Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation

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Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation
DVD cover
Directed by	Shigeyasu Yamauchi
Written by	Reiko Yoshida
Produced by	Kaoru Mfaume
Starring	Kane Kosugi Kazuya Ichijō Reiko Kiuchi Daiki Nakamura Hisao Egawa Yumi Toma Ai Orikasa Tomomichi Nishimura Miki Nagasawa Bin Shimada
Music by	Hayato Matsuo
Production company	Group TAC
Release date	August 31, 2000 (2000-08-31)
Running time	93 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation, released in Japan as Street Fighter Zero (ストリートファイターZERO), and also known as Street Fighter Zero: The Movie, is a 2000 OVA film based on Capcom's fighting game Street Fighter Alpha 2. It was directed by Shigeyasu Yamauchi, with character designs by Yoshihiko Umakoshi. An English dubbed version was later produced by Manga Entertainment and released in 2001 on the 10th anniversary of Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (1991).

The film is not a prequel or sequel to either Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie or Street Fighter II V, but an independent installment, although a handful of voice actors from previous adaptations reprised their roles for the English version of the movie.

Plot[]

Ryu is still contemplating the death of his sensei, Gouken, while at the same time experiencing trouble with the "Dark Hadou" (殺意の波動, Satsui no Hadō, lit. "Surge of Murderous Intent"), an evil energy which Gouken's brother, Akuma, succumbed to a long time ago.

While in the city, both Sakura Kasugano and her best friend Kei Chitose witness a group of Shadaloo's criminal agents getting into a skirmish with both Chun Li and Wallace, until Ryu leaps into action and settles this crisis by street fighting with the agents by dodging their bullets and knocking all of them out with just his martial arts.

Ryu caught the attention of Interpol agent Chun-Li after the incident, she does some background research and realizes Ryu is the man who beat Sagat, the Muay Thai Champion, many years ago. Also catching the obsession of Ryu is aspiring martial artist Sakura, who becomes a head-band donning fan of the mysterious man in a white karate gi and vows to track him down and become his student.

In the mountains of Japan, Ryu was walking in the forest until he became startled by the sudden confrontation of a tall and curvaceous female who is a mysterious fortune-teller named Rose, she questions him briefly about his hold over the Dark Hadō and reason for fighting.

While visiting Gouken's grave, Ryu meets his best friend and sparring partner, Ken Masters, when Ken left to run a few errands after reuniting with Ryu, he heard a sudden disturbance that was so loud it prompt Ken to rush over to where the sound was, only to find Ryu unconscious.

All of a sudden, a young boy named Shun approaches both martial artists and doesn't seem to be phased by Ryu lying on the ground. Shun claims that he is Ryu's long-lost brother. According to Shun, their mother raised Shun in Brazil until her recent death, and she sent Shun to find Ryu before she died. Ken is skeptical, but Ryu decides to take Shun in and notices the boy's potential as a fighter.

One night after spending time with his little brother, Ryu succumbs to the Dark Hadō nearly killing Ken, but was stopped after Ken punches Ryu in his stomach. Ryu then returns to normal. Later that night Ken talks to Ryu about his Dark Hadō. Ryu instructs Ken to kill him if he's ever completely possessed by the Dark Hadō. Ken is reluctant at first, but then agrees.

Ken and Shun decide to enter an underground fighting tournament while walking there from a dangerous side of town. After Ryu declines the invitation, he and his brother get harassed by some street thugs in an alley way. Ryu and Shun fight them off effortlessly, but Ryu also notices a rather sadistic streak in Shun, whom he has to punch to stop him from nearly killing one of the thugs.

Ken, meanwhile, finds Sakura also being harassed by street thugs in a local bar and much to his surprise, Ken agrees to take her to Ryu just before rescuing her from the hoodlums with defensive but also effortless kicks. As Ken finally arrives to the location where the talon welding Vega slashes Dan Hibiki, he is too late to enter the tournament, much to his chagrin.

Inside the building, Ryu is found by Chun-Li, who managed to locate him. In the tournament, watched by its enigmatic organiser, Dr. Sadler, Shun is pitted against the brutal wrestler, Zangief. Shun briefly manages to pummel Zangief with his superior speed, but the Dark Hadō catches up with Shun, distracting him long enough to receive a brutal beating from Zangief.

Ryu steps in and briefly fights Zangief, but he too is overcome by the Dark Hadō and he almost kills Zangief with a Dark "Shinkuu Hadouken" (真空波動拳, Shinkū Hadōken, lit. "Vacuum/True Void Surge Fist") which misses Zangief but causes the building to start collapsing. As Ken takes an injured Sakura to safety, Ryu is confronted by a huge man, Rosanov, who proves to be more than a match for both Ryu and Chun-Li combined.

Just as Rosanov prepares to knock Ryu unconscious, Shun steps in and takes the blast. Ryu succumbs to his rage and obliterates Rosanov with another Dark Shinkū Hadōken. However, while Ryu is distracted, Shun is abducted by Shadaloo agents so quickly, that even Wallace misses a few shots from doing a rescue attempt.

