Who threw that punch? Capcom puts 25-year-old ‘Street Fighter II’ mystery to rest

By Brad Jones May 27, 2016

street fighter 2 characters mystery ii intro — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Street Fighter remains a major brand nearly 30 years after it first appeared on the video game scene, and is certainly one of the most popular fighting game franchises of all time. Newcomers might point to Street Fighter IV as its best installment, whereas hardcore fans often favor Street Fighter III — but it’s difficult to deny that Street Fighter II saw the series hit its peak in terms of mainstream popularity.

Now, Capcom has answered a burning question prompted by the intro video to 1991’s The World Warrior — who are those two guys fighting in the street?

Street Fighter II greets players with a short animated scene where a blonde-haired man takes out another combatant with one punch in front of a baying crowd at the foot of a skyscraper. These two fighters were not on the game’s roster, leading many players to wonder who they were, and what they were doing on its title screen.

On Thursday, links to profile pages for these two mysterious pugilists were posted on the Street Fighter subreddit. According to the game’s developer, the man throwing the punch is named Scott, and the strike’s unfortunate recipient is called Max.

Previously, one popular theory suggested that the fighters were actually Joe and Mike from the original Street Fighter.

It’s worth noting that, despite the fact that new artwork has been created for these character profiles, Scott and Max are unlikely to be added into Street Fighter V as new fighters. The Japanese version of the game’s website features similar pages for all manner of minor characters littered throughout the franchise’s long history.

However, given the tendency for video game developers to encourage the consumer’s appetite for nostalgia, we might see Scott and Max represented in the game some other way. Perhaps character skins for Ken and Balrog could allow Max to finally get a measure of revenge.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…

Gaming

Street Fighter 6: how to enroll with every master

The player confronts Ryu in Street Fighter 6 World Tour.

If you want to be the best, you need to learn from the best. Street Fighter 6 lets you put yourself into the action by creating your own custom character who learns the art of fighting from both the iconic world warriors and a host of newcomers while advancing through the World Tour mode. Each master you pledge yourself to will unlock their own unique moves to add to your list of possibilities when customizing your moveset. You might think meeting all the characters would happen naturally through the story, yet you can easily complete the entire mode without encountering most of the masters. Let us give you your first lesson by showing you how to enroll with every master in Street Fighter 6.
How to enroll with every master

Each of the main characters included at the launch of Street Fighter 6 is considered a master, which results in a total of 18 to find. Some you will come across naturally as you play World Tour mode, but most are either hidden or require you to complete certain optional objectives to find. Here's each master and how you can find them to learn their special moves.
Luke
You will automatically be enrolled with Luke when you begin World Tour mode in Street Fighter 6. You can find and train with him at any time in Metro City at the warehouse marked on your map.
Chin-Li
Chun-Lu is also impossible to miss as you go through the story. Once you get to Chapter 2-1, your objective will be to fund Chun-Li in the Chinatown area of the map. Once you find her there, you can go back to that spot to train with her at any time.
Marisa
Further on in the story, when you get to Chapter 3-3, your objective will now be able to travel using the World Map to get to Colosseo. Once you arrive, Marisa will be introduced automatically. Just speak with her again afterward to become her student.
Blanka
The big green beast Blanka can be missed, but only if you don't bother exploring. After you get to Chapter 6-1, Luke will unlock the Ranger's Hut location on the World Map. Not only will you be able to become Blanka's student, but you will also get the Blanka Chan outfit.
Dee Jay
Also available in Chapter 6-1, Dee Jay is found in Bather's Beach. After a battle (regardless of if you win or lose), you will be able to enroll with this master.
Lily
Lily is the first tricky master to enroll with. During Chapter 4-1, you need to complete a side mission called "The Spirit Guide" that you can pick up from an NPC in Chinatown named Ana. After completing the quest, Thunderfoot Settlement will be unlocked on the World Map. Go there, speak to a few NPCs, and Lily will arrive in a cutscene. Once it ends, speak to her to enroll as a student.
Cammy
Cammy also is locked behind a side mission that you can go on during Chapter 7-1. The one in question is called "Special Unit Del-?" in Metro City. Head down to the subway to grab the quest, complete it by clearing out the subway, and unlock access to the stadium area on the west side of the map. Once you take care of all the enemies downtown, you can go back to King Street via the World Map to find and battle Cammy.
Jamie
Jamie is slightly tricky to find. You need to be in Metro City during the night and go into the Chinatown alley. He will be in the middle of a fight, leading to his intro, after which you can climb up the nearby ladder and onto the roof to speak and train with him.
Ken
After a long break, Ken will be the next unmissable master. Once you get to Chapter 8-3, you will get the mission "The Elusive Former National Champ" that sends you to go find Ken at a construction site. After getting the appropriate headgear, you can head to the site and be introduced to him.
E. Honda
Not long after you encounter Ken, E. Honda will show up in Chapter 8-4 during the "Big in Japan" mission. Simply head to the restaurant to meet up with the famous sumo star.
Ryu
Ryu can be found next by traveling to Genbu Temple. Just walk up and speak to him to begin training.
Kimberly
Also unmissable, Kimberly will be introduced during Chapter 8-7 during the "High Flying Man" mission. Once the mission is complete, she will be posted up on the roof above your hideout.
Guile
Once you've finished Chapter 8-7, you can go learn from Guile by putting on the SiRN lab coat and talking to an NPC at the construction site to get a mission to go to the Carrier Byron Taylor. Go there, fight a bit, and he will jump in to help you out.
Manon
Following Chapter 7-3, when the "Extra" sidequest unlocks in Metro City's Beat Square, you will be taken to Fete Foraine automatically. After Manon introduces herself, you can speak to her again to become a student.
Dhalsim
The yoga master himself can be found by doing the "Yoga Statue" quest available starting on Chapter 9. Talk to Anik in Bayside Park in Metro City. Complete the quest to unlock Dhalsimer Temple on the World Map, where you can enroll with Dhalsim.
Zangief
The sidequest for Zangief also spawns when you hit Chapter 9. This time, you need to go to the stadium to find the "Hither and Thither" mission from some wrestlers. Finish up the quest and the Barmaley Steelworks will be added to your map. Zip on over and meet the master grappler.
Juri
Not available until much later in Chapter 11-4, you're looking for the "A Hardboiled Adventure" sidequest in Nayshall from Govind in the Bazaar. You will need to wait until Chapter 12 before you can fully finish this quest, but once done, you can ask to study under Juri.
JP
The last master you will find can only be encountered once you've fully finished World Tour mode. Once everything is wrapped up, go to Old Nayshall at night and go to the Suval'hal Arena Entrance. JP will be there waiting by the stairs around back for someone to come asking to train.

