In Street Fighter, you take control of a martial artist on their quest to compete in a fighting tournament hosted by the "Emperor of Muay Thai", Sagat. To do so, you must travel the world to face Sagat and nine other competitors. When the game begins, you are given the choice of either two or four different nations to begin your journey, depending on the version of the game. After you make this initial selection, where you head next is determined by the game. Once you defeat two opponents in Japan, China, U.S.A, and the United Kingdom, you travel to Thailand to face Sagat and his student Adon.
Players[edit | edit source]
As Player 1 (left joystick), you control Ryu. Orphaned at a very early age, Ryu was adopted by Gouken who raised and trained him in his martial art. Eventually, Ken joined them in Gouken's remote mountain home in Japan, and the two became fast friends. When he hears about the first Street Fighter tournament, he eagerly enters to test his own abilities.
Player 2, on the right joystick, controls Ken. The son of a wealthy business man, Ken was an unruly child until his father thought it might be best to send him to Japan to learn discipline through martial arts training. Along with his sparring partner Ryu, under the training of Gouken, he seeks to become a great fighter.
Opponents[edit | edit source]
Japan[edit | edit source]
Retsu[edit | edit source]
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/d/d8/SF1Retsu.png)
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/d/da/Portrait_SF_Retsu.png)
Description: A banished monk and master of Shorinji Kempo who was a friend of Gouken, Ryu and Ken's master. He enters the tournament to fight strong opponents.
Country: Japan
Special Attacks:
- Flying Kick - An aerial move good for countering other air moves and stopping ground moves.
- Sweep - A low tripping attack that is unblockable.
Strategy: Retsu has a number of punishing normal attacks and two powerful special attacks. Against normal attacks he is tough to defeat. Special attacks are key to defeating him. Since Retsu is more likely to block an attack than counter it, special attacks will take loads of chip damage on his life bar. He is especially vulnerable to the Hadouken and the Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku.
Geki[edit | edit source]
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/0/04/SF1Geki.png)
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/e/e3/Portrait_SF_Geki.png)
Description: A claw-wielding ninja who also uses shurikens and teleportation techniques in battle.
Country: Japan
Special Attacks:
- Shuriken - Geki throws a ninja star at the opponent. It does low damage but is often combined with the Air Shuriken to push back the opponent.
- Air Shuriken - Geki throws a ninja star from the air, downward at the opponent. It does low damage but is often combined with the Shuriken to push back the opponent.
- Triple Shuriken - Geki simultaneously throws three ninja stars in three different directions at the opponent. While blockable, the move is very damaging if all three ninja stars hit. It is difficult to avoid all three shurikens.
- Triple Air Shuriken - A mix of Air Shuriken and Triple Shuriken, his most powerful attack used for countering opponent assaults.
- Teleport - Geki disappears in a puff of smoke, reappearing in another location. This move is often used to escape from an oncoming attack or to do a sneak attack from behind.
Strategy: Geki uses his Shuriken and Teleport attacks to cover long range attacks and sneak attacks respectively and his normal moves cover the close combat. Other than being weak, Shurikens can be blocked and deflected by normal attacks. Also, the Shurikens can't go the length of the screen. Using the Hadouken against Geki from a large distance works to the advantage of the player. If Geki uses a Teleport, rapid jabs will ensure he's attacked if he appears right next to the player. Follow up quickly with a special attack. If he uses normal ground or jumping attacks, block and counter before the next attack.
U.S.A.[edit | edit source]
Joe[edit | edit source]
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/4/4f/SF1Joe.png)
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/1/1b/Portrait_SF_Joe.png)
Description: A street fighter who entered the tournament to test his skills.
Country: USA
Special Attacks:
- Power Kick - Joe shouts, "POWER!!" and does a quick mid-air spin kick. It is good for attacking opponents at a distance and countering close up attacks.
- Low Kick - An unblockable standing kick to the shin.
Strategy: Joe has very quick and powerful combos, including one where he links several Power Kicks together to defeat the opponent. Joe is susceptible to jumping forward, leaving himself wide open for a Shoryuken. He also has little defense against air and crouching attacks, leaving him fairly open for close range attack.
Mike[edit | edit source]
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/7/76/SF1Mike.png)
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/b/bf/Portrait_SF_Mike.png)
Description: A former boxing champion, whose career was ruined when he killed one of his opponents. He fights in the tournament to make some money to live off of.
Country: USA
Special Attacks:
- His Punches - Some powerful enough to drain a third of the opponent's life bar.
Strategy: Mike is a powerful character whose punches can deplete a life bar in a matter of moments. His jab, while his weakest of all his punches, is quick and effective for counter attacks. His lack of foot speed is his crippling weakness, which the player can take advantage of by constantly barraging him with Hadoukens from mid to long range.
