Characters / Street Fighter

Street Fighter characters index
Street Fighter | Street Fighter II (The Four Kings) | Street Fighter II: Updated Versions | Street Fighter Alpha | Street Fighter III
Street Fighter IV | Street Fighter V | Street Fighter V: Updated Versions | Street Fighter 6
Street Fighter EX | Other Characters | Other Media

NOTE: Spoilers will be left unmarked in the examples below. You Have Been Warned!

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Characters debuting in the original Street Fighter.

• For Sagat, check the Street Fighter II: The Four Kings sheet.

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Ryu and Ken

In General

The Eternal Rivals, and the definitive mascots of Street Fighter; Ryu and Ken have been in the series since its very first installment.

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• Calling Your Attacks: They've been shouting the names of their moves since the very beginning.
  "Hadoken!"
  "Shoryuken!"
  "Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku".
• Divergent Character Evolution: Each has taken a unique path from the days of being moveset clones:
  • Ryu's the lynchpin Shoto. All other shotos are HIS clones. As such, early on, his moveset is extremely basic and other characters' moves are basically his, with a twist. However, starting from III, he's developed his own techniques that are uniquely his.
  • Ken has had new additions to his moveset in almost every game to distance from his origins as a Moveset Clone:
    • He starts differentiating from Ryu in II: Champion Edition; his special moves are distinct in terms of properties, like dealing multiple hits per attack and Ken himself becoming lighter and more mobile to play, with a much more aggressive playstyle.
    • V differentiates Ken further by giving him a brand-new design, a different fighting stance, and tweaks to his fighting style (his Strong Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, for example, is not a direct move like the others; instead, Ken starts the attack with an anti-air flying kick, then performs the TSK as he comes down to the ground).
    • 6 further builds on Ken's diverging style by making his V-skills a part of his regular moveset, and introducing new close-quarters moves to improve his rushdown game.
• Friendly Rival: Mixed with Vitriolic Best Buds; Ryu and Ken see each other as essential to their growth, and each one would come running if the other is in trouble or beginning to lose heart. However, they will also talk trash to each other and won't pull their punches in trying to prove who is better between them.
• Gameplay and Story Integration: Their Technician vs. Performer dynamic is reflected in the way their playstyles, Ryu being relatively Weak, but Skilled (in that he has less innate talent for martial arts, yet he makes up for it with daily training) while Ken is relatively Unskilled, but Strong (in that he mostly relies on his natural talent and is Brilliant, but Lazy relatively speaking). Ryu's also more focused on a good defense and zoning than the combo fiend that is Ken. It's even highlighted in their V-Skills (Ryu's is a parry, while Ken's is a dash meant to close the gap).
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: These two are as close as friends can get and will spar almost every time they meet. The background of the main menu for Super Street Fighter IV makes this clear, not to mention all of their various intro poses together (usually a fist bump for good luck before a match) as well as this special win pose from Alpha 3.
  Ryu: I always learn something new when we step into the ring together.
  Ken: You see, Ryu? This is why I enjoy fighting you!
• Hunk: Both to different extents.
  • Ryu's always been quite chiseled and mature-looking compared to many of the series' other men, and the artists love finding ways to show off his form, especially in his "Hot Ryu" incarnation in V that soon went memetic. It's especially prevalent relative to Ken who's depicted as a Pretty Boy in the earliest entries of the timeline.
  • As Ken gets older, he sheds his babyface and youthful looks for a more chiseled and hunky appearance, culminating in 6 where his jawline rivals Ryu's.
• Hurricane Kick: Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku is the Trope Namer; the user spins around with a leg outstretched to strike their opponent. While Ken is most associated with the Shoryuken, his Senpukyaku-based attacks are more impressive than most other Shotoclones, usually by trading the ability to knock down with more consecutive hits and can juggle the opponent. It's to the point that he incorporates them into several of his supers.
• Kamehame Hadoken: The most well-known users and the second co-Trope Namer; the "Hadoken" involves gathering ki in your hands and firing a projectile that shoots forward.
  • Ryu has found ways to empower his Hadoken over the years with different techniques. "Shakunetsu Hadoken" trades the blue ki for red-hot flames, and "Denjin Hadoken" gives it an electric touch.
  • Ken's Hadoken is less for zoning and more for applying pressure, keeping his opponent locked in place for offense. In USFIV's Omega Mode, he can fire Hadokens with his feet (called "Reppu Hadoken").
  • The Vs. series (MvC and TvC in particular) turn this attack into a full-on beam, whereas the Shinkuu Hadoken is an Energy Ball by default in most instances.
• Lightning/Fire Juxtaposition: Ryu is most associated with lightning due to his use of Denjin Renki and its derived techniques. Ken meanwhile implements fire all over his base moveset to empower his standard Shoto tools.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Ryu's the Calm and hyper-focused Blue Oni to Ken's passionate and energetic Red Oni. Even the colors of their outfits reflect this.
• Series Mascot: Both appear in every mainline title of Street Fighter since the beginning. And each are also very prominent in crossovers like with Marvel, SNK, and Nintendo titles; usually Ryu is the focus, though Ken is often not far behind.
• Shotoclone: The originators, from which all Ryu/Ken-types spring, laying the groundwork for playstyle, tools, and ease of play that most shotos emulate to varying degrees. They're the reason why Shotos all share similar special moves, having a projectile, uppercut and advancing attack that defines his ability to adapt in combat.
  • Ken techincially is the very first, created second to Ryu and reusing most of his game assets. Despite divergences, Ken retains all three signature special moves.
  • Referenced when he was revealed as Ryu's "Echo Fighter"^note A character who, while having different aesthetic elements, share gameplay data with another fighter Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, being called the "original" Echo Fighter. Somewhat ironically, of all the Echo Fighters in the game, Ken is by far the one with the most deviations from his base character.
• Technician vs. Performer: Ryu's the Technician to Ken's Performer. Practicing the fundamentals every day and bearing a Boring, but Practical fighting style, Ryu's moves tend to hit once for maximum damage, while Ken's hit multiple times for lesser damage per hit. Ryu's attack options are simple and straightforward, but also more versatile and less risky, while Ken is geared more towards close-quarters combos that open him up to counterattacks.

Ryu

World Warrior

^{Street Fighter V}

^{Street Fighter III}

^{Street Fighter Alpha}

^{Street Fighter II}

^{Street Fighter I}

My journey knows no end. I will continue to do what I have always done.

Origin: Japan

Fighting style: Ansatsuken
Appears in: All mainline games

Voiced by: ^note Katashi Ishizuka (Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Street Fighter EX series, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom 2)
Bin Shimada (Street Fighter II CD dramas)
Toshiyuki Morikawa (Street Fighter Alpha 3, Marvel vs. Capcom, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (only for certain audio clips such as the Shin Shoryuken; Katashi Ishizuka's voice was used for the majority of the audio), Capcom vs. SNK, Capcom vs. SNK 2, SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos, Namco × Capcom)
Wataru Takagi (Street Fighter III, Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact)
Tōru Ōkawa (Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike)
Skip Stellrecht (Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, Street Fighter II V; Animaze Dub, Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation; English)
Brett Weaver (Street Fighter II V; ADV Dub)
Tommy Drake (Street Fighter II V; ADV Dub)
Kouji Tsujitani (Street Fighter II V; Japanese)
Tong Lung (American cartoon)
Kyle Hebert (Street Fighter IV, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Street Fighter X Tekken, Wreck-It Ralph, Super Smash Bros., Street Fighter V, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, TEPPEN, Street Fighter 6; English)
Hiroki Takahashi (Street Fighter IV, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Street Fighter X Tekken, Project × Zone, Street Fighter V, Street Fighter 6, Super Smash Bros., TEPPEN; Japanese)
Richard Cansino (Street Fighter Alpha: Generations; English)
Yasuyuki Kase (Street Fighter Alpha: Generations; Japanese)
Taketora (Wreck-it Ralph; Japanese)
Isaac Newberry (Street Fighter motion comics)
Soichiro Hoshi (Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, Super Gem Fighter: Mini Mix (also known as Pocket Fighter))

Portrayed by: ^note Byron Mann (Live Action Movie), Jon Foo (Street Fighter: Legacy), Mike Moh (Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist, Street Fighter: World Warrior), Daniel Southworth (Street Fighter x Tekken: The Devil Within)

The lead character of the franchise, Ryu is a stoic Japanese martial artist who wanders the globe seeking the meaning of being a "true warrior." He can be recognized by his sleeveless white karate gi and a red or white hachimaki depending on the game. He trained alongside his friendly rival Ken under their mutual master Gouken. With the two having completed their training, Ryu competed in the first Street Fighter tournament held by renowned Muay Thai champion Sagat to test himself. In the final match, he fought a fierce battle with Sagat, but was beaten to near-death. As Sagat approached him, sure of himself that the fight was over, Ryu's desire to win awoke a dark power within him: the Satsui no Hado (lt. Surge of Killing Intent). Under its influence, Ryu unleashed a Metsu Shoryuken on Sagat, scarring him for life and critically wounding him, resulting in Ryu's victory. The awakening of this power has attracted the attention of many who would seek to study and control it, such as the leader of the criminal syndicate Shadaloo, M. Bison, who sees Ryu as both the ultimate test subject and useful for far darker, more sinister purposes. The Satsui no Hado lay dormant until Ryu's encounter with his master's nemesis and brother Akuma during the Street Fighter Alpha sub-series.

Since then, Ryu has strived to rid himself of the Satsui no Hado's corruption, and through his travels and his victories, Ryu has become a Living Legend among various fighters around the world. Through Gouken's reappearance in IV, it is briefly sealed away again, and Ryu undergoes even more intense meditation and training to purge it from himself. In the events of V, he successfully manages to purge himself of the Satsui no Hado and awakens a new power: the Mu no Ken (lit. Fist of the Void, localized as "Power of Nothingness".), the very same power used by his master Gouken. With it, he joins a group of fighters led by Karin Kanzuki to stop M. Bison's grand scheme for world domination. Ryu defeats the dictator in a decisive battle, and in the process destroys the evil energy empowering him, resulting in his destruction. He continues down his endless road by the time of III and 6.

His Evil Ryu version has been present in the Alpha and EX series, and has made a reappearance in the arcade edition of Super Street Fighter IV.

As the fighting game character, Ryu is also the originator of what is now commonly known as the Shoto archetype. This eventually became integrated into his storyline. What Ryu lacks in natural talent, he makes up for in limitless potential, honing his moves to optimal efficiency. He is a simple, but very effective character with a fireball for controlling space, a rising uppercut for catching airborne opponents, and a spinning kick that knocks the opponent down and is immune to other projectiles. Later games would expand on his fighting style while staying true to its core principles, adding various elements such as fire and lightning, corresponding to the Satsui no Hado and Mu no Ken respectively.

