History Characters / StreetFighterTheFourKings

[- ''Characters/StreetFighterI'' | ''[[Characters/StreetFighterII Street Fighter II]]'' '''''(The Four Kings)''''' | ''[[Characters/StreetFighterIIUpdatedVersions Street Fighter II: Updated Versions]]'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterAlpha'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterIII'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterIV'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterV'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterVUpdatedVersions'' | ''Characters/StreetFighter6'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterEX'' | [[Characters/StreetFighterOtherCharacters Other Characters]] | [[Characters/StreetFighterOtherMedia Other Media]]-]]]]]

* HomeStage: "Las Vegas" / "High Roller Casino" from ''II'', ''Alpha 3'' and ''V'', set in the U.S.A. He gets a second one if you count the "Lair of the Four Kings" Shadaloo base in ''V''.

* HomeStage: "Fighting Barroom" / "Flamenco Tavern" from ''II'' and ''V'', set in Spain. He gets a second if one counts the "Lair of the Four Kings" Shadaloo base in ''V''.

* ContinuityDrift: He's a straight-up bad guy in ''II'', and his ending has him looking forward to a fight to the death with Ryu. In ''Alpha 3,'' which is a prequel, Sagat is retconned to merely being consumed with despair and rage over his scarring and willingly joins Shadaloo simply to get a shot at Ryu; however, [[VengeanceFeelsEmpty Sagat begins to question himself]] when he first throws a fight with Dan to help him think he'd avenged his father, and then comes to his senses completely when Bison presents Sagat with a [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashed and Psycho Power-charged Ryu]]. This outrages him [[NobleDemon due to insisting on only ever fighting fairly]], and makes Sagat realize just how twisted the Shadaloo organization really is. Tellingly, in the later remakes of ''II'', Sagat speaks much more highly of Ryu -- acknowledging that he let anger and hatred become his reason to fight -- and keeps on training, in the hope that the next time they meet will be "the greatest match in history".
-->'''Sagat:''' (''[=SFA3=]'') Did you really think that I would appreciate this?! I wish to fight Ryu when he uses his true power from within... I have no need for your tampering and cheap tricks!

* ContinuityDrift: He's a straight-up bad guy in ''II'', and his ending has him looking forward to a fight to the death with Ryu. In ''Alpha 3,'' which is a prequel, Sagat is retconned to merely being consumed with despair and rage over his scarring and willingly joins Shadaloo simply to get a shot at Ryu.
* CoveredInScars: He's a longtime, veteran martial artist, to the point of ''starting'' his own tournaments, and he more than looks the part. Besides covering the eye he lost in his fight with Go Hibiki with a patch, he also has a long scar up his torso from where Ryu hammered him with a Shoryuken. His body sports many other scars from the countless battles he's fought -- and mostly won -- over the years. For good reason is he considered the King of Muay Thai.

[[caption-width-right:840: Clockwise from top left: M Bison, Vega, Balrog, Sagat.]]

[[caption-width-right:350: Clockwise from top left: M Bison, Vega, Balrog, Sagat.]]

%% Before adding another bullet entry about the whole Balrog/Vega thing, edit the above instead of adding natter.

%% Don't add {{Expy}} here. It's in the ShoutOut/StreetFighter page.

--->''For you, the day Bison graced your village was the most important day of your life. [[ButForMeItWasTuesday but for me... it was Tuesday.]]''

* ThirdPersonPerson: Winquotes only.

* VillainsNeverLie: One of Bison's character traits is that he doesn't lie, ever--unless you count Cammy's ending in ''SSFII'', which was actually [[DubInducedPlotHole changed by the localization of the game]]. Said localization error was fixed with the release of ''HD Remix'', which has revised endings based on better translations of the original Japanese script.

* EvilIsHammy: Pretty much a given. And let's not get started on his movie version...

** Also, his win quote against Elena in ''Ultra IV'':

* {{Jerkass}}: If he has some involvement in another character's life, it always involves him doing something evil like murdering somebody close to them, or something else evil that ruined their lives.

* KnowWhenToFoldEm: When ''III'' was released interviews stated that Bison realized the threat the Illuminati posed to Shadaloo and that Gill had been exercising limited control over Shadaloo's doings for some time. In response to this, Bison takes Shadaloo off the radar, apparently fooling both Chun-Li and the Illuminati in the process, if Urien's dialogue with Chun-Li is to be believed.

