Article by: Paul Watkins (watkinzez)
Pictured from: Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams
Created by: Capcom
First appearance: 1991
Bio
When possessing the weakest arsenal of a fighting lineup, one must rely on reflexes and agility to gain the upper hand in a brawl. As the only female character in Street Fighter II, Chun-Li broke ground in the early nineties as one of the earliest feminine protagonists to gain widespread popularity. Like Samus Aran before her, Chun-Li demonstrated that women could be portrayed in video games in ways other than the damsel in distress.
Investigator for Interpol and representing China in the game, Chun-Li's story is one of revenge for her late father. A tip towards suspect crime syndicate Shadoloo leads her to discover boss M. Bison. She's beaten with ease by Bison, and he utters a fate similar to her father's if she crosses his path again. Vying to defeat the man, Chun-Li enters the World Warrior tournament to climb up the ladder and make a name for herself.
Speed is of the essence as Chun-Li fights. Her most famous attack, the Lightning Kick, delivers a flurry of kicks from a standing position at incredible speed. Quick, fast strings of moves are the secret to Chun-Li's success as a fighter. Her clothing allows for fast movement on the stage, and has differed through the Street Fighter series — the above unitard is Chun-Li's outfit in Street Fighter Alpha. Her original appearance was in the one-piece qipao.
Chun-Li has since had many appearances within the series and various spin-offs, such as the vs. series with Marvel and SNK, and the Street Fighter movie, played by Ming-Na Wen.
Quote
"I'm the strongest woman in the world!"
Selected game appearances
Arcade
- Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (1991)
- Street Fighter II': Champion Edition (1992)
- Super Street Fighter II Turbo (1994)
- Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams (1995)
- Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997)
- Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike: Fight for the Future (1999)
Super NES
PlayStation
- Street Fighter Alpha 2 (1996)
- Street Fighter EX Plus @ (1997)
References
- Wikipedia - "Chun-Li"
- Paradise of Chun Li
- Street Fighter II Turbo instruction manual
