The Inevitable Street Fighter V Story Thread: ARCADE EDITION!

I’m gonna disagree here.

The story telling in the Alpha games at that time was the most cohesive the series ever saw. The Alpha trilogy sometimes came off like a self-contained story because of SF2, and none of it made sense until SF4 came and cemented it’s canon, or deleted it/remade it.

I still believe that even at the time that the Alpha series was being made, they had all intention of Alpha 3 being a retelling of SF2. Too many coincidences like you said, and Sagat is an outright contradiction.

I can’t go over all the endings to show my point right now, but I will tackle the things you brought up.

Adon: Not that big of a shift IMO. Adon wants to overtake Sagat, and get out of his shadow. That is his motivation. Adon witnessed Akuma’s power firsthand in A3, and THAT is how he learned of his power and wanted to assimilate. At no point in A3, does Adon reference Akuma’s power by name AFAIK. Akuma is still very much a mystery to Adon by the end of A3.

Rose: No contradiction whatsoever. Rose underestimated Bison in A2 and A3. In A2, it is revealed that they knew one another and Rose wants to stop him but realizes later she didn’t and did not know how he survived. In A3, she is more sure that Bison must be stopped because her visions of what is to come become more darker. She comes to terms with the reality that defeating Bison is paramount and is now willing to die for it. But Rose still does not know the full extent of Bison (underestimation #2), and Bison reveals this to her in the end the hard way. Rose learns how Bison survived A2, and she learns that the visions she saw were incomplete, and that Bison is in fact going to bring about an apocalypse which can only happen through her. Bison knew that he had to make a body switch at this period of time (A3), so he can fulfill his side of the prophecy, Rose was the vehicle he needed and most likely predicted. Rose was utterly clueless of this, which terrified her in the end.

Rose referring to Bison as master is a tease of what their relationship was a long time ago, but it is never clarified further. We can assume that she was his student, or subordinate but she got away from him.

Sagat: Perfect sense. Sagat was already in Shadaloo in A2 and A3, and only leaves Shadaloo after he learned about Bison’s true plans.

Ryu: Perfect sense. The only thing that makes Ryu’s story weird is him not wearing the red headband in A3.

Also, Bison wanted to unlock the SNH more than anything and was trying to use his Psycho Power as the catalyst - Why? Because he invites the power and the conflict it will bring. It’s not as seamless, but it checks out for both his A2 and A3 endings (neither of which are canon, but they help make sense of other things indirectly). So the Bison wanting to switch bodies with Ryu thing isn’t completely out of left field, the seeds for this plot point were planted in A2. The only thing that changed was Bison was in a state of needing to switch bodies in A3. Note that in A3, Bison wanted Ryu’s body, but also was willing to switch with Cammy and Rose (he ended up with Rose in the end). Survival was what he was after when all the chips fell. He still wanted Ryu though, but he was again motivated by the hunger for fighting as we saw in SF4/SF5.

The only major thorn that is in the SF canon is SF2. Which is why the A3 and SF2 merger needed to take place for our discussions to become fluid.

I looked back and you’re right. Adon actually mentions the Satsui no Hado in Akuma’s story. In Adon’s story, however, he tells Ken to show him “that technique”, and later says he’ll identify Akuma by seeing that “ultimate barrage attack”. Before fighting Bison, Adon tells Bison he’s interested in “that power”, and Bison reads his mind and says he wants to “learn the secrets of the Shun Goku Satsu”. So for all intents and purposes, Adon is aware of what the Shun Goku Satsu is.

AAC attests to this as well:

As for Rose, that wasn’t exactly what I was talking about. What I was saying is that Bison was nothing more than someone she simply stepped in to stop prior to Alpha 3. She mentions warning Bison about being on the wrong path and gives him a chance to give up. There was no regrets in taking Bison out in Alpha 2. It was business as usual because he was simply a guy abusing his powers.

She’s now regretting the fact that she has to destroy her master with her own hands despite the fact that she *literally *just attempted to do this in the previous game. That’s a contradiction. Alpha 3 established a relationship between them that was never hinted at in the previous games.

Thoughts on Ryu progression both story wise and game play wise

It’s really hard for Ryu to have a better conclusive story direction after SF3s without the possibility of messing him and destroying his character purpose in game and future sequels.

