to finish the job. She visits Dorai in his hospital room, where she is attacked by an enraged Fei Long and eventually captured. Fei Long, with Cammy's help, discovers his secret after his cover story's inconsistencies are compared. Prior to his arrest, Cammy takes revenge against Balrog for giving her fraudulent reasons for the assassination. Unlike his in-game portrayal, Balrog is highly intelligent. Despite retaining his large build and intimidating stature, Balrog does not participate in any fights and only shows up in his boxing gear in the second version of the ending credits. He is known as M. Bison in the Japanese version.
* Cammy White
* Voiced by: Yōko Sasaki (Japan), Carol Matthews and Shawn Taylor (English ADV dub), Debra Jean Rogers (English Animaze dub)
::A former agent of MI6 who now makes a living as a mercenary assassin. Being a devout Catholic, she always prays for forgiveness before and after each hit. She takes pride in her work, and believes that when she is hired for a job, she must cause the death of her target, to the extent that she will protect them from harm until she is ready to strike. As well, as a matter of pride, she refuses to act on false pretexts for employment. Cammy's costume is altered from her appearances in other media, as she wears a black halter top, black leather pants, and a choker decorated with a crucifix concealing a retractable metal wire, which she uses to assassinate her victims. Her original costume, with a beret and pigtails, is briefly seen during her introduction in episode 17. Despite being British, Cammy speaks with an American accent. The signature moves that she uses from the game are ''Cannon Spike'', ''Spiral Arrow'', ''Flying Neck Hunt'', and an aerial version of her ''Spiral Arrow'' called the ''Sniping Heel''.
* Zangief
* Voiced by: Yasuro Tanaka (Japan), John Swasey (English ADV dub), Kevin Seymour (English Animaze dub)
::A Russian bear wrestler who works as one of Shadaloo's strong men. He does not seem to have any particular desire or inclination to injure or kill anyone, although he will use his strength if his orders require him to do so. Unlike the games, he wears a loincloth-like shirt rather than a speedo. He also works for Shadaloo, despite being unaffiliated with them in the games. The only move he uses from the game is his ''Atomic Suplex''.
* M. Bison
* Voiced by: Kenji Utsumi (Japan), Markham Anderson and Mike Kleinhenz (English ADV dub), Tom Wyner (English Animaze dub)
::The enigmatic head of Shadaloo. In contrast to Ken and Ryu's ''Hadou'', which is based in ki, Bison's powers are based on his rage and hatred, and are known as "Psycho Power". Using "Psycho Power" usually causes him to lose his ability to reason, as he nearly strangles Chun-Li to death, only to later regret his actions. He seeks world domination, and most of his activities are financed through underground operations, such as the Ashura syndicate. Bison has several bases throughout the world, and the final battle against him takes place in Barcelona. It is suggested that some of his actions may be the result of semi-telepathic influence originating from a silver idol shaped like an eagle's head. Unlike most characters, Bison's personality, appearance, and backstory do not deviate much from his in-game portrayals, though his uniform, which resembles the one he wore in '' Street Fighter II: The World Warrior'', has a swapped color scheme. He is known as Vega in the Japanese version.
* Inspector Dorai
* Voiced by: Rokuro Naya (Japan), John Swasey (English ADV dub), Michael Forest (English Animaze dub)
::Chun-Li's father, who was unnamed in the original games. He is the Vice Squad Captain for the Hong Kong Police Department and is routinely engaged in drug busts, sting operations, and various other police activities. His residence also functions as a temple and training ground, where he teaches his daughter and several other students, including Fei Long. Following the successful bust of a large cocaine-smuggling operation and the subsequent arrest of the Ashura kingpin behind it, he is called to Barcelona to attend an Interpol conference concerning the investigation of Shadowlaw. He is appointed to lead the investigation, but Cammy nearly kills him on Balrog's orders. The Chief of Interpol keeps his survival secret until the person who ordered the hit can be identified. Unlike his in-game counterpart, Dorai survives Shadaloo's attack.
* Charlie Nash
* Voiced by Ryōichi Tanaka (Japan), Jay Hickman (English ADV dub), Dean Elliott (English Animaze dub)
::Guile's best friend, who served alongside him in combat situations. Bison murders during the mission to rescue Ken, Ryu, and Chun-Li from Shadowlaw. Since the show was produced while '' Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams'' was still under development, he bears no resemblance to his in-game counterpart. While Nash is known as "Charlie" in the English localization of the games, he retains his Japanese name for the English dub of the show. However, in episode 26, Guile calls him "Charlie" just before his death.
* Zoltar
* Voiced by Matsuo Matsuo (Japan), Peter Errol (English ADV dub), Milton James (English Animaze dub)
::A loyal but spineless servant and chauffeur of M. Bison, who holds secondary command over Shadaloo. He appears to be one of M. Bison's top scientists, as he informs M. Bison of the details regarding the microchips used to control Ryu and Chun-Li. He usually remains at M. Bison's side, assists him in capturing evidence with a camera, and reports several major occurrences to him. Zoltar plays a similar role to ''Senoh'' from '' Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie'', as they are both Bison's top scientists.

Episodes

Music

Japanese
* Opening Themes
# "Kaze Fuiteru" by Yuki Kuroda (eps 1–19)
# "Ima, ashita no tame ni" by Shuji Honda (eps 20–29)
* Ending Themes
# "Cry" by Yuki Kuroda (eps 1–19)
# "Lonely Baby" by Shuji Honda (eps. 20–29)

The American and Australian release of the Manga/Animaze English dub uses untitled instrumental theme music by Mike Egan composed specifically for the dub. The ADV Films version kept the original Japanese intro and outro themes.

Development

The work on the anime was influenced by Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie.

Home video releases

Two English adaptations of the series were produced. The first one was by the dubbing group Animaze and Manga Entertainment in 1996, and was released in Australia and North America as a series of VHS tapes in 1997–1998. Each tape included three episodes, and was released in both a dubbed version and a subtitled version (which was priced 5 US dollars more than the dubbed version). The US CLV Laserdisc was released between March and June 1998 on 10 discs. In 1997, ADV Films produced a second English dub exclusively for the UK market, also released on VHS. The Animaze/Manga dub had a DVD release on 29 April 2003 in a four disc set in North America and was then released on DVD in Australia.

In Japan, the anime was released via DVD box set on July 15, 2009.

Notes

References

External links

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{{Gisaburō Sugii

1995 anime television series debuts
1995 manga
Adventure anime and manga
Anime and manga about terrorism
Anime and manga set in China
Anime television series based on video games
Group TAC
Kodansha manga
Martial arts anime and manga
Japanese martial arts television series
Shōnen manga
V
V
Television series set in 1995
Television shows set in India
Television shows set in Japan
Television shows set in Hong Kong
Television shows set in San Francisco
Television shows set in Spain
Television shows set in Thailand
Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation original programming