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|title            = Street Fighter (universe)
|title            = Street Fighter (universe)
|image            = [[File:StreetFighterTitle.png|300px]]
|image            = [[File:StreetFighterTitle.png|300px]]
|caption          = [[File:StreetFighterSymbol.svg|50px|class=invert-dark]]
|caption          = [[File:StreetFighterSymbol.svg|50px|class=invert]]
|developer        = [[Capcom]]<br>Tiger Electronics<br>Tiertex<br>Eurocom<br>Rozner Labs<br>Dimps
|developer        = [[Capcom]]
|publisher        = Capcom<br>Tiger Electronics<br>U.S. Gold<br>GameTek
|publisher        = Capcom
|distributor      =  
|distributor      =  
|designer          = Takashi Nishiyama (Piston Takahashi) <br> Hiroshi Matsumoto (Finish Hiroshi) <br> Akira Yasuda (Akiman) <br> Akira Nishitani (Nin Nin) <br> Yoshinori Ono
|designer          = Takashi Nishiyama (Piston Takahashi) <br> Hiroshi Matsumoto (Finish Hiroshi) <br> Akira Yasuda (Akiman) <br> Akira Nishitani (Nin Nin) <br> Yoshinori Ono
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|originconsole    = Arcade
|originconsole    = Arcade
|firstinstallment  = ''{{iw|wikipedia|Street Fighter|video game}}'' (1987)
|firstinstallment  = ''{{iw|wikipedia|Street Fighter|video game}}'' (1987)
|latestinstallment = ''{{iw|wikipedia|Street Fighter 6}}'' (2023)
|latestinstallment = ''{{s|wikipedia|Street Fighter V: Champion Edition}}'' (2020)
|interwiki        = wikipedia
|interwiki        = wikipedia
|interwikiname    = Wikipedia
|interwikiname    = Wikipedia
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==Franchise description==
==Franchise description==
In 1984 while working on Irem beat-em-up ''Kung-Fu Master'' (titled ''{{iw|wikipedia|Spartan X}}'' in Japan), programmer Takashi Nishiyama was inspired by the many boss fights in the game and wanted to make a game exclusively about fighting bosses.<ref>[https://www.polygon.com/2020/7/7/21270906/street-fighter-1-oral-history-takashi-nishiyama Street Fighter 1: An oral history]</ref> Other inspirations include video game ''Karate Champ'' and feature film ''{{iw|wikipedia|Game of Death}}''. Nishiyama was then hired by [[Capcom]], where he made a spiritual successor to his previous game titled ''Trojan'' in 1986. Home console ports of this game had a one on one fighting mode, which would also inspire his future titles.
In 1987, [[Capcom]] developed and released its first competitive fighting game, ''Street Fighter'', for arcade machines, and subsequently ported it to the TurboGrafx-CD console under the title "''Fighting Street''" in 1988. Though the one-on-one fighting game genre had already been first popularized years earlier by ''Karate Champ'' in 1984, ''Street Fighter'' is credited with introducing hidden, command-based special techniques to the budding genre's formula. The game itself is a primarily single-player affair in which the only character that can be played is the martial artist [[Ryu]], who must defeat a linear series of computer-controlled opponents at martial arts venues across the world. In the game's limited 2-player mode, the second player takes control of [[Ken Masters]], Ryu's friendly rival who is otherwise a functionally identical [[clone]] of Ryu in-game, and whichever player wins a multiplayer match between the two will proceed with the rest of the single-player game as that character. The game received fair critical reception for relevantly innovating on its genre, but failed to garner lasting popularity, and would primarily derive its public appeal from being a historical curiosity in the wake of far more successful endeavors by the series.


Capcom then promoted Nishiyama to producer and director, where he would develop his next game. He would be accompanied by planner Hiroshi Matsumoto, and character designer Keiji Inafune would join as his first project with the company before moving on to the {{uv|Mega Man}} franchise. His major inspiration for the characters would be the film ''{{iw|wikipedia|Enter the Dragon}}''. This game would release as ''Street Fighter'' in 1987 for the Motorola 68000 arcade board. During development, Nishiyama decided to include a six button control scheme, each attributing to different types of punches and kicks, which was unheard of at the time. He also wanted to include command inputs for special moves, which very few games attempted to do before hand. He was initially met with skepticism over whether the public was ready for such complicated controls, but he insisted that this was required to achieve a level of realism not seen in games prior. He also focused on in-game graphics, with large, expressive sprites and detailed backgrounds that give the sense of traveling the world. Two different arcade variants were made. The first was a standard machine with six individual buttons. The other used two pressure sensitive buttons that give different attacks depending on how hard the button is pressed. This variant was not popular due to being easily broken and very few are still functional today.  
Capcom had intended to lift ''Street Fighter'''s concept and improve on it with a sequel, but repurposed their follow-up project as a side-scrolling beat-em-up titled ''Final Fight'' in response to the popularity of Technōs Japan's ''Double Dragon''. Despite this change in direction, Capcom decided to make fighting games a priority after ''Final Fight'' was commercially successful in the United States, and went ahead with ''Street Fighter II'', which saw release in 1991. It was met with meteoric commercial and critical success and is credited with both setting off a renaissance for the arcade game industry in the early 1990s and giving rise to an influx of fighting game franchises by other developers, popularizing the genre. The Super NES port of ''Street Fighter II'' - the first 16-Megabit cartridge for the console - became Capcom's best-selling single-consumer game software until 2013, when it was surpassed by ''Resident Evil 5''.


