T.J. Combo is one of the most iconic characters in the world of fighting games. — In 1994, Midway published a 2.5D fighting game that was reminiscent of its popular Mortal Kombat franchise. The game had Fatalities, though they were watered down, which sparked the nostalgia of loyal Mortal Kombat fans. …

The recent news report of a special needs student violently attacking a teacher’s aide shows that the martial arts world is not equipped to deal with rising problems in school violence. — I thought I had already moved on from typing up part four of The Concept Of “Black Belt Attitude” Is (Mostly) Bulls — t, in which I address the spike in school violence, I felt the need to type “Part 4.4” after I saw the surveillance video of a 17-year-old…

SNK leads in Black representation in the fighting game genre across franchises such as Fatal Fury, King of Fighters, and Samurai Shodown. — SNK, especially through its Neo Geo system, has cemented itself as one of the major studios known for developing & publishing fighting game franchises. A couple of franchises thrived while others faded into obscurity but received ports for the current generation consoles. …

The Hunter Family personifies Black excellence in the world of beat ’em up titles. — In 1991, Sega launched Streets of Rage for the Genesis console. This beat ’em title was Sega’s answer to Capcom’s Final Fight and Technos’ Double Dragon. Streets of Rage would go down in history as one of the most popular beat ’em up franchises let alone being one of the…

The SEGA fighting game franchises have representation through Jeffry McWild, Vanessa Lewis, and Grace. — In October 1993, Sega launched the first installment of its Virtua Fighter series and it would begin the trend of 3D fighting games. …

Nagoriyuki, who debuted in Guilty Gear Strive, has the honor of being the first Black character introduced to the franchise. — It’s 1999 and I head to Walmart, though I had a friend drive me there, while we were killing time before our Saturday performance of Grease at our high school. …

Starting with Bruce Irvin’s debut in Tekken 3, we now have folks like Raven and more. — Bandai Namco has cemented itself as one of the major publishers of fighting games with the successes of its Tekken and Soul series. The two franchises have a HANDFUL of characters who are Black but these characters have left a major impact over the decades. …

Major Jackson “Jax” Briggs was the first Black character to be added to the roster of Mortal Kombat. Since then, Black representation has grown as the franchise has released more titles. — It’s the fall of 1993 when I’m in the first term of my 6th-grade year in middle school, and I go to the arcade with my uncle, where I see Mortal Kombat II. …

Black representation is present in fighting games, especially in Capcom’s Street Fighter franchise. — February is known as Black History Month in the United States and it is essential to highlight all known fighting game characters who are Black. …