Street Fighter, The King of Fighters, and Dragon Ball Z all serve as inspiration for blocky coolness.
Fighting games are all about punching, kicking, or otherwise pummeling your opponent into submission. But though Japanese Twitter user @seibu_lina0505 has no doubt spent countless hours unleashing the destructive power of video game characters’ furious fists, he’s also channeled his love of the genre into something that’s creative.
Aside from being a gamer, @seibu_lina0505 is also a Nanoblock enthusiast, regularly sharing the finished results of his projects involving the tiny Lego-like blocks. Rather than limit himself to the directions that come with any pre-set kit, @seibu_lina0505 instead uses his talent to devise awesome recreations of the greatest martial artists of the video game world.
Any discussion of modern fighting games of course has to begin with Street Fighter II. All of the World Warriors are present and accounted for, including those who joined the cast in the game’s series of semi-sequels that culminated with Super Street Fighter II Turbo.
The iconic character designs are instantly recognizable, even in abstract Nanoblock form. But @seibu_lina0505 knows the real appeal of these gaming icons comes when they unleash their special attacks, and so he also builds more complex versions of the fighters, such as Ken and Ryu showing off their shoryuken and tatsumakisenpukyaku techniques.
@seibu_lina0505’s attention to detail shines brightest in the way he uses clear blocks to position the character’s bodies in mid-air, and also in how he makes sure to include effects such as brightly burning flames or crackling chi energy.
▼ The oft-overlooked Dhalsim takes on original Street Fighter end boss Sagat.
▼ Ryu’s dark nemesis Akuma, in the opening motions of his infamous Shun Goku Satsu finishing move
While she didn’t make her debut until Street Fighter Alpha 3, female wrestler R. Mika has also been given the Nanoblock treatment by @seibu_lina0505.
▼ The character’s famously curvaceous physique is decidedly more angular in this version.
But while the Street Fighter franchise has always enjoyed greater commercial success, some will argue their preference for The King of Fighters series, produced by Capcom’s rival SNK. @seibu_lina0505 is perfectly happy to work both sides of the (fighting) street, as shown by the numerous Nanoblock versions of King of Fighters regular (and Fatal Fury star) Terry Bogard.
▼ All-around nice guy that he is, Terry is always concerned about your well-being.
▼ King of Fighters’ K’, Kyo, and Iori, perhaps forming a team of three as per the game’s rules.
▼ “Hey, Iori, check it out. I can make flames appear out of my hand.”
▼ “Yeah, big whoop, dweebster.”
And finally, even though they’re better known for their anime exploits than their video game adaptation appearances, here’s @seibu_lina0505’s take on the cast of Dragon Ball Z.
▼ He’s really done a great job capturing Yamcha’s powerlessness.
After seeing what @seibu_lina0505 can do, we can’t wait for his next round of Nanoblock projects.
Source: Twitter/@seibu_lina0505
Follow Casey on Twitter, here he votes that Galford be the next SNK character to get a Nanoblock version.