Pop Culture

Every Easter Egg in the 'Street Fighter' Trailer

Round One. Fight!

Street Fighter (2026)
Paramount Pictures

The new live-action Street Fighter will debut in theaters on October 16, 2026, and if you go by the new trailer that recently dropped, it is going to be perfect: action-packed, self-aware, and unashamedly stupid. Unless you're HBO's The Last of Us, it's difficult to adapt a video game to cinema in a serious, unironic way. It is better, instead, to concede the ridiculousness of the premise up front (the Twisted Metal series on Peacock, for example, does this very well). Only then, when the audience's defenses are down, can you inject the sort of sentimentality that makes for a truly enjoyable film.

The filmmakers stuffed the trailer with Easter Eggs and blink-and-you'll miss-'em cameos. Some, the average pop culture consumer will recognize. Others are for the more dedicated fans. But clearly, the filmmakers know – and more importantly, love – the material they're adapting.

Here is every Easter Egg and fighter appearance in the first live-action Street Fighter trailer.

Shadaloo's Second Tournament

In the trailer's opening short, we see the trademark skull-and-wing insignia of Shadaloo, M. Bison's paramilitary organization in the games. We also see that this is the second tournament—an obvious reference to Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (1991), which gave the franchise its mainstream success despite being a sequel.

Championship Edition

The street fight bears a strong resemblance to the opening of Street Fighter II: Championship Edition (1992), including the scroll-up shot after the two fighters make contact

Advertisement

Dhalsim

Dhalsim is one of the original World Warriors from the 1991 game. He hails from India, and he practices a mystical yoga that allows him to warp, stretch his limbs, and breathe fire. He's played by Vidyut Jammwal.

Chun Li

In the games, Chun Li enters the Street Fighter tournament to avenge her father's murder at the hands of M. Bison. In the trailer, it seems Chun is a common link among the fighters, and she travels to their home countries to convince them to join the tournament.

Advertisement

Spinning Bird Kick

We see two iconic Chun Li moves. The first is the Spinning Bird Kick. Although she levitates off the ground in the game, she performs a more grounded version in the movie. In the games, you perform the Spinning Bird Kick by charging Down, and then pressing Up plus any kick button.

Supreme Mountain Kick

The second Chun Li move made its debut in the Street Fighter Alpha series. It's a Supreme Mountain Kick, more commonly referred to as an axe kick. You perform it by pressing Quarter-Circle-Back plus any kick button.

Advertisement

Guile

In the games, Guile enters the tournament to avenge the death of his wartime buddy Charlie. He is played by WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes (son of legendary wrestler Dusty Rhodes). He's not the only professional wrestler with a key role in the movie. More on that later.

Flash Kick

We see Guile perform a Flash Kick against Vega. In the games, the Flash Kick is a near-foolproof anti-air attack. You perform it by charging Down, and then pressing Up plus any kick button.

Advertisement

Cammy

Cammy first debuted in Super Street Fighter II as a Delta Red operative with amnesia. Prior to her memory loss, Cammy was a Shadaloo assassin and a clone body for M. Bison. The Alpha game expanded this backstory by depicting Cammy during her Shadaloo days. Cammy is wearing her Alpha-era clothes in the trailer, suggesting she is still under Bison's control.

Thigh Hype

Cammy makes a disparaging comment about Chun Li's thighs. Chun's legs have been a source of much positive attention (and fan service!) over the past three decades. And Cammy's comment—that she "doesn't see the big deal"—is a funny, meta understatement.

Advertisement

Balrog

In the games, Balrog is a boxer who's been banned from legal tournaments—more brawn than brains and a vicious rushdown fighter. He's the first of four bosses that you must beat in Street Fighter II to become champion. He's played in the movie by hip-hop artist 50 Cent.

Vega

Vega is the second of four bosses that you must beat in Street Fighter II to become champion. He's a vain psychopath who wears a mask to protect his beautiful face, and he's the only World Warrior who has a weapon—a three-pronged claw on his hand. He's played in the movie by Orville Peck.

Advertisement

Shower Scene?

We see Chun undressing as she enters a steamy room. This may be a reference to an iconic post-shower fight between Chun Li and Vega from Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (1994). If we end up getting a live-action iteration of this fight? Prepare to be blown away.

Dan Hibiki

Ken's hype man is Dan Hibiki. In the games, Dan is a joke character deliberately made weak and slow by the designers. In the movie, he's portrayed by comedian and podcaster Andrew Schulz.

