McDonald’s Japan is linking up with Street Fighter in its latest pop culture collaboration, sending the fighting game community reeling with excitement.
McDonald’s is known for its frequent collaborations with various celebrities, brands, and IPs. For instance, they’ve teamed up with a number of rappers to create special meal deals based on what the artists usually order, and often include unique toys in Happy Meals based on characters from popular cartoons or video games.
These collaborations can vary by region, with some branches of the fast food chain getting ‘cooler’ experiences than others… and McDonald’s Japan is getting a seriously awesome one this October.
Street Fighter comes to McDonald’s Japan this October
As revealed in two tweets from the official McDonald’s Japan X account on October 15, fast food lovers in the country will soon get a taste of Ryu’s Hadouken — or something like that.
In one tweet, McDonald’s Japan shared a silhouette of Guile’s crouching sprite from Street Fighter II, captioning the photo: “Waiting for something…”
A few hours later, they shared another silhouette of the classic game’s entire cast in their respective win poses, along with a date: 2025.10.16.
“Tomorrow’s announcement, they’re coming to meet,” the brand wrote.
The fighting game community was instantly intrigued by these teasers, wondering what the collaboration could entail. Some wondered if collectable toys will be available for purchase at McDonald’s locations in Japan, while others speculated that special Street Fighter-themed meals could be on offer.
It’s important to note that this collaboration seems specifically centered around Street Fighter II, and not Street Fighter 6, as the shadowy illustrations directly take from the 1992 game.
A few Japanese citizens have come across posters appearing to advertise the upcoming collaboration, although the date differs, with one poster stating the collaboration will officially launch on Wednesday, October 22. It also mentions that the partnership will only be available at locations that offer breakfast.
The posters also show what’s supposedly included in the collab, which appears to be three unique burgers themed after the game: a garlic mayo burger with a grilled egg, a fried chicken burger with sweet and sour mayo, and a triple cheeseburger.
For now, we’ll just have to wait and see what Capcom and McDonald’s have cooking up together — but oddly enough, this isn’t the first time the two companies have collaborated with each other.
In 2021, McDonald’s France included Ryu and Ken in a video game-themed “Come As You Are” ad campaign, showing the two characters rolling up to the drive-thru in a car they’d beaten up during SFII’s bonus stage.
McDonald’s Japan is especially celebrated for its fun collaborations with anime and video games; in 2024, they linked up with Neon Genesis Evangelion, offering mecha figures that transformed into food.
