While searching for the cards, I stumbled upon a very interesting curiosity. Namely, the complete list of Demitri’s Midnight Bliss transformation effects in Capcom Fighting Jam/Evolution. Some characters have TWO different transformations, the “special” one triggered by executing Midnight Bliss using all the punch buttons. Spoilered for size.
Spoiler
Ryu
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/nakamuonline/imgs/b/a/badddf0c.jpg
That’s the Indian girl from Street Fighter Animated Movie.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-51jySd78-9Y/T3c_GO5KFTI/AAAAAAAAISE/vLZiP91UdI8/s400/ni%C3%B1a+calcuta+India+Ryu+Street+Fighter+II+The+Animated+Movie.jpg
Guile
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/nakamuonline/imgs/2/d/2d628b34.jpg
A stereotypical stars-and-stripes-bikini-clad-buxom-American girl.
Zangief
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/nakamuonline/imgs/b/1/b127642f.jpg
Ooo boy whence should I start. This is where things become interesting. This character was presented on the now defunct CFJ official site as ザンギュラちゃんでロシアの蜜柑売り “Zangyura-chan, the little tangerine vending Russian girl”. This is Capcom rubbing it in Gamest’s face. Gamest was notorious for its numerous typos over the years, various of which have entered Japanese gamers’ language as jokes. One of the most famous of these occurred in issue 83, published in January 1993. There was a special covering SF2T location test, and they wrote about Zangief’s then-new Quick Lariat (provisionally named Super Lariat) that ザンギュラはキックボタン3つ同時押しで足に判定のない、早めの回転のスーパーウリアッ上が出せる。“By pressing all kick buttons, Zangyura can do a very quick Super Uriajjō, without collision detection in his legs”. An impressive series of errors in a row, that deservedly earned them the laughs and scorn of their readers. They then tried to defend themselves declaring they had copied the names from a badly handwritten note, but “Zangyura” had already become a meme. With CFJ, Capcom canonised Gamest’s epic fail giving the name Zangyura to this female version of Zangief. Her aspect comes from Čeburaška, one of the most famous Russian characters, and extremely popular in Japan as well (so much so that its last animated movie was in fact done by a Japanese author). Zangyura sells tangerines because Čeburaška was discovered in an orange crate, a scene that became iconic. Just ask @PVL_93_RU
http://fan.plus-idea.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/image1.png
So, an epic typo + Čeburaška + little match girl gave life to this gem. You may have met some “Zangyura” used somewhere, as nickname or MUGEN edit. That’s its story.
I didn’t know about this until today, and it almost shocked me. The fact is, I used to imagine Zangief’s ending with crocodile Gena’s melancholic song Голубой вагон Goluboj vagon “blue train wagon” in the background for no particular reason… And then I find out that Capcom already did the Zangief-Čeburaška connection!
Bison
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/nakamuonline/imgs/d/9/d9be003f-s.jpg
Bison dominatrix version. Pretty self-explanatory.
Sakura
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/nakamuonline/imgs/1/e/1e57a906.jpg
Sakura as gym teacher, as she appears at the end of Sakura Ganbaru!, also reprised in her SFIV ending.
Guy
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/nakamuonline/imgs/0/f/0f56f34d.jpg
A feminine Guy wearing Maki clothes (a blatant headswap of Guy’s head over Maki’s body, lol).
Special Guy
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/nakamuonline/imgs/7/0/70be355f.jpg
That’s Shadow Girl, a ninja character appearing in Capcom’s Gotcha Force.
Rose
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/nakamuonline/imgs/d/2/d2c57ef9.jpg
Hey, IT’S LISA LISA! Capcom openly acknowledging and declaring the homage, well well…
Special Rose
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/nakamuonline/imgs/6/d/6dceb284.jpg
That’s Enya the Hag, still JoJo after all…
Karin
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/nakamuonline/imgs/e/b/eb1f2813.jpg
Another interesting one. That’s Karin as Reika Ryūzaki, from Sumika Yamamoto’s seminal manga Ace o nerae!. In the comic, Reika was the star of the tennis club, renowned for the grace of her game. She came to resent the potential abilities of the protagonist Hiromi Oka (a short-haired brunette, very much like Sakura…), but in the end Reika helped Hiromi and became her friend. This is the manga that started it all, the whole “rich and elegant princess at the top of her game becomes jealous of the commoner girl’s raw talent” plot back in 1973. You all should thank Reika for Karin and Lili Rochefort.
https://68.media.tumblr.com/c0564262a737def9dad5bc8623eeff80/tumblr_inline_ne1lieCS3I1s4ir0p.jpg
Alex
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/nakamuonline/imgs/0/3/034250a6.jpg
Alex’s feminine version. Nothing special.
Special Alex
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/nakamuonline/imgs/a/b/abd83402.jpg
Hello, Patricia!
Yun
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/nakamuonline/imgs/8/2/8208ee57.jpg
A girl working for 昇龍軒 Shēnglóngxuān (Shōryūken in Japanese reading, yeah, pun intended), the restaurant Hoimei and Shaomei work in, with a giant shāomài on her head.
Urien
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/nakamuonline/imgs/2/4/24e6ad7c.jpg
A girl clad in 水法被 mizuhappi (a short jacket) and 締め込み褌 shimekomi fundoshi, typical of the Hakata Gion yamakasa matsuri.
http://www.hakata-yamakasa.net/img/page/traditionalstyle_01.jpg
Women cannot participate in the race, but little girls are allowed.
Chun-Li
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/nakamuonline/imgs/b/b/bbc21cdb.jpg
Chun-Li’s Alpha costume.
Special Chun-Li
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/nakamuonline/imgs/4/5/45db7a26.jpg
Chun-Li’s Pocket Fighter sprite
Ingrid
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/nakamuonline/imgs/6/c/6c9a875d.jpg
Ingrid gothic lolita version. It became then a special win pose in SFZ3↑↑.
And that’s all as far as SF characters are concerned. Vampire and Warzard have far less curiosities about them; I can still post them if you want.