* ANaziByAnyOtherName: He's a megalomaniac dictator who dresses in a red Nazi-like uniform and wants to conquer the world. It's also worth noting that, barring Seth, the characters meant to be potential host bodies for him (Cammy, Abel, Ed, and Falke, with F.A.N.G also showing interest in Alex as a potential host) all have [[MasterRace blonde hair and blue eyes]].

* ParasiticImmortality: M. Bison's "Psycho Power" is too much for his own body, so he starts to seek others to increase his lifespan, even training the "Dolls" (especially Cammy) to be his [[BodySnatcher back-up bodies]]. Also, canonically M.Bison's body was about to explode during ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha'' and has gotten a new one since ''Videogame/StreetFighterII''. However, the search continues in ''Videogame/StreetFighterV'' where his body suffers the same as before but was finally [[KilledOffForReal put down for good]] by Ryu and friends.

* PrecisionFStrike: Says "I don't give a shit" to Dr. Senoh in regards to Interpol's interrogation of Cammy in ''The Animated Movie''. In the games themselves, he keeps things mostly tame, with one exception in ''V'' - if he wins against Gill.

* SophisticatedAsHell: While Bison is far from being particularly sophisticated or polite, exclaiming that Gill "really pisses him off" in a win quote in V is quite jarring.

* SignatureMove: Psycho Crusher. Even if its not a main special move, he'll usually have a super or two that utilizes it.

** Shin Bison in ''SFV: Arcade Edition'' puts all of his other boss versions of Bison ever created to shame. Fought in a special Extra Battle mission, this version of Bison has a special CPU-only V-Trigger that is permanently active and completely changes his moveset and makes it ridiculously broken. He now has the Psycho Crusher, normally only available during his V-Trigger 2, as a regular move, can cancel and link normals that he normally cannot into specials and even his super, he gets the EX version of his Psycho Blast as a regular move, and he also gains the ability to teleport dash through you which is normally only available during V-Trigger 1. Couple this with an extremely aggressive AI that's even harder than Shin Akuma, and you're going to be losing a lot of Fight Money.

** He also sees Akuma (Ryu's actual arch enemy) as this, due to him coming from out of nowhere and Shun-Goku-Satsu'ing him just as he was about to battle Ryu for his body in ''[=SSF2=] Turbo''. Even though for all intents and purposes, Akuma is stronger than Ryu, Bison still wishes to settle for Ryu as his replacement body due to the intense grudge he holds against Akuma.

* AxCrazy: It's very clear that this guy has many screws loose. He's extremely violent and almost always has a SlasherSmile on his face, showing his sadistic tendencies.
* BadassArmFold: Whether it be teleporting, [[VideoGame/CapcomVsSNKMillenniumFight2000 dodging]] [[VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium attacks]], or simply taunting his would-be opponents, Bison has a habit of doing this often. And as of ''V'', it's also become his idle stance.

* TheBadGuyWins: Most of his endings, though non-canon, have him destroying or conquering the world. However, a few of his endings ''are'' canon.

* BenevolentBoss: Most of his employees are very loyal to him, outright plotting against Seth's takeover of Shadaloo in the wake of Bison supposedly being KilledOffForReal. Also, according to official sources, Shadaloo has very comfortable provisions, so Bison probably isn't a bad boss at all, as long as you ''never'' question him and follow his orders to the letter.

* CardCarryingVillain: Shadaloo is bad, but he's even worse. Bison has no compunction about sharing that with anyone. His character titles say things such as ''Ruler of Darkness'', ''The Demon from Hell'', and ''Emperor of Evil''. His story mode in ''V'' calls him the "Bringer of Destruction", as his Psycho Power is pure negative energy that only works when one purges themselves of all positive traits, and in order to use his powers, Bison can't be anything ''other'' than a villain, embracing evil willingly and gleefully.

* TheChessmaster: In ''IV'', exploiting Juri, Seth and his former underlings' personal vendettas in order to bring S.I.N to heel and regain control of Shadaloo.

->For F.A.N.G, check the ''Characters/StreetFighterV'' sheet.

* GetOut: The end of Ed's storyline has Ed walking away from Balrog, due to a fight stemming from Balrog's PoorCommunicationKills about Ed's concern of Bison taking him over.

** This is discussed further by Ed in ''6''. While he does admit that despite him not being the best father figure and that they used to butt heads a lot, Balrog never once abused him or saw him as something to be used; accompanied by a picture of the two picking out new clothes together, with [[WhenHeSmiles Balrog genuinely smiling]].

* {{Jerkass}}: He doesn't give a single damn about anyone who stands in his way, and has no concept of etiquette and sportsmanship. That said, since having taken Ed under his wing, [[PetTheDog he]] ''[[PetTheDog has]]'' [[PetTheDog gotten a little better]].

