The taunt is a mechanic introduced in the Street Fighter Alpha series.
| Street Fighter Alpha series | 
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|---|---|
| Street Fighter III series-Present |  + 
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Description
Taunts are usually harmless actions that can only be performed on the ground, with the major exception of Dan. Though taunts are often done to mock or annoy the foe, some can actually hit them (though there is little, if any, damage in some cases), making them potentially useful combo starters. Depending on the taunt used, the player might not be able to cancel out of it, leaving them open to attack if timed badly.
The buttons used for taunting are sometimes "extra"/unused buttons found in the control scheme. Taunts generally aren't used very often due to the fast pacing of the games, where the taunter is often open for counter-attack.
Street Fighter Alpha series
This series is the first to feature taunts, and also makes it possible to knock out a foe with certain taunts while said opponent has extremely low health (e.g. Chun-Li's and Sodom's), which grants a point bonus. Each character has one taunt animation, again with the exception of Dan (explained below).
Dan
Dan's taunts (one of which is shown here) have become very famous ever since his introduction in this series. Being a joke character, he has many unique attributes to his taunting. For one, he has a unique taunt for standing, ducking, and even an aerial taunt. Dan also has a special move that involves a taunt, Roll Taunt. Finally, Dan has an entire Super Combo centered around his taunts, called Legendary Taunt.
List
To see a list of the taunts in this series, click here.
Street Fighter III series
The Street Fighter III series gave all taunts in-game effects that last for the duration of the round, listed below. The game also introduces alternate taunts, which are available to certain characters, and are usually performed by holding the buttons on input instead of tapping. Damage increases granted by taunts only apply to the next attack that hits or is blocked[1]; all other effects last for the duration of the current round.
Several of the taunts can hit opponents, meaning that they can usually be parried, used to start combos, and can also fill the Super Art Gauge slightly.
List
To see a list of the taunts and their effects, click here.
Street Fighter IV series
Taunts are referred to in the Street Fighter IV series as Personal Actions. All characters have 10 each, from which they can pick one when selecting their character, or else select none if so desired. Initially, only 2 are available; playing matches in Versus and Arcade Mode with each character will unlock more and more.
Personal actions can be performed at any time during the match by pressing heavy punch and heavy kick. The Personal Actions themselves have mostly no effect in terms of gameplay (as opposed to the previous series above), and are there solely for the amusement of players.
Some special taunts are an exception to the above, naturally including Dan's aerial taunt, which can hit the foe for minimal damage as he lands. Other examples include El Fuerte; one of El Fuerte's personal actions has his crouch and face the screen, allowing most projectiles to pass over him.
List
To see a list of the personal actions in the Street Fighter IV games, click here.