Street Fighter I wasn't the most popular of games. It was dull, linear and very difficult. Regardless, Capcom decided to go ahead with a sequel anyway and created one of the most important video games of all time. It's rare that a game is so groundbreaking that it creates an entire genre by itself, but Street Fighter II arguably did just that. With its revolutionary combo mechanics, wide roster of characters and perfection of multi-player fighting, Street Fighter II subsequently led to the birth of several other significant fighting series. The thing is, several of the innovations that came about in Street Fighter II weren't down to just genius, but luck, consequence and timing were also relevant factors. Certain events, stories and details of Street Fighter's production process have become common knowledge over the years, yet, there's still a surprising amount that even the most diehard of fans still don't know about the iconic series. Even now, there's more to be learned, primarily due to the advent of social media and the digital age. In celebration of all things Street Fighter, here's 10 things you probably didn't know about Street Fighter.
10. Mike Bison And The U.S Name Switches
M. Bison is one of the most iconic Street Fighter characters ever, but his menacing name which later evolved into 'Master Bison' was originally meant for another member of the cast. Balrog has a clear resemblance to U.S boxer Mike Tyson, as such as he was originally called M. Bison (Mike Bison), this was later changed out of fear Tyson might sue if he found out about the likeliness of the character. Instead of merely replacing the Mike Bison's name, the designers opted to shift several names around for the U.S localization. As a result, Bison took the name originally meant for Balrog, Balrog took the name originally meant for Vega, while Vega took the name originally meant for the villain we now know as M. Bison. This caused confusion in international tournaments, leading to the characters being openly referred to as 'Boxer', 'Claw' and 'Dictator' in international settings. While it's only a cosmetic difference, it's an interesting piece of information and has certainly changed the way we see the characters in contrast to their original name sets.