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• Adaptational Badass: In Street Fighter, his Hadoken (whether regular, Shinkuu, or Metsu) is merely a ball of ki (or fireball). In Capcom vs., the super versions of his Hadoken are comparable to a higher-tier Kamehameha. Even the regular Hadoken itself receives a buff in size and damage.
• Adaptational Jerkass: Rather strangely, SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos (or at least its localization) interprets Ryu as an Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy who disrespects his opponents.
• Always a Bigger Fish: By the time of IV, years after his training has finished, Ryu has finally managed to master the Metsu Hadoken and Metsu Shoryuken, meaning that he can tap into minor degrees of the Satsui no Hado and focus it into a controlled attack. An incredible accomplishment... except that Akuma has been doing so before his training was even halfway finished, before he was even Akuma.
• Anime Hair: Ryu has spiky brown or black hair, which in the earlier games (I and II) falls forward in a very bouffant quiff.
• Art Evolution: Ryu's seen subtle changes to his look throughout the series' history, with characteristics like build, hair color, and his outfit all seeing tweaks over time. His hair for example goes from red in the first game to brown in II and Alpha, then to black from III onward. He's also much bulkier as time goes on, looking absolutely ripped throughout the 3D era.
• Author Avatar: The programmers have noted that they see themselves as Ryu, and as such, he's often amongst the strongest, pick-up-and-play characters.
• Badass Arm-Fold: His trademark Victory Pose, enhanced by Dramatic Wind.
• Badass Back: One of his signature poses for both his regular self and Evil Ryu.
• Badasses Wear Bandanas: His third alternate costume in IV.
• Baritone of Strength: He looks and sounds like a man that's been training his body his whole life. His voice has gotten deeper throughout the series, especially from IV onward, to convey his maturity and mastery of fighting.
• Beware the Quiet Ones: While he isn't exactly a social person, he does have close friends and allies, who are not to be harmed in front of him. Bison is the living proof of this in Alpha 3, whereas Crimson Viper finds this out the hard way in the Ties That Bind Blu-Ray OVA. By extension, it's also a very bad idea to threaten innocent people (especially children) just to get a fight out of him.
• Big Brother Mentor: Ryu refuses Sakura's request to train her since he doesn't think he's learned everything he can. That said, he's happy to help her practice by sparring. While Sakura has a romantic crush on him, Ryu's own view of her is more brotherly. Many of his win quotes in IV also have him give advice and encouragement to younger fighters with great potential, like Makoto and Yun.
• Big Eater:
  • In certain adaptations, such as Masaomi Kanzaki's manga and the UDON comics. While it helps make Ryu less of a Flat Character, it is also Truth in Television, as intense exercise routines tend to increase a person's appetite due to calorie burn. And given how much Ryu trains...
  • In IV, he's the only character (besides Elena) who doesn't dislike or avoid El Fuerte's cooking, and in Street Fighter X Tekken, he contemplates eating Kuma.
    (SFxT win quote vs. Marshall Law) You run a Chinese restaurant? I'll stop by next time! Hope it's all you can eat!
• Blessed with Suck: Ryu's incredible persistence towards his goal of becoming a great martial artist is what allows him to be such a strong fighter. This same persistence also opens him up to the Satsui no Hado whenever his goal is threatened.
• Blood Knight: Fighting is everything for Ryu but he's without Akuma's unbound code of combat. In other words, he's a Lighter and Softer Akuma.
  (in his rival match against Ken) Neither of us have reached our full potential.
• Book Ends: Ryu's IV arcade intro has him throw a Shinku Hadoken at a waterfall, only for it to fizzle out, and he shakes his head in doubt. His Super arcade ending has him perform the same feat, although this time the Hadoken persists and flies straight through and into the sky, while Ryu reminisces about his friends and rivals.
• Boring, but Practical: Ryu's forte is that he's a master of fundamental martial arts. In the UDON comics, the difference between him and Ken is explained in that Ryu will practice the boring old basics day in and day out to improve them beyond their maximum, while Ken (who has extremely high natural talent) will master those basics in a day or so, throw some fire on it for instant awesome, get bored, and call it a day. Gameplay-wise, Ryu's style spreads evenly across virtually any scenario, and relies on precise attacks and proper counters to be effective.
• Brainwashed and Crazy:
  • His story arc for Alpha 2 and Alpha 3 sees him being brainwashed by Bison and forced to fight other opponents.
  • This is also more or less the genesis of Evil Ryu as a player character, though he is enslaved to his bloodlust rather than an outside will.
• The Cameo:
  • Makes a few alongside Ken in Wreck-It Ralph and its sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet, reprised by Kyle Hebert.
  • He appears as a background OASIS avatar multiple times in Ready Player One, and even joins in the final battle on Planet Doom, bringing his signature special moves along with him.
• Character Catchphrase: In the context of calling his attacks: "Hadoken!". Outside that context: "The answer lies in the heart of battle." is his mantra.
• Casting a Shadow: In IV, Ryu gains the Metsu Hadoken and Metsu Shoryuken, versions of his techniques that are cast in black, ink-like shadows. The former originally appears as a super for Evil Ryu in Capcom vs. SNK (there, it functioned akin to an evil version of the Denjin Hadoken). The latter is the very same move he used to scar Sagat.
• Celibate Hero:
  • In an earlier comic adaption, he recognizes that Gouken's daughter has feelings for him but is unable to return them.
  • While he would like to start a family someday, he believes he's not ready to consider doing so.
  • While Sakura has a full-blown romantic crush on Ryu, he cares for her and looks forward to her development, but either he feels he can't return her feelings or is totally oblivious to them in the first place.
• Character Development: Early in the continuity, such as the first game and the Alpha series, Ryu is almost as Hot-Blooded as Ken, quick to deal out the Trash Talk to his foes with a bit of arrogance, something of a Sore Loser when he loses to Sagat in the first Street Fighter Tournament, and prone to fits from the Satsui no Hado into becoming Evil Ryu. Though he quelled it for a while, his continued encounters with Bison inevitably bring it out time and time again, and force Ryu to finally conquer his inner demons once and for all. By the time of V's conclusion, and heading into III and 6, Ryu has chilled out considerably, and while he's still liable to snark if his opponent practically eggs it out of him, he's otherwise a far more resolute and battle-hardened Nice Guy with no further hesitation in his continued path of self-improvement through fighting.
• The Chosen One:
  • Chosen by Rose in Alpha and IV to take down Bison, though she feels he's not ready yet.
  • Later in III he's chosen by Oro to receive special training.
• The Comically Serious: Comes across as such, particularly in supplemental media. He's not even trying to be overly serious (he's open to trying new things as best he can), it's just who he is.
• Continuity Nod: By 6, Ryu has learned to harness Gouken's Power of Nothingness in his base fighting style, being able to enhance his attacks with "Denjin Charge".
• Counter-Attack: His V-Trigger II strengthens his parry attack by giving him a counter punch that puts the opponent into a crumple state, and can be followed up on with a combo.
• Dangerous Forbidden Technique: The "Satsui no Hado" state, literally "Surge of Murderous Intent." Used by his alter-ego in the Alpha series, Evil Ryu.
• Defeating the Undefeatable: He's pitched against the formidable Sagat in the first game and depending on the source, he either narrowly wins and scars Sagat with the Shoryuken, or almost gets beaten to death, then scars Sagat with the power of Satsui no Hado.
• Disappointed in You: After Ryu finally suppresses the Satsui no Hadou, Akuma often repeats how disappointed he is, how he expected more, and that Ryu is now Not Worth Killing. Ryu is actually glad of that, because he actually pities what Akuma has sacrificed (something Akuma finds irritating).
• Dramatic Wind: His classic Victory Pose features a gentle breeze fluttering his headband and gi.
• 11th-Hour Superpower: His ability to use the Denjin Hadoken in III is explained in V. His special training to control the Satsui no Hado leads him to follow his master Gouken in unlocking the Power of Nothingness, which has lightning-based ki and nullifies negative energy. The Satsui no Hado has effectively been purged from his body, and the concept of Evil Ryu is no more. He then proceeds to use the Power of Nothingness to defy both Necalli's prophecy and the Illuminati's prophecy, defeating Necalli and killing Bison once and for all.
• Fireballs: His normal Hadoken is often mistakenly called a fireball (it's more correctly a "chi" ball), but he can turn them into the Shakunetsu Hadoken, which is imbued with fiery energy.
• Final Boss: He is the Final Boss to several fighters in several games.
  • Alpha: For Sagat and Ken.
  • Alpha 2: For Sagat, Ken, M. Bison, and Sakura.
  • Alpha 3: He is M. Bison's final boss.
  • III: 2nd Impact: He is Ken's final boss. This means that if Ken meets the requirements to fight Akuma, Ryu instead of Gill gets murdered to set up a grudge match.
  • 6: He is Rashid's final boss.
• Fire-Forged Friends: His long and once bitter rivalry with Sagat has led to a deep understanding of and respect for each other, and it's clear that they're on good terms as of IV.
• Friendly Rivalry: Outside of his most famous rivals, Ken and Sagat, he enjoys sparring with Chun-Li, Cammy, Sakura, Alex, Dudley, and Makoto, plus plenty of other fighters.
• Graceful Loser: Multiple instances:
  • After his Character Development in the Alpha series, Ryu begins making a habit of giving showing his opponents respect and praises their efforts in battle.
  • In 6, he sometimes yells "Well fought!" if he is knocked out.
• Good Wears White: Ryu is the lead character of the franchise, and a Spirited Competitor who seeks to improve himself physically and spiritually through combat. He wears a white karate gi in contrast to his (kind of) Evil Counterpart Akuma who wears a black gi.
• Guest Fighter
  • Has appeared a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. since the 3DS and Wii U titles.
  • Ryu has donned a Power Rangers outfit and appeared in Power Rangers: Legacy Wars on mobile platforms, morphing into the "Crimson Hawk Ranger". In 2021 he also gets to mix it up in a more traditional fighting game setting with the "Street Fighter Pack" DLC for Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid alongside Chun-Li (as the "Blue Phoenix Ranger").
• Hand Blast: 6 gives him a special move called "Hashogeki" (based on his V-Reversal from V), where he unleashes a blast of ki at close range, making for a useful combo extender.
• Handwraps of Awesome: Wears black hand wraps in his bearded alternate outfit in V.
• Heroic Neutral: Ryu prefers to keep to himself. While he will fight injustice if he happens to find it, for the most part, he remains ignorant of the events of the world around him until he's called into action.
• The Hero's Idol: Ryu finds himself a fan and semi-apprentice in Sakura. Sakura's own fighting style is based on studying Ryu's, including copying many of his Signature Moves^note The Hadoken and the Shinku Hadoken while putting her own twist on others^note Shunpukyaku and Shououken. He is very supportive of her pursuits and will spar with her whenever they meet.
• Home Stage: Ryu's stage has traditionally been Suzaku Castle, starting with II. It represents the franchise's Home Stage as a whole in the Super Smash Bros. series.
• Hopeless with Tech: Ryu typically lives an ascetic life, so it’s both charming and amusing when he uses a mobile phone (likely for the first time) to message the Player Character in 6’s World Tour mode, and is a little flummoxed by the process.
  Maybe I should ask a phone expert to teach me more.
  Someone online who knows more about this device than I do. I believe that the answer lies…In the heart of the internet…
• Iconic Item: Ryu's red headband, given to him by Ken to help rouse Ryu in Ken's ending in Alpha 2. Before this, he wore a white headband to match his gi, apparently given to him by Gouken's daughter.
  • In the SFII movie said headband also appears; the circumstances in which he receives it is different but still heartwarming. While training, a young Ryu is injured when Ken kicks him in the forehead, knocking him down some stairs. Ken runs after him and takes the band keeping his hair in place to bandage Ryu's bleeding wound. Ryu keeps the makeshift headband to honor Ken.
  • Assassin's Fist presents the headband in a similar vein to the movie, but different: during Ryu and Ken's final match under Gouken's tutelage, Ryu starts to succumb to the Satsui no Hado, and Ken has to knock him unconscious with a Shoryuken. However, the move breaks Ryu's skull, and Ken uses his hair band to stop the bleeding before carrying him back to the dojo.
  • In the end of the Story Mode in V, the headband comes off once he defeats Ken in their sparring match. Seeing as how Ryu finally manages to make peace with his soul, Ken thinks of taking the headband back, but Ryu decides to hold on to it because he feels his journey is not even close to an end.
    There is no end on the road of fighting. I know... I still need this.
• Iconic Outfit: Of all the three characters in V that didn't have wardrobe changes (Ryu, Chun-Li, and Zangief), Ryu is the most likely candidate to have retained the same white gi and Martial Arts Headband that he's always worn.
• "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: It takes Sagat's urging and Sakura's injuries from her fight with Bison (plus the memories of all his friends and rivals) to break Ryu out of his brainwashing in Alpha 3.
• Inconsistent Spelling:
  • His name actually has an extended "u" vowel when written in its original form in katakana, so it's either "Ryū" or "Ryuu" in that case.
  • For all of his special moves; the Hadoken, Shoryuken, and Tatsumaki Senpukyaku have extended vowels that may or may not be ignored via their romaji.
• Jack of All Stats: He's designed to be the most balanced character in the game, having a little bit of everything from zoning, mix-ups, and mobility to cover most situations. Comparatively though, he's a bit of a Stone Wall compared to other shotos like Ken. It's been said V was balanced by taking Ryu as the centerpiece and making everyone else work around him.
• Limited Wardrobe: He's only ever seen wearing a dogi and going barefoot. This is taken to the extreme in one piece of artwork where Ryu is doing his laundry in his underwear at a laundromat (presumably because Ryu's gi is the only article of clothing he travels with). In 6, he still wears the trousers from his dogi, but he's switched out the top for a burgundy uttarasanga robe, representing his more peaceful outlook now that he's overcome his inner darkness. It’s also revealed that Ryu now owns a set of casual clothes (which appear in-game as his third selectable costume) to wear in public after getting scolded by Chun-Li for dressing in his gi everywhere.
• Load-Bearing Hero: Especially in the Alpha series, where the constant threat of succumbing to the Satsui no Hado is most keenly felt.
• Manly Facial Hair: One of his alternate costumes in V has him grow a full beard and mustache. As of 6, a slightly trimmed version of that look becomes a part of his default appearance.
• Martial Arts Headband: Part of his Iconic Outfit. Originally white in Street Fighter, then red later on, except for the Alpha series, which explains how it became red (Ken gave it to him as a gift).
• Mascot: He's the face of the fighting game department of Capcom, and is sometimes considered the face of the Fighting Game genre in general. He's close to being a co-Mascot to all of Capcom alongside Mega Man.
• Meaningful Name: Ryu's name was originally spelled with the kanji for "prosperity", although it is actually a reference to the first game's co-designer Takashi Nishiyama, whose given name (Takashi) is spelled with the same kanji and had a habit of naming his protagonists "Ryu" (see also Trojan and Avenger). More obviously, Ryu's name is a homophone for "dragon" in Japanese.
• Mind-Control Eyes: A rare case of the sclera changing color. Instead of the sclera being white, it turns pink — most likely due to Bison's Psycho Power which helped brainwash him.
• Minor Major Character: Takes a backseat in all of the III games and in 6. In the III games, he is displaced by Alex as the The Protagonist. In 6, Ken or the Avatar displaces him as The Protagonist depending on the game mode.