That’s why I’ll rather make him stay as is, Ryu shouldn’t be in a situation of having family, being parent or having a parent, He shouldn’t even supposed to have a personal vendetta to any organization by what so ever means. Then he shouldn’t have any new personal attachment other than the previous like Ken and Gouken.

The only thing that I believe to make Ryu effective and sensible is for Ryu to have a personal vendetta is when Ken is in danger or in a tragedy which is unlikely in this state and should not happen because it’s to early.

If that would even occur it should be in far time when Mel is all grown up like 20s and Ken is aged enough that cannot fight for himself like he used to, Where Ryu decided to teach personally Mel his ways and his fathers, That enough as a personal vendetta by training Mel to go out to whom that made his father suffer rather than Ryu personally seek out.

For now I want Ryu to stay as is being a recurring character as usual in subsequent sequels but with new ideas like always having a new secondary version of hadoken and super that will superseded the previous version of it in every SF games sequel to make him look like trying to incorporate Oro’s teachings in his moves instead of replacing it.

Storywise this is to reflect his state under Oro’s mentorship of improving his Ki manipulation to incorporrate to his techniques, Rather than gaining Oro moves instantly or gradually to replace his which is a shitty lazy idea at all that destroy his character iconic representation.

While this would also be exciting for the follower of him to know what Capcom would come out with the new iteration of Ryu’s secondary version of hadoken and what would be his new super in future SF game sequels instead of altering and replacing his moves to be like Oro or him be like Oro which is a lazy idea.

Why not make him play like Oro? Because it is irreversible in time that will mess and gamble his branding. That can only be fix by a total reboot.

Learning new special moves is what Ryu should have been in future SF sequel games rather than defeating new bosses with power ups and Ryu should not be change to a new character overall with different move set then play like somebody(Oro) just to justify a story progress in a lazy and quick representation. Ryu playing like Gouken or Oro is not a good game design from branding perspective and even story progression.

Ryu had already enough power ups like Mu hadou and he should not be gaining new power ups like DBZ which is a meh direction because it will lead into bizarre power levels and enemies like aliens and deities. Secret Society and Necali is already enough to be explored on those areas.

Actually I too had in mind to write something about Street Fighter eventually, so I totally understand.

Just because Rose did not bring up their relationship history in SFA2, doesn’t mean they didn’t share it even then. We knew from A1 that they knew one another for quite some time. Capcom just didn’t want to reveal more about them until SFA3. You are confounding omission of truths with contradictions. They are not the same.

Other Fix on Akuma using SFV.

The impression of Akuma will never change even after Capcom making Gen a sacrificial lamb to make him menacing and ruthless than ever, that is even if Akuma would rip Gouken and then destroy Sagat in front of Ryu , It will still make no sense to redeem is previous status quo.

Why??? because he is now like a child that is immature, proving something himself to Ryu as an authority is shitty, What makes him interesting before was him was having “no attachment” while it’s Ryu that after him not him centering his betterment to Ryu. Ryu isn’t the ultimate fighter that exist anymore in SF universe beating Ryu makes no sense.

I bet Capcom would either go an easy way just sacrificing more characters to Akuma yet it doesn’t redeem his qualities and former glory.

Here my take on this:

1.) Make another “what if or an alternative cinematic mode” with conditions that is needed to be completed in specific early stage of ASF before reaching beginning the chapter/Act 3 which is about and starting of the second Shadaloo base raid. By having met the condition is subsequently alter the matches by matches and sequences to a very different route rather than the ordinary.

2.) Just make another new cinematic mode or add this as a preview in the course of the ending of any possible version of an arcade mode or an extra battle mode which is a lazy quick fix way.

Had the 5 iconic world warrior gather against a new improved Bison for another time which is a better body than ASF restored by Fang then have them fall like the Kanzuki’s ninja again and again… even they come out of strategies by working effective together something like SFV trailer is played out that is evryone at once against Bison)…then latter make Akuma appear and destroy Bison’s new body with an SGS in a very glorious cinematic version that let’s people see Bison manage to counter and dodge few attacks of Akuma even it’s in a very tremendous speed.

After defeating Bison with then make him belittle Akuma and then the rest that fights him with very few words while they are facing his back on a higher ground then fades in to darkness… then proceeds the Shadaloo base to fall and crumble then Ryu protects Chun li with hadouken from the debris then so on and so fort like the usual.