The game itself is a primarily single-player affair in which the only character that can be played is the martial artist [[Ryu]], who must defeat a linear series of computer-controlled opponents at martial arts venues across the world. In the game's limited 2-player mode, the second player takes control of [[Ken Masters]], Ryu's friendly rival who is otherwise a functionally identical [[clone]] of Ryu in-game, and whichever player wins a multiplayer match between the two will proceed with the rest of the single-player game as that character. The game received praise for its presentation and inventive game design, but also receive heavy criticism for its poor-feeling gameplay, unfair difficulty spikes, and under-baked multiplayer mode. The game only sold modestly and primarily derives its public appeal from being a historical curiosity in the wake of far more successful endeavors by the series. That being said, the game was subsequently ported it to the TurboGrafx-CD console under the title "''Fighting Street''" in 1988. An NES version was also prototyped, but was canceled for unknown reasons.
''Street Fighter II'' added the concept of a roster of selectable playable characters, each with their own distinct fighting style and special moves, to the formula of the first game, as well competitive multiplayer combat between two players and a combo system - the first fighting game ever to use one, despite coming about as a bug initially. Many of the innovations brought about by ''Street Fighter II'' were incorporated into later fighting games - including the ''{{b|Super Smash Bros.|series}}'' series itself, to an extent. Following this, Capcom enacted a long series of updated re-releases of the game over the course of several years, adding various improvements and new features in response to a wave of bootleg ROM chip upgrades that emerged for its arcade cabinets. ''Street Fighter II: Champion Edition'' made four previously boss-exclusive characters playable and added "mirror matches" (the capacity for two players to fight as the same character with different color palettes); ''Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting'' featured faster-playing speeds; ''Super Street Fighter II'' reverted the speed change, added more characters, and featured a new scoring system which kept track of combos, as well as an eight-player single-elimination tournament mode; and ''Super Street Fighter II Turbo'' allowed the gameplay speed to be adjusted, featured combos that could be performed in the air, and introduced more powerful "Super Combos" that could only be performed under certain conditions.


Capcom had intended to lift ''Street Fighter''{{'}}s concept and improve on it with a sequel, but some hurdles got in the way at first. Firstly, Nishiyama and Matsumodo left Capcom and joined [[SNK]], where they went on to develop the {{uv|Fatal Fury}} series. A new team was then formed from the remnants of the old one. Their first attempt at a follow-up was a side-scrolling beat-em-up, but Capcom got cold feet about making such a different title the direct sequel, so it was repurposed and released as ''Final Fight'' in 1989. In response to the high praise of that game, it became a series unto itself with many sequels. Meanwhile, Capcom tasked the team to make a straightforward sequel focused on fighting, which released as ''Street Fighter II'' in 1991 for the CP System arcade board.<ref>[https://www.polygon.com/a/street-fighter-2-oral-history Street Fighter 2: An Oral History]</ref> While functionally identical to its predecessor, gameplay feel was generally improved and its roster was expanded to include eight unique fighters with different fighting styles. To stick to the concept of story and world-building, every character received a unique ending for beating arcade mode to flesh out their characters. The game was met with meteoric commercial and critical success and is credited with both setting off a renaissance for the arcade game industry in the early 1990s and giving rise to an influx of fighting game franchises by other developers, popularizing the genre and influencing many future games, including the ''{{b|Super Smash Bros.|series}}'' series itself to an extent. The game also received many ports to home and handheld consoles, with the Super NES port of ''Street Fighter II'' - the first 16-Megabit cartridge for the console - becoming Capcom's best-selling single-consumer game software until 2013, when it was surpassed by ''Resident Evil 5''.
''Street Fighter'' had become Capcom's second best-selling franchise behind ''{{uv|Mega Man}}'', with ''Street Fighter II'' being among the most successful and highest-grossing video games of all time when considering both its arcade and home versions.<ref>[http://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/12-highest-grossing-video-games-of-all-time-518819/?singlepage=1] Insider Monkey</ref> Capcom proceeded to release appropriately-iterative sequels in the decades to follow, each of which made more significant changes and expansions to the prototypical formula and each of which spawned their own subseries. In addition to a variety of game spinoffs and television and film adaptations, the ''Street Fighter'' IP has also been involved in a fairly regular stream of crossover productions, such as ''Street Fighter X Tekken'', which pits ''Street Fighter''{{'}}s iconic cast against that of [[Namco]]'s ''Tekken'' series (one of the more prolific fighting game series that ''Street Fighter'' has been credited with spawning in the wake of its own success). ''Street Fighter'' characters have also been regulars in the ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' series, where a large roster of the most popular characters from Capcom's overall stable of franchises fight alongside an equally large selection of Marvel Comics superheroes and supervillains. In a nonetheless unexpected turn, {{SSB4|Ryu}} was included as a post-launch downloadable content character in Nintendo and Namco's ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'', the second Capcom-originating character to be included in the game's roster. He (along with all other series veterans) returned for the base roster of ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'' as an unlockable fighter.  


