GIRLS OF STREET FIGHTER: TOP 10

 

Video games – and girls of video games – don’t get much more iconic than Street Fighter, so of course the girls of Street Fighter get their own top ten.

The Street Fighter franchise essentially defined the genre of fighting games – it “gave the genre depth, popularity, and, most importantly, legitimacy” and “even modern fighting games cling tightly to the features and tropes innovated by this series”. The game’s playable characters originate from different countries around the world, each with their own unique fighting style.

And from its first flagship duo of female fighters featured in 1991’s Street Fighter II gaining mainstream recognition, its female fighters have been an iconic part of that franchise – as well as a staple in art and cosplay, even three decades later, albeit with new and revamped game editions.

 

ART & COSPLAY

 

But first my usual note on the visual images used in this top ten. Given the copyright in such images, I only use a visual image as fair use for the purposes of comment and review in each entry – an iconic feature image to identify the character, either in general or in their most iconic version as I review it to be (or both), sourced from the published game cover or promotional art, or occasionally captured from gameplay or trailers.

I also include a special section in each entry under the subtitle of art and cosplay – not for any actual art and cosplay as such but instead where I nominate my favorite artists and cosplay models depicting the character, which you can look up for yourself. For art, I award a special ranking for any art by my two favorite artists – the two freelance digital artists Sciamano and Dandonfuga. For cosplay, I award a special ranking for any cosplay by my holy trinity of models – my favorite model Yummychiyo with her insane figure in top spot, followed by Hane Ame and Helly Valentine.

What better iconic feature image for this top ten than the cover by top Street Fighter artist REIQ for the special occasion of the 100th issue of the Street Fighter comic released by Udon Entertainment in August 2020, featuring Chun Li and Cammy in high fashion?

 

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

(1) CHUN LI – STREET FIGHTER II (1991)

 

No surprise here – video games don’t get much more iconic than the Street Fighter franchise and its characters don’t get much more iconic than its flagship female character Chun Li.

Chun-Li has been an iconic part of that franchise – and indeed video games in general – when she was introduced as the franchise’s first playable female character in Street Fighter 2 in 1991. While she was not the first playable female fighting game character or female fighter, she is definitely the first prominent and well-known one, earning herself the title of the “First Lady of Fighting Games”. She introduced the trend of female fighters being quicker and lighter – with a preference for kicks from her Amazonian thighs.

She was introduced as a heroic character, perhaps the game’s most heroic character – a Chinese police officer and Interpol agent with a strong sense of justice to avenge her father at the hands of the game’s villain, the nefarious M. Bison and his criminal organization Shadaloo.

She is trained in several styles of martial arts and apparently also a skilled firearm user as part of her police training, which begs the usual question of the genre why she doesn’t use them. She “has also been noted in-universe for her fluent English, investigating skills, penetrating eyes, beauty and acting talent for deception”

Of course, what she is mostly known for in our universe is her iconic appearance, notably those Amazonian thighs, apparently originating in something of a thigh fetish in her original designer. Perhaps even more iconic is her costume of blue qipao or early twentieth-century Chinese dress, albeit modified to allow for those kicks and other wide range of martial arts movements. Her costume also includes large spiked bracelets, white combat boots and brown tights, while she wears her hair in buns or ‘ox horns’, with brocades and ribbons. The size of her thighs and her costumes have varied with game designs, with both being somewhat sleeker in an acrobatic unitard in the Street Fighter Alpha games, while she has had alternate costumes in other game versions.

Since her introduction, Chun-Li has become a mainstay of the franchise and indeed one of its flagship characters, appearing in sequel or spinoff games as well as the wider media franchise of films, anime, comics and merchandise. She has also consistently ranked amongst the top girls of video games.

 

ART & COSPLAY

 

For my iconic feature image, I used the depiction of her in classic game costume from the Street Fighter fan wiki.

