With the research I’ve done over the past few years, I’ve come to the conclusion that the plans of the primary antagonists, Bison, Gill, and G, were in fact the exact same plan, stolen from the organization before them, with some alterations to suit their purposes. The original plan, instigated by the Glade of Ninjas, was to create cyborgs using secret technology that would lead to the augmentation of one of their own, Linn Kurosawa. Since Linn escaped from the Glade, seeking to live a normal life, they needed to find a new subject. Linn’s relative, Sarai, would have been a great candidate to undergo cybernetic implantation since her DNA would have been the closest to Linn’s. However, they decided to forego familial bonds for the promise of sheer potential.
And that’s when the Ibuki Project began.
Although the Ibuki Project is not an official name, in order to separate the ideas in this theory and alleviate confusion, we’re going to need to label each group’s projects separately, as although all are based on the same idea, each one functions differently. So, anything that has to do with the Glade of Ninjas will be labelled as the Ibuki Project, anything that has to do with Shadaloo and the Dolls will be put under the name Doll Project, anything that has to do with the Illuminati will be classified under the G Project, and, perplexingly but understandably if you’ve been following along, anything within G’s realm will be listed as a part of the Q Project.
Four different projects all stemming from the first one. Once we see how the pieces fit together, it should provide a clear picture on what exactly is going on.
As we look at what the Ibuki Project is, one thing seems to stand out: there doesn’t seem to be any sort of modern technology actually being used within the Glade, outside of Ibuki’s use of a cell phone. Considering Ibuki herself uses relatively primitive ninja technology in her move set, it would seem odd for a group of ninjas, who are by definition naturalists and survivalists, to want to be interested in advanced cybernetics. Certainly, the Glade prefer the classic and reliable kunai and smoke bombs. However, it’s shown they have a keen interest in weaponry and must certainly have an interest in advanced technology if it can improve their capabilities without being the complete antithesis to their lifestyle.
So is there an example within the Street Fighter universe that shows that the Glade of Ninjas is indeed pursuing technological advancement? While I’m unable to prove that the Glade is actually doing this, there is indirect canon evidence to show that they may be on the path to it. The Glade isn’t the only ninja faction within the Street Fighter universe.
Zeku is a grandmaster of Bushinryu who is seeking to expand his style and will become the progenitor of what will be known as the Strider Organization, or simply Striders. As Striders develop over time, they will come to use technology that is advanced even for their era, as seen in Strider Hiryu’s signature weapon, the Cypher. https://strider.fandom.com/wiki/Cypher
Additionally, Zeku himself states that change and advancement is at the core of every ninja.
According to Zeku’s philosophy, a ninja must embrace modern ways in order to stay relevant and keep certain traditions alive. The Glade does seem to follow this to an extent, allowing some pieces of modern technology within its boundaries, such as Ibuki’s cell phone. While the Glade’s commune with nature is the predominant way of life, the idea that they don’t shun modern technology completely is a clue that they’re ready to accept the influence of the outside world, if they haven’t already done so. Any advancement for their goals would be seen as a welcome help.
In other words, the Glade knows it needs to evolve to keep afloat, and they’re going to have to embrace advanced technology at some point. This brings us back to the idea of Ibuki being turned into one of the Glade’s super-soldiers. Ibuki undergoes horrific and brutal training every day to keep herself at peak physical form. Ibuki is in incredible physical shape, and would be the most likely candidate to undergo cybernetic transformation. Being young would also be seen as a plus – she would likely be able to adapt to the technology more as she grew compared to someone who was already fully mature.
So we know that the Glade is at least amenable to technological advancements. If they’re the ones who started what would become the Q Project, though, where does the mind control part come in? Well, its clear that if their previous experiment, Linn, ran off, they didn’t quite reach that level of scientific knowledge. However, plans can change and evolve, especially if they’re taken over by someone with the means and resources to do it. This brings us to the next level of the Ibuki Project – the Doll Project.
With deep pockets and a formidable military, Shadaloo provides the perfect environment for scientific experimentation. Specializing in Psycho Power, they’ve created everything from super-soldiers to the Black Moons to the means of body swapping. However, it all seems to have started from one place – the Doll Project. Eventually creating Bison’s elite all-girl bodyguard team, the Doll Project also oversaw the development of lower-ranked female soldiers, all of whom were mind-controlled and enhanced by Psycho Power. I’ve explained in a previous theory the mechanisms of Psycho Power and how exactly Shadaloo’s soldiers are controlled, so I’ll simply leave the link here. https://manestreetblog.com/2020/09/06/the-secrets-of-the-shadaloo-dolls/
The Dolls themselves are an important blueprint to creating the perfect super soldier. The experimentation performed on them means that their DNA carries all of the necessary information to create new enhanced fighters. However, there was one person in particular that could have started the entire process.
I’ve explained in Ibuki vs Predator how Satsuki was a clue in figuring out if Ibuki could master swords. However, there’s also a possibility that, if she was a member of the Glade of Ninjas, that the prototype of the Doll Project was encoded in her genes, yet another participant in the Glade’s experiments. At least, this would have been the plan, until Shadaloo kidnapped her and stole it outright, leaving the Glade to start from the beginning with Ibuki.
With Satsuki in their clutches, Shadaloo would have been able to simply duplicate the information that was in her body (as well as any information in a more practical medium, like paper) making their own improvements as necessary. At some point, though, they would have realized that while they could certainly create the perfect Doll, they still did not have the means to control them. Shadaloo would have to create their own brainwashing program from scratch. So they did, utilizing Psycho Power to manipulate the Dolls’ emotions as the primary means of control.
