Meet the World Warriors of the New ‘Street Fighter’ Movie In These Wild Posters

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Meet the World Warriors of the New 'Street Fighter' Movie In These Wild Posters

In the delirium that was last night’s Game Awards, we got an eyeful of Capcom and Paramount Pictures’ Street Fighter movie in the form of an action-packed trailer. To its credit, the trailer had some campy sauce, thanks in large part to its color palette not being washed out and hewing closely to Street Fighter VI‘s neon urban aesthetic to mask the jank of its actors cosplaying as fighting game characters. However, not leaving well enough alone, Street Fighter released character portraits of said actors in all their… glory?

There’s no nice way of putting this: We’re going to be judging them for how well and how terrible they look in these movie posters. But whether you loved or loathed last night’s trailer, you might be surprised at our findings.

Andrew Koji as Ryu

As far as a live-action Ryu goes, there’s honestly no way to mess that up. All homeboy needs is his white gi, some red gloves, a headband to match, and to wander around barefoot looking for his next fight. Andrew Koji, you pass.

Noah Centineo as Ken

Second verse, same as the first, just invert the colors. A long-haired Ken look always gets a plus in my book, having been a scrublord in the Street Fighter V era of the franchise. It gives him extra flair, as he’ll likely spam his Shinryu Reppas and senpukyakus. Noah Centineo, you also get a pass.

Callina Liang as Chun-Li

Chun Li’s design is pretty iconic. What with the leggings, high boots, and her having her hair in buns so as not to get it all in her face when she does her spinning bird kicks. By not messing with the fashion formula too much (aside from the rhinestones that don’t really add much beyond texture to the fit), Callina Liang gets a pass.

Cody Rhodes as Guile

Hot take: I don’t hate this Guile look. Sure, the hair is enough to make you want to curl up and die on the spot looking at it, but having been a fan of wrestling for all my life, Cody Rhodes as Guile makes sense. Plus, Guile does look like a dork on principle. I only wish they somehow kept Cody’s very poorly sized American Nightmare neck tattoo in the whole look, since it’s as cringeworthy as Guile having a tatt of the stars and stripes. Anything beats whatever Cody’s get-up was in Naked Gun and the collective trauma of his Stardust WWE gimmick. This works for me. Cody Rhodes, you pass, because we’re grading on a scale of your past fashion faux pas.

Orville Peck as Vega

Of all the character portraits revealed, Vega’s is the only one I wish they’d gone, well, hornier with. When I think of Vega, I think of a vain Spanish asshole who can’t help but peacock out and show off the snake tattoo that wraps around his chest. What’s with the full-body suit, buddy? Was it cold? Are you not committed to the bit? The fact that Orville Peck’s persona also wears a mask is pretty galaxy-brained casting on the whole, but this Vega isn’t giving. It’s too safe. Orville Peck, it pains me to say it, but you fail.

50 Cent as Balrog

Imma Keep it a buck with you. When I first saw this poster, I cackled. I also immediately cold texted my friends in the dead of night the poster and got “:|” as a response. Where do I begin? Like, I get it. Balrog has a Great Clips “my barber effed my shit up” lining that most Black men would cover up with too much fiber spray on some Jermaine Jackson-type beat. But this took me all the way out. Do I want to be on 50 Cent’s bad side? Hell no. I saw that Netflix documentary. But I will be holding back laughter watching him do anything in this movie. It’s game-accurate, but at a high cost, as I cannot take you seriously. 50 Cent, you fail.

Jason Momoa as Blanka

In the continuity of the day, Jason Momoa had an interesting go of it with movie character reveals. On the one hand, there was his Lobo, draped in shadow, in the Supergirl trailer, which left enough to the imagination without losing aura. On the other hand, there’s this wretched thing. He looks like the Hulk had a bender in Grenada. Plus, he seems too mean, like a goblin in the background of a Smiling Friends episode. They could’ve broken conventions a tad by giving us the demure Blanka in a suit as a head turner before showing his more feral side in the movie. This just rang true as “we’ve got Chet Hanks Hulk at home.” Also, I was taught never to fraternize with Blanka players, and this has yet to prove that notion wrong. Jason Momoa, you fail.

