The Inevitable Street Fighter V Story Thread: ARCADE EDITION!

Street Fighter V
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To add to this point I’d like to go over a statement that was made by Gouken to Ken in the Nakahira SFA manga. When Ken had asked him about what a true warrior was, he questioned whether it would be sad to waste the time and energy to become so strong as to fight anybody and be able to beat them? Gouken replies that it is, and says that Ken has the right attitude going forward about it, and I feel this is another aspect as to why Ken doesn’t tap into SnH.

This care free attitude towards and impatience may be things that hinder Ken’s training in the short term of things, but his overall attitude of just fighting to fight, and then ultimately for his family, puts him on a more modernized path of the warrior. This is something that Gouken and even Goutetsu sought to strive for.
On the flip side with Ryu’s more serious and detail oriented outlook, which is awesome for training as Gouken even mentions that Ryu surpasses Ken in this regard and he’s the one who needs to keep up. The thing about it is once Gouken is out of the picture, Ryu still has a bunch of unanswered questions which get unhealthily answered by Gouki, and Ken has all the answers he wants already which is why he’s willing to innovate his techniques.

Ryu wants to fully preserve fundamental aspects of his art without it becoming something else entirely. The style is heavily focused on the Hado, and this too is Ryu’s most basic focus, which is why his Hadokens are overall better than Ken’s. Revolution in the martial arts is something Gouken managed to do as well while preserving the way art functioned. In the Ryu Final manga although Ryu gets bodied by Ken in the beginning, once Ryu starts to make his contribution to the art with the Fist of Winds he’s able to one shot Ken with it. It’s because of Ryu’s overall potential that he’s able to do this, but this will only come once Ryu has a solid answer for himself, which in the present canon between SF4 and SF5 has yet to happen.

Ken’s overall fighting ability outranks a Ryu who is not tapping into his potential (whether it manifest itself as SnH or otherwise).
Ryu’s true potential will never be drawn out with a mindset of always worrying about restraint because of SnH, but at the same time he must restrain the SnH so not to consume him, so he’s in a catch 22. That’s why Gouken tells him in SFV not to worry, not to hold back, and find out more about it.

Nothingness is an energy source, Ken has what Gouken taught to him. Because Ryu’s overall potential is greater than Ken’s, his Nothingness manifests itself more prominently than Ken’s. When Ken is fighting serious the Hado of Nothingess that Gouken has taught him is drawn out more so than if he was just fighting for fun. Even though Ken doesn’t really care about all the stuff about true warriors and Hado it goes back to what I said Ken having the right attitude. The selfless attitude of wanting to fight for his family draws out his refined Hado which is Nothingess.

Gen too has Nothingness, but this is like saying Karin has Hado energy, they can all be the same but function different depending on the user (or similarly in some cases). Karin doesn’t have access to the Hadoken even though he techniques rely on Hado, likewise some practitioners of Nothingness can defend against the Shungokusatsu while others aren’t advanced enough to do so.

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I’ve seen no evidence to support this.

I think people are taking her use of the term Hado too literally. Remember that the phrase simply means “surge”. It’s most likely being used as a term to describe harnessing and shaping your ki, which pretty much every character does. It’s not meant to imply that she’s using the same techniques as the shoto characters.

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Man, someone should make a faq of all those facts^

I just read SF Unlimited #3

Chun-li infiltrates Vega’s building whole wearing her alpha costume. He finds her and they fight.

Chun-li wakes up wearing that elegant black dress, her first alternate costume from SFIV, I believe.

Ryu goes to find Retsu.

Karin went to find Ibuki to challenge her. They fight on top of cars in a highway. Ala vegeta vs android 18. Karin kicks her in the tits :open_mouth:

Interesting so far.

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Anyone really using natural Ki is using a hado principle. Methods of HARNESSING and focusing hado vary, but all the fighters use it. It’s the creation of spiritual energy into physical might. Hado.

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So we ignore the SF IV movie which is said to be canon and simply say Ken has power of nothingness cuz in the game he hasn’t showed it.

But so far same goes for Ryu

3112

Huh?

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Yeah cuz DarthEnder for example denies that Ken has it.

But well this story won’t end soon so I would like go back to Charlie and speculating what kind of power he got he wants to learn more?

Something similar to SnH? Remains of Psycho Power or something different?

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The evidence is in moves like Shinkuu Hadoken (真空波動拳 True Void Wavemotion Fist), a Hadoken that is backed by the power of the True Void. The True Void is the Power of Nothingness. On the flip side a technique like the Metsu Hadoken (滅・波動拳 Destructive Wavemotion Fist) is a Hadoken fueled by Murderous Intent. In this context the Power of Nothingness is clearly an energy source, or a basis on what the Hado is formed upon.

