Street Fighter II V

For the fifth numbered installment of the Street Fighter video game series, see Street Fighter V.
Street Fighter II V

Promotional artwork showing most of the main characters.
ストリートファイターⅡ Ｖ
(Sutorīto Faitā Tsū Bui)
Genre Action, Adventure, Drama, Martial arts
Anime television series
Directed by Gisaburō Sugii
Studio Group TAC
Network Yomiuri TV, ABS-CBN, GMA Network, TV5 Philippines
Original run 10 April 1995 – 27 November 1995
Episodes 29
Manga
Street Fighter II V Retsuden
Written by Yasushi Baba
Published by Kodansha
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Comic Bom Bom
Original run 1995 – 1996
Volumes 3

Street Fighter II V (Japanese: ストリートファイターⅡ V Hepburn: Sutorīto Faitā Tsū Bui),[1] is an anime series produced by Group TAC based on the fighting game Street Fighter II. Directed by Gisaburo Sugii (who also directed the earlier Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie), the series first aired in Japan in 1995, from April 10 to November 27, on YTV. An English adaptation of the series was produced by the dubbing group Animaze and Manga Entertainment in 1996, and was released in Australia and the USA as a series of VHS tapes in 1997−1998. In 1997, ADV Films produced an English dub exclusively for the UK market, also released on VHS. The Animaze/Manga dub had a DVD release on April 29, 2003 in a four disc set in North America and was then released on DVD in Australia.

Premise

The series chronicles the adventures of Ryu and Ken, two 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 the 15-year-old 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, led by the enigmatic M. Bison, after defeating one of their subordinate organizations (Ashura). Among the agents of Shadowlaw include 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 in this series.

In contrast to Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, which hewed very closely to the original game's storyline, Street Fighter II V takes a number of liberties with its source material. It features radically 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).[2] 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 never appear in the show. Akuma makes several cameo appearances during crowd scenes, but he is not actively involved in the story.