• Mr. Fanservice: He’s Tall, Dark, and Handsome with a buff Heroic Build, as well as being a badass on the battlefield and a Nice Guy outside of it. Following his ruggedly bearded updated appearance in V and 6, he was almost immediately dubbed "Hot Ryu".
• Nice Guy: While somewhat of a recluse, he is still a sensitive and kind-hearted man with plenty of good advice to share with his friends and fellow warriors. The only major downside to befriending Ryu is the difficulty in contacting him.
• No-Nonsense Nemesis: Despite being a Spirited Competitor that enjoys fights, Ryu's fighting style is very efficient and goes for maximum damage on every hit. It's explained that Ryu lacks the talent to do fancier moves or combos like Ken or Akuma, and he lacks the natural reach, power and stamina of Sagat. Thus, Ryu's relentless training ensures that every single hit counts. Further, in the Animated Movie, Ryu uses the most efficient means of beating an opponent, such as simply headbutting a guy to break his nose, or breaking Fei Long's arm and foot to limit his ability to fight.
• Not Himself: In Alpha 2, he is extremely troubled over the Satsui no Hado and what it means, thus he acts quite rash and more jerk-like than usual — until Ken defeats him and gives him the red headband as a token of remembrance.
• No-Sell: His V-Skill in V is a parry called "Mind's Eye". Successfully parrying an attack will prevent any damage from connecting with Ryu, give him a massive boost of V-Gauge and, if fully parried, usually leave him at an advantage next to the recovering opponent. It's not as broken as 3rd Strike parrying in that it is a two-button command, so option selects are nigh impossible, has a whiff animation so a failed parry is punishable, and is not cancelable into anything other than another Mind's Eye, meaning that Ryu must fully commit to a parry and cannot interrupt a multi-hit attack after parrying only once (so none of that "Evo Moment #37" stuff here...mostly).
• Not So Above It All: Ryu is generally deadly serious and respectful, but he occasionally has his Deadpan Snarker or more witty moments.
  • In Super Street Fighter IV, he rips on Zangief for not being able to cope with the Hadoken, which Zangief notoriously hates. Ryu also tells Vega that he might actually be able to dodge his attacks if he paid less attention to his looks and more to the battle.
  • Hugo's ending in 3rd Strike: Hugo recruits him (and several other street fighters) to be pro wrestlers. Ryu thinks he can learn a lot from wrestling. Ken's completely mortified that Ryu's actually enjoying himself.
  • He has one of the funniest lines in SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos where he points out Mai's odd choice of a ninja outfit.
  Ninja style? People can see you coming miles away!
• Oddly Visible Eyebrows: Ryu's eyebrows generally project and float over his headband.
• The Paragon Always Rebels: Among Gouken's students, it is not the arrogant Ken Masters or the vengeful Dan Hibiki, but the polite and disciplined Ryu who is the most susceptible to succumbing to evil.
• Perma-Stubble: In III, befitting his transition from Pretty Boy to Hunk.
• Playing with Fire: The Shakunetsu Hadoken, a fiery version of the classic move. In Alpha and Alpha 2, the fifth and final hit of his Lv3 Shinkuu Hadoken sets his opponent on fire.
• Prefers Going Barefoot:
  • His constant bare footedness throughout the series is Lampshaded in IV:
    Shoes? No, I can certainly afford them; I go barefoot for comfort.
  • In one Omake, he isn’t allowed inside a fancy restaurant because of the "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service" policy.
  • His win quote against Guy in Street Fighter X Tekken lampshades this.
    You've got a nice spring in your step! Maybe I should rethink my stance on shoes...
• Retcon: Back when II originally debuted, Ryu had become famous after defeating Sagat. This was changed, years later, by making Sagat the actual winner of the fight. According to the updated version of events, Sagat was helping Ryu off the ground, when Ryu fell under the Satsui no Hado's influence and caught Sagat off-guard with a Metsu Shoryuken. The Satsui no Hado itself is also a retcon, as it wasn't originally part of the series' backstory. It was added into the storyline in Alpha 2. V goes back to the original version of events, based on the game itself and in official Capcom posts.
• The Rival:
  • Sagat, one of his greatest rivals. They have an extremely bitter grudge throughout the II and Alpha series before patching things up and becoming each others' Worthy Opponent. The two have fought in at least three tournaments, ensuring that every fight counts toward their shared development.
  • Ken, his best friend, and former training partner. Theirs is very much a Friendly Rivalry, as they grew up together, and most of their battles take place while training outside of the ring as they try to keep each other on their toes.
  • Akuma, who doubles as Ryu's Arch-Enemy. Ryu thought that Akuma had killed his adoptive father Gouken, for years. At the same time, Akuma wants Ryu to give in to his Superpowered Evil Side and give him the best match possible after forsaking his humanity.
  • Gouken, his adoptive father and former teacher. Now that Ryu is a grown adult, Gouken has declared that he has nothing left to teach him and challenges him in IV to see how much Ryu has grown as a fighter.
• Sean Connery Is About to Shoot You: In the intro to Super Street Fighter II, Puzzle Fighter and Street Fighter Alpha 2. Referenced in his character trailer for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS.
• Secretly Wealthy: 6 reveals he has a credit card that Ken "forced" him to get. Ryu states that he isn't in charge of the account it's linked to, but he reveals that he's amassed savings through tournament winnings and helping out local crises, and Ken states that Ryu would soon have enough to retire comfortably. When the Avatar implies Ryu is rich, he modestly downplays it but admits he finds comfort in being able to travel the world without much hassle.
• Ship Tease:
  • With Chun-Li, in non-canon material, such as the Malibu comic, various manhua, and since the release of V in various official merchandise (the Pocky snacks has to be the most blatant one). But the official word from Capcom is they're Just Friends.
  • With Sakura, since by the time IV hits, she's pretty clearly crushing on him. While he's still a Celibate Hero, it is quite telling that she's the only one capable of bringing him back from being almost taken over by the Satsui no Hado. Plus, in V one of the most poignant moments in Sakura's Story Mode takes place as a talk between her and Ryu.
• Shirtless Scene:
  • He appears shirtless for the brick-breaking bonus stages in the first game.
  • He has a battle-damaged costume in IV which gives him slightly torn pants and shredded shirts. His first premium outfit for V also has him fight shirtless with the addition of a Beard and Handwraps of Awesome.
  • In the teaser for 6, his appearance harkens to said premium outfit, while also demonstrating the contractions of his muscles as he stands idly.
• Shock and Awe: Ryu can enhance his attacks with electric properties by tapping into the Power of Nothingness.
  • There's Denjin Hadoken; it's unblockable and charging it up to the maximum fully dizzies his foe.
  • In V, his V-Trigger I, the "Denjin Renki", makes his Hadoken and Shoryuken techniques electrified for the duration. If you have a full Critical Gauge, you can cash out the entire V-Trigger meter to turn the Shinku Hadoken into the Denjin Hadoken.
  • In 6, he's honed the technique enough to electrify most of his base moveset. And with Denjin Charge, he enhances his attacks even further.
• Shoryuken: His and Ken's Shoryuken is the Trope Namer. Despite Ryu being more focused on Hadoken techniques, his various Shoryukens, most notably the Metsu Shoryuken, are important to the story; this same attack is what he used to defeat Sagat in his first tournament.
• Signature Move:
  • Hadoken and Shoryuken, which are also the two most famous moves in Street Fighter. The Hadoken is Ryu's specialty, while Ken specializes more in the Shoryuken than Ryu does, though Ryu's various uses of the move are pretty important to the story. You must defeat it to stand a chance after all.
  • His Denjin Hadoken and Metsu Shoryuken latterly, so much so that they are shown in the first-ever footage of V.
• Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon: Thanks to crossovers, quite a few video game characters have a ‘Ryu number’. The easy way in is through Brawlhalla or Super Smash Bros.; Fortnite and Marvel vs. Capcom also open up countless possibilities. If a character appears in the same game as Ryu, their Ryu number is 1.
• Socially Awkward Hero: As he grew up in an isolated part of Japan, Ryu isn't accustomed to interacting with people who aren't Gouken or Ken. He does start meeting new people like Chun-Li and Sakura as he travels the world, and that helps him become more adjusted over time, though.
• Spiders Are Scary: Ryu fears spiders, due to a prank that Ken pulled on him when the two were kids.
• Spirited Competitor: A heroic version; he's always on the lookout for meeting strong opponents and treats every battle with sportsmanlike conduct. If taken too far he becomes Evil Ryu, though.
• Spotlight-Stealing Squad: A rare case of a character who took the spotlight back, along with more of it than ever. Ryu is the main character of the original Street Fighter, but there is virtually no story to tell. In Street Fighter II, the developers consider Guile to be the main character, who inherited from Charlie in the prequel Alpha. And in Street Fighter III, the mantle is passed to Alex. Ryu's only part in each is to satisfy a few existing rivalries. That started to change in Alpha 2, where Ryu's battle against Akuma and the Satsui no Hadou take center stage. Alpha 3 Arc Welds that plot into the main Shadaloo plot, where Bison seeks Ryu as a replacement body, and Street Fighter IV introduces a subplot where Rose seeks to protect him as The Chosen One and last hope against Bison. By Street Fighter V, Ryu is so important to the story that the other characters acknowledge that their final goal is to disrupt/weaken Shadaloo and Bison as much as possible until Ryu is ready to give the final blow, with the temporarily resurrected Nash even sacrificing his rebirth to that effect.
• Sucking-In Lines: his Metsu-Hadoken super move is stylized with lines swirling into his palms before he fires off the shot.
• Super Special Move: Many of Ryu's super moves are simply versions of his standard attacks that he's achieved greater mastery of.
  • Shinku Hadoken is an empowered version of the standard Hadoken, dealing more hits and sometimes using purple coloring to differentiate itself. There's also "Denjin Hadoken" which empowers it with lightning.
  • One of Ryu's strongest attacks is the "Shin Shoryuken" ("True Rising Dragon Fist"). He begins with a basic Shoryuken that freezes an opponent in place and then unleashes an even stronger one that sends them flying.
  • 6 introduces "Shin Hashogeki", a super version of Hashogeki. Like Shinku Hadoken, it's a version that deals more hits.
• Supporting Protagonist: Despite being the main character of the series, Ryu doesn't do that much to contribute to the plot. His role only matters in the original game and in Alpha. In most of the other games, he's pretty much a Living MacGuffin.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Ryu is a wanderer seeking challenges, and whenever he goes flying to other countries, Ryu still wears his gi. But this causes a lot of red flags to be set off at the airport. So leave it to Chun-Li to buy him new clothes.
• Talent vs. Training: Ryu dedicates every moment of his life to training and fighting to become stronger. His rival Ken, meanwhile, is a talented fighter who tends to slack off; if his skills atrophy, he can get back in top shape with only a month's worth of training at most.
• Tarot Motifs: Ryu represents The World in the 30th Anniversary Tarot Deck. The World represents wholeness and completion, fitting with Ryu's world-wandering journey to keep getting stronger.
• Tiger Versus Dragon: When written in a certain kanji, "Ryu" can mean "Dragon." This is in direct contrast to Sagat's tiger Animal Motifs. As the main page says, this refers to two spirits so wildly different and yet wildly similar at the same time, intricately linked together in destiny.: Ryu and Sagat were enemies in the past, but now they are each other's Worthy Opponents.
• To Be a Master: He travels all over the world taking on several opponents, each of them skilled fighters in their own right, to become the greatest fighter of them all. He's a warrior, first and foremost. Having the ability to beat the tar out of any villains and evil men he comes across as just a kick-ass bonus for him.
• Took a Level in Badass: Ryu's improved a lot over the series, coinciding with his journey to be a stronger fighter and master his fundamentals. The culmination of all that shows in his 6 incarnation, set years after settling from his globe-trotting; he has a stronger mastery over the Power of Nothingness, able to imbue more of his attacks with otherworldly ki. And his supers all show a massive increase in strength, his Shin Shoryuken for example striking with enough power to crumble the earth below and create visible fractures in the space around him. It even rains debris when the attack is finished.
• The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: In the early games, he is severely overpowered, always Dragon Punching a jumping opponent, always getting through their block, his damage being increased...etc.
• Theme Naming: Is the "Ryu" in Shoryuken, with his best friend being the "Ken."
• The Stoic: He's nearly always composed, calm, and relentlessly polite — the ideals of a Japanese warrior.
• Walking the Earth: Is always traveling in search of new opponents and challenges, although he allegedly returns to Suzaku Castle (the burial ground of his Not Quite Dead sensei Gouken) once a year. In the fourth Super Smash Bros., there is a list of his unique notable opponents across all of his appearances in video games. He has the distinct honor of having fought at least three-hundred unique opponents over the course of his on-screen career.
• Warrior Therapist: From III onwards, Ryu comes off as a supportive version, since he kindly encourages the opponent to improve themselves and overcome their weaknesses.
  (Vs Cody) Instead of running away, face your problems head-on. I'm sure you will get back on the right track.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Ryu hates spiders, stemming from an incident in which one had crawled into his open mouth while he was sleeping. Naturally extends to his match-up against Spider-Man in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, though he does respect Spidey for being an honorable hero and worthy opponent.
• World's Best Warrior: In the first two games of the series. In Street Fighter, Ryu, after defeating Sagat, is declared the 'World's Greatest Street Fighter', and carries that title all the way into the II series. However, starting with the Alpha series, Ryu's characterization shifts in that he wants to become a great martial artist, but there are others far ahead of him (Bison, Oro, Gill etc).
• World's Strongest Man: He is one of the few contenders for the title, having been taught by both Gouken and Oro, and succeeding in defeating M. Bison (three times), as well as Seth and Necalli. In the Ryu Final manga (which is a Distant Finale), Ryu manages to kill Akuma by making peace within himself. In the (non-canon) comics and other media, Ryu has also overpowered Oni (essentially Akuma's One-Winged Angel form) with his own Superpowered Evil Side and even defeated Dark Messiah Gill. In crossover titles like Marvel vs. Capcom Ryu has shown to be able to match the Hulk in strength and his ending in MVC3 has him learn the Iron Fist’s martial art and deliver a Curb-Stomp Battle to Akuma. As a guest fighter in Super Smash Bros 4 Ryu in his trailer is shown to able to beat up both Mewtwo (one of the most powerful Pokémon ever) and even Ganondorf who’s an outright God of Evil at his best.
• Worthy Opponent: Ideally, he considers everyone a Worthy Opponent as he believes he can always learn something new from every battle. However, in the strictest context, Ken and Sagat are typically mainstays. In a twisted sense, he desires to be one to Akuma, but as a means to show him that even without succumbing to the Satsui no Hadou, he can still be a complete fighter. Ryu desires to seek his path in life and grow as a martial artist, and the more people he meets to learn from, the better. Many of his IV win quotes have him commending his opponents for their fighting skills and spirit.
• X-Ray Sparks: His Denjin Hadoken Super Art from 3rd Strike has such an effect on the opponent.
• Years Too Early: Post-Alpha, both he and Sagat admit that Ryu was nowhere near ready to challenge him in the first World Warrior tournament.

