Anime You Slept On: Street Fighter 2 Victory Review

Street Fighter 2 is a video game series that has resonated with many fans over the years. It was a huge smash hit at arcades back in the early 90s, consuming a lot of quarters and egos in the process. Over time, the series grew so popular, that it paved the way for a TV adaptation both in Japan and in the US. Of the two, the Street Fighter 2V series is praised as being the better of the two series, that stays true to most of the mythology established in the games. Street Fighter 2V packs a series punch that every anime fan will feel, with or without prior knowledge of the games.

The story the anime establishes revolves around a young martial artist named Ryu. Ryu one day receives a telegram from his oldest friend, and training partner, Ken Masters while living in Japan. Ken request that Ryu come to America so that he may see him, since the two have been separated for many years since their training together. Upon arriving in the California, Ken and Ryu reunite and decide to go out for a night on the town. This leads to an unexpected bar fight, in which the two young fighters come into contact with Captain Guile of the US Air Force. After a total beat down at the hands of Guile, both Ken and Ryu decide to travel the world seeking great fighters, learning new martial arts, and becoming the greatest fighters in the world.

This is one anime that stays very true to the video games it is based on. It is commendable to how much of a faithful interpretation this show is, and how well most of the fighters from the game’s roster are handled in regards to the main story. Almost every fighter from the original Street Fighter 2 makes an appearance in one form or another, with only a few exceptions and surprise appearances. What is unbelievable is how the creators were able to use levels from the game as settings for some of the events that Ryu and Ken are part of. This includes classic levels from Street Fighter 2 like Guile’s Air Base stage, Fei Long’s Chinese Temple, and Vega’s Cage of Death.

The overall story itself is not something to be written off as just a straight port of the arcade game’s loose storyline. The story of Ryu and Ken’s travels become something much more of a spiritual journey for the two young martial artist. They both grow and learn what it takes to become a true warrior, while at the same time honing their abilities and hidden powers, including the classic Street Fighter power of Hadoken (referred to as HADO in the series). Each iconic that comes into contact with Ryu and Ken contribute something relevant to their quest, as well as dynamic situations and challenges for the two to overcome.

The choreography of the fight sequences in this anime is top notch. There is a ton of action that lives up to the epic fights found in the arcade game we all remember. What was cleaver was the intricate use of each fighter’s signature moves, which has appearances from such classics as the Hadoken, Shoryuken, Spinning Pile Driver, and much more. Fans of the arcade games will love how the creators implemented such iconic and classic moves into the series, and new found fans will love how great they look on screen.

There is a total of twenty-nine episodes in the entire series, which is very short compared to most anime shows out there. But each episode is loaded with tons of punches and kicks, epic and mystical storytelling, and memorable characters that will definitely deliver everything and more. There is hardly any filler and each episode is relevant to the main story in one form or another. There is also great soundtrack that goes along with the series, with a nice mixture of classic techno and fight music for different points of drama. The voice actors for each character involved in the anime are on point, bringing the best out of their characters with each episode.

Street Fighter 2V is a love letter to the arcade fighting game many people loved back in the day. It both respects the source material and brings it something new with how the story is delivered. Anyone who watches this anime will enjoy all the action and story it has to offer, and the best part is that you don’t have to know about Street Fighter to do so. Everything you want is here, cool characters, great story, slick sound, and awesome action. Without a doubt, this is one of the best video game adaptation anime series of all time.