History YMMV / StreetFighterAlpha

* GoodBadBugs: In ''Alpha 2'', Rose can freeze time by performing an Aura Soul Spark right as a projectile hits her opponent. She is free to move around, and performing another Super Combo will return things to normal.

** The UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn versions of the first ''Alpha'' and ''[[NoExportForYou Zero 3]]'' are just plain obscenely good at what they try to do. The former is only different with the color palette compared to the arcade, and otherwise was just about a perfect port with all the animations and gameplay unchanged. The latter required the Expanded 4MB RAM cartridge, but the trade off was the best home console version of the game ever released, even featuring unique content that couldn't be equaled up to until the release of ''Alpha 3 MAX'' for the Platform/PlayStationPortable, which itself was an excellent port above and beyond the rest. This also includes the two flavors of World Tour, with Saturn (and Platform/PlayStation) carrying a more in-depth and complex version of the mode while the PSP (and Platform/{{Dreamcast}}) would streamline it a fair amount, adding a meaty amount of solo content to the game.

** The [[UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance GBA]] port of ''Alpha 3 Upper'' is similarly impressive for what it manages to do, cramming the ''entire roster'' and almost all of the stages. But having to deal with what amounts to a four-button control scheme is rough, the endings had to take an obvious hit by all being replaced with a single ending of Bison being defeated, various animations were chopped up and especially background animations being simplified, and the game audio took a ''massive'' hit with all the music being butchered by the GBA's lack of a proper sound chip and countless character voice clips gone or compromised. Were it not for the sheer number of hits taken to even get it to work, this would almost be a PolishedPort and certainly more comprehensive than the SNES port above, but ExecutiveMeddling resulted in an [=8MB=] cartridge compared to larger possible cart sizes and having to shove Eagle, Yun and Maki into the game from ''VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium'', which resulted in such severe compromises and a necessary development delay -- which ended up being a CreatorKiller for developer Crawfish Interactive despite critical acclaim when Capcom cut all royalties due to said delay.

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: ''Alpha'' wasn't the first ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' game on the Capcom Play System II, or CPS-2 for short, as that honor goes to ''Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers''. However, it was the first game of the series made for scratch on the hardware, and the smoother character animations, bright anime style, and higher background detail came together for a tour de force of how far Capcom had come at the time, holding the bar alongside games like ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'' and the early ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' entries. It would take three more years to truly up the ante with the CPS-3 and ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' to a legendary degree. It's also commendable that in Japan, you could get the first ''Zero'' game for the CPS Changer, a short-lived home system version of the CPS-1 board as a failed competitor to the UsefulNotes/NeoGeo. While some animation frames were missing and both the music and sounds were lower quality, this backported version was otherwise a PolishedPort that had ''everything'' on inferior hardware.

** The UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn versions of the first ''Alpha'' and ''[[NoExportForYou Zero 3]]'' are just plain obscenely good at what they try to do. The former is only different with the color palette compared to the arcade, and otherwise was just about a perfect port with all the animations and gameplay unchanged. The latter required the Expanded 4MB RAM cartridge, but the trade off was the best home console version of the game ever released, even featuring unique content that couldn't be equaled up to until the release of ''Alpha 3 MAX'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable, which itself was an excellent port above and beyond the rest. This also includes the two flavors of World Tour, with Saturn (and UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation}}) carrying a more in-depth and complex version of the mode while the PSP (and [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]]) would streamline it a fair amount, adding a meaty amount of solo content to the game.

** ''[[CompilationRerelease Alpha Anthology]]'' for the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 PS2]] not only contains arcade-accurate ports, but also the aforementioned ''Alpha 2 Gold'' and the option for CPS-1 or CPS-2 soundtracks for the first ''Alpha'', as well as ''VideoGame/SuperGemFighter'', and the ''Alpha 3 Upper'' release that has additional console-only characters added. It even completes Cammy's early inclusion in ''Gold'' with an actual (albeit non-canon) story, ending included. While it lacks things like World Tour mode, it makes up for it with couch-competitive content galore via the unlockable ''Hyper Street Fighter Alpha''; much like ''Hyper Street Fighter II'', it lets you play as every version of every ''Alpha'' character around, all the [=ISMs=], and plenty of extra customizable options like recreating ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' parries or the like. This makes it '''the''' definitive collection of ''Alpha'' titles if you're itching for arcade content perfected.

