The new Street Fighter film takes its soundtrack on an unusually broad trip through pop history. Most selections reflect the movie’s 1990s setting, including Tupac’s “Ambitionz Az a Ridah”, Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” and Meredith Brooks’ “Bitch”.
Some choices are tied directly to the action. “Many Men (Wish Death)” by 50 Cent plays during a fight involving Balrog, the boxer portrayed by 50 Cent, even though the track comes from a later era. “What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes also becomes an important part of Ken and Ryu’s story.
The unexpected Street Fighter movie ending
The film’s closing musical choice is far less obvious: The Weather Girls’ “It’s Raining Men”. It arrives after the main action and sends the audience out on an upbeat, deliberately bewildering note.
Director Kitao Sakurai has explained that the song was selected late in the editing process, after the filmmakers struggled to find music that suited the post-climax sequence. The cast began singing it as a joke while experimenting with the scene, but the idea worked once it was put to music.
Sakurai’s reasoning was that the song’s sincerity, silliness and unexpected energy matched the relationship between Ken and Ryu. In his view, choosing something so strange was precisely what made the ending feel right.
A soundtrack built around contrast
Sakurai described the film’s overall creative attitude as essentially “why not?” That explains the jump between period-appropriate songs, character-specific musical jokes and a disco-pop finale that could have come from an entirely different film.
For arcade fans, the approach has a familiar quality: Street Fighter has always balanced serious rivalries with flamboyant presentation. If the movie inspires a fighting-game setup at home, RETROCADE’s arcade machines and bartop arcades offer two ways to bring competitive play into a games room.
Where to watch the film
Street Fighter is currently playing in cinemas. Viewers expecting a conventional action-movie finish may be surprised when “It’s Raining Men” takes over, but the choice is intentionally sincere rather than an accidental mismatch.
Anyone planning a dedicated fighting-game corner can also compare options in RETROCADE’s arcade machine buying guide, or browse arcade parts for joysticks and buttons.
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