Characters

Ryu is the main protagonist of the show. He is 17, extremely dedicated to martial arts, and is always trying to improve his own skills. He was raised in the Japanese countryside, on the fictional island of Mikuni. His best friend is Ken Masters, with whom he has trained in the same dojo since childhood. One day, while visiting Ken at his mansion in San Francisco, the pair head downtown on Ken's motorcycle and sneak into a bar (since Ryu and Ken are both underaged), where they are attacked by several of Guile's soldiers after Ken seduces one of the women accompanying them. Although they are able to defeat the soldiers, Guile himself shows up soon afterwards and beats Ryu within an inch of his life. Enraged and humiliated, Ken tracks Guile down at his army base the next day and challenges him to a fight, hoping to even the score. Just like Ryu, however, Ken is brutally defeated.
Their encounter with Guile humbles and inspires them to go on a journey to improve their martial arts skills, in the hopes of one day challenging Guile to a rematch. During their travels, Ryu learns how to use a ki-based power called Hadō in the form of the Hadouken. Unlike his in-game counterpart, he does not wear a headband and sparring gloves throughout the series. Instead, he wears prayer beads on his left hand, and has short spiky hair. Additionally, the stern and stoic personality he exhibits in the games is replaced with a more giddy, upbeat personality; simple-minded, but always on the lookout for a good challenge, similar to Goku from Dragon Ball.
Ken is Ryu's best friend, and the only son of the extremely rich Masters family, who are said to be even wealthier than the Rockefeller's were in their day. He lives in San Francisco with his parents (a Caucasian-American father and Japanese mother) in a large mansion - it takes twenty minutes just to drive from the front yard to the main house. Unlike Ryu, Ken's personality and backstory are mostly unchanged from the original game's storyline; he is still the brash, cocky, womanizing, wealthy son of the Masters family that he was in the games, although he is much younger than his in-game counterpart (like Ryu, he is 17-years-old). Eventually, Ken learns to use the power of Hadō while being held captive by Shadowlaw. Only Ryu knows the Hadouken, while both he and Ken know the Shoryuken. Ken later upgrades the Shoryuken to the Hadou Shoryuken, and then shortens it to the Hadou Shoryu. In the English dub, Ken still calls the move the Shoryuken while Ryu calls it by its English translation: Rising Dragon Punch.
Guile is a Sergeant in the United States Air Force who is currently stationed in San Francisco. He takes pride in both the Air Force and his men, and goes out drinking with them whenever they can. He and his partner, Nash, have served together for many years in various missions and military conflicts. He is regularly found working out and lifting weights, and has won at least one boxing tournament, and probably many others which are not mentioned in the show. The martial arts style that he uses in combat is loosely based on US Military Combatives.
He first encounters Ryu and Ken at Fuji's (a bar that he and his soldiers frequent) in San Francisco, after the former had badly beaten all of his men in an open brawl. A horrified Guile admonishes Ryu and Ken for their actions and orders them to leave the bar, but Ryu refuses and attacks Guile. The Sergeant responds by brutally beating the young Ryu into a near coma. A humiliated Ken visits Guile's army base the next day and challenges him to a fight, but he is defeated as well. Guile is not seen again until the second half of the series, after Ken, Ryu, and Chun-Li are kidnapped by Shadowlaw and Guile is sent on a mission to rescue them. Although he defeats Shadowlaw agent Zangief and successfully reaches the compound where Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li are being held, he fails to find them and is instead greeted by Bison, who brutally murders his partner Nash and nearly kills him as well. Bison flees the scene and commands Chun-Li (who is now under Bison's mind control) to fight Guile, although he initially hesitates in fighting back out of fear that he might harm her. Guile eventually reunites with Ryu and Ken, who are shocked to see him, as they are about to confront Bison. Although they are never able to challenge Guile to a rematch, the Sergeant concedes that he had greatly underestimated their abilities when they first met, since they were able to defeat Bison (despite his terrifying powers) whereas he could not.
Chun-Li is 15-years-old and first appears as a tour guide hired by Ken and Ryu upon their arrival in Hong Kong. It is soon revealed that she is also the daughter of Dorai, the top inspector for the Hong Kong police. Her father trains her in the art of kung fu, both as self-defense and as part of her rearing. Like Ken, Chun-Li comes from an extremely wealthy, privileged background, although she is much friendlier and more humble than Ken. She accompanies the pair throughout most of their journeys across Asia and Europe, but rarely engages in combat unless personally attacked or threatened. Eventually, 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 many fashion houses such as Chanel, Hermes, Gucci, and jewelry from Tiffany's, although it is never revealed if she reciprocates his feelings. Chun-Li is not seen in her blue mini-qipao and white boots until the final episodes, where she is captive at Bison's base. Changes to this outfit also include the absence of her hair-bun covers, as well as her pantyhose being replaced with kneepads.
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, Inspector Dorai is called to Barcelona to attend an Interpol conference concerning the investigation of the mysterious organization called "Shadowlaw". He is appointed to lead the investigation, but is nearly killed by Cammy on the orders of a Shadowlaw infiltrator (later revealed to be Balrog). His survival was kept secret by the Chief of Interpol until the person who ordered the hit could be identified. Unlike his in-game counterpart, Dorai survives Shadowlaw's attack and is never killed throughout the series.
One of Dorai's best students, Fei Long is now an up-and-coming martial arts movie star whose insistence on "making the fight real" rapidly becomes detrimental to production, due mainly to damaged props and public property as well as injuries to the stunt doubles. Ken Masters briefly volunteers to be his opponent in a fight scene while touring Hong Kong with Ryu and Chun-Li, but the destruction caused by the fight forced the director to halt the filming and cut the scene completely. Later, upon 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. Later still, Fei Long identifies Balrog as the Shadowlaw operative who ordered the hit on Dorai, with the assistance of Cammy (after a brief fight with her in Dorai's hospital quarters).
Sagat was the "King of Muay Thai", which is infamous as one of the most vicious forms of martial arts in the world. When he fought professionally, he was the champion of Thailand and was known simply as "Champ", but after refusing to participate in a match for the Ashura syndicate, he was framed for selling drugs and was both imprisoned and disgraced. Later, the Ashura syndicate's vendetta against Dorai, Ken, and Ryu was carried out by one of their men by planting heroin in Ryu's luggage at the airport in Bangkok, leading to Ryu's imprisonment in the same facility as Sagat. The two of them gained each other's respect and were able to learn more about the Ashura from their experiences. After the Ashura kingpin was arrested, evidence of Sagat's innocence was discovered by the Thai police and he was released from prison. In contrast to his video game counterpart, Sagat does not work for Shadowlaw, still has both of his eyes, and lacks a chest scar. Thus, his rivalry with Ryu is portrayed as more of a friendly one in the show, and is not based on any prior resentment against him.
