When Chun-Li burst onto the scene in Street Fighter II, she didn’t just break barriers—she shattered them with a spinning heel to the face. As the first major female character in fighting games, Chun-Li redefined what strength, speed, and style could look like. Her kicks weren’t just attacks—they were declarations of power, beauty, and precision. Across countless games and generations, Chun-Li’s arsenal of devastating kicks has earned her a permanent spot in gaming history. These ten kicks didn’t just win matches. They changed the game forever.
#10: Hyakuretsukyaku (Lightning Kick) – Street Fighter II
The Lightning Kick is the Chun-Li move—fast, flashy, and instantly recognizable. In Street Fighter II, tapping the kick button unleashed a furious barrage of strikes so fast they blurred together.
This move set Chun-Li apart immediately. No one else in the game could unleash pressure like that—rapid, relentless, overwhelming. It punished unsafe moves, broke fireball zoning, and even caught opponents mid-jump if timed perfectly.
The Lightning Kick wasn’t just good mechanically—it was iconic visually and audibly. That thwap-thwap-thwap sound became part of fighting game culture almost overnight. It showed that a female character could be aggressive, dangerous, and stylish—all at once.
Fun fact: early in SFII’s development, the dev team worried the Lightning Kick might be too strong because players who discovered how fast they could mash buttons could stun opponents almost instantly. Instead of nerfing it, they leaned into it—giving Chun-Li her first signature weapon.
#9: Tenshokyaku (Upward Spinning Kick) – Street Fighter Alpha Series
In the Alpha games, Chun-Li expanded her arsenal with the Tenshokyaku—a rapid spinning kick that launched her upward into the air with multiple strikes. Think of it as her version of a Dragon Punch: a perfect anti-air, combo finisher, and movement tool rolled into one.
The beauty of the Tenshokyaku was how versatile it was. You could use it defensively to blow through jump-ins, offensively to finish combos, or even as an unexpected punish. And because Chun-Li’s legs kicked at multiple heights as she spun up, opponents had to guess where and when to block—making it a nightmare at high levels.
In lore, the Tenshokyaku symbolized Chun-Li’s balance of power and grace. It wasn’t just raw violence—it was technique honed to art. Developer interviews noted that Chun-Li’s aerial mobility became a huge design focus starting with Alpha and moves like Tenshokyaku helped define her as the queen of vertical control in fighting games.
#8: Aerial Lightning Kick – Marvel vs. Capcom 2
When Chun-Li entered the insane world of Marvel vs. Capcom 2, her Aerial Lightning Kick took her signature move to ridiculous new heights—literally. Executed midair, this rapid flurry of kicks could lock opponents down, extend combos, and create devastating mixups.
In a game filled with flying Sentinel spam and Magneto infinites, Chun-Li’s air Lightning Kick gave her a brutal answer. She could pressure relentlessly from unexpected angles, setting up devastating resets or chip damage pressure.
More importantly, it looked awesome. Watching Chun-Li dart across the sky in a blur of blue and white lightning cemented her place in the hyper-fast, hyper-flashy Marvel universe. It proved that no matter how wild the game got, Chun-Li’s kicks could still dominate—and look gorgeous doing it.
#7: Hazanshu (Overhead Flip Kick) – Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
In Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Chun-Li’s Hazanshu—a quick, arcing flip kick—added a lethal tool to her already terrifying arsenal. Hazanshu isn’t just flashy. It’s an overhead move, meaning it bypasses low blocking and catches defensive opponents off-guard. And in the brutal, high-stakes world of 3rd Strike, a single overhead hit could mean the difference between victory and death.
What makes Hazanshu so legendary is how deceptively simple it looks. At a glance, it’s just a flip. But in practice, it forces mind games that only elite players can master. Will Chun-Li go low with her lightning-fast crouching attacks? Or will she suddenly flip overhead and start a devastating combo? It put constant fear into opponents—and fear, in fighting games, is the deadliest weapon of all.
Behind the scenes, developers said Chun-Li’s Hazanshu was designed to “force a shift in momentum.” It gave her a high-risk, high-reward option that complemented her ground dominance perfectly. Watching matches like EVO 2004—where Chun-Li players used Hazanshu to open up even the best defensive players in the world—cemented its place as one of the most iconic tools in her entire move set.
#6: Spinning Bird Kick – Street Fighter II
Another signature move that fans instantly associate with Chun-Li is the Spinning Bird Kick. Executed originally by charging down and then hitting up and kick, Chun-Li flipped upside-down and helicoptered across the screen, her legs becoming a deadly blur of spinning kicks.
Early on, the Spinning Bird Kick wasn’t as practical competitively as the Lightning Kick. But visually and stylistically, it was unforgettable. Chun-Li flipping across the screen upside down? It was unlike anything else in fighting games at the time—pure energy, pure acrobatics.
As the Street Fighter series evolved, so did the move. In later games, the Spinning Bird Kick became faster, safer, and easier to combo into, turning it from a novelty into a deadly offensive and defensive tool. Lore-wise, it reinforced Chun-Li’s training in powerful, agile Chinese martial arts. Developer interviews have often mentioned that the Spinning Bird Kick was inspired by classic kung-fu movies where fighters defied gravity—a perfect visual symbol for Chun-Li’s ability to outpace and outclass her opponents with style and force.
#5: EX Lightning Legs – Street Fighter IV
In Street Fighter IV, Chun-Li’s classic Lightning Kick got supercharged with EX meter, resulting in one of the most satisfying, brutal attacks in her entire kit: the EX Lightning-Legs.
By burning one bar of meter, Chun-Li could unleash a version of her classic move with bigger damage, better hit stun, and the ability to combo into critical attacks or ultras. It turned her bread-and-butter move into a full-on match-ender.