Why a make Bison manage to counter some SGS attacks? To make him look powerful too in a different sense and proving that there is no demon consuming souls on SGS.

Who are the 5 iconic world warriors? Anyone from the likes of Ryu, Nash, Dhalsim, Zangief, Ken, Chun li, Guile and Cammy fight dictator all at once… or simply just like how SFV trailer was.

Yet, Capcom so I won’t be surprised if they do instead sacrificing Sagat or both Sagat and Gouken to justify Akuma again which won’t still bring back his former glory.

Probably the most entertaining thing about Eagle’s CvS2/A3 inclusions are how innuendo-packed his lines are. Thanks again to @Miðgarðsorm for the translations.

[details=Spoiler]CVS2

[/details]

If he makes it in, I hope Capcom doesn’t go overboard in dialing him back. Then again, that was probably more to do with difficulty in translating the subtlety of his character than fear of censorship, and things have come quite a ways since the 90’s.

Yup. That was my story pitch.

Have Ken trace back money and holdings in his family to the Illuminati (who are still entrenched in the Masters Foundation and siphoning funds, etc) and start to investigate them. This leads to a confrontation with Necro. Necro & Ken would get character development as they both actually fight for loved ones and not for themselves (Ken for his family, Necro for Effie). You’d also get some good friction between them because Ken is a rich kid born with everything and Necro is a poor kid born with nothing. So they have stuff in common while still being very much opposites. Interestingly, Ken would also see that Necro is a lot like himself when he was young…fiery, hot-tempered and eager to prove himself. Necro doesn’t have the mooring of a rivalry with someone like Ryu though…which means Necro is in danger of going too far.

Eventually Necro would also discover that Ken’s family (not just his company) is tied to the Illuminati itself and would get very heated about this which leads to another confrontation between the two since Necro would naturally be very distrustful of ANYONE with blood ties to the Illuminati.

Wow, that sounds great. Would love for something like this to happen.

If the AASFZ is anything to go by, seeing Bison in the limousine in Genoa was apparently Rose’s first time seeing him in person. If that’s the case, and she only remembered him from nightmares of a destroyed world, then there’s no prior connection unless she had amnesia. Furthermore, if these words from the Master were what she remembered after seeing Bison, "One day, you surely will head to the battlefield. Do not forget one thing: ‘soul power’ is, for you, a powerful weapon, and also an weakness that cannot be overcome… ", then no way could he have been considered her master prior to Alpha 3. Outside of the fact that Bison talking like that is…OOC, his entire backstory goes against it. Bison killed his master and went on to do more evil acts afterwards.

Also, I’m saying Rose has **no **qualms with eliminating Bison in Alpha 2. In Alpha 3, her tone is *entirely *different because she says that outcome *wasn’t *supposed to happen because of what he was to her. Even if it comes down to Capcom simply not revealing this fact, Rose goes from being perfectly fine with killing Bison to regretting the fact that she has to kill Bison with her own hands in Alpha 3. That’s a significant shift in characterization that doesn’t even make sense. It’s the same Bison.

That’s exactly why I’m good with Alpha 3 being forgotten about mostly. Rose’s words from the master carried over to SF4, and the last thing she remembered was taking Bison down in what appeared to be their Alpha 2 encounter. The idea of Bison even being a master to Rose just seems random and unnecessary, anyway.

I never knew this side of Eagle, it gives a lot of flavour to that character.
I hope this stuff is in the plot guide.

Master doesn’t have to mean Mentor or Teacher, Cammy used to call Bison Master and so do the Kings. Bison and Rose could know one another in the Astral plane for example, and he was her master there (that’s where they could have met, the same way Menat and Ed are meeting now). They don’t have to be have a physical master-student relationship like Goutetsu and Akuma.

Bison’s pre-SF backstory in the new canon IMO is a complete unknown. I don’t buy into the tales of him killing his master as they have never been mentioned in any way shape or form in the games and their supplemental material. Speaking of which, most of that supplemental material from the 90s has mostly historical value. Rose seeing Bison in a limo isn’t really something I personally am willing to take into account unless it is corroborated by game canon in some way. The most informative interaction about Bison’s pre-SF backstory comes from Rose in Alpha 3, for better or worse. Even though that is on questionable canon grounds after SF4 rewrote/retold much of what came before it. For example, Rose’s SF4 prologue refers to what is essentially her SFA3 ending (not SFA2 ending) but it is taking place in the SFA2 time period (the clue lies in her saying “many years ago”).

