Street Fighter II — The World Warrior is the first iteration of the Street Fighter II series, released in March 1991. The game features all the basic features that would be carried over to subsequent Street Fighter II editions. This version featured several glitches, such as Guile's infamous "invisible throw" and "Golden Stance".
The original version of Street Fighter II features a roster of eight playable characters that could be selected by the player. The roster initially included Ryu and Ken —the two main characters from the original Street Fighter game— plus six new characters from different nationalities. In the single-player tournament, the player faces against the other seven main characters, before proceeding to the final opponents, which are four non-selectable CPU-controlled boss opponents, known as the "Four Devas".
Playable characters
- Ryu, a Japanese martial artist seeking to become a "true warrior."
- Ken, Ryu's former training partner and rival, who resides in the United States.
- E. Honda, a sumo wrestler from Japan.
- Chun-Li, a female martial artist from China seeking to avenge her missing father.
- Blanka, a beast-like man from Brazil who was raised in the jungle.
- Zangief, a pro wrestler from USSR.
- Guile, a former special forces operative from the United States, seeking to defeat the man who killed his best friend.
- Dhalsim, a Yoga master from India.
Computer-only bosses
- Balrog (M.Bison in the Japanese version), an American boxer.
- Vega (Balrog in the Japanese version), a Spanish cage fighter who uses a unique style of ninjutsu.
- Sagat, a one-eyed Muay Thai master and the final boss in the original Street Fighter, who was scarred by Ryu in the end of the previous tournament.
- M. Bison (Vega in Japan), the leader of the criminal organization Shadaloo, who uses a mysterious power known as "Psycho Power".