History YMMV / StreetFighterIII

** Yun actually managed to mostly avoid this despite being one of the top-tier characters in ''3rd Strike'', but would later fall prey to this in ''SSFIV: Arcade Edition'' and ''Ultra Street Fighter IV'', [[YMMV/StreetFighterIV as explained here]]. Some of [[UsefulNotes/FGCAces the top tournament players]] like Daigo, however, found their interest in ''3rd Strike'' waning long before the advent of ''SFIV'' due to Yun's shenanigans.

** Gill, [[SNKBoss natch]].

** A strange example comes in the form of Ryu's Joudan Sokutogeri, [[FanNickname colloquially known as the "Donkey/Mule Kick."]] As the first legitimately ''new'' special attack Ryu picked up since the Shakunetsu Hadoken all the way back in ''SSFII'' [[note]]if one discounts the Hado no Kamae fake-out move from the ''Alpha'' series, that is[[/note]], fans repeatedly clamored for it to be added back to Ryu's moveset in future appearances but Capcom would only oblige in crossovers such as ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' and ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' (as well as, oddly enough, ''VideoGame/SuperGemFighter''). This led to a bit of an uproar when [[CapcomSequelStagnation the final update]] of ''SFIV'', ''Ultra Street Fighter IV'', ''still'' didn't include the attack in Ryu's move list despite him using it in the earlier ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken''. When the Joudan Sokutogeri ''finally'' showed up in ''SFV: Arcade Edition'', Ryu mains were able to breathe a sigh of relief at last (even if its animation and range weren't quite the same as before).

* HilariousInHindsight: One of Chun-Li's win quotes is "No, I've never thrown any of my bracelets away. Why do you ask?" While likely intended as a reference to an UrbanLegendOfZelda that she could throw her bracelets at the opponent in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'', it also works as an unintentional TakeThat against the (not overly well-received) ''Pinball/StreetFighterII'' pinball game and the ''VideoGame/StreetFighterTheMovie'' arcade game, where she ''does'' throw her spiked bracelets as weapons.

** Shaomei, who has a crush on Yang and Houmei's little sister.

** Shaomei, who is Yun's girlfriend and Houmei's little sister.

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: The game had several huge things working against it:

* CultClassic: ''Street Fighter III'' didn't do particularly well when it was released, and is the ''Street Fighter III'' series is the only one to ship less than 1,000,000 units on a single system. It started picking up in popularity through the early 2000s in the Fighting Game Community, with many considering ''3rd Strike'' the best ''Street Fighter'' game for competitive play, even if it was still largely forgotten by the general public. Come the release of ''3rd Strike: Online Edition'' in 2011 and later the arcade port in the ''30th Anniversary Collection'' in 2018, and ''Street Fighter III'' is considered a classic with deep gameplay that has aged much better than its polygon-based contemporaries like ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' or ''Tekken 3''.

** People like to joke that Ibuki, due her goal to meet "cool boys" in ''SSFIV'', is extremely horny and willing to go to great lengths to get some.

** Makoto. Despite her rough-and-tumble demeanor and rather stocky frame, she is very much a DaddysGirl fighting for the sake of her ailing dojo. She also fangirls [[HeroWorshipper pretty hard]] over getting to meet Ryu in person.

* PolishedPort: ''Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Online Edition'' for the [=PlayStation=] Network and Xbox Live Arcade is the best way to play the game. It has a better Metacritic score than the original ''3rd Strike'' Dreamcast port (86 vs 84, respectively) and runs borderline arcade perfect. [[note]]Borderline in that the code is taken from the [=PS2=] port.[[/note]] It has both original and remixed soundtracks, a ton of visual options, tutorials (including how to perform the parry and finish from EVO Moment #37), and in-game challenges where players can earn XP to unlock bonuses like concept art, movies, the soundtracks and colour palettes from ''New Generation'' and ''2nd Impact''. There's also an unlockable dip switch that lets the player customise almost all of the game's settings. The only thing that could make it better would be the inclusion of the stages from ''New Generation'' and ''2nd Impact'', along with the previous iterations of the cast from those games ala ''Hyper Street Fighter II''.