Evil Ryu

Embodiment of the Satsui

Violence...is who I am!

Origin: Japan

Fighting style: Unknown (martial arts rooted in Ansatsuken)

Voiced by: ^note Toshiyuki Morikawa (Street Fighter Alpha 3, Capcom vs. SNK, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Namco × Capcom), Hiroki Takahashi (Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition; Japanese, Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers), Kyle Hebert (Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition; English)

When Ryu fought Sagat in the first tournament, he was beaten to the point of near-death. Sagat, already battered from the fight, approached Ryu to deliver the final blow, but at that moment, something awoke within Ryu. That "something" was the Satsui no Hadou, and it forced Ryu, against his will, to deliver a cheap-shot Metsu Shoryuken to Sagat, scarring him for life. It then lay dormant within Ryu until the appearance of Akuma. After that incident, the Satsui no Hado began to manifest within his mind as "Evil Ryu", a corrupt, warped version of himself who craves only a fight to the death and delights in others' suffering and pain. It is for this reason that many forces have targeted him, such as M. Bison and Seth, who wish to force this side of Ryu to the surface and attempt to manipulate it, turning Ryu into their weapon of mass destruction.

In Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, Ryu is rendered unconscious after a grueling battle with Seth. The BLECE generator resonates with his Satsui no hado, bringing Evil Ryu to the surface. After killing several remaining S.I.N. grunts, he wanders seeking worthy opponents. His path is cut short by the revived Gouken, who uses the Mu no Ken (Power of Nothingness) to seal away the Satsui no Hado again, bringing Ryu back to his senses. However, it still lingers within, waiting for the chance to finally seize control of Ryu for good.

Gameplay-wise, Evil Ryu started out as just a simple clone of Ryu with his only notable changes being the addition of Akuma's teleport, Messatsu-Goshoryu super, and Raging Demon. In Street Fighter IV, however, Evil Ryu was re-imagined into more of a mixture between Ryu and Akuma's styles. In essence, he is a more offense-oriented version of Ryu with the extra bells and whistles of Akuma, combining the former's raw power with the technical aspects of the latter. He lacks Akuma's aerial fireballs and he has a weaker teleport, but he gains Akuma's more powerful command normals and his Shakunetsu Hadoken which gives him an edge in fighting against other zoning strategies that Ryu otherwise would have to expend more resources to counter. He also gains his own signature special move which makes his style unique among his fellow Shotos: the Ryusokyaku axe kick, a deadly 50/50 mixup between a damaging combo extender and a deceptive overhead which causes a hard knockdown. Being a combination of Ryu and Akuma, however, he also gains their weaknesses. His overwhelming power comes at the cost of making him as "honest" as Ryu and as brittle as Akuma.

For Kage, the physical manifestation of Evil Ryu, check Street Fighter V.

---

• Adaptational Badass: In Asura's Wrath, he's presented as being Asura's equal.
• Adaptational Villainy: Evil Ryu is already a ruthless jerkass to begin with. In SSFIV: AE, he takes a step further by being much more unhinged and having a macabre sense of humor when mocking his opponents. A trait that is also carried on to Kage.
• Air-Dashing: Like Akuma, he can use "Ashura Senku" to move around in the air and approach opponents from above
• Ax-Crazy: In SSFIV: Arcade Edition, his obsession with fighting makes him much more wrathful and sadistic, and he relishes in the fear of those he defeats.
• Badass Back: Both him and "normal" Ryu.
• Battle Aura: The version of Evil Ryu in Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition sports one. Instead of Ten, it forms the kanji metsu^note 滅, meaning Destruction.
• Battle in the Center of the Mind: One possible interpretation of his encounters with Ryu, as indicated by his intro pose with Ryu in Alpha 3 and Shin Evil Ryu's dialogue for Ryu in AE.
• Black Eyes of Crazy: In Street Fighter IV and Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers, Evil Ryu is given black or dark red sclera to match his more demonic appearance.
• Blood Knight: More so than his regular incarnation. If Ryu emphasized the Knight aspect, Evil Ryu focuses on the blood part, being ruthless and vicious in battle.
• Body Horror:
  • The Super Street Fighter IV version of Evil Ryu seems to have some pulsating orb embedded in his chest. Ryu refers to it as a "heart" of some kind.
  • The image that normally appears on a user's gi when they execute the Shun Goku Satsu is now more or less burned onto his skin. This conforms with what happened to Rugal when he drew out Akuma's Satsui no Hadou power in Capcom vs. SNK 2, suggesting that all users of this power have this happen to them and the image will brand itself to their body.
  • Watch Oni's Ultra technique Meido Gouhadou when it hits close range. Not only does it hit the opponent in the chest (where Evil Ryu's "heart" is), the second fireball Oni launches slams into them, and then explodes out of their back (just like it's been burned in Evil Ryu's back). It's been theorized that Oni killed Ryu with the Meido Gouhadou and that Ryu was subsequently revived by the Satsui no Hadou. This scenario is played out in the UDON comics. After Ryu absorbs the Satsui No Hadou from Sakura, Akuma fires a Hadoken at Ryu, leaving a scar in his chest and awakening Evil Ryu.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: More or less the genesis of Evil Ryu as a player character, though he is enslaved to his bloodlust rather than an outside will.
• Canon Immigrant: First appeared in Masahiko Nakahira's Street Fighter Alpha manga adaptation. Although in his case, it's more like a retcon, considering that Evil Ryu was shoehorned into Ryu's fight with Sagat from the original game.
• Casting a Shadow: His attacks use dark ki.
• Characterization Marches On: Originally, in the Alpha series, he was just a cockier version of Ryu, always open to state how much of a better fighter he was against his opponents, and while he had killing intent during the matches, Evil Ryu still looked very focused and calm while at it; in conclusion, he still looked less evil than Akuma, who isn't exactly evil to begin with. Evil Ryu's comeback in SFIV changed his character quite a lot, though; not only did his appearance change, but his mannerisms changed as well. Now, he lives up to the "Evil" in his name instead of the original and tamer Satsui no Hadou ni Mezameta Ryu^note "Ryu Succumbed to the Dark Hadou", the name the character is given in Japan and better aligns with his characterization pre-IV, Evil Ryu is now a bloodthirsty demon, grunts and love for violence included.
• Charged Attack: His first Ultra Combo, the Metsu Hadoken, adds the property of being briefly chargeable before launching. If charged to the hilt and connecting right in front of Evil Ryu, it will trigger a camera shift and do more damage than at range.
• Dangerous Forbidden Technique: The "Satsui no Hadou" state, literally "Surge of Murderous Intent"; it's what makes Ryu "Evil." Within that state, two specific moves that fit the trope are the Metsu Shoryuken and Metsu Hadouken.
• Dark Reprise: Evil Ryu's theme in Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition is like a hybrid of his original theme with Akuma's set in the instruments of Akuma's theme.
• Deconstruction: Evil Ryu examines Ryu's attraction to fighting not as a means of growth but purely to win.
• Divergent Character Evolution: His sprites were, for the most part, a darker recolor of the main Ryu's. IV gives him a much more tattered outfit, a hole-shaped gash in his chest, as well as eyes and spiky hair more along the lines of Akuma, giving him a slightly more distinct look.
• Drunk on the Dark Side: Compared to Akuma, who has full rein of his emotions and consciousness while interacting with the Satsui no Hadou. Evil Ryu just draws on it without restraint, causing him to be less concerned with victory and more about just killing everyone in battle.
• Enemy Within: In Street Fighter V he serves as the personification of the Satsui no Hado within Ryu.
• Energy Ball: He can use the normal Hadoken, the Shakunetsu Hadoken, the Shinku Hadoken, the Metsu Hadoken, and the Rakuyo Hadoken.
• Evil Sounds Deep: Evil Ryu's voice is deeper and more guttural than his normal form's.
• Evil Sounds Raspy: His voice is a lot more throaty compared to his normal self, showing just how much the Hado has a hold on him.
• Fan Disservice: Many fangirls (and more than one fanboy) wanted to see the Tall, Dark, and Handsome Ryu shirtless. They got their wish with Evil Ryu... but he has a horrifying hole-shaped scar on his chest and a kanji carved on his back.
• Fangs Are Evil: In IV, Evil Ryu was given fangs as part of his updated demonic design.
• Fighting from the Inside: A scant amount of dialogue in both Alpha 3 and SSFIV: AE has Ryu expressing doubt and regret over what he's now become.
• Final Boss: For the SNK roster in SNK vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium.
• Foil: To Akuma. Both are users of the Satsui no Hado who seek to test the extent of their power to kill opponents without remorse. Akuma is bound to a moral code that he refuses to attack opponents weaker than him or he views as a nuisance, unless if he is willing to purge any of it to achieve greater levels of power. Evil Ryu willingly discards any sense of honor and morality Ryu has for the sake of violence itself.
• Glass Cannon: His attacks hit hard and he has a wider variety of moves compared to the standard shoto, but has below-average health.
• Good Colors, Evil Colors: He wears a black gi in contrast to Ryu's white gi, to emphasize The Dark Side of Ryu.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars:
  • As of Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, the much more menacing rendering of Evil Ryu has a big hole-shaped scar on his chest.
  • Remember the kanji that appears on his back when he performs the Shun Goku Satsu? It is now carved on in Arcade Edition.
• Hades Shaded: Takes on a darker skin tone than regular Ryu, colors going from anywhere tan to reddish-purple.
• He Who Fights Monsters: A version of Ryu who seeks uncompromising victory over challenge and self-development.
• Immune to Bullets: When S.I.N. agents open fire on him, their bullets do absolutely nothing and just bounce off of him.
• Ironic Echo: When Evil Ryu defeats Sagat in IV he throws Ryu and Sagat's personal motto in his face.
  There is no answer in the heart of battle! Only power.
• Martial Arts Headband: Wears the same red headband like Ryu.
• Multi-Slot Character: He's always treated as a separate character from Ryu.
• Obviously Evil: Right there in the name.
• Paint It Black: His dogi turns black like Akuma's in this form, although it's dark blue in NxC and a dark purple in Arcade Edition (Capcom-style artwork from CvS and CvS2 also have Evil Ryu clad in a dark blue uniform, but his in-game sprites and SNK-style artwork keep the black garb).
• Playing with Fire: He has surpassed even Ken in his new Evil Ryu persona, as in he is now literally on fire during his matches in SSFIV: Arcade Edition.
• Progressively Prettier: Inverted. In the Alpha series, Evil Ryu was just Ryu in a black gi and a bad attitude. In IV, he's a murderous monster with a hole in his chest, torn up clothing, an evil red glow and Black Eyes of Crazy.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: Like Akuma, his irises turn glowing red when he succumbs to the Satsui no Hado.
• Shirtless Scene: In Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, his gi is ripped off the shoulder so you get a pretty good look at his pecs (although he doesn't have a fully shirtless costume like Ryu does).
• Shock and Awe: The Metsu Hadouken in his Capcom vs. SNK 2 incarnation.
• Shoryuken: And quite a number of them too, ranging from your standard Shoryuken to the Metsu Shoryuken to the Messatsu Goshoryu.
• Sore Loser:
  • Evil Ryu has a tendency to manifest whenever Ryu is beaten very badly, such as when Sagat almost beat him to death in the first World Warrior Tournament.
  • In the UDON series Retsu got a taste of this too when Gouken has him fight a young Ryu too hard. He takes a pretty mean punch to the chops for his trouble and Gouken is forced to restrain his pupil.
• Superboss: One of four in Street Fighter IV starting from the Arcade Edition, with the other three being Gouken, Akuma and Oni.
• Superpowered Evil Side: Of Ryu, of course. Ryu famously gives into the Killing Intent after losing during the finals of Street Fighter 1, scarring Sagat with a Metsu Shoryuken and gaining Akuma's attention. He went into a slight Divergent Character Evolution in SSFIV Arcade Edition; his previous incarnations were but a tanned Ryu with a black karate Gi, a few evil taunts and some moves from Akuma's list; now his skin is even more tanned, his hair has shades of red, the eyes are just like Akuma's now, has a constant burning battle aura, a huge scar on his chest to boot. He can get even eviler during his Ultra Combos in which his whole body goes shadow-dark. In V, there's an Enemy Without named Kage, who split off from Evil Ryu once he purged himself of the Killing Intent.
• That Man Is Dead:
  • Tells this to many a friend in SSFIV: AE. Thrown on its head in Evil Ryu's sub-boss fight against Sagat in Alpha 3, where Zagat retorts to Evil Ryu's gloating that he is not the same Ryu who gave him his scar and that he'll wait until the real Ryu returns to give him the fight he has been waiting for.
  • There's a lot of irony to be found here considering that Ryu only ever gave into the Satsui no Hadou canonically during the finals of the first World Warrior tournament, upon being defeated by Sagat, and the only thing that even came of it was the Metsu Shoryuken that gave Sagat his chest scar in the first place.
• Uncertain Doom: Even after Ryu overcomes the Satsui no Hadou in the events of A Shadow Falls, the intro to Arcade Edition shows Ryu still struggling to suppress it. Then it's shown that the Satsui no Hadou has actually manifested itself as its own being called Kage. However, Kage's own story mode ends with Ryu Talking the Monster to Death, with Kage seeming to fade from existence as quickly as he appeared. This seems to end him, but this isn't the first time Ryu's Satsui no Hadou issues have been dealt with, so it's unclear if he'll come back again.
• Unstoppable Rage: This seems to be the central difference in how the Satsui no Hadou affects Ryu compared to Akuma. Akuma draws on it for strength and to exceed his physical limits by forsaking his humanity for power. For Ryu the influence is more like a mind-decaying virus, causing him to throw aside his virtues and fight purely to cause misery and suffering to his opponent. A lot of his quotes do not reference strength or power but rather hatred and murderous intent, implying he is fighting purely through his rage.
• Wild Hair: Evil Ryu's first alternate costume in IV gives him long black hair. The outfit returns as Kage's Story costume in V.
• With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Whereas Ryu gains meaning and purpose in his life from growing as a warrior, the "Evil" side of him simply exists to be as strong as the power of the Satsui no Hadou allows him to be. There is no regard for life, mercy, or honor if he has crossed the line, only combat and bloodlust.

Ken

Framed Champion

^{Street Fighter V}

^{Street Fighter IV}

^{Street Fighter III}

^{Street Fighter Alpha}

^{Street Fighter II}

^{Street Fighter I}

Come on! Let's turn up the heat!

Origin: USA

Fighting style: Ansatsuken

Appears in: All mainline games

Voiced by: ^note Kenji Haga (Super Street Fighter II, Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, Street Fighter II V)
Toshihiko Seki (Street Fighter II CD dramas)
Tetsuya Iwanaga (Street Fighter Alpha series, Street Fighter EX series (barring EX2 Plus, where Go Yamane assumed the role), X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Namco × Capcom, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, Super Gem Fighter: Mini Mix)
Go Yamane (Street Fighter EX2 Plus), Kazuya Ichijo (Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation)
Eiji Hanawa (Street Fighter Alpha: Generations)
Koji Tobe (Street Fighter III, Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact)
Yuji Kishi (Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Street Fighter IV, Capcom vs. SNK, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Project X Zone, Street Fighter V, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)
Reuben Langdon (Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter X Tekken, Wreck-it Ralph, Street Fighter V, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; English)
David Matranga (Street Fighter 6; English)
Atsushi "Monster" Maezuka (SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos)
Scott McNeil (American cartoon)
Eddie Frierson (Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie)
Stephen Apostolina (Street Fighter II V; Animaze dub)
Jason Douglas (Street Fighter II V; ADV dub)
Steve Blum (Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation)
Steve Cassling (Street Fighter Alpha: Generations)
Adam Kasprowicz (Street Fighter motion comics)

Portrayed by: ^note Damian Chapa (Live Action Movie), Christian Howard (Street Fighter: Legacy, Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist, Street Fighter: World Warrior), Reuben Langdon (Street Fighter x Tekken: The Devil Within)

The son of a wealthy family, Ken Masters is the former training partner and friendly rival of Ryu, who uses the same special techniques (specializing in the Shoryuken or "Dragon Punch"). He is characterized by his red karate gi and his medium-length/long blond hair. Ken's father sent him to Gouken (an old friend of his) so he wouldn't leech off of the family fortune later on in life. After completing his martial art training from Gouken (and learning humility and the meaning of hard work in the process), Ken moved back to his native America and won the U.S. Martial Arts Tournament, where he met his girlfriend Eliza. He eventually marries her by the end of Street Fighter II. In IV he hesitates joining the new tournament, but Eliza encourages him to do so, stating that he'll be back before their baby's birth. After the events of IV his son Mel is born, and in III Ken (reluctantly) takes Sean as his apprentice and begins training his son Mel in his style of martial arts.

Ken returns in V, this time sporting a new look, with his red karate gi slung around his waist, a black t-shirt with red trim with matching gloves, and longer hair tied in a topknot. Ken makes his return to the series in 6, though his circumstances have changed dramatically, as he's been forced into hiding, abandoning his family and business interests, having been subjected to a Frame-Up and accused of orchestrating a criminal plot involving terrorist attacks in Nayshall, as well as significant financial crimes. This is reflected in his new default costume, which includes a baggy overcoat and a less polished, grungier look overall.

Originally, Ken served as essentially a Palette Swap of Ryu, as mirror matches were not possible in the earliest installments. However, as the series went on, his style deviated further away from Ryu's until it evolved into something completely different. Ken's take on the Ansatsuken style focuses more on his natural talent as a fighter, putting his own personal spin on the signature techniques. His fireballs are more useful for pressure rather than zoning, his uppercuts generally reach further and are stronger as they set the opponent on fire, and his spinning kicks don't knock down like Ryu's but in exchange set the opponent up for Ken to continue his offense. Where Ryu has strong defensive capabilities and damage, Ken is more aggressive and mobile.

