Ryu and Ken’s victory over the crime organization, the
Ashura, comes back to bit them in Thailand when Ryu is thrown in prison for a
crime he didn’t commit. Now the young
warrior must fight to survive and reteam with Ken to bring the organization
down once and for all. All the while,
the pair are learning powerful new techniques and fighting styles. But it’s the rumor of a powerful holy man in
India that catches Ryu’s attention. Is
this Dhalsim capable of continuing his training towards mastering the
Hadouken?
Punches were thrown and wisdom was gained as Ryu and Ken
faced the full might of a mob organization and took a deep look inside
themselves, discovering new motivations and revelations. Even if there are one or two details that
were either a little annoying or unnecessary, Street Fighter II V is continuing
to excel at having a decent story with good character development and solid
action.
We picked up things right where we left them last
week. As expect, Ryu vs. Sagat didn’t
disappoint. Better yet, it was equal
parts kicking and punching (I can feel my bones breaking with each bone
cracking hit) and surprising character building. Turns out Sagat had a deeper tale to tell
than anyone might’ve suspected but it gave him and Ryu common ground to stand
on, both as rivals and as friends in prison.
Thankfully neithers stay was very long (well Sagat’s was longer but he’d
been there a while already), as Ken managed to track down the men who framed
both fighters and landed them in prison.
This is where one of those little annoying bits came in. While I like that Ken is both intelligent and
able to hold his own in battle, I am skeptical of his Dad being his ultimate Ex
Machina in the series. Sure Ken’s rich
beyond all reason and can spend all he wants on his and Ryu’s epic
adventure. But his Dad has the ultimate
amount of pull to get Ken investigative back up and even help an aspiring
Doctor in India build a better hospital.
It just feels so…convenient.
Thankfully it hasn’t happened too often (yet) and Ken has been able to
get himself out of jams just fine thanks to his charm and skill (though the
occasional dollar bill has been thrown in from time to time).
The best part of Ryu and Ken taking down the Ashura
wasn’t anything they did really (though Ryu did almost lose his arms to Boss
Zotchi’s sick fetish). It was just
before the take down, when Zotchi more or less spoke with M. Bison…or can just
speak “stern face” cause Bison didn’t say a word. I know Bison has some level of psychic
abilities from the games. But still,
seeing him for the first time on a distorted screen and in darkness, not saying
a word, said all we needed to know about the man destined to be the big bad of
Street Fighter II V. Ryu and Ken
might’ve scored a solid victory against a relenting criminal organization but
it remains to be seen just how bad this is going to come back to bite them when
Bison decides to turn his attention their way.
Thankfully, the boys had a bit of time to chill and get
in touch with their warrior spirits after the Ashura were dealt with. I actually enjoyed Ryu and Ken training under
Dahlsim and battling each other during a test of spirit. The two were pushed to their physical and
emotional spirits, unaware they were battling each other to the point of near
death. It really opened their eyes to
their “punch first, keep punching and eventually win” approach to their
travels. Ryu, in particular, got the
most out of this as his journey of self discovery brought him one step closer
to his signature move, the Hadouken. Ryu
was geniuley frightened of the attacks destructive properties and even had to
double check that Ken wanted to hang around him if the Hadouken was an attack
he couldn’t control. Well the bromance
shined through and Ken told Ryu he wasn’t going anywhere. That and Ryu battling an imaginary Guile
during his training helped open up the young warriors eyes a bit. With all this drama and character work, it
just makes the evil treasure hunter subplot of the Dahlsim arc feel so
needless. All of the misfortune that
befell those douchebags just to set up Ryu and Ken’s future trial could have
been jettisoned in favor of just getting the two Street Fighters into the main
plot of the arc faster.
So India changed some perspectives, an evil organization
is KO’d and Ryu and Ken are off to reunite with Chun Li (YES!!) in Barcelona
for some fun…maybe? Idk they said she
was there with her father so that might mean trouble in Spain. Whatever happens next, we made some good
progress in Street Fighter II V this week and next week I think we’re getting
to another fan favorite’s debut on the show.
Those of you who know your mid 2000’s internet memes and YouTube vids be
ready…cause im gonna make a few “Son of Prince” references. See ya next Monday.
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