One for you clever Japanese readers.

[vertigo]

Something that bugged me since the damn thing came out.
What does the sign in Ryu's rooftop stage in SF2: World Warrior say?
http://www.spitthedog.com/vertigo/ryusign.gif

[MrDark]

Its 'something' 'something' 'Fire' 'Mountain'
(Only managed to get the last two kanjis)

I think the first 2 are 'wind' and 'wood'. Fire + Mountain together would mean volcano.

[Excelsior]

maybe it's the "four elements" ?

[Fuddle]

fire mountain is volcano...maybe its mount fuji?
what does fuji mean?

[vertigo]

fire mountain is volcano...maybe its mount fuji?
what does fuji mean?Cameras for everyone? ;)
That first kanji certainly looks like kaze, but I can't find that next one anywhere.
Wood is 木 and forest is 森林 so it must mean something in between perhaps, like umm... a medium-sized gathering of trees? :D

[Tokuda]

Sorry mate-I know I promised to get you the translation, but my Japanese flatmate has gone to bed and I got distracted before she went- let you know tomorrow though.

[Atarian]

It seems to me to be an abridged version of the famous Takeda Shingen battleflag. Wind (fû), Forest (rin), Fire (ka), Mountain (zan). It's sort of shorthand for a text by Sun Tzu from 'The art of war' that reads: 'Swift like the wind, silent like the forest, fierce like fire, solid like the mountain, invisible as in darkness, moving like thunder, plundering villages, divide the people, enclosing land divide benefits, power depends on change, strategists win by forethought and circumvention, this is the way to fight battles.'

The flag features prominently in the film 'Kagemusha' by Kurosawa.

this is a picture of the full banner that reads : 'Swift like the wind, silent like the forest, fierce like fire, solid like the mountain'.

http://www.rit.edu/~mlc8826/the%20clan/Takeda%20story/takbattleflag.jpg

[vertigo]

That's the answer I was looking for. I had a feeling it was some sort of phrase, or a shortened version of a phrase. That seems to be it. Thanks a lot.

[killy]

You see, this is why Ryu is better than Ken. ;)

[vertigo]

Yeh :D
Shame they had to lose the signs (and Sagat's palm tree, which got in the way anyway).
My theory on that is that they just got rid of the front sprite layer and shuffled stuff about a bit so they could have an extra layer for background detail. My guess anyway. I liked the signs. Would be a nice in-joke for them to reappear somewhere. I haven't seen them yet, though I wouldn't be surprised if they were lurking somewhere already.
The lightning in the field background from SFZ2 was pretty damn good too, one of my all-time favourites.

[yashiro]

You see, this is why Ryu is better than Ken.
Godamit! don't you know it's all about the Ken?..oh yeah. :lol:

[vertigo]

Ryu for strong tactical play, Ken for showing off.

[JU!]

Ryu lives by honour and to fight, Kens just tryin to beat Ryu all the time, to prove how strong he is. :ph34r: