The Beat ‘Em Up Subseries: Final Fight
Final Fight has long been one of the most famous classic fighting game series, but did you know that it was originally supposed to be a sequel to the first Street Fighter game?
It was only when Capcom realized that the side-scrolling beat ’em up gameplay was very different from the one-on-one fighting of Street Fighter that they decided to rebrand the series as Final Fight.
As for the connections between Street Fighter and Final Fight, just take a look at one of the main locations in both games. Metro City is governed by Mayor Cody Tavers, who is one of the main characters in Final Fight, and is also a prominent location in the Street Fighter series.
Several characters from Final Fight have appeared in Street Fighter games, including:
- Cody
- Guy
- Hugo
- Lucia
- Maki
- Poison
Professional Wrestling Experience: Slam Masters
Saturday Night Slam Masters is an arcade wrestling game series, and despite being a spin-off of Street Fighter, it focuses on in-ring combat instead of the side-scrolling one-on-one fighting style that the Capcom series is famous for.
Slam Masters weaves itself into the fabric of the shared world of the Street Fighter series in notable ways. One of these ways is the intense competition between two major wrestling federations that also appear in the Street Fighter series: the Capcom Wrestling Association (CWA) and the Blood Wrestling Association (BWA).
Zangief, the famous wrestler from the Street Fighter series, does not appear as a playable character in Slam Masters, but he does make a brief cameo in the background in Slam Masters 2.
After that, it’s hard to find more links between Street Fighter and this short-term spin-off series, but it remains entertaining and intriguing.
Youth Rebellion: Rival Schools
Rival Schools is one of the lesser-known fighting game series from Capcom, but it still plays a significant role in the shared world of Street Fighter.
Unlike most fighting games in the ’90s, Rival Schools opted for a 3D style more in line with Tekken or Soulcalibur rather than Street Fighter. Sakura from Street Fighter appeared as a secret playable character in the original version of Rival Schools, strengthening the link between the two series.
Years passed before a strong link was formed, but Street Fighter 5 finally provided something concrete through the Kanzuki Beach stage. Here, characters from Rival Schools, Tiffany Lords and Hinata Wakaba can be seen in the background.
This improved when Akira Kazama became the first character from Rival Schools to be playable in a Street Fighter game through the final season of Street Fighter 5.
Strider, Captain Commando, and Red Earth – Potential Links to the Shared Street Fighter Universe
While other Capcom series like Strider, Captain Commando, and Red Earth have some hints that could connect them to the shared world of Street Fighter, they lack the clearer evidence shared by series like Final Fight, Slam Masters, and Rival Schools.
However, here’s how these series may be linked to the shared Street Fighter universe:
| Series | Potential Link to SFSU World |
|---|---|
| Strider | Street Fighter character Zeku shares many traits with Strider’s main hero, Hiryu, hinting at a potential link. Zeku mentions that his fighting style is “Strider,” and his backstory hints that he is the “first generation of Strider,” placing Street Fighter earlier than the events of Capcom’s Strider series. |
| Captain Commando | The Captain Commando series has several links to the Final Fight series, most notably being set in Metro City and the fact that Ginzu trains in the Bushinryu style. If these two series are intertwined, Captain Commando would also be part of the shared Street Fighter world. |
| Red Earth | While this link is weak, the Street Fighter 5 Arcade Edition – A Visionary Book 2 mentions a crystal tied to the Alanbird Desert Kingdom, as seen in Capcom’s Red Earth series. Not a strong link, but it may indicate a relationship. |
What about Street Fighter X Tekken?
The crossover fighting game Street Fighter X Tekken released in 2012 brought together two of the biggest names in the fighting game genre, raising a clear question: Do these two series share the same world?
The simple answer is “no”. At least, this applies outside the scope of this specific game. The story in Street Fighter X Tekken is not part of the official events of both Street Fighter and Tekken.
Furthermore, despite being a crossover between two of Capcom’s most famous series, the game Street Fighter X Mega Man is also not related to the official events. Thus, Mega Man cannot be considered part of the shared Street Fighter world.