Dhalsim is a monk who lives in a remote village in India. He is a practitioner of yoga who possesses many psychic abilities and is able to see the future, to the point where he was able to predict the eventual arrival of Ryu and Ken before either of them were even born. Sagat had earlier instructed Ryu to seek Dhalsim for advice about the Ways of Hadou. Sagat had been turned down years before when he sought Dhalsim's wisdom, but had figured that Ryu might be found more worthy. Ryu and Ken are initially turned down as well, with Dhalsim describing them both as "beasts", although the monk 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 was inadvertently triggered in Ryu's body during a lesson.
Vega's full name in the show is Vega Fabio La Cerda (or Balrog Fabio La Cerda in the Japanese version), even though his full name is never revealed in any other media. He is a popular, aristocratic 18-year-old bullfighter who resides in a large mansion in Barcelona, where he moonlights as a cage fighter for rich socialites. He is noted for his sadistic, bloodthirsty (he is literally shown drinking his own blood, and the blood of his opponents, on several occasions throughout the show), cold-hearted, ruthless personality. Although he is not as beauty-obsessed as his in-game counterpart, he is still highly vain, and will lash out in a violent rage at anyone who damages his face. When cage fighting, he wears an expressionless mask (presumably to protect his face from scarring) and wields a three-pronged claw gauntlet on his left hand, allowing him to pierce the flesh of almost any opponent. In combat, he is known for his considerable speed, strength, and acrobatic prowess.
During a bullfight attended by Ken, Ryu, and Chun-Li, 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 soon becomes terrified of him because of his cold-hearted demeanor and sadistic tendencies. He breaks into her hotel the following night and uses a strange "love potion" drug to induce a trance in her. While in this trance, she watches Vega and Ken fight each other in a steel cage at a secretive ball they were invited to attend at Vega's mansion. Although Ken eventually defeated Vega by dragon punching him into the chandelier above, Ken nearly dies from the injuries inflicted on him during the battle. Vega's fate is not clearly known, and was last seen being carried out of the steel cage on a stretcher, along with the gravely injured Ken, after having hung from the chandelier unconscious and then diving downward in a final attack. Weeks later, as the mansion is being investigated by Guile and Nash, it is completely abandoned, indicating that Vega is either still hospitalized or has long since fled. Unlike his in-game counterpart, Vega has no affiliation with Shadowlaw or M. Bison.
Balrog is an executive officer at Interpol, but unbeknownst to his colleagues and superiors, he works for Shadowlaw as an informant. 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, telling her that Interpol secretly ordered the hit and that Dorai is actually a double agent who replaces every drug cartel he shuts down with a new one, with himself as its leader. Although the assassination attempt initially appears to be successful, Dorai ultimately survives the attack. Furthermore, suspicions are raised when it is suggested that only a senior Interpol officer would have been aware of his investigations into Shadowlaw. When it is revealed to Interpol that 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. Ultimately, Balrog's secret is discovered by Fei Long (with the help of Cammy) after his cover story's inconsistencies were compared. Before being placed under arrest, Cammy took revenge against Balrog for giving her fraudulent reasons for the assassination. Unlike his in-game portrayal, Balrog is depicted as highly intelligent, crafty, deceptive, and even cowardly, as opposed to the thuggish, greedy, and unintelligent Shadowlaw enforcer he was in the games. Despite retaining his large build and intimidating stature, Balrog does not participate in any fights (and even begins to sweat nervously as he is about to be attacked by Fei Long and Cammy) and only shows up in his boxing gear in the ending credits of the second season.
Cammy White is a former agent of MI6 who now makes her living as a mercenary assassin. Being a devout Roman Catholic, she always prays for forgiveness before and after each hit. She takes pride in her work, and believes that when she's hired for a job, the death of her target must come from her own hand and not as an accident or incidental occurrence, to the extent that she will even protect her target from harm until she is ready to strike. Also as a matter of pride, she refuses to act on false pretexts for employment. Cammy's costume design is drastically altered from her appearances in other media. She wears a black halter top, black leather pants, and a choker decorated with a crucifix which she uses to conceal a deadly, retractable, metal wire 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.
Guile's best friend, who has served alongside him in several combat situations. Nash is murdered by Bison 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. In the show, his appearance is similar to Jean Reno. While Nash is known as "Charlie" in the English localization of the games, Nash retains his Japanese name for the English dub of the show (except in one scene during episode 26, where Guile shouts out his name and calls him "Charlie" just before his death).
Zangief is a Russian bear wrestler who frequently works as one of Shadowlaw's strong-men. He does not seem to have any particular desire or inclination to injure or kill anyone, although he's not above using his strength in full should his orders require him to do so. He can be seen wearing a loincloth-like shirt, whereas in the games he appears topless. He also works for Shadowlaw, despite the fact that he is unaffiliated with them in the games.
Very little is known about M. Bison, except that he is the enigmatic head of Shadowlaw. In contrast to Ken and Ryu's Hadou (which is based in ki), Bison's powers are based in his rage and hatred, which are referred to as "Psycho Power". Usage of "Psycho Power" usually causes him to lose his ability to reason, and in one instance nearly strangles Chun-Li to death while enraged only to regret his actions for a moment when he resumes his previous cognitive state, which is the only scene in which he ever shows a capacity for human emotion. His only known goal is world domination, and most of his activities are financed through a variety of underground operations, such as the Ashura syndicate. For all of Bison's power and ambition, it is suggested that much of his work may be the result of semi-telepathic influence originating from a silver idol in the form of an eagle's head, which is shown on at least two occasions to "communicate" with him. Unlike most other characters in the show, Bison's personality, appearance, and backstory do not deviate much from his in-game portrayals. The only notable difference is that his outfit is now blue, whereas in the games, it is red. Also, Bison has a variety of bases throughout the world, and the final battle against him takes place in Barcelona, whereas in the games, his only base is in Thailand.

