The upcoming Street Fighter movie will have to cast an actor as the series’ most famous character, Ryu, with several promising options available in the modern cinema landscape. Taking inspiration from the long-running series that began the popularity of fighting games, Legendary’s Street FIghter has been sparse with details, having no announced cast or story plans at the time of writing. Deciding who to take on the famous red headband of Ryu will be one of the most important decisions the film has yet to make.

A practitioner of Shotokan karate and master of the shoryuken, hadouken, and tatsumaki senpukyaku, Ryu studied under his master, Gouken, alongside Ken Masters before setting out on his own in search of worthy opponents. Other than simply looking the part, a prospective actor looking to play Ryu will need to be able to capture his stoic, contemplative personality, not to mention having some real-world martial arts experience to make the fight choreography of the series looking good. With that in mind, hopefully the new Street Fighter can outperform the Jean-Claude Van Damme version.

8

Daniel Wu

Has plenty of real world martial arts experience

It would be foolish to cast an actor with no fighting skills for the titular actor of Street Fighter, which makes Daniel Wu such an alluring choice. Cutting his teeth on action movies in the Hong Kong Kung Fu movie industry alongside superstars like Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen, Daniel Wu made a name for himself as a reliable talent in martial arts films. Most recently, he’s stood out as the lead of AMC’s post-apocalyptic martial arts drama series Into the Badlands and Disney+‘s adaptation of the indie comic American Born Chinese.

Clearly able to pilot a combat-oriented franchise, Daniel Wu showcases his real martial arts background throughout the breathtaking fights of Into the Badlands. He’s also well-versed in video game movie acting, lending his talents to 2016’s Warcraft as well as 2018’s Tomb Raider. Admittedly, Daniel Wu’s specialty is Kung Fu rather than the amalgamated full-contact karate used by Ryu in the games, but he’s likely flexible enough to be able ot adapt his fighting style to the character, or at least throw out some impressive-looking fireballs.

7

Andrew Koji

A rising star with a flexible fighting style

Once again, the importance of Ryu’s actor being able to accurately portray his fighting style can’t be stressed enough, considering how important Shotokan karate is to Ryu’s character. Andrew Koji presents another tempting choice to wear Ryu’s tattered gi, making a name for himself in multiple big franchises in the last ten years. From the Fast and Furious movies to G.I. Joe and Bullet Train, Andrew Koji has been everywhere lately, and has repeatedly demonstrated his ability to spearhead big names in the action space.

With a mixed background in Shaolin kung fu and taekwondo, Koji’s expertise is just a hair closer to Ryu’s signature fighting style, wowing audiences with a wide range of moves in his many blockbuster appearances. It’s worth noting that Koji’s Japanese heritage is also a match for Ryu’s own, and his real life experience as a well-traveled individual could match Ryu’s ever-present wanderlust in the games. With hand-to-hand combat skill and charisma to spare, Koji could be up for the challenge of bringing the legacy video game mascot to life.

6

Noah Fleder

Could offer the film a more interesting avenue

Far from a household name, Noah Fleder isn’t a classically trained actor, but has a unique mix of experience that just might make him perfect to play Ryu. Noah Fleder is a martial artist, director, and cosplayer known for training high-profile social media influencers, such as Lindsey Pelas and Dolly Castro, in martial arts using his incredibly varied background of training. Familiar in a litany of fighting styles including Taekwondo, Hapkido, Boxing, Jeet Kune Do, Kali and Muay Thai, Fleder has more than enough experience to perform Ryu’s moves.

Beyond this impressive resume, Fleder is an avid cosplayer, appearing in several viral videos which show off his ability to pull off the looks of nerdy characters. While this experience could make him the perfect person to drape in a game-accurate Ryu outfit, his other video game experience might offer a fascinating new angle the Street Fighter movie could take. Fleder is credited with motion capture work in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series, meaning that rather than being live-action, the upcoming adaptation could use Fleder’s movements to model realistic animated characters.

5

Hiroyuki Sanada

Offers an older, gruffer Ryu

At 63 years old, Hiroyuki Sanada is one of the most experience martial artist actors currently working in Hollywood today. With Sanada’s many movie appearances including the role of Scorpion in 2021’s Mortal Kombat, he seems like a shoo-in to pilot Ryu in the upcoming fighting game adaptation. There’s just one problem — At 63 years old at the time of writing, Sanda may seem too aged to play the mascot of Capcom’s famous beat-em-up series. However, this downside could actually end up being a positive spin thanks to the recent games.