England[edit | edit source]
Birdie[edit | edit source]
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/4/45/SF1Birdie.png)
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/6/65/Portrait_SF_Birdie.png)
Description: A pro-wrestler turned street punk in the tournament looking for a challenge.
Country: England
Appears next in: Street Fighter Alpha
Special Attacks:
- Super Headbutt (Bull Head) - Lunges forward at the opponent and hits them with a headbutt. Has the power to cancel oncoming moves and ground aerial moves. Three headbutts linked together will defeat the opponent.
Strategy: Birdie is both strong and fast with no concrete pattern to follow. Potentially the most powerful non-boss character in the game, Birdie can be defeated with long range attacks like Hadoukens. The Hadouken is great for defeating his Super Headbutt, if it connects.
Eagle[edit | edit source]
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/5/57/SF1Eagle.png)
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/d/d5/Portrait_SF_Eagle.png)
Description: A bouncer who was employed as a newly-rich noble family's bodyguard. He was hired to defeat Sagat, in the first tournament.
Country: England
Appears next in: Capcom vs. SNK 2
Special Attacks:
- Spinning Attack (Manchester Black) - Eagle spins around like a top, hitting the opponent with his Eskrima sticks. The move can do over a third of damage to the player's life bar per hit.
- Low Stick Attack - A lower attack with both sticks that is unblockable.
Strategy: Eagle's stick attacks cover the air and the ground. His mid air stick attacks are his most used move and very effective in canceling out the opponent's moves. With this and his two special moves, Eagle is difficult to defeat. Hadoukens and Shoryukens work very well against him. The player should also be ready for the Spinning Attack at any moment. It can be stopped with a sweep.
China[edit | edit source]
Lee[edit | edit source]
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/1/12/SF1Lee.png)
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/3/34/Portrait_SF_Lee.png)
Description: A Chinese Kempo practitioner who sought to test his skills in the tournament.
Country: China
Special Attacks:
- Hopping Punch - Lee hops forward with a quick punch to the midsection. Used mostly in combos.
Strategy:Like Joe, Lee's strength is his constant combos against his opponent. However, like Joe, Lee has little defense against crouching attacks. Constant sweep attacks will stop Lee in his tracks; even his Hopping Punch is weak against a sweep. Multiple Shoryukens are also very effective if not a tad bit risky against his air and anti-air attacks.
Gen[edit | edit source]
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/a/a2/SF1Gen.png)
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/b/b0/Portrait_SF_Gen.png)
Description: An assassin who fought to find strong opponents.
Country: China
Appears next in: Street Fighter Alpha 2
Special Attacks:
- Jumping Double Kick - A quick kick used to counter most ground attacks.
Strategy: While Gen has many ground and air attacks to use, sometimes he'll use the same jump kick multiple times to the opponent. Gen can be defeated with jump kicks but Shoryuken is his greatest weakness (If timed correctly a single Shoryuken can defeat a full powered Gen instantly when he does his jump kick).
Thailand[edit | edit source]
Adon[edit | edit source]
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/c/c0/SF1Adon.png)
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/6/64/Portrait_SF_Adon.png)
Description: Adon is a Muay Thai fighter and is Sagat's pupil. He entered the first World Warrior tournament to prove he was more than that.
Country: Thailand
Appears next in: Street Fighter Alpha
Special Attacks:
- Jaguar Kick - A mid-air crescent kick that will take over a third of life away from his opponent.
- Gut Punch - A punch to the midsection that is unblockable.
- Low Strike - A kick to the shins that is unblockable.
Strategy: Adon is the second most difficult character in the game. His Jaguar Kick is damaging and can leap over the Hadouken. He has two unblockable attacks and another attack that acts as both a combo and an anti-air maneuver. He is weak to the Shoryuken up close and the Hadouken from afar. Be careful though, Adon is quick and could dodge the attacks, so timing is everything.
Sagat[edit | edit source]
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/6/62/SF1Sagat.png)
![](http://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/b/ba/Portrait_SF_Sagat.png)
Description: The "Emperor of Muay Thai" and the host of the first Street Fighter tournament, who seeks to be the greatest fighter in the world.
Country: Thailand
Appears next in: Street Fighter II
Special Attacks:
- Tiger Shot (High) - The early version of Sagat's classic projectile. It takes over half of his opponent's life if it connects and a third if it's blocked. It can also go through the Hadouken.
- Tiger Knee Crush - Another classic move, Sagat lunges his knee into the opponent's face. Does a third of damage to the life bar and the Hadouken is ineffective against it.
- Low Strike - A kick to the shins that is unblockable.
Strategy: Sagat is fast, strong and has a long reach. He can snuff out air attacks and sweeps with his Tiger Knee Crush, and can easily take out the Hadouken with his Tiger Shot. Ducking the Tiger Shots prevents contact that could drain a significant portion of health. The best way to beat Sagat is with a combination of special attacks and normal attacks. Repeated Shoryukens up close is the most effective strategy against him.