The Street Fighter 30th Anniversary documentary was just released. The documentary is in a single word, “amazing”. You are taken through the world of Street Fighter and get to see multiple facets of that world. If you are a fan of the Street Fighter series, this is a definite must watch. If you are just a fan of games in general, this is still a documentary that you should watch. After all, Street Fighter is one of the pillars of gaming out there mah. Who knows, you might just pick up Street Fighter after watching it. The Street Fighter documentary is broken into three parts, ‘In the Beginning’, ‘The Community’ and ‘The Next Generation’.
Part 1: In the Beginning
The first part of the documentary takes us through the timeline of the Street Fighter series. Super nostalgic sia. It goes back from the original Street Fighter all the way to Street Fighter V. The documentary goes into detail about how the series has evolved over the years, adding new features and characters along the way. There are also snippets of great and iconic Street Fighter moments. One early example is the match between Daigo Umbehara and Justin Wong where Daigo pulls off the perfect series of parries to Justin’s Super. Trust me ah. Reading isn’t enough. You have to watch the documentary to really feel it. It’s truly a great nostalgic road trip for any Street Fighter player.
At the same time, the documentary doesn’t merely stop at showcasing details about the game. There are interviews with players, pro players, developers, commentators. Essentially the Street Fighter family sia. It’s amazing that you get to hear all of their voices and their passion for the game and if you haven’t started playing Street Fighter yet, this documentary makes you question why you haven’t thrown yourself into this game yet.
Part 2: The Community
The second part of the documentary looks at a different part of the Street Fighter series, the community. We see what is it like to step into the Street Fighter world and be a part of the family.
Once again, there are interviews with commentators and pro players. Their stories about how they try to embrace their fans as well as work together with, and help newcomers strikes a warm feeling in your heart. Macam damn touching, I swear. If that doesn’t make you want to start playing Street Fighter, I don’t know what will.
There is also a look at the background of being a Street Fighter pro player. We hear from the likes of Olivier ‘Luffy’ Hay, Ho Kun Xian and many other pro players. How they seek out further competition, how they felt when they won and how these pro players move forward in their careers. It’s enlightening to learn more about what a pro player’s life is like, what they have to face when they train and their individual motivations behind playing Street Fighter. Life truly isn’t easy sometimes when it comes to following your passion. Mad respect for each and every one of them only.
Then the documentary looks at the Street Fighter tournaments. It looks at Capcom Pro Tour and how it allows various fighting game communities around the world to come together. You can see how Street Fighter has really grown as a game in terms of its competitive scene. Not only increasing in scale and awareness but as a platform for pro players to determine where they stand against others around the world.
As the end of part 2, the documentary looks at Daigo Umehara. You can see how Daigo had played a pivotal role in the community. It’s truly no joke eh. Many players and fans recount their first hand or second hand experience of Daigo and how it influenced their lives. There’s even an interview with Daigo and we get to see and hear about his own personal journey in Street Fighter. It’s certainly humbling to be able to hear from the legend himself.
Part 3: The Next Generation
The last part of the documentary looks at the next generation of players. Not only is there a look at who these players are, and the mindsets they have towards Street Fighter, it also explores the potential influence that new players might have over the Street Fighter community. It’s great that the documentary looks at these new players. Games die when there isn’t new blood. So focusing on this aspect is quite crucial ah.
The documentary looks at the idea of the next generation of players in a seamless manner, interviewing veteran players to showcase the hopes and expectations these veterans have for the new group of players who are entering the Street Fighter scene.
The expression of this vision culminated in Part 3 of the documentary. Via a poetic juxtaposition between two epic fights between the new and veteran players up on stage. This part of the documentary impressed me the most sia. It was a masterful way of highlighting the idea of the new player.
The first fight was between Tokido and Punk during the EVO 2017 Grand Finals. We see the new generation represented by Punk, eventually falling to Tokido in that match. It seemingly encapsulated the lessons of learning from defeat, for the newer players.
The second fight was between Mena RD and Tokido during Capcom Cup 2017. This time, Mena RD, a part of the new generation wrestled a win from Tokido showing that the new generation does have the skill to stand up on the Street Fighter stage.
The ending of this documentary is, in my opinion, a perfect message that is being sent to the young players who have joined or plan to join the Street Fighter scene. There will be defeats and lessons to be learnt. But believing in yourself, learning from the veterans before you and there is an end to the long road that is being a Street Fighter player. As Tokido states at the end of the documentary, “Fighting game is, something so great.”
You can watch the full documentary here.
