History Characters / VillainsFromTheStriderGames

''[[Characters/StriderOrganization Strider Organization]]'' | '''''Villains from the Strider Games''''' | ''[[Characters/VillainsFromTheStriderManga Villains from the Strider Manga]]'']]]]

[[folder:Merrow]]

-> A mysterious creature used as the literal heart of the Flying Battleship Balrog, encased within its Reactor Core where some sort of energy she possess is syphoned to provide motion to the air fortress.

* DeathSeeker: When Hiryu confronts her, she pleads with him to kill her and he grants her wish.
* FateWorseThanDeath: Encased in the Reactor Core and being drained off whatever power she has is far from a pleasant experience, to the point she willingly asks Hiryu to kill her.
* LivingBattery: She's unwillingly supplying the Balrog as its power core.
* MercyKill: While if Hiryu meant it like this is unknown (given destroying the core was mandatory so killing her was unavoidable), either way he complies with her request.
* NoNameGiven: Merrow is actually the name of her species.
* PoweredByAForsakenChild: The Balrog's ability to fly is powered entirely by the Merrow, not that she has any say in the matter, mind you.
* PowerIncontinence: The Merrow's power is kept under check by four "Control Brains" surrounding her. When losing half of her health in the boss battle, her power goes haywire in the form of large pillars of energy shot regularly around the Reactor Core.
* OurMermaidsAreDifferent: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrow Merrows]] are basically the mermaids of Irish folklore.

[[/folder]]

* SinisterScythe & DropTheHammer: Ouroboros' two weapons. Because GloriousMotherRussia.

* CameBackWrong: [[spoiler:His return as Solo ZN-2 really messed up his head, which coupled with having been defeated for the first time in his career, turned Solo into an insane, revenge-obssessed maniac. Solo ZN-2 is also said to be [[CameBackStrong even stronger than his regular form, however.]]

* TheOmniScientCouncilOfVagueness: The group governing the world in ''Strider 2''. They are formed by corrupt corporations and criminal organizations and led by heads of states, and maintain control of Earth from the shadows while awaiting the day Meio returns to the world.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: He fights barefeet.

* LadyOfWar: They move with very graceful movements while dodging and jumping. WordOfGod has said their movements were inspired by ballet dancers.

** According to WordOfGod, he was designed after Sauron from ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. Although not admitted, however, there seems to be a lot of influence from [[Franchise/StarWars Palpatine]] as well, in particular his appearance, his lightning based powers, and his base of the Third Moon, which might as well be a Death Star.

* BladeOnAStick: Nang Pooh wields a crescent spear.
** ICallItVera: Hers is named "Houtengeki" (Moon-Piercing Halberd).

* BadassBaritone: He has quite a deep voice, specially in the first game.

* TheCaptain
* CaptainColorbeard

* WhipItGood: Wields a whip in battle.

* ShortHairWithTail: Her identifying hairstyle, a waist-length ponytail.

* ShesGotLegs: Given their kick-centric fighting style, this was a given, and the focus on them has only gone up in later appearances.

* AnAxeToGrind: One of two weapons they wield, a small handaxe they swing or throw at Hiryu.

* DivergentCharacterEvolution: In the first game, the sisters use the same {{Palette Swap}}ped sprite and have the same attack, and only their leader (Tong Pooh) got an official description and dialogue, the other two being merely {{Filler}} for the boss fight. In ''Strider 2'', the three were given different designs, techniques and hairstyles, with Bei Pooh becoming a FemmeFatale with a large ponytail, Sai Pooh getting a pigtailed childish look and Tong Pooh retaining the original design. Finally, the 2014 ''Strider'' gave each a WeaponOfChoice and fleshed out the two sister's personalities, turning [[SpellMyNameWithAnS B/Pei]] into an AxCrazy BloodKnight and Nang Pooh[[note]]Though Sai Pooh got replaced by Nang Pooh, for all intents and purposes they are the same character.[[/note]] becoming the [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]] keeping both her more hot-headed sisters in check.

* WeaponOfChoice: Each sister got assigned a personal weapon in the 2014 game.

* MixAndMatchWeapon: Her WeaponOfChoice is basically a hook-like set of blades with built-in machineguns.

* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: All of her moves in the 2014 game feature lots of spinning motions.

* DressedToPlunder: Has most the trappings of a typical pirate design, including a NiceHat, HookHand, [[SeadogPegLeg peg leg]] and [[EyepatchOfPower eyepatch]].

* FauxbaFett: He's based on Boba Fett, with his creation being inspired by Fett's EstablishingCharacterMoment in ''[[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack The Empire Strikes Back]]''.

* RapunzelHair: Has a large mane of red scale-like "hair".

* FanNickname: Lacking a name, the group from ''Strider 2'' is called "Light Sword Cypher" by fans, a mistake born from a common title given to Hiryu's weapon.

