ITT: I briefly comment on every canonical Street Fighter character.

And I will do so by release date so it's going to be Street Fighter I, Street Fighter II, Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter 3 and Street Fighter 4 - even when the canonical years go SF1, SFA, SF2, SF4 and SF3.

I'm not much of a tourney fag, so I'll be mostly discussing the aesthetic components and character conceptualization rather than their tiers or effectiveness in the game. I'm an art fag, deal with it. Also, a big part of this can become a repost of fightingstreet and BigMex's blogs, so I don't make any claim for original thought in this topic.

So, let's start.

From Street Figher I...

Ryu


Who else?

Description: The posterboy for Street Fighter is a solid design. White gi, headband, no nonsense attitude, big ol' eyebrows and a simple stance. Ryu's design is instantly recognizable. You can see right away he's a kick-ass Japanese martial artist. He's got the moves, the hadoken, the shoryuken and the tatsumaki sempukyaku, all which have become recognized and well known throughout not only the western world, but a big part of pop culture.

What makes him work?: The universality of the martial artist aesthetic. That's what works for Ryu so well, he's simple, elegant and archetypal in his appeal. A karateka is well known both east and west. The philosophical/mystic roots of eastern fighting disciplines give us the necessary suspension of disbelief to accept the hadoken, for example.

He's rather young in this game too, and that makes him sympathetic to the gamer. He's clearly the underdog in the SF1 world.

Inspired by: Mas Motherfucking Oyama. Not many people in the west could have caught this, but for Japan this is obvious. Street Fighter 1 is pretty much an... idealized retelling of some of Mas Oyama's life and legendary battle against Thai champion Black Cobra. Even Ryu's special moves are fictionalized versions of Mas' techniques, for example, the aerial triple kick.This gives Ryu a lot of his character too, as the "wandering fighter" personality was transplanted from Mas to him as well. You can't go wrong with being a homage to one of the greatest fighters of the 20th century.

Rating: 9/10. Ryu is excellent. It's his first appearance, and the hardware limitations of back then hurt him, but he's already close to perfection.

Random notes: He's wearing shoes!

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Ken


Description: Ken was designed as the second player version of Ryu. In Street Fighter 1, they are functionally identical. In character design though, there's some big differences. Ken's red gi, (dyed) blond hair and golden armbands are quite the contrast to Ryu, especially for a simple sprite swap. He's still however, a kareteka and his design reflects that. His moves are likewise an exact mirror to Ryu's, at least for this game.

What makes him work?: The hair. Seriously. While Ryu's cold stoicism reflects the buddhist roots of Japanese martial arts, Ken's dyejob characterizes the harsh contrast in approach. Ryu is the old school Japanese ideal of a martial artist. Philosophical, withdrawn, training in the mountains and caring only for the next fight. Ken's a lot more laid back and his blond hair kicks the Nipponese mind into aligning him with free and democratic America. As the series progresses, we'll see more of Ken's character but for now he's pretty much a wilder, more "western" glory seeking Ryu.

Inspired by: American martial artists and... maybe some Shin from Hokuto no Ken/Fist of the North Star. I see some Shin in Street Fighter 1 Ken, I fucking swear. It'd make sense, given the tremendous influence HnK has over the SF design. He's still pretty much a nicely done sprite swap of Ryu though.

Rating: 7/10 SF1 Ken is actually very mediocre. Sure, he works, but a lot of what makes him work was borrowed from the genius that was Ryu's design. The roots for a great character are still there however.

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Retsu



Description: Though hard to comprehend for our baka gaijin minds, Retsu's design is straightforward. Retsu is a monk from some variant of Zen minded martial art. Which, specifically, I do not know, but there's some strong Bodhidharma in those robes. Got to be some Japanese adaptation though, since you fight Retsu in Japan. Since Ryu took the karateka character, Retsu gets another eastern martial artist icon, the monk. He's rather stereotypical in that regard, and his design is a bit bland in that matter.

What makes him work?: Retsu is a passable character, we all know what an ass kicking zen monk looks and acts like. We accept him because if it lives in an eastern monk temple and it wears eastern monk robes, he must know how to smack a bitch up.

Inspired by: Like previously mentioned, the collective cultural view of zen monks. Though the fact he's fighting Ryu openly and not using his training for Buddhist goals might call him as a depraved monk.

Rating: 6/10. Eh, it's probably a cultural thing. For a zen monk he's rather bland, but it's based on a real fighting discipline and it's iconic enough to echo in most players.

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Geki



Description: Take the most generic ninja you can find. Bam. Geki. Dark blue ninja gear, covered face and cutoff sleeves for some reason. Geki is boring as fuck in a decade already saturated with ninjas. At least he got a claw and cheapass shurikens. Bringing melee weapons to a fight, tsk, tsk.

What makes him work?: An appeal to ninjas before they were rundown as a trope. There was a time where ninjas were cool. Geki gets off, barely, by drawing on that. Sure, we all know ninjas, flipping assassins with a ton of mystery and wicked cool weapons. We accept him in a fighting game.

Inspired by: Do I really need to say it. Ninjas and fighting games in the 80s/90s were like fries and ketchup.

Rating: 5/10. I've always been a pirate man. And a generic ninja was already shaky in the late 80s. Ryu Hayabusa this guy is not.

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Joe



Description: Glorious Aryan American master race. He also has red pants. And no shirt. Uh. Yeah. He's some type of brawler. Nice sobat kick on his moveset though.

What makes him fail?: Japanese ignorance of western fighting. Now, mind you, this was before MMA and in a not really globalized word, so I don't blame them for not finding a good American fighting archetype. Sure, brawlers work, but his design just... falls flat. You could have added knuckle dusters, scars, maybe a leather vest and a more beat down look. In the end, he's just a guy with no shirt and red pants.

Inspired by: Insipid Japanese conceptions of anglosaxons.

Rating: 3/10. Joe sucks.

Random notes: He actually makes a cameo appearance in the SF2 arcade intro. The whitey beating the tar out of the shirtless black dude? Joe.

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Mike



Description: Black boxer known for extremely violent behaviour. Sounds familiar? Mike is Japan's view of black people to the stereotype. Scary, imposing, explosively violent and overall vicious. He's got a good boxing pose, hand-wraps, the musculature and a good height over Ryu. His clothing though is too bland for a boxer. Red shirt, blue jeans. Eh...

What makes him work?: His sheer size and muscle are good bases, but only when coupled when his boxer pose and short hops. The hand-wraps compliment that too. Also, the hilarious Japanese pants-shitting fear over big black people. For the western world just being black doesn't make you a credible fighter, but for an asian scrawny fuck? Anything black over six feet is a threat.

Rating: 5/10. Bland and based on xenophobia, but he's far more credible than Joe.

Random notes: There's rumors Mike is M. Bison/Balrog/Boxer from SF2. Untrue. The shirtless black guy getting beat by Joe in the SF2 arcade intro? Mike. Also, his stage is Mount Fucking Rushmore. A stage that desperately needs to show up more in fighting games.