 

ART – DANDONFUGA

 

Sadly no Sciamano ranking but she does get a Dandonfuga ranking from multiple artworks in different styles. As for artists other than Dandonfuga and standout Street Fighter artist REIQ – Neoartcore (with one of my favorite artworks featuring her and Yor Forger from Spy X Family), Artgerm, David Nakayama, Kikol Draws, Derrick Chew and Logan Cure (with one of my favorite artworks featuring her and another entry in this list).

Sadly no Yummychiyo, Hane or Helly ranking for cosplay – which is particularly sad as Yummychiyo and Hane would rock Chun-Li cosplay. The best cosplay I’ve seen for her is by By0ru.

 

 

 

 

 

(2) CAMMY WHITE – STREET FIGHTER II: THE NEW CHALLENGERS (1993)

 

Chun-Li may be the flagship character and the ‘First Lady’ of fighting games, but Cammy comes a close Second Lady since her debut in 1993 as the second female character of note in the franchise and even arguably exceeds the former in popularity.

If anything, her story arc is even more convoluted than Chun-Li’s Hong Kong police officer and Interpol agent. She is best known as blonde British bombshell Cammy White, agent of the Delta Red commando task force within Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service or MI6, somewhat strangely given her youth. However, she has a dark backstory as one of the criminal antagonist M. Bison’s brainwashed assassins or ‘dolls’, under the codename Killer Bee. (She got better).

Of course, what she is best known for is fighting the eponymous street fights in a thong leotard. Because video games! Indeed, it was hard to find art or cosplay that did not emphasise this fact. Somewhat incongruously, she paints camouflage paint on her exposed legs, which might beg the question of her choice of costume in the first place but for her application of paint being more cosmetic than camouflage.

While her combat thong remains fairly consistent, her iconic costume tends to be that of her incarnation as Delta Red Cammy – green sleeveless thong leotard, a red beret, red gloves and black boots. She also wears those green camouflage stains on her legs. This has tended to be her default incarnation in the franchise in other media, including the live action film (in which she was played by Australian singer-actress Kylie Minogue).

However, her Shadaloo Cammy incarnation. named for her tenure as an assassin within Bison’s criminal Shadaloo organization, is almost as distinctive – light blue outfit part thong leotard and part turtleneck sweater, matching garrison cap, red gloves and armbraces, boots, and tie. The camouflage of her legs is replaced with blue stains in the shape of lightning bolts.

Throughout her incarnations, she appears with long blonde hair, typically in braided pigtails, as well as blue eyes and a scar on her left cheek. So it’s little surprise that Cammy has become and remained one of the most popular characters in the Street Fighter franchise.

 

ART & COSPLAY

 

For my iconic feature image, I’ve chosen cover “A” by Genzoman for the Street Fighter Masters: Cammy #1 comic released by Udon Entertainment in January 2023 – featuring Cammy in her classic leotard costume.

 

ART – SCIAMANO & DANDONFUGA

 

Cammy scores both Sciamano and Dandonfuga rankings for their art of her. My other top Cammy artists (apart from Genzoman in my iconic feature image) include REIQ, Neoartcore, Elias Chatzoudis, Artgerm, Kikol Draws, Logan Cure, and Zumi Draws.

 

COSPLAY – HELLY

 

Cammy also scores a Helly ranking for Helly Valentine’s cosplay of her. Close runner-up is By0ru.

 

 

(3) JURI HAN – SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV (2010)

 

Street Fighter’s resident hot slice of crazy since her 2010 debut in Super Street Fighter IV – described as “sultry” and “sex-crazed” – and hence close runner-up in popularity with fans to Chun-Li and Cammy.

A martial artist in Taekwondo from South Korea, with a literal (cybernetic) evil eye (known as the Feng Shui Engine).

Her original costume design in hot pink and black was modelled on a spider for her top and Taekwondo pants on bottom.

 

ART & COSPLAY

 

For my iconic feature image, it’s another cover by top Street Fighter artist REIQ – this time for the prequel comic released by Udon Entertainment for the Street Fighter 6 game featuring Juri

 

ART – DANDONFUGA

 

Juri scores a Dandonfuga ranking with some sizzling art. My top Juri artists other than Dandonfuga and Uri include Neoartcore, Kikol Draws, Warren Louw, Logan Cure, and Magion02.