->A mysterious being presumed to come from outer space, Grandmaster Meio suddenly appeared on Earth in the year 2042 intent on conquering it. Taking over the [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp still-living Russian Empire]], he waged war against the world and become its ruler after 5 years. Not satisfied with merely ruling over the world, Meio wanted every living creature on the planet to recognize his superior authority. To accomplish this, he set out to exterminate all life on Earth and use his powers to create a new race to repopulate it, this way [[GodhoodSeeker becoming humanity's undisputed God]]. Though defeated in the end, Meio somehow survived and went into a deep sleep as his plan continued on, finally awakening 2000 years later in a world inhabited by his creations, each of whom worships him as their God.

* QuirkyMinibossSquad: Most notably in the 2014 game.

* {{Expy}}: Inverted, a lot of people (specially those who first saw her in the 2014 game) believes she's an expy of [[Franchise/StreetFighter Chun-Li]], but Tong Pooh not only predates her by almost 2 years, but also actually inspired her initial designs.

* {{Egopolis}}: Meio went on [[AlternativeCalendar to name the years]] after himself in the 2014 game, since the game is set in "Meio 0048".

* HeroKiller: In the 2014 game, he murdered Hien, before Hiryu was sent.

** SkyPirate: Given he leads a huge flying aircraft carrier, although he's the only one on board carrying the pirate imagery, with the rest of the crew being decked in futuristic armors.

* BladeOnAStick: She wields a crescent spear.

[[folder:Solo]]

-> Voiced by: Creator/ShuichiIkeda (''Strider'' for PC-Engine), Creator/HozumiGouda (''Strider 2''), Hideo Watanabe (''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom''), Dave Rivas (''Strider'' 2014), Yuichi Jose (''[[VideoGame/ProjectXZone Project X Zone 2]]'')

->''"I GOT YOU!"''

->A bounty hunter and hired assassin with a reputation for being unmatched and undefeated in his profession. Very proud of his strength, Solo trusts only two things in life: money and himself, and will carry out any job no matter how risky or dirty once his costly fees are paid. In battle, he fights by using a PoweredArmor that allows him to fly and an assortment of high-power firearms, guns and explosives to exterminate from a safe distance.

-> In all versions, Solo is contracted to exterminate Hiryu after his crusade becomes a nuisance to Grandmaster Meio, but he finds himself not up to Hiryu's skills. His pride wounded, he always returns a second time to rechallenge Hiryu and settle the score.