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Lee



Description: I AM SO CHINESE IT HURTS. The cultural specifics of Lee fail me, but this is stupidly racist from the Japanese. The mustache, the braid, the stupid hat. Goddamn. The colors are pretty bland too.

What makes him fail?: Just fucking look at him. I can tell he's Chinese right away, but he's such a racist caricature I can't take him for a serious fighter. If I were Japanese I might find him funny or acceptable but I just can't.

Inspired by: The rape of Nanjing and centuries of bitter history from Japan, who stole nearly everything they have as a culture from China.

Rating: 2/10. Easily the worst SF1 character.

Random notes: Something that always puzzled me is how Japanese animation makes Japanese characters with big eyes but has no qualms about making Chinese ones slanty eyed as fuck. That's an easy way to pick up bad guys in most Japanese media too. So much self-loathing.

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Gen



Description: Traditional Chinese martial artist robes, awesome beard, advanced age, evil nearly pupil-less eyes that tell he's a total badass. His pose and fingers tell us he's a master of an assassination style. Fuck yeah Gen. You rock. The colors of his robe blend well, red, white and deep purple mesh well while being exotic. And his pose is rad as fuck.

What makes him work?: Old, evil martial artists that know forbidden styles are part of martial art flicks and lore. Everyone knows them. They tend to be likable villains and overall total badasses. Gen is no exception. With his wary look, unorthodox style and introducing the "I'm old but I can whoop your ass seven ways into last week" factor into the mix, Gen makes an impact. Especially since you fight him immediately after Lee.

Inspired by: A longtime tradition of martial art movie villains and a part of the Mas Oyama story. Mas Oyama only got his ass beat by one man - an old, frail, chinese Taiji master. Gen is partly inspired by that man, but while the man who humbled Oyama was kind and gentle, Gen is a master of an assassination style.

Rating: 8.5/10. Nearly as good as Ryu. Gen is a badass through and through.

Random notes: Gen taught Chun Li's father. The one Vega/Bison/Dictator killed. Chun Li learned from her father obviously. Funny how that all works, huh?

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Birdie



Description: Towering easily above Ryu, hands outstretched, vicious dyed mohawk, studded leather wristguards, open leather vest. Birdie is imposing. He's a street brawler, a thug, a hardened hooligan with a really stupid name.

What makes him work?: If you got mugged by this guy, you'd shit your pants. Birdie is HUGE. He's also mean and powerful looking. His attacks fit him, wild, reckless, powerful and broad hits. I see this guy beating up a small army of Chelsea soccer fans in the 80s.

Inspired by: Take a hooligan, take a Hokuto no Ken/Fist of the North Star mook and you get Birdie.

Rating: 7/10. While Birdie does not reach to any ancestral martial arts, we know he's a criminal and a dangerous one at that.

Random notes: Birdie is a golf term. So is Eagle. Also, look at how white he is.

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Eagle



Description: Blond British man in a butler's attire and twin sticks. Suspenders, fancy shirt, bow tie and a kickass mustache. The example of a fancy British gentleman who somehow got into fighting. What's with the scar though?

What makes him work?: The sticks. A fighting butler would have been hilarious but the sticks make some appeal to baritsu, or similar. Being painfully British is a plus, but not too credible as a fighting character.

Inspired by: If Capcom vs SNK 2 is to be believed, Freddie motherfucking Mercury. I don't see it here though. I think it's just a stereotype of a britman.

Rating: 6/10. I want to trash Eagle, but I can't. He's not too good as a fighting figure, but there's something in him that says he means business. Maybe the stern stare.

Random notes: Here's his art for the obviously noncanonical Capcom vs SNK 2:



The appeal to Mercury is way more obvious there. Also, the gay. I THINK he shares stages with Cammy. Or there's just a lot of old British castles with bridges over rivers.

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Adon



Description: Sinewy build, ankles and wrists wrapped, the southeast asian style headband and a wild mat of red hair. Muay Thai shorts and a raised knee tell us his style - and his mastery over it. I have no idea where Adon was born or what he's supposed to be ethnically, but I've never seen a thai man with such a clear skin and natural red hair.

Also, he looks NOTHING like he does there in the versus screen. So ugly there.

What makes him work?: If you picked up the Mas Oyama subtext, you would have shat your pants when you saw you reached Thailand. You'd know Adon is a student of THE Master, Black Cobra. You'd know the Cobra was testing you by making him fight his best student in order to see if you were ready for a match against him. Muay Thai is characteristically brutal. Bruises and broken bones are common. Death in matches is known. Adon is the last step before taking the title fight of the world's strongest.

Inspired by: Honestly, it escapes me. We know Adon is a muay thai fighter and Sagat's prize pupil, but his actual looks, I do not know.

Rating: 7/10. He's weird looking but that strong, dense, sinewy build and edgy stance make me think of ruthless fighters. He's the type of guy that gets fired up and goes all out with an explosion of knee strikes that leave people very, very hurt. I believe him as a credible threat, fiery hair or not.

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Sagat



Description: Towering over Ryu, huge, deadly, fearsome. His muscle build is strong, big. But also fibrous, tough, and defined. He's a martial artist. Baldness and eye patch reflect his age and experience. Similar bandaged ankles and hands, a simple trunk. He's the Muay Thai God.

What makes him work?: He's Black Cobra, part of the Mas Oyama legend. The strongest fighter in the world, a legend in the flesh. Knees that can crush skulls with ease. Fuck. Sagat is great design. He's last boss material, easily and without doubt. Like Ryu, his design is a homage and yet universal. Simple, elegant, yet remarkable and memorable. He's the tiger to Ryu's dragon. The elder emperor to Ryu's ambitious youth.

Sagat is amazing and a strong presence. He works so very well.

Inspired by: If Ryu is Mas Oyama and Street Fighter 1 is the story of how he defeated Muay Thai champion Black Cobra, then Sagat's presence is evident. He's the closing to the story. It could not be any other way.

Rating: 9/10. Sagat is also close to perfection.

Random notes: Sagat has a pretty iconic stage, a lying Buddha statue, which, I think, is a real location in Thailand. However, in SF1 he has the temple Bison/Vega/Dictator would later use.

That's it for SF1, I'm going to keep each game in its own post. I don't want to just have a huge wall of text here.

Up next, it's Street Fighter 2.

Guy




SURPRISE, SUCKAS! I said every canonical Street Fighter character, did I not? And the events of Final Fight are canon in the Street Fighter world. Guy and Cody show up in the alpha series and also pop up in Super Street Fighter IV. In fact, Street Fighter '89 was Final Fight's birth name.

Description: Guy is a highly visible ninja. And he doesn't give a fuck. Bright red ninja gi, sharp factions, and a strong yet lithe build (especially compared to the rest of the cast). Guy's design says "I'm a fucking ninja, I'm quick as hell and I also kick ass."

Inspired by: The 80s love of ninja. He's hell of a lot cooler than Geki though. What a traveling modern day ninja is doing in Metro City is anyone's guess...

What makes him work?: ...However, his design is both traditional and new. He's not an actual ninja per se, but a martial artist who trains in bushin ryu ninjitsu. His gi is part of this legacy, but it's also more of a sparring suit. It's enough to characterize him as the speedy guy, but not antiquated for it to look out of place in the gloriously 80s Final Fight.