There’s not too much Juri cosplay from my favorite models out there – it’s a hard look to pull off in real life – but Vampy Bit Me rocked it.

 

B-TIER (HIGH TIER)

 

 

 

 

(4) POISON – STREET FIGHTER IV (2008)

 

Poison technically debuted in Final Fight and was subsequently imported into Street Fighter – and there’s also the whole ongoing gender debate thing, although hopefully that is less of an issue these days. She certainly is popular with cosplay models – what with that pink hair, dominatrix fetishism, white crop top and perhaps the most infamous Daisy Dukes after Daisy Duke

 

ART & COSPLAY

 

For my iconic feature image, I’ve used the character illustration from her appearance in Final Fight as featured in the promotional kit from Capcom.

 

ART – DANDONFUGA

 

Surprisingly little art or cosplay from my favorite artists or models – but Dandonfuga comes through for a Dandonfuga ranking.

 

 

(5) LAURA MATSUDA – STREET FIGHTER V (2016)

 

Brazilian jujitsu fighter, from Brazil to boot – and for booty!

 

No, seriously – the game director wanted her design to emphasize her ass(et), originally with her buttocks exposed. They didn’t quite go that far but did end up with their beautiful woman with capoiera-inspired movements. For some reason, the game designers associate their Brazilian characters with electricity special attacks.

 

ART & COSPLAY

 

For my iconic feature image, I went with her game win pose from her character page on the Street Fighter V: Champion Edition website

 

ART – DANDONFUGA

 

Once again, not much art or cosplay from my favorite artists or models but she scores a Dandonfuga ranking from multiple artworks of her.

 

 

(6) MENAT – STREET FIGHTER V (2016)

 

Egyptian fortune teller using literal soul power channelled through a crystal ball to fight. And by Egyptian, I mean invoking ancient Egypt rather than contemporary Egypt – her battle costume resembles a mummy

 

ART & COSPLAY

 

For her iconic feature image, I used her ‘mummy’ battle costume design in Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition as showcased by artist Kevin Glint who did the refined concept for the costume – Kelly Tan did the basebody and Capcom was responsible for the final adjustments and in-game implementation.

 

ART – DANDONFUGA

 

Yes – she scores a Dandonfuga ranking, for the art that brought her to my attention in the first place.

She also has art by REIQ and Street Fighter comic cover art.

 

 

(7) KIMBERLY JACKSON – STREET FIGHTER VI (2023)

 

American graffiti artist turned martial artist from the sixth edition of the game in 2023

 

ART & COSPLAY

 

For her iconic feature image, I chose the cover art by REIQ featuring her in the Street Fighter comic for the Street Fighter 6 game.

 

 

(8) SAKURA KASUGANO – STREET FIGHTER ALPHA (1995)

 

These last few entries rounding out my top ten are more cursory but there’s just something about a Japanese schoolgirl caught up in an international martial arts tournament between shadowy organizations that amuses me. For her iconic feature image, I chose the cover of her Street Fighter comic.

 

 

(9) RAINBOW MIKA – STREET FIGHTER ALPHA (1995)

 

Usually shortened to R. Mika, despite her blonde pig-tailed appearance she’s a Japanese professional wrestler. I couldn’t resist that costume, very much in the vein of Cammy’s battle leotard – and I’ve seen clips where she draws attention to it by literally slapping her ass. Her iconic feature image is the profile image from her Street Fighter fan wiki page.

 

 

(10) CRIMSON VIPER – STREET FIGHTER IV (2008)

 

An American CIA agent as a mole in the Shadaloo Intimidation Network (or S.I.N.), the shadowy organization behind the scenes in that game. She juggles her role as a spy with her duties as a mother to her elementary school-aged daughter – so we’re in MILF or Housewives of Street Fighter territory here. Her iconic feature image comes from a Street Fighter comic compilation cover featuring her with Juri – the latter claims an odd friendship with her.