Street Fighter was THE fighting game to play.  It paved the way for the future fighting games, and is still wildly popular even today.  It is a Legend.  However!  Today let’s talk about Sagat.  He first appeared as the final boss in the first installment of Street Fighter (Renamed Fighting Street for the TurboGrafx-CD port), and later returned as one of the Four Grand Masters in part two.  His special move “Tiger Uppercut” is still my favorite.

BUT!!! Did you notice his scar in part two, which wasn’t there in the first game?  Look at the images below comparing the two versions of Sagat.

Sagat‘s scar is a brutal reminder of his loss to Ryu.  The scar was caused by Ryu’s special move “Shoryu-ken” (Rising Dragon Fist), a jumping uppercut.  The scar pattern is consistent with Ryu being right-handed and the directionality of Ryu’s uppercut.  This defeat propelled Sagat to master his “Tiger Uppercut,” which is a mirror image of Ryu’s “Shoryu-ken.”  Some scars heal…but Sagat will always carry the scar of defeat.

Here’s a short video clip from the Animated Movie “Street Fighter,” where Ryu’s “Shoryu-ken” leaves Sagat crippled.

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