Also, revealing his face, as Guy has a very peculiar look. His factions and hair stand out and give him more humanity than a covered ninja.

His bright red is a good color choice, as it compliments Haggar's green and Cody's blue.

Rating: 7.5/10. Guy is nice. He's straight to the point and with the good sight to make him suitable for the 20th century.

Random notes: Guy was shafted out of the SNES port of the arcade Final Fight due to space issues. Fan demand made Capcom release a Haggar - Guy cart known as Final Fight Guy.

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Cody




Description: Cody is an everyday guy. He's wearing simple jeans, a simple white shirt, sneakers. He's not part of any ancient mystic discipline, but this is Final Fight. This is a street brawling, all goes. Cody's handguards and elbow gear do point to some measure of fighting rigor, and his bulging muscles don't hurt either.

What makes him work?: Cody's design works off the game's premise - his girlfriend was kidnapped. He is someone down on his luck, and we believe him to take on the challenge of the Final Fight story because of the strong emotional need. We also find him training in the intro, adding to his credibility as a fighter. His well animated moves and good ol' no holding back beatdown approach set him in the player's mind. He's the average guy between Guy and Haggar and his design choice is coherent with that.

Inspired by: Tom Cody of the Streets of Fire movie. As Street Fighter 1 was the re-fictionalization of Mas Oyama, Final Fight is about a re-imagining (or a ripoff) of Streets of Fire.

Rating: 7/10. Cody works, but barely. His design is good, but not very remarkable.

Random notes: The Street Fighter 2 arcade intro was meant to be for Final Fight. That's why Joe there looks a lot like Cody. This may have inspired Capcom to make Cody take Joe's moves for the alpha series. Also, his hair changes between blond and dirty brown a lot.

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MIKE HAGGAR




DESCRIPTION: NEARLY THREE HUNDRED POUNDS OF ANGRY ASS KICKING WRESTLING MAYOR. OLIVE PANTS. THE SINGLE STRAP. THE MUSTACHE. THE ETERNALLY PISSED OFF LOOK IN HIS FACE. THE MASSIVE STEEL PECTORALS. THE GERMAN SUPLEXING, PUNK PILEDRIVING BADASSERY. FUCK YES YOU ARE THE BEST FICTIONAL MAYOR EVER.

WHAT MAKES HIM PERFECT?: THE SHEER REFUGE IN AUDACITY OF THE PREMISE. A MAYOR, WHO WAS ONCE A WRESTLER, WANTS TO FIX NEW YO-ERR, METRO CITY. HE REFUSES BRIBES. HIS DAUGHTER GETS KIDNAPPED. HE CAN'T TRUST THE POLICE - SO WHAT DOES HE DO? HE RIPS OFF HIS SHIRT AND PILEDRIVES PUNKS. IT'S JUST THE PERFECT MIX OF MUNDANE AND EXTRAORDINARY, ALONG WITH A DIVINELY INSPIRED CHARACTER DESIGN. HE'S A WRESTLER, THEREFORE THE MUSCLES AND THE STRAP. HE'S A MAYOR, THEREFORE THE MIDDLE AGE AND CLEAN CUT LOOK. HE'S A FATHER, SO HE GETS THE MUSTACHE. THE SHEER UNBRIDLED JOY OF GERMAN SUPLEXING YOUR WAY TO JUSTICE. GOD. IT'S TOO GOOD.

INSPIRED BY: TESTOSTERONE FUELED VISIONS. 80S WRESTLING. SOME PEOPLE SAY JESSE VENTURA BUT THEY ARE STUPID. SEE BELOW.

RATING: 10/10 MIKE HAGGAR IS A VIDEOGAME ICON THAT WILL LAST FOR GENERATIONS. A BADASS AMONG BADASSES. CODY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE PROTAGONIST OF THE FINAL FIGHT SERIES BUT FUCK YEAH MIKE HAGGAR.

RANDOM NOTES: JESSE VENTURA RIPPED OFF MIKE HAGGAR, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

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Andore




Andore gets a mention because he's the only mook that appears in all Final Fight games as far as I know, and makes a trip to Street Fighter 3 too. He's more prevalent to the Capcom universe than Cody, even!

Description: The largest mook in the Final Fight story. The fucker is taller than Haggar, probably nearing seven feet. Maybe more. Polka dot wife beater, and matching jeans. Gaudy 80s colors, boots, and arms that would make Hulk Hogan cry of envy. A thick chain that gives him a lot of ruffian points. Andore can bodyslam, do sentons, choke and piledrive you back. He's a vicious rogue, but painfully stupid as one can tell.

He's also a family of sprite swaps. In Final Fight you meet Andore Jr, Andore, Andore Uncle and even the Andore Grandfather.

What makes him work?: In the charmingly 80s Final Fight, Andore stands out from the other mooks as a big threat from his tremendous size and ugly face. He's a brute and he's going to punch half your lifebar out if you're not careful. You believe he's part of the gang by the chain, the wild hair and the stupid face.

Inspired by: Andre the Giant, of course! The french giant of old wrasslin' days who feuded with Hulk Hogan. I imagine many fathers saw their kids playing Final Fight and asked "What's with that Andre the Giant looking motherfucker?" This explains his enormous size and somewhat sluggish wrestling moves.

Rating: 8.5/10. Andore worked so well as a mook he stuck far more than most other Final Fight characters. He's a part of the series almost as much as Haggar is. The shoutout to one of wrestling's greats doesn't hurt either.

---- -- ---- -- ----

...Poison?



And wherever there's Andore, there's Poison.

Description: A skimpy outfit pulled from the closet of an 80s whore, pink hair that reaches his ass, and stolen cuffs and police hat.

What makes him... wait what the fuck?: Nintendo of America did not condone violence against women. My guess is that Haggar suplexing bitches would have given kids so much manliness they would have spontaneously grown beards. So NoA tried to censor Poison and Roxy from the US SNES port of Final Fight. What does Capcom do? "Poison's not a girl, he's a tranny". Which somehow is more acceptable. That didn't fly either so they turned Poison into some effeminate punk called Sid.

This little exchange made Poison explode in popularity given the faggotry of Japan. This bit of controversy made Poison stick long enough to appear in the god-awful Final Fight Revenge, Street Fighter 3 and SNK vs Capcom. And a whole bunch of hentai. ...So much hentai.

Inspired by: Sleazy 80s porn, trannies.

Rating: Japan/10

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Sodom



Description: What a clusterfuck. A samurai helmet, football padding and armor, a broken kanji, the sandals, and of course, those cheapass dual katanas. A very charged character, visually speaking but that's a big joke on Japan's part.

What makes him work?: Japan was shitting on weeaboos since 1989. That's right. Sodom, named after the band, is a mockery of people who want to be Japanese. The guy is as authentic as a Mexican knockoff of your favorite toy. Sure, as a kid I thought he was "that cheap samurai motherfucker" and so did most people, the joke flew over our western heads. In the Alpha series the weeabooness is a lot more blatant. The darkened eyes give him some villain points too.