* ThatOneAttack: Gill's Seraphic Wing, his ''[[MyRulesAreNotYourRules third]]'' Super Art introduced in ''3rd Strike''. Shaves off close to 25% of a lifebar ''if'' [[ScratchDamage blocked]], can [[OneHitKill OHKO]] just about anyone if they're not guarding, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb5nIqFxGUQ cannot be parried.]] You ''will'' [[MemeticMutation taste]] [[FanNickname the rainbow]].

* PolishedPort: ''Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Online Edition'' for the [=PlayStation=] Network and Xbox Live Arcade is the best way to play the game. It has a better Metacritic score than the original ''3rd Strike'' Dreamcast port (86 vs 84, respectively) and runs borderline arcade perfect. [[note]]Borderline in that the code is taken from the [=PS2=] port.[[/note]] It has both original and remixed soundtracks, a ton of visual options, tutorials (including how to perform the parry and finish from EVO Moment #37), and in-game challenges where players can earn XP to unlock bonuses like concept art, movies, the soundtracks and colour palettes from ''New Generation'' and ''2nd Impact''. There's also an unlockable dip switch that lets the player mess around with most of the game's settings. The only thing that could make it better would be the inclusion of the stages from ''New Generation'' and ''2nd Impact'', along with the previous iterations of the cast from those games ala ''Hyper Street Fighter II''.

* VindicatedByHistory: The ''Street Fighter III'' series was trashed when it was initially released because it was a complete departure from the considerably more user-friendly ''Alpha'' series, and some professional reviewers even went so far as to dock it for looking "[[CriticalResearchFailure like an SNES game]]." Eventually, tournament-level players latched onto the series as most mainstream fighting games began to resemble ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' more and more and they desired something a little more technical, and casual fans discovered the game through emulation and a UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} re-release of ''3rd Strike''. The series is now a mainstay at the EVO tournament. This came full circle with ''3rd Strike Online Edition''. It ended up being better received by the fanbase than the more casual-friendly ''Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix''.

** A strange example comes in the form of Ryu's Joudan Sokutogeri, [[FanNickname colloquially known as the "Donkey/Mule Kick."]] As the first legitimately ''new'' special attack Ryu picked up since the Shakunetsu Hadoken all the way back in ''SSFII'' [[note]]if one discounts the Hado no Kamae fake-out move from the ''Alpha'' series, that is[[/note]], fans repeatedly clamored for it to be added back to Ryu's moveset in future appearances but Capcom would only oblige in crossovers such as ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' and ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' (as well as, oddly enough, ''VideoGame/SuperGemFighter''). This led to a bit of an uproar when the final [[CapcomSequelStagnation update]] of ''SFIV'', ''Ultra Street Fighter IV'', ''still'' didn't include the attack in Ryu's move list despite him using it in the earlier ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken''. When the Joudan Sokutogeri ''finally'' showed up in ''SFV: Arcade Edition'', Ryu mains were able to breath a sigh of relief at last (even if its animation and range weren't quite the same as before).

** Makoto.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVEThPhBgQo In April 2020, a glitch was discovered that changes the properties of Super Arts.]] Basically, you do the same as the BossRush glitch, but at a specific moment ''after'' the Super Art is chosen. This sends you to a glitched Arcade Mode opponent selection screen. Instead of choosing an opponent, have Player 2 press Start; it'll take you to a glitched Versus Mode screen. Just after Player selects their character and Super Art, Player 1 will regain control over the character selection. If done correctly, Player 1's Super Arts will now have the properties (number and length of meters, limited use of ground and aerial Super Arts, etc.) of the character chosen by the CPU. This can result in Akuma and Twelve having triple meters, Hugo and Necro having double, characters having access to ''way'' more EX meter than usual, etc.