Episodes

# English dub title (top)
Japanese title (bottom) 		Original air date
1 "The Beginning of a Journey"
(旅立ち サンフランシスコからの招待状) 		1995-04-10
Ryu, still living in rural Japan, receives an unexpected letter from his old friend and sparring-partner Ken Masters. He invites Ryu to visit him in the United States, as they have not seen each other for many years. Ryu thinks about the request and decides to travel and see his best friend. They meet at San Francisco airport, where a big limousine is waiting to drive them home to Ken's place. Ryu is impressed by the riches of Ken's family. After relaxing, the 17-year-old boys go out for the night on Ken's motorcycle and bribe their way into a pub called Mt. Fuji. Ken angers some soldiers by flirting with one of their girls and a fight ensues. After the military men are defeated, their Sergeant, Guile, appears. 
2 "The King of the Airforce"
(空軍の王者 炸裂、脅威のミリタリーコンバット) 		1995-04-17
Ryu and Ken are accosted by Guile, which causes Ryu to attack the Air Force Sergeant. An enraged Guile responds by severely beating the over-confident Ryu to the point where he is unable to leave his bed for the next few days. Afterwards, Guile chides Ken for sitting on the sidelines and watching his friend get beaten to a pulp. Ken tells Guile that he and Ryu follow a code of honor permitting one-on-one combat only, and proceeds to angrily insult Guile and his men (calling them "military meatheads") for ganging up on Ryu. Before Guile leaves the bar with his men, he tells Ryu (who refuses to stay down, despite the brutal beating he had just received) that "he has guts". Ryu is taken home by Ken, who decides to take revenge on Guile at the Air Force Base the next day. Ken loses the fight against Guile as well, but is inspired by his "street fighting" methods. Ken then suggests to Ryu that they should travel the world to improve and strengthen their skills. Their first destination on their quest for underground street fighters is Hong Kong. 
3 "Landing in Hong Kong"
(香港上陸 潜入、魔闘窟への挑戦状) 		1995-04-24
Ryu and Ken stay at a very fancy hotel in Hong Kong and meet their tour guide, Chun-Li, who is hired to show them around the city. To her surprise, they are traveling via helicopter to the restricted area Kowloon Palace, in order to find some street fighters. The pilot, Tyler, loudly objects to this idea, but eventually accedes after much begging from the boys. Arriving in Kowloon Palace, Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li find the Devil's Battle Cage, where a martial arts tournament is taking place. Ryu enters the ring and defeats all of the opponents sent by Lean, the overlord of Kowloon Palace. A humiliated Lean marks the outsiders for execution, forcing them to flee and fight their way out of Kowloon Palace. 
4 "Darkness at Kowloon Palace"
(暗黒の九龍城 無法地帯、命がけの大脱出) 		1995-05-01
Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li fight their way through Kowloon Palace, defeating all the foes they encounter. They eventually reach the outer perimeters of Kowloon Palace, only to be stopped by the evil Lean. He orders his two strongest bodyguards to prevent Ryu and Ken from leaving the place. The boys defeat both, but Chun-Li is soon taken hostage by Lean. Chun-Li's father Dorai, who is the police chief of Hong Kong, enters the scene with some other policeman. Dorai neutralizes Lean with a shot in the head and rescues the trio from Kowloon Palace. Dorai accompanies Chun-Li, Ryu, and Ken back to their hotel and tells his daughter not to act this foolish again. Chun-Li informs Ryu and Ken about the next day's plan: to visit the martial arts actor Fei Long. 
5 "Hot Blooded Fei Long"
(飛龍熱血! 激写、スーパーバトルアクションムービー) 		1995-05-08
Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li visit Fei Long, who is filming a movie. Fei Long is frustrated with the stuntmen hired for the fight scenes, and demands "a real challenge". He believes in "making the fight real", as opposed to the strictly choreographed fight scenes found in most other martial arts films. Ryu and Ken both volunteer, but only of them may participate. Fei Long picks Ken as his opponent, and the two engage in combat. However, Fei Long and Ken take the fight a little too far for a film, damaging most of the set pieces in the process. The match ends in a draw when the director of the film stops the fight because of the injuries Fei Long and Ken are inflicting upon each other. 
6 "Appearance of the Secret Technique"
(秘伝見参! 漲る気、波動の覚醒) 		1995-05-22
Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li go shopping at a shopping mall. Once there, Ryu meets a strange old man who it seems is about to die, as he is sweating, and looks to be in bad condition. Ryu says he will call an ambulance for him, but the old man insists on Ryu taking him to a place of privacy. There, the old man practices a martial arts technique in front of Ryu, where he uses his ki to create a blue fireball from his hands. He swallows this fireball, and, after it explodes in his stomach, he's fine and back in good health. Ryu wants to learn how to do the technique the old man just did, and so he takes him to his shop where they can have privacy and practice the technique. Ryu fails to master it, although he gains a little more knowledge about his spiritual self after this encounter. 
7 "The Revenge of Ashura"
(阿修羅の報復 襲いかかるムエタイの刺客) 		1995-06-05
The evil crime organization called Ashura set up a plan to kill Chun-Li's father, Dorai, for constantly foiling their plans. They decide to kidnap Chun-Li and use her as bait, and when she goes to a park to meet up with Ryu and Ken, she is ambushed by an Ashura member disguised as a clown. Ryu and Ken get there just in time to save Chun-Li, defeating all the Ashura foes. Chun-Li, Ryu, and Ken then head to Dorai's dojo to prevent Ashura's assassination attempt on Dorai. Chun-Li goes inside to protect her father, while Ken, Ryu, and Fei Long stay outside and battle the Ashura thugs to prevent them from reaching Dorai. They eventually triumph, but one of Ashura's men manages to escape. Akuma makes a cameo appearance when the dojo is attack. 
8 "Trap Prison and the Scream of Truth"
(罠、牢獄、真実の叫び 誇り高きリュウ) 		1995-06-12
Ryu and Ken decide to go to Thailand in the hopes of learning Muay Thai, a fighting style they encountered during their battle with Ashura's forces. Once at the airport in Bangkok, Ryu and Ken go to separate lines to obtain approval to enter Thailand legally. Donu, the Ashura thug who fled in Episode 7 after Ryu and the others thwarted their attempt to murder Dorai, disguises himself, sneaks up on Ryu, and plants heroin in his backpack as a way to get revenge. Ryu doesn't notice this at first, and just as he and Ken go down an escalator, Ryu is caught with heroin in his backpack, and is sent to prison. There, he endures brutal torture from Warden Nuchi, as well as taunting from other prisoners. Ryu eventually fights back against the two prisoners who are taunting him throughout the episode. After that, Sagat, who is "the one to fear" according to the prisoners that taunted Ryu, prepares to battle Ryu. Akuma makes a cameo appearance while waiting for his bags at the airport. 
9 "The Superstar of Muay Thai"
"Muay Thai no Kyosei - Sōzetsu Prison Battle Symphony" (ムエタイの巨星 壮絶、獄中戦交響曲) 		1995-06-19
Sagat and Ryu battle each other using Muay Thai. To Sagat's surprise, Ryu immediately masters Muay Thai and manages to land a number of critical blows on Sagat. The fight ends in a draw after Sagat realizes that he and Ryu are kindred fighting spirits. Sagat vows to protect Ryu as long as he is in prison, and calls the fight off. Nuchi then insists Sagat and Ryu continue to fight each other, because he had already demanded 50% percent of the betting money. Sagat refuses, and an angered Nuchi attempts to kill them both. Ryu and Sagat successfully fend off Nuchi and easily defeat him in combat. Later, Ken manages to get Ryu out of prison on bail, although he is forbidden to leave the country until he is able to prove his innocence. Ryu and Sagat bid farewell to each other, and the episode ends with Ryu setting out to find the man who framed him. 
10 "Dark Omen"
(暗黒の予兆 ベールに包まれた真の君臨者) 		1995-06-26