Unfortunately for Shadaloo, it still wasn’t perfect. Each of the Dolls retained certain personality traits that they couldn’t eliminate outright (for example, Enero’s arrogance and März’s shyness). With Decapre, they had another problem: Psycho Power wasn’t working very well on her. They had already scarred her face, but she still proved to be resistant to Psycho Power’s influence. To conceal her deformity and to retain their control of her, they created her first mask, one that looked like Vega’s, but with the added benefit of complete mind control, turning Decapre into a mindless killing machine for as long as she wore it.
Here’s where things get interesting. The Doll Project became the Q Project when Vega, who was head of the Doll Project, handed Decapre’s mask over to G. I go into detail with this in another theory. https://manestreetblog.com/2021/04/22/rose-g-from-zero/
Now that G has Decapre’s mask he can reproduce it to start building his own Q army. However, he only gets the mind control mask and none of the other stuff that goes with it. It’s not that much of a problem for him since he can potentially give his own powers away at will, but G would run into a few issues that would have been rectified had he gotten more technology than just the mask (which I also talk about in Rose & G: From Zero).
I’ve talked about G and his plans a lot, so you can go back and read some of the other theories I have on him if you haven’t already. However, there’s still one more project to talk about, the one that bears his name – the G Project.
We already know that G has some sort of connection with the G Project. However, despite it’s name, it is actually the ultimate masterwork of Gill and the Illuminati. It directly led to the creations of Eleven, Twelve, Necro, and Effie, with the remnants of Eleven used to resurrect Charlie Nash. While their methods of creating new forms appear to be similar to Shadaloo’s Doll Project, unlike the Dolls, the Illuminati is able to use organic material from plants and animals to generate new lifeforms. In fact, as stated in his character guide, Eleven was made entirely from plants. https://game.capcom.com/cfn/sfv/column/130747?lang=en
While Eleven was ultimately deemed a failure by Urien due to its perceived lack of strength, there was one trait Eleven had that could be argued made it better than its successor: its lack of free will. By contrast, Twelve, while still subservient, did show signs of having a mind of its own. This is interesting considering that Twelve has a peculiar physical feature that should tell us he shouldn’t be capable of it.
Twelve, despite being a naked white humanoid, looks like he’s wearing a mask. More so, it looks like Decapre’s.
This was pointed out to me by a writer from FanFiction.net named Mat, also known as laxorangebookworm. This generally wouldn’t be something I’d consider for a theory, but he made an interesting point that directly contradicted an idea I had made in the past regarding Juri aiding Cammy. I had originally thought based on the evidence that was there that Juri rescued her for her own pleasure. However, Mat asked me a very simple question that I had not considered:
“What if the Illuminati were actually interested in Decapre herself, or at the very least her mask?”
This was something I had not considered, and it made too much sense at this point. I have talked about the importance of Decapre’s mask, but nowhere in my theorizing did I even remotely mention that the Illuminati would have been interested. Seeing things now, though, it actually makes sense.
In SFV’s Cinematic Story Mode, after Juri picks up Cammy and Decapre from Brazil, the three are shown to be together at almost all times… except for one very particular scene. When Rashid, Azam, and Nash return to Russia for more information from Kolin (who is still going by the assumed name Helen), we see Juri and Cammy in the same room…
…but Decapre is conspicuously absent, not returning until the very end during the strike on Shadaloo’s main headquarters. So where did she go?
There was an area in the hideout where she could have rested. This was shown briefly in Nash’s story mode, and is also fully modeled in game. https://streetfighter.fandom.com/wiki/Underground_Arena
While Kolin would not likely be conducting any experiments in the hideout, having Decapre under the Illuminati’s watch, if they were truly after her, would allow them to take another step closer to their goal of creating the perfect lifeform.
There’s just one small issue that could compromise the Illuminati’s plans, though: Juri. When she picks up Cammy and Decapre, there’s something important she leaves behind.
Juri kicks off Decapre’s mask to expose her uncanny resemblance to Cammy to Ken, Chun-Li, Laura, and Sean. When she leaves, she doesn’t take it with her.
Upon return, this might have caused Kolin to lose her temper, at least partially explaining why Juri and Cammy look like children in time out when they’re seen. Considering G would have followers wearing masks that were based off of Decapre’s, and considering that the project is named for G, it’s clear then that one of the biggest goals of the project, mind control, can’t be reached without Decapre’s mask.
In other words, Juri screwed up.
“Wait!”, you say. “Isn’t Eleven already mind controlled?” Yes! However, because he was completely made from plants, he wouldn’t have a will of his own anyway. Plants do not have minds of their own and can only survive on natural functions. Therefore, Eleven had no choice but to listen cause he had no idea what to do otherwise.
“So if they left Decapre’s mask behind, why would Twelve have the mask feature?” Probably because Juri had to go all the way back to Brazil and get it, or at the very least find one of G’s masks and bring it back. Honestly, it doesn’t matter, because they failed on trying to control Twelve completely.
Regardless on the situation with Twelve, we can at least say that the Illuminati made progress with their experiments, and it’s this that caught the Glade of Ninjas’ attention. After realizing that the Illuminati had a better version of their original designs, all they needed to do was retrieve it. And who better to get it than the best ninja in their village, Ibuki, the girl they have been wanting to experiment on from the beginning? With Ibuki’s retrieval of the G File, the Glade would be able to perfect what they started, using knowledge from Shadaloo and the Illuminati to do it.
In Udon’s Street Fighter World Warrior Encyclopedia, under Ibuki’s profile, it states, “In the end, Ibuki was successful in acquiring the G File, but it left an unsettling feeling in her heart.” That unsettling feeling? It was a premonition of her own future.
She foresaw her own doom.
Street Fighter Game Lore Theories 