The Shinobi's Heart: Writers Commentary

Now that the Ryu X Chun-Li graphic novel has been launched, The Shinobi's Heart, a ten-page Alex X Ibuki mini-comic, has been unveiled with it for the world to see.

Alex and Ibuki aren't exactly a new fan couple. In fact, people in Asia have written stories of them as an item after New Generation hit arcades. It's not hard to see why. They were the two most prominent characters of the new cast for Street Fighter 3; the game's young equivalents to Ryu and Chun-Li, more or less. But this is a somewhat foreign concept for western fans, and many still don't know what to think of it. The reception I've been seeing in the years since my very first fan art of them together seems to be evenly split. This would be fine, except the negative reactions are all too often grounded in one of two things. The assumption that Alex and Ibuki have nothing in common, or the asinine misconception that Ibuki's underage, despite her 3rd Strike ending pointing to the contrary. I think it's time I gave some insight on the thought process that went into writing this story last spring. That way, if you're still on the fence, or even against the idea of these two hooking up, you'll at least have a better understanding of how it could possibly work in a what-if setting.

Be warned, for this blog contains major spoilers. You can find the comic in the link below before reading further.

http://www.ryuxchunli.com/mini-comic-appendix-gallery

And now that you have the full experience out of the way, let's begin!

Page 1:

With events being manipulated around the world by the secret society, Alex winds up running into various street fighters as he pursues Gill. This is how I'd imagine he would have encountered Ibuki for the first time, if ever. In the games, Alex always give his all in every fight, no matter who the opponent is. But we also know from his interactions with Tom and Patricia that he's a good person who cares for others. For this story, it was important to show more of his affectionate human side with Ibuki.

I've personally come to know people who've been on the streets long enough to assess whether a person's genuinely threatening just by looking at them. That knowledge is something I felt Alex should have acquired through years of backstreet brawling. So after observing the way Ibuki carries herself when he's captured, he quickly realizes she's not like the other ninjas. She's just an innocent young girl. So the bigger challenge for him isn't to win this fight with her, but to escape from the situation without having her blood on his hands. He's not a monster. Ibuki sees this, which prompts her to end it by pretending to lose. Continuing the fight would force him to do something that would only confirm her clan's suspicions and get him killed anyway.

I wanted to write another page or two for the actual fight. The resolution would have been a peaceful one. But the circumstances at home were too unfavorable for me at the time, so this was the best I could do.

Then we see just how serious a ninja Ibuki can be. This character duality is something that was sorely lacking in Street Fighter 4, so this was the right opportunity to showcase it. We've never really seen her kill anybody before, and it makes no sense for a ninja not to. She might hate her line of work, but if you threaten her or someone she has strong feelings for. you're dead. The sniper you see targeting Alex learned that the hard way.

Page 2:

Ibuki saved Alex twice, so now he returns the favor by stopping her from falling to her death. I'd thought about doing a montage where the two save each other back and forth, but again, I wasn't afforded the time necessary to draw it. This is just as effective though, because neither of them were caught in predicaments that made them look weak, or in Ibuki's case, look like a damsel in distress.

While it was never officially confirmed, there's a possibility that Ibuki may have encountered and fought Necro in 2nd Impact. Beating some intel out of him would certainly explain how she knew where to find Gill, since she did succeed in securing the G-File in the end. This page would be one of several surprise meetings with Alex on her mission: more specifically, they meet in Moscow, a place known to be subjected to blizzards, and the city where Necro's mobile laboratory stage from New Generation is located. You see a direct consequence of the harsh weather in a flashback much later on in the story, but it's clear that Ibuki is distraught with everything else that's happened to her thus far. And this is where Alex's compassion for her really shines. He respects her for her strength and fighting ability, but recognizes her need to live like a normal girl. She doesn't deserve to be forced into the life of an assassin, and the fact she's in direct conflict with Tom's attacker makes Alex feel compelled to help see her mission through to the end. His warm embrace becomes the catalyst that finally makes them realize their true feelings.

The sight of them holding one another is remarkably endearing. I've heard people say that their size differences make them look too visually jarring as a couple. I think that's ridiculous. For starters, why should that be considered a con when T.Hawk was officially in a relationship with Juli? Second, while I don't claim to be an expert on women, there's one thing I do know; It's that they all want strong, confident men who can protect them. Yes, even if they ARE capable of defending themselves. It's not a physical need for women as much as it is a demand in character. And Alex has an overwhelming measure of strength, both physical and emotional. If he held Ibuki in his arms, he'd give her a sense of comfort that no one else could BECAUSE he's so big. That is what I wanted to convey in the shot where he's keeping her warm. If Alex was any smaller, let's say around Ryu's size, I'm not sure I would enjoy this pairing as much. To tell you the truth, I can't enjoy any other pairing I've seen with Ibuki for this exact reason. That especially includes Yun X Ibuki, which just annoys me to no end.

