As far as I see, SFA1 and SFA2 were still pretty bullshit-free.
And as long as you don’t have Evil Ryu, then even Akuma is just a jerkass with a very strong fighting style. (Only with the inclusion of Evil Ryu in the way we know him does the Satsui no Hado become something that takes over your mind.)
But then in SFA3, all the crap was included. SFA3 is even responsible for bullshit that wasn’t even in SFA3, namely the fact that they let Bison die in every ending, even though he will be back in SF2. So SFA3 introduced Bison’s ability to resurrect, despite him not resurrecting in the game itself.
I feel like it started with Cammy and Rose’s horrible backstories, but I don’t know if they had those in mind all along, or if they just made them up in Alpha 3.
And then SF3 just kinda shits the bed and 3S makes it worse.
I’m pretty sure the clone story with Cammy was made-up with SFA3. In SF2, she had just been an assassin for Bison.
Rose having a special connection to Bison was established from the beginning. In SFA1, Rose is even Bison’s very own rival. One would think that his rival is Ryu or Charlie. But it was Rose.
But the whole sharing one soul etc.: I don’t know if this was created right in the beginning. I guess the original intention was that Rose’s Soul Power is the natural counter force to Bison’s Psycho Power.
So, it looks like the shittyness wasn’t really introduced gradually, but it all started with SFA3.
And her backstory and lack of martial arts knowledge, and her overall design.
SF2 had Dhalsim and Blanka with quite fantastic elements to their designs, but they still had their roots in non-bullshit concepts; exotic flexible fighter and Tarzan.
If you mean “later SF games”, you mean Street Fighter 2, you would be right. Otherwise, no. This shit has more or less been here since the beginning (since no one gave a crap about SF1).
SF1 was the only game that was more or less about “martial artists”. The supernatural freakshow stuff started with SF2 with Blanka, Dhalsim and M.Bison. Just because they’ve been around for 25 years doesn’t mean that they didn’t already take things well out of the realm of the reality set by SF1. Don’t forget the roots of many of SF2’s characters, which are mainly Hokuto no Ken and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure - both very contain very supernatural elements.
Alpha series and SF3 took it further into sci-fi realm and expanded what was “acceptable” for an SF game, but really: Dhalsim already his powers coming from a Hindu god and that was decades ago, so why is Necalli (an Aztec god in human form?) beyond the pale now?
It really didn’t though, because it wasn’t “acceptable” in those games either. It just meant part of SF was always going to be shit from that point on.
TVTropes is definitely one of the best things on the internet.
Even in SF1, we had flashy fireballs and teleporting ninjas.
That’s still something different than today’s stuff:
Bison’s Psycho Power is just the logical extension to the fireballs. In a world where people can throw projectiles, some guy enflaming his body and spinning around isn’t too much out of place. In fact, most of Bison’s technique aren’t even Psycho Power in SF2.
Same with Dhalsim: He isn’t a freak. Stretching his arms and legs is part of his technique.
Unrealistic? Yes.
Out of place in comparison to the other characters? No.
Blanka, yes, he’s a freak. But they still established that he’s definitely human with his green skin and his overall look being the result of his surroundings. He isn’t some monster like Bigfoot.
Again, unrealistic, but still not supernatural within the context of the story.
Even though I must admit that he sticks out of the bunch of fighters in SF2. But Dhalsim and Bison: Nope. They don’t.
On the other hand, post-SF2 Cammy really is an artificial being. And the Satsui no Hado is a power that turns you evil unless your willpower is strong enough.
Because that was not the original explanation. Originally, they explained his fire attacks with eating curry.
But even if you include the god of fire into the story: It’s still just Dhalsim’s personal belief.
Just like Christian preachers believe that hurricanes are a punishments by Yahweh for cities housing gay people, Dhalsim’s culture has the myth that fire-based Yoga attacks stem from the god Agni.
But you don’t see this god actually walking around, so you could still assume that this is just the Hindu belief and not that Agni actually exists as an objective real entity in the “Street Fighter” universe.
I don’t think it’s necessary to change Ryu, Ken and Birdie’s artwork to Kiki’s. The pages are better off using their primary character artwork for the game.
Does anyone actually know what Rose’s “fighting style” really is? Sure she has Soul Power and all, but to my knowledge she would be the first character that had been introduced who didn’t use a fighting style at all, of course she has kicks punches and throws, but no reference to an actual style to back them up.
People might want to point the finger at Blanka or Dhalsim for starting the supernatural bizzarre, and while this may be partially true keep in mind that these characters both have a “fighting style”. Blanka uses a style that is based off of animals in the jungle, and although it’s self taught and unrefined it draws a parallel to the many sort of Chinese Kung Fu styles, many of which are also based on forms of animals. Then while Dhalsim may use a over exaggerated form of Yoga as his fighting style which isn’t a fighting style itself, keep in mind that a lot of pro MMA fighters have gone on the record for taking some form of Yoga as it helps keep the body balanced, limber, and regulate breathing.
So although Sim and Blanka maybe over exaggerations of what they represent, they at least have some basis within the fighting reality to draw a parallel to, Rose so far has been a fortune teller Soul Power user with no recorded history of having trained in any art, and her only martial skill is that fact that she can use a sort of telepathic power. Her kicks in high heels aren’t that of a martial artist, they’re that of fortune teller in a game that’s supposed to be for **fighters ** in the street. You know why Chun (or Cammy) where always depicted wearing some sort of boot, or in young Chun’s case a running shoe? Because walking in a heel is deemed as uncomfortable and so is realistically fighting in them, especially if your supposed to be in the street. I definitely point the finger at Rose for being the one to open the Pandora’s box to let in all the Street Fighters that didn’t need any sort of martial art ability save for their power.
So even though Necalli may be a “ancient warrior” does he have some sort of ancient exotic fighting style we’ve never heard of or seen before? No, he’s just a violent brawler type who has the power to go Super Necalli and has the power to eat souls. It’s not like the ancient cultures warriors were a bunch of savages when it came to the art of war, the whole world over has all sorts of exotic ancient fighting styles. I just wish they would have based Necalli a little more on that aspect than the whole “has to be a more ancient super power version of Akuma”.
Except that people have liked those characters (Dhalsim was my first main before switching to M.Bison in Champion Edition) since the beginning, so they’ve always been perfectly “acceptable”. You’re wrong.
DRW:
Which is a bullshit explanation (BTW, what about the fangs?), but hey, we rolled with it. Just like the others.
Dhalsim still sticks out because while you can train to jump higher or run faster, and they handwave all projectiles via various means, there is no logical sequence of training that makes “stretching really good” make you to turn into Mr Fantastic.
Bison doesn’t stick out as much in-game, but from even SF2, his back story definitely puts him on another level.
According to bakfromon’s translation, his original SF2 explanation merely attributed it to “Yoga”, just like his stretching ability. By SFA2, they had changed it to Agni, which is still early 1996/20 years ago.
Also, that’s not how a fictional creation works. If Capcom says “he uses the false flames borrowed from the fire deity Agni”, that’s not “Dhalsim’s personal belief” like he’s a real person - that is how his power works, as dictated by Capcom, who created Dhalsim.
I’d say let’s see what Dhalsim’s SFII Complete File entry has to say about the whole origin of powers. I remember the curry eating story is claimed to be something devised by Capcom USA, and that Yoga and Agni had always been the Japanese explanations. Also, being that Agni is the a Hindu god of fire it would make sense that if Sim were to develop fire techniques, given that he is a spiritual person giving praise to his fire god Agni would make sense in both the contexts.
There happens to be another Indian in the Street Fighter universe who happens to have a associate with a Hindu diety as well.
Wraith from Super Muscle Bombers II was associated with the Hindu goddess Kali, who is featured in the background of his stage as well as being mentioned in his win quotes.
**
“By kali! you offer no challenge!”**
The Hindu god Kali is often associated with blood, and her legend includes stories of her drinking the blood of her victims. Wraith would produce blood when he would slash at his opponents with his claws, and his finisher involved him biting the neck of his opponent and performing a jumping power slam afterwards with lots of blood depicted.
I was just going by your SF2 Dhalsim translation posted in the pastebin. I’m not sure where that particular file originated from.
Is Wraith as connected to Kail officially as Dhalsim is to Agni? Not sure if I’ve ever seen that. Sure, he mentions it in his win ENG quote (but what does his JPN win quote say? We know they differ), and there’s his stage (but surely that’s a statue and not the actual Kali, right?) and the blood sucking is a possible connection, but I haven’t seen an official mention before. Compared to Muscle Bomber, there’s very little info on the SMB characters.
Anyway, while Rose was probably the character that blew the door open for all sorts of weirdness in SF, I still maintain that the door was already open prior with SF2 characters. By virtue of accepting M.Bison, who was heavy physical martial artist + heavy psychic powers, then it doesn’t take much to extrapolate to a character who was mostly (all?) psychic powers and little physical martial arts.
Furthermore, it’s not as if Rose has no training - she is stated to have had a master, so even if she is not big on the physical aspect, she still falls into the loose anime/videogame trope definition of “martial artist”. If Hokuto no Ken can have a guy whose fighting style is “dynamite throwing”, Rose can get a pass on “Soul Power” for her fighting style.
Also don’t forget that she’s still based on a Jojo character.
No, if you want to go into the realm of “does not fit in SF”, look at Ingrid. I accept every other character in SF except for her. I’m withholding judgement on Necalli until we get the full SFV story because I’m still confused as to what exactly he’s supposed to be.
Might be strange but when I first saw the Shadaloo Base stage - my thought was that it’s a floating fortress, something like the Helicarrier that Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D. possesses
Of course when I actually booted up the game and picked the stage - I saw that it’s much bigger and there’s stuff like hangars and big airplanes (similar to the one on the Airfield stage from SFIV)
But then again you never know what kind of tech Shadaloo has
Given that Wraith has only had once appearance I’d say he’s probably a little more conspicuous as to what god he believes in than Dhalsim’s first appearance. Sure the actual Kali isn’t in the background, it’s just a mural depiction, but it’s more of a presence than Agni has had save for Sim’s speeches. I’m just making the point that even though Sim might give praise to his god Agni for his fire, it’s still something he had to acquire through his Yoga, which it can be attributed as such.
Yes Rose has training in the art of “Soul Power”, which in of itself is just an energy. I’m just stating that if she had martial arts capabilities it would be something that would be stated otherwise, much like M. Bison who is not only a Psycho Power user but a skilled martial artist (Lerdrit, Muay Thai). Sure she may fall into the whole anime/video game character fighting game trope, but that’s where I draw the line in terms of what type of “trope” these martial artist hail from.
The characters introduced in SF2 even though some were obviously based in a realm of fiction, this fiction had been based on things like movies and books and at the far fringes comics and legends. Dhalsim is a character you can find the basis for in a 1970’s kung fu movie. Blanka is a wild man like Tarzan. Akuma (and by extension Gouken) are based off of Japanese legends. Guile, Chun, and Cammy are basically comicbook/Saturday morning action heroes with M. Bison as the villain. Fei Long is Bruce Lee who’s a movie icon. Ryu is Mas Oyama mixed with Yoshiji Soeno, and Sagat is Reiba mixed with Black Cobra.
The only reason Rose get’s a pass is because she’s based off of a Jojo character, but still in a realm on skills mostly based on a display of martial arts/ athletic ability, with her skills mostly relying on her “Soul Power” makes her the one in particular to be the first character to not have a fighting style that’s based on anything typical in the fighting genre. Bison doesn’t have to use his Psycho Power exclusively, he will fight you own your own level as a martial artist (“SF2AM”). To my knowledge Rose would not be able to do this effectively because her stronger attacks rely on the use of Soul Power.
