BAIT x Street Fighter

"Street Fighter" was probably the first arcade game that I ever played, and has been a part of my life in one way or another ever since.  I remember saving my snack money so that I could stop by the convenience store on the way home from school and play some Street Fighter with my friends.  I've owned various iterations of the game over the years and I'm currently refining my button mashing skills with the latest Street Fighter x Tekken game.

I only recently discovered that there is a fighting game community (yes, there is an actual community of people who eat, breathe, and sleep fighting games), and when I heard that Ono-san, the producer of Street Fighter, would be at an art show hosted by pop culture store BAIT, I had to go meet him.

For a man who has been involved with a franchise that has lasted over 25 years and has become a part of American pop culture, Ono-san was extremely friendly, gracious, and eccentric!  His charm and charisma put a smile on anyone who was in close proximity.  I managed to get an autograph and a quick photo with him before other adoring fans whisked him away.  

After I put my autographed copy of Street Fighter x Tekken in the car, I went upstairs to enjoy all of the Street Fighter themed artwork from a group of very talented artists.  I'd like to share with you some of my favorites from the art show as well as a video re-cap of the event from BAIT.

Most of the artwork is still on display at BAIT (as of 2/17/13) and they have a working Street Fighter 2 arcade cabinet!  If you ask nicely, the friendly BAIT staff will even put free credits in for you!  If you're in the Diamond Bar area, give them a visit!  Go HERE for more information on BAIT.

[This story is a part of Super Saturday.]