** The [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]] version of ''Alpha 2'' is a textbook case of a port that's impressive insomuch as it exists at all, but simply ends up not being worth it. The graphics retain an impressive amount of detail compared to the arcade original, but the controls are unresponsive, there's LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading, the frame-rate can tank badly when certain special moves are used, and the sound quality is poor, with most of the soundtrack getting a bland remix, and half of the sound effects being missing. There does exist a patch that can fix the loading issues and replace the soundtrack with the arcade version's, however, which can make the port ''far'' more tolerable and easier to appreciate.

* AmericansHateTingle: [[VideoGame/CapcomFightingEvolution Ingrid]] is very popular in Japan, but has a significant hatedom in the Western fandom, as explained in BaseBreakingCharacter below.

* ScrappyMechanic: Losing to [[ThatOneBoss Final Bison]] in ''Alpha 3'''s original arcade mode is an immediate trip to seeing Bison's ending but with him sacrificing your current character to power his ambitions. There's no permission whatsoever to continue, meaning that the entire run got scrapped at the very end. Notably, this would end up being the only game in the series to be this utterly cruel about it; every title before and after allows you to retry the FinalBoss or even the Superboss (if you reached it in the first place) readily.

* ScrappyMechanic: Losing to [[ThatOneBoss Final Bison]] in ''Alpha 3'''s original arcade mode is an immediate trip to seeing Bison's ending but with him sacrificing your current character to power his ambitions. There's no permission whatsoever to continue, meaning that the entire run got scrapped at the very end. Notably, this would end up being the only game in the series to be this utterly cruel about it; every title before and after allows you to retry the FinalBoss or even the SecretBoss (if you reached it in the first place) readily.

* AmericansHateTingle: [[VideoGame/CapcomFightingEvolution Ingrid]] is very popular in Japan, but has a significant hatedom in the Western fandom.
* BaseBreakingCharacter: Ingrid. Those who like her think she's cute and a decent fighter atop of that. Those who dislike her would rather pretend that her appearance in ''Alpha 3 MAX'' didn't happen. The fact that she's a crossover character from a universally hated game along with her DeusExMachina storyline in ''Alpha 3 MAX'' didn't help matters at all.

* ContestedSequel: The ISM System singlehandedly creates the massive split of opinion between ''Alpha 2'' and ''Alpha 3''. On one hand, it effectively means every single roster member has three versions between something more like ''Street Fighter II'', the standard ''Alpha'' mechanics, and the option for a sheer amount of crazy custom ISM combos that are probably some of the most extensive player expression and freedom in the ''franchise'' at the cost of being DifficultButAwesome. On the other hand, V-ISM is so [[GameBreaker game-breakingly exploitable]] and the ISM System in general is so incredibly complex, daunting and hard to get a full grasp of that casual players were turned away, and competitive players tend to [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome stick to X-or-A-ISMs.]] The Guard Gauge, where you can only block so much before you break and get stunned, was also a bit of a controversial addition. In many ways, this made ''Alpha 2'' more consistent a title to play, and more competitively viable thanks to the lack of certain infinite combo techs as well; the fact that it was excluded from online play in the ''30th Anniversary Collection'' resulted in major backlash.

** Guy. "[[MemeticMutation Real ninjas wear nikes]]." [[note]]A TakeThat directed at ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''. Ironically, in ''SSFIV'', Guy received [[HighlyVisibleNinja an outfit just as bright and colorful]] as Naruto's.[[/note]]
** Sakura. You don't get your own manga for nothing.
** Rolento, who was one of the most commonly requested characters for ''Super Street Fighter IV'' and even managed to show up in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'' years after his last appearance (''[[VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium Capcom vs. SNK 2]]''), and eventually made it in ''Ultra Street Fighter IV''.
** Cody, thanks in part to [[PermaStubble his]] [[InstitutionalApparel appearance]] and [[DarkerAndEdgier new outlook]] [[SameCharacterButDifferent on life]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIL6K-oL760 His theme]] in ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterIV SSFIV]]'' just happened to be another nudge in the right direction, and he'd go on to return in Season 3 of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV''--this time as the new mayor of Metro City!