Capcom was quick to capitalize on the success of this game by quickly creating updated versions of the game. The first was ''Street Fighter II: Championship Edition'', which introduce previous unplayable boss characters and was arguably the first game in history to receive a character balance update. Initially satisfied to stop at this version, the rise of bootleg machines that began to outsell official hardware inspired the team to make ''Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting'' only months later, which introduced a faster game speed and new content. The great success of this version inspired Capcom to make a proper follow-up, which released as ''Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers'' on the new CPS-II arcade board. While the game was praised for improved performance and new characters, there was criticism towards its intentionally slower gameplay from previous versions, which was not the direction fans wanted. To mitigate these concerns, Capcom then released ''Super Street Fighter II Turbo'' in 1994. This game reintroduced faster game speed, new gameplay elements like the Super Combo, and added secret character Akuma. This version of the game in particular is considered the pinnacle of the series, and to this day is considered the tournament standard version of ''Street Fighter II''. All of these versions received ports to home and handheld consoles, totaling sales of 15.5 million copies, technically being the best-selling fighting game of all time until 2019 when it was surpassed by ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''.<ref>[http://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/12-highest-grossing-video-games-of-all-time-518819/?singlepage=1] Insider Monkey</ref> Other versions include ''Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival'' in 2001, a unique version of the game for Game Boy Advance, ''Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition'' in 2003, which combined all previous versions together and was the last game to release on CPS-II, ''Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix'' in 2008, which introduced balance changes and a total graphical overhaul done by {{iw|wikipedia|Udon Entertainment}}, and ''Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers'', which released exclusively on [[Nintendo Switch]] in 2017 introduced a host of new content not seen elsewhere.  
The ''Street Fighter'' series prioritizes gameplay over plotting throughout its chronology, with a vague scenario serving as a backdrop for otherwise context-free competition between members of the series' long-established recurrent cast. Ryu and Ken are two among many recurring combatants that have since become some of the video game industry's most iconic character designs, each with an international backstory and a set of relationships with any number of the other fighters. Among the more significant series mainstays are Chun-Li, widely regarded as a trailblazer for heroines in gaming media; Blanka, a mutated former human with green skin and a bestial combat style; and [[Guile]], an affectionate All-American stereotype. Earlier games set their proceedings within "World Warrior Tournaments", in which aspiring martial artists from all corners of the globe compete for glory and personal advancement, but later games take place at tournaments organized for reasons more closely tied into ongoing storylines, such as a tournament hosted by the criminal organization of Shadaloo, led by M. Bison - another icon of video game character personification, embodying an over-the-top stereotype of a would-be world dictator. A synopsis of the numbered installments and some prolific spin-off titles are given below.


After work on ''Super Street Fighter II Turbo'' wrapped, that team then decided to work on a different ''Street Fighter'' game not tied up in its own legacy. This lead to the creation of ''Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dream'', which released in 1995 for the CPS-II board and several home consoles.<ref>[https://www.polygon.com/2020/11/23/21579064/street-fighter-alpha-an-oral-history Street Fighter Alpha: An Oral History]</ref> This game introduced a bold new anime-inspired artstyle, aging down many of the established fighters while introducing reinvented characters from other series as well as entirely original characters. The game was well received as a breath of fresh air for the series and received many sequels. ''Street Fighter Alpha 2'' released in 1996 and is essentially a remake of the first game with more content added like custom combo. A special version exclusive to home consoles titled ''Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold'' later released with more new content. ''Street Fighter Alpha 3'' released in 1998 as a proper sequel with new characters and new gameplay elements like the various "isms" that change how characters play. This game would get an updated version called ''Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper'' for arcades and later Game Boy Advance, which was then iterated on for ''Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX'' for PlayStation Portable.
'''''Street Fighter''''': The first game of the series released in 1987. While it did not achieve the same popularity as its sequels when it was first released, the original ''Street Fighter'' introduced some of the conventions made standard in later games, such as attack buttons and special command-based techniques. In this game, the plot focuses on Ryu who competes in an international martial arts tournament to prove his strength.  


During this time, merchandise for the ''Street Fighter'' brand is incredibly popular and many companies want a piece of it. Toys, tv shows, animated films and manga all released in this time period. Many Hollywood studios wanted to make a feature film of the franchise, but Edward R. Pressman productions would eventually take the coveted role of producer. After many hurdles including conflicting schedules, actors being difficult to work with, incredibly tight deadlines primarily due to Raul Julia being diagnosed with cancer soon before shooting began, and generally poor working conditions, ''Street Fighter: The Movie'' released in theaters to mostly negative reception. However, Capcom has claimed this film is one of their most profitable ventures ever due to receiving rebroadcast royalties to this day. Incredible Technologies would develop a game based on the film with the original actors, which faced many of the same issues the film faced. This game released as ''Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game'' in 1995 for arcades. Capcom was so displeased with this game that they handled home console ports in-house, essentially remaking the game from scratch.<ref>[https://www.polygon.com/2021/3/1/22296705/street-fighter-the-movie-the-game-an-oral-history Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game: An oral history]</ref>
'''''Street Fighter II''''' '''series''': Released in 1991-1994. ''Street Fighter II''{{'}}s worldwide success propelled the fighting game genre into great popularity by introducing a number of tropes and mechanics that would become commonplace within it, such as the combo system and a diverse, international cast of characters. Successive updates would further polish the game, with 1993's ''Super Street Fighter II'' expanding the original cast of 12 fighters to 16. The latest iteration, ''Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers'', was released in 2017 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. This game concerns a worldwide tournament organized by the mysterious syndicate, Shadaloo.


