The '90s was a pretty good decade for gaming. However, of all the big series to emerge in that span of time, one of the biggest has to be Street Fighter. Street Fighter 2 in particular was nothing short of a cultural phenomenon as it essentially gave birth to an entire genre.
Soon after Street Fighter's explosion in popularity, its influence on gaming as a whole would start to become immediately apparent. Developers have been tipping their caps to this classic ever since. Since a list of every game character who has ever thrown a Hadouken-like fireball would be a little tedious, we are looking for homages that go the extra mile. Thankfully, there is no shortage of new challengers stepping up to the plate and paying homage.
10 Mega-Man X, Hadouken
Hidden in the first Mega Man X game is the legendary Hadouken. Dr. Light even gives us this technique while dressed as Ryu. It isn't just a gimmick, either. This move packs one hell of a punch. Actually, its greatest weakness is that it is too damn strong. As fun as it is, once you have the Hadouken you can use it to just utterly destroy everything.
This wouldn't be the last time we would see a Street Fighter reference in Mega Man X, either, as in Mega Man X4 Magma Dragoon would come packing a number of Street Fighter attacks, including a Ken Masters-esque Shoryuken (a move Zero would get a version of after defeating Dragoon).
9 Killer Instinct, Eyedol
In Blanka's Street Fighter 2 ending, a woman approaches him claiming to be his long-lost mother. It is an off-beat and strangely heartwarming ending for Street Fighter's resident troll man. It must have left a strong impression on the people at Rare, as Killer Instinct's Eyedol's ending is a direct parody of Blanka's Street Fighter 2 ending.
The first few lines of dialog are even a word-for-word match (after you replace the respective names). The only difference here is that while Blanka embraces his long-lost mother, Eyedol clubs her. It's tough being a mom, eh?
8 Kirby Super Star, Fighter Copy Ability
Ever since this Copy Ability appeared in Kirby Super Star, we have been getting to see an adorable take on the Street Fighter Shoto archetype. However, he isn't just taking from Ryu. Sure, he has a Shoryuken and a hurricane kick. But he also has Honda's hundred hand slap, a version of Guile's flash kick, and Akuma's dive kick.
Kirby is, at this point, an adorable, round parody of half the Street Fighter 2 cast (while he is in his fighter form, at least). It's just a shame that Kirby doesn't have his whole Fighter Copy Ability arsenal in Smash Bros. It was his one chance to use it against some real Street Fighter characters. What a missed opportunity.
7 Pokemon, Incineroar
If you don't know, Zangief's spinning attack is called the Double Lariat. Well, Incineroar has his own spinning attack, and it's called the Darkest Lariat. Coincidence? Well, the Smash Bros. Team certainly didn't think so, in their reveal trailer they said this move was "perhaps something of a red cyclone". Guess whose nickname is "The Red Cyclone"? If you didn't guess Zangief then you really aren't paying attention.
On top of all that, Incineroar has the Cross Chop special in Smash Bros. Which looks identical to Alex's Flying Cross Chop. This Pokemon is just another loving homage to some of Street Fighter's most notable grapplers.
6 Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game
While it is pretty common for the classic Street Fighter 2 cast to get referenced, one thing you see far less often is the referencing of Street Fighter 3 characters. For far too long the newbies were pushed into the margins. But finally, in recent years, they are starting to get their due. And Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World goes out of its way to show some love for the new generation.
For starters, Scott himself gets Makoto's Hayate (his dashing punch) and Fukiage (his upward punch). Then there is Knives Chau who gets Ibuki's air Kunai. Oh, and Steven Stills has a bunch of Dudley’s normal moves. Of course, Street Fighter 2 is still referenced as well, with the rare Vega reference being given to Wallace. That is just scratching the surface, too. This is a game filled with Street FIghter references.
5 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, April O'Neil
This upcoming game shows off April using a ton of classic Street Fighter attacks. These are almost frame-for-frame adaptations, as well. Which is a super fun way of incorporating the character into the roster. These attacks include Chun-Li's Tenshoukyaku (the move where she does a number of kicks in the air), Guy's sliding attack, a dive kick taken straight from Akuma, and R. Mika's cheeky butt bump.
If you are struggling to find a moveset for a character who has rarely been shown fighting (at least the iteration of April they are using), why not make her one giant Street Fighter homage? The developers of Shredder's Revenge did just that and as a direct result, April is packed with cool attacks plucked straight from the classic franchise.
4 River City Girls
In River City Girls a number of classic Street Fighter attacks are able to be learned by both Misako and Kyoko, though Kyoko definitely gets the lion's share. Kyoko has Chun-Li's rapid kicks, Blanka's Up Ball, Cammy's Canon Drill, and Chun-Li's Spinning Bird Kick. Misako, on the other hand, has a Shoryuken, Guile's Flash Kick, and Guile's Bazooka Knee.
Honestly, those are just the most blatant ones. Their move lists pull from a number of different sources, but Street Fighter was clearly one of the wells they liked to dip back into frequently. It is also nice to see Cammy's moves get some attention.
3 Cuphead, Sally Stageplay
Cuphead's Sally Stageplay is a sendup of traditional theater on one hand, and a reference to Dhalsim on the other. Yes, as random as that may appear, she has both a version of Dhalsim's teleport as well as his iconic Yoga Drill kick. While Dhalsim is one of the primary cast members from Street Fighter 2, he rarely receives the same kind of attention as the other world warriors. So, it is nice to see him get a little love here.
It is also notable that Ribby and Croaks are, at least in part, composed of a series of Street Fighter 2 references. Each of their moves is a reference to one of the world warriors: including Hadouken-esque projectiles, a Blanka roll attack, Yoga Fire-esque fireflies, and a Double Lariat fan special. There are other references that are thrown in there, but they get more obscure as they go (such as the Street Fighter 2 bosses being represented as icons in the slot machine during the final stage of the fight). Clearly, these developers had Street Fighter on their mind.
2 Suikoden 2
Suikoden is a series that isn't afraid to reference other games, but the second game seems to have a particular love for Street Fighter. Zamza has Ken's flaming Shoryruken while Oolong has her own Shoryuken, but more in the Style of Ryu's Shin Shoryuken. Shin also has his own take on the Shoryuken (though this one involves a sword).
But it isn't just the Shoryuken that gets love. Long Chan-Chan has Hadouken-like fireballs and his understudy, Wakaba, has Chun-Li's rapid kick attack as well as having the Shoto hurricane kick. This means that you could absolutely build a party nearly entirely composed of characters who reference Street Fighter in some way. Absolutely wild.
1 Gunstar Heroes, Smash Daisuku
At first glance, Smash Daisuku looks a lot like Street Fighter's M.Bison. But hey, he is a military general, so maybe it is just a wild coincidence, right? Well, then he starts doing Psycho Crushers all over the screen, and you can be certain that this is the Treasure team giving us a lovely M. Bison homage.
Smash is a pretty central antagonist, too. You fight him multiple times. He is even in the box art. This has to make Smash Daisuku one of the more prominently featured homages to another video game character in a game.