Juri Nullification

As I reflect on the three years I’ve done this blog, I’ve realized that there are some things I’ve gotten right, some things I’ve gotten wrong, and some things that are still yet to be determined. There’s a lot still to be determined, which means many of my theories are still relevant and could come to pass. There’s a few I’ve pretty much nailed, particularly the idea that G is a villain with an army of Qs.

“But you didn’t prove that yet!” Yes, I did.

If you have two people in the Ring of Galaxy stage who are not G, wear masks like Q does, and act robotically like Q does, then it’s pretty clear there are more than one Q in the world, even if their name is R or X or even if they don’t look like the Q from Third Strike. For all intents and purposes, they’re Qs.

“But G becomes Q!” Dear sir and/or madam, have you not read anything I’ve been writing for the past three years? Are you paying attention to the game outside of versus mode? Yes, G has the exact same moves as Q, but as I’ve been saying, it’s because G GRANTED Q his power! If that isn’t clear enough, the idea of which is based completely on in-game canon evidence, keep in mind that G is not only the final boss of Street Fighter V, but the way the story is being set up, he’s looking to be the final boss of Street Fighter 6 as well!

G being the future of Street Fighter should be a given, unless by some act of incredible nearsightedness Capcom decides not to utilize him at all. In that case, all bets are off.

However, it isn’t G that is the main focus of this article. Yes, he’s central to the game, and I have written or involved him in so many different theories that it’s hard to find one that DOESN’T have so much as a mention of him. He’s that important to both this blog and the game. He will be central to the future of the series. His presence alone changes so many different characters paths that G, by himself, has reshaped the entire story of Street Fighter forever. We will still likely see Bison trying to control the world, Gill trying to fulfill his prophecies, Ryu trying to be a strong fighter, and Sakura chasing after Ryu, but I have never seen a character, in fighting games or otherwise, alter an entire franchise, and over 30 years of character lore, simply by showing up.
G isn’t some goofy Footuber who Capcom made as a joke. He is the gamechanger. He is the true boss of Street Fighter. He is the one Capcom made to finally tell the story they wanted to tell. If I’m wrong, and Capcom does nothing with him, there are going to be dire consequences that Capcom will never be able to escape from until they resolve his story.

That’s what makes G such a powerful character. He’ll either destroy the Street Fighter universe or he’ll destroy Capcom as a company in real life. That’s why it’s so important for them to make sure they get the story right. They’ve gone past the point of no return. If they do not respect G as a character, if they do not go all-in on G as a final boss, Capcom will not be able to recover.
However, there is one other character in Street Fighter who is a scene-stealer in her own right, someone who deserves the spotlight as much as, if not more so than, G. She isn’t quite the gamechanger G is, but her presence and her story in future games relies far less on G’s presence than other characters. G may be The Fool, but Juri is the true wild card.

Juri’s presence in Street Fighter so far consists of messing with Chun-Li and Cammy in as much of an erotic fashion as possible. She’s very flagrant with her sexuality, and Capcom has done everything they could to turn her from a twisted villain to a sensual anti-hero. Juri will always be a bad girl, but she could serve to be one of the most important characters going forward because, much like her physical capabilities, her story is very flexible.

To note, I was wrong about something I stated in a previous theory. I had assumed that Juri was a scorned lover dumped by a mysterious man based on an image from a digital card game. https://manestreetblog.com/2020/12/31/judge-juri-and-executioner/

Recently, Capcom released the full version of that picture, and I admit I was off.

I assumed the shadow in front of her was the shadow of the person she was trying to impress – the person she is looking at, i.e. you. My thought was that you were looking out of the eyes of the person Juri longed for, and the shadow was there to clue you in. As it turns out, there are THREE shadows surrounding Juri, meaning she’s probably just trying to get the attention of the people around her, including you, the person she’s looking at. Basically, she just wants you to pay attention to her and soak her in. She’s hot, she knows she’s hot, and she uses her body to get the reaction she wants from other people, regardless of gender.

Juri may not be the narrative changer that G is, but she’s groundbreaking in another way – she is the ultimate form of sexuality in Street Fighter. Juri is an uninhibited hedonist and quite dangerous because of it. Every other character in the game is repressed by comparison. So what happens when the ultimate destroyer of universes clashes with the ultimate flame of passion?
Opportunity. These are two fires that, when combined the right way, could make for the most scorching story video games have seen yet.

