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Street Fighter in Sailor MoonEpisode 32 of the first season of the Sailor Moon anime (1992), entitled 'Umino's Resolve: I'll Protect Naru', contains a fleeting reference to Street Fighter. (Nb. In the DIC Entertainment, North American release it's episode 28; 'Tuxedo Melvin'.) During this episode Gurio Umino can be seen briefly, but unmistakably, playing the Street Fighter arcade machine in Game Center Crown. This appearance can also be found in print, in Volume 7 of the Nakayoshi 'animanga' adaptation of the tv series. (I'd seen this cameo mentioned in several places online with no further detail; having nearly consigned it to the 'Can You Help?' section I'm glad to have tracked it down at last!)

Ryu and Chun-liPerhaps as a result of being one of the earliest adaptations, Masaomi Kanzaki's Street Fighter II manga is unusual for its treatment of the character Blanka. Kanzaki portrays him as a monster at heart as well as in appearance, vying to supplant Balrog as the fourth deva. Kanzaki is also the originator of a romantic link between Ryu and Chun-Li, oft-repeated in ‘fan-fiction’ but unsubstantiated in official lore. This is particularly stark in Volume 3 where the couple come close to confessing their feelings only for Ryu to spoil the moment by accusing Chun-Li of being an imposter (Kanzaki endearingly justifies Champion Edition ‘mirror matches’ with a story about doppelgangers of the fighters existing on Ghost Dream Island!) Sean Anderson’s The Heart of Battle comic took the desire to see the couple paired off to the extreme; three published authors, three art teams and over 100 volunteers worked together to create an impressive 300+ page comic, released online on Valentine's day, 2015.

Hyper FightingHere is a curiosity; Street Fighter II': Hyper Fighting featured a faster playing speed compared with World Warrior and Champion Edition, yet this doesn't apply to the game's attract mode or indeed in its credit roll (seen at the end of a 'one-credit' playthrough). In both of these demonstrations the speed is 'normal', i.e., as per its predecessors. One a side-note, in the SNES port, players could adjust the game's speed between ★★★★ by default but the cheat code ↓, R, ↑, L, Y, B entered on controller 2 at the title screen allowed up to six faster settings: Mega Turbo! ★★★★|★★★★★★

SF in Father TedTime to clear something up; fans of Street Fighter and the British comedy series Father Ted have long speculated about which version of Street Fighter II is shown in the Series Two episode, 'Old Grey Whistle Theft' (1996) when Fathers Dougal and 'Damo' are playing a Zangief vs. E. Honda two-player game. GamesTM magazine featured a story about this appearance in issue 18 sparking a debate that continued through to issue 24 (with Father Ted writer Graham Lineham even weighing in!) It was suggested that stock footage of a beta version of Champion Edition for the Genesis/Mega Drive was used until it was pointed out that bonus points for 'First Attack' are awarded, meaning that the footage would have to be from a later, Super version. GamesTM never did quite get the bottom of this mystery but I can reveal... (drumroll) it is the Amiga 500/600 port of Super Street Fighter II that they are playing; released in Europe only, which seems appropriately obscure for the Craggy Islanders. (Note the black borders around the energy bars, by the way, the Amiga 1200 version doesn't have these.)

SF cameos in Onimusha SoulOnimusha Soul is a browser-based card collecting game, released in 2012. The game has the player assume the role of a feudal lord during the Warring States period of Japan's history, to build a squad and go questing! A number of Street Fighter's female characters had guest appearances in the game, redrawn in costumes inspired by the historical setting. Moreover, these costumes became more armored and extravagant as the character's power increased. Needless to say the designs are tremendous. Receiving this treatment were: Cammy, Chun-Li, C. Viper, Ibuki, Ingrid, Rose and Sakura (see image). Ryu also makes an appearance, apparently in a dream story, as an opponent that the player can challenge.

Mick McGinty RemixMick McGinty has been mentioned previously in these pages for his memorable Street Fighter II era box art. In 2014, Matt Leone for polygon.com penned 'Street Fighter II: An Oral History', 'An inside look at the creation and fallout of Capcom's industry-defining fighting game, as told by those who were there.' As part of this article, Leone secured the services of McGinty to reprise his internationally famous World Warrior cover as well as other original pieces. A nice touch, in my opinion, as McGinty is often overlooked in Capcom's own retrospectives and artbooks on the series.

Midnight Bliss transformationsDemitri Maximoff will already be familiar to players of the Darkstalkers series. His unique special known as 'Midnight Bliss' briefly transforms male opponents into females and females into more casual females, before he (subtext alert...!) drains them of their life-force. Apperances by Demitri in the crossover games SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos (2003) and Capcom Fighting Evolution (2004) mean that some of Street Fighter roster have been transformed in this manner. Ryu, for example, is transformed into the little Indian girl from the animated movie! Please see the image for the full set.

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"never fought a turkish wrestler before? glad i could enlighten you!"

NAME: Hakan

NATION: Turkey

HEIGHT: 190 cm

WEIGHT: 110 kg

B/W/H: 172 160 165

BLOOD_TYPE: O