Inspired by: Baka gaijins being erroneously inspired by samurai armor. Take that.

Rating: 6.5/10. He's more known for his cheapass attack pattern than the design. I guess I'd find him funny if I were a xenophobic Japanese, but since I'm not...

Random notes: He was renamed Katana in the SNES port of Final Fight. Sodom... well, yeah.

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Rolento



Description: Ochre military fatigues, red beret and armed with a set of neverending grenades. Rolento is a military man of some sort, and since he's working for Mad Gear he must be a little crazy. The stick and flipping out all over the place with the shadow trail are part of some unorthodox fighting style. He's simple - people in the military can kick ass. Crazy vets who throw grenades like candy kick MORE ass.

What makes him work?: A simple design that was already proved to work. How's that, you say? Well, see...

Insp--- Ripped off from: Fist of the North Star, bitches! In one of the more blatant rip offs of all time, Rolento is nearly the same as the Colonel.



Even the shadow trail thing. Come on.

Rating: 5/10. Minus points for ripping on Tetsuo Hara so badly.

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That's it for Final Fight. Next time, I'll actually do Street Fighter 2.

And here it is, Street Fighter 2. As usual, first up is....

Ryu




Ryu as he appears in Street Figher II - The World Warrior.




Ryu nearing Super Street Fighter 2: Turbo.

(For the record, HDRemix art sucks platypus dick. Also, SF2 came out in 1991. Super Turbo was released in 1993.)

Description: Good ol' Ryu comes back from Street Fighter 1. His appearance is fundamentally the same, but there's some obvious changes. Ryu was a boy in SF1, now he's a man. His gi is frayed and beat up. He's no longer wearing shoes. He has changed his white headband for a red one. And he's been training really hard, both his muscles and his eyebrows. Goddamn. Look at those motherfuckers.

What makes him work?: The solid foundation laid by SF1. He's growing out of his Mas Oyama homage, and with the backstory and character relationships of the SF2 world, he's establishing himself as a separate entity. If you had played SF1, you would have gone "whoa holy shit" upon seeing the grown up, more roughed up Ryu. One of the best things of the old SF games was that the world was moving. Time had passed between SF1 and SF2. What happened during then? Ryu is part of that answer. He has matured. He was once the world's strongest, but he's here again. Why? That's brilliant storytelling because it shows it as opposed to force feed it to us in lengthy blocks of text a la Soul Calibur.

Inspired by: SF1 Ryu and eyebrows.

Rating: 9.5/10 to 10/10 Everything that made Ryu good remains and has only been built on. Things were a bit sketchy on World Warrior, but by the time of Super Turbo we have the definitive version of Ryu that has ingrained himself on pop culture forever.

Random notes: Bengus rocks.

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Ken




Ken before.




Ken after.

Description: Goddamn, look at all that evolution. I don't know how, I don't know when, but during the many months of the SF2 development period they decided to make Ken an actual person. It shows. Ken is so very different from his SF1 incarnation if one looks at the subtle details. Ken sports a more traditional gi and hand guards. He's still barefoot. His dark eyebrows and yellow hair contrast is far more obvious. He starts off pissed looking to the more reckless fun loving character he's established himself as.

But the biggest change are his moves. From the functional clone of Ryu, Ken found his personality by acquiring a similar, yet different moveset. That's what establishes him as a more stylish version of Ryu. While Ryu is all philosophical and blah blah, zen perfection and everything, Ken is way more laid back and that's what allows him to get an edge over Ryu sometimes. His free spirit translates into him being able to master the physical aspect of the style. As the series goes on, he gets more and more distinct.

What makes him work?: Establishing him as a different character with a unique personality. Fleshing him out and distancing - just enough - from Ryu has made him the iconic partner/rival figure.

Inspired by: Rumors say there's some He-Man in him, I think it's a stretch.

Rating: 7.5/10 to 9/10. Ken starts off weak, but he gets much better as SF2 progresses. Getting him married and having a life outside fighting, unlike Ryu, is the biggest improvement.

Random notes: Ken is three quarters Japanese. That explains his eyebrows. His hair is a dyejob. I know nothing of the previously mentioned makes sense, but hey, that's Japan for ya.

---- -- ---- -- ----

E. Honda




Honda before.




Honda after. Quite the improvement.

Description: Essential sumo wrestler, with added japanese stereotypes. Not content with being a sumo, Honda also dons a more traditional... uhm... sumo skirt. Fuck if I know the name. A topknot style and kabuki facepaint. Honda just screams japanese stereotypes, and even in the design notes it says that Honda was meant to be easily recognized to American audiences.

Ryu was not Japanese enough it seems.

What makes him work?: Can't go wrong with stereotypes. SF2 based itself on them, and, why not? We all know sumo wrestlers. Honda is one hell of a sumo on top of that. He's positively massive for a japanese man and he's not merely fat, he's built like a motherfucker.

Inspired by: The martial art of fat men in very small loincloths slapping each others flabby manboobs.

Rating: 7/10. Honda is okay. He has no motivation other than being the best sumo wrestler in the world and that's fine for the SF world. He eats a lot, he enjoys bath houses. But he's first and foremost a sumo.

Random notes: E stands for Edmond. I have no idea why. Also, Super Street Eyebrow 2: HOLY SHIT LOOK AT THOSE.

---- -- ---- -- ----

Chun Li




Chun Li be-JESUS CHRIST, WHAT'S GOING ON IN HER VS SCREEN PORTRAIT?!




God, much better. Why the hell is her outfit peach colored anyways? Her sprite is obviously blue.

Description: Chun Li is odd. The first thing that stands out about her is her cooties. She's a girl. And she's dressed in traditional chinese garb. She's pretty... at least in the later portraits. And in design she was a lot more mellow and anime-ish. I think at some point in time she was supposed to be some hyperactive cutesy chinese girl... and then something amazing happened.

The SF2 crew decided they wanted her to kick ass. She got the spiked bracelets, the wrestling boots and of course, the thunderthighs. She was made into an Interpol agent. She was out for revenge for the man that killed her father. She trains under a non-killing variant of Gen's martial art. Goddamn!

What makes her work?: Being quite possibly the first serious woman of gaming. Sure, she couldn't escape pantyshot sprites but it's a huge moment for gaming here. Chun Li also escaped the ethnic thrashing that Lee got. With so much that could have gone wrong, the fact she's such a great and believable character is monumental by itself. The fact that she went well beyond and above and has become iconic in the SF world is... wow worthy.

Chun Li blends her femininity, traditions and ass kicking oh so very well. And as time passed and her moves grew, she could only become more believable.

Inspired by: The other half of Japanese conventions about Chinese stereotypes.

Rating: 9/10. Chun Li spits in the face of gaming misogyny and is the strongest woman in the world.

Random notes: She was called "China daughter" during development... the racism never ends.

---- -- ---- -- ----

Blanka




Blanka before.




Blanka after.

Description: Green feral man with a wild, wild mat of anime-ish red hair. Who can shoot electricity. For some reason.

Yeah Blanka is pretty meh.

