Although Jackie Chan has starred in many popular martial arts movies, one of his lesser-known projects features plenty of references to one of the most popular video game franchises of all time. Jackie Chan’s upcoming martial arts movies are sure to increase his popularity among critics and general audiences, but one movie from the ’90s flew under the radar in the martial arts legend’s career. Chan’s martial arts franchises are some of the most influential, as Chan’s commitment to performing his own stunts and working with global talent demonstrates his love for his craft.
Perhaps the most notable element in Chan’s filmmaking style is his masterful blend of comedy and action, which often results in some of the most creative fight scenes ever made. Furthermore, Chan’s insistence on his fight scenes including a comedic element of some sort makes for interesting subversions of the standard one against many tropes often seen in action movies. Nevertheless, one movie in particular sees Chan and another martial arts legend dressing up as iconic video game characters, in a scene that is just as hilarious as it is indicative of Chan’s love for other entertainment mediums.
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Why Jackie Chan Cosplayed As Chun-Li In City Hunter
References to E. Honda, Guile, and Dhalsim are also made during the scene.
City Hunter is the 1993 adaptation of the late ’80s Japanese anime of the same name, and it sees Chan as Ryo Saeba, a gun-for-hire who will accept any job in Tokyo so long as the reward is a beautiful woman. Although City Hunter isn’t one of Chan’s most recognizable projects, a scene involving Chan and English martial artist, Gary Daniels, sees the two legends dress up as characters from the popular video game franchise, Street Fighter. Although the scene makes sense given that the two men have their fight inside an arcade, the scene lasts for quite a while.
Why City Hunter Has Such A Huge Street Fighter Easter Egg
Street Fighter was very popular during the theatrical release of City Hunter.
1993 saw the release of Super Street FIghter II, and given the immense popularity of the franchise combined with City Hunter‘s reliance on martial arts in the manga and anime, the connection between the two worlds makes sense. During the hallucination, Daniels turns into Ken and Chan turns into E. Honda, whereupon both men perform some of their characters’ most iconic moves. However, Ken gains the upper-hand and momentarily knocks Chan’s E. Honda unconscious. Furthermore, DJ Hard and DJ Soft dress up as Guile and Dhalsim respectively, further extending the fight.
After Daniels’ Ken defeats them both via Hadouken, Chan emerges dressed as Chun-Li. The scene leans heavily into Chan’s proclivities for humor, as the scene’s under-cranked cinematography and reliance on sound effects from the video game give it an uncanny yet hilarious feel. Perhaps the most important yet easy to miss moment of the scene is when Chan’s Chun-Li crouches down and poses before launching her devastating Spinning Bird Kick technique. It references the fact that players have to crouch momentarily in-game before doing it, which adds a heightened sense of authenticity to one of Jackie Chan‘s lesser-known movies.