* EpilepticTrees: In ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'' (a series with loose ties to ''SF''), there is a character who goes by the name of Ran Hibiki. Given that Hinata learned how to fight by watching a video by Ken and Chairperson practices Saikyo, fans have been wondering if Ran is a relative of Dan's (particularly, his sister). The CFN profiles for ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'' would canonize Dan's sister from his ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroesVsStreetFighter'' ending (and name her '''Yuri'''ko in what is yet another [[TakeThat jab at]] ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting''), but the jury's still out on Ran.

** [[MemeticMutation GARlie]] for Charlie, due to him being as manly as Guile.

* FranchiseOriginalSin: Many people criticize the early versions of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' as attempting to axe out the vast majority of the ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' cast in an attempt to focus on a new generation of characters, with the only exceptions being series mainstays like Ryu and Ken. This actually started with ''Alpha'', as it took until the home releases of ''Alpha 3'' to make Guile a SecretCharacter and complete the entire ''II'' roster. The big difference is that ''Alpha'' didn't attempt [[PassingTheTorch a new protagonist]] like later entries did, combined with very few actually new characters; ''Street Fighter III'''s controversial attempt to shift towards almost entirely new characters was a large part of the game becoming a temporary FranchiseKiller, why the revision sequels would bring back the popular veterans Akuma and Chun-Li, and why every successive game afterwards would have most of the core characters of ''II'' at the minimum.

** The crouch cancel bug in ''[=SFA3=]'' (basically, being able to cancel longer move recoveries by crouching during a Custom Combo, which made it so that since the character using it never entered a neutral state, their opponent never got an opportunity to flip out of their combo) which made the already powerful V-ISM borderline broken by allowing players to kill their opponents in one long combo.

** The Sega Saturn versions of the first ''Alpha'' and ''[[NoExportForYou Zero 3]]'' are just plain obscenely good at what they try to do. The former is only different with the color palette compared to the arcade, and otherwise was just about a perfect port with all the animations and gameplay unchanged. The latter required the Expanded 4MB RAM cartridge, but the trade off was the best home console version of the game ever released, even featuring unique content that couldn't be equaled up to until the Playstation Portable's ''Alpha 3 MAX'' release, which itself was an excellent port above and beyond the rest. This also includes the two flavors of World Tour, with Saturn (and Playstation) carrying a more in-depth and complex version of the mode while the PSP (and Dreamcast) would streamline it a fair amount, adding a meaty amount of solo content to the game.
** The ''Alpha 2 Gold'' ports on Saturn and Playstation, included as part of the ''Street Fighter Collection'' package, were the best home ports of ''Alpha 2'' without a doubt. Cammy using her ''VideoGame/XMenVsStreetFighter'' sprites was added in, extra modes and features as well as more EX Characters, and the Playstation version getting a faithful recreation of the intro instead of a crummy, pre-recorded video file of it. The port was also noticeably just improved in general over the base ''Alpha 2'' port the systems got. This title by itself warranted the purchase of the collection singlehandedly, even if it does suffer LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading for the individual stages.
** ''[[CompilationRerelease Alpha Anthology]]'' for the [=PS2=] not only contains arcade-accurate ports, but also the aforementioned ''Alpha 2 Gold'' and the option for CPS-1 or CPS-2 soundtracks for the first ''Alpha'', as well as ''VideoGame/SuperGemFighter'', and the ''Alpha 3 Upper'' release that has additional console-only characters added. It even completes Cammy's early inclusion in ''Gold'' with story and an ending. While it lacks things like World Tour mode, it makes up for it with couch-competitive content galore via the unlockable ''Hyper Street Fighter Alpha''; much like ''Hyper Street Fighter II'', it lets you play as every version of every ''Alpha'' character around, all the [=ISMs=], and plenty of extra customizable options like recreating ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' parries or the like. This makes it '''the''' definitive collection of ''Alpha'' titles if you're itching for arcade content perfected.