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• Action Dad: By the time of IV, he has a young son named Mel and is still kicking ass.
• Actor Allusion: One of Ken's outfits in V dresses him as Dante from Devil May Cry, alluding to the two sharing the same English VA at the time. A pre-order costume for him in 6 recolors his outfit and hair to match Dante's, despite them no longer sharing said VA anymore.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: He's inexplicably a redhead in the animated cartoon.
• A Day in the Limelight: In 6, Ken finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that’s the main focus of the underlying story. As such, he's the main character of the game's tie-in prequel comics, which are designed to detail How We Got Here before the story continues in the game proper.
• Alternate Company Equivalent: He's grown into something of a company rival with SNK's Terry Bogard. Both are Hot-Blooded, blond, American fighters with Shotoclone-inspired moves with red as their signature colors; they even have similar catchphrases. The two have also crossed over with each other at several points, including SNK vs. Capcom and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and are framed as friendly rivals. As well as both becoming fathers, the pair have also adopted similar traits over the years; in Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Terry's hair is quite similar to Ken's in II, and Ken's new outfit in 6 takes cues from Terry's Garou bomber jacket.
• Americans Are Cowboys: His first alternate costume in IV is a cowboy outfit, he gets another one in V that's Christmas-themed, and in Pocket Fighter, he transforms into a rodeo cowboy for some of his combos.
• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Ken has a brash ego, which is only bolstered by how talented he is at martial arts. This also works against him because, unlike Ryu, Ken is so arrogant that he becomes easily bored with both training and casual fights. He's the best fighter in the USA and the competition is so weak there that he doesn't have to put in much effort. Only when a Worthy Opponent (usually Ryu) shows up, or something threatens his family, does Ken even begin to train or put any effort in fighting.
• Attack! Attack! Attack!: His play-style is typically more offensive but much more punishable than Ryu's, due to him being a flashy show-off.
• Beard of Sorrow: As he's separated from his family and on the run in 6, Ken sports prominent stubble, and a rougher, sadder look about him.
• The Berserker: Compared to the thrill-seeking yet cool-headed Ryu, Ken is much more Hot-Blooded and fights with absolute ferocity.
• Big Damn Heroes:
  • He rescues Sean from F.A.N.G. in "A Shadow Falls", earning Ken Sean's admiration down the line.
  • His introduction in 6 has him rescuing a construction worker from a falling sandbag.
• Big Fancy House: As seen in his Alpha 3 stage, where the fight takes by the pool of a palatial, Californian-style mansion. In Street Fighter II V, you also get to see it, and it is glorious.
• Big "SHUT UP!": When performing the Critical Art version of his Shinryu Reppa in 6:
  It's all or nothing! Shinryu Reppa! Sit down... and SHUT UP! I've had enough.
• Boy Meets Girl: He meets his future wife Eliza in his Alpha 1 ending.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: In the first animated movie, at Bison's hands.
• Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs: He has his Shoryureppa (effectively three consecutive uppercuts as opposed to the standard Shoryuken's one) and Shinryuken (a spinning version of the Shoryuken that is also on fire). His level 3 super/Critical Art in 6? Shinryureppa, in which he performs two normal uppercuts and then brings out the fiery spinning one.
• Break the Badass: The prequel comic to 6 is by no means kind to Ken; he starts off already in a tough place due to having tension with his son and some unfortunate business decisions that stifle his company. Then he's caught in the blast zone of a terrorist bombing which results in the death of his adviser, and wakes up hours later learning that he's been framed for it and is now a wanted criminal. He then has to go on the lam in a foreign country, getting a bullet to the shoulder for his troubles. Then when he finally confronts the man responsible for his suffering, JP, he's forced to choose between saving his son's life or the lives of countless people at risk of being bombed. That confrontation then ends with him implicitly dooming those unwitting civilians, leaving him looking completely broken by the end.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: Ken has incredible innate potential, far more than Ryu — for example Ken spontaneously invented an entirely new type of Shoryuken, one that left Gouken speechless, without even trying — but while Ryu trains constantly and strives to surpass himself, Ken is usually content to let his training plateau and not push it any further. Ken isn't so much a slacker as he is divided between martial arts, spending time with his family, and running the family business. He'll quickly make up for lost time if he has to via Eliza's encouragement, or if she, his family, or any of his other friends are in danger.
• Bring It: Taunts his opponents with a cocky "Bring it on!", evidencing his confidence in his abilities. Given that he's a highly capable fighter, it's all part of his game.
• But Not Too Foreign: He has a 3/4 Japanese heritage (fully Japanese mom, half-Japanese/half-American dad), but he lives in America. Capcom have confirmed he's naturally raven-haired and dyes his hair blond.
• Butt-Monkey: Gets his ass handed to him by Eliza in his Pocket Fighter ending, and later, his son in his III ending.
• The Cameo:
  • Appears as a downloadable trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, before he was Promoted to Playable in the next installment.
  • Makes a few appearances in Wreck-It Ralph and its sequel alongside Ryu, reprised by Reuben Langdon.
• Canon Welding: "Ryusenkyaku" (a leg-drop) first appeared in the SNK vs. Capcom games before being repurposed as a V-Skill in V.
• Catchphrase:
  Kakkate kina! / Bring it on!
• Classical Anti-Hero: Ken is always well-meaning but almost never feels 100% committed to fighting like Ryu might because he still wants to be there for his family. By III he's basically signed off of any fighting tournaments completely unless Ryu shows up too because he values his family life too much.
• Clear My Name: In the prequel comic that sets up the story for 6, he partners with Johann "JP" Petrovich, investing in the emerging nation of Nayshall and funding the build for a new fighting arena. However, while en route to his hotel, Ken and his colleague Albert Jackson (Kimberly's missing uncle) are attacked by unknown protesters and terrorists, and their vehicle is blown up with Albert still trapped inside. After awakening in a secure location, Chun-Li explains that while Ken was unconscious, a deepfaked video has been posted of him apparently providing support to an unknown terrorist faction — which was broadcast while JP was in the midst of unveiling the arena, causing a massive media backlash. Escaping Chun-Li's custody, Ken realises he is the subject of a Frame-Up after discovering that JP is behind his fall from grace, and becomes a fugitive looking to clear his name.
• Close-Range Combatant: Compared to Ryu, Ken's differences gear him towards more of a rushdown playstyle, making his moves a lot more high-pressure thanks to their multiple hits and safety up close. Ken is also much lighter on his feet compared to Ryu, and his super moves all have shifted towards being close-ranged attacks like his various Shoryuken variants (Shoryu Reppa and Shinryuken) or his iconic Shippu Jinraikyaku. V and 6 continue to build on this by giving him "Quick Step" and "Ryusenkyaku", letting him close the gap even easier.
• Commonality Connection: Both he and Sakura are trying to prove themselves by fighting Ryu, which forms the basis of their rival battle in Alpha 3.
• Depending on the Artist: While all games have been subject to tons of broader Art Evolution and style shifts, Ken is infamous for looking especially inconsistent, with artists never seeming to agree on how hunky or boyish his face looks, how short or long his hair is, whether his eyes are brown or blue, and other small details between instalments. V provides an especially different-looking version of Ken with slightly darker skin, more exaggerated facial features, and a topknot hairstyle — a contrast that's especially visible when 6 moves him back to a more disheveled, but recognizably "traditional" look.
• Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: Ken's arc in Alpha 3 has him beginning to question his own motivations for fighting, taking inspiration from Ryu's own struggles with self-purpose. After fighting Karin, then Sakura, he begins to understand that fighting is how he connects with others, like he and Ryu have been doing for years.
• Digital Head Swap: In the 6 prequel comics, he becomes the victim of a deep fake video, which presents him to be the head of a terrorist organization. Unfortunately, because the video is distributed so swiftly, the damage to his reputation is instantaneous, especially as he was laid out after being caught in a terrorist attack himself the previous night.
• Eagleland: Mixed Type — he's loud, cocky and brash, but also heroic and a Nice Guy at heart.
• Elemental Personalities: He makes extensive use of fire in his attacks, is cocky, brash, and free-spirited, and has a particularly aggressive combat style.
• Elemental Punch: His fierce Shoryuken, which lights opponents ablaze.
• Expository Hairstyle Change: He’s a Long-Haired Pretty Boy in Alpha. After bequeathing his hairband to Ryu (hence Ryu's trademark red headband from II onwards), he cuts his hair sometime between Alpha 3 and II. This hairstyle change also marks some Character Development for Ken; he goes from an arrogant, devil-may-care fighter to a cocky but still well-meaning guy. In V, his hair once again changes, this time a bit longer in the back with bangs, and the addition of a ponytail.
• Family Man: Ken marries Eliza at the ending of II and family becomes his priority.
• Final Boss: Multiple instances:
  • He is Zangief's final boss in Alpha 2. It makes some sense given the Cold War at the time. Ken also won the U.S. Martial Arts Tournament prior to this game.
  • He is Sean's and Ryu's final boss in 2nd Impact. This means that Akuma murders Ken instead of Gill to set up a grudge match if either of those are the player's chosen character and the player meets the requirements to fight Akuma.
  • He is Guile's final boss in 6.
• Foil:
  • To Ryu. Their attitudes, outfits, and fighting styles all draw stark contrasts, Ryu being the calm, disciplined, and honest shoto rooted in fundamentals, and Ken as the flashy, boisterous, and free-spirited fighter with more emphasis on style. While Ryu travels alone and doesn't stick to one place for long, Ken has a loving family and a rooted career as both a fighter and businessman.
  • To his wife's brother-in-law, Guile (with them both being family men notwithstanding). Guile is a patriotic, stone-faced man of duty while Ken has a free-spirited, "live-in-the-moment" personality with a vast fortune at his disposal and is never afraid to flash a charming smile. Gameplay and Story Integration applies too, as Ken's fighting style is combo-focused and skews towards playing up close, while Guile strives to be prudent and cautious, working his opponent into reacting a specific way so he can take the advantage.
  • To JP, his former business partner. JP is a Villain with Good Publicity, a Corrupt Corporate Executive, and threatened Ken's son with a bomb. Ken is a Hero with Bad Publicity, a now former Honest Corporate Executive who resigned to shield the Masters Foundation from his damaged reputation after JP framed Ken for a laundry list of crimes, and deeply cares about his family.
• Friendly Rivalry: He and Sakura engage in friendly sparring in Alpha 3 and find common ground through their desire to prove themselves to Ryu.
• Fugitive Arc: In 6, after getting tangled up in business with Nayshall and JP, Ken ends up getting attacked and framed for leading terrorist attacks and committing significant financial crimes, almost immediately destroying his reputation. Interpol actually sees the truth fairly quickly and does their best to prove his innocence, but Ken finds himself forced to go on the lam due to his life, as well as the lives of his wife and son, being in jeopardy.
• Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: His battle with Ryu in Alpha 2, after Ryu has defeated Sagat, is framed as Ken helping the latter sort his thoughts out as Ryu is beginning to struggle with the Satsui no Hado being part of his life. This is the point where Ken gives Ryu his iconic red headband.
  Here, keep this. If you lose it again, this will remind you... of me and the fight.
• Good Parents: His son very much looks up to him and wants to follow in his footsteps. Their relationship does get complicated after Ken officially retires from fighting and becomes more involved with his family's business, as his constant absences and well-intentioned but ignorant attempts to bond with his growing son lead to Mel growing to resent him. Their relationship is salvaged by the disaster that JP orchestrates to implicate Ken, with Mel being one of the few to believe in his innocence.
• Groin Attack: His three-year-old son Mel accidentally punches him in the balls in his III ending, to the shock of Eliza.
• Guest Fighter: He appears alongside Ryu in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as Ryu's Echo Fighter.
• Happily Married: With his then-steady girlfriend Eliza as of his II ending. The first two Alpha titles show how they met, and their marriage continues on to IV and III. 6 does throw a wrench into the gears when Ken is forced to flee home to clear his name, but his profile makes it clear Eliza is still near and dear to him.
• The Hero's Idol: He's the inspiration for Sean becoming a fighter and eventually starts teaching the latter in III. This is reflected in Sean incorporating various Ansatsuken techniques into his style. The pair first meet when Ken saves Sean from F.A.N.G. in "A Shadow Falls".
• Hero with Bad Publicity: Thanks to JP framing him for a terrorist plot in 6, Ken's reputation has taken a nose-dive, forcing him to go into hiding. Even after he is officially cleared of all charges, the public at large still believes he's a terrorist.
• Hidden Depths: According to his USFIV bio, he likes to make pasta dishes.
• Home Stage: Ken's stages are often themed around either boats and harbors, or big cities. He has "Battle Harbor" in II, his "San Francisco Bay" stage in Alpha 2 is a boat party for his girlfriend Eliza, and in Second Impact, his stage is again set in San Francisco, but on the dockside with his yacht moored nearby. In Alpha: Warriors' Dreams, he shares The Big Easy with Charlie as his home stage. In III: New Generation, he shares Ryu's home stages in Tokyo. In III: 3rd Strike, he shares a home stage with Alex in a subway station in the Big Applesauce. He shares Metro City Downtown, a rundown back alley, as his home stage with Luke, Jamie, and Kimberly in 6.
• Honest Corporate Executive: Ken is the scion of the Masters family and runs the Masters Foundation with integrity. This is in contrast to JP, his former business partner-turned-terrorist who frames Ken for terrorism in Nayshall and financial crimes, which forces Ken to resign in order to protect the business during the events of 6.
• Hot-Blooded: A cocky, brash, yet honourable man who fights with a highly aggressive, fire-augmented style of karate.
• Idiot Ball: An Ascended Meme emerged to coincide with Ken's hobo design in 6, positing that he squandered all of his money in cryptocurrencies, which many real-world economists consider as nothing more than cleverly disguised pyramid schemes. Since this perfectly boosts the credibility of the other allegations of Ken's mismanagement of the Masters Foundation's funds which contribute to Ken's downfall, his squandering of some of his money was woven into the story.
• Jaded Washout: In V, several characters hint at his underlying worry that he's becoming one. Menat's win quote states that she sees two stars (him and Ryu) but one of them is in danger of dying out. Gill, likewise, asks Ken if "hopelessness" is what he sees, indicating Ken's fear of being left behind by his rival. 6 really pushes for this look, with Ken now on the run and looking very rough in appearance, though still retaining his deep-rooted cockiness.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's a massive show-off, but still a good guy underneath (though his jerk side is often exaggerated in the various adaptations).
• Lame Comeback: When Fei-Long calls him out in the cartoon for neglecting his training, Ken's retort is this less-than-stellar quip:
  And you! (panting) YOU'RE A LOSER!
• Leave Me Alone!: Ken rejects the help of almost any other fighter who wants to help him aside from Ryu in 6.
• Lethal Chef: 6 reveals that Ken has no cooking ability whatsoever. Amusingly, the gift that increases his Bond the most is a cookbook, causing Ken to accuse you of mocking him.
• Lightning Bruiser: He's on par with Ryu in terms of health and build, but Ken has a much greater emphasis on mobility, having above average walking speed and several advancing specials. What he lacks is range, needing to close the gap to deal the most damage, and also commitment, as he's very punishable if his approach fails to connect.
• Lonely Rich Kid: Until his father sent him to Japan to train with Gouken, and he met lifelong best friend, Ryu.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: He sports flowing blond hair tied back in a ponytail with a red ribbon in Alpha.
• Loved I Not Honor More: The fact that he's a champion street fighter hasn't stopped him from building a happy romantic relationship with Eliza. This doesn’t go so well in UDON's comic book adaptation, where Ken's career as a championship fighter drives a wedge between him and Eliza and she walks out on him after he had proposed, but refused to change his life's calling. However she returns to him during the finals of the US Fighting Championships and her presence motivates him to victory.
• Meaningful Name: Before his nationality and homeland was retconned to American, Ken had his name spelled with the kanji for "fist."
• Meditation Powerup: Part of his Big Damn Heroes moment against Bison at the climax of SFII: The Animated Movie.
• Minor Major Character: Aside from being Ryu's best friend and sparring partner, Ken's contribution to the overall plot is fairly inconsequential. Most of the series' major events have nothing to do with him and each of its major villains are either after Ryu, or one of the other more prominent characters, like Guile, Chun Li, and Cammy. The exception is 6, where he is promoted to The Protagonist in the arcade mode.
• Mistaken for Evidence: Ken's win quote against A.K.I. shows that he thinks that he is getting closer to the truth if he defeats her just because he ran into an assassin. The truth is that she has nothing to do with JP's betrayal and framing of Ken.
  If an assassin has come out to play, that means I'm getting closer to the truth.
• Moveset Clone: In his original appearance, Ken is almost an exact copy of Ryu in terms of gameplay, and even repurposes a lot of Ryu's sprites. From II: Turbo onward, Ken, while still sharing a lot of specials with Ryu, began to slowly shed his clone status as his attacks all gain unique properties to distinguish himself.
• Mr. Fanservice: Ken's a generous helping of Pretty Boy, a little chunk of Hunk, and a whole lot of his costumes usually show off his chest among more things.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: "Shippu Jinraikyaku", which is a brutally long string of attacks using Hurricane Kicks.
• Oddly Visible Eyebrows: Ken is generally drawn with his black eyebrows projecting in front of his blond hair.
• Older and Wiser: Ken in 6 is a lot more level-headed and cautious than the brash, hothead of classic Street Fighter. He even discourages the player from giving in to pure aggression in battle and become more patient and analytical, which sounds more like something you'd hear from Ryu than Ken.
• Panicky Expectant Father: A borderline example in his IV ending. It's a good thing Eliza is Closer to Earth... and that Mel didn't decide to come into this world early.
• Papa Wolf: JP kidnaps Ken’s son Mel and straps him to a bomb in order to blackmail Ken into detonating the bombs that JP has hidden throughout Nayshall. This becomes Ken’s prime motive for wanting to murder JP in a laundry list of strong motives when Ken has never expressed the desire to actually kill anyone before.
• Parents as People: He clearly loves his son, but between his status as both a fighting champion and the head of a conglomerate, he finds himself disconnected from Mel as the latter grows older, wanting him to benefit from the experiences Ken has but being too wrapped up in his responsibilities that he overlooks Mel's own desires.
• Playing with Fire: His Fierce punch Shoryuken has had the ability to set people on fire since Super Street Fighter II (which is something of his own design; not wanting to learn the Shoryuken the "traditional" way, he chose to focus his ki into his fist as it goes up to give it a fire elemental) but V takes it to a new level with his V-Trigger ability, "Heat Rush", which sets all his moves on fire.
• Post-Final Boss: In V, Ken is the Cinematic Story Mode's final battle, where you fight him as Ryu in a Meaningful Echo to a fight earlier in the mode where you fight (and defeat) Ryu as Ken, as well as to the very first tutorial fight when you originally boot up the game. He wants Ryu to show him the new power he gained that defeated M. Bison. Ryu unleashes it on Ken and defeats him, and Ken congratulates his friend.
• Pretty Boy: In the Alpha series mostly, due to his fresh-faced, youthful looks. Dudley calls him a "Sissy-man" in SF III: New Generation/Second Impact.
• Primary-Color Champion: His red gi and blond hair evokes this.
• The Protagonist: In 6, Ken is featured more prominently than ever, with him taking centre stage in a prequel comic dedicated to his framing at JP’s hands, with the subsequent fallout being played out in the game proper’s arcade mode, where several other prominent characters (Guile, Luke, and Kimberly) are drawn into his story.
• Punch-Clock Hero: In comparison to Ryu's Heroic Neutral, Ken has a day job and a family. He doesn't shy away from helping out his friends when they need it, but once the task is done, he's going back to his everyday life.
• Punny Name: Changed from a Meaningful Name after his nationality switch. Ken (Kenneth) is a perfectly ordinary British/American name... and the Japanese word for 'fist'. The relevance is obvious.
• Race Lift: Live-action adaptations often eschew his Japanese heritage in favor of making him fully Caucasian.
• Red Hot Masculinity: Ken wears a red gi and is a cocksure martial artist with a love of competition. Bonus points for Playing with Fire.
• Red Is Heroic: A good-hearted fellow with a preference for red.
• Retcon: The flyer for the first Street Fighter implies that Ken is Japanese like Ryu. He was changed into a native-born American (with Japanese descent) from II onward.
• Retired Badass: Prior to the start of 6, Ken has retired from fighting to focus his work on the Masters Foundation. Unfortunately for him, everyone around him won't stop bringing his champion status up.
• Reused Character Design: Ken's alternate outfit in IV belongs to a scrapped fighter by the name of "King Cobra", the outfit being repurposed once the character was cut.
• Riches to Rags: By the time of 6, when he's been set up for a crime he didn't commit, Ken's been cut off from his family and company's funds, resorting to wandering Metro City and doing manual work to support himself.
• The Rival:
  • Ryu is the main person who can spark Ken to give his all in martial arts. Once the two have gone their separate ways, the only thing Ken cares about is when they'll meet next time. The two share a Friendly Rivalry.
  • JP is Ken's most important, most hated, and fiercest non-friendly rival, being the Corrupt Corporate Executive who betrayed him while the pair were business partners and framed him as a terrorist. Besides the Frame-Up, JP also forces Ken to detonate bombs planted all over Nayshall or witness JP blow up a bomb that he strapped to Ken's son. Ken fights JP in his arcade route and, in the end, even contemplates murdering him.
• Shared Signature Move: As the original Shotoclone, Ken has shared most of Ryu's core specials in all of his appearances, though over time the two have built distinguishing traits in their versions.
  • His Hadokens have generally been weaker than Ryu's, having fewer variations that he can use in a match. His V-Trigger in V though lets him empower them with fire, dealing multiple hits like Ryu's Shakunetsu Hadoken.
  • His Tatsumaki has always done multiple hits as opposed to Ryu's single hit. He also incorporates them into many more of his super moves like "Shippu Jinraikyaku", a string of powerful, consecutive kicks.
• Shoryuken: And a fiery variant no less! His most powerful version, the Shinryuken, adds spinning to the mix.
• Signature Move:
  • His Fierce Shoryuken, which hits three times and sets the opponent on fire. It's to the point where there was a flowchart made regarding it◊.
  • V puts a lot of emphasis on his version of the Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku; it's his character art, he uses it on Bison in the intro, the heavy version is very different than usual, and his Critical Art is basically a Tatsumaki on steroids.
  • His iconic Shippu Jinraikyaku, a move that forms an iconic fighting games moment, being the very move that Daigo Umehara used as the killing blow against JWong's Chun-Li back in EVO 2004^note  Aka, EVO Moment 37. . It also serves as his Final Smash in his SSBU appearance (complete with him assuming his III Parry stance on startup) and Capcom even recreated the lightning effect from 3rd Strike for its return in 6.
• Significant Birth Date: Heartthrob Ken was born on Valentine's Day.
• Significant Wardrobe Shift: In 6, Ken is dressed in very rugged street fashion, including a t-shirt and bomber jacket, and some rather pronounced stubble to pair with it. Considering he's on the run for a crime he didn't commit, it's very much reflected in his new look. In a sad reflection of his newly diminished circumstances, Ken also ties his black karate belt around his arm in the manner of a black armband, mourning his old life.
• Spectacular Spinning: Ken's attacks incorporate a lot of cool and flashy spinning to distinguish him as Ryu's cocky Foil. His Shoryuken and Hurricane Kick in particular are a lot more showy because of this, especially in V where the heavy version of Tatsumaki has a unique animation, orienting Ken at more of an angle. All of supers as well all contain some kind of spinning.
• Spirited Competitor: Played With. Ken doesn't like to lose at anything...but both fortunately and unfortunately for him, he's a Born Winner. That means he doesn't train nearly as hard or fight nearly as often as his peers. However, that changes if there's any risk at all that he could lose—at that point, Ken is as spirited as any other World Warrior.
• Super Mode: "Heat Rush" enhances all of Ken's specials, granting them multiple hits and fire effects; this lets him get even more aggressive with his offense.
• Super Special Move: Ken, similar to Ryu, incorporates classic Shotoclone moves into his supers.
  • His classic super move, Shoryureppa, is a string of multi-hitting Shoryukens, sometimes ending in a powerful, fiery variation.
  • He has Shinryuken ("God Dragon Fist"), an extra powerful Shoryuken that engulfs the area around Ken in violent flames.
  • 6 presents an inversion in the form of "Jinrai Kick", which is a weaker version of his iconic "Shippu Jinraikyaku", performing three kicks rather than the full No-Holds-Barred Beatdown. That said, Shippu Jinrai still appears as a super.
• Take That!: One of Ken's win-quotes in IV:
  See? The strongest fighter always wins! As easy to understand as a flowchart!
• Talent vs. Training: Ken Vs Ryu. Ken was born with a ridiculous amount of natural talent and athleticism, which made him especially cocky when he was younger. He was sent to learn martial arts from Gouken to learn some humility, but that also came pretty easy to him. After winning the US Martial Arts Tournament in the first game, he took time off from training for a whole year to spend time with Eliza, and only started training again when he heard Ryu would take part in the second World Warrior tournament. After a couple of months' worth of training, Ken was able to equal a man who fights and trains day in and day out.
• Technical Pacifist: After he defeats JP as his Final Boss in his arcade mode story routes, he struggles to decide whether he should murder JP or not.
• Took a Level in Cynic: Ken's diminished circumstances in 6 have led to him adopting a more cynical, cautious attitude, speaking more curtly and impatiently even to friendly characters. He’s still the same good-hearted Ken we know and love, but being framed for a crime he didn’t commit and having his family threatened has taken its toll on his usually upbeat enthusiasm.
  (Vs. Dee Jay) Sorry, man. But letting loose and having fun are the last things on my mind right now.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Having a family of his own has wizened him up to a kindhearted, friendly, and patient man.
• Uncle Pennybags: Most notably in the Street Fighter II V anime. During the first half of the series while he and Ryu are Walking the Earth, he uses his family's mammoth fortune to help those around him; from the relatively minor instances of setting he and Ryu up in a 5-star penthouse suite and buying their friend Chun Li clothes and jewelry as a gift/payment for her serving as their tour guide, to single-handedly arranging for a massive donation and Red Cross assistance to a remote Indian charity hospital.
• Unknown Rival: Rufus in IV, and played with beyond that: not only he has no idea that Rufus is gunning for him, Rufus has no idea who Ken actually is, and continually mistakes other fighters for him. Including Cammy, who, as noted, is a girl.
  (rival match vs. Rufus)
  Rufus: So Ken Masters! At last we meet! This going is going to hurt like nobody’s business!
  Ken: Hm... This could be interesting. Bring it on, meatball!
  (Rufus rival match vs. Ken)
  Rufus: Ha! Looks like I finally caught up to you, blondie! You gave me quite the run around! The fat lady's about to sing, ain't she?
  Ken: Wha-? Who the heck are you?
• Unskilled, but Strong: Compared to Ryu's bare basics approach and daily training, Ken is Brilliant, but Lazy, mostly relying on his natural talent after graduating from Gouken's tutelage.
• Unusually Uninteresting Sight: In V, all Ken has to say to Charlie is that he looks “rough around the edges”. At this point Charlie bears a strong resemblance to Frankenstein's Monster.
• V-Sign: His signature Victory Pose. It returns in 6, copied per frame as it appears in Alpha.
• Video Game Dashing: Ken's "Quick Step" special has him rush forward and can be followed up with front kick. Then things get even more intense with "Heat Rush" which can be followed up by any of his special moves, all of which have been boosted with fire effects for extra damage and pressure.
• Writing Around Trademarks: Ken was given his last name with the release of the licensed G.I. Joe toy line to avoid legal issues between Hasbro and Mattel over the latter's own Ken Carson dolls; the name chosen, ironically enough, comes from Mattel's other big toy line, Masters of the Universe.

