To say Street Fighter captivated the world when it debuted would be something of a lie. Though revolutionary, its awkward arcade cabinet, with two massive paddles you had to punch to control characters, was cumbersome, if not downright painful.
Thanks to the success of Street Fighter II, it's now one of the greatest video game franchises of all time, which means spin-offs. Street Fighter is predominantly an anime franchise, but there have been a few live-action projects over the years. From 1994 to the present day (thanks to a new movie that is currently in development), we’ve put together this guide on how to watch every Street Fighter movie and TV show in the order they were released. Look to streamers like Crunchyroll and Prime Video to start your watch now.
Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (1994)
The absolutely iconic Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie set the tone for plenty of future adaptations in both games and anime. This animated film, initially released in Japan in 1994 and dubbed for the US in 1995, follows the various World Warriors as they come into conflict with M. Bison and his Shadowlaw organization. The anime was a surprising success, even receiving a Japanese exclusive video game adaptation.
Today, Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie is revered by die-hard Street Fighter fans. If you want pulse-pounding, white-knuckle anime action in the vein of the Street Fighter games, this one is a must-watch.
Street Fighter (1994)
If Street Fighter: The Animated Movie set the tone for future adaptations, then 1994’s infamous Street Fighter set the path for what not to do. A wholly original production written and directed by Die Hard and 48 Hrs scribe Steven E. de Souza, the film cast Jean-Claude Van Damme as the all-American soldier Guile and Raul Julia as the scheming terrorist leader M. Bison. The film was a flop when it was released, but over the years, it has gained an appreciation among fans who laud it for its camp and tongue-in-cheek tone.
Street Fighter is unironically still one of my favorites today, and it is perfect fodder for an evening of cheesy yet endearing martial arts movies.
Street Fighter II V (1995)
Building off the success of Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie and the explosion in popularity of Street Fighter II following several high-profile arcade updates, 1995’s Street Fighter II V featured many characters who had appeared in the latest game in the franchise, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, in an action-packed 29-episode anime series. The series follows best friends/rivals Ryu and Ken on a journey of personal growth before they’re thrust into a battle against M. Bison and Shadowlaw.
Street Fighter II V (the V being short for Victory) expands on the then-fledgling universe of Street Fighter lore, but unfortunately misses the mark due to some tonal inconsistencies, such as Ryu being incredibly naive and Ken becoming more of a jock. Still, it’s a good time if you just want more Street Fighter anime.
Street Fighter: The Animated Series (1995)
1995’s Street Fighter: The Animated Series continued the infamy of the live-action film. Running for 26 episodes, this animated series reimagines Street Fighter not as a tournament, but as a military organization led by Guile. Most often aided by Chun-Li and Blanka, the show notably features appearances not just from other Street Fighter characters like Ken and Ryu, but also other Capcom franchises, such as Final Fight.
Unfortunately, the show’s cheeseball all-ages tone, commonplace in the ‘90s, has aged terribly. Unless you find Guile getting notified of missions via a sandwich cut into the letter SF to be incredibly intriguing, this can be a tough watch for newcomers. If you grew up with it, though, you’ll surely enjoy it again for nostalgia's sake.
Street Fighter Alpha: The Movie (2000)
Street Fighter returned to animation with Street Fighter Alpha: The Movie, which, much like the critically acclaimed Street Fighter Alpha trilogy of video games, served as a prequel story. Set between the games Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams and Street Fighter Alpha 2, this title focuses on a young Ryu and his quest for revenge after his master is slain by Gouken (a renamed Akuma). The film features numerous cameos from other Street Fighter characters and fleshes out the then-new concept of Evil Ryu, a version of the character possessed by a malicious energy known as the Satsui no Hado.
Street Fighter Alpha: The Movie has a ton of awesome action, but the film’s events are non-canon, so only watch this one if you’re trying to kill an afternoon.
Street Fighter Alpha: Generations (2005)
2005’s Street Fighter Alpha: Generations actually has nothing to do with any of the films that came before it, and instead tells a new, stand-alone tale. Released specifically for the US market, Alpha: Generations again sees Ryu seeking out Akuma (renamed Gouki here) in an effort to avenge his slain master while also fighting against the Satsui no Hado and his Evil Ryu persona.
Unlike previous films, the cast and scope are much more limited, with only characters directly related to Ryu and his direct arc appearing. It results in a markedly less entertaining experience, as it bears little relation to the Street Fighter that die-hard fans are looking for.
