‘Street Fighter’s’ New Trailer Just Revealed a Major Twist for Ryu and Ken’s Rivalry
Video game adaptations have had a rocky track record on the big screen, but this particular franchise’s live-action history has been especially bumpy. Between a beloved-but-baffling 1994 cult classic and a forgettable 2009 follow-up, fans have waited decades for a version that actually captures what made the arcade original so beloved in the first place.
That long wait is finally coming to an end, and the marketing rollout has spent months proving this new take understands the assignment. Between arcade-accurate character intros and gloriously over-the-top fight choreography, the campaign has leaned fully into fan service rather than trying to smooth over the source material’s inherent absurdity.
The new trailer for ‘Street Fighter‘ has been released, and it’s already teasing a major twist in the film’s central rivalry. According to EventHubs, the footage opens with a fight between Ryu and Ken, where Evil Ryu, known to longtime fans as Kage, appears to break free and seemingly wins the fight against Ken.
That reveal adds a darker wrinkle to the story’s central conflict, which follows estranged fighters Ryu and Ken Masters being pulled back into competition when Chun-Li recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament. Set in 1993, the film’s synopsis describes a “brutal clash of fists, fate, and fury” complicated by a deadly conspiracy that forces the pair to confront both each other and their own pasts.
Andrew Koji stars as Ryu opposite Noah Centineo’s Ken Masters, with Callina Liang rounding out the film’s central trio as Chun-Li. The sprawling supporting cast includes WWE stars Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoa’i as Akuma and Cody Rhodes as Guile, alongside Jason Momoa as Blanka, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as Balrog, David Dastmalchian as M. Bison, and Vidyut Jammwal and Andrew Schulz rounding out the ensemble.
Director Kitao Sakurai, working from a screenplay he co-wrote with T.J. Fixman, has leaned heavily on nostalgia throughout the film’s marketing so far, packing earlier footage with direct nods to the games, including Ryu charging up a Hadouken and Ken smashing a car in a callback to the bonus stages from ‘Street Fighter II.’ The approach has drawn favorable early reactions from fans who felt previous adaptations stripped away too much of the source material’s personality.
The project marks Paramount and Legendary’s high-profile third attempt at bringing ‘Street Fighter’ to live action, following the campy 1994 original starring Raúl Juliá and the more subdued 2009 reboot, ‘Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li.’ This time, the studio appears determined to fully commit to the franchise’s inherently over-the-top energy rather than trying to ground it in something more conventional.
With the film’s October 16 release now just weeks away, this latest trailer offers one of the clearest signs yet that ‘Street Fighter’ isn’t holding back on delivering the chaotic, arcade-fueled spectacle longtime fans have been hoping to see done right.
What do you think about Evil Ryu seemingly defeating Ken in the new Street Fighter trailer?
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