30 Years of Street Fighter, 30 Days of Characters; #28

E. Honda has easily earned a spot in my list of 30 memorable characters. His look is so bold and his moves so imaginative that it would be a shame to ignore him this anniversary season. The origins for the character are more cartoon than reality. There was actually a sumo wrestler with a painted face that appeared much earlier in the arcade. The look of E. Honda was meant to grab your attention. He was supposed to be an over-the-top character, borderline parody. He was on the extreme end of designs like the wild man Blanka or the skinny yogi Dhalsim.

E. Honda was unique for a number of reasons. Sumo wrestling had not really been covered in early fighting games. This was a chance for Capcom to write a new page in history. In order to work in Street Fighter it had to be an exaggerated version of the real art, just like the other forms represented. We could tell Honda was strong just by looking at him. His muscles could still be made out under a layer of fat. What audiences never expected was for him to be quick and agile as well. Sumo wrestlers could be surprisingly quick despite their size but E. Honda was on a whole new level. 

Sumo wrestling was known for being a contest of strength and force. There was a lot of technique involved but moves such as kicks were off limits. Since Honda was competing in an underground tournament his arsenal was expanded. He could jump and kick, trip opponents, sweep the leg and even throw himself head first into a rival. Sumo wrestlers often fought for position by slapping their opponent's head, neck, chest and shoulders. E. Honda was so good at this he could do it with one hand, thus earning the legend of the Hundred Hand Slap. While it wasn't as flashy as a fireball it was still an impressive move. E. Honda's appearance combined with his library of moves made him one of the best heavyweight characters ever created. I'm glad that the character has been a part of the Street Fighter universe for almost three decades. What do you think about him? I'd like your take in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!