Also around this time, Capcom contracts game developer Arika to make a ''Street Fighter'' game with 3D polygonal graphics. This manifested in ''Street Fighter EX'', which released in 1996 for the Sony ZN arcade board. This game included many ''Street fighter'' characters as well as original characters. Arika retained the rights to these original characters and still use them to this day, particularly with the ''Fighting Layer'' series. The game received an upgraded version titled ''Street Fighter EX Plus'' in 1997 and a PlayStation port titled ''Street Fighter EX Plus α'' later that year. A sequel was released in 1998 titled ''Street Fighter EX 2'' for the Sony ZN-2 arcade board, which introduced new characters and new gameplay mechanics. The game received an upgraded version titled ''Street Fighter EX 2 Plus'' in 1999 for arcades and PlayStation. Another sequel titled ''Street Fighter EX 3'' was released in 2000 exclusively for PlayStation 2 and introduced more new characters and new mechanics.
'''''Street Fighter Alpha''''' '''series''': Released in 1995-1998. This series introduces several new features, expanding on the Super Combo system previously featured in ''Super Street Fighter II'' Turbo and added new features such as selectable fighting styles called "isms", with graphics drawn in a similar cartoonish style to the one Capcom employed in ''Darkstalkers'' and ''X-Men: Children of the Atom''. The plot of ''Street Fighter Alpha'' further expands upon the universe's lore, being a prequel series set between the original ''Street Fighter'' and ''Street Fighter II'', and thus the game features younger versions of established characters, as well as characters from the original ''Street Fighter'' and ''Final Fight'', and a few who are new to the series.


While all of this is happening, Capcom was considering a new mainline entry in the series, but talent was spread so thin that doing so was simply not feasible. Also, many teams were vying for this coveted position. ''Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game'' was pitched as the third in the series initially. In 1994, a small team led by Tomoshi Sadamoto was tasked to make a fantasy themed fighting game that utilized the new CPS-III arcade board, tentatively titled ''New Generation''. However, the team had trouble finding a vision and was understaffed in general. He was then promoted to producer per advice from Capcom, which only exasperated their issues. As a hail mary attempt to stay afloat, the team decided to shift into being a ''Street Fighter'' game, and eventually became the third mainline entry. An an effort to stand out, the initial roster was made entirely of new characters based off their fantasy based origins, a decision the team backtracked on due to fears of alienating fans and added Ryu, and later Ken. The game eventually released as ''Street Fighter III: New Generation'' in 1997.<ref>[https://www.polygon.com/2020/12/8/22151873/street-fighter-3-an-oral-history Street Fighter 3: An Oral History]</ref> While praise was given to its presentation, criticism was given towards its haphazard feeling gameplay design and feeling dated compared to its 3D based competition, a contentious talking point to this day. The game was a disastrous financial failure for Capcom and greatly damaged its reputation in the arcade space for years to come. Less than a year later, the team made an updated version titled ''Street Fighter III Second Impact: Giant Attack''. This version introduced new characters, revamped many gameplay systems and attempted to address as many criticisms as possible. While generally seen as an improvement, this version was also met with apathy by critics and fans. In 1999, both versions were bundled together for [[Sega]] Dreamcast as ''Street Fighter III Double Impact''. A third version was then made in 1999 titled ''Street Fighter III Third Strike: Fight For the Future''. This version introduced more new characters, further tweaked its presentation and gameplay systems, and further addressed criticisms. This version was much better received and sold better than its predecessors, but the series in general was still seen as a failure. However, ''Third Strike'' would steadily grow a following over the years with its technical gameplay and tendency to create exciting moments, with the rise of the internet allowing players to show what is possible in the game. The game was ported to many home consoles like Dreamcast, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. A special version released in 2011 titled ''Street Fighter III Third Strike: Online Edition'', which included remastered game elements and a host of new content.
'''''Street Fighter EX''''' '''series''': Released in 1996-2001. Developed by Arika (which also developed the recent ''[[Dr. Mario]]'' games and ''Tetris 99''), the series was ''Street Fighter''{{'}}s first foray into 3D-based gaming, although gameplay remained largely constrained to 2D. Treated as a side story, the games' cast consists of famed ''Street Fighter'' characters and original characters designed by Arika, which would also appear in other fighting games developed by them, such as 2018's ''Fighting EX Layer''.


