McDonald’s Japan teams up with Street Fighter for a knockout new collaboration

A Big Mac on the Street Fighter II character select screen.

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.

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On October 16, all was revealed.

It’s important to note that this collaboration seems specifically centered around Street Fighter II, and not Street Fighter 6.

A few Japanese citizens came across posters advertising the upcoming collaboration, which will officially launch on Wednesday, October 22 and last until late November. The ads mention that the partnership will only be available at locations that offer breakfast.

The posters also show what’s 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.

However, there’s much more in store for Street Fighter fans than just entrees. Local news outlets show that two beverages are also on offer: the McPhee’s Overflowing Energy drink and the McFloat Overflowing Energy float.

Both bevs come in special Street Fighter-branded plastic cups featuring Ken and Ryu, specifically, and are each variations of an apple-flavored carbonated energy drink.

The two themed drinks in McDonald's Japan x Street Fighter collab.

McDonald’s Japan released a few different commercials on YouTube showing the World Warriors of Street Fighter II duking it out in the game using these new eats as special moves.

While the McDonald’s partnership focuses on SFII, Capcom has also included it in the Street Fighter 6 Battle Hub as a special ‘contest event,’ with a couple crossover bonuses for players.

Those who log in will receive a special costume color for M. Bison’s costume 2, likely a play on his appearance in the McDonald’s advertisements.

On top of this, players can also vote for their favorite burger in the Battle Hub – and the one with the most votes will be declared the ‘winner.’ It’s unclear if the event is regionally locked to Japan or if it will be available worldwide.

SF6 x McDonald's promo event in the Battle Hub.

Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time McDonald’s has featured Street Fighter in its promotional materials.

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.

Ryu and Ken in an advertisement for McDonald's France.

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.