Gaming

How to change profile Titles in Street Fighter 6

Diving into the world of Street Fighter 6 opens up a whole new arena of customization. Instead of just playing as the iconic world warriors and other designed fighters, you are finally able to create your own custom avatar to face off against these legendary brawlers. The character creator is extensive enough already, but that's only part of the suite of ways you can customize your experience. Titles are back and give you a way to add some flair and personality to your profile when playing against opponents online. Unfortunately, the way to actually change your Title is a bit obscure. Here's how you can change your profile Title in Street Fighter 6.
How to change your Title

After you've gotten started in the game, head into the Main Menu and go to the Profile section. This is where people will get tripped up. You need to press Square to enter the Battle Settings, then press Triangle to access Update Character Settings, then select Title Settings from the available tabs. This is finally where you are able to go in and pick from any of the Titles you've unlocked so far. The Title will be applied to whichever character you have selected, so you can have different titles set for each character.

Gaming

Street Fighter 6’s World Tour mode is the best fighting game tutorial ever

A regular fight in Street Fighter 6 World Tour.

As hard as I’ve tried, I’ve never quite been able to wrap my head around traditional 2D fighting games. I’ve clicked with the fast pace of Super Smash Bros., but I’ve just never been able to hold my own online in a King of Fighters XV match. For me, it’s always been an education and onboarding issue. Most fighting games I’ve tried teach me their wealth of nuances in a lightning-fast tutorial that shows me how to do dozens of things in the span of a few minutes. With that whirlwind pace and a lack of practical context, I always find it difficult to actually retain all of that information.

Street Fighter 6 is perhaps the first 2D fighting game that fully solves my problem and that’s because of its standout World Tour mode. At first glance, World Tour seems like a meaty piece of single-player content for players to pick at between matches. But for more casual brawlers like me, it serves a much more important purpose: It’s the most thorough, effective fighting game tutorial ever crafted.
Learning to fight
As a piece of single-player content, World Tour is an ambitious mode. It’s a full-on action RPG that plays like a classic Yakuza game. Players explore Metro City, and a few other locations, in 3D and stop to brawl in 2D battles. It’s a lengthy campaign that takes over 15 hours to complete and is filled with RPG hooks, from stats to skill trees. It’s an impressive piece of content that helps make Street Fighter 6 feel like a fully fleshed-out release on day one.