Vidyut Jammwal as Dhalsim

I honestly don’t have much to say about this one. Most of the character portraits, for better and worse, don’t go beyond their fighters’ base costumes, and Dhalsim’s works. He looks like he’s not someone to be trifled with, and the hint of a playful smile is just *chef’s kiss* with who he is as a person. No scowls like everyone above. That’s just neat. Vidyut Jammwal, you pass.

Olivier Richters as Zangief

Remember when I mentioned earlier that I like it when these posters hint at their characters, without going full fanboy with compare-and-contrast photos of their outfits, cosplaying their vanilla looks? This is what I mean. Zangief looks like a dapper gentleman who is about his business, yet will show a little chest. This works leagues better than just showing him in his wrestling trunks. It’s on some “the lion does not concern itself” type vibe. I dig it. Olivier Richters, you pass.

Hirooki Goto as E. Honda

While it does pain me to see my New Japan Pro Wrestling goat, Hirooki Goto, in a fat suit… it pains me to see him in a fat suit. This was a lot of nothing. He doesn’t stand out at all. Where’s his face paint? He’s just standing there. Menacingly. Why show up if you’re not gonna show out? Hirooki Goto, you fail.

David Dastmalchian as M. Bison

Now this, this I like. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined there’d be an M. Bison with such a commanding presence and a smarmy expression to match that of Raul Julia. Everything here works. He’s got that shit on. He’s asserting dominance. And he doesn’t look goofy while doing so. David Dastmalchian, you pass.

Roman Reigns as Akuma

I’m pretty lukewarm on this Akuma poster. Like, we get it, we see your arms. But nothing about this really screams Akuma to me. Maybe if they’d gone the route of not showing him in all his glory under the harsh studio lights and instead shown him with his back to the viewer like in his iconic win pose—giving the air that this whole charade is beneath him—then I’d be more about it. Otherwise this poster was a big whiff for me, dawg. Roman Reigns, my tribal chief, you fail.

Andrew Schulz as Dan Hibiki

Look how they massacred my boy! This is like that flirting vs sexual harassment meme. The Dan Hibiki I know is a loveable goof. This is just Andrew Schulz wearing too much pink. He’s not shaped like a friend. He’s shaped like an asshole. Under the jail. Andrew Schulz, you fail.

Eric André as Don Sauvage

I’m gonna be honest: even as someone who’s played the games, I had no clue who this character is seeing this poster for the first time. A little bit of research later (a former rock star turned Zangief’s announcer from his SFV story mode), and he’s giving a Don King-type vibe. And the character pretty much looks like this, so… you pass, Eric André.

Mel Jarnson as Cammy

I know I’ve praised other characters for not using their default looks from the games when they do, but this is a lot. I get it; it’s supposed to be her Dolls look as a former agent of Shadaloo, rather than the iconic red beret and camo that we all know and love Cammy for. But the material, the fit, the weirdly padded look… this is giving legally distinct Spirit Halloween costume. Mel Jarnson, you fail.

Rayna Vallandingham as Juli

Take everything I just tore into Cammy about and flip that on its head for Juli here. Guess the Shadaloo faithful get better uniforms? Sure, the clothes look starchy as hell, but I can chalk that up to her being about her business as a no-nonsense bodyguard/assassin. Rayna Vallandingham, you pass.

Alexander Volkanovski as Joe

When I first saw Joe, I had to scratch my head to recall who this was. Turns out, he’s a jobber. Or, in non-pro-wrestling terms, he’s an NPC from the games, introduced in the original Street Fighter as a non-playable fighter who largely exists to lose. And he certainly looks the part. There’s a kind of half-assed look to him, having some distinctiveness to his portrait, with the star motifs giving “my mommy says I’m her MVP” that kind of bell curves its way back around to being a pretty likeable, albeit generic, look—certainly befitting his origins from the games. Alexander Volkanovski, you pass.

And there you have it: a brutally honest run-through of Street Fighter’s character posters. While granted, all the characters look pretty fantastic in a campy, charming way that isn’t ashamed of how goofy the whole thing is, and that’s admirable. I’m not sure it warrants Schulz calling out Mortal Kombat II at the Game Awards moments after showcasing their trailer, but I am more smitten with it than what I’ve seen from the other upcoming fighting game movie adaptation so far, in its own way.

Time will tell whether the latest endeavor to make Street Fighter fetch in the world of cinema will pay off when the movie hits theaters next year.

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