Advertisement

El Fuerte

We see Ken delivering a brutal head kick to a fat, out-of-shape luchador. Based on his costume, this is a representation of El Fuerte, a low-tiered character who debuted in Street Fighter IV.

Ryu and Ken

The film's two main characters, at least from the trailer, are Ryu, the taciturn lone Japanese warrior, and Ken, his brash American counterpart. In the very first Street Fighter game (1987), Ryu and Ken were the only selectable characters; they were palette swaps of each other. Subsequent games have done more to differentiate them, despite their similar movesets. Whereas Ryu is generally stronger, Ken is typically faster and higher risk/reward.

Their clothes in this photo are a direct callback to the Ryu and Ken costumes in the first live-action Street Fighter movie, released in 1994. It starred Jean-Claude Van Damme as Guile and Raul Julia (RIP) as M. Bison. The movie was a commercial success but a critical bomb, despite praise for Julia's final performance.

Advertisement

Rolling Throw

Ken does a Rolling Ground Throw on Ryu, which he also performs in numerous games. You perform this move by getting close to the opponent, holding Towards or Away, and pressing Roundhouse kick.

Car Crush

The car scene is a reference to the bonus game in Street Fighter II, in which the player must completely destroy a car—until the wheels literally fall off—in 40 seconds. You first have to destroy the left side's door. Then you have to jump over to the right side and continue attacking until it finally falls apart.

Advertisement

Zangief

Zangief is a wrestler who, according to the original lore, sustained multiple scars across his body from wrestling bears. We first see him in the trailer doing manual labor. He hails from Russia; in his Street Fighter II ending, he dances with Mikhail Gorbachev.

Atomic Suplex

Zangief performs a double Atomic Suplex on Ken, who looks absolutely terrified. In the games, you perform an Atomic Suplex by rotating the joystick or control pad 360 degrees and then pressing any kick button. It is the second most powerful move that Zangief can perform, after the Spinning Piledriver.

Advertisement

E. Honda

We see E. Honda fighting in what appears to be a hot steam bath. In the games, Honda entered the tournament to prove the viability of sumo wrestling in a shoot competition. Hirooki Goto plays Honda in the new movie.

M. Bison

M. Bison is the leader of the Shadaloo and the final boss for Street Fighter II, infamous for his psychic powers and agility. In the movie, he's played by David Dasmalchian.

Advertisement

Akuma

Akuma debuted as a secret character in Super Street Fighter II Turbo (1994). He is the evil brother of Ryu and Ken's master, corrupted by his obsession with dark arts. He's played in the movie by WWE Superstar Roman Reigns.

Blanka

Blanka is an original World Warrior from the jungles of Brazil, known for his unorthodox fighting style and green, electrical skin. We later discover that Blanka was a young boy named Jimmy, who was lost after his plane crashed in the rainforest. His mother will later find and reunite with him. He is played by Jason Momoa.

Advertisement

Shoryuken!

And of course, there had to be room in the trailer for the two most iconic Street Fighter moves. The first is the Shoryuken, which Ken performs against Dhalsim. In the games, it's an anti-air punch with a long recovery time. You perform by pressing Toward, Down, Down-Towards plus any Punch button.

Hadouken!

The trailer ends with the iconic Hadouken fireball, as delivered by Ryu. In the games, it's performed by pressing Quarter-Circle-Forward plus any Punch Button. The stronger the punch button, the faster the fireball goes.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Here's Your First Look at the 'Street Fighter' Trailer
pop-culture

'Street Fighter' Trailer First Look: Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and a WWE-Packed Cast

Paramount drops a throwback brawler set in 1993, uniting Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li with Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Jason Momoa, 50 Cent, and more in one wild card.

50 Cent and Eminem stand together; 50 Cent in a black and white suit, Eminem in a white hoodie and sunglasses.
music

50 Cent Says He’s ‘Gonna Get’ Eminem to Make Music for Upcoming ‘Street Fighter’ Movie

50 Cent plays the boxer Balrog in the upcoming 'Street Fighter' movie.

Mark Elibert141 days ago
Ja Rule in a red shirt smiling with sunglasses on the left; 50 Cent in blue lighting with a serious expression on the right.
music

Ja Rule Mocks 50 Cent’s 'Street Fighter' Movie Look, Calls Him a 'Bullfrog'

The rapper reacts to 50 Cent’s Balrog transformation in the upcoming 'Street Fighter' reboot.

Mark Elibert143 days ago

Stay ahead on Exclusives

Download the Complex App