Before players could teabag an opponent in Halo or spam voice chat after a victory in Warzone, arcade fighting games like Street Fighter were laying down disrespect with their victory animations. While simply winning in games like Street Fighter is the ultimate satisfaction, a well-designed victory animation — one that oozes cool or is just downright annoying — can be the icing on the cake.
While victory animations are hardly unique to Street Fighter, the franchise is arguably responsible for popularizing the idea. With the idea now being nearly ubiquitous across all titles in the genre, even the best fighting games of all time owe the idea of a quick victory animation to Street Fighter and its contemporaries.
5 Sagat's Laugh in Street Fighter 2
The lore of Street Fighter 2 perfectly sets up the player to hate Sagat. Not only is he set up as one of Ryu's greatest enemies in the game, but in the original arcade game, Street Fighter 2: The World Warrior, Sagat was a CPU-only character and would only appear after defeating nine other opponents. This meant that not only was he exceptionally difficult, but prolonged battles against Sagat were a sure-fire way to lose a ton of tokens.
His victory pose is simple, but it cemented him as one of the most devastating Capcom villains in the early days. He'd cross his arms and laugh at the player, further tilting anyone who was already frustrated with losing at the penultimate stage of the game. While it was beyond annoying at the time, Sagat's laugh animation stands as one of the most satisfying victory animations because of how effective it was.
4 Ryu Turns His Back in Street Fighter 2
The most iconic character in the most influential fighting game of all time surely deserves a place on this list. Ryu was far and away the most common pick in Street Fighter 2, meaning that his victory poses from that game are probably the most viewed in fighting game history. He had two poses: he would either pump his fist into the air as he did in the first Street Fighter; or he would cross his arms and turn away from his downed opponent in possibly the most effortlessly cool victory pose ever made.
It's hard to overstate just how satisfying Ryu's victory pose was, and still is. Even if a player had just spent countless hours pouring quarters into the arcade machine, as soon as the victory was a sealed deal, Ryu's pose would make it seem like the preceding fight was an absolute breeze. It bears the same vibe as the protagonist looking away from an explosion in an action movie.
3 Chun-Li's "Yatta" Pose in Street Fighter 3
Chun-Li's victory poses have remained relatively unchanged through the years. Like Sagat's laugh, Chun-Li's cutesy giggle and signature peace sign are dismissive disrespect at its finest. With Street Fighter 3: Third Strike, Chun-Li's signature pose was mixed in with a handful of others, so its impact was all the more devastating when it would appear after a bad beat moment. For Chun-Li players, the pose is an ideal way to tilt their opponent.
Chun-Li remains one of the most iconic characters in the history of the Street Fighter series, and this iconic pose is at least a tiny part of the reason why. Her victory pose, which totally counteracts her normally stern, serious demeanor, is one of the most memorable in the franchise.
2 Akuma's Raging Demon Pose in Street Fighter 4
Akuma's Wrath of the Raging Demon is one of the most iconic fighting game moves ever made. It's an absolutely devastating super move that unleashes a flurry of blows on the opponent. When it's used to finish an enemy, Akuma strikes a victory pose that highlights his famous kanji. Like Ryu's victory pose from Street Fighter 2, Akuma's pose in Street Fighter 4 truly emphasizes that the fight is over.
A moment during the 2010 SoCal Regionals may have made this Raging Demon pose the most memorable in the franchise. As the victory animation was playing out, the player controlling Akuma, Tokido, walked in front of the screen projector so that Akuma's kanji would appear on his back, in the perfect homage to one of Street Fighter's most overpowered characters.
1 Vega's "Yodel-Ay-Hee-Hoo" Pose in Street Fighter 5
If Chun-Li's pose is considered irritating and Sagat's laugh is annoying, then an entirely new word may have to be invented for Vega's yodeling victory pose. Despite being a consistently low-tier fighting game character, Vega can be a nuisance to deal with due to his quick basic strikes and deceptive range. If his odd attack animations weren't frustrating enough, his victory pose in Street Fighter 5 might be the most annoying in franchise history.
After defeating an opponent, Vega crosses his legs, throws his hand in the sky, and lets out a little yodel. The level of tilt that Vega's victory pose can impart puts most joke fighting game characters to shame, and, from the perspective of a Vega player, is one of the most satisfying animations available.