* ALighterShadeOfBlack: From ''IV'' onwards. While Balrog is an amoral, violent thug willing to backstab and/or violently punch the teeth out of nearly anyone if it can get him cash, he's nowhere near the level of [[CardCarryingVillain monstrous evil]] and [[AxCrazy general insanity]] of Shadoloo's other high-ranking members, and is even humanized a fair deal through his relationship with Ed.

** Elaborated on more in ''6''. Ed states that despite how much they ended up butting heads, Balrog never actively abused him nor saw him purely as a MealTicket; instead treating him like a normal human being.

* YoungerThanTheyLook: Until the introduction of Fei-Long and Cammy, he was the youngest member of the ''II'' roster, being only 22 when ''World Warrior'' was released according to his (now-retconned) birthdate of September 4, 1968.

* CampStraight: He is unapologetically flamboyant and obssessed with his own beauty, though he only shows attraction (albeit the very creepy type) towards women.

* FoeRomanceSubtext: Takes an interest in anything and anyone he deems to be beautiful. As such, he potentially has this dynamic with just about ''any'' female in the series he crosses paths with, but Chun-Li and Cammy in particular get the brunt of this, as well as Sakura in ''VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium''.

* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged]]; the two 1990s Japanese animated adaptations give Vega an American accent, whereas the [[WesternAnimation/StreetFighter American animated show]] give him a proper Spanish accent, as do all games from ''IV'' onward.

* BrokeEpisode: His ending in the GBA version of ''Super Turbo'' and ''HD Remix'' shows him living like a king with his fight winnings before he eventually goes broke. He ends up having to start over, training for his next big payday.

* {{Foil}}: To Dudley. Both are dark-skinned boxers, but they contrast in personality and moral standing. Dudley is a QuintessentialBritishGentleman who is a GentlemanSnarker at worst, and the poster child for LetsFightLikeGentlemen. Balrog is an immoral [[TheBrute brute]] who sides with the villains because [[EvilPaysBetter they pay him better]], and he has no qualms in [[CombatPragmatist breaking some rules if it means winning]]. Both also differ in playstyle: Dudley's varied list of moves gives him a powerful mix-up game up close, while Balrog's powerful charge punches and long-ranged normals emphasize footsies gameplay that he can transition into devastating punishes if he lands a counter hit.

-->''GET LOST!''

* HiddenDepths: In ''V'', Gill notes that what Balrog actually desires is companionship, not money. Considering how Balrog acts after getting defeated by Ed in the latter's Story Mode, sounding distraught at having his apparently only friend leave him, Gill may very well be right.

* {{Jerkass}}: He doesn't give a single damn about anyone who stands in his way, and has no concept of etiquette and sportsmanship. As [[TheRival Dudley]] inquires, "Does your rudeness know no bounds, sir?"

* ALighterShadeOfBlack: From ''IV'' onwards. While Balrog is an amoral, violent thug willing to backstab nearly anyone if it can get him cash, he's nowhere near the level of [[CardCarryingVillain monstrous evil]] and [[AxCrazy general insanity]] of Shadoloo's other high-ranking members, and is even humanized a fair deal through his relationship with Ed.

* PetTheDog: Played with in ''IV'', where Balrog first meets Ed. Balrog saves him from the crumbling S.I.N. facility, but then drags him through the desert while trying to find out if he can "fly or see the future." Seeing that Ed can't (apparently) do anything special at that point, Balrog just calls him worthless but continues dragging him along instead of just leaving him to die. ''V'' shows that he and Ed have forged a partnership in crime, and he's so far the only person that Balrog doesn't seem to treat with nothing but contempt, and he even taught Ed how to fight. This is the same game where he both sells out Shadaloo, and states his intention to turn on Urien once their business is done. In ''6'', Ed states that Balrog never actively abused him nor saw him purely as a MealTicket, instead treating him like a normal human being.

* ScaryBlackMan: A large, tanky, and openly sadistic fellow who works as the muscle for an Evil Organization. Hell, Michael Clarke Duncan plays him in ''Film/StreetFighterTheLegendOfChunLi''.
* SimpleYetAwesome: A key part of Balrog's gameplan is simply having a fast walk speed mixed with fast, long-reaching normals he uses to win footsies matches, and then translating that into a devastating combo.
* ShirtlessScene: One of his winposes, where he flexes with enough force to rip his shirt to shreds. He also has a shirtless alternate outfit in ''SSFIV'', and his signature outfit in ''V'' has a hidden shirtless mode.