The most recent entry of the Street Fighter franchise, Street Fighter 6 finally moves forward with the story after years of prequels, significantly aging up most of the classic world warriors from the arcade classic Street Fighter II, including Ryu. Passing the reins of series mascot and protagonist to the young American veteran Luke, Ryu takes a step back in importance as more of a mentor figure in the present narrative. It’s possible the upcoming movie will want to better align itself with the most popular current game by presenting an older, wiser Ryu, something Sanada would be perfect for.

4

Joe Talsim

Perhaps the biggest martial arts star to come out of the 2010s

While each decade has seen the emergence of its own martial arts icon, with the 70s seeing the meteoric rise of Bruce Lee and the 80s introducing the legacy of Jackie Chan, Joe Talsim has a case for being the premiere Hollywood brawler of the 2010s. Making a name for himself in 2011’s The Raid, Talsim has since gone on to star in huge tentpole releases like Mortal Kombat, Star Trek Beyond, and Fast & Furious 6. Though Talsim is currently tied up with Mortal Kombat 2, set to release in 2025, there’s a possibility of him squeezing in another hit.

A Gold-medal-winning Judoka and practitioner of taekwondo, pencak silat and kung fu, Talsim has a diverse profile of experience to pull from similar to other good choices that would be a natural fit for Ryu’s ever-expanding arsenal of moves. His recognizable star power could also prove crucial for the success of the video game adaptation, which will certainly be happy to use all the marquee value it can get. Talsim’s stoic performance as Sergeant Jaka in The Raid also certainly has shades of Ryu’s noble wandering fighting spirit.

3

Simu Liu

Has the charm and aesthetics for carry a Street Fighter franchise

Known for playing Shang-Chi in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Simu Liu is a criminally slept-on actor. While Marvel hasn’t used Shang-Chi since 2021 for whatever reason, despite the film’s success, Simu Liu could instead pivot his efforts towards a more appreciative franchise as Ryu in Street Fighter. Additionally, his hilarious performance as Ken in Barbie might not be applicable for Ryu’s infamous lack of humor, but his insane physique in the billion-dollar-earning film could live up to Capcom’s ridiculous standards for Street Fighter character’s muscles.

Granted, Liu has gone on record admitting that he’s more of a dancer and a stunt performer than a martial artist, only training seriously after landing the role of Shang-Chi. That being said, he easily comes across as having years of training in the film’s excellent fight choreography, particularly in the first half. If anything, having less of a background in real-world martial arts might lend itself better to portraying the fanciful, if impractical movements of Ryu and Ken’s fantasy martial arts style, more reliant on blasts of flame and dragon punches than actual karate fundamentals.

2

Mike Moh

Could return as Ryu on the big screen

At the present moment, only a handful of actors can claim the honor of portraying Ryu in a live-action film. While Bryon Mann might be the most well-known thanks to the 90s film, Mike Moh is the only live-action Ryu who truly deserves a shot at returning in a theatrical release. The American actor and martial artist starred as a young Ryu in the web series Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist, a fan-made project that was impressive enough to gain Capcom’s blessing.

As Ryu, Moh managed to inject a palpable sense of emotion into his rivalry with Ken Masters, something that a big-budget film would be wise to replicate. His real life taekwondo experience was also invaluable in portraying Ryu’s famous spinning kicks, with Moh being no slouch when it came time to stage the series’ elaborate action setpieces. It’s not as if the actor is inexperienced with major film releases either, being entrusted by Quentin Tarantino of all people to portray martial arts legend Bruce Lee in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

1

Kane Kusogi

A legacy martial arts star with a relevant track record

The story of Street Fighter isn’t the most dramatic or serious story, taking place in a world of ethnic stereotypes capable of fighting off entire armies with their fists alone who contend with psycho power, resurrected gods, and ancient karate demons. In this world, it might make sense to cast an actor with a better flair for the dramatic and unbelievable, which is where legacy actor Kane Kusogi could come into play. The son of a martial arts star, Kusogi has been acting ever since he was a child, and would be a perfect fit for the Street Fighter movie.

Kusogi is a recurring star in the tokusatsu genre, essentially Japan’s take on sci-fi superhero action. As if that doesn’t make him qualified enough, Kusogi has actually voiced Ryu before in the brilliant Street Fighter Zero: The Animation, not to mention playing fighting game antagonist Kazuya Mishima in live-action in Tekken 2: Kazuya’s Revenge. Between his real-world physical prowess with an unprecedented run on the Japanese game show Sportsman No. 1 Decisive Battle to his clear familiarity with fighting games and over-the-top action roles, Kane Kusogi just might be Street Fighter‘s best pick for Ryu.