And of course, Ibuki never travels without Don. I forgot to add him to the composition when I initially roughed out the page. And Im glad I remembered to do it, because his presence adds another layer of symbolism to the scene. He likes Alex enough to snuggle up to him, thereby giving his approval of his masters relationship with him.

Page 3:

The flashback of Ibuki's first meeting(s) with Alex is over, and now we begin to delve into her worst fear. Obtaining the G-File in 2nd Impact resolved nothing. The project responsible for the creation of Necro and Twelve was already underway, and the world is still at risk of being potentially subjugated by an army of similar bioweapons. Ibuki may very well be targeted by the secret society at some point, now that she's proven her competence as a fighter against Gill. I actually expect this to happen to a number of fighters in Street Fighter 5, assuming it takes place in a post SF3-setting.

Ibuki's always prepared to face any threat. As much as she hates her ninja training, she never doubted how important her lessons were. They're what helped her survive Street Fighter 3. But now that she's found a life partner in Alex, she's beginning to doubt herself. Their bond comes into conflict with the same teachings that kept her alive for so long. Will this relationship cause her to lose focus and prevent her from sharpening her fighting skill? Or will Alex's feelings for her compel him to put himself at risk for her own safety, should the secret society come after them? All those frightening thoughts begin to manifest here in this nightmare sequence. As the establishing shot suggests, Ibuki's not faring well.

New Generation had the best background art of any game in the SF3 series, and Gill's stage at the Mediterranean Sea was particularly memorable; the waves of lava behind the fighters was simply chaotic, and the music track was equally effective at being ominous. Combined with Bruce Robertson's superior voice work as Gill, you really felt like you were going to die if you screwed up in the boss battle. I thought it'd be best to revisit this setting since it's no longer canon with Gill's Nile stage replacing it in 2nd Impact.

Page 4:

Alex sacrifices himself to save Ibuki from the pyrokinesis, and it was all in vain. Part of her wants to tear Gill apart, but an even bigger part is internalizing the blame. That is the basis from which I wrote this entire scene. She sees herself as incompetent and she's mentally punishing herself. She would never do anything to hurt Alex, yet she feels shes the one responsible.

And this newly acquired sense of self-loathing takes shape in the form of Patricia, Alex's adoptive little sister. Patricia's a kind and gentle young girl, and one that Ibuki was hoping to one day have as her own sister. So the idea that she, of all people, would arrive to attack her makes this scene even more terrifying.

Page 5:

For the first time, Ibuki has become a victim. Her inner strength built from years of fighting and completing dangerous tasks has vanished, and Patricia continues to brutalize her with impossible strength. When she makes an attempt at stabbing Ibuki like a juvenile delinquent, she catches the knife and tries to talk sense into her, but to no avail.

Page 6:

Ibuki's self-torment comes to a cruel end in the form of Tom, Alex's mentor and adoptive father. She's envisioning that he's about to finish her off like a thug who was caught breaking into his home. But not before he verbally abuses her. Tom's violent behavior and hurtful dialogue is derived from both Ibuki's past experiences with how people perceive ninjas, and her reflection of her own immature herself from the past.

Ninjas are widely considered to be undesirable criminals, and she specifically mentions this in the flashback at the beginning. Everyone she's come across on the job has practically spat in her face, like she's nothing but a worthless thug. That's the last thing Ibuki wants to be. All her life, she just wanted to be loved, and Alex was the first one outside of her ninja village to give her that wish. With him gone, her life would surely collapse. And in the last panel, this fear is materializing with Tom firing his gun. That's an image she knows all too well from her past missions. No one has successfully hit her with a single bullet of course, but it is nonetheless a weapon that has always bothered her. What schoolgirl deserves to be shot at?

And we know how obsessive she is over boys and all things that are girly in Street Fighter 4. Over time, she's come to realize how much she's made a mockery of herself with her childish antics, thus we see how she toughened up in 2nd Impact. Only now, she's questioning whether she'd done enough to improve herself, and a lot of the criticisms she would get from opponents for not fighting seriously are resurfacing here, albeit in a much more demeaning way.

Page 7:

Ibuki wakes up from the nightmare and finds herself in the current day with the reassuring presence of Alex, alive and well. It takes a moment for her to process the environment she's in, and remember she's traveling with her boyfriend to New York for her summer break. What better way to relax between semesters at her new (depressing) university from 3rd Strike than to meet Alex's family? San Francisco was an ideal location for this scene because it's the first place anyone flying from Japan would likely make a stop. I myself have fond memories of staying a night at the Hyatt there when I was little. I don't think I've had a better hotel experience since, so I wanted an establishing shot that felt nostalgic.

But the bigger challenge for me was actually giving Ibuki something conceivable to wear at night, while still making her look as sexy as possible. And I succeeded! The see-through top was actually inspired by a piece from Omar Dogan's Girl 7 book, in which one of his female OCs wore a similar top with a bra underneath. When I saw photos of actual tank tops like this, I knew I needed one on Ibuki's body. The purple shading and silky texture really do accentuate her figure well. And I'm sure Alex would be most pleased!

I came up with the nickname "Al-Chan" because it's a sign of endearment for Japanese people to attach the pronoun "-chan" at the end of any given name, which is sometimes shortened. That's exactly how Ibuki likes to address Don, so it makes sense. Plus, it sounds cute as hell.

Page 8:

This is the most erotic thing I've ever drawn! And for good reason too. Alex and Ibuki are two of the most attractive characters in the Street Fighter universe. With bodies as amazing as theirs, it'd be hard for these two not to be sexually active.

But this is anything but gratuitous. All the previous flashbacks that were presented, including the ones above where Ibuki endures a blizzard with Alex, shares her first kiss with him, and gives him a kunai as a memento, make one thing abundantly clear. They've struggled through so much together, and touching is the best way to remind one another that they're still alive and living well.

Page 9:

And the scene comes to a close with Ibuki's fears completely quelled, and the two ready to engage in some much-needed sex. Props to anyone who can guess the fan fiction reference Ibuki makes in Panel 2!

Page 10:

And here's the final page. This is a corkboard hanging in Ibuki's dorm room back in Japan. The focal point is the photo of Ibuki having a memorable time with Alex's folks in New York. Her dreams of having a loving family are coming to fruition. Tom and Patricia have accepted her (and Don!), and in time, she'll become a new daughter/sister-in-law to them! But she's done so much for Alex, they consider her family already.

To make this corkboard more interesting, there are two photos of Alex that she kisses regularly, especially one with him bearing his muscular chest and abs. No surprise there! Up top is a tabloid article of Dee Jay starting a romance with Elena. I liked the idea of her being one of Ibuki's closest friends in UDON's continuity, so why not give them that relationship here? I think connections such as these help bring more realism to the Street Fighter characters. That's something Ibuki definitely needs more of, in my opinion. She's such a likable person, so it's hard to accept that she wouldn't be on good terms with more fighters in the main cast.

On the bottom is another tabloid article, with a snapshot of the commission I did for Sean Anderson in 2013. You may have seen it if you donated money to the Ryu X Chun-Li graphic novel. It was a wallpaper of Ryu and Chun-Li in a hot spring, double-dating with none other than Alex and Ibuki!

To the right is a checklist of Ibuki's preparations for the wedding that she and Alex have been invited to, with a few comical accents. I originally had a printout of an internet chat between Ibuki, Sarai, Makoto and Sakura here. Because Sean asked if I wanted to connect The Shinobi's Heart to the main story by writing and drawing a new solo page, this checklist became a bigger priority.

And now for some BONUS PAGES!

The Heart of Battle, pg. 127

Alex and Ibuki are now in New York, and they receive an invitation to Ryu and Chun-Li's wedding in Japan during an afternoon jog. It was fun making them look sweaty from top to bottom, but that background took so much time to finish. Still, it was absolutely imperative that I didn't rush it. If you're going to put a scene in Central Park, you gotta do it right or you'll get called out.

Sean Anderson wanted this strip to have a more comical or upbeat end to it, so I chose to have Alex slip on a mud puddle and soil his new sneakers and sweat clothes. This is another commentary for how well these two complement each other. In every game Ibuki's in, she gets caught up in situations where she gets screwed over somehow, mainly due to her tendency to make poor decisions. Because Alex is the more serious fighter, I thought I'd give him this one lapse in judgment to balance out their relationship even more!

Alex/Ibuki Pin-Up

This was originally going to be a cover for The Shinobi's Heart, but the version I had with the plain white background didn't make the cut. All is well though, because the finished version here with the Japanese-inspired background, and the vision of Ryu/Chun-Li mixed in, is perfectly symbolic for how alike these two pairings are.

If you want to know if I had any other gesture in mind for Alex and Ibuki in this piece, the answer is, of course not. Like Chun-Li, Ibuki's known for having beautiful legs. They're the highlight of her ninja costume. If she was your girlfriend, you'd be crazy not to give them the kind of attention that Alex is giving them. And what do you know? Its her favorite place to be massaged!

And that concludes my commentary. If you enjoyed this blog post, be sure to fave every page of the story in my gallery at deviantart, and share the complete version with all captions and dialogue at http://www.ryuxchunli.com !

Have a good one.

- EdomndDantes23