''Street Fighter'' and Capcom fighting games in general slowed to a crawl around this time, mostly due to oversaturation and cannibalization of sales leading to the fall of the arcade industry in the 2000s. Characters would appear in other games, but a proper ''Street Fighter'' game would not be made for many years. There were many attempts to make one, but they all fell through, though the unprecedented success of ''Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting'' on Xbox Live Arcade renewed interest in the franchise. Yoshinori Ono pitched a new entry that was approved. Development studio Dimps was contracted as primary developer, and studio founder Takashi Nishiyama returned as a major designer for the series for the first time since 1987. This game released as ''Street Fighter IV'' for the Taito Type X2 arcade board in 2008, as well as Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2009. The game now used 3D models while sticking to a 2D plane, which was dubbed a 2.5D fighting game. To not appear jarring, the artstyle was meant to look like a painting with bright colors and brush strokes. The game was praised as a return to form for not just the series, but Capcom in general, and this game invigorated the fighting genre once again with other companies coming back after their own hiatuses.
'''''Street Fighter III''''' '''series''': Released in 1997-1999. The first proper sequel to ''Street Fighter II'' after six years, ''Street Fighter III'' made use of Capcom's new arcade board CPS-3, which boasted fluid and detailed sprite-based animations, among other innovations. The game popularized techniques such as Super Arts (selectable super moves similar to the Super Combos introduced in ''Super Street Fighter II Turbo'') and parrying, a defensive technique similar to [[perfect shield]]ing in which the user not only blocks incoming attacks but also deflects them for a quick opening. Story-wise, ''Street Fighter III'' happens before the events of ''VI'', introducing a slew of new characters save for Ryu and Ken (as well as Akuma and Chun-Li) competing in a new World Warrior tournament.


Just like previous entries, ''Street Fighter IV'' received several major updates sold as separate games, a decision that backfired in the age of downloadable content that led to diminishing returns with each new entry. The first iteration was ''Super Street Fighter IV'' in 2010, which added new content and balance changes. The arcade version of this update received updates of its own, which was than released on consoles as ''Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition'' in 2012. A separate build of the game was released for [[Nintendo 3DS]] titled ''Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition'' in 2011, which introduced Sterescopic 3D visuals and special moves being accessible with a button press on the bottom screen. A final update was titled ''Ultra Street Fighter IV'' in 2013, which introduced more content, many of which was recycled from other games. Most of these entries also had downgraded versions released for IOS and Android devices.
'''''Street Fighter IV''''' '''series''': Released in 2008-2014. After a period in which the fighting genre lay mostly dormant, with the ''Street Fighter'' series itself surviving through successive re-releases, Capcom revived the series with a new entry which blended 3D visuals with the series' classic 2D-based gameplay. The [[Focus Attack]] was one of the innovations of the game, along with the Revenge Meter (a secondary gauge which fills as the player takes damage) and Ultra Combos (more spectacular versions of the Super Combos, tied directly to the Revenge Meter to allow for comebacks). The story takes place a short time after ''Street Fighter II'', but before ''Street Fighter III'', where an offshoot of Shadaloo known as S.I.N. organizes a new tournament with the intent of drawing the strongest fighters to have their data collected.


During these updates, Capcom also worked alongside [[Bandai Namco]] to create the title ''Street Fighter X Tekken'' in 2012. Capcom was the primary developer, with the {{uv|Tekken}} development team only overseeing production. This entry was mired in controversy, such as unrealistic sales expectations, spending a great deal of development on purchasable gems that alter how a character plays that very few players invested in, intentionally delaying the release date of downloadable content that was already on game discs at launch, and other confusing and off-putting decisions that caused the game to fail on the market. The Tekken team were supposed to make a companion release titled ''Tekken X Street Fighter'' but that project was shelved indefinitely after the negative reception of the previous game. Not wanting assets to go to waste, characters and stages made specifically for this game were repurposed into ''Ultra Street Fighter IV'' when it released a year later.
'''''Street Fighter V''''': Released in 2016-2022. The latest chapter of the series, exclusive to the PlayStation 4 and PC, has a different update model from previous versions: rather than standalone releases, the game was treated as a live service title, with a steady stream of updates added to the game via patches containing new content such as characters, stages, and game modes. The most recent update, ''Street Fighter V: Champion Edition'', released in January 2020, only adds all content released thus far to the base game. The biggest innovation is the V-System, with which each character has special skills that can grant them temporary advantages in battle. The plot of ''Street Fighter V'', which takes place between ''IV'' and ''III'', details Shadaloo's master plan and ultimate downfall, parallel with Ryu's quest to purge himself from the evil power known as Satsui no Hado. This is the first game where a character from the ''Rival Schools'' series is playable since Sakura's playable appearance in ''Rival Schools: United by Fate''.


''Ultra Street Fighter IV'' was not initially planned to be made, as the next entry in the franchise was expected to release at that point. However, many hurdles and poor decisions during development, such as a studio that does not primarily create make video games being contracted as head developer to various foundational decisions that did not work out, development then shifted back to Dimps, who were already wrapping up the ''Street Fighter IV'' series and was trying to salvage ''Street Fighter X Tekken''.
'''''Street Fighter VI''''': The next numbered entry in the series was announced on February 20, 2022 to coincide with the franchise's 35th anniversary. The existence of the game was previously leaked in November, 2021 as part of a list of games leaked from Nvidia, but was officially announced in a special event livestream. It is currently targeting a 2023 release, features a new single player mode that allows the player to explore an open world Metro City. The plot of ''Street Fighter VI'' happens after ''III'', serving as the latest title in the official timeline. The last DLC fighter from ''Street Fighter V'', Luke, has now a leading role in both the story and the game's single player mode.


