Former NJPW Champion Hirooki Goto To Star in Street Fighter

Professional wrestling fans just got another reason to be excited for the upcoming “Street Fighter” film. One of NJPW’s leading lights has reportedly been cast in a significant role in the Kitao Sakurai-directed project.

“Street Fighter” will be the eighth full-length feature adaptation of the classic 1980s Capcom video game. After Sakurai was officially confirmed for the project last September, a March 2026 release date was also planned. However, the release has since been delayed indefinitely.

But that hasn’t stopped Legendary Entertainment, the film’s TV and film rights owners, from assembling an eclectic cast of stars. 50 Cent, Jason Momoa, and Noah Centineo are among the cast’s notable Hollywood recruits. They are also joined by prolific character actor David Dastmalchian (“The Dark Knight”, “The Suicide Squad”, “Dune”), martial artist Andrew Koji, and country star Orville Peck.

Hirooki Goto Joins Street Fighter Cast

The film will also feature former WWE Champions Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns, who have been cast as Guile and Akuma, respectively. And they have reportedly been joined by another pro wrestling star in recently dethroned NJPW World Champion Hirooki Goto.

Goto won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in February, beating Zack Sabre Jr. After several high-profile defenses, Goto dropped the title back to Sabre Jr in a physical trilogy capper last month. Sabre Jr., pro wrestling’s preeminent submission artist, focused intently on Goto’s arms throughout the match.

This led to an elbow injury that cost Hirooki Goto the title. The injury has also ruled the former champion out of this summer’s G1 Climax tournament.

It has yet to be confirmed as to whether the injury is legitimate or simply a way of writing Goto off television to complete filming. Production is set to start in Australia next month. Goto has reportedly been cast as E. Honda, a professional sumo wrestler.

Honda was introduced in Street Fighter II, the 1991 sequel to the original game, and has remained a consistent presence throughout later Street Fighter releases.