Why Joe From Street Fighter (2026) Looks So Familiar

In the annals of "Street Fighter" lore, the character of Joe may be a little obscure. The 2026 "Street Fighter" movie, however, contains a notable role for Joe, and he's played by Australian MMA fighter Alexander Volkanovski. You might be familiar with Volkanovski from his YouTube channel, or any number of his Ultimate Fighting Championship wins.

And just who the heck is Joe? That will take a little bit of looking back. In the original 1987 "Street Fighter" arcade game, you might recall, players took control of either the Japanese martial arts master Ryu or his American rival Ken, and then used clever button-mashing to defeat a string of computer-controlled opponents. One of the fighters in said string was an American karate champ named Joe. He was a boring blond guy with red pants and not much personality otherwise.

Few might remember Joe or many of the other original "Street Fighter" opponents, however. While "Street Fighter" was popular, you see, it was 1991's "Street Fighter II" that took the world by storm. In that game, you could play as any of the main characters – Ken and Ryu, but also Chun-Li, E. Honda, Dhalsim, Blanka, Guile, Zangief, et al. It was the characters from "Street Fighter II" that largely populated the 1994 "Street Fighter" feature film, and also mostly populate the 2026 film as well. Say what you will, but I think 1994's 1994's "Street Fighter" is good, actually, and I'm not the only one who does. The 2026 "Street Fighter" film, meanwhile, received a 5.5 out of 10 score from /Film. 

Joe only appears in the original 1987 game, and he is absent from the 1994 movie, but he does have a cameo in the 2026 film, making him a fun Easter egg for the world's many "Street Fighter" fans.

Part of the fun of making a film adaptation of a game like "Street Fighter" is the casting, and the 2026 "Street Fighter" does not disappoint. The actors look surprisingly close to their on-screen counterparts — enhanced, of course, with makeup and costumes. Some of the casting in "Street Fighter" is clearly done for the stunt of it; masked pop star Orville Peck, for instance, plays the masked "Street Fighter" character of Vega. If you want to know the full cast of "Street Fighter," /Film has written a handy-dandy character guide for you. 

To play Joe, Alexander Volkanovski — typically sporting a beard and a bald head — was given a clean-shaven face and a blonde wig. His hair is upswept like Joe from the video games, and he wears the same red pants. The makers of the 2026 movie clearly paid attention to detail. According to his UFC profile, Alexander Volkanovski has achieved 13 wins by knockout, three wins by submission, and seven first-round finishes, so we may rest assured that his fight choreography in "Street Fighter" was executed by an expert.

Despite the obscurity of the character, in the 2026 movie, Joe actually plays something of a notable role, especially in the final act. His fate is ... well, I'll leave you to witness the street fighting yourself. I'm not going to tell you who wins the tournament. 

"Street Fighter" is Volkanovski's first feature film, although it technically isn't his first acting gig. On his IMDb page, he is credited as playing himself in the 2026 video game "EA Sports UFC 6," which was released this last June. But of course, many MMA fighters and UFC fighters play themselves in that game.