Juri (Street Fighter)
First Korean Taekwondo fighter in the Street Fighter series.
Juri Han (Korean: 한주리) is a character from the *Street Fighter* series who debuted in the original *Street Fighter IV* (2008) as a console-exclusive character. She is a South Korean Taekwondo fighter working for the organization S.I.N. and serves as a subordinate to Seth, the main villain of *Street Fighter IV*. The idea for Juri came from a request to add a female Korean character to the series, and the development team narrowed down 400 to 500 concepts—including an old woman and an ice skater—before settling on her. She is the first character in the franchise to practice Taekwondo and the first Korean character overall.
Her design was shaped by producer Yoshinori Ono, who wanted someone "bad and somewhat erotic." Taekwondo was chosen over other martial arts, like a sports-themed style or mixed martial arts, because the series lacked it and the team thought a kick-focused fighter could be interesting. Ono noted that Capcom had wanted to include a Korean character since *Street Fighter II* became popular in South Korea, but earlier plans were hindered by strict South Korean government restrictions on Japanese culture. After *Street Fighter IV*, Capcom Korea pushed for a Korean character in the next game, arguing that other fighting games had them but the series that started it all needed one. Ono described Juri as "kind of nasty" and "somewhat twisted," a deliberate departure from typical heroic newcomers.
Juri’s shirt was modeled after a spider, with the sides of her breasts exposed at Ono’s suggestion. Her pants were designed to evoke a Taekwondo uniform’s silhouette, with black trim to distinguish her from other *Street Fighter* characters. Her original color scheme was plain, but hot pink—a color unused by other female characters—was added to make her stand out, with black details to avoid looking frivolous. The pink crystal in her left eye, called the Feng Shui Engine, was placed there after deciding to align her with Seth; earlier ideas included her stomach, palm, leg, or ankle, but the design director felt a large globe in her stomach would be unattractive and noted an eye was a logical spot for an artificial replacement. Initially, Juri was designed to be chubbier and cuter, but the team gradually made her slimmer, though they reversed some changes when they felt they overdid it.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Street Fighter
- First
- Super Street Fighter IV (2010)
- Creator
- Yoshinori Ono
- Voice
- EN: Jessica Straus / JA: Eri Kitamura
- Origin
- South Korea
- Nationality
- South Korean
- Fighting Style
- Taekwondo
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Juri's character concept was created from a suggestion by Yoshinori Ono to introduce a female Korean character. The final concept was intended to be someone 'bad and somewhat erotic,' with Taekwondo selected as her martial art due to its lack of representation in the series. A mixed martial arts style was also considered, but the team chose to focus on a more iconic fighting style. Ono stated that they planned to add a Korean character since soon after Street Fighter II became popular in South Korea, but the South Korean government had strict limitations against Japanese language and culture. However, both Fatal Fury and Tekken have had Korean characters since 1992 and 1995 respectively, so this e. The anime centering on Juri was included in *Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition*, not the original *Super Street Fighter IV*, and was available on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in Japan, not exclusively Xbox 360.
Reader's Guide
Juri's significance lies in her role as the first Korean character and first Taekwondo practitioner in the Street Fighter series, addressing a long-standing demand from Korean fans. Her design process involved 400–500 ideas, including an old woman and an ice skater, before settling on a 'bad and somewhat erotic' concept. Her shirt was modeled after a spider, and her pants were designed to give a silhouette like a Taekwondo uniform. The hot pink color scheme was chosen to make her stand out among other female characters. The Feng Shui Engine, a pink crystal, was placed in her left eye after considering other locations, because a 'big globe in the stomach of a female character wasn't going to look very attractive.' Her personality was deliberately made evil and provocative, with double entendres in her quotes. She has appeared in multiple crossover games including Street Fighter X Tekken, Project X Zone, and its sequel, as well as Street Fighter V as downloadable content. Her fighting style focuses on kicks, and she has been described as 'agile and quick, but with low stamina.' Street Fighter player Justin Wong compared her to a 'Guilty Gear type of character.'
Did You Know?
- Juri was selected from 400–500 ideas, which included an old woman and an ice skater.
- Her Feng Shui Engine was originally planned to be in her stomach, but was moved to her eye because a 'big globe in the stomach of a female character wasn't going to look very attractive.'
- The developers debated aligning her with M. Bison or Seth before choosing Seth.
- An anime centering on Juri, produced by Studio Gonzo and Afro Samurai director Fuminori Kizaki, was included in the Japanese Xbox 360 version of Super Street Fighter IV.
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