* ItsHardSoItSucks: A common (and not unreasonable) complaint is that the game is too technical compared to other ''Street Fighter'' games and comes with a steep learning curve. [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] for hardcore players, who love the game and eat it up ''because'' of the learning curve and high skill ceiling.

* GoodBadBugs: All three games have their share of shenanigans:

* ItsHardSoItSucks: A common complaint is that the game is too technical compared to other ''Street Fighter'' games. That said, hardcore players eat it up and contributes to why they love it so much.

* PolishedPort: ''Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Online Edition'' for the [=PlayStation=] Network and Xbox Live Arcade is the best way to play the game. It has a better Metacritic score than the original ''3rd Strike'' Dreamcast port 86 vs 84, respectively) and runs borderline arcade perfect. [[note]]Borderline in that the code is taken from the [=PS2=] port.[[/note]] It has both original and remixed soundtracks, a ton of visual options, tutorials (including how to perform the parry and finish from EVO Moment #37), and in-game challenges where players can earn XP to unlock bonuses like concept art, movies, the soundtracks and colour palettes from ''New Generation'' and ''2nd Impact''. There's also an unlockable dip switch that lets the player mess around with most of the game's settings. The only thing that could make it better would be the inclusion of the stages from ''New Generation'' and ''2nd Impact'', along with the previous iterations of the cast from those games ala ''Hyper Street Fighter II''.

* PolishedPort: ''Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Online Edition'' for the [=PlayStation=] Network and Xbox Live Arcade is the best way to play the game. It has a better Metacritic score than the original ''3rd Strike'' Dreamcast port at 86 vs. the 84 and runs borderline arcade perfect. [[note]]Borderline in that the code is taken from the [=PS2=] port.[[/note]] It has both original and remixed soundtracks, a ton of visual options, tutorials (including how to perform the parry and finish from EVO Moment #37), and in-game challenges where players can earn XP to unlock bonuses like concept art, movies, the soundtracks and colour palettes from ''New Generation'' and ''2nd Impact''. There's also an unlockable dip switch that lets the player mess around with most of the game's settings. The only thing that could make it better would be the inclusion of the stages from ''New Generation'' and ''2nd Impact'', along with the previous iterations of the cast from those games ala ''Hyper Street Fighter II''.

* PolishedPort: ''Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Online Edition'' for the [=PlayStation=] Network and Xbox Live Arcade is the best way to play the game. It has a better Metacritic score than the original ''3rd Strike'' Dreamcast port at 86 vs. the 84 and runs borderline arcade perfect. [[note]]Borderline in that the code is taken from the [=PS2=] port.[[/note]] It has both original and remixed soundtracks, a ton of visual options, tutorials (including how to perform the parry and finish from EVO Moment #37), and in-game challenges where players can earn XP to unlock bonuses like concept art, movies, the soundtracks and colour palettes from ''New Generation'' and ''2nd Impact''. There's also an unlockable dip switch that lets the player mess around with most of the game's settings. The only thing it's missing is the inclusion of the stages and characters from the first two iterations of ''SFIII''.

** A strange example comes in the form of Ryu's Joudan Sokutogeri, [[FanNickname colloquially known as the "Donkey/Mule Kick."]] As the first legitimately ''new'' special attack Ryu picked up since the Shakunetsu Hadoken all the way back in ''SSFII'' [[note]]if one discounts the Hado no Kamae fake-out move from the ''Alpha'' series, that is[[/note]], fans repeatedly clamored for it to be added back to Ryu's moveset in future appearances but Capcom would only oblige in crossovers such as ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' and ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' (as well as, oddly enough, ''VideoGame/SuperGemFighter''). This led to a bit of an uproar when the final [[CapcomSequelStagnation update]] of ''SFIV'', ''Ultra Street Fighter IV'', ''still'' didn't include the attack in Ryu's move list despite him using it in the earlier ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken''. When the Joudan Sokutogeri ''finally'' showed up in ''SFV: Arcade Edition'', Ryu mains were able to breath a sigh of relief at last.

