Street Fighter # 100 Chun Li VS Ryu

 By Mark Rodriguez

Special thanks to Jack Knives for giving me a copy of this issue. This was originally released as a digital only comic for Free Comic Book Day of the infamous year of 2020. It seems Udon eventually went back to make a physical version, so here we are.

The story opens in the Travis Air Force Base in California as Guile goes for a drive. Suddenly some sort of strange vines attack Guile from inside his car. 

Elsewhere in the Dorai Orphanage in Hong Kong, Chun Li teaches Kung Fu to her students. Afterwards she gets a letter invitation. One of the kids ask if it's another tournament with the fate of the world at stake. Chun Li says that does tend to happen a lot whenever she gets unexpected invitation, but this time it's an invite to celebrate Ken and Eliza being married for ten years.

Chun Li arrives at Gouken's Dojo, where Ryu started his training, and finds it decked out with party decorations, flashing lights and loud music as several Street Fighters enjoy themselves. Dee Jay is blasting the music while Blanka uses his electricity to make a light show. Sean is dancing with Sakura. Yun is dancing with Elena, when Yang swings by and reminds him to help him with catering. Yang trips up and loses his dish, but luckily Chun Li catches it.

Chun Li recognizes the meal as Master Gen's recipe and Yang says it's Genhaten's signature recipe. Ken says he had one taste and knew he had to fly in Yun and Yang for catering. He thanks Chun Li coming for Eliza's special day. Eliza feels it's not 'her' special day since Ken chose the venue and half the guest list are Street Fighters. Ken apologizes and says he just wanted a chance to have the gang together for something other than a madman trying to take over the world for once. He sees Sagat and Adon getting along with each other and says it seems all the bumps and bruises settled things more than words ever could.

Guile arrives and talks about getting used to civilian life with Chun Li. Ken is happy to see 'the gang together' and Guile asks where Ryu is. Ken says Ryu is off training nearby and will arrive soon. Ryu arrives, levitating some rocks around him. Ken calls him 'Oro Junior' and tells him to stop showing off. Guile shakes Ryu's hand, and Ryu noticing that something is off about him. Ryu suddenly grabs Guile by the collar.

Ryu suddenly flips Guile to the floor. Everyone is shocked to see Ryu punch Guile across the room. Sakura says Ryu's been taken over by the Satsui No Hado. Ryu tosses a fireball, which Guile counters with a Sonic Cross. Sakura says everyone is danger and Chun Li to stay behind to take down Ryu while the rest leave.

Guile fights back and says he will take down Ryu if he has to. He hits Ryu with a Sonic Tempest, which he is able to endure. Ryu suddenly uses the Shun Goku Satsu on Guile, knocking him out. Thinking that Guile is dead, Chun Li comes in and smacks Ryu across the face.

Chun Li uses her heel stomp on Ryu several times and then hits him with her Lightning Legs. Ryu says that person is not their Guile, and he sensed something. Chun Li hits him saying if 'sensing something' justifies what he did. Chun Li says it's not the first time Ryu succumbed to his dark side, and Guile was there to help him. She blasts Ryu with a Kikkoken and continues the attack, saying she won't allow the Killing Intent to take another life. Ryu finally fights back.

Ryu says he sensed the complete absence of ki within Guile. He says the Satsui No Hado attacks the soul, and that thing he attacked was soulless. Ryu states if he wanted to kill Chun Li, she'd already be dead. Chun Li says he relies on his strength too much and the greatest strength can be directed and turned into weakness.

Ryu tells Chun Li to listen. Chun Li says he has killed one of her best friends, so the time to listen is over. Ryu uses his Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, which clashes against Chun Li's Spinning Bird Kick. They both hit each other. Chun Li asks if Ryu is using the same type of energy he used when he defeated Gill. She says she's prepared if this is going to be a battle to the death.

Ryu tells Chun Li to get down as Guile is about to attack her from behind. Ryu blasts him back with a fireball. Guile struggles and starts coughing up some sort of grey sludge. The sludge takes form of a humanoid creature and now tries to wrap itself around Ryu. Chun Li quickly attacks it and knocks it off of him.

Chun Li is glad to be wrong about Ryu, They both decide to take it down at the same time. Chun Li uses off Kikkosho and Ryu uses his Denji Hadoken and blast the creature with it. The creature fades away into dust. Ryu wonders what that thing was. Guile says it was a parasite, and he's been a helpless spectator the whole time it was controlling him. Ryu says Guile survived the Satsui No Hado because there was no soul to target since the creature was in control. 

Guile explains the creature is one of the Twelves created by the Secret Society. Gill is still alive, but not at full strength and tried to use Guile to kill the one man he feared, which was Ryu. Ryu is one of the few things standing in the way of Gill's Second Coming. Ryu says there's a storming coming.

Ken says the party isn't over yet and this is still the calm before the storm. He asks Dee Jay is the music is still working, and he reminds him that he's paid til sunrise. The music is back on, as well as the party, as the rest of the Street Fighters continue to celebrate. Ryu, Ken, Sean, Sakura and Karin pose for a pic as the story ends.

My Opinions- 

Like previously stated, this is a print version of what was once meant to be a digital only comic released for Free Comic Book Day 2020. It's hard to tell with all the different series, mini-series and Free Comic Book Day one-shots if this is the 100th issue of Udon Street Fighter, but I'll take their word for it.

So Gill sent Twelve to take over Guile's body to kill Ryu, and we also have a big party that makes for cameos of all the good guys. It's cool to see that Sagat and Adon are among them as one of the good guys, though you'd think at least Sagat would choose to stay behind and help fight Ryu too.

The story did have some oddities. We see that Ryu  has somehow mastered the Satsui No Hado and can levitate things like Oro. While it make sense within the Udon canon (as well as Street Fighter 3 ending with the implication that Oro will train Ryu), both things are abilities Ryu never had in the games, at least so far. We have never seen Ryu be able to use the Satsui No Hado in his regular form. 

I know Ryu seemingly killing Guile was to set up the fight between Chun Li and Ryu, but geez, Ryu had no real reason to fight her above self defense. I know we needed a fight for the story, but maybe Twelve could have taken over Chun Li instead to make it more sense. There was no reason Ryu couldn't have talked him way out it, regardless of how angry Chun Li was. And saying stuff like 'If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already' doesn't help matters either and sounds very not-Ryu-ish.

The art style was a bit too stylized for my liking, and it sometimes made it difficult to tell who was who, like Sakura in some frames. Then some of the poses were also so overly stylized and whatnot, it was hard to tell exactly what was going on. Like the most we could tell was someone hit someone, just not exactly how.

Kind of an odd story, but we got to see two of the most popular Street Fighters fight it out a bit, and we got a long list of cameos to celebrate 100 issues. I feel bad for Eliza though. I know Ken set this up to see his fighting friends, rather than to celebrate ten years of marriage, but geez, she wasn't even in the selfie that ended the story.