Osaka Police Use CAPCOM’s Street Fighter in Recruitment Drive

Characters Used as Mascot with CAPCOM’s Blessing

CAPCOM, the Japanese video game publisher, has been working with Osaka Prefecture Police since 2013 to implement crime prevention awareness campaigns. This year however, Osaka Prefectural Police has requested the use of CAPCOM’s Street Fighter characters for their cyber crime investigator recruitment drive.

The characters will appear in thousands of recruiting advertisements staring July 2nd. Supposedly, with the aim of “boosting awareness of and the number of investigators specializing in cyber-crime.”

What Does Street Fighter Have to Do With Cyber Crime?

The link between cyber crime and Street Fighter is not exactly clear. In fact, there are no cyber crime characters in-game. Although one popular character Chun-Li is a police officer.

According to Osaka police, Street Fighter was selected “for the brand’s powerful image”. Furthermore, apparently due to its popularity among a broad range of age groups. As well as “the affinity that esports has with cyberspace”.

Despite the waning popularity of the Street Fighter franchise worldwide, it remains highly popular in Japan. With high-level tournaments still on-going and keep arcades alive in the region.

It is understandable to use the characters purely for their popularity. Whether it would be effective as a recruitment drive for their cyber crime division is another thing entirely.