What are the best Street Fighter songs of all time?
When Street Fighter II: The World Warrior was first released in 1991, fans around the world were mesmerized by both its gameplay and its spectacular presentation.
From the character concepts and designs to the detailed backgrounds, SFII was easy to fall in love with, and what elevated the player’s experience was without a doubt the game’s soundtrack. Yoko Shimomura completely captured the essence of each character and their stage, and ever since then, multiple remixes of the classic songs have been reprised from game to game, as well as new composers joining their creative artistry to this legacy.
15. Theme of Luke - Airforce Base (Street Fighter V: Champion Edition; 2021)
Street Fighter 5 Luke’s Theme
Luke’s theme is the latest Street Fighter song, released just recently (excluding the already published Street Fighter 6 themes).
A slapping bass, an electric guitar melody, and a scratching turntable that perfectly captures Luke’s hip, confident and fun-loving personality make this theme a memorable one and a modern classic that helped us get hyped for the new face of Street Fighter.
14. Theme of Chun-Li - China (Street Fighter II: The World Warrior; 1991)
Street Fighter 2 - The World Warrior - Chun Li's Theme
The Strongest Woman in the World is one of, if not the most recognizable characters in the franchise and she captured the hearts of players over 30 years ago.
Chun-Li’s fast-paced fighting style is marvelously paired with the busy Chinese street where you fight her and her theme is everything you would expect it should be. Complex, with harmonies composed of multiple notes played in succession that emit a classic Eastern vibe, this song even has a beautiful melody that is played in the middle that never fails to amaze us.
13. Theme of Blanka - Brazil (Super Street Fighter II Turbo; 1994)
Blanka - Super Street Fighter II Turbo (CPS-2) OST Extended
Blanka’s theme is special for many reasons. The tribal rhythm is overlapped by a somewhat eery melody that is accompanied by synthesizers holding it all together. There are comical effects here and there that match Blanka’s character and personality, and the SSFII Turbo version makes the song play at a ridiculously fast rhythm that accentuates everything about it.
The funnest thing about this theme is that composer Yoko Shimomura lacked ideas for the melody until she randomly saw a yellow and green bag while on a train, and for some reason, it awakened Blanka’s tune within her.
12. Theme of Juri - Crowded Downtown (Super Street Fighter IV; 2010)
Super Street Fighter 4 Juri Theme Soundtrack HD
Juri is one of the relatively recent characters that easily conquered the fan base. Street Fighter IV has a hyped-up electronic aesthetic to its sound, and Juri’s theme is just fantastically ominous and it has a dark melody that goes really well with the electronic rhythm that supports it.
The melody then becomes high-pitched and highly technical, until it breaks down, before it speeds up again. All of this with pseudo-scream effects that together with the multi-part song brilliantly showcase Juri’s mental instability.
11. Theme of Elena - Savanna Grasslands, Kenya (Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike - Fight for the Future; 1999)
Elena's Theme - Beats in my Head [SF III.3]
Beats in my head! Elena’s jungle theme is excellent and a really danceable tune. This fits Elena like a glove since with her capoeira style she is a dancer after all. Kenya’s drums are allured in this tune that has a somewhat drum and bass feel that is accompanied by a woman’s vocals repeating the sentence “beats in my head”.
In the middle of the song, a jazzy saxophone enters the scene to just wow everyone. Hearing this song while fighting in the savanna, with elephants, the giant sun, and a red sky in the background is an experience itself.
10. Theme of M. Bison (Dictator) - Lair of the Four Kings - (Street Fighter V; 2016)
Street Fighter V (SFV) OST - Bison Theme
M. Bison’s theme first appeared in the original version of Street Fighter II and has made multiple remixes by Capcom since then. While all of them are great, the SFV version is slightly better than the rest. The intro of the song is powerful and restless, and it signals what it’s about to come.
As soon as the melody kicks in, you feel overwhelmed, which is exactly what Bison makes you feel like when you’re pitted against him. This song is one of the heaviest, meanest coolest themes in Street Fighter, a fitting song for a final boss.
9. Theme of Zangief - Snowy Rail Yard (Street Fighter IV; 2009)
Super Street Fighter IV - Theme of Zangief
This is another classic that was first introduced in the legendary Street Fighter II and has become a classic ever since. As such, it has had many interpretations throughout the years, but the best version of it has to be the Street Fighter IV one.
The pumping bassline opens up the theme and a sliding guitar soon follows, before the explosion that is Zangief’s theme begins. The wind instruments come together during the chorus and the Red Cyclone sound marches on hard, like Zangief’s iron body.
8. Theme of Vega (Claw) - Spain (Street Fighter IV; 2009)
Super Street Fighter 4 Vega Theme Soundtrack HD
Like Zangief above, Vega also had his song reprised numerous times since its debut in 1991, but the version for Street Fighter IV takes the cake.
