[Netherrealmer]

Half of Street Fighter characters are inspired from Real life people while the other half are inspired from fictional characters. I want to focus on the real life people who inspired the design of Street Fighter characters.

Ryu is designed after the Kyokushin Karate inventor, Mas Oyama. He is the most influential Karate-Ka so Capcom designed Ryu's appearance and personality from him.



Ken was designed after American Martial Artist Joe Lewis, Joe was very popular during the 80s when Street Fighter 1 got created. Sadly our real life Ken died of Cancer.




Sagat is designed after real Life Muai Thai Champion, Sagat Petchyindee.

Unlike Mas Oyama and Joe Lewis, Sagat is still alive, So if you can afford to go to Thailand and want to learn how to do Tiger Uppercut, Sagat is still alive and Healthy and in great shape. If I won the lottery, I want to be trained by him. Capcom never paid Sagat on making a character designed after him but he is not angry. He is actually Proud to be the real life Sagat. Sagat still trains people and he even broke the mold of Muai Thai, Women are use to be not allowed to train on this Martial Arts but Sagat accepts female students.

Balrog, Was named Mike Bison in Japan but he got renamed into Balrog in America because Capcom is afraid that Boxing Legend Mike Tyson will sue them. Well Mike Tyson is actually not mad a character was inspired from him. He is actually flattered. Here is Mike Tyson with a Balrog cosplayer.



Karin Kanzuki was designed after American child actress Allison Arngrim. Alison Arngrim played a villainous rich girl in Little House on a Prairie and show became a hit in Japan.

She is the inspiration for all snobbish rich girl anime characters with golden curls. Who would have thought a Soap Opera villain will be the inspiration to a fighting game character.

Abel is the main character of Street Fighter 4, This Sambo practitioner is a big guy with a soft heart, He is an M.Bison clone who just love Puppies and kittens. Abel was designed after MMA fighter Fedor Emelianenko


Crimson Viper, was created for Street Fighter in 2006 and the most popular action star during those times is Angelina Jolie.


She is Capcom's attempt to make a character tha appeals to Americans. Just like Angelina Jolie, Crimson Viper is also a mother.

Luke is the Main character for Street Fighter 6.

Capcom seen the Boxing run of Youtuber Logan Paul and also his thriving WWE career, so they decided to make a Street Fighter character based from his likeness.

Lucia Morgan - Final Fight and Street Fighter character Lucia Morgan was inspired from Cynthia Rothrock.

Cynthia Rothrock is the first White person to become an action movie superstar in Hong Kong. She made a lot of Kung-fu movies out there. Hong-Kong Kung Fu movies became popular in Japan. That's why Many videogame and Anime characters are inspired from Cynthia Rothrock. Android 18 from Dragon Ball Z was inspired from Cynthia Rothrock. Sonya Blade from Mortal Kombat was inspired from Cynthia Rothrock. Blue Mary from King of Fighters and Fatal Fury are inspired from Cynthia Rothrock.

[Fergal]

Great topic, thanks for sharing it on ForumCoin @Netherrealmer. I haven't played Street Fighter but your description of the real life characters is very interesting. It's cool that they are happy to have inspired the characters, even when they have not been paid for it. I know a girl who did some professional Muai Thai boxing in Thailand and Sagat Petchyindee sounds like a very inspirational individual.

[Netherrealmer]

At least they never made a character inspired from Lindsey Lohan because Lindsey Lohan sued GTA because she have the delusion one of the characters is based from her.... The character though looks like Kate Upton

[augusta]

Good that you went detailed with this real street fighter characters . you gave a good description of each of them that was well understood

[nela13]

I read that IA is transforming the main characters of the game, giving them more human characteristics. I saw the images, the result is terrifying and horrible. I prefer the characters as they are, just characters.

[mrki444]

She is Capcom's attempt to make a character tha appeals to Americans. Just like Angelina Jolie, Crimson Viper is also a mother.

Maybe Rocky Balboa is better choice. Or I would add Creed real name Michel B. Jordan. Creed is currently very popular and his could bring new, younger audience.

[Netherrealmer]

Crimson Viper is created in 2007, a year where Angelina Jolie is the most popular in Hollywood. I dont think they will make a Rocky character since street fighter already have too many boxers.

The character that appeals to Americans they made for 2023 are Luke who is inspired from Logan Paul and Kimberly who is probably inspired from Cardi B.

[mrki444]

Why not make some charachter based onn Iranian Hulk, real name Sajad Gharibi? Just give him some real strength since his fight was to funny. Or he can have role s boxing bag.



Video is here
https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/1161 ... akh-titan/

[Netherrealmer]

Street Fighter already have Abigail:


He is Canadian though

[Jem Smith]

Cool to have some background about the actors, thanks. I love Angelina Jolie, so I would have watched this just because she was in it, even though it's an ensemble cast.

[Netherrealmer]

Sagat Petchyindee sounds like a very inspirational individual.

Sagat, the real life one, once beat 20 people at the same time who tried to beat him up. People should be lining on his school.

[Nsikan]

Fei Long, the character and the fighting style are adapted from Bruce Lee.

[Netherrealmer]

ctually Proud to be the real life Sagat. Sagat still trains people and he even broke the mold of Muai Thai, Women are use to be not allowed to train on this Martial Arts but Sagat accepts female students.

He is also inspiration for Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat and Martial Law in Tekken.

[Tendz]

It's fascinating that a significant portion of the game's characters draws from actual people. Capcom creatively incorporated elements from renowned people, mostly martial artists, into their character designs, adding depth and realism to the Street Fighter universe.

[Netherrealmer]

@fergal the fact Sagat beats 30 men at the same time means his life should be a movie. He is a fascinating person.

[Fergal]

@fergal the fact Sagat beats 30 men at the same time

That sounds amazing, when did he do that?

[Netherrealmer]

He did that during his prime, His opponents friends tried to ambush him before the match

[gwolf666]

I didn't know this, great! Thanks for the information, I thought they were random characters created by their imagination.

[arunima]

Sagat has a big heart and he is not angry about being paid. But definitely not ethically and morally right on part of Capcom. They should have paid him.
Good to know that so many of them are inspired by the real life heros.

[mrki444]

Do we have some character with this pose? I guess inspiration is obvious Jean Claude Van Damme.