I’m not implying she’s using the same techniques as Shoto’s, she’s merely using the the style of forming energy as they are. Similarly to how Gen uses the power of nothingness which is what Gouken based his style on. Of course neither of them use the same techniques but their principles of cultivating energy are the same. Yes the characters shape and harness ki but they are based in different styles and forms which make them unique.

Chun Li is from China so her ki is based in Qigong. If you ever noticed how a Kikoken looks compared to a Hadoken, you notice that the Wavemotion Fist always has a ghostly afterimage of the forming fists within the energy ball itself. The Kikoken typically has a golden ball in its center, which is what ki is typically said to be visualized as (a golden ball of radiating energy).

This isn’t all just a coincidence, as the Hado would be a more Japanese way at looking at ki formation which projects their physicality through energy, while the more traditional Chinese views would be projecting their energy through physicality.

It’s like comparing the Pokemon energy moves Aura Sphere “Wave Ball” (Hadoken) to Focus Blast “Fighting Spirit Bullet” (Kikoken),
Focus Blast requires the user heighten its mental focus and unleashes its power. The Aura Sphere however has always been described as the user letting loose a blast of aura power from deep within its body. By definition they are essentially the same, but with minute differences.

The martial forms that the Shotos and even Karin take more resemblance to the Kongōrikishi, which is why you’ll see statues of them at the old temple and Kanzuki Estate. This is taken explicitly from Nio Zen Buddhism, which originated in Japan.

On the reverse side of things Chun and Gen take on forms that are more derived from Chinese arts and philosophies. Even though they are two conflicting styles, they are all deriving their energy through a specific form inherent to their backgrounds. *“There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view is always the same.” *
It’s these specific forms they take which control how their energy is molded. Imo this represents the differences between an energy derived from Qigong and Hado.

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To also go along with my point about Nothingness or Mu being an energy source, is that it’s all taken from Mushin (無心 “no mind”).

And once you see the related topics it becomes all the clearer.
Fudōshin, the move that I keep bringing up that Gouken has in his intro for SF4, and as a usable technique in USF4 is tied to this concept,

As well as Samyama(Yoga), Wu Wei (Chinese “Gen”), the idea of Flow and being in the zone. This is all tied to the No mind, or *Power *of Nothingness as Gouken calls it, but overall it’s a power source opposite of SnH. Instead of intently focusing on multiplying destruction upon your foes, your focus becomes one in an of itself, like dividing by 0.

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Lol, @bakfromon should do a TED talk on Street Fighter.

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According to whom?

The Shinku Hadoken has been in the series far longer than the concept of Mu has. And you’re the first person I’ve seen translated it as True Void instead of Vacuum. You’re taking a metaphorical name used to make a move sound cool and trying to apply it literally as a philosophy.

And there’s still no evidence that Mu has always been Gouken’s style and that Ken and Ryu’s teachings are based entirely on them.

Everything I’ve seen suggests that Mu is a specific technique designed to counter the SnH. Gouken used it to survive Akuma’s Raging Demon, and started teaching it to Ryu AFTER his return in SF4. There’s nothing to suggest that Ken has ever been taught anything related to Mu.

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So new cover for Street Fighter Unlimited 4:

I don’t follow this series at all but you guys enjoy this stuff.

Are there any hints or certain similar things in it that could happen in SFV’s story? I’m such a noob at SF stuff outside of the games heh…

Edit: Heh, Genzo said Juri is his main SFV character… for a moment I thought he had access to play her or something but he just meant for drawing purposes, caught me off guard for a moment…

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I’m not sure how I missed this, but could Galaxy_My_Honey with the Candy avatar be either Rufus or his girlfriend?
Ofcourse BushinRyu is Guy, since that’s already been mentioned around here.

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More importantly, who dropped out of the sky with a face like Oni.

Could Galaxy_My_Honey be referring to Necalli? Did he drop out of the sky like the trailer and his fight intro suggest? Could he actually be an emissary for She Who Shall Not Be Named (SWSNBN)?

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Actually, Mu has been around since the beginning…since SF pretty much directly ripped of Hokuto No Ken which does A LOT with both Mu and Makoti (which is what Satsui No Hadou is stolen from).

And yes, the “vacuum” at the beginning of Shinkuu Hadoken refers to “nothingness”…“space”…the vacuum of space. Nothingness Hadoken. It is not some kind of…sucking hadoken or something like a vacuum cleaner. Mu also arose directly in Street Fighter at about the same time as the canon was being fleshed out since we got more in depth concepts of Satsui No Hadou and the super moves in Alpha right then alongside Gen defeating the Shun Goku Satsu with the perfect defense of Mu…again, just like in Hokuto No Ken (since Mu defense and the SGS are directly taken from HnK).

In fact, I was talking about Mu in regards to Gen and what-not before SF4 was even out because the supporting information for the story of SF directly referenced “nothingness”. Ryu Final is also entirely about “nothingness” with the fist of the wind and being at one with nature and the universe around you. That is all Mu concepts.

Divorcing martial arts philosophy that is literally hundreds and hundreds of years old from SF is just silly since SF is based on martial arts philosophy. Mu is not a new thing, nor is it a “maneuver”. It’s a concept dating back a LONG time and can be found in contemporary martial arts works like SF, Hokuto No Ken and Tenjho Tenge among others. Saying “The Shinku Hadoken has been in the series far longer than the concept of Mu has” makes me wonder if you’re familiar with Mu as a martial arts/philosophical concept…?

The entire “path of the warrior” Ryu has always been on is tied directly into achievement of Mu. And, again, as soon as they introduce SnH into the series Mu is referenced if only indirectly because…as said, SnH is a COMPLETE rip-off of Makoti and its direct opposite in HnK is Mu

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Capcom just sprinkles all this stuff in there but if you don’t really know the context of a lot of it stuff can be misleading.
Like I had mentioned previously a while back how Ken overall has a better focus than Ryu, however lighthearted he may be. Ryu always wears a Hachimaki during his fight for courage during his hardship and to focus on the battle.

During their training Ken also received a Hachimaki that he more famously fashioned into his hair band. He wasn’t worried about “hardship” at first because he was a spoiled rich kid more focused on his hair than taking Gouken or Ryu seriously. After his battle where he beat Ryu, he gave him this same headband as a symbol of their battle and as a reminder to take him seriously next time.

Ryu always wheres his old gloves and embroidered belt both with his Dojo Kun inscribed in him as reminders and ques. Ken ditched his yellow gloves he used to train with Ryu and Gouken, he doesn’t need the headband of hardships.
In a way they decorations that adorn Ryu (and Ken’s lack of) tell a story that very few people would be able to tell just from looking at a hobo, and even in that context it makes sense.

But going back to the point of focus, its Ken’s overall better focus which aids him more so with the Power of Nothingness.
Ryu has the potential to become leagues better than Ken, but only when he has found the same type of focus Ken and Gouken have.
Even by the time of his SF3 Third Strike ending he still admits to himself he has a journey ahead of him to understand his masters words, and this is at a point in the story where Ryu is presented to have mastered some of his sensei’s techniques in the form of Denjin and Shin Shoryu, but he knows he has a long way to go even at this point. This ending is also based off the first volume of the Nakahira Ryu Final manga that preceded it, and when Ryu was at this crossroad of understanding he goes of to face Ken, who he has heard found the answer to the true warrior. Ken easily precedes to beat Ryu’s ass even at his advanced level, and mentions that his power had been derived from the focus to fight for his family.
So basically Ryu eventually needs a better focus than just endlessly following the way of the warrior no matter how noble it may be.

According to ancient ronin wanderer Miyamoto Musashi who had written The Books of the Five Rings which is basically the Japanese equivalent to Sun Tzu’s: Art of War, in the sense that they are warriors code. Rules and principles that dictate how a warrior should live. The last of the 5 books is known as Book of Emptiness where it distinctly talks about the void and more importantly true void

The concept of Gouken and Mu appeared in the Street Fighter 2 Kanazaki manga in 1993, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo was the game that introduced Super Moves in 1994, and as you know Shinkuu Hadoken was Ryu’s first Super move. So the concept of Nothingness in SF lore actually predates Shinkuu Hadoken.

None the less if you want to say that the Shinkuu Hadoken translates to Vacuum Surge fist this is also correct, Ryu even say’s so during Street Fighter 3 Second Impact.

The ultimate form of wave motion attack… Shinkuu… the power of vacuum energy!

But this isn’t the sort of vacuum energy in the context you would use for a Dyson or an Orek, Ryu’s talking about Free Energy. This metaphorical name as you call it has actual basis in facts, history, and legends some people believe.
Nothingness is no more a technique than Satsui no Hado is. If Gouki had used Raging Demon on Gouken, and Gouken had responded “So you’re using SnH” he’d be right to say this because that’s basically what Raging Demon is; pure SnH. Likewise if Gouken were to use a technique like Fudoshin which is derived from Hado of Nothingness to block Raging Demon, Gouki would be right to say “So your using the Power of Nothingness”. Which is basically what happened when Akuma tries SGS and is blocked by an invisible ki, the same transparent energy that he uses for his intro technique Fudoshin. Gouki doesn’t know the name of Gouken’s new technique, but he knows it’s derived from Nothingness.

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Yup. Bakfromon bringing that great insight.

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I’m starting to think SF3 is going to be retconned.

3125

I love that Abel’s username is just “Abel.” It’s exactly what I’d expect from such a boring dude like him.

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Abel’s the kind of dude that gets a golden ticket to the Bunny Ranch and requests a handshake.