Violent Ken

Brainwashed Ken

I-Is... this... the joy of the powerful...? Heh... heh... heh, heh, heh.

Origin: USA

Fighting style: Ansatsuken
Appears in: USFII

Voiced by: ^note Atsushi "Monster" Maezuka (SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos), Yuji Kishi (Ultra Street Fighter II, HD voice)

A "What If?" version of Ken originally created for the crossover game SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos and based on the events of Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie. Having been captured and brainwashed by M. Bison by implanting his Psycho Power within him, Ken is now a pure killing machine whose rivalry with Ryu has been corrupted into desiring to kill him and surpass him.

Violent Ken presents an even more aggressive take on Ken's playstyle, being faster, nimbler, and having even more mobile specials like a teleport. His attacks also deal even more hits than his normal versions.

---

• Ax-Crazy: In SVC Chaos, Violent Ken is a barely-coherent force of destruction whose versus quotes are 90% furious roaring. He's seemingly more lucid in Ultra Street Fighter II, though still driven by a desire to kill and destroy.
• The Berserker: Violent Ken's raging bloodlust is reflected in his exceedingly aggressive playstyle.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: As an homage to The Animated Movie.
• The Cameo: Is referenced as one of Ken's alternate colors in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, designating him in both Dark Samus and Mewtwo's Classic Modes as either brainwashed or corrupted.
• Canon Immigrant: Violent Ken first appeared in SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos, but later made his first appearance in the main series come Ultra Street Fighter II.
• Crippling Overspecialization: He may have an advantage of speed and racking up the multi hit combos really well, but his moveset is as bare basic as it was in the first Street Fighter aside from the addition of the Rasetsukyaku. This demands players to control when he attacks and when to pull off his moves, as Violent Ken's fast speeds and lack of reservations will invite lesser players to burn out their playtime very quickly.
• Dark Is Evil: His skin tone and gi are noticeably darker than his human form.
• Flash Step: The Rasetsukyaku, a dash that allows him to quickly cover ground and phase through his foes if done next to them.
• Hades Shaded: In both SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos and Ultra Street Fighter II, his skin appears darker than normal.
• Laser-Guided Amnesia: In his SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos ending, Ken wakes up without any memories of anything he did in his "Violent" state.^note (The normal ending has him recalling everything.) It doesn't really matter since, like in Ken's normal ending, Eliza shows up to take him back home.
• Mind-Control Eyes: A case of the sclera changing color to pink as a result of Bison's Psycho Power but it isn't as prominent as in the Street Fighter II V cases.
• Multi-Slot Character: In Ultra Street Fighter II and SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos Ken Masters shares the roster with Violent Ken.
• Omnicidal Maniac: His main instinct is to destroy everything he sees. When he faces Athena in SVC Chaos, he becomes excited by the prospect of getting to destroy Heaven.
• Power Dyes Your Hair: Violent Ken has white hair as opposed to blonde.
• Power Echoes: His voice in Ultra Street Fighter II has a noticeable echo effect.
• Purple Is Powerful: Violent Ken's ki is purple as a result of being infused with Psycho Power.
• Red and Black and Evil All Over: As Violent Ken, Ken's black and red gi are more pronounced.
• Red Is Violent: It's in the name after all.
• Speed Echoes: Is capable of moving fast enough to leave afterimages.
• Superpowered Evil Side: Violent Ken is based on the brainwashed Ken from the animated movie. Its a matter of debate among fans if the Psycho Power-brainwashed Ken from Ryu's Alpha 3 campaign counts as Violent Ken or something else entirely. In this form his skin is more pale and purple-tinted, as though Psycho Power is coursing through his veins, and his hair has turned platinum-blonde. He also uses purple flames. In the crossover game where he came from, he also produced the signature skull symbol used by characters of the Orochi bloodline or those who can utilize its power.
• Technicolor Fire: He uses purple Psycho Power-imbued flames instead of his normal flames during his attacks.
• What Did I Do Last Night?: In his ending in SVC Chaos, he returns to normal after his fight with Athena (or Red Arremer) and immediately asks "Where am I? What have I done?" Luckily, Eliza shows up to take him home.

Opponents

Retsu

Violent Monk

^{Capcom Fighters Network}

Go to heaven.

Origin: Japan

Fighting style: Shorinji Kempo

Appears in: SF, SF6 (both as NPC)

Voiced by: ^note Takeshi Aono (Street Fighter II Mad Revenger CD drama), Yoji Ueda (Street Fighter 6; Japanese), Ben Balmaceda (Street Fighter 6; English)

A banished monk who is notably the first opponent fought in the original Street Fighter. Although he never actually appears as a fighter in subsequent games, he appears in concept art for the first Street Fighter Alpha, where he is shown beating the crap out of Dan, has a role in Udon's Street Fighter comics as an old friend of Gouken's, and eventually returns to the series proper in Street Fighter 6 as an NPC opponent in World Tour.

