Hong Kong was renowned for its rapid filmmaking pace, with some productions completed in as little as a week.
Of course, Jackie Chan's action films couldn't be rushed like comedies.
Kobayashi Tetsu visited the set during a break. Just as Jackie Chan didn't understand game development, he couldn't comprehend how Jackie Chan made movies.
Kobayashi Tetsu stood beneath a crane for a while, gazing up at the equipment used for wire rigging, then turned to Jackie Chan.
"You use this to fly?"
"Not for flying, for fighting," Jackie Chan explained. "When I get hit, the wires pull me back, making it look much more dramatic."
Kobayashi Tetsu nodded, seemingly understanding. "So you use wire rigs for dangerous stunts?"
"No, for dangerous stunts, I do them myself," Jackie Chan said, spreading his hands. "I never use doubles—I perform all my stunts personally."
"Then what's Chin Kar Lok for?" Kobayashi Tetsu asked.
Jackie Chan let out a sharp inhale, as if he'd swallowed Lin Fengjiao.
He hadn't expected Kobayashi Tetsu to be so well-informed about Hong Kong affairs!
Truth be told, Jackie Chan did occasionally use doubles, and Chin Kar Lok was one of them.
However, in many shots, especially those requiring him to be on camera, Jackie Chan refused to use a stunt double.
"Stunt doubles are occasionally necessary," Jackie Chan said, changing the subject. "It's not easy for the Boss to visit the set. Would you like to play a role?"
Kobayashi Tetsu was indifferent. He had little interest in appearing in his own productions.
"Then just assign me any role."
Jackie Chan grabbed the script, scanned it quickly, and nodded.
"Got it."
"Here's a role—a major extra. I'll find someone at the arcade later, but if I can't, I'll ask someone who's playing a game. They'll turn around and point the way, and the camera will follow."
A major extra? Kobayashi Tetsu knew what that meant—Trunks!
Without changing his clothes, he simply had a film makeup applied and sat down on the set to wait.
The scene was filmed in a Sega arcade that had been rented out. The equipment was real, and the Sega logo was visible in many shots. However, Jackie Chan, being tactful, had replaced the most prominent machines within the camera's range with Atlas arcade cabinets, whose logo stood out conspicuously.
"Should I sit here?"
"Yes, right here. Just play a game casually."
Jackie Chan said, "I chased someone into the arcade, tapped your shoulder to ask about them. You turned around, looking a bit impatient. I asked for directions, and you casually pointed. I thanked you and left. You had two lines: First, 'What is it?' Second, 'That way.'"
Kobayashi Tetsu nodded and asked, "Should I speak Mandarin or Cantonese?"
Jackie Chan replied, "You should speak Japanese!"
Kobayashi Tetsu sat down at the arcade machine, fiddled with the controls for a moment, then suddenly looked up.
"Wait, I have a request!"
Jackie Chan hurried over. "What is it?"
Kobayashi Tetsu gestured with his hands. "Cover the screen. We'll composite Street Fighter footage later."
Jackie Chan understood immediately.
A green screen, of course. Green screen technology was already common in television production. No problem at all.
These were minor details, so he readily agreed. He had someone cover the arcade screen with a blue cloth.
*Correction: it was a blue screen, not a green screen.*
In reality, the difference between the two was negligible; both would work. But in the dim, arcade-like lighting of the indoor set, a blue screen performed better than a green screen.
Kobayashi Tetsu, of course, knew nothing about these technicalities. He sat before the blue-screened arcade machine and filmed his first-ever movie cameo. He started in a daze and ended in a muddle, having uttered only two lines.
"What is it?"
"That way, please."
Kobayashi Tetsu felt quite pleased with himself, and Jackie Chan offered him effusive praise.
"As a newcomer making a cameo, acting skill isn't the most important thing. Performance ability can be overlooked. President Kobayashi is so handsome that simply sitting there is enough to be visually pleasing. Even a slightly weak grasp of dialogue isn't a major problem. By that standard, his performance was quite commendable."
Kobayashi Tetsu nodded.
*See!*
*I knew my performance was quite brilliant!*
The *Street Fighter* game was completed.
Its progress was faster than that of *Red Fortress* and *Megami Tensei*.
The character roster wasn't large: besides Ryu and Ken, there were Mike (based on Mike Tyson), Guile, Zangief, the Vega Four Heavenly Kings, and a character based on Jackie Chan from *Police Story*, directly named Chan Ka-Kui.
The choice of *Police Story* was twofold: its proximity and significant influence, and the fact that Jackie Chan owned the rights to the franchise. Most of his previous works were owned by other companies, making licensing difficult.
Hong Kong didn't place much value on derivative rights, and games were still a relatively new medium. As a result, acquiring the rights to Chan Ka-Kui was surprisingly inexpensive.
Evening at Atlus Studio.
It had been half a month since filming wrapped, but Jackie Chan remained in Japan. One reason was to stay for post-release publicity, but the real reason was—
He was playing Street Fighter.
In the Atlus office, Jackie Chan's character crouched on the ground, not moving a muscle, rendering Kobayashi Tetsu's attacks utterly useless. It was like an impenetrable turtle shell.
Kobayashi Tetsu was going mad.
Street Fighter's combat system was highly detailed, with distinct mechanics for standing and crouching guards. While there were ways to break a crouch guard, this stubborn, unmoving stance on the ground was infuriatingly difficult to counter.
Jackie Chan held the joystick tightly, refusing to let go.
*Heh heh!*
*I must survive!*
After several failed attempts, Kobayashi Tetsu finally found an opening and landed a devastating combo that shattered Jackie Chan's guard. This time, he refused to play again.
As he pondered, Kobayashi Tetsu realized he'd overlooked something.
"When I develop Street Fighter 2, I absolutely must add a 'Guard Break' mechanic! Something specifically designed to counter these stubborn brutes who just hold the joystick and refuse to budge."
Jackie Chan had a blast, but his talent clearly didn't extend to video games. His gaming skills were on par with Hideo Kojima's.
"President Kobayashi, I'm here to resign. I'm deeply grateful for your support during the filming in Japan. I've done my best with this movie, and I'll cooperate with the promotion as needed. I have a new film starting soon in Hong Kong."
Kobayashi Tetsu knew that Jackie Chan was either completely idle or incredibly busy, depending on whether he was filming *Project A 2* or *Police Story 2*.
"When this game comes out, I'll definitely buy ten consoles and bring them back to Hong Kong! I'll tell all my friends and family to play it!"
The game was genuinely fun, and it even featured him!
Although there was a Jackie Chan character in *Jackie Chan's Kung Fu*, the pixelated graphics made it impossible to recognize him. *Street Fighter 1*, with its 320x240 resolution, remained surprisingly clear even when magnified, making the characters' features much sharper.
Playing as himself in a video game was a unique experience!
Kobayashi Tetsu shook his hand, looking regretful.
So, in the end, Jackie Chan didn't play Chun-Li after all! He'd have to wait for *Street Fighter 2* to be released and ask again to see if he'd be willing to play Chun-Li then.
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