What makes him work?: Barely work, actually. Blanka is definitely more a Japanese thing than a western one. Japan is scared of cavemen, of brutes, of animalistic behavior in human figures. There's something cultural here which I'm not quite grasping, but the Blanka/Beastman trope is pretty common in glorious Nippon.

Blanka embodies the fact that we, as human beings, once couldn't rely on fancy technique or ki or training of any kind. We once kicked ass out of survival instinct.

Alas, the first homo sapiens 'pon the African plains could not crouch and cover himself in electricity.

Inspired by: Japan's fear of people who do not need technology to survive, anime tropes and cavemen.

Rating: 5/10. Blanka sucks. I just... never liked him, he stuck out. He's not ethnically representing Brazil. He's pretty ridiculous honestly and pretty "ehh..." in a martial arts tournament setting.

Random notes: Blanka had the most changes in development. He looked like a neanderthal man, like a huge chained negro, and some more alien things. Capcom didn't know where to take Blanka and it shows.

His name is phonetically equivalent to the spanish word blanca. Blanca is the feminine form of blanco, "the white one." His name might have pointed out that Blanka was once a foreigner, but he's neither white (he's green for fuck's sake) nor a girl. Yeah.

Also, in some sort of cameo, there's this enemy from the kickass CPS1 beat'em'up Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Bludge.



---- -- ---- -- ----

Zangief




Zangief Befo-OHGOGDNASOODF

HELLO COMRADES, ZANGIEF HERE. PUNY SPANISH MAN WILL NOT DO REVIEW OF ZANGIEF. ZANGIEF WILL REVIEW ZANGIEF. GREAT RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT ENDORSED ZANGIEF TO PROMOTE HIS STRENGTH AND MUSCLES AND IMPROVE RELATIONSHIPS OF COUNTRY.



THIS IS ME, ZANGIEF. I POSE FOR FANS. FANS ADORE MUSCLES.



PORTRAIT OF ZANGIEF MUCH BETTER THAN FROM PREVIOUS ARTIST. SHOW SMART SIDE BETTER.

Description: ZANGIEF HAS THE MUSCLES OF THE PROLETARIAT. ZANGIEF BIG AND STRONG LIKE SOVIET FIGHTING SPIRIT. ZANGIEF WEAR RED AND YELLOW WRESTLING TRUNKS AND RED BOOTS, ENDORSED COMMUNIST FIGHTING GEAR OF RUSSIA. SCARS PROVE ZANGIEF GREAT HERO, HAS GRAPPLED MANY BEARS. ZANGIEF IS A GREAT MAN, BODY BUILT FOR MANY SIBERIAN WINTERS, ABUNDANT HAIR ON FACE, CHEST AND EVEN LEGS.

ZANGIEF IS WRESTLING HERO OF MOTHER RUSSIA.

What makes him work?: I WORK FOR THE BETTERMENT OF RUSSIA, GREATEST NATION. PEOPLE SAY ZANGIEF RIDICULOUS STEREOTYPE OF COLD WAR PATRIOTISM. NO SUCH THING. ZANGIEF IS AS ZANGIEF DOES!

MY MANY MUSCLES AND HAIRSTYLE STRIKE FEAR INTO THE ENEMIES OF THE PROLES. WRESTLING DESIGN SIMPLE AND STRAIGHTFORWARD, SHOW SCARS!

Inspired by: OH ZANGIEF HAS MANY INSPIRATIONS BUT GREATEST IS FELLOW HERO OF RUSSIAN WRESTLING ALEXANDER KARELIN! GREAT MAN! TENACIOUS LIKE VOLGA BOATMEN!

SOME PEOPLE SAY ZANGIEF STOLE LOOK FROM PUNY JAPANESE CARTOON MAN.



HAHA! VERY FUNNY! ZANGIEF BIGGER AND WITH MORE SCARS! HE FIGHTS WITH BEAR, NOT LIKE BEAR!

Rating: 10/10. ZANGIEF IS EXCELLENT HERO. HE WRESTLE, HE ICON OF RUSSIANS, HE DANCE COSSACK DANCE VERY WELL TOO!

VERY WELL PUNY SPANISH MAN, I GO NOW. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK FOR THE MOTHERLAND.

Random notes: Is Zangief gay? Nope. Never.



(the moonspeak on the photo says "baka")

On a more well known note, he was named Vodka Gobalsky during development...

---- -- ---- -- ----

Guile




Guile before.




Guile after.

Description: AMERICA NUMBER ONE. Military man with green tank top, huge American shoulders tattooed with the US flag on each side and THE HAIR!

On the more subtle side, in the 80s, there was a specific way to draw Americans according to the animu style. Something about their faces. It shows a really fucking lot in the old Guile pictures. At any rate, his style is blatant to both hemispheres, he's the paragon of the freedom-loving US of A.

What makes him work?: After the failure of Joe, Capcom put their thinking caps on and thought really hard about "an average character for Americans to use". The end result was Guile. While Japan takes Guile seriously as a character design, he's such a ridiculous exaggeration it somehow appeals to us. His otherwise bland design (camo pants, tanktop, muscles) is made memorable by the tattoos and the HAIR.

If it weren't for the hair, you would not accept him doing flash kicks and sonic booms, I mean it.

Inspired by: Hiroshima, Nagasaki, fatman, little boy, the enola gay and the Japanese submissive view of biggu dikku military imperialist America.

Rating: 8.5/10. Guile's strange selection of moves hints to some mixed martial arts with a military base, but it's his seriousness along with the ridiculous broomhair that represent him. He's of the more remarkable SF2 characters.

Random notes: His wife, Julia, is Eliza's sister. That makes Ken and Guile brothers in law.

---- -- ---- -- ----

Dhalsim




Dhalsim before. Maybe the biggest art fail of SF2.




Dhalsim after.

Description: Dhalsim is a very gaunt and somewhat morbid yogi. We can tell right away he's not only from India, but a mystic by his pupil-less eyes, very exotic and ethnic look and the fact he screams "YOGA" for nearly each of his moves.

He's very charged visually, but he's also simple in colors, and he follows a simple earth tone. Not bad, and the overall effect is very distinctive.

What makes him work?: The badassery of hindu mysticism. And a lot of curry, if Dhalsim himself is to be believed. Dhalsim is not an orthodox fighter but we accept his amazing powers because of the vagueness that being a master over an ass kicking form of yoga. His looks also state that strongly, and his strange sinewy body shape allow us to believe his stretchiness.

Inspired by: The hindu fighter from The Master of the Flying Guillotine. The movie is to SF2 what Mas Oyama was to SF1.

Rating: 8.5/10. As the years pass, and I've come to understand Dhalsim's background better, I like him more. Even if I'm a Super Turbo Zangief player and Dhalsim there is a brutal matchup.

Random notes: I wonder if his stage is based on a real location in India. Anyone know?

---- -- ---- -- ----

Balrog / M. Bison / Boxer




Balrog before.




Balrog after.

Description: Balrog's design is straightforward. Boxer trunks, gloves and boots. We immediately know his style. Red gloves and blue gear compliment nicely and add him some AMERIKKKA. Physically, he's nearly a carbon copy of Mike Tyson, very obvious there. His shirt with the muscle torn sleeves gives him the wilder edge he needs to establish himself as the reckless, psycho outlaw boxer function he fills.

