Street Fighter: The Later Years

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

For many years, people wondered what happened to characters from Street Fighter II after many of them failed to reappear in Street Fighter III. That question was answered by Street Fighter IV, a sequel to II but a prequel to III. The End.

...

What? You want more? Fine. Before IV in 2008, there was Street Fighter: The Later Years in 2006. Created by College Humor, The Later Years simultaneously acts as a Where Are They Now? Epilogue for the 12 original World Warriors from II and reuniting them to form another tournament. The story starts when Zangief, now reduced to cleaning up arcades, enters a cab with Dhalsim as its driver. From there, it shows that most of the fighters are past their prime, living sucky lives and taking on horrible and/or overly-demanding day jobs. All except Ryu (who is a successful fighter hocking his style on TV) and to an extent Blanka.

But things are not what they seem as some of the fighters are being paid by Capcom CEO, Donovan Corbett to ruin the tournament and kill the remaining competitors.

Running from 2006-2008, The Later Years (even if it takes place ten years after II) isn't what you call, "totally faithful". But it's all played for laughs and because of this, it's Better Than It Sounds.

A sequel called Street Fighter Reunion was planned but appears to have never actually been made.

Tropes used in Street Fighter: The Later Years include:

Bison: (being choked by Chun-Li) Your father is alive.
Chun-Li: He is?
Bison: No, he isn't, I just needed to catch my breath.

Dhalsim: Every once in a while I pull out the old SNES, and I beat the shit out of myself. It makes me feel better somehow.

Zangief: Rai-you? All these years, I've been calling him Ri-yu.

Chun-Li: I can get those bloodstains out of your shirt.
M. Bison: What bloodstains?
(Beat)
M. Bison: ...oh. I get it.

  • Psycho Electro: Blanka.
  • The Reveal: At the end of episodes 6, we learn that Ryu is actually E. Honda posing as Ryu and real Ryu has been trapped, hidden in Capcom.
  • Romantic False Lead: Blanka to Chun-Li.
  • Shell-Shocked Veteran: Guile.
  • Shotoclone: Ryu and Ken and now E. Honda.
  • Shout-Out: The first episode has a College Humor Vanity Plate similar to the one Capcom did in the SNES era. Going as far as using the same song.
    • Bison, says no one cares about Street Fighter any more because people just want to crash cars and eat hookers.
    • Zangief at one point calls M. Bison Michael, a reference to the confusing Dub Name Change where Balrog is named M. Bison (i.e. Mike Bison) in Japan as a homage to boxer Mike Tyson.
    • Dhalsim saying We're on a Mission from God.
    • The fighter punching out the other a la the intro of Street Fighter II.
    • Bison referencing Street Fighter II with Why don't you try a harder difficulty level next time!".
    • The song rolling at the end credits is also the same credits song for Street Fighter II.
    • The That '70s Show like opening in episode 5.
    • Guile's Don't taze me bro!
    • The string of fighting game references below:

Ryu: Honda's men are no longer Street Fighters, they see this as a Mortal Kombat and they have the Killer Instinct. If you do not help your friends, this may be their Final Fight...ClayFighter.

Infomercial Narrator: Available wherever video tapes are sold. So.... Sam Goody?
Bison: We're (the Street Fighters) as defunct as the USSR.
E. Honda: Kill any fat Asian man you want. I just can't have them looking for E. Honda.
Vega: How fat are we talking? Queen Latifah fat or John Travolta fat? Kirstie Alley fat? Old Ricki Lake fat? New Ricki Lake fat?

Dhalsim: I don't know Bison, [Chun-Li]'s not going to be happy to see you.
Bison: Oh, c'mon guys, I killed your * points to Dhalsim* father and yours * points to Vega* . And most of Zangief's extended family, it was a different time.
Zangief: They said that fire was an accident.