History and art buffs will likely have a particular appreciation for this content as we take a look at a guide developed by Capcom in the mid-1990s to help with character sprite drawing.

Said guide was shared in Japanese on the Shadaloo CFN page a while back, but has been translated to English by a community member by the name of Gvaat so we in the West can get in on the fun.

Looking at most of Capcom's fighting game characters, the less artistically-minded might imagine the instructions were something along the exceedingly simple lines of "draw as many giant muscles as you can." While most characters do indeed boast some over the top gains, there's actually a ton of nuance that goes into the creation process.

Many anatomical parts that we tend take for granted are integral not only for depicting a full figure, but also in making that figure move in both fluid and believable fashions.

How often, for instance, do you actively think about the coracobrachialis (muscle near the armpit that's only visible when the arm is raised)? Probably never, but it's a non-negotiable when it comes to creating an arm model and surely many Capcom illustrators have had to refer to this guide for reference on how to best design a coracobrachialis for character sprites.

You can check out a handful of the guide images below, but we heavily recommend checking out Gvaat's notes and translations for the full experience.



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