You couldn't go wrong with something this basic. It's effective.

What makes him work?: You're playing SF2. You beat all the other fighters and see three figures pop up. The first being some Mike Tyson looking motherfucker. This is 1991 where Tyson had just lost his undisputed heavyweight championship. "I'm going to fight Mike Freaking Tyson!?" You shit yourself.

His moves, "HUAAAAARGH" sound and HEAVY damage have caused many a broken SNES controllers.

Inspired by: Take a wild guess.

Rating: 8.5/10. Can't go wrong with using a legendary boxer as one of your sub-bosses. Carrying him well in an aesthetic representation has it's challenges, but for Capcom it was a no-brainer.

Random notes: Okay, we're going to start with the name passing game. Balrog is M. Bison in Japan. His name was changed because a bunch of japs were pants-shittingly scared of offending Tyson - and rightly so. Out of the available names, Balrog sounds the "strongest" and the most American, so that's what he got.

---- -- ---- -- ----

Vega




Vega before.




Vega after.

Okay, I just have to comment on Vega's character art outside the game. It might be the best technically speaking from World Warrior. Vega looks like he's fun to draw.

Description: Boy this is going to be tough. From the bottom to his waist, he's a matador. Matador's usually wear gaudier, shiny stuff. Vega combines a very aesthetic yellow/light purple motif and it serves so very well. Gold yellow and purple are attributed to royalty, hinting to some noble ancestry on Vega. The gold ornaments on wrists and arm drive that further. His torso is well built, but lithe and hints to an acrobatic style. That tattoo though? Pure perfection. Is it a snake? The Vega is venomous, traitorous and sneaky. Is it a simple motif? Then Vega hints to fluid motion, to spins and flips. His trademark claw and mask tell us he's a cheap son of a bitch and a narcissist. The alternative to masks is hiding a disfigurement, but his body is too beautiful to make him a deformed man. Also, because of that very subtle and nice motif on the mask... the mask is artsy-looking which keeps driving the narcissist point across.

Finally the long effeminate hair tell the west "faggot", but in Japan it says "bishie".

What makes him work?: Vega has a lot of things, but they all fucking fit together marvelously. I think Vega works so well because he follows a Japanese archetype and obviously it's more comfortable to Japanese designers to work on their own field. I think that's why his character art is so well done too.

The coherency of his design is just top notch. One thing off, and he would have crashed and burned but everything he has works for him. Being able to unite a matador, a ninja, a playboy AND a sadistic murderer in one design? Fucking A.

Inspired by: Fist of the North Star yet again! I'm not sure if Yuda is the first "narcissutu" in popular media, but he's definitely the most exemplary one before the bishie boom. Vega takes his character, face, hair and flamboyancy from him.



Rating: 9/10. I personally don't like Vega, or his backstory, but I can't deny they really hit the nail on the head with this one.

Random notes: Regarding the name switcheroo, he's called Balrog in Japan. I assume that since Lord of the Rings Balrog is a name assigned for gatekeepers or zealous guardians. Balrog doesn't sound Spanish at all though, so he got benefited from the name switch, as Vega is an actual Spanish last name.

In old SF2 versions his stage had a fence he could climb during his moves. Since player controllable boss versions, his moveset changed radically.

During design, he was more of a Knight Templar figure and had a sword. This thankfully got canned. Somehow matador/ninja worked better.

---- -- ---- -- ----

Sagat




Sagat before.




Sagat after.

Description: Sagat is the third returning character from Street Fighter 1. We know him. His amazing height, his muay thai style and his status as a veteran fighter. His symbols from SF1 are here too, with the addition of a more personalized moveset and the scars...

He looks far more ethnic and "sinewy" in SF2, a look which I absolutely endorse. Sagat's too roid-y lately. Muay Thai fighters look like they are made of stretched leather. Big plus there.

What makes him work?: The scar. Jesus, imagine this. You were one of the few to beat SF1, you feel like a little Mas Oyama. Then you see Street Fighter 2. You see Ryu and Ken. Cool, you think. You get to the end, and you see the third of the four boss characters. No way. No fucking way.

And then you see THE SCAR.

Everything would have crashed in on you. The story revealed itself like a dragon punch to the nuts. Your face is rocked and your pants need changing. FUCK. If I could erase a videogame memory and replay it brand new, SF1 and SF2 would be one of my choices.

Ryu had won against Sagat before and gifted him with that wound. But why, and how? How did little Ryu do such damage on the Emperor of Muay Thai?

This is the arching motif of Street Fighter. Ryu's struggle for enlightenment through martial arts comes from within, he is his most dangerous foe. If he puts his ego before the purity of his ascetic pursuit, not only will he not become the strongest, but he will poison honorable fighters as he fights with them. Sagat is Ryu's victim and Sagat wants revenge from the uppity boy who hurt him like this. BAM.

All of this told with a scar on the chest.

Inspired by: SF1 Sagat and God himself.

Rating: 10/10. Sagat is not only god tier in the tourneyfag sense.

Random notes: After doing some wikipedia-ing, Sagat's SF1 stage and lying Buddha are part of the ruins of Ayutthaya. Cool stuff.



---- -- ---- -- ----

BIIIISOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!



RATING: 0/10 HE KILLED CHARLIE MAN, HE KILLED CHARLIE!

...


Sorry, I couldn't resist.

M. Bison / Vega / Dictator




M. Bison before.




M. Bison after.

Description: Bison is initially weird looking to western minds. He kinda has an SS thing going, but his suit is bright red with armor pieces in specific places. His jumps are nearly as floaty as Dhalsim's and his powers are far more sci-fi looking than the rest of the SF2 crew. He's fighting in the same temple as Sagat, telling us he's the Boss. He's evil-looking in his face too, as if the SS thing weren't enough, his damage is cheap and his attacks have very good priority.

Bison's presence is mostly directed through his suit. We see very little of his body and even his face is covered by the nazi-esque cap. And what little we can see of his face is very awkward. He has a huge jawline, perfect teeth and evil eyes, but that's it. M. Bison is more of a force than a person.

What makes him work?: Him being cartoonily evil. I can see this guy as a G.I. Joe villain. We know Bison is the boss because he's so evil looking and has evil powers. What he's orchestrating the Tournament for, we don't know. But we know he killed Chun-Li's father and Guile's buddy. We also know he has nazi tones so he wants to conquer something, probably the world. This one-dimensionality to his character is effective, but nowhere near as cool as the Sagat-Ryu mechanic.

Inspired by: Okay, this is tough. There's a shit ton of characters that act and look like Bison. What the hell is going on with Japan?

Well, it's those damn no good nahtzees. After WW2 the SS Uniform stuck to Japan as a symbol of unrelenting evil (lol@forgetting the rape of Nanjing though) and through the proto-mangas, it was an easy way to instantly create heat against bad guys to align them with nazis somehow, if merely in visual style.

Bison is a Japanese stock character. But the biggest draw and where he gets his powers from, is from a culturally significant narrative pop-literature called Teito Monogatari. Which spawned the live action movie, Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis. Which in turn inspired Doomed Megalopolis, the anime.

