Short answers, pulled from the story.
Captain Sawada was portrayed by Kenya Sawada in the 1994 Street Fighter film. Kenya had originally been cast as Ryu at Capcom's request but was recast by writer-director Steven E. de Souza, who invented the Captain Sawada character specifically to keep him in the production.
Captain Sawada was created because actor Kenya Sawada was dropped from the role of Ryu due to limited English skills and comic timing, but producer Edward Pressman still wanted to keep him in the cast. De Souza and Capcom invented the original character so Kenya could remain in the film. The character's name was chosen partly because "Sawada" was easy to pronounce for audiences worldwide.
Captain Sawada uses Muay Thai alongside techniques drawn from harakiri and kamikaze concepts, a katana-based attack, and a modified version of Guile's flash kick. His harakiri move, in which he wounds himself to damage the opponent with his blood, became his most discussed and celebrated attack.
The 1995 Street Fighter video game adaptations are nicknamed the "Sawada Game" by fans due to Captain Sawada's prominent and unusual role. His cult following, driven largely by his harakiri technique, made him the character most closely associated with those games.
Captain Sawada has been compared to Fei-Long from Street Fighter II. Both Destructoid writer Zoey Handley and Retro Gamer writer Nick Thorpe drew the comparison, with Thorpe suggesting Sawada replaced Fei-Long in the film. Thorpe noted, however, that the two characters played nothing alike in the games.
Captain Sawada appeared in the 2021 puzzle game Neco Drop 2, represented by a cat based on his likeness, marking his first appearance alongside other Street Fighter characters since the 1995 console adaptation. An earlier request by artist Falcoon to include him in SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters DS did not succeed due to copyright issues.