Gouken Started as a Fake Character in Street Fighter
Street Fighter has sold 47 million units globally and is worth billions of dollars, according to Capcom. It was so popular that it spawned a film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, which you should definitely never watch. The key is that it is significant. And it was so popular in 1992 that when publications published rumors about a secret character named Sheng Long, fans were ecstatic at the prospect of playing as him.
The entire humor began with a translation error. When characters win in the arcade version of the game, they say different things. "You must overcome Sheng Long to stand a chance," Ryu said. It was simply a mistranslation of "if you cannot overcome the Rising Dragon Punch, you cannot win!" Shenlong or sheng long approximately translates to "god dragon" in simplified Chinese.
Electronic Gaming Monthly capitalized on this by publishing a story in their April Fool's issue about how to locate Sheng Long. It entailed winning the game several times while never receiving damage; a difficult task. Other publications repeated it because it came from a reliable source. A legend was created. The stories and jokes persisted for several years until Capcom officially introduced a character named Gouken in Street Fighter IV, who looked precisely like Sheng Long had been described in the past and also had his backstory.
- Founded: August 1987
- Platform: Arcade, multiple platforms
- Website: https://www.streetfighter.com/en/