The bad guy of all this mess is Yasunori Kato

Bison's intellectual daddy.

And that's why M. Bison works in Japan and is obfuscatingly weird to gaijins.

Teito Monogatari is a big example of Japanese craziness. I'll have to read it one day. It mixes so much weird shit that can only come from a brutalized society as post WW2 Japan. Themes of apocalypse were very common then.

I'm not pulling any of this out of my ass, look:




Sorry for the small size, but it's pretty obvious that the Capcom developers had that in mind, to the point of that poster being a homage. And if you look closely, you're going to see Kato's archetype pop up in a lot of Japanese media. There's the Brockens from Kinnikuman and Smash Daisaku from Gunstar Heroes. There's another Brocken in World Heroes iirc. Where the ripoffs start and the intertexts begin, I can't tell. But this figure is pretty fucking common to the Japanese.

So weird.

Rating: 8/10. M. Bison is the weakest of the four boss characters of SF2, design-wise. He's one-dimensional, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but he's very meant for Japan and his Psycho powers are inspired by Kato, not an actual martial art, so they stand out because they reference previous media, and not reality.

Random notes: In the name switcheroo, M. Bison changed from Vega to, well, Bison. Vega is such an awkward name for him... Maybe they were thinking of Generalissimo Franco's Spain?

Bison looks like he changes faces in every version. His factions are strangely vague for some reason. I can't never place his face. That's why I like the Super Turbo rendition Bengus did of him, the one taking of his cap. It shows a strangely psychotic human side to him. Bison is completely overshadowed by his symbols.

Also, it should be obvious by now, but the M stands for Mike/Micheal.

---- -- ---- -- ----

And we start with the New Challengers.

Cammy




Sadly no hilariously bad art for her, or the new challengers.

Description: Roided up cutesy petite girl. Aryan as hell. Skin tight green leotard that shows her defined testosteronic muscles. Military camo on her legs, for some reason, red beret. Okay, so Delta Red. Futuristic looking arm... glove... guard... things. Two braided pigtails that reach well beyond her waist. A very anime-ish band of hair popping out of her beret.

Cammy uhm... sends a lot of messages. She fights in england and has military gear, so we assume delta red. Yet she's obviously cashing on some sex appeal. WHY IS SHE SO SHORT?

What makes her work?: The vague military visuals and grossly muscular body. I don't know if you guys can tell, but women don't get those bodies without testosterone injections. Especially that small. Maybe that explains the bouncing crotch bulge... Hell, in her backstory, it's said as much.

Anyways, so, somehow this 5'5'' girl can do frankensteiners on Zangief. Okay. I'm not seeing it. But her acrobatic moves are believable and the scar adds tough points.

Inspired by: I cheated on this. I have no idea what was going on. I went here.

And the otakuness crept on me like prostate cancer, but I had enough.

But I thought back and placed Cammy in her basics. "Cutesy wide-eyed girl with anime-ish hair that can kick ass due to genetic super soldier program... Makes weeaboos cream themselves. Hrm... Yeah. Must be from an animu."

So I went to fightingstreet which pointed me to: Battle Angel Alita

"The series is set in the future and focuses on Alita, a cyborg who has lost all memories and is found in a garbage heap by a cybernetics doctor who rebuilds and takes care of her. She discovers that there is one thing she remembers, the legendary cyborg martial art Panzer Kunst, which leads to her becoming a Hunter Warrior or bounty hunter."

GODDAMNIT.

Rating: 5/10. Sure, I'm going to get a lot of hate from this, but fuck you. Cammy is weird enough to stand out, but she's blatantly cashing in on fanservice. She's inspired by animus, not legendary martial artists. At least she's a roided up, genetically engineered clone freak.

Random notes: Cammy was supposed to star Street Fighter 3. Not the one I know and love, but the one that was originally intended. Still cashing in on the success of SF2, four character designs that were going to go to SF3 were added in the New Challengers expansion pack. That's why Cammy is so out of place in the SF2 world.

---- -- ---- -- ----

Fei Long




Desription: Bruce Lee.

What makes him work?: Being Bruce Lee.

Inspired by: Bruce Lee.

Rating: 5/10. Bruce Lee is Bruce Lee. But... there's homage and then there's just straight being Bruce Lee. Sure, Ryu is Mas Oyama, but he is different in crucial ways. Fei Long is just... Bruce Lee.

Random Notes: I think that after Brandon Lee's death, a lot of fighting games felt the need to homage Bruce Lee. Fei Long is one of them. There's tons of these type of characters in a lot of fighting games. Liu Kang, Maxi, the Laws from Tekken... Yeah.

Steven Spielberg is Fei's director:



Also, Bruce Lee exists within the SF2 universe. Huh.

---- -- ---- -- ----

T. Hawk




Description: Seven feet, six inches tall wall of native American Indian. Jeans and matching denim vest with some aesthetic modifications are coherent with the character. His face is permanently stern and adorned with paint. Quite ethnic looking. Feather crown to better represents his Thunderfoot heritage. I really like his boots, they're just plain cool.

T. Hawk is a big and slow, but less so in the speed-power scale than Zangief. His design should reflect that. He's more "top-heavy", his bodytype is drastically different from Zangief... he's more slim around the core. It's a bit bird-like in span.

What makes him work?: Unlike Cammy who is from animu, and Fei Long who is a straight ripoff, T. Hawk balances references to iconic fighting styles, some character and the aesthetic exaggeration of the SF world. Being absolutely massive and muscular immediately showcases him as a powerhouse, but his moves and avian motifs all over the place tell us he's less extreme in the mighty glacier role.

However, native american indians weren't really known for their martial arts skill rather their warfare. It's a bit odd to translate that to T. Hawk and Capcom does some weird pastiches. For example, condors are from south america. And T. Hawk's stage is Mexico, giving some confusion... see below.

Inspired by: The native american culture some whiteys annihilated back in the 18th century.

Rating: 7/10. T. Hawk is imo, the best design of the four new challengers. No hispanic bias, honest, see below. He's still a bit bland around. He's not bad, it's just that the World Warriors crew is so much better.

Random notes: T. Hawk is not Mexican. He moved to Mexico after he was displaced from his native land by BISOOOOOOOOON. In Mexico, he learned the Mexican Typhoon. Apparently, in the SF2 universe, ancient Aztec warriors trained themselves to grab enemies by the throat, jump, spin them around and crash them back head first.

Fuck. Yeah.

T. Hawk's design is amerindian, if Capcom wanted a mexican indian, they would have made so. They know how they look:


Also, during design, T. Hawk was called Geronimo:


Yeah and he had a mohawk. Like Cammy and Fei Long, he was supposed to be made for the SF3 that never was. Maybe he was SF3's Birdie/Zangief... Mohawks.

The T. in T. Hawk stands for Thunder. Seriously.

---- -- ---- -- ----

Dee Jay




Description: A rare mix between a Colgate commercial and a kickboxer. Dee Jay is a very athletic Caribbean man with a simple attire, yet added with a personal touch. Hand guards, long, loose pants are standard enough to fit many martial arts, but his country of origin and fluidity of moves sufficiently drive across that he's a kickboxer. His face and hairdo are big parts of his look. "Happy negro" comes to mind and I REALLY tried to delay using that term.

