Street Fighter is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Capcom. The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by six other main series games, various spin-offs and crossovers, and numerous appearances in other media. Its best-selling 1991 release Street Fighter II established many of the conventions of the one-on-one fighting genre.
Street Fighter is one of the highest-grossing video game franchises of all time and one of Capcom’s flagship series, with total sales of 54 million units worldwide as of March 2024. It is also one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. Street Fighter, designed by Takashi Nishiyama and Hiroshi Matsumoto, debuted in arcades in 1987. The player controls martial artist Ryu to compete in a worldwide martial arts tournament spanning five countries and 10 opponents. A second player can control Ryu’s friendly American rival, Ken Masters. The player can perform three punch and kick attacks, each varying in speed and strength, and three special attacks: the Hadōken, Shōryūken, and Tatsumaki Senpūkyaku, performed by executing special joystick and button combinations.