* TookALevelInDumbass: In ''IV''. Before, he is capable of some scheming and planning, with hints of TheStarscream towards Bison. In ''IV'', however, he's turned into a savage brute that only thinks about money. ''V'' dials this back a notch, where Balrog retains his greed but also regains his competence and sense for planning.

* WrestlerOfBeasts: Balrog killed Dhalsim's pet elephant with a single punch.

* DegradedBoss: ''Street Fighter II’: Champion Edition'' offers downgraded versions of the previously boss-only foursome as playable characters for the first time. They go on to appear as playable characters in almost every game in the series after that.

----

* For F.A.N.G, check the ''Characters/StreetFighterV'' sheet.

[[quoteright:840:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shadaloo4.png]]

* DegradedBoss: ''Street Fighter II’: Champion Edition'' offers downgraded versions of the foursome as playable characters.

[- ''Characters/StreetFighterI'' | ''[[Characters/StreetFighterII Street Fighter II]]'' | '''''Street Fighter II: The Four Kings''''' | ''[[Characters/StreetFighterIIUpdatedVersions Street Fighter II: Updated Versions]]'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterAlpha'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterIII'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterIV'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterV'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterVUpdatedVersions'' | ''Characters/StreetFighter6'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterEX'' | [[Characters/StreetFighterOtherCharacters Other Characters]] | [[Characters/StreetFighterOtherMedia Other Media]]-]]]]]

[- ''Characters/StreetFighterI'' | ''[[Characters/StreetFighterII Street Fighter II]]'' | '''''Street Fighter: The Four Kings''''' | ''[[Characters/StreetFighterIIUpdatedVersions Street Fighter II: Updated Versions]]'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterAlpha'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterIII'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterIV'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterV'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterVUpdatedVersions'' | ''Characters/StreetFighter6'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterEX'' | [[Characters/StreetFighterOtherCharacters Other Characters]] | [[Characters/StreetFighterOtherMedia Other Media]]-]]]]]

For F.A.N.G, check the ''Characters/StreetFighterV'' sheet.

* PetTheDog: Played with in ''IV'', where Balrog first meets Ed. Balrog saves him from the crumbling S.I.N. facility, but then drags him through the desert while trying to find out if he can "fly or see the future." Seeing that Ed can't (apparently) do anything special at that point, Balrog just calls him worthless but continues dragging him along instead of just leaving him to die. ''V'' shows that he and Ed have forged a partnership in crime, and he's so far the only person that Balrog doesn't seem to treat with nothing but contempt, and he even taught Ed how to fight. This is the same game where he both sells out Shadaloo, and states his intention to turn on Urien once their business is done. In ''VI'', Ed states that Balrog never actively abused him nor saw him purely as a MealTicket, instead treating him like a normal human being.

* PetTheDog: Played with in ''IV'', where Balrog first meets Ed. Balrog saves him from the crumbling S.I.N. facility, but then drags him through the desert while trying to find out if he can "fly or see the future." Seeing that Ed can't (apparently) do anything special at that point, Balrog just calls him worthless but continues dragging him along instead of just leaving him to die. ''V'' shows that he and Ed have forged a partnership in crime, and he's so far the only person that Balrog doesn't seem to treat with nothing but contempt, and he even taught Ed how to fight. This is the same game where he both sells out Shadaloo, and states his intention to turn on Urien once their business is done.

* ParentalSubstitute: He's the closest thing that Ed has to a father, being the one who raised and taught him how to fight. Ed in turn seems to be the one other person that Balrog genuinely cares about.

The four highest-ranking and deadliest members of Shadaloo, all led by the shadowy dictator M. Bison. The group is first coined in ''Street Fighter II'' where they serve as a successive line of bosses to face in Arcade Mode, ending with M. Bison as the FinalBoss.

* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The Manly Man to Vega's Sensitive Guy.

[- ''Characters/StreetFighterI'' | ''[[Characters/StreetFighterII Street Fighter II]]'' | '''''Street Fighter: The Four Kings''''' | ''[[Characters/StreetFighterIIUpdatedVersions Street Fighter II: Updated Versions]]'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterAlpha'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterIII'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterIV'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterV'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterVUpdatedVersions'' | ''Characters/StreetFighter6'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterEX'' | [[Characters/StreetFighterOtherCharacters Other Characters Part 1]] | [[Characters/StreetFighterOtherCharactersPart2 Other Characters Part 2]] | [[Characters/StreetFighterOtherMedia Other Media]]-]]]]]