The hair style is... a mullet, a mohawk and dreads all at once. It's interesting, if a bit over the top. The shaved M on both sides kinda seems excessive, but hey, the 90s.

MAXIMUM on the legs is a good touch, showing he's cocky. It's his "thing". It fits.

What makes him work?: Being based on a good, solid martial art, adding some stylized flair and a good personality to wrap it all up. It works so well, it makes me wonder why Capcom is failing so hard these days... but we'll get to that when the time comes.

Inspired by: Tae Bo guru Billy Blanks and overly enthusiastic colored gentlemen in collective consciousness.

Rating: 6.5/10. Dee Jay is built on solid principles, but his paper thin personality and "rythm mon" thing is an odd concept for a fighting game. The racism hurts too. He's smiling all the time with that huge ass grin of him and it's part of his symbols but also lame.

Random notes: Putting MAXIMUM on his pants was really clever, as sprites mirrored left and right, depending on where they were facing. MAXIMUM is vertically symmetrical.

Dee Jay is also the only Capcom USA designed character.



It shows. He was made as a replacement character. Earlier I said four characters were to be in the SF3 that never was but were turned into the expansion pack for SF2. Dee Jay was not one of them, the fourth was a Fei Long clone. Dee Jay was made to replace that guy when New Challengers came around. That's why he's so distant from the SF2 plot.

---- -- ---- -- ----
Although SF2: Turbo was released in 1994, (after some other canon games), I'm doing this one now. It'll be odd if I didn't do it.

Akuma/Gouki




Description: It's evil Ryu, it's Sheng Long, no! It's Akuma! Akuma is quite the ominous looking karateka. While in game he's a headswap of Ryu, Akuma in design is far more interesting. He has the face of an oni, a gi tattered to near uselessness and a much more rustic getup in general, using rope instead. The prayer beads are odd, but a potent symbol of his spiritual strength.

Akuma, in the masterful pose Bengus put him in, is representing a Nio. What's that moonspeak, you say? Nio are guardians of Buddha. They kick ass. Nio are those famous statues you see in Buddhist temples all over Asia. They are really fearsome.

What's all of this telling us? Well, it's complex. Akuma is a very eastern idea tied to the very foundations of martial art philosophy. Akuma is an old idea, very, very old. He's definitely more "spiritual looking" than any of the cast. Black by itself wouldn't inspire demonic shades in his design, but the oni face and glowing red eyes definitely do. Demons in eastern culture aren't like ours. This is something very evident with how Akuma is presented in the west. Akuma isn't evil. He's not Bison. He represents something far more elusive.

Alas to a simple fourteen year old kid, Akuma just screams "WHOA IT'S LIKE RYU BUT COOLER AND EVILER AND POWERFULEST!! ZOMG MUGEN HAX!"

What makes him work?: Okay, this is going to be the most divisive review I've made. If Cammy and Blanka offended you, forget about this topic.

Akuma, initially, doesn't. There I said it. As SF2 surprise boss, Akuma sucks.

He's a pastiche of frightful eastern ideals into the Sheng Long joke. He's so distant and so reclusive to Buddhist concepts that while interesting, are not fit for a fighting game. He's also cheap as fuck and his moves are bullshit. He's Ryu on crack. We have no explanation for any of this other than his design, but does his design explain anything of this to us? We have scant SECONDS to figure this out before he whoops our asses and our quarters. Why the fuck can Akuma do all this shit? Is it because he's a fighting game secret boss? Then willing suspension of disbelief is lost. See above. Unless you are familiar with Buddhist cosmology, nothing of what's happening makes sense.

Akuma is imposing, yes, but there's this appeal to "evil is cool" that I find utterly distasteful. The whole point of martial arts is to clarify the mind. Ryu's Zen inspired tale (which I pointed in the SF2 Sagat, remeber?) shows us that real strength comes from within, from peace and enlightenment.

Then comes Akuma to tell us "HAHAH FUCK YOU, EAT DOUBLE AIR FIREBALL, BITCH! btw i just murdered ur bison, pwned".

Also he's based on the stupid ass EGM joke about Sheng Long... Ugh. It seems Akuma is an appeal to outside the game. This is Bad.

...

Yet... as backstory fleshed him out and if one takes the appropriate courses, we'll start seeing Akuma in a different light. Akuma is Ryu's demons. What do I mean by this? Okay, maybe I'm projecting into this but I think this is so elegant it's no coincidence. Ryu has a lot of "mirrors" in the SF universe. Ken is one. Sagat is another. Sakura too, and since we're talking about Akuma, obviously he is another mirror of Ryu. All of these characters follow a mold. Many are karatekas and study the same discipline. All of these characters come to play when Ryu's humanity is playing out.

Ken is what Ryu could have been. Ryu could have found a family and a life outside fighting, and Ken is no worse off for it. Sagat is Ryu's freudian paternal challenge, while Sakura is Ryu's freudian daughter (to the point of Electra complex).

And Akuma is Ryu's demons. By demons I mean his inner desires, his temptations and hamartia. Akuma is what Ryu might become if he let's the desire to win overcome him, if his ego goes unchecked and he does what he did to Sagat again. This would later be called "satsui no hadou" but that shit's gay as hell.

Eerily, Akuma has no ego. What is Akuma? A force, a demon. He lives for nothing, he has no family, no friends, no meaning. He murdered most of this, and he did so in his mind before doing so physically. Akuma is a nullity. Akuma is such a nothing that his warped code does all his thinking for him. That's why he can use the Shun Goku Satsu (which works by teleporting to Buddhist hell, the victim's sins determine how mauled he gets, that's why Bison got superkilled), Akuma is completely innocent in the same way a rabid beast is. He's sinless because he doesn't know what he's doing, and most of the time "he" is not even a "he" anymore. He's dedicated to the martial pursuit to the point of unbalance. And yet no one can deny the raw power he has. That's Akuma's reason for being so powerful. Remember Shin Akuma is true Akuma, all the other time he's holding back. Akuma's power is telling Ryu "if you let it go, you'll gain this power." But at what cost?

And this is contrasted to Ken. Ken is very much "in" the world, and that's why Ken is so important to Ryu. Ken brings Ryu back to the reality of things.

After all of this, I doubt Akuma's design is accidental or merely after Sheng Long. Something had to have happened there to turn EGM faggotry and a cheap boss into an amazing tale filled with eastern philosophy.

Inspired by: Akuma's backstory is basically the same as Raoh's. His design comes from Buddhism, as do most of his functions. Also, the other two SF karatekas.

Rating: 1/10 if you don't know some Buddhism, 10/10 if you do. It really boggles me why people, and even Capcom itself, can do IRON SSJ DARK OMEGA SHIN AKUMA from him. How does the same design create such polarizing views?

Random notes: 99% of the people who play Akuma, in any faculty or version, are fags.

That's it for SF2. It's FINALLY done.

chun li pls.

Placeholder post.