** A strange example comes in the form of Ryu's Joudan Sokutogeri, [[FanNickname colloquially known as the "Donkey/Mule Kick."]] As the first legitimately ''new'' special attack Ryu gained since the Shakunetsu Hadoken all the way back in ''SSFII'' (if one discounts the Hado no Kamae fake-out move from the ''Alpha'' series), fans repeatedly clamored for it to be added back to Ryu's moveset in future appearances but Capcom would only oblige in crossovers such as ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' and ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' (as well as, oddly enough, ''VideoGame/SuperGemFighter''). This led to a bit of an uproar when the final [[CapcomSequelStagnation update]] of ''SFIV'', ''Ultra Street Fighter IV'', ''still'' didn't include the attack in Ryu's move list despite him using it in the earlier ''[=SFxT=]''. When the Joudan Sokutogeri ''finally'' showed up in ''SFV: Arcade Edition'', Ryu mains were able to breath a sigh of relief at last.

** Makoto. Unlike many of the newcomers in ''III'', she has actually been hailed as a great addition to the cast. Episode 33 of 1UP.com's ''[[http://www.1up.com/do/minisite?cId=3156908 Retronauts]]'' podcast actually singled out Makoto as being "pure ''Street Fighter''" in relation to the rest of the cast, when she placed 23rd on IGN's List of Top 25 ''Street Fighter'' Characters. Her popularity might also be due to her high-risk playstyle and high-tier status. Perhaps being savvy enough to realize this, Capcom included her in ''SSFIV''. Furthermore, when the results of the first ''Street Fighter'' Character Popularity Poll was announced, Makoto took second place, right behind fellow darkhorse Sakura.

** Yun and Yang. The fact that Yun has had the most playable out-of-series appearances out of all the ''III'' characters (''[[VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium CvS2]]'', later revisions of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha 3'', ''VideoGame/CapcomFightingEvolution'') and the fandom rejoicing for the twins' inclusion in the ''[[UpdatedRerelease Arcade Edition]]'' of ''SSFIV'' cements them as this (though Yun has a slightly unfavorable rep of late [[TierInducedScrappy for other reasons]]).
** Alex was a very contested character at first; replacing Ryu as the face was always gonna be met with concern and apprehension, and being a grappler with charge moves instead of an easy to learn shoto character didn't help. However, over the years, [[VindicatedByHistory Alex got a lot of traction from fans]] and became a classic and iconic character in his own right due in fact to his very striking and iconic design, memorable moves like the Reverse Hyper Bomb and his signature smack talk ("At Ease Losah!" "WEAK!" "I DON'T LOSE!" "YOU CAN'T ESCAPE!"). It also doesn't hurt that his theme, "Jazzy NYC", is one of the most beloved songs in the series in part to it playing in one of the most famous moments in fighting game history.
** Elena is this as it's hard to dislike her optimistic personality and you'll find plenty of fanart of her. She even made it into ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'' as DLC and later showed up in ''Ultra Street Fighter IV''. Her ''3rd Strike'' theme is a huge contributor to this fact, being one of the most recognizable songs in the ''Street Fighter III'' series.

** Both the port of ''3S'' found in the ''Street Fighter Anniversary Collection'' and ''3rd Strike Online Edition'' give you access to several DIP switches that completely change how the game is played. These include air and ground combo chains, faster move canceling, air guarding, full meter at the start of each match, and all Super Arts available instead of one. The end result? It feels more like you're playing ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Alpha 3]]'' or one of the ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' games. Gill in his default version is bad enough. But if you're playing as him and have the right DIP switches active, you can infinitely juggle your opponent and even rack up combos that last nearly 100 hits.