Their new version of this project was revealed in 2014 as ''Street Fighter V''. The game released in 2016 on PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows. Sony helped fund the game in exchange for console exclusivity. The game was met with controversy even prior to release, primarily with its somewhat sloppy presentation and disastrous public beta tests that had to end early due to the sheer amount of problems. Upon release, the game was a bare-bones experience with not much to do other than play games locally or online and next to no replayable single-player content. What was there seemed to be geared towards an Esports experience first and foremost, including features like high input lag and intentionally easier execution to be more beginner friendly at the expense of experienced players. Updates gradually introduced content like a proper story mode, which itself was negatively received for being too easy and poorly written, as well as items that could be bought with in-game currency that evolved into wearable sponsored content that put many players off. The game received a major update titled ''Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition'' in 2017, which introduced new content and addressed many issues with the base game. Said base game also became a free to play option around this time. A proper arcade version of the game released exclusively in Japan in 2019, titled ''Street Fighter V: Type Arcade'' and running on the Taito Type X4 arcade board. Another update released in 2020 titled ''Street Fighter V: Champion Edition'', which again added content and addressed issues. By this point, the game was generally considered in a much better state than at launch. One more season of downloadable content was introduced in 2020 and into 2021. The developers claimed this season was done to bide time while working on the next game.
'''''Marvel vs. Capcom''''' '''series''': A series of tag team crossovers where, as the name indicates, pits superheroes and villains from Marvel Comics against characters from Capcom's sizable library of games. Its roots can be traced back to the 1994 title ''X-Men: Children of the Atom'', a Capcom-developed fighting game which also featured Akuma as a secret guest character, and its successor ''Marvel Super Heroes'' the following year, which reused some assets from the ''X-Men'' game. The first proper crossover was 1996's ''X-Men vs. Street Fighter'', followed by ''Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter'' the following year, then in 1998 followed by ''Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes''. These crossover games revolve around tag battles, where each player chooses two characters to fight in tandem, the winner being the first to defeat both of the opponent's characters. ''Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes'', in 2000, expanded the concept to teams of three characters, which was followed in 2011's ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds'', but scaled back to two teams and Infinity Stones for 2017's ''Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite''.


In November of 2021, the existence of the game ''Street Fighter 6'' was leaked by Nvidia through a data breach. On February 20, 2022, the game was officially announced during a livestream to coincide with the franchise's 35th anniversary. More news would gradually release about the game, including a new World Tour mode that acts as an explorable story mode, a move to the {{iw|wikipedia|RE Engine}}, used in the ''Resident Evil'' series since ''{{iw|wikipedia|Resident Evil 7: Biohazard}}'', and showing Luke Sullivan, the last DLC character from ''Street Fighter V'', as the new protagonist. Several betas and demos also occurred before the game finally released on June 2, 2023. In contrast to the previous entry, ''Street Fighter 6'' was highly rated at launch, praised for its fresh presentation, wealth of content, and solid gameplay. Most of all, the gameplay system itself has many primary gameplay elements derived from previous ''Street Fighter'' mainline games. Although as time passes, some criticisms have emerged like a hands-off approach to character balance leaving unbalanced characters to run amock, expensive in-game shop items and a confusing and potentially predatory in-game currency system on one of the post-launch contents packs. One such crossed over with the ''Fatal Fury'' series by adding [[Terry Bogard]] and Mai Shiranui.
'''Other ''Versus'' games and crossovers''': As one of Capcom's flagship franchises, the ''Street Fighter'' series has taken part in other crossovers, either by itself or as part of a whole shared universe with other Capcom franchises. These include the ''Capcom vs. [[SNK]]'' series, which has a variety of selectable playing systems as a nod to both publishers' history of fighting games; ''Tatsunoko vs. Capcom'', similar to ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' but with characters from the Japanese animation studio Tatsunoko Production such as Casshern and Hurricane Polymar; ''[[Namco]] x Capcom'', which would later originate the ''Project X Zone'' series, which also involves [[Sega]] and Nintendo characters; and ''Street Fighter x {{uv|Tekken}}'', a tag-team fighting game in the style of ''Street Fighter''. A ''Tekken''-style game in the same breadth, aptly titled ''Tekken x Street Fighter'', was announced to be in development before it was frozen.