Ryu and Ken eventually find out that it was Donu who had framed Ryu, recognizing him by the scar on his cheek. They follow him to the Ashura's secret hideout building, where they manage to defeat Donu and the other Ashura members to get revenge for what they did to Ryu. They bring them into custody and Ryu is subsequently acquitted, but as they leave the station, they are fired at by a sniper from a building a few stories above. Ryu and Ken manage to escape the sniper relatively unharmed, although Ryu is lightly injured by a bullet in his shoulder. They climb atop the sniper's vehicle as it tries to escape. They arrive at another secret hideout of the Ashura, which appears to be their main headquarters. However, Ryu and Ken are quickly discovered and severely beaten by an evil man named Zochi, the kingpin of Ashura. Zochi is able to graft a chainsaw and various other weapons onto his left arm, although it is never explained how he lost his hand. Zochi, after realizing torture will not make Ryu and Ken tell him who they are "supposedly" working for (in truth, they are working for no one, but Zochi doesn't believe them), he puts Ryu in a chair, where he is tied up. Ryu attempts to wiggle himself out, but Zochi plans to cut Ryu's left arm off with his chainsaw to add to his "collection" of other left arms. Just as Zochi is about to do so, the alarm sounds as Dorai and the rest of the Hong Kong police force enter the secret hideout, thanks to the tracker Dorai planted on Soong.