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)
There’s really no way to describe Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li other than bizarre. The film focuses on Chun-Li, here played by Smallville star Kristin Kreuk and depicted not as a stoic Interpol agent, but as a vengeance-seeking concert pianist and martial artist. The barebones plot is anchored by some fairly bold decisions with its casting, the most notable perhaps being Neal McDonough portraying M. Bison as a scheming real estate mogul with a lilting Irish accent who became evil after mystically transferring his good conscience into his unborn daughter.
I honestly can’t even jokingly recommend watching this one, though. The Legend of Chun-Li has little to no redeeming value between its clunky action and bizarre story, so it’s best to skip this one altogether.
Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind (2009)
Unlike every other Street Fighter film to date, Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind is unique in that it was used to directly promote the game it released alongside. This animated feature was originally included as a bonus feature in the home console release of Street Fighter IV. This prequel story follows Cammy’s Team Delta Red on an investigation, and Guile and Chun-Li teaming up to find missing martial artists, and culminates in Crimson Viper’s mission to capture Ryu, whose Satsui no Hado powers are increasing.
Ties That Bind is a perfectly serviceable Street Fighter anime for what it is, but it’s still just a promo for the game, so don’t go too far out of your way for it.
Street Fighter: Round One: FIGHT! (2009)
If you think you missed a hot new Street Fighter anime, don’t get too excited. Street Fighter: Round One: FIGHT! is actually an animated comic, as was the popular trend in 2009, following the success of animated comic DVD releases like Marvel’s Black Panther and DC’s Watchmen. In this instance, the then-current UDON comic book is used as the basis, with artwork and panels from the comics slightly animated and voice-acted to create an approximation of action.
This one’s fine if you want to check out UDON’s popular Street Fighter comics as motion comics, but honestly, you’d be better off just tracking down the actual comics themselves.
Super Street Fighter IV OVA (2010)
As is customary, Capcom released an upgraded version of the original Street Fighter IV in 2010. To promote Super Street Fighter IV, it also released a new OVA as DLC. Sometimes referred to as Juri OVA by fans, this anime feature focuses on the new character Juri, a vicious fighter working underneath Seth. Hunting down former Shadaloo agents, Juri comes into conflict with Guile, Chun-Li, and Cammy.
There’s not a lot here other than some fights and an intro to some new characters, but the story does serve as a good springboard into Super Street Fighter IV’s narrative if you were looking to know more before starting the game.
Street Fighter: The New Challengers (2011)
By 2011, Street Fighter was gearing up for celebrations. Street Fighter IV had been out for two years by this point, but the 20th and 25th anniversaries of Street Fighter and Street Fighter II, respectively, were fast approaching. Sadly, the only film release fans would get was Street Fighter: The New Challengers, a sequel to the Round One: FIGHT! motion comic.
Again using voice actors and UDON Comics artwork, The New Challengers expanded the universe, but like its predecessor, you’d have more fun just tracking down the original UDON comic books and enjoying those.
Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist (2014)
In the mid-2010s, the coolest thing your favorite video game franchise could have was a Machinima web series. Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist was just that. This 12-episode web series was released following the success of a 2010 fan film and tells the story of Ryu and Ken first learning how to fight. The story is intercut with flashbacks of their master, Gouken, as he learns alongside his own rival, Akuma.
Assassin’s Fist is a genuinely impressive effort that you should watch if you can, but like other Machinima projects, it’s nearly impossible to watch today after being removed from streaming services following Machinima’s closure.
Street Fighter: Resurrection (2016)
Though Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist was popular enough to initially warrant a second season, it had the misfortune of coming as Capcom was spinning up the promotional machine for Street Fighter V. The cast and creative team instead returned for a rebooted four-episode web series, Street Fighter: Resurrection.
Designed to more closely tie into the upcoming game, Resurrection sees Ken and Ryu facing an undead assassin who is hunting down former Street Fighter tournament champions. Resurrection was an incredible promotional tool and a lot of fun to watch, which makes it all the more heartbreaking that this was the final Street Fighter web series to date.
Street Fighter (2026)
As of this writing, it has been nearly a decade since any kind of supplemental Street Fighter project, despite Street Fighter VI being one of the biggest video game releases of all time. That hasn’t stopped a project from entering production, though. After years of trying to put a project together, Legendary announced a Street Fighter movie to be helmed by Twisted Metal and The Eric Andre Show director Kitao Sakurai.
The casting of this film so far is frankly wild, with WWE Champion Cody Rhodes as Guile, Dexter: Resurrection star David Dastmalchian as M. Bison, and Aquaman star Jason Momoa as Blanka. It’s shaping up to be a genuinely exciting affair, and one that I’m really looking forward to.
