SF25: The Art of Street Fighter

I recall memories of borrowing a SF alpha 2 strategy guide from a classmate just so I could attempt to draw all the bonus art sketches at the back of the book overnight before I had to return it in the morning. As a kid who loved to draw and looked up to artists like Jim Lee as a demi god, I was just infatuated with any type of comic or anime artwork I could find particularly if it was related to video games and and of course my preference leaned heavily towards Capcom at the time. Getting access to stuff like this was extremely rare in the 90s until the internet and even then it was sparse. Time has passed and I am no longer that kid could who would draw every waking hour but this book elicits those same feelings I had back then and for that I am thankful.This book feels like a time capsule, a treasure trove really of all those artwork I use to starve for to emulate as a kid. I only really knew about Akiman, Kinu Nishimura and Bengus but this book runs the full gamut on all the main artists that worked on the earlier SF series. It contains a wide variety of art consisting of mostly official and some tribute art ranging mostly from SF2 to SF4 and even some SFxTekken stuff. All artwork is separated by artist and includes a short interview with them. While there is a lot of finished promotional art, the real bonus for me are the ton of pencil sketches even including some of the design instructions for the legendary SF2 anime! This would have been gold for kid me.I have seen previous versions of this book over the years so I assume that it is probably updated every few years with the inclusion of more recent artwork. I could be wrong but it’s possible a new version may surface at some point which would eventually include SF5 and SF6 artwork but in its current state this book is huge and contains a lot in its 400 plus pages of content so I am not sure if it is even possible to add more stuff. If you love Street Fighter or just the art style you can’t go wrong with this and it should definitely be a part of your collection. There are similar Capcom artbooks like Darkstalkers and Breath of Fire to name a few but this is probably the best one and definitely the best videogame artbook that I own. If only there was something available on this level for the SNK counterpart that would be awesome.

This is mainly a comparison review, noting the changes from SF20 to this release, SF25. Skip down a few paragraphs for that.SF25 is a behemoth 446-page, nearly four-and-a-half pound book. It is a remarkable collection of art spanning dozens of games and is the best SF book in my decent collection of over a dozen such titles. It features art from a plethora of excellent artists, presented in solid binding and printed on high-quality paper. While I’ve seen better bindings, my copy of SF20 has lasted five years with no trouble (same quality) and the paper is wonderful.It is, without a doubt, a must-have for anyone interested in SF art and has been offered at a tremendously-reasonable price. I used to pay twice as much for half when I was importing Capcom books from Japan.This is a five-star purchase and the only reason to doubt would be if you already own SF20. If you don’t, buy this book. If you do, however, let’s compare…The page count has risen almost 130 pages (from 320 to 448). While that is a hefty tally, realize that still means 320 pages are identical or almost identical. What is added is almost entirely newer games.Among these added pages you’ll find 18 pages of interviews, 8 new illustrator sections, and 28 new pages of Polygon Pictures art. The latter has all the newest Super Street Fighter IV (and SSFIV: Arcade Edition) art and a ton of Street Fighter x Tekken art. You will not find the newest Ultra Street Fighter IV art here.The intro has fourteen pages of exclusive art (7 two-page spreads featuring new works by the likes of Kinu Nishimura, Bengus & Shinkiro, etc. all fantastic). Also littered throughout are recent calendar artwork and a few bits & pieces missed from SF20.If you own SF20, this isn’t necessarily a must-buy. It’s excellent and wonderful but you have to gauge if 130 pages is worth the cash. If you already have SFxT Artworks, you likely have a lot (but not all, I don’t think) of that art. If you own the SFIV + SSFIV Official Complete Works, that book has most of this, but not the AE characters (Yun, Yang, Evil Ryu & Oni) and some of the art specific to the AE upgrade.If you have both SF20 and SFxT Artworks, you might want to pass.If you just have SF20, weigh the price tag with the additions. I had no trouble plunking down the cash; the book is spectacular. But almost 2/3rds of this is the same as the last release. What is new though is certainly high-quality and the cover/back and spine are all wonderful. It sits on my shelf, massive but perfectly placed. This book is amazing.

This book is pretty cool, I like that you get such a huge variety of artwork. There's full illustrations, sketches, and character art.And it's a nice size book, I highly recommend it if you're into this sort of art!

Book was exactly as described and even more awesome when I received it.

My artbook arrived in a timely fashion only with slight damage to the corners of the book on two ends but everything else was perfect.. nice full color images and info for any street fighter fan. Definitely pick this one up if you don't have the other artbooks and want a complete collection of a lil of everything Udon has done.

This is bigger than your average udon release and I love it very much. Theres SO much art in here.

Exactly how i expected it, new condition and is great for my collection!

Love the book, it’s an amazing collection of art. The binding has not held up well due to the size of the volume and the paperback format. Still a highly worthwhile purchase for the Capcom art enthusiast.