No, I’m not talking about G and Juri getting it on. Actually, it’s quite the opposite. Unlike Bison, who has been more open about his lusts, G isn’t very sexual at all. He’s more deranged and acts like a cult leader. Of course, there’s a chance he has a harem alongside his army of Qs, and if that proves true, all bets are off. Still, it seems G is less interested in procreation and more interested with recreation, or reshaping the earth.

However, G does appear to have a hidden love of violence and murder, and this melds with Juri’s own bloodlust pretty well. They’re two characters who love to cause chaos, and could potentially work together if not for one major contention between the two: G is about oppression and Juri is about her own individual freedom. While G talks about unity, which foreshadows his intent on turning everyone into hive mind Qs, Juri’s mindset is about independence. Yes, the possibility remains that Juri herself is trying to create an army, but she wants people to give in to baser desires through her manipulation. Whereas G is a tyrant, Juri is a temptress, and their overall goals clash because of it.

So, how would this story work? If G were the boss of Street Fighter 6, Juri would be an unaffiliated sub-boss (there’s also a very good case to be made for Rose to be a sub-boss, but for now let’s focus on Juri’s role in the game). Juri would attempt to break down certain characters from a psychological standpoint, again forcing characters to give in to more hedonistic desires. Why would she try to block these characters from stopping G if she doesn’t work for him? One reason: she knows they can’t.

Juri would know the world is ending and so she would want to have one more bit of fun before she goes out.

While not necessarily apathetic to the plight of the world, Juri is somewhat moody. She doesn’t really have much of a moral streak, and she’d probably find the concept of the end of the world to be exciting. She could fight G, but she’d lose in a one-on-one match and probably get turned into a Q. That would be antithetical to what she’s trying to accomplish. So, if she can’t beat him, and joining him would be an affront to her mindset, the next best thing is to get what she could before everything hits the fan.

“She fought Shadaloo, though,” you say. That was a personal vendetta. She fought Bison because she had to, and even then she went after Cammy instead of Bison in Street Fighter V, not doing much at all in taking down Shadaloo. Basically, Juri puts personal pleasure and mischief above everything, so manipulating people to do the same is very much in Juri’s wheelhouse.
In a nutshell, much like G, Juri could start her own cult that focuses on worldly pleasures, including sex and violence, rather than focus on G as the threat he is.

In fact, Street Fighter 6 looks to be a game all about factions. If we assume Juri creates her own, she would be one of many. Besides Juri’s cult and G’s cult, we would have Shadaloo, Neo Shadaloo, the U.S. Air Force, the CIA, the Kanzuki zaibatsu, S.I.N., Rose’s clique (with Menat, Maggio, and potentially Oro and Dhalsim), the Glade of Ninjas, Delta Red, and the Illuminati. This doesn’t include the pro wrestling organizations in the game considering the Kanzuki zaibatsu has already associated with Zangief, Rainbow Mika, and Laura Matsuda. Lone wolves like Ryu and Alex will have to pick a side, and based on what we know, they’ll both likely become allied with Karin. who would head the most protagonistic group in the game; Juri herself would have to have to pick a side. Of course, she’d choose her own.

“Juri’s with the Illuminati!” The problem is she’s trouble. Gill’s agenda to fulfill his prophecy would run counter to Juri’s penchant for disorder. Either Gill or Kolin would kick her out the first chance they got. It’s pretty clear from their win quotes in SFV how they feel about Juri.

Gill to Juri: “You need not be bold or arrogant… Gaze upon me. You’re but a mere shadow of myself.”

Kolin to Juri: “You’re just the same as all the others – the only thing you know how to do is fight.”

The feeling is mutual:

Juri to Gill: “Emperor? It looks like someone wants to be bullied!”

Juri to Kolin: “I’ve been itching to beat you up since we first met! Turns out you were weaker than I’d hoped…”

Of course, it could be that Gill and Kolin tolerate Juri enough to keep her around and utilize her skills for their own benefit, giving Juri the freedom to do what she wants while at the same time acknowledging her as a valuable member of the Illuminati.

If that’s the case, then all bets are off.