Street Fighter: How Can There Be an Ending Explained When There Is No Ending?

Street Fighter, the third live-action adaptation of the popular video game franchise, returns to theaters with mixed results. While the story centers on old friends Ken (Noah Centineo) and Ryu (Andrew Koji), their reunion takes a backseat to Chun-Li's (Callina Liang) recruitment for the second-ever World Warrior tournament. The tournament, orchestrated by Shadaloo dictator M. Bison (David Dastmalchian), is not what it seems, as Bison aims to obtain Ryu's Hado Power to drain it for his own use.

The tournament itself is handled awkwardly, with key fights kept off-screen and multiple forfeits due to Bison's manipulation. Ken, Ryu's longtime rival, never shows up for the final fight, leaving Joe to claim the title by default. Joe's victory is short-lived, though, as he is killed by Akuma (Joe Roman Reigns Anoa'i) after Ryu goes missing during the tournament.

This leaves fans with an incomplete narrative, as one of the most anticipated battles between Ken and Ryu never materializes, and Joe's fate remains shrouded in mystery.