REVOLUTIONARY! First Faithful Video Game Adaptation Don By Fans!

The web series format was released on Machinima’s YouTube channel on May 23, 2014 while the subsequent formats (TV & DVD/Blu-ray) released in later 2014 with the US released date on October 27, 2014 and IFC Center release the film on January 7, 2015.

A multi-layered series that looks back to the formative years of Ryu and Ken as they live a traditional warrior’s life in secluded Japan. The boys are, unknowingly, the last practitioners of the ancient fighting style known as “Ansatsuken” (Assassin’s Fist). The series follows them as they learn about the mysterious past of their master, Goken, and the tragic, dark legacy of the Ansatsuken style. Can their destiny be changed, or will history repeat itself?

The man who worked on a number of Machinima‘s most prominent original series has moved on to a new gig. Jeremy Azevedo, who spent nearly five years as the gaming network and served as its creative director of original programming, will join Discovery Digital Networks (Ddn) as the head of its La-based production operations. The report of Azevedo’s departure from Machinima comes from TheVideoInk, which cited “multiple industry sources.” During his time at the gaming network, Azevedo oversaw production for several high-profile series, including Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist and BatInTheSun’s Super Power Beat Down. He also created the Machinima Interactive Film Festival and developed several verticals for the network, including its newsworthy Etc channel and its animation-focused Happy Hour channel. Those two hubs now have more than 1.5 million subscribers between them. Azevedo will work in a newly-formed role out of Ddn’s Los Angeles office.

Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist started life as a YouTube series, but director, writer and star Joey Ansah is now releasing the online hit in a feature length cut which hits DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray steelbook on October 27th. The movie was made in association with Capcom USA and blends top notch martial arts with an authentic adaptation of the iconic Street Fighter franchise. Ansah gained recognition for his role in The Bourne Ultimatum, and as well as playing fan-favourite character Akuma in this movie, he’s joined by Mike Moh as Ryu, Christian Howard as Ken and Akira Koieyama (47 Ronin) as martial arts teacher, Gouken. I recently had the chance to talk with Joey over the phone about Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist, as well as which other comic book and video games he would like to adapt and his thoughts on a faithful take on the X-Men in the near future.

Ansatsuken (暗殺拳, literally “assassination fist”) is a Japanese neologism used frequently in fictional works to describe any martial art style or fighting technique that has been developed with the purpose of killing an opponent. The term satsujinken (殺人拳, literally “murderer fist”) is used interchangeably as well.

In the Street Fighter universe, the term has been used to describe the martial arts used by Akuma (Gouki in Japan), as well as Gen’s. The term Satsujinken (殺人拳, “Murderous Fist”) is synonymous with Ansatsuken, and the two terms are used interchangeably.

Ansatsuken and Shotokan

The fighting style used by Ryu, Ken, and Gouken is listed in their Japanese Street Fighter IV: Master’s Guide bios as a “martial art rooted as an art of assassination” (暗殺拳をルーツとした格闘術, ansatsuken o rūtsu toshita kakutō jutsu); Capcom USA originally referred to Ryu’s fighting style as “Shotokan”, despite bearing little resemblance to the real-life discipline. Because of this, Ryu and other characters who use similar styles (such as Ken and Akuma) are still called “shoto-clones” or “shotos” by fans.