In a hypothetical tournament, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would bring their unique martial arts skills and teamwork to face off against the Street Fighter series characters. Leonardo's katanas, Michelangelo's nunchucks, Donatello's bo staff, and Raphael's sais would be deadly weapons against the likes of Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and M. Bison. The Turtles' agility and acrobatics would make them difficult targets for the Street Fighters, but the latter's mastery of special moves and powers would make for an intense and exciting battle. Ultimately, it would be a clash of different fighting styles and abilities, with both sides showcasing their best moves to emerge victorious.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Street Fighter cast will square off in an epic combat for the first time ever in the history of comic books. The characters have never entered each other's universes or engaged in combat despite having dominated 90s pop culture. This year's action figure set collections from Playmates Toys pitted the two teams against one another in four different matchups: Ryu vs. Leonardo, Chun-Li vs. Michelangelo, Guile vs. Raphael, and Ken Masters vs. Donatello. This was the closest that these two teams have ever come to engaging in any kind of combat against one another.
IDW Publishing will now bring this ideal union to fruition. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vs. Street Fighter, a five-issue miniseries by Paul Allor, Ariel Medel, and Sarah Myer, will begin publication in May 2023, according to the publisher. IDW has also provided a sneak peek at what is to come, including a first look at not just the cover art by Medel but also one of the upcoming fights between a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and Guile. The same solicit claims that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vs. Street Fighter #1 will be released in May and will include retailer incentive editions from Vincenzo Federici as well as a variant Cover B by TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman.
The plot will center on Turtles traveling to Atlantic City to take part in an elite fighting competition. Since fighting tournaments are the reason the Street Fighter roster exists, both teams immediately begin a feud with one another, eager to establish who has the superior fighters. They might have to put aside their arguments, though, in order to look into the city's inexplicable disappearances, which are probably connected to the tournament's even more enigmatic sponsor. Allor discusses the initiative and some of the unusual connections that will develop:
"It feels amazing to bring these iconic brands together. I grew up with all these characters, though in very different ways - watching TMNT cartoons on Saturday mornings, and then a few years later, desperately smashing buttons while being absolutely destroyed at Street Fighter II. Readers are going to have so much fun watching these characters come together as they face an enormous threat to both teams, from Mikey and Chun-Li’s unlikely bond to Raph and Guile’s rivalry and mutual - but very grudging - respect. This book has it all: humor, danger, a massive number of twists and turns, and a ton of amazing, brutal, over-the-top, bonkers fight scenes! It’s gonna be a blast."
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are now involved in a crossover with the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Crossover fights are nothing new for either squad. In fact, the TMNT crew has collaborated with just about everyone, including the Ghostbusters and Batman. The same is true of the Street Fighter characters, who famously played video games with characters from the Marvel Universe, Super Smash Bros., and even the Power Rangers.
Street Fighter and the TMNT have frequently crossed paths with other 90s legends as iconic emblems, but this is the first time the two have genuinely come together. Fans will undoubtedly watch this competition intently to see whether the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or the Street Fighter squad prevails because both teams (and their brand titles in general) are so closely linked to combat.
IDW Publishing will release Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vs. Street Fighter #1 in May 2023.