* TheAce: Solo asserts himself to be the strongest human being on Earth, and carries the title proudly on his own name (see MeaningfulName below). Part of his interest in fighting Hiryu is to prove it by challenging a Strider in battle.
* BadassBaritone: He has quite a deep voice, specially in the first game.
* BaldOfEvil: Visible briefly in the first game when defeated and bisected, as his visor flies away. [[spoiler:Solo ZN-2 in the 2014 ''Strider'' has half of his visor broken, showing his bald head as well.]]
* {{BFG}}: Solo's main weapon is usually a huge cannon of some sort. In the first game, it was a flamethrower with an attached missile launcher, while in ''Strider 2'' it is a plasma cannon. While his main weapon in the 2014 game is a much smaller rifle, he can throw some big attacks with it [[spoiler:and later replaces it with the huge flamethrower from the first game.]]
* BountyHunter: His main profession. [[ProfessionalKiller He]] is also a [[HiredGuns hired hitman]].
* BrokenWinLossStreak: Solo is particularly proud of being undefeated in his line of work...that is, until Hiryu comes along and beats him. This is most notable in the 2014 incarnation, where this act drives him to literal madness and makes him obssessed to settle the score.
* CameBackWrong: [[spoiler:His return as Solo ZN-2 really messed up his head, which coupled with having been defeated for the first time in his career, turned Solo into an insane, revenge-obssessed maniac. Solo ZN-2 is also said to be [[CameBackStrong even stronger than his regular form, however.]]
* CloneArmy: The weaker "mass produced models" developed after him, featured as enemies in ''Strider 2''.
* {{Crossover}}: He appears as a boss character in ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom'' and ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone 2''.
* DeadlyDisc: One of his moves in ''Strider 2'' has him create two large rings of plasma over his shoulders.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Solo's interested in clashing against a Strider due to their reputation. He'd be this to Hiryu too given his boasts of being the strongest.
* DubNameChange: In his appearance in the Western-made ''Strider Returns'', he's called "Inferno".
* EnemyPosturing: Half the time you can actually hit Solo in the 2014 game is because he stopped flying around to mock Hiryu.
* EvilCounterpart: Can be seen as one to Hiryu: both are, in a sense, mercenaries who take up missions/contracts from clients and are determined to see them to the end, but while Hiryu does it out of loyalty to the Striders and follows his own sense of justice with no interest in any type of reward or aknowledgement, Solo does it merely for the money and to maintain his title as the strongest in the world. They are also thematically opposite, both being extremelly quick warriors, but one wearing simple clothing and a melee-range sword while the other fights in a full suit of armor and exclusively with long-ranged weaponry.
* TheFaceless: Solo's face is always hidden behind his golden visor. [[spoiler:We do get a brief glimpse of his face in the 2014 ''Strider'', when he returns as Solo ZN-2 with his visor half-broken.]]
* {{Flight}}: Solo's armor always comes with flight capabilities, either thrusters (original), a jetpack (2014) or the simple ability to float (''2'').
* FauxbaFett: He's based on Boba Fett, with his creation being inspired by Fett's EstablishingCharacterMoment in ''[[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack The Empire Strikes Back]]''.
* FragileSpeedster: In the original game, Solo moves really fast and has a lot of firepower... but dies in 3 hits.
* GunsVsSwords: A futuristic take, as Solo always wields plasma cannons and guns to face Hiryu and his trusty plasma sword Cypher.
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: In the original game, you can briefly see him fly away in pieces after being defeated.
* LaughingMad: Sometimes breaks into a cackle during boss battles in the 2014 game.
* MacrossMissileMassacre: One of Solo's attacks in the first game is a barrage of [[HomingProjectile homing missiles]].
* MeaningfulName: In-story, "Solo" is meant to reflect his belief and position as the "strongest man, alone at the top".
* MysteriousMercenaryPursuer: As expected of a Boba Fett {{Expy}}. A BountyHunter paid by the BigBad to kill TheProtagonist? Check. Wears an all-concealing PoweredArmor whose visor makes him TheFaceless? Check. A mysterious assassin? Check. Relentless pursues his target, and takes things [[ItsPersonal personal]] once he's defeated for the first time? Check.
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: One of the only two things Solo believes in life, the other being the weapons he holds.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Given the meaning behind his name, it is possible Solo is meant to be a nickname and not his actual name.
* PartsUnknown: Unlike the other enemies in the first game, there's no clear indication of his nationality, either from design or spoken language, as he speaks English.
* PlasmaCannon: His weapon in ''Strider 2'', as well as the plasma rifle he wields in the 2014 ''Strider''.
* PlayingWithFire: His weapons tend to lean toward this. [[spoiler:Solo ZN-2 practically ''revels'' in this.]]
* PoweredArmor: All his incarnations use a flight-enabled mechanical suit equipped with lots of missiles.
* PsychoForHire: Solo's personality takes a turn to this in the 2014 ''Strider''. While previous incarnations showed him more a ConsummateProfessional focused on hunting down Hiryu, the 2014 game added a much more sadistic personality to the mix, exemplified by him taunting Hiryu mid-battle about not entertaining him enough and being generally disappointed by his performance, as well as breaking into a rather jarring EvilLaugh occassionally. [[spoiler:Once he's defeated and half-heartedly brought back to life, he goes full AxCrazy, entirely obssessed over killing Hiryu for his previous defeat.]]
* RecurringBoss: Solo is fought two or three times (depending if the player ignores the first encounter) in the first game, and twice in the second (the initial fight being now two phases). He's also fought twice in ''Strider Returns'' for the Genesis [[spoiler:and the 2014 ''Strider'' in an "upgraded" form known as Solo ZN-2.]]
* TheRival: One of Hiryu's most persistents at that.
* SkippableBoss: He can actually be ignored both times he's faced in the original Arcade game. Doing so on Siberia means the player will have to deal with him alongside the Kuniang sisters (although, again, he doesn't need to be killed to end the stage so one can try ignore him), while doing so on the final stage will have him pester the player for the following two bosses, which is not really a good idea.
* SoreLoser: Doesn't take losing well at all, best exemplified in the 2014 ''Strider'', where having experienced his first defeat on his career pushed him into insanity.
* SpeedEchoes: In the first and second game, he moves so fast he leaves residual images of himself behind him.
* SpreadShot: Solo's side arm in the first two games shoots three-way shots.
* WorldsBestWarrior: Solo is called the strongest man in the world and his name is a reflection of that: he's "alone (solo) at the top as the strongest man".

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Merrow]]

-> A mysterious creature used as the literal heart of the Flying Battleship Balrog, encased within its Reactor Core where some sort of energy she possess is syphoned to provide motion to the air fortress.

* DeathSeeker: When Hiryu confronts her, she pleads with him to kill her and he grants her wish.
* FateWorseThanDeath: Encased in the Reactor Core and being drained off whatever power she has is far from a pleasant experience, to the point she willingly asks Hiryu to kill her.
* LivingBattery: She's unwillingly supplying the Balrog as its power core.
* MercyKill: While if Hiryu meant it like this is unknown (given destroying the core was mandatory so killing her was unavoidable), either way he complies with her request.
* NoNameGiven: Merrow is actually the name of her species.
* OurMermaidsAreDifferent: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrow Merrows]] are basically the mermaids of Irish folklore.
* RapunzelHair: Has a large mane of red scale-like "hair".

[[/folder]]

** According to WordOfGod, he was designed after Sauron from ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. Although not admitted, however, there seems to be a lot of influence from [[Franchise/StarWars Palpatine]] as well.

[[quoteright:299:https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/strider/images/6/60/MeioArt1.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/576?cb=20130529072714]]

* OdangoHair: All sisters sport the pigtailed odango style in the first game. From all subsequent appearances, Tong Pooh appropiated it while her sisters took on different hairstyles.

** BilingualBonus: "Kuniang" is the Chinese word for "girl".