The Street Fighter Look

In this era of Ultimate Fighting Championships and Professional Wrestling, it’s easy to forget about the real fighting pinnacle to shoot for: Street Fighter’s World Warrior tournament! Fortunately, I’m here to help. Follow these tips, and you’ll be ready to take your place as a world warrior among the likes of Ryu and company. Yes, you. If I can do it, anyone can do it.

The Gimmick: Street Fighter characters are sort of like Professional Wrestlers in that each has their own costume, look, mannerisms, and gimmick, so even though wrestling is staged and Street Fighter is not, the fact remains: you need a gimmick. I knew my “went to college for six years, before I got to write for GotGame.com,” just wouldn’t cut it. Instead, pick an opponent and fixate yourself on them. I use, “That bastard Bison kicked my dog, left my best friend a lousy tip at Eat ‘n Park, and in passing made a lewd comment about me,” is much better. It’s on, Bison. It’s on.

There's a new World Warrior in town, and you can be one too!

My Gimmick: I deliberated long and hard about the rest of my gimmick. Sure, I hate Bison, but so does everyone else. I found my inspiration in ripping off the mighty Sagat. Ryu has Sakura, so why not some love for the one-eyed, battle-scarred Thailand native that captured hearts with his quest for vengeance? Now I just need a goal. How about representing my ancestral home of Italy with pride? After all, our martial arts and military successes are second to none, and Rose just doesn’t cut it as a representative. Mother Italy demands more!

Because I’m ripping off Sagat, my battle outfit can be purchased at any fine shopping center: a long pair of gym shorts, a roll of toilet paper to wrap around my hands and legs and I’m set. Why not athletic tape? Nuts to that! I may need the toilet paper when I realize how fearsome some of my opponents are!

Your Gimmick: Ripping off another character as I did is a great start. Ripping off legendary martial arts actors is another. If you’d rather go original, body paint or make up works, but be sure to plan your budget. If you don’t like the idea of a traditional gi, there’s always a military style outfit. Hey, it works for Bison. And if you already possess a nice physique, it might pay to show it off and distract your opponent. If you don’t, it might still pay to show it off and distract your opponent. You can always incorporate it into your fighting style: I know I’m counting on my opponents to underestimate me when the next tourney rolls around!

Okay, maybe this isn't such a good idea...

The Training: Yoga? Sumo? Bear-wrestling? Freak plane accident that plunges you into a Brazilian River? Psycho Drive? Manipulation of the sound barrier? Muay Thai? Eating too much curry? The Street Fighter cast has some pretty diverse ways in which they acquired their skills, and it’s clear you’re going to need a strategy to properly compete.

My Training: Even though one of my relatives has a 3rd degree black belt in karate, none of it has been passed on genetically. However, since I’m imitating Sagat, I’ll undergo relentless repetitions as Sagat while also brushing up on some of my old Jr. High School westling abilities. I may only remember a double-leg takedown and a half-nelson, but my opponent will never know what hit them.

Your Training: Weight-training appears to be the method of choice by the looks of World Warriors. However, if you don’t want to pay for a gym subscription you could always saunter into the wilderness and wrestle bears as Zangief did. It’s also unlikely you’re a super-soldier like Cammy, but you could always experiment with Yoga to improve your flexibility or engineer some kind of accident that plunges you into a Brazilian river. If you intend to train like Vega, you could always smile and nod when I tell you how very, very, sorry I am for you. I hope the bulls and ninjas don’t kick your ass.

The guy in the middle is a fine example of how you can put a different spin on a character's gimmick, thereby making yourself a world warrior. Hey, wait a minute...

There you have it. All you need to know to become a World Warrior: a gimmick and some special training method. Good luck on your quest to enter the next tournament! And if you see me, make sure the paramedics are close at hand. This isn’t Mortal Kombat, but I have the feeling that any fight involving me and some other World Warrior is going to involve a near-death experience…