Outside of the mainline entries, ''Street Fighter'' has crossed over with many other franchises. The game ''X-Men Vs. Street Fighter'' was a 1996 crossover with the Marvel franchise that blossomed into the ''Marvel Vs. Capcom'' franchise. A fan made an unofficial crossover titled ''Mega Man X Street Fighter'' in 2011 before being officially licensed by Capcom. ''Street Fighter'' have also appeared in many crossover titles like the ''Capcom vs. [[SNK]]'' and ''Project X Zone'' series, as well as ''Tatsunoko vs. Capcom'' and the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series. The franchise has also been referenced in other franchises like ''Final Fight'', ''Slam Masters'', ''Rival Schools'', and countless nods from other companies. Franchise mascot Ryu in particular has frequently attributed to having the most crossovers of any video game character.
'''Shared Universe games''': A handful of Capcom series that take place within the same collective continuity of the ''Street Fighter'' series, crossing over common plot elements, settings, and characters.
 
* '''''Final Fight''''': A spin-off series originally intended as ''Street Fighter '89 (1989)'', this series is centered on the wild disparate American metropolis of Metro City. Featuring 2D beat 'em up gameplay, ''Final Fight'' focuses on the heroes of Metro City as they personally take it upon themselves to clean the streets of both its violent gangs and criminal activities. Most of this series' mainline game storyline, particularly its first game took place prior to ''Street Fighter Alpha'' sub-series, while its non-canon followup, ''Final Fight: Streetwise'' was alternatively took place several years after ''Final Fight 3''.
 
* '''''Slam Masters''''': A series similar to ''Street Fighter'' but with a wrestling twist, ''Slam Masters'' focuses on the explosively popular professional wrestling scene within the ''Street Fighter'' world and the inner federation wars between two of its greatest organizations: the Capcom Wrestling Association (CWA) and the Blood Wrestling Association (BWA). This series took place prior to the first game of both ''Street Fighter'' and ''Final Fight''.
 
* '''''Rival Schools''''': Set in the Tokyo area municipality of Aoharu City, ''Rival Schools'' is a fighting game series evocative of school setting martial arts shounen manga and anime. A city renowned for its youth education and schooling, Aoharu soon becomes the center of a great battle between high schools regarding mysterious kidnappings and assaults, as well as brainwashing on its students and the quest of its students, in turn, aiming to unravel a great mystery to bring the perpetrators responsible to justice. The game storyline of the series' timeline took place prior to the ''Street Fighter Alpha'' series, whereas first game titled ''United by Fate'' took place before ''Street Fighter Alpha 2'', while ''Project Jutsice'' took place before ''Street Fighter Alpha 3''.
 
However, there are three series that while may happen in said continuity, their connections are not confirmed:
 
* '''''Captain Comando''''': The 1991 science-fiction beat 'em up game ''Captain Commando'' is generally assumed to take place in the future of the ''Street Fighter'' universe due to its numerous references to ''Final Fight'', such as being set in Metro City and Ginzu being mentioned to have been trained in Bushinryu. However, in Yuta Homura's Shadaloo C.R.I. profile, it states that he can clear a game of ''Captain Commando'' with Mack the Knife in a single credit on the arcade, which draws this into question.
 
* '''''Strider''''': ''Street Fighter'' character Zeku shares many similarities and thematic elements with Hiryu, the main protagonist of Capcom's ''Strider'' action game series, as noted in the former's character biography. Because of these connections, it is theorized that the ''Strider'' series exists within the same shared universe as the ''Street Fighter'' series. Additionally, Hiryu was originally intended to be featured in ''Capcom Fighting All-Stars'', the only member of a series with no direct connections to the ''Street Fighter'' franchise to do so. Whether or not the connections between the series are intended to convey a shared universe or if they are simply referential in nature is unconfirmed, however.
 
* '''''Red Earth''''': In the Japanese only ''Street Fighter V Arcade Edition - A Visionary Book II'', ''Street Fighter V''{{'}}s director Takayuki Nakayama states that the crystal ball owned by a ''Street Fighter'' character Menat is called the "Left Eye of the Lion", which was created from a product of a god-beast believed to have once protected the phantom desert kingdom of Alanbird. Alanbird (Sangypt in the English version) is one of the nations in ''Red Earth''.


==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''==
==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''==
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===Stage===
===Stage===
*[[File:SuzakuCastleIconSSB4-U.png|75px|right|link=Suzaku Castle]]'''[[Suzaku Castle]]''' ([[DLC]]): This stage, available for both versions, is a re-imagining of Ryu's original stage from ''Street Fighter II''.{{clr}}
*[[File:SuzakuCastleIconSSB4-U.png|75px|right|link=Suzaku Castle]]'''[[Suzaku Castle]]''' ([[DLC]]): This stage, available for both versions, is a reimagining of Ryu's original stage from ''Street Fighter II''.{{clr}}


===Music===
===Music===
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Arrangements and remixes unique to ''SSB4''.
Arrangements and remixes unique to ''SSB4''.
*'''{{SSB4MusicLink|Street Fighter|Ryu Stage}}''' ([[DLC]]): A string-heavy remix of Ryu's stage theme from ''Street Fighter II'', arranged by the song's original composer, Yoko Shimomura.
*'''{{SSB4MusicLink|Street Fighter|Ryu Stage}}''' ([[DLC]]): A string-heavy remix of Ryu's stage theme from ''Street Fighter II'', arranged by the song's original composer, Yoko Shimomura.
*'''{{SSB4MusicLink|Street Fighter|Ken Stage}}''' ([[DLC]]): A more rock remix of Ken's stage theme from ''Street Fighter II'', arranged by Rio Hamamoto. It plays on Suzaku Castle<sup>(<span style="color:#004DFF">Wii U</span>)</sup>.
*'''{{SSB4MusicLink|Street Fighter|Ken Stage}}''' ([[DLC]]): A more rock remix of Ken's stage theme from ''Street Fighter II'', arranged by Rio Hamamoto.