Distracted by this, Ryu and Ken defeat Zochi and the other Ashura members in the room, much to the surprise of Dorai and his men when they enter the room. Sagat, at the end of the episode, is freed from prison in light of new evidence proving his innocence. Sagat asks Ryu to show him the scroll he got from master Yo. He then tells Ryu that if he wishes to learn about Hadou, he should travel to India, where a monk named Dhalsim lives. 
11 "Visitation of the Beasts"
(野獣来訪 聖なる荒法師、若武者への忠告) 		1995-07-03
Ryu and Ken visit India to learn about Hadou from a monk named Dhalsim, who lives in northern India. Ryu and Ken fight off a gang of thugs who want to destroy Dr. Hanna's small hospital (since it is built on land that they wish to use for themselves), which she built as a refuge for the impoverished population of Calcutta. Ken makes a phone call to his father, asking him to purchase Dr. Hanna's hospital and turn it into a much larger, fully functioning hospital, so that Dr. Hanna is never harassed or threatened again. Ryu and Ken soon arrive in Dhalsim's village, but he refuses to teach them the ways of Hadou, because he believes them to be "beasts with an aggressive spirit", and thus unworthy to be taught Hadou. Ryu and Ken befriend the villagers to impress Dhalsim and motivate him to teach them Hadou. Dhalsim eventually shows Ryu and Ken the Cave of Ancients, telling them never to go in there, for there is a terrible monster inside. The episode ends as four criminals enter the cave, intent on plundering its treasure. 
12 "The Deadly Phantom Faceoff"
(赤白の闘神 幻の真剣勝負) 		1995-07-10
Dhalsim and the rest of the villagers are taken hostage by two of the criminals (the other two had perished inside the cave), who were unable to access the treasure inside the Cave of the Ancients. They order Ryu and Ken to enter the cave and retrieve the treasure, threatening to massacre the entire village if they do not succeed. Inside, they are forced to face each other in combat, not knowing that the "monster" they are fighting is merely a reflection of their innermost being. Ryu and Ken, after suffering serious injuries from the fight, realize that they are fighting each other, causing the illusion to disappear. Ryu and Ken emerge from the cave and hand the treasure over to the criminals, who then try to kill them for outliving their "usefulness", although Dhalsim paralyzes the two men. Dhalsim then heals Ryu's and Ken's injuries, and agrees to teach them the ways of Hadou. 
13 "The Legend of Hadou Ken"
(森羅万象の気 波動拳伝説) 		1995-07-17
Dhalsim attempts to teach Ryu and Ken how to use Hadou. Ryu begins to feel an uncontrollable surge of energy inside his body, and unleashes it via a Hadouken. Although he is successful in performing the technique, he is unable to control his new found powers, fearing that it could kill anyone without warning. Ryu goes to the Cave of Ancients to perfect his use of the Hadouken. In the cave, he fights an imaginary Guile, who he says helped him realize "just how arrogant we really were". Soon afterwards, he fires the Hadouken at an imaginary Dhalsim, since imagining opponents helps him focus on where to shoot the Hadouken. After he finishes his training, Ryu and Ken leave India to go to Spain, since Dorai was invited to Barcelona to receive an award for shutting down the Ashura crime syndicate. Chun-Li invites Ryu and Ken to come as well, and thus they do, as the episode ends. 
14 "The Bloodthirsty Prince"
(血に飢えた麗人 バルログ) 		1995-07-24
The dark-hearted matador Vega enters a bullfighting arena to show off his skills. Vega notices the beauty of Chun-Li the second he enters the arena, and immediately develops an attraction to her. He gives her a rose before fighting the bull, declaring that he would defeat the bull in her honor. Vega is victorious, and presents Chun-Li with the bull's ear as proof of his victory. Chun-Li becomes uneasy when around Vega after this incident. Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li meet up with Vega a couple more times outside of the bullfighting arena, and each time Vega shows more and more affection towards Chun-Li. In the middle of the night when Chun-Li, Ryu, and Ken are sleeping, Vega sneaks into Chun-Li's hotel room and kisses her. Vega manages to cast a love potion over Chun Li, where she will only focus on him via a daze each time she sees him. Vega manages to escape the room just as Ken notices that someone is there. The episode ends as Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li wake up. 
15 "Clash of the Titans"
(両雄激突 プライドと命とシンデレラを賭けた死闘) 		1995-07-31
Ken, Ryu, and Chun-Li are invited to a party by Vega, although Ken doesn't know that it was Vega who sent the letter. Ken and Chun-Li go to the party, while Ryu stays behind at the hotel practicing his Hadouken. When they reach the party, Chun-Li drifts off into a daze, and Ken, realizing that Vega is in the steel deathmatch cage in the middle of the room where the party is being held, accepts Vega's challenge. Vega attacks Ken a few times, as the episode ends. 
16 "The Unveiled Ruler"
(ベールをぬいだ君臨者 暴走を始めた恐るべき征服欲) 		1995-08-07
The battle between Ken and Vega continues. Vega easily has the advantage, as he breaks both of Ken's feet, and also causes Ken to lose a lot of blood because of his claws. Despite this, Ken manages to survive the matador's onslaught, and even scores a few hard hits on Vega (including knocking his mask off) before Vega wears him down. Vega jumps atop the chandelier and prepares to finish him off, while Ken decides to use his ultimate attack, the Shoryuken, on Vega. Just as the two are about to use their ultimate attacks on each other, the episode ends. 
17 "Shudder! The Despot's Commander"
(戦慄、暴君の司令 忍び寄る策謀、迫り来る危機) 		1995-08-14
