Both Street Fighter and Tekken have had their fair share of terrible franchise extensions. From Jean-Claude Van Dam’s cheesy escapades in 1994, to rocket-pandas in 2012; fans have had to suffer through a string of dire adaptations. However, the latest effort created by Thousand Pounds Action company – the team behind Real Life Ultra Combos and Street Fighter: Beginnings End – clearly bucks the trend to majestically bring the two fighting game giants to life.
The film production outfit were commissioned by Capcom to produce a short film to coincide with the recently released Street Fighter x Tekken, and thankfully, the final result turned out to be a spectacular success. The Devil Within showcases a fight between Street Fighter’s Ryu and Tekken’s Kazuya, as the former struggles to control his inner demons. Fans of the two series will know that Ryu has waged a long-standing battle to stave off the “Satsui no hadou” (or Dark Hado) that rages inside him, while Kazuya has instead chosen to fully embrace his inner “Devil Gene” in order to amplify his personal power. This stark contrast causes the two fighters to clash as Kazuya looks to exploit Ryu’s dark side for his own evil means.
The fight plays out across multiple scenes, with Ryu’s long-time best friend Ken eventually stepping into the fray. All three characters are expertly represented as their signature moves are neatly sprinkled onto the already brutal fight scenes. Thousand Pounds specialise in martial arts choreography, and it really shows through the film’s wonderfully crafted mix of realism and fighting game fiction. The film eventually ends with a tease that hints at a possible follow up- a proposition made even more likely by the fact that it has currently been viewed over 500,000 times on YouTube.
Whether you’re a fan of Street Fighter, Tekken or even just short films in general, we highly recommend checking out The Devil Within. In fact, you can find a handy link directly below.