The accordion plays Vega’s enthralling melody and we cannot help but bask in the feelings the song transmits. Like the Spanish matador, this song is simply beautiful, and the addition of castanets, a traditional Spanish instrument, just puts it on the top tier of videogame music.
7. Theme of Yang - Antique Shop (SFIII: 2nd Impact - Giant Attack; 1997)
Street Fighter 3 2nd Impact Giant Attack OST Crowded Street Drum & Bass Mix (Theme of Yang)
Yang’s theme got to be one of the most underrated songs in the history of Street Fighter. Forgotten by many, his theme in 2nd Impact is a true work of art.
A Drum & Bass song with a chill, ambient vibe throughout, combined with a beautiful melody makes this song top 10 material. It’s just so groovy.
6. Theme of T. Hawk - Mexican Desert (Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers; 1993)
Super Street Fighter II OST T. Hawk Theme
Thunder was first introduced as part of the 4 new characters in Super Street Fighter II, as the Native American from Mexico willing to do anything it takes to recover his homeland, taken away by Shadaloo.
This song is so emotional and profound that it is not easy to describe it with words. It evokes a feeling of freedom, of the vastness of nature, but at the same time, it carries a sort of melancholic, nostalgic demeanor, which helps us understand Thunder Hawk’s heart better.
5. Theme of Balrog (Boxer) - Las Vegas (Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers; 1993)
Super Street Fighter II OST Balrog (Boxer) Theme
Balrog only cares about women and money, and a casino and party city is the place where you would expect to find this boxing brute. In front of the Golden Nugget Casino, in Las Vegas, is where players would face this buffalo of a man, when he first debuted as a sub-boss for SFII, representing Shadaloo.
This song is just epic, in proportion, robustness, and melodically speaking. Everything about his song is over the top, and the symphony is so involving that is practically impossible to dislike this song. This song has had countless versions released by Capcom, and even more fan-made covers, each of them deeming Balrog actually worthy of his fighting money.
4. Theme of Ryu - Suzaku Castle (Street Fighter Alpha 2; 1996)
Ryu's Theme - Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Arcade) Music Extended
Ryu’s theme is one of the most iconic pieces of music in video games and it reflects Ryu’s spirit. Ryu is an honorable warrior, fighting to improve himself and seeking the answer in the heart of battle, and this song just makes you want to fight with that warrior’s spirit.
A marvelous tune with dancing notes in the background and a steady, glorious melody in the forefront carry this song forward. There have been multiple versions of this song, even for Akuma in Street Fighter IV, and this is pretty much the theme of Street Fighter itself.
3. Theme of Cammy - England (Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers; 1993)
Super Street Fighter II OST Cammy Theme
Cammy was introduced with a fantastic design, amazing gameplay, a beautiful and colorful stage, and a terrific theme song.
This is a truly transcendent song, capable of taking you through an emotionally heavy trip. The light-hearted melody contrasts with the heavy rhythmic section, which is suitable for Cammy, a cat-loving Delta Red agent with a very dark past. This theme is just brilliant.
2. Theme of Ken - U.S.A. (Street Fighter II: The World Warrior; 1991)
Street Fighter 2 - The World Warrior - Ken Theme
Ken is always ready to turn up the heat and his blood truly boils when fighting. This song is exactly about that.
It’s a fiery, exciting song, that hypes anyone up to come and trade blows. This is a legendary fighting game tune and as soon as it penetrates your ears you will not help but feel your passion burning through your body and blissful excitement overtaking you.
1. Theme of Guile - U.S.A. (Street Fighter II: The World Warrior; 1991)
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior | Guile Theme (Arcade)
And here it is, the number 1 spot, and it definitely has to be Guile’s song. Not because of all the memes this song is known for nowadays, but for its sheer quality as a piece of music.
The funky bassline that opens up the song sets you up for the drawn melody that goes hand to hand with Guile’s dutiful posture. Guile is a man on a mission to avenge his dead best friend and the melody in this song just helps convey Guile’s feelings. The funky bass and rhythm section are juxtaposed with the melodic synth-like sound that just keeps getting more and more dramatic as the song runs.
This is without a doubt Yoko Shimomura’s finest work, and it has reached impressive mainstream attention, which is phenomenal when talking about fighting games.
Not all of the songs were able to fit here in the top 15 and many great themes unfortunately had to be left out.
At the end of the day, it’s just incredible how most of these songs originated in such a limited context as they were produced for arcade machines in the 90s. Having to work with limited memory, limited tones, and limited time and still being able to create songs that sound so distinct and that perfectly capture the essence of their characters and stages is a feat not short of legendary.
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