Ken and Vega's battle reaches its end, as Ken uses the Shoryuken to knock Vega into the chandelier above. A gravely injured Ken falls to the ground afterwards. Chun-Li enters the cage as Vega's love potion wears off, and immediately rushes to Ken's aid. Vega is enraged when sees Chun-Li embrace Ken, and drops down from the chandelier in one final attack. However, Ken catches the Vega on his back and lays him down gently as Bison, impressed with his skills, orders his assistant Zoltar to get his doctors to work on his recovery and bring him to his villa. Ryu continues to practice the Hadouken on the beach by the hotel he is staying in. Ken and Vega are taken into different rooms for recovery. Chun-Li, finding this suspicious, questions Bison's doctors. The doctors give Ken a shot which makes him sleep. Bison enters the room afterwards and tries to kidnap Chun-Li. She refuses to go with Bison, and begins to attack him. However, Bison expertly dodges and counters Chun-Li, even ripping off parts of her dress in the process. 
18 "The Beautiful Assassin"
(美しき暗殺者 緑色の瞳、十字架の恐怖) 		1995-08-21
Bison and Chun-Li fight. She hits Bison twice, although her attacks barely make a dent in him. Just as she is about to flee, he teleports in front of her and strangles her until she loses consciousness. Bison, realizing he went berserk with his Psycho Power, tells his assistant, Zoltar, to bring Chun-Li and Ken to his villa. Meanwhile, the assassin Cammy White, who was hired by Interpol infiltrator and Shadowlaw double agent Balrog to kill Dorai, enters her hotel room next to where Dorai is staying. The alibi given to Cammy was that Dorai supposedly set up a new drug syndicate every time he smashed one, with himself as boss of those drug syndicates. Also, apparently the Chief of Interpol, Barrac, agreed to this hit, but said that it has to be a secret. Balrog selected Dorai for the hit because the latter was sent to lead the investigation of the Shadowlaw crime syndicate. Just as Cammy is about to kill Dorai, the episode ends. 
19 "Special Orders to Iron Men"
(鉄人への特命 救出の空に発つ最強の助っ人) 		1995-08-28
Bison calls Mr. Masters, Ken's father, and informs him that he has kidnapped his son. He demands a $1,000,000,000 ransom (nearly a fifth of his fortune) in exchange for Ken. The money was needed because it would reimburse Bison and Shadowlaw for the money they lost when Dorai shut down Ashura. In response, Mr. Masters sends two special commandos from the United States military, Guile and Nash, to rescue Ken from Bison. Guile is given a picture of Ken with his best friend Ryu, and immediately recognizes them (to which he replies "those boys sure know how to get into trouble"). Guile and Nash enter a helicopter after being briefed by Mr. Masters's friend from college, and they head to Spain to rescue Ken from Bison. Meanwhile, Dorai is attacked by Cammy White and is presumably killed by the assassination attempt (although Dorai manages to survive the attack). On the beach, Ryu is attacked by the Shadowlaw wrestler Zangief, who was sent by Bison to take Ryu to Bison's headquarters. Ryu resists Zangief, and the episode ends. 
20 "Unknown Explosive Force"
(秘められた爆発力 渾身に満ちるとてつもないパワー) 		1995-09-04
Ryu and Zangief fight for a brief time on the beach, but Zangief, with the help of the Shadowlaw driver, knocks Ryu out and puts him in the truck in which they came. Just as Zangief puts Ryu into the truck, Guile and Nash land nearby, and Zangief and the Shadowlaw driver quickly escape with Ryu before Guile and Nash can confront them. Guile and Nash search the castle that Vega and Ken were in before being worked on by Bison's physicians to see if they can find Ken. The place is thoroughly cleaned out, and thus their search is futile. Meanwhile, Ryu and Bison fight each other as Ryu awakens to find himself in Shadowlaw's headquarters. Ryu fights Bison to no avail, as Bison easily overpowers him. Ryu is taunted by Bison into using the Hadouken, and when he is about to fire it, Bison uses his Psycho Power to cause Ryu to lose control of the Hadouken. The Hadouken explodes, and this, combined with the energy of Bison's Psycho Power, knocks Ryu unconscious. 
21 "Compulsion Towards Vengeance"
(服従への強制 サイバーチップ、脳支配への挑戦) 		1995-09-11
Ryu has the cyberchip planted on his forehead by Bison. Zoltar created the chip to recruit Shadowlaw warriors for Bison. These cyberchips control the subject's higher brain functions, and thus as long as the cyberchip is on their forehead, Bison can control the subject as he pleases, as Zoltar demonstrates by getting a test subject to bang his head against the wall and kill himself. With Ryu under Bison's control, and Ken unconscious and chained in a bed, Guile and Nash will have to hurry in order to rescue Ken and Ryu from Bison. Meanwhile, Fei Long learns of Dorai's supposed death, and rushes to the hospital to see him (he was in Barcelona because he was to film a movie there). He is greeted by Interpol Chief Barrac, who explains the situation to Fei Long. He wishes to help Barrac protect Dorai from future assassination attempts, since he is still alive. 
22 "Rising Dragon into the Sky"
(昇龍、空へ 怒りの絶頂、目覚める波動) 		1995-09-18
Ken is continually having nightmares of Chun-Li being strangled by Bison, and this begins to awaken his ki and his ability to tap Hadou. Eventually, Ken wakes up, although weaker than ever. He gradually summons the Hadou Shoryuken and manages to free himself from the chains, as well as a bust a hole in the ceiling allowing him to escape the room. Ken eventually begins to make his way deeper into the fortress in hopes of finding Ryu and Chun-Li. 
23 "The Icy Light of Their Eyes"
(凍りついた眼光 悪魔に魅入られた勇者) 		1995-10-16
This episode gives a recap of what happened ever since Ryu and Ken journeyed to Barcelona. This whole segment is over ten minutes long. After the recap, the actual episode begins, where Ken slowly makes his way to the main room of the headquarters, where he is seaparated from Chun-Li and Ryu via a wall. Balrog summons Cammy to the hospital, since Dorai had survived her assassination attempt, and Balrog wants him dead. Cammy begins to have suspicions about Balrog, but continues to follow his orders for the time being. The episode ends with Ken approaching a window to a room in which he sees Chun-Li, who also has a cyberchip implanted on her forehead, strangling a Shadowlaw guard. 