The EX Lightning-Legs embodied what made Chun-Li so terrifying in SFIV: overwhelming speed combined with brutal conversion potential. High-level Chun-Li players could whip out EX Lightning Legs after a single poke and suddenly turn a tiny opening into massive damage.
Behind the scenes, Capcom’s design notes for SFIV emphasized making classic moves “feel massive” again. EX Lightning Legs was a perfect example: it took something fans loved and cranked it up to eleven. Watching Chun-Li shred through defenses with a golden blur of kicks was—and still is—one of the most hype-inducing sights in modern Street Fighter.
#4: Hoyokusen (Super Art) – Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
Hoyokusen isn’t just a kick combo—it’s one of the deadliest, most iconic supers in Street Fighter history. In 3rd Strike, when Chun-Li activates Hoyokusen, she unleashes a dazzling, rapid-fire flurry of kicks that corner her opponent, deal massive chip damage even on block, and lead into devastating juggles on hit.
What makes Hoyokusen truly terrifying is its versatility. It can be used as a punish, a combo ender, an anti-air trap—it covers so many angles that simply knowing Chun-Li had meter ready was enough to make opponents play scared. It wasn’t unusual to see players turtle hard once Chun-Li had super stocked, knowing one wrong move could cost them the round.
In tournaments, Hoyokusen became synonymous with domination. It fit 3rd Strike’s intense, technical environment perfectly rewarding players who could land tight confirms off small pokes like standing medium punch or crouching medium kick.
Behind the scenes, developers created Hoyokusen specifically to make Chun-Li more viable at the highest competitive levels—and it worked. Not only did it propel her into top-tier status, but it gave us legendary moments like EVO Moment #37, where Daigo parried Justin Wong’s Hoyokusen in one of the most iconic plays in gaming history. Hoyokusen isn’t just a move. It’s a symbol of precision, pressure, and peak fighting game mastery.
#3: Critical Art – Street Fighter V (Hoyokusen Reimagined)
In Street Fighter V, Chun-Li’s Critical Art pays homage to her legendary Hoyokusen while cranking the cinematic flair up to eleven. Instead of just a rapid kick sequence, Chun-Li’s Critical Art in SFV launches opponents into the air with a devastating strike, then follows up with a high-speed, airborne barrage of kicks before slamming them to the ground with thunderous force.
Visually, it’s breathtaking. Chun-Li’s agility, grace, and power are all on full display in a sequence that feels both elegant and violent at once. And competitively, it gave her a strong comeback tool—one capable of reversing momentum instantly if landed cleanly.
Capcom developers said they designed her Critical Art to “remind players who the original queen of kicks was,” and it succeeds. Every frame of the animation pays tribute to Chun-Li’s legacy—combining classic fast-hitting pressure with modern fighting game cinematic spectacle.
Landing her Critical Art in SFV is always satisfying—but it’s especially sweet against opponents who thought they could survive her onslaught once her meter was full. Like always, Chun-Li made sure they thought again.
#2: Bird Kick Crossup (Marvel vs. Capcom Series)
In the Marvel vs. Capcom series, Chun-Li found herself not just fighting on the ground but flying, dashing, and raining down chaos from every angle. One of her deadliest—and funniest—tools became her Bird Kick Crossup: an aggressive, spinning kick that let her teleport over opponents midair and ambush them from behind.
In high-level Marvel play, Chun-Li players used Bird Kick mixups to devastating effect. They’d dash up, Bird Kick at strange angles, cross you up mid-jump, and immediately combo into lightning legs or launchers. Fighting Chun-Li wasn’t just a defensive nightmare—it felt like trying to stop a pinball made of pure rage and precision.
The Bird Kick Crossup embodied what makes Marvel so exhilarating and maddening: the unpredictability, the relentless offense, and the need for superhuman reactions. Watching a great Chun-Li player fly around the screen like a hyperactive wrecking ball was one of the purest joys in Marvel tournaments.
Behind the scenes, Capcom’s Marvel development team said they designed Chun-Li to feel “aggressively beautiful”—and the Bird Kick Crossup captured that spirit perfectly. She wasn’t just fast. She was unstoppable.
#1: Lightning Legs Finisher – Street Fighter VI
Street Fighter VI brought back many fan-favorite moves—but Chun-Li’s evolved Lightning Legs Finisher is a thing of pure beauty and brutality. Building on her original Lightning Kick, the new version lets Chun-Li chain her flurry into multiple stance cancels, combo extensions, and even cinematic finishes if meter is available.
At high levels, players can weave Lightning Legs into crushing juggle sequences, frame traps, and brutal corner pressure setups. It’s no longer just a rapid poke—it’s an entire system of offense wrapped in Chun-Li’s iconic visual style.
Visually, the Lightning Legs Finisher is gorgeous: her legs become a blur, the sound design cracks like thunder, and the screen shakes with each hit, making it feel like you’re watching a human tornado rip through reality itself.
Behind the scenes, Capcom’s Street Fighter VI design team said they wanted to “evolve Chun-Li’s legacy without losing her soul.” Giving her Lightning Legs new layers while keeping the core feeling intact nailed it perfectly. Watching a modern Chun-Li player surgically dismantle opponents with this move is a reminder: no matter how much the series evolves, Chun-Li’s kicks still rule the fighting world.
Chun-Li’s kicks aren’t just moves. They’re moments of pure speed, beauty, and unstoppable force—moments that have changed fighting games forever. Across every generation, every tournament, and every comeback, her lightning legs, spinning birds, and devastating finishers have reminded players why she’s not just a Street Fighter legend—she’s the queen of fighting games, period. When Chun-Li kicks? The world feels it.