By now, Ryu has completely lost the will to fight. However, Rose appears before him once again, compelling him to save Shun from Sadler and himself. Ryu accepts, but first goes to see Akuma, accompanied by Chun-Li, in his secluded home in the mountains.

Once there, Akuma, under the belief that Ryu has come to challenge him at last, attempts to goad him into succumbing to the Dark Hadō, but Ryu refuses, and Akuma orders him to leave. Ryu manages to ask Akuma if he is Shun's father or has any family whatsoever, but Akuma denies it by telling Ryu that he will always be alone.

Ryu and Chun Li then stay where the ocean surface is to wait for Ken to arrive; as he does so, Ken asks Ryu about Akuma, then he spars with Ryu once again, Chun Li questions herself what is his reason behind why Ryu fights. After they spar Ryu reminds Ken to kill him if he's taken over by the Dark Hadō.

During the start of the rescue mission, Chun Li decides to travel to Sadler's hideout by airplane for the second attempted rescue of Shun, accompanied by a roster of street fighters lined up for Sadler's tournament including herself, as well as others like Ryu, Ken, Guy, Dhalsim, Birdie, Adon, Rolento, Sodom, and a recovered Dan returning once again for a comeback, only to lose once again to Birdie.

As the other six street fighters are challenging each other for a few rounds outside Sadler's lab in the arena, Ken finishes the final challenge by knocking out Sodom, to head off with Ryu and Chun-Li to infiltrate Sadler's base for Shun under their aforementioned search and rescue mission, they fight a few of Sadler's bodyguards only to interrogate them of where they are keeping the other street fighters.

When the trio released the other six inside of a dark and gloomy cell, Chun Li asked where Birdie had disappeared off to, Dan answered by explaining that Birdie is first winner and had been missing ever since. Later, Birdie was found into a trap which strips him of his fighting potential, and is freed by Ken and Chun-Li but in a weak state.

However, they are confronted by a very alive Rosanov in the corridor who is upgraded as a fighting machine called the S.A.D.L.E.R.B.O.T., this behemoth of a fighter makes quick work of Ken, Chun Li, and Birdie despite their efforts, the S.A.D.L.E.R.B.O.T. is even so powerful, that his dark energy began blowing the entire parts of the hideout to smithereens.

Ryu arrives on the scene and fights Rosanov again, and then he himself realizes that Rosanov is actually an android, and this one is really Shun who is held captive inside of the S.A.D.L.E.R.B.O.T.'s gut, who was brainwashed by Sadler and luring Ryu into a trap the entire time.

Shun/S.A.D.L.E.R.B.O.T. attempts to goad Ryu into using the Dark Hadō, since he is connected to Sadler and every blow which is landed on Shun/S.A.D.L.E.R.B.O.T will increase Sadler's fighting potential and make him stronger through absorption.

Ryu relentlessly refuses, but is eventually pushed over the edge when Shun/S.A.D.L.E.R.B.O.T assaults Ken mercilessly and Ken uses the last of his strength by using a fierce "Shouryuuken" (昇龍拳, Shōryūken, lit. "Rising Dragon Fist") which does nothing more than temporarily dislocate the android's jaw.

Finally, Ryu succumbs and fires a Dark Shinkū Hadōken at the android, freeing and injuring Shun, but destroying Rosanov once and for all. With this sudden increase in power, a fully powerful and fully psychopathic Sadler bursts out of his lab and finally emerges on the battlefield.

With Ryu exhausted, Sadler easily takes the upper hand and pummels Ryu around with a martial arts mastery that has artificially been granted to Sadler by Ryu. Ryu desperately prepares to succumb to the Dark Hadō once again, even though Ken and Shun implore him not to. Sadler overwhelms Ryu with a Dark Shinkū Hadōken, which nearly kills him.

Though only Ryu can see her, Rose intervenes, informing Ryu that "you haven't drawn the death card yet". Inspired, Ryu snaps out of the vision and returns to his normal state and fires a normal, Shinkū Hadōken directly into a distracted Sadler, who crumbles into dust while openly wondering how Ryu could still surpass him.

Shun's injuries, however, are too severe, and as he lies dying, he reveals that he lied to Ryu about being his brother and worked with Sadler so as to raise money for his mother, who still died. Ryu then tells Shun that he is still his brother. Just before Shun succumbs to his death, Ryu vows never to use the Dark Hadō ever again and neither will he.

The movie's final scenes depict the street fighters returning to their everyday lives. Sakura, now fully recovered, decides to continue training so that one day she may be able to fight Ryu. Chun Li is seen once again holding off some street thugs while Wallace watches, and Ken is seen fighting in an underground street fighter tournament and wins by knock out. In a distant area near the sea. Ryu is seen accepting Akuma's challenge, but informs him that he will not use the Dark Hadō. The two then jump into the air with their battle cries ready to fight.

Characters[]

Cast[]

Main

Secondary

Reception[]

While not as well received as Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, Street Fighter Alpha garnered a mixed to positive response, earning a 58% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.^[1][2]

References[]

External links[]

• Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia