The Real Reason Blanka From Street Fighter Is Green
There may not be a "Street Fighter" combatant with a more striking character design than Blanka's. Ever since his debut in "Street Fighter 2," the green-skinned, orange haired fighter has been dazzling audiences with his feral move set and electrical superpowers. He's easily one of the most recognizable characters in the whole series — to the point where it surprises some players to learn he's actually human — and that certainly hasn't changed upon joining the "Street Fighter 6" roster. What has changed, however, is the warrior's explanation for his unique skin tone.
Previous games have offered a few different reasons for why Blanka looks like the Jolly Green Giant's ticked-off cousin. The Japanese version of "Street Fighter 2" explained that he turned green after ingesting a bunch of chlorophyll in the jungle, while the U.S. version revealed he'd been struck by lightning (presumably to explain his electric abilities, as well). In "Street Fighter: The Movie," Blanka was a mutant created by Bison and Dhalsim's tests carried out on unwilling human subjects.
But in "Street Fighter 6," Blanka's green skin has been given its most benign origin story yet.
Blanka's time in the jungle changed him -- but in a different way
The World Tour mode in "Street Fighter 6" allows players to create their own custom characters and train with the series' most iconic fighters, honing their skills and even taking on some of their mentors' moves. If you want to earn some sweet crackling electrical powers, then there's only one Hulk lookalike for the job: Blanka.
However, players can also get to know their new teachers pretty well, exchanging hilarious texts with Ryu and learning more about Chun-Li's workout regimen. One convo that is really blowing fans' minds, however, involves Blanka revealing the true reason for his color palette. He tells the player, "I had to borrow the power of the jungle to protect myself from bugs. I smushed up some grass and flowers and painted my body with them. And now I'm the color of the jungle!"
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BLANKA'S SKIN ISN'T ACTUALLY GREEN BUT HE PAINTED IT?! #StreetFighter pic.twitter.com/8n2tJWn0aZ
â€" Fighting-Games Daily (@FGC_Daily) June 4, 2023
So there you have it. It seems like Blanka wasn't going for camouflage, after all. The guy was just trying to make some improvised bug repellant — and a legend was born.