The Street Fighter

originally titled in Japan as is a 1974 Japanese martial arts film produced by Toei Company, directed by Shigehiro Ozawa, and starring Sonny Chiba. It was released in the United States by New Line Cinema and became one of the first films to be a commercial success for the distributor. It is notable as the first film to receive an X-rating in the US solely for violence. A commercial success, The Street Fighter spawned two direct sequels, Return of the Street Fighter and The Street Fighter's Last Revenge, and the Sister Street Fighter spinoff series. There was another spin-off entitled Kozure Satsujin Ken, which was brought to the US by a different company under the title Karate Warriors. In the United Kingdom, the film was originally released as presumably to avoid confusion with the Charles Bronson movie Hard Times which was initially released as The Streetfighter in the UK. Plot Martial artist Takuma Tsurugi meets the condemned murderer Tateki Shikenbaru while disguised as a Buddhist monk. Tsurugi applies his "oxygen coma punch" to Shikenbaru, causing him to collapse just before he can be executed. As Shikenbaru is rushed to a hospital, Tsurugi and his sidekick Rakuda ambush the ambulance and free him. As Tsurugi and Rakuda watch the incident on the news, Shikenbaru's brother Gijun and sister Nachi arrive and plead for more time to pay for Tsurugi's help. Outraged, Tsurugi refuses and attacks the siblings. Gijun accidentally kills himself when Tsurugi dodges his flying kick, causing him to go out of a window, and Nachi is sold into sexual slavery through Renzo Mutaguchi.