Honestly, I prefer Bison’s pre-SF backstory remain completely unknown, especially immune to any attempts at humanizing him. We have Akuma for that BS. Bison is and should remain completely and utterly evil, any backstory he may get should observe this truth diligently.

The talk of my Ingrid concept gave me another idea. A character that would be tied to her story. A Moon to her Sun. I couldn’t have completed this to my liking without @Miðgarðsorm , his language knowledge is without peer and is real boon to the thread. Thanks for all your help. I took your suggestions to heart and I tweaked Ingrid’s concept as well.

Kosmus

[details=Spoiler]Name: Kosmus Ingimundsson

Nickname: The Light of Máni

Sex: Male

Ethnicity: Faroese

Height: 6ft 3in(1.91m)

Weight: 209 lbs. (95kg)

B/W/H: 42-35-38(107cm-89cm-97cm)

Hometown: Tórshavn, Faroe Islands

Appearance: Kosmus has shoulder length indigo colored hair and silver eyes. He wears a variation of traditional Faroese clothing. He has gray long sleeve jacket that is unfastened with a white dress undershirt. A series of silver colored button run down the middle of his shirt and adorn each side of the open jacket as well. Kosmus has on knee length gray pants, knee high white socks, and gray dress shoes.

Likes: Tvøst og spik(Pilot Whale meat, blubber, and potatoes), Jokes/Humor, Cold Weather

Dislikes: Skerpikjøt (wind-dried mutton), Hot Weather, People with no sense of humor

Fighting Style: Nevaleikur Mánans (Boxing of the Moon)

Tone: Kosmus is sarcastic and seemingly never serious. Despite this outward facade, he’s quite dedicated to his clan. His humor masks an intense level of focus.

Origins: Kosmus is one of the few surviving members of The Máni Clan. His clan was nearly wiped out while turning back the treacherous Clan of Fenrir. Their sacrifice allowed the Sunna clan to escape to Iceland. What was left of his clan sought refuge on the Faroe Islands His father, Ingimund, stumbled upon a god of “Fire and Ice”. Lacking the strength to stop this “god” on his own, he reached out to Isold, leader of The Sunna Clan. Neither his father or Isold where heard from again. Kosmus seeks to complete his father’s task. Unite the Sun and the Moon to stop the “god of fire and ice”.

His Rival: Ingrid (friendly)

Attributes: Health: 3 Power: 3 Range: 3 Mobility: 3 Technique: 3

1000 Health/1000 Stun

Throws:

Waning Gibbous - P+K: Kosmus grabs his opponent by the shoulders, flips over them, and uses the momentum to throw them into the ground.

Waxing Gibbous -B+P+K: Kosmus grabs hos opponent by the shoulders, flips over them, and kicks them in the back with both feet sending them sailing behind him.

Unique Attacks:

Fjøra (Low Tide)- B+MP: Kosmus hits his opponent with a quick low spinning back fist to the knee. Must be blocked low.

Flóð (High Tide)– F+ MK (overhead): Kosmus strikes with a quick forward somersault kick. Two hits, relatively quick start up. -6 on block.

V-Reversal:

Máni Crescent -F+PPP: Kosmus strikes with a quick backfist cloaked in a crescent white aura that pushes his foe a half screen away.

V-Skill:

Mánamyrking (Lunar Eclipse): Kosmus manifests a horizontal slowing moving white orb of ki. Does 0damage/100stun on hit, 0damage/50 Stun on block. Can only cause a dizzy on hit.

**V-Trigger: **

Fullmáni (Full Moon): Mani is surrounded by a “Lunar Aura”. The stun damage of all of his normal and special attacks receive a small increase. Light Attacks received a 5 stun damage buff. Medium Attacks receive a 10 stun damage buff. Heavy Attacks recieve a 20 stamina buff. Light Specials recieve a 10 stun damage buff, Medium Specials recieve a 20 stun buff, Heavy Specials receive a 30 stun buff .2 bar V-Trigger

Specials:

First Quarter-F,D,F + P: (Anti Air)Kosmus quickly strikes forward with a bladed fist and then quick sweeps his bladed fist overhead, generating a half moon arc of lunar ki directly above him. The “shell” of ki nullifies aerial or arching projectiles if properly timed. (Akuma’s Zanku Hadoken, Kolin’s Hail storm, Dhalsim’s Yoga Fire.) LP (1 hit, 3f start up), MP (2 hits, 4f start up), HP (3 hits, 5f start up) EX (4 hits, 3f start up, Invincible 1-6f)

Waning Crescent -HCB+ P: Kosmus strikes his foe with a bladed punch to the sternum followed by a series of rapidly slicing strikes that create crescent shaped ki trails. LP (4 hits, -2 on block, doesn’t knock down), MP (5 hits, -4 on block, knocks down), HP (6 hits, -7 on block, causes a juggle state), EX (8 hits, -3 on block, causes a juggle state)

Náttsól (Night Sun) – QCB+P (In Air): Kosmus slices the air with backhand chop that generates a yellow-orange crescent wave of energy. Can only be performed from a forward jump. Punch button determines the start up speed and strength of the attack. Negates projectile attacks if timed correctly. LP (fastest start up, lowest damage) MP(slower start up, higher damage), HP (Slowest start up, Highest Damage, Causes a juggle state), EX (Can be performed from backward, neutral, and forward jumps, fastest startup, causes juggle state).

Last Quarter – HCB+K: Kosmus hits his foe with a rolling axe kick (similar Evil Ryu’s) that creates a half moon shaped “shell” of ki. This ki “shell” will reflect single hit projectiles. The EX version reflects multi-hitting non critical art projectiles. LK (fast start up, leaves opponent standing), MK (slower start up, knocks down), HK (slowest start up, causes juggle), EX (fast start up, 2 hits, causes juggle)

Waxing Crescent- QCF + K: (“Rekka attack”) Kosmus strikes with a roundhouse kick that generates a crescent blade of kick. This attack can be followed up twice by repeating the motion and has two different enders. One that hits high and the other that hits low. EX version has gains armor on frame 3.
[list]
[] QCF+K: Kosmus follows up with a crescent bladed kick
[
] QCF+K: Kosmus ends the attack with a with a crescent powered spinning back kick that leaves his foes standing or
[*] QCB+K: A sweeping crescent sweep kick that knocks his foe down.
[/list]

**
Critical Art:**

Tendring(New Moon)- HCFx2+P: Kosmus strikes his foe with a powerful bladed punch to the sternum and the screen fades to black. He then hits his opponent with a barrage of half moon ki strikes that illuminate the screen briefly on hit, before ending the assault with a full moon shaped ki blast that explodes and re-illuminates the screen. 360 damage/0 Stun. (360 damage/180 stun in V-Trigger)

Reasons to be in SFV:

Kosmus is troubled by any one that could overwhelm his father and a member of the Sunna Clan. With so few of his people left, Kosmus seeks out The Sunna Clan. He hopes to form an alliance that can not only stop the “god of fire and ice” but also return each clans elder home safely.
*
-The Faroe Islands are a small group of Islands between east of Iceland, west of Norway, and north of the United Kingdom.

-The Faroe Islands are autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark

-Faroese is a language from the Old Norse family with similarities to Icelandic

-Several of his techniques are Faroese words. Special thanks to Miðgarðsorm for his help.,I couldn’t have done this without him.*[/details]

Ingrid (tweaked)

[details=Spoiler]Name: Ingrid Sólbjörnsdóttir

Nickname: The Embodiment of Sól

Sex: Female

Ethnicity: Icelandic

Height: 5ft 10in(1.79m)

Weight: 141 lbs. (64kg)

B/W/H: 36-24-36(92cm-61cm-92cm)

Hometown: Húsavík, Iceland
**
Appearance:** Ingrid has long white hair and red eyes. She wears a variation of the traditional Icelandic Kyrtill. A Kyrtill is a single piece gown with an ankle length skirt and elbow length sleeves that is patterned in design after traditional Viking clothing. She does not wear the Phyrgian cap and veil. Ingrid’s dress is the traditional “smurf” blue. With golden embroidery on neckline and sleeves. She has metallic golden belt with a buckle that resembles the Sun.
**
Likes: **Skyr (Icelandic cheese that’s similar to yogurt), Hot Springs, Isold (Her Grandmother’s) Stories