====Source Tracks====
====Source Tracks====
*'''{{SSB4MusicLink|Street Fighter|Ryu Stage Type A}}''' ([[DLC]]): the original version of Ryu's stage theme from ''Street Fighter II''.
*'''{{SSB4MusicLink|Street Fighter|Ryu Stage Type A}}''' ([[DLC]]): the original version of Ryu's stage theme from ''Street Fighter II''.
*'''{{SSB4MusicLink|Street Fighter|Ken Stage Type A}}''' ([[DLC]]): the original version of Ken's stage theme from ''Street Fighter II''. It plays on Suzaku Castle<sup>(<span style="color:#004DFF">Wii U</span>)</sup>.
*'''{{SSB4MusicLink|Street Fighter|Ken Stage Type A}}''' ([[DLC]]): the original version of Ken's stage theme from ''Street Fighter II''.
*'''{{SSB4MusicLink|Street Fighter|Ryu Stage Type B}}''' ([[DLC]]): the updated version of Ryu's stage theme from ''Super Street Fighter II''. It plays on Suzaku Castle<sup>(<span style="color:#004DFF">Wii U</span>)</sup>.
*'''{{SSB4MusicLink|Street Fighter|Ryu Stage Type B}}''' ([[DLC]]): the updated version of Ryu's stage theme from ''Super Street Fighter II''.
*'''{{SSB4MusicLink|Street Fighter|Ken Stage Type B}}''' ([[DLC]]): the updated version of Ken's stage theme from ''Super Street Fighter II''. It plays on Suzaku Castle<sup>(<span style="color:#004DFF">Wii U</span>)</sup>.
*'''{{SSB4MusicLink|Street Fighter|Ken Stage Type B}}''' ([[DLC]]): the updated version of Ken's stage theme from ''Super Street Fighter II''.


====Victory Theme====
====Victory Theme====
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===Stage===
===Stage===
*[[File:SuzakuCastleIconSSBU.png|75px|right|link=Suzaku Castle]]{{GameIcon|SSB4}}'''[[Suzaku Castle]]''' ([[Starter stage|Starter]]): Returns functionally unchanged from ''Smash 4'' and, like other returning stages, has overhauled visuals and a [[Battlefield form]].{{clr}}
*[[File:SuzakuCastleIconSSBU.png|75px|right|link=Suzaku Castle]]{{GameIcon|SSB4}}'''[[Suzaku Castle]]''' ([[Starter stage|Starter]]): Returns functionally unchanged from ''Smash 4'' and, like other returning stages, has overhauled visuals.{{clr}}


===[[World of Light]] Sub-World===
===[[World of Light]] Sub-World===
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*''Street Fighter'' is one of only two universes with multiple playable characters to have each character first appear in the same game, as both Ryu and Ken made their debut in the original ''Street Fighter'' game. The other being Cloud and Sephiroth who both made their debut in ''Final Fantasy VII''.
*''Street Fighter'' is one of only two universes with multiple playable characters to have each character first appear in the same game, as both Ryu and Ken made their debut in the original ''Street Fighter'' game. The other being Cloud and Sephiroth who both made their debut in ''Final Fantasy VII''.
*Due to ''Street Fighter'', Capcom is listed twice in the character copyright section under "Capcom Co., Ltd." and "Capcom U.S.A. INC.". The former is for {{uv|Mega Man}}, while the latter is for ''Street Fighter''. This is because at the time the rights to ''Street Fighter'' as an IP were held by Capcom U.S.A. Inc., unlike the rest of Capcom's franchises. Starting April 2021, ''Street Fighter'''s copyright has been credited to "Capcom Co., Ltd.", although ''Smash'' still retains "Capcom U.S.A. INC." in the DLC trailers released in 2021.
*Due to ''Street Fighter'', Capcom is listed twice in the character copyright section under "Capcom Co., Ltd." and "Capcom U.S.A. INC.". The former is for {{uv|Mega Man}}, while the latter is for ''Street Fighter''. This is because at the time the rights to ''Street Fighter'' as an IP were held by Capcom U.S.A. Inc., unlike the rest of Capcom's franchises. Starting April 2021, ''Street Fighter'''s copyright has been credited to "Capcom Co., Ltd.", although ''Smash'' still retains "Capcom U.S.A. INC." in the DLC trailers released in 2021.
*Due to a localization decision made when releasing ''Street Fighter II'' internationally, the names of a few characters were swapped around from the original Japanese version, which is reflected in the ''Smash'' series. M. Bison was originally named Vega. Vega was originally named Balrog. Balrog was originally named M. Bison. The Japanese version of the games and languages that base their translations on it use the original names. The English version of the games and languages that base their translations on it use the alternate names.


==References==
==References==

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