I was asked (very nicely!) to explain why SF4 Sakura has better anim/key poses than SF5 Sakura. Here's a quick infographic. Basically the SF4 one looks stronger cos she's really turning into that punch. She's throwing from the hips. SFV is like the fist is pulling her forward! 
The SFV animation by surface level conventional animation wisdom has a more clear silhouette--but does it?? In SF4 it's very clear how Sakura's legs are propelling her forward. In the SFV key pose it's difficult to tell which leg is even in the front.
Ah nuts! Twitter went haywire on me last night. Couldn't finish this thread. It was all like "you're throwing too much heat--go to bed!" (probably for the best haha)
Anyway, time to finish what I started!
Anyway, time to finish what I started!
OK! Look at their heads! In SF4 she's really leaning and twisting into that punch. You can't even see her face! Not only does this add impact and emphasis to the animation, it's also better form as she's tucking her chin in!
Here's another cool detail. In SF4, Sakura is adding a "corkscrew" twist to her punch. This not only looks cooler, it adds more impact, and many believe it stresses your joints less. Also raises the shoulder muscles to guard your face just a bit more!
Capcom has been animating punches with the "corkscrew" for ages. They have always been so ahead of the game when it comes to art and gameplay and the perfect union of the two!
I just want to emphasize, if you want a punch to feel very strong, you need strong keyframes with very straight lines of action. I know a lot of schools of animation say to make everything a curve and arc, but this is a fight not a dance.
Lets REALLY think about what a "good silhouette" means. Which one of these feels stronger? Why?
By Animation 101 standards, the SFV pose could be considered superior with its more obvious "line of action" and clear placement of the head. But actually it's a much weaker pose!
By Animation 101 standards, the SFV pose could be considered superior with its more obvious "line of action" and clear placement of the head. But actually it's a much weaker pose!
By turning in the head and limbs and creating a tighter silhouette, the SF4 pose (left) is actually much more dimensional. The way the parts overlap is much clearer. The SFV pose (right) is MUCH FLATTER. When it's a pure silhouette its hard to tell which way she's even facing.
Ah nuts Twitter messed up the timing of my last gif! Ah well moving on ...
Take a look at the secondary animation of her headband. SF4's has a very nice arc to it. Definitely hand keyed. Really emphasizes the energy of the motion. SFV is dry procedural physics engine stuff.
Take a look at the secondary animation of her headband. SF4's has a very nice arc to it. Definitely hand keyed. Really emphasizes the energy of the motion. SFV is dry procedural physics engine stuff.
OK gonna wrap this up soon! Some might say that the SFV pose is more similar to a proper Karate punch. I'm not sure if that's even true, but also, the "Shotos" don't practice Karate! They practice the "assassination fist" ie kungfu movie secret arts!
One last thing. Realism is hardly the most important thing for good animation, but if you wanna talk about realism, let's take a look at Dan Henderson's iconic KO of Michael Bisping. Which fierce punch pose here recalls the "fierceness" of that punch better?
I rest my case ✌️✨
I rest my case ✌️✨
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this thread please know this is not the first or even the second time i've obsessed over analyzing a single fighting game character punch. Follow me for more content like this!
Whole lotta punching analysis going on in this here account:
Whoooole lotta punching analysis
This isn't even my final form ...
You like kicks? We got kick animation analysis too!
Here's a thread where I analyze the cultural origins of the hadouken. I'm real proud of this one. Please read it!
I spent hours researching authentic Tai chi forms to write a few tweets haha. Time well spent! I love this stuff!
Circling back to the Sakura SF4 vs SFV animations ... Also just want to say, please don't blame the artists for the perceived flaws. Who knows what went on behind the scenes!
OK one last word on all this. The Street Fighter 4 poses look good because they closely followed Sakura's 2d sprite. Please check out the 2D Street Fighters. They are some of the most beautiful, skillful, generous games ever made!
👌✨✌️✨☮️✨
👌✨✌️✨☮️✨
If you enjoyed this thread please thank @Cagarrr for making the original comparison images that have been circulating around the net for over a year!
@Cagarrr One more one more thing! There seems to be a lot of confusion over the placement of Sakura's legs in her SFV keyframe. It looks like it's her right leg forward (same side as punching hand) but it's actually her LEFT leg that is forward!
