Capcom removed the appearances of the Japanese flag “Rising Sun” and the Hong Kong flag from Street Fighter II; which is included as part of Capcom Arcade Stadium collection.
Twitter User @pomegd posted the observed differences after first detecting that the Rising Sun motif was removed from the E. Honda stage in Street Fighter II. The stage usually features artwork from Mount Fuji with a rising sun in the background, but a blank space has been left.
The flag was speculatively removed due to its use as the official flag of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy until its dissolution in 1945 after World War II. The Japanese military was replaced by the Japanese Self-Defense Force (JSDF), which still uses the Rising Sun motif in their flags.
修正 前 、 修正 後
背景 寂 し く な ち ゃ っ た ね pic.twitter.com/AJqICvObEs– ぽ め (@pomegd) February 18, 2021
After further research, @pomegd also found that Hong Kong-born fighter Fei Long had his flag changed in character selection. Previously, Fei Long had the Hong Kong flag under British rule at the original launch of 1993. This was changed to the official flag of Hong Kong’s Bauhinia in 2018, at Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection.
It is important to note that Hong Kong’s status as a “Special Administrative Region” has not changed in the 2 years since Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection Speculatively, the flag may have been changed in response to the PRC’s more rigid stance towards Hong Kong, following protests against the bill on fugitive offenders and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.
香港 の 旗
1 枚 目 ： Capcom Arcade Stadium
2 枚 目 ： ア ニ コ レ
3 枚 目 ： 基板 ＆ ド リ キ ャ ス 版 pic.twitter.com/tEpYyZZt2t– ぽ め (@pomegd) February 18, 2021
China has suppressed pro-Hong Kong messages since the protests and went so far as to ban Animal Crossing: New Horizons due to its characteristics that allow rudimentary communication. Shanghai miHoYo developers also censored the phrases “Hong Kong” and “Taiwan” in their game Impact Genshin.
Capcom Arcade Stadium released on February 17 on the Nintendo Switch.
Images: StrategyWiki, Wikipedia