10 Most Iconic Street Fighter Special/Super Moves

3. Spinning Bird Kick (Kaitenteki Kakukyakushu)

Street Fighter 5
Capcom

Used By: Chun-Li

First Appearance: Street Fighter II

Input: Charge Down + Kick or Charge Back + Kick

Chun-Li is widely credited as being one of the first female fighting game characters (although that honour actually lies with 1985's Typhoon Gal), and is one of the most iconic Street Fighter characters along with series protagonist Ryu.

Since her debut in Street Fighter II, her fighting style has been mostly associated with kicking attacks. These include the ‘Hyakuretsukyaku’ (or ‘Lightning Kick’) - where she barrages her opponent with a fast flurry of kicks, the ‘Tenshokyaku’ (or ‘Heaven Rising Legs’) - where she does a series of aerial kicks, and the ‘Hazanshu’ (or ‘Axe Kick’) - where she performs a flip before striking down with her leg at the ground.

However, none of her attacks are more iconic then the gravity defying ‘Kaitenteki Kakukyakushu’ or Spinning Bird Kick. With this attack, Chun-Li propels herself into the air and spins her legs with enough speed to keep her body suspended in the air. She then proceeds to move towards her opponent, hitting them with a series of powerful spinning kicks. While the kick generally has a slower start up time, resulting in plenty of opportunities to be punished, when executed at the opportune moment the Spinning Bird Kick can see Chun-Li spinning herself to victory.

Contributor

Hey, Darren here! I'm a Media enthusiast with a strong passion for Film and Video Games. I graduated from Plymouth University in 2019 with a degree in Digital Media Design, and now I am here writing articles.