24 "Nightmare Reunion"
(悪夢の再会 悲痛の呼び掛け、閉ざされた意識) 		1995-10-23
Carrying on from the previous episode, Ken watches as Chun-Li breaks the guard's neck. Ryu then enters, now under Bison's control via the cyberchip. They briefly stare at each other before Chun-Li leaves the room. Ryu stays and attacks Ken, who realizes that something must be wrong with Ryu. Bison then orders Ryu to focus his ki to do the Hadouken. Ryu complies and begins to charge his ki. Meanwhile, Guile and Nash infiltrate the fortress to try and rescue Ken, Ryu, and Chun-Li from Bison. Ken slowly but surely summons enough rage to use the Hadou Shoryu to break the wall between him and Ryu. After breaking the wall, he tries to convince Ryu to come with him, but Ryu doesn't answer. The episode ends after that. 
25 "Fight to the Finish (Round One)"
(死闘 <第一章> 壮絶、トリプルバトルコマンド) 		1995-10-30
Ryu and Ken fight each other in a heated battle. Ryu easily overpowers Ken, as Ken refuses to fight his best friend. However, Ken eventually hits Ryu in order to defend himself, at which point Bison tells Ken that he and Ryu were born to fight each other. The fight goes on between Ryu and Ken, as Ken tries to break Bison's hold over him, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Cammy enters Dorai's hospital room and attempts to make a final assassination attempt on him, but she is intercepted by Fei Long. He talks with Cammy for a while before battling each other for Dorai's life. Finally, Guile and Nash, having successfully infiltrated Shadowlaw fortress, go their separate ways to find Shadowlaw's captives. Guile runs into Zangief along the way, and he initiates a fight with him. 
26 "Fight to the Finish (Round Two)"
(死闘 <第二章> 力尽きゆく親友の断末魔) 		1995-11-06
The fight between Guile and Zangief continues, as Guile continues to struggle in defeating Zangief. Guile eventually manages to knock Zangief out cold. Fei Long and Cammy continue their fight, with Fei Long determined to protect Dorai from Cammy. Ryu and Ken continue their fight as well, with no signs of it coming to an end. Ken continues to try to convince Ryu to turn back to normal, but Ryu is still not listening. Eventually, Nash fights his way into the control room of the fortress, where he finds Bison. He confronts Bison boldly, shooting a bullet into his heart. Bison uses his Psycho Power to render this bullet useless. Afterwards, Bison attacks Nash relentlessly, and eventually chokes him. Nash doesn't survive the choke, and dies because of it. 
27 "Fight to the Finish (Round Three)"
(死闘 <第三章> 臨界点、激突する波動エネルギーの極限) 		1995-11-13
Guile eventually makes his way into the control room, where he finds his friend Nash dead. Realizing that Bison had killed him, Guile immediately attacks Bison in an extreme rage. Bison uses his Psycho Power to blast Guile back to the entrance of the room, briefly incapacitating him. Meanwhile, Fei Long and Cammy continue to fight for the life of Dorai, although Fei Long reveals to Cammy that Shadowlaw had sent her to kill Dorai, because he kept foiling their plans. Cammy goes to the hotel room where Balrog is staying, and begins to question his motives. He eventually reveals to her that he set her up, pointing a gun at her. Just as he is about to kill her, Fei Long and Barrac bust the door down, and Cammy kicks Balrog's gun out of his hand while he is distracted by the intrusion. Barrac says Balrog is under arrest, but before he is arrested, Cammy attacks Balrog for tricking her, nearly killing him. She decides to hand him over to Fei Long, and also thanks him for telling her the truth. 
28 "Fight to the Finish (Round Four)"
(死闘 <第四章> 君臨者ベガ、その圧倒的破壊力) 		1995-11-20
Ryu and Ken finally finish their fight at the end of this episode by using the Hadou Shoryu and the Hadouken against each other. The resulting blast of energy knocks the cyberchip off of Ryu's forehead, returning him to normal. Guile manages to pull himself together, and stands again to face Bison. However, Bison doesn't have time to fight Guile personally, and orders the brainwashed Chun-Li to keep Guile occupied. Ryu and Ken eventually meet up with Guile and Chun-Li in the control room of the fortress. Their reunion is short-lived, however, as Bison's eagle head transports Guile and Chun-Li outside to continue their battle. It also teleports Ryu, Ken, and Bison into the focal point of the universe where all of its power flows, although this is not seen until the next episode. 
29 "Fight to the Finish (Final Round)"
(死闘完結 全身全霊をかけたファイナルバトル) 		1995-11-27
Guile and Chun-Li battle outside, while Ryu, Ken, and Bison do battle in the focal point of the universe, which is revealed to be another dimension that Bison's eagle had sent them to. There, Ryu and Ken seem destined to lose, because of Bison's overwhelming Psycho Power. Ryu and Ken's fighting abilities are no match for Bison, and Guile is losing to Chun-Li, since the cyberchip has made her a much more powerful opponent than she was without it, and also because Guile is reluctant to fight back with full force, out of fear that he might seriously harm her. Bison uses his Psycho Crusher and Double Knee Press attacks to overpower Ryu and Ken, severely wounding both of them. They eventually find the strength needed to carry on thanks to their Hadou powers. Ken uses the Hadou Shoryuken against Bison. This weakens Bison substantially and this also knocks the cyberchip off Chun-Li's head, allowing Ryu to finish him off. After Bison is gone, Ryu and Ken head back to America, then Ryu sails to an unknown location. 

Themes

Japanese

  1. "Kaze Fuiteru" by Yuki Kuroda (eps 1-19)
  2. "Ima, ashita no tame ni" by Shuji Honda (eps 20-29)
  1. "Cry" by Yuki Kuroda (eps 1-19)
  2. "Lonely Baby" by Shuji Honda (eps. 20-29)

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

Notes

  1. ↑ Pronounced "Street Fighter Two Vee".
  2. ↑ Street Fighter II V: Original Soundtrack (Media notes). TOCT-9195.
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