** The SNES version of ''Alpha 2'' is a textbook case of a port that's impressive insomuch as it exists at all, but simply ends up not being worth it. The graphics retain an impressive amount of detail compared to the arcade original, but the controls are unresponsive, there's LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading, the frame-rate can tank badly when certain special moves are used, and the sound quality is poor, with most of the soundtrack getting a bland remix, and half of the sound effects being missing. There does exist a patch that can fix the loading issues and replace the soundtrack with the arcade version's, however, which can make the port ''far'' more tolerable and easier to appreciate.
** The GBA port of ''Alpha 3 Upper'' is similarly impressive for what it manages to do, cramming the ''entire roster'' and almost all of the stages. But having to deal with what amounts to a four-button control scheme is rough, the endings had to take an obvious hit by all being replaced with a single ending of Bison being defeated, various animations were chopped up and especially background animations being simplified, and the game audio took a ''massive'' hit with all the music being butchered by the GBA's lack of a proper sound chip and countless character voice clips gone or compromised. Were it not for the sheer number of hits taken to even get it to work, this would almost be a PolishedPort and certainly more comprehensive than the SNES port above, but ExecutiveMeddling resulted in an [=8MB=] cartridge compared to larger possible cart sizes and having to shove Eagle, Yun and Maki into the game from ''VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium'', which resulted in such severe compromises and a necessary development delay -- which ended up being a CreatorKiller despite critical acclaim when Capcom cut all royalties due to said delay.

** [[SNKBoss Final Bison]]'s Final Psycho Crusher from ''Alpha 3''. It does ridiculous amounts of damage whether you block it or not and [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/streetfighter/images/4/4b/Final_Psycho_Crusher_Hitbox.png has a hitbox]] ''spanning nearly the entire vertical length of the screen''. (It's also completely invincible, lacking the regular Psycho Crusher's hurtboxes.) The only way to avoid it is to use a high-priority move (i.e. {{Shoryuken}}), WallJump, or, if you're Akuma/Evil Ryu, Ashura Senku it out of there. The first two require critical timing and ''a lot'' of luck. On top of that, Bison's boss-exclusive Shadaloo-ism allows him to build meter incredibly fast, meaning he can abuse it multiple times per round [[AIRoulette if he's feeling nasty]]. Making matters worse is the fact that if you lose to Bison, that's it. You don't get a chance to continue and try again; it just goes straight to the [[DownerEnding bad ending]][[note]]This only applies to the arcade version, as home ports that aren't a direct emulation usually allow rematches.[[/note]]. It's even worse at the end of the World Tour in the Dreamcast and PSP versions where you fight ''two of him '''with infinite Super Gauge''''', meaning you're bound to take many defeats to the sheer prospect of two Final Bison spamming their Final Psycho Crusher ''ad nauseam'' at you. Fortunately, his A.I. can be read like an open book as you're given cues to when the CPU will throw that attack at you so you can try and react accordingly.

** Final Bison in ''Street Fighter Alpha 3''. Aside having the aforementioned Final Psycho Crusher, early versions of the game didn't let the player continue if they lost to him.
** Shin Akuma. He's Akuma without his usual drawbacks: he has very high recovery, his moves have high priority, and the psychic A.I. will make sure to combo the hell out of you. In fact, you might actually ''learn to play as Akuma just by getting your ass handed to you by the boss version''.

* EvenBetterSequel: To the point of SequelDisplacement; there's fundamentally no reason to really play the original ''Alpha'' release except for appreciating what it brought to the table for the franchise and its take on the story endings, because ''Alpha 2'' effectively supplants it in every way. More characters, more mechanics, more polish while using the same interface and design that makes it feel like a much more direct sequel than ''Alpha 3'''s complete overhaul, even making it come off as the complete title that causes the first game to look like an ObviousBeta in comparison. It also introduced EnsembleDarkhorse Sakura Kasugano, and ultimately is held as ''the'' competitively-viable entry of the ''Alpha'' series.