** Those advanced graphics meant that ''III'' could not be ported to most of the then-current consoles without [[PortingDisaster sacrificing animations and features]]; the only console which could have handled the game without major difficulty was the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn--which was not only the least successful console of its generation, but had Sega pull the plug on it less than six months after the game was released to arcades. Consequently, the ''Street Fighter III'' series was initially ported exclusively for the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast, which barely sold better than the Saturn did! It wasn't until 2004 when ''3rd Strike'' was re-released as part of ''Street Fighter Anniversary Collection''.[[note]]In Japan, it was re-released exclusively as a standalone game for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2.[[/note]] Because of the failure of the CPS-3, Capcom's future 2D fighters, such as the ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' and ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom'' series, were either developed on the CPS-2 or Creator/{{Sega}}'s new NAOMI system board. ''Street Fighter Alpha 3'' was released the following year on the CPS-2, and while the sprites weren't as good as the ones used in ''III'', it was significantly more affordable for most arcade owners. The less-refined graphics also meant it could be more easily ported to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, where it sold a million copies.

** Ken has earned a lot of scorn from (mostly) online players because so many fans use him online. No one knows why, but it might be due to his ease of use compared to Ryu, who somehow got ''harder'' to use as time passed.

** Alex was a very contested character at first; replacing Ryu as the face was always gonna be met with concern and apprehension, and being a Grappler with charge moves instead of an easy to learn shoto character didn't help. However, over the years, [[VindicatedByHistory Alex got a lot of traction from fans]] and became a classic and iconic character in his own right due in fact to his very striking and iconic design, memorable moves like the Reverse Hyper Bomb and his signature smack talk ("At Ease Losah!" "WEAK!" "I DON'T LOSE!" "YOU CAN'T ESCAPE!"). It also doesn't hurt that his theme, "Jazzy NYC", is one of the most beloved songs in the series in part to it playing in one of the most famous moments in fighting game history.

** ''3rd Strike Online Edition'' gives you access to several DIP switches that completely change how the game is played. These include air and ground combo chains, faster move canceling, air guarding, full meter at the start of each match, and all Super Arts available instead of one. It feels more like ''Alpha 3'' or one of the ''Marvel VS'' games. Gill in his default version is bad enough. But if you're playing as him and have the right DIP switches active, you can infinitely juggle your opponent and even rack up combos that last nearly 100 hits.

** In ''New Generation'', Alex can continually Flash Chop Elena into a KO due to a delay in her animation.

** In both ''New Generation'' and ''2nd Impact'', Sean can fill his EX meter twice as fast as any other character by holding Back on the directional pad while tapping an attack button.

** If positioned and blocked in a certain way, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKyXYAw5U34 Chun-Li can do her head stomp infinitely]]. This also results in her building up speed with each stomp, eventually causing her to go flying across the screen and back if it's parried.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT1R21xcBUA There's a glitch that turns all the opponents into Gill]], effectively changing arcade mode into a BossRush. You have to let the intro play out, let the CPU choose a character, and press Start at a specific moment during the Super Art loading screen.

-->'''Urien:''' "[[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Lie there as long as you want, I've had my fun with you]]."

** Ibuki, especially following [[VideoGame/StreetFighterIV her more]] [[VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken later]] [[VideoGame/StreetFighterV appearances]], tends to be compared to [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Naruto Uzumaki]] often, with some going as far as to call her [[SphereOfDestruction Raida and its Yoroitoshi Super Art variation]] knockoffs of the Rasengan. The thing is, not only does Ibuki predate Naruto by about seven months (''New Generation'' was released on February 4, 1997; the pilot chapter of ''Naruto'' would be published in August of that year), the Rasengan wasn't even introduced until Chapter 150, which first dropped in early ''2003'', long after the ''III'' series concluded.

