The animated short Street Fighter II: Return to the Fujiwara Capital, released in 1995 but largely unknown to Western fans of the series for lack of an English translation, is finally available on YouTube – with subtitles in the language of Shakespeare!
It is now possible to discover this very particular anime linked to the Street Fighter universe, thanks to the excellent translation work of SFII Yomigaeru Fujiwara-kyō.
Read also:
Monster Hunter Rise announces crossover with Okami
Follow Honda, Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li to Fujiwara-kyō
Street Fighter II: Return to the Fujiwara Capital is not a fighting anime and it is far from the spirit of the saga. The Pitch: Honda invited Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li to check out his new special move, but the four fighters find themselves sent 1 years into the past. They then come to explore Fujiwara-kyō, the former imperial capital of Japan, and discover its history.
A somewhat odd synopsis for a Street Fighter short, but consistent with the story of its production. Indeed, it is a promotional anime, produced by Capcom, as sponsor, on the occasion of the great exhibition which took place in 1995 in Nara in honor of the city of Fujiwara -kyō. This is why these key figures spend their time discovering the city and its importance in Japanese history.
Why do we only discover it in 2021? During this exhibition in 1995, the short film was only available on location and on VHS. Capcom dug it up a few years later, adding it as a bonus DVD for the 15th anniversary of the saga in Japan… However, without an English translation, the anime remained anonymous in the West. But 26 years later, it's now fixed!
