Street Fighter has found its E. Honda.
The cast for the upcoming live-action Street Fighter film has continued to fill out in recent weeks. Wrestling fans showed excitement when it was announced that Roman Reigns is set to play Akuma in the movie, which is based on the legendary video game series. More recently, it was also reported that Cody Rhodes is tapped to play Guile in the movie.
The pro wrestler casting trend looks to continue, as Fightful (via Fightful Select) is reporting New Japan Pro-Wrestling star Hirooki Goto has also landed a role in the film. According to the outlet, Goto will play E. Honda.
E. Honda is one of the main characters in the Street Fighter video game franchise. He is classified as a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. Also known as “Edmond Honda,” he first appeared in the Street Fighter II video game. The character has also appeared in a live-action setting before, as Peter “Navy” Tuiasosopo played him in the 1994 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Who is Hirooki Goto?
It was speculated that Hirooki Goto lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Zack Sabre Jr. due to a rumored elbow injury. That rumor was not confirmed. However, it was confirmed that Goto does need to take time off for the new movie.
Hirooki Goto is a highly decorated star in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He held the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, his first and only run, for 138 days. Some of his accolades include being a two-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion, a five-time IWGP Tag Team Champion and a NEVER Openweight Champion.
His previous acting experience includes a 2016 cameo appearance in the Indonesian action film Headshot. In 2020, Hirooki Goto also appeared as Buga in Kamen Rider Zero-One the Movie: Real×Time.