* PolishedPort: ''Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Online Edition'' for the [=PlayStation=] Network and Xbox Live Arcade is the best way to play the game. It has a better Metacritic score than the original ''3rd Strike'' Dreamcast port at 86 vs. the 84 and runs borderline arcade perfect.[[note]]Borderline in that the code is taken from the [=PS2=] port.[[/note]] It has both original and remixed soundtracks, a ton of visual options, tutorials (including how to perform the parry and finish from EVO Moment #37), and in-game challenges where players can earn XP to unlock bonuses like concept art, movies, the soundtracks and colour palettes from ''New Generation'' and ''2nd Impact''. There's also an unlockable dip switch that lets the player mess around with most of the game's settings. The only thing it's missing is the inclusion of the stages and characters from the first two iterations of ''SFIII''.

* ThatOneAttack: Gill's Seraphic Wing. You ''will'' [[MemeticMutation taste]] [[FanNickname the rainbow]].

** The expensive and time-consuming process of making brand new sprites also resulted in ''III'' only having 11 playable characters (even with Ryu, Ken and Sean [[HeadSwap sharing the same body]]) at launch, which seemed downright paltry at the time. For comparison, ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroesVsStreetFighter'' (released the same year) had 17 playable characters, while ''Tekken 3'' (also released the same year) had 21.

** In both ''New Generation'' and ''2nd Impact'', certain characters can float and reset their animations in midair. This is includes Ibuki in both games, and Ken doing a Shoryuken during Gill's Ressurrection in ''2nd Impact''.

** Q's Total Destruction Super Art is very finnicky. Due to how it quickly drains a target's health bar instead of immediately defeating them, it's possible to beat Q during his post-attack animation frames by using a slow projectile like the Aegis Reflector. If characters trade hits during the explosion, the game won't always register that the explosion actually occurred, giving you chance to trigger a second one.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVEThPhBgQo As of April 2020, there is a newly discovered glitch that changes the properties of Super Arts.]] Basically, you do the same as the BossRush glitch, but at a specific moment ''after'' the Super Art is chosen. This sends you to a glitched Arcade Mode opponent selection screen. Instead of choosing an opponent, have Player 2 press Start; it'll take you to a glitched Versus Mode screen. Just after Player selects their character and Super Art, Player 1 will regain control over the character selection. If done correctly, Player 1's Super Arts will now have the properties (number and length of meters, limited use of ground and aerial Super Arts, etc.) of the character chosen by the CPU. This can result in Akuma and Twelve having triple meters, Hugo and Necro having double, characters having access to ''way'' more EX meter than usual, etc.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVEThPhBgQo As of April 2020, there is a newly discovered glitch that changes the properties of Super Arts.]] Basically, you do the same as the BossRush glitch, but at a specific moment ''after'' the Super Art is chosen. This sends you to a glitched Arcade Mode opponent selection screen. Instead of choosing an opponent, have Player 2 press Start; it'll take you to a glitched Versus Mode screen. Just after Player selects their character and Super Art, Player 1 will regain control over the character selection. If done correctly, Player 1's Super Arts will now have the properties (number and length of meters, limited use of ground and aerial Super Arts, etc.) of the character chosen by the CPU. This can result in Akuma and Twelve having triple meters, Hugo and Necro having double, characters having access to _way_ more EX meter than usual, etc.

* SignatureScene: The one thing everyone remembers about this game's competitive scene (which also set into motion the eventual [[GenreRelaunch revival]] of 2D fighters)? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS7hkwbKmBM Evo Moment #37.]] It's to the point where [[AscendedMeme it's referenced in multiple videos made by Capcom]].

* CultClassic: ''Street Fighter III'' didn't do particularly well when it was released, and is the ''Street Fighter III'' series is the only one to ship less than 1,000,000 units on a single system. It started picking up in popularity through the early 2000s in the Fighting Game Community, with many considering ''3rd Strike'' the best ''Street Fighter'' game for competitive play, even if it was still largely forgotten by the general public. Come the release of ''3rd Strike: Online Edition'' in 2011 and later the arcade port in the ''30th Anniversary Collection'' in 2018, and ''Street Fighter III'' is considered a classic with deep gameplay that has aged much better than its polygon-based contemporaries like ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' or ''[[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Tekken 3]]''.