**Dislikes: **Pylsur (Icelandic hotdog made with lamb), Sarcasm, Ignorance

Fighting Style: Hnefi Sólarinna(Fist of the Sun)
**
Tone:** Ingrid exudes an air of arrogance. She is the first member of the Sunna clan to inherit Sol’s power since her grandmother Isold. She’s always been the most powerful fighter in Clan Sunna.
**
Origins:** According to legend, Ingrid’s family is descended from Sol the Norse Goddess of the Sun. The clan name, Sunna, is another name for Sol. The Sunna Clan fled to Iceland after nearly being wiped out by the Clan of Fenrir. The Máni Clan was obliterated covering their escape. (Máni is the Norse God of the Moon.) She’s been trained since she was a small child in Hnefi Sólarinna by her grandmother.

Her Rival: Necalli

Attributes: Health: 2 Power: 2 Range: 3 Mobility: 4 Technique: 4
950 Health/950 Stun
**
Throws:**

Sunset - P+K: Ingrid grabs her opponent by the shoulders, puts her right leg behind her opponents legs, and shoves her opponent to the ground with her right arm

Solar Wind - B+P+K: Ingrid grabs her opponent by the wrist and tosses them over her head and behind her
**
Unique Attacks:**

*Tvíburi Sól *– F+ MP (overhead): A single hit double axe handle punch

V-Reversal:

Sól Nova-F+PPP: Ingrid summons circular orb of solar ki that detonates and send her opponet flying a full screen away.

V-Skill:
*
Sól Charge*: Ingrid strikes her opponent with a fiery shoulder charge. Tapping MP+MK Quarter Screen travel distance, safe on block. Holding MP+MK Half Screen travel distance, causes juggle, unsafe if blocked

**V-Trigger: **

Ljós Sólarinnar(Light of the Sun): Ingrid is surrounded by a “Solar Aura”. The recovery frames on her projectiles is reduced. The juggle potential of her projectiles and special attacks is increased. 3 bar V-Trigger
**
Specials:**
*
Sól Set*-QCF + P: (In Air)A fiery projectile that resembles the Sun itself. Very slow recovery time. The angle is determined by the strength punch. LP (60° Angle, MP (45° Angle), HP (30° Angle)
*
Sól Shot*-QCF + P: A fiery projectile that resembles the Sun itself. Slow recovery time. The angle is determined by the strength punch. LP (horizontal), MP (30° Angle), HP (45° Angle)
*
Sól Embrace*-HCB+ P (Command Grab): Ingrid grabs her opponent by the neck with both hands and channels ki through her hands engulfing them in flames

Sól Flare- QCF + K: (Strikes Low) Ingrid hits her a opponent with a sliding low kick. Kick button determines distance

Full Sól (Full Moon)-HCB+ K (Hit Grab): Ingrid dashes toward her opponent, grabs them by the neck with one hand, summons a moon like white orb of ki with her other, and slams it into their face causes the to burst into white flames. Kick button determines the distance she travels. LK( ¼ of screen) MK(½ screen) HK (¾ screen) EX(Auto tracks, Causes Juggle)

Critical Art:

Sól Explosion- HCFx2+P: Ingrid generates massive Sun shaped aura around herself that explodes on contact with her foe. 340 damage
**
Reasons to be in SFV:***

Ingrid’s grandmother disappeared after being contacted by an apparent survivor of the Máni Clan. Witness say that her grandmother and the Máni Clansman were overwhelmed by a “God of Fire and Ice.” Ingrid seeks the return of her grandmother and the potential restoration of her sister clan The Máni.

**Ingrid with an Icelandic/Norse origin. Not a generic loli/school girl design.*[/details]

@Daemos

I hear ya. When the Bison/Master stuff was established, Guile had also taken Bison to court to get justice for Nash. There’s also the stuff with Chun-Li learning about her father’s fate from Vega in SFV instead of learning about it from Bison in Alpha 2. A lot of stuff has definitely changed. Personally, I liked Udon’s version of the Bison/Rose/Master stuff.

With this sort of conversation going on, this only makes me wish more so that Rose was somehow involved or outright playable in SFV. Once again, that is not going to happen but this is how the cookie crumbles.

As for a supposed Arcade mode, there is a part of me that sort of hopes that is an extreme “SNK-Boss” version of M. Bison, in addition to some other hype mid/secret boss battles. Character endings (which may not be a thing) should provide us with some more material to speak about along with the mid-boss/designated boss battles to keep us hype. This in addition to online matches with other players will be highly beneficial, especially when looking at this from a casual perspective. Just… provide some incentives for playing this arcade mode (some small-time unlockable content and the like).

Honestly, I thought it was terrible.

I prefer @YagamiFire 's take where Bison is essentially the Cthulu of the SF universe.

Burn forever in the heat of my unbridled rage, you rotten scoundrel.

I strongly agree with this.
Bison may lack any real solid backstory right now but still works through his strangely charismatic mono-dimensional evilness. Adding a backstory to him could very easily destroy his character if not done more than properly.

Honestly I think Bison is fine as he is as a character right now.
It’s Rose that seems kind of a mess backstory-wise.

Was that Chun-Li thing really a retcon or just something added to her backstory? I’m pretty reluctant at considering something retconned unless it’s an obvious and direct contradiction of something that happened earlier in the series. I don’t recall the dialogue between Vega and Chun in her prologue but are you sure it wasn’t just something that hinted or could have hinted at what Chun would discover from Bison in Alpha 2?

I just checked the translation and it wasn’t the master who worked with Vega to control his killing intent. But Vega himself tried to do it and almost went crazy. However, after killing his master, his self control shattered and he went on an killing rampage, not sparing anyone, men, women and children (babies? LOL). Sorry, my bad.

He doesn’t say that. Vega only remarks that “Just like in the past, submission is what suits you best”, which Rose replies “And that’s what triggered all this tragedy.”

In the japanese text, at least from the translation I have, he doesn’t go to find Gouki. He says he will defeat Gouki right there.

Alpha 2: Rose goes to stop Bison from further abusing his Psycho Power. Bison totally disregards her and mocks her. She temporarily succeeds at defeating him, but failed because Bison was still around.

AAC mentions that, with the inclusion of the Zero series, that part of the story changed. Also, Revival and USF2 doesn’t mentions that Sagat is a Shadaloo leader.

Well… she did it with someone else…

http://i.imgur.com/9rlXXnE.jpg

Or… she could simply access Vega’s soul memories, calling him master.

Capcom had a LOT of chances to actually hint/say that in a more straightforward way… starting with Revival (where they even updated some of the endings, mainly Cammy’s). Not even USF2, with 2 new endings (and 17 crap endings from HD Remix), mentions/hints anything like that…
AASFZ3 have a section with a small description of what each character did in each game. They openly merge Z1 with Z2.
Here’s the opening text for that section:

Spoiler

http://i.imgur.com/f9ViPHy.jpg

@bakfromon, could you please skim over it and tell us if there’s anything that looks like SFZ3 merged with SF2? Thanks in advance.
The only SF2 retelling that I know is SFEX…

And now with the new storyline… probably this will never be answered.

I think that if the supplemental material doesn’t conflict with the new story, I don’t see why it can’t still be valid.
A lot of material mentions Rose going after the one who uses the power for evil deeds. The bluish flames with the image of a man at the center are details that where given and the limo part is when Rose senses the evil energy and sees Vega with a bluish aura (just like in my avatar), realizing then that’s the man who will bring the destruction . Even Vega mentions that dream in Rose Z3 ending, but with now, the image of Rose instead of Vega. The master/pupil relationship was totally created for Z3 to wrap up their story. It doesn’t sound that they ever met before Z1/Z2. The only thing that happened between them before Z1/Z2 was that Rose sent messages to Vega through the astral plane. Which he totally ignored.

It could be interesting that, Rose’s dream, could be revisited in her story if she ever becomes a part of SFV. The world engulfed in purple flames (SFV way to portrait Psycho Power) fits like a glove with the Black Moons incident…

The scene plays the same in both games. Almost the same dialogue…

No, that doesn’t say anything about SFA3 merging with SF2, in fact, that timeline says that SF2 takes place 3 to 4 years after SFA3. Now I have read on a Japanese blog somewhere… that in order for SFA3 to lead into SF2 Bison would have to survive the event, meaning he never dies during SFA3 and he continues with the Psycho Drive for 3 - 4 years into SF2 where he is ultimately defeated. This would kind of tie the events into each other, but of course, it’s not official, but it does flow with whats being presented officially without actually merging the two.