---

• Adaptational Personality Change: In the original game, Retsu is said to have been excommunicated from his temple for being overtly violent (though he has mellowed out by 6). In the UDON comics, his personality is more like what one would expect from an elderly monk, being a calm and wise sage.
• Ascended Extra: He gets a considerably larger role in the UDON comics, acting as a confidant to Ryu as well as being the one who guides Gouken's spirit to the human world so that he could materialize a corporeal form. In 6, he comes back as a World Tour NPC who has his own questline.
• Bare-Fisted Monk: Albeit a banished one. He also uses a simple, unflashy kempo-based move-set.
• Big Ol' Eyebrows: Amongst the biggest in the series.
• The Bus Came Back: Although not playable, he appears in 6's World Tour mode as an opponent the player can fight — a lengthy 36 years since he played a similar role as an NPC in the first game.
• Gold Makes Everything Shiny: In 6, contrasting with his traditional monk robes, he sports a gold watch and a gold chain necklace — accessories which the player can get for themselves by defeating him.
• Home Stage: Retsu fights outside the front gate of a Japanese temple complex.
• Meaningful Name: Retsu means "violent" in Japanese, and his violent nature is the reason why he was expelled from his monastery. It also goes along with the Theme Naming between him and Geki, who are named for the intensity of Japanese earthquakes.
• Moveset Clone: In 6, he uses Ryu's normals, but he also has a unique Diving Kick move in reference to his moveset in the original Street Fighter.
• Out of Focus: His only appearances are as one of the many opponents in the first game, and a cameo as one of the challengers that are defeated by M. Bison at the beginning of Decapre’s USFIV trailer. In 6, he appears in World Tour mode as one of the numerous NPC opponents the player can fight, complete with his own questline, and as one of the spectators in the Macho Ring stage.
• Sweet Tooth: Aside from his Trademark Favorite Food, he loves sweets in general, with Ryu noting in 6 that Retsu "never met a piece of candy he didn't like".
• Took a Level in Kindness: Seems to have mellowed out considerably by the time 6 rolls around. He even mentions "having a bad streak" after you beat him in World Tour.
• Trademark Favorite Food: He really likes yokan, a Japanese confection. 6 establishes that he also introduced Ryu to them and got him hooked as well.

Geki I / Geki II

Claw-Wielding Ninja

^{Capcom Fighters Network: Geki II}

Ah ha ha ha ha ha!

Origin: Japan

Fighting style: Ninjutsu

Appears in: SF (NPC)

A claw-wielding ninja who fought in the first tournament. It's been said that he was the one who a) trained Vega; and b) is related to Ibuki (possibly an uncle). He uses shuriken and teleportation techniques.

He was apparently killed at some point off-screen, but he's been shown to have a disciple, also named Geki.

---

• Ascended Extra:
  • In the UDON comic series, the Geki are an entire clan of ninja assassins, but one of them is implied to be the guy from the game and is the villain of Street Fighter Legends: Ibuki.
  • In a bonus comic centering around Gen, an assassin is summoned to kill him (forcing Gen to react and kill his assailant in front of a young Chun-Li). This individual has the exact same garb and weapon as Geki, further reinforcing there are many of these warriors who practice the same style of combat.
• Evil Laugh: As seen in his quote, he does a creepy distorted one when he beats you in the original Street Fighter.
• Home Stage: Geki fights on the banks of a lake at sunset, with Mount Fuji looming in the distance.
• Killed Off for Real: Capcom have stated that the Geki from the original Street Fighter is dead — but he was just one of many, and has since been replaced.
• Legacy Character: The original Geki is dead, but he was a part of a clan of similar ninja, and has a successor also called Geki.
• Meaningful Name: Geki means "intense" in Japanese. It follows the earthquake intensity level Theme Naming between him and Retsu.
• Ninja: The series' clear-cut example, right down to his smoke-based teleportation and throwing shurikens.
• Out of Focus: He hasn't appeared in the games at all since his first appearance, though Geki II makes a cameo in Vega's ending in V, where he and Vega have a cage match, both wielding claws.
• Smoke Out: Geki can do this as part of one of his unique moves, where he teleports to a different location to attack from.
• Stock Ninja Weaponry: Both Gekis use shurikens, the original uses a Vega-like steel claw, and his successor uses a ninjatō.
• Teleport Spam: As a ninja, he really enjoys doing this as he fights.
• Wolverine Claws: The original wielder of this type of weapon in the franchise — and in some media, it's heavily implied that he was the one who trained Vega in the art of wielding them. His successor also uses one, as shown in Vega's V ending.

Lee

Kung-Fu Master

^{Capcom Fighters Network}

I have good fortune!

Origin: China

Fighting style: Bajiquan & Drunken Fist

Appears in: SF (NPC)

A Chinese Kung Fu master who enters the first tournament to test his skills. Lee is the uncle of Yun and Yang from Street Fighter III. Other than the original Street Fighter, he makes an appearance in the Sakura Ganbaru!! manga as one of Sakura's opponents, and in the UDON comic as a challenger of Fei Long.

---

• Ascended Extra: He gets an expanded role in the UDON comic series — in the sense that he appears at all, that is.
• Drunken Master: Has seemingly become this◊ by V where he carries a gourd and has a Drunken Glow about him.
• Gratuitous English: "I have good fortune!"
• Home Stage: Lee fights on the iconic Great Wall of China.
• Out of Focus: He hasn't appeared at all since his first appearance, and Capcom says that he has retired and become a real estate agent.
• Satellite Character: Partially due to him not being in any other game but the less well-known original. All we know about him is that he's friends with Gen and is the uncle of Yun and Yang.

Gen

Silent Assassin

^{Street Fighter Alpha}

^{Street Fighter I}

^{Capcom Fighters Network}

Fear not the cold grip of death...

Origin: China

Fighting style: "Mourning Style" & "Hateful Style" Kempo
Appears in: SF (NPC), SFA2, SFIV

Voiced by: ^note Wataru Takagi (Street Fighter Alpha series), Michael Sorich (Street Fighter IV; English), Yohei Tadano (Street Fighter IV; Japanese)

Portrayed by: ^note Robin Shou (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li)

A former assassin and mentor to Chun-Li, Gen is a kung-fu master versed in an assassination style he created based on Chinese martial arts. Reappearing in Alpha 2, it is revealed he is dying of leukaemia and seeks one last good fight before he passes on to the next world. This brings him to Akuma's attention and the two fight, but Akuma walks away when he notices Gen's illness, due to his principle of never fighting anybody who isn't at the top of their game. An insulted Gen goes after him, seeking to finish the fight. In IV, it is revealed that he was present when Chun-Li's father was abducted and killed by Shadaloo; his illness kept him from saving his friend, much to his chagrin.

He appears in Akuma's story prologue in V, where their final battle is depicted. He is eventually defeated and killed by Akuma, receiving the epic fight to the death he had long awaited.

Gen's playable debut in the Alpha series established him as one of the most difficult and tricky characters in the series. He is the first character ever to have two stances: Sou (Mourning, based on Mantis-style kung fu) and Ki (Hateful, based on Crane-style kung fu), each having their own unique properties. In Mantis stance, he focuses more on strong fundamentals, with good ground movement, long-range attacks to poke at the opponent, and strong anti-air capabilities. In Crane stance, his style focuses more on aerial movement, featuring a longer jump arc and an off-the-wall diving kick that can be directed at various angles. A trait unique to Gen is that he can seamlessly transition between these stances at will by buffering in the inputs for them during any move, and mastery of Gen involves knowing precisely what situations are best appropriate for each stance and when to switch between them.

---

• Animal-Themed Fighting Style: Gen is trained in Mantis and Crane Kung Fu, and his movement patterns and idle poses in both forms resemble said animals.
• Anti-Hero: He eventually becomes one upon taking a level in kindness. He is an Unscrupulous Hero at his worst.
• Back for the Dead: He appears in Akuma's story mode... only to have his wish granted and die by Akuma's hand.
• Blood Knight: As he explains in his SSFIV intro:
  I live to fight. Death's embrace is my ultimate destiny. As long as blood courses through my veins, I shall not succumb to the likes of you! I will not allow the putrid dead to so much as touch me!
• Brutal Honesty: A major basis for a lot of his advice, and in a very serious manner as well. Because he has long been a professional killer and involved in the less than glamorous aspects of the martial arts, a lot of his wisdom is imparted with a sharp tongue in order to get challengers to realize that fighting is not without its consequences. One of his favourite proverbs is "A swimmer dies by drowning, a boxer dies by the fist."
• Characterization Marches On: In the original game he is just a generic opponent. When he reappears in Alpha 2, not only does he have a more fully formed personality, he is also presented as being far more powerful, to the point where it was retconned that Ryu didn't actually beat him, he instead withdrew from the tournament after deeming the fighters to not be worth his time.
• Composite Character: In the UDON comics, he replaces Yun and Yang's unnamed grandfather as the one who trained (and presumably raised) them.
• Confusion Fu: If players use him just right (much, much easier said than done), the opponent will never be able to predict his next move.
• Consummate Professional: He’s known as the world's greatest assassin. Please do not question this fact.
• Death Seeker: Ever since Alpha, he's revealed to be dying from leukaemia. He seeks someone to give him a deathmatch so that he won't go out peacefully in his bed.
• Determinator: He will not die until he gets his perfect opponent to actually fight him. Gen gets his wish when he dies in battle with Akuma.
• Died Happily Ever After: Come V, he's clearly delighted to have received his long-awaited last battle to the death with Akuma, meaning he can now die at peace with himself.
• Difficult, but Awesome: With two completely distinctive move-sets that he can switch between on the fly (and SSFIV gives him four Ultras aka two per move-set), Gen is obviously not a pick-up-and-play type of character. Expert Gen players are rare to happen upon, but one will notice that they can pull ridiculous strings of attacks on your ass within seconds and soar across the screen like flying squirrels, able to break your guard at a moment's whim.
• Diving Kick: Gen's Ouga special in Crane Stance has him performing a flying kick. The trajectory of the flying kick depends on the direction of Gen's initial leap on the stage.
• Do Not Go Gentle: Gen would much rather die a warrior's death instead of letting his cancer claim him. It's not until V that he gets his wish.
• The Dreaded: His infamy through assassination eventually earned him a reputation as one of Hong Kong's most feared and powerful assassins. Even in retirement, many challengers are foolish enough to think they have a chance of killing him to boost their reputation. None of them (aside from Akuma) have ever been seen since.
• Even Evil Has Standards: He’s a Professional Killer yet even he refuses to work for the Shadaloo terrorist organisation.
• Evil Mentor: To Chun-Li. Possibly to Yun and Yang as well (see above).
• Evil Old Folks: He is old (looking to be in his 80s) and is a Professional Killer.
• Fingerpoke Of Doom: Quite a few of his moves apply, like the Hyakurenko, but his Sou/Mantis Style Ultras in Super Street Fighter IV, Zetsuei and Shi'tengetsu, are prime examples.
• Gratuitous English: "You are big fool!"
• Handicapped Badass: He has leukemia and yet is still an incredibly dangerous combatant.
• Home Stage: Gen's stages are set in China and Hong Kong and are comprised of rather seedy, gloomy locations, such as rundown, dangerous-looking alleyways (Alpha 2, IV), or dockland areas (Alpha 3).
• Killed Off for Real: All About Capcom states that Akuma eventually manages to settle his death match with Gen, with Gen dying as a result. V finally confirms it in Akuma's story mode.
• Martial Pacifist: Even as brutal and relentless as he can be in battle, it all depends on the situation. Unless his challengers demand his life, he'll hold back on the more lethal aspects of his style.
• Monochromatic Eyes: His eyes are pure white.
• Morality Pet:
  • Gen is a ruthless killer, but he ALWAYS shows a spot of tenderness to Chun-Li, who's probably his favorite (and greatest) student.
  • The UDON comic series also uses this to set up a My God, What Have I Done? moment that gives him his characterization. After having to defend himself in mortal combat against an assassin in plain view of the young Chun-Li, he decides that he has crossed a line in his choice of work and must give up his lifestyle before he imbues any negative values in his pupil.
• My Greatest Failure: His leukemia prevented him from saving Chun-Li's father from M. Bison, and it haunts and torments him still. Trying to atone for his failure was one of his biggest reasons for taking her on as his apprentice.
• No Brows: One of the handful of brow-less characters across the franchise.
• Not Quite Dead: Though thought to have died after the Alpha series, he returns alive and well in IV.
• Old Master: Gen is considered the most dangerous assassin in the Street Fighter mythos. Even Akuma acknowledges that Gen in his prime would have probably wiped the floor with him. He's able to stand toe-to-toe with Akuma at his current age, even blocking the Shun Goku Satsu while suffering from cancer. He was born in 1911 according to the original bios, and is the second oldest character. Even when said bios seem to have been taken out, he's still much visibly older than almost anyone in the cast. Yet he went head to head with Akuma and was fighting him on equal terms before Akuma broke the fight off because of Gen's poor health.
• Out of Focus: Unlike the others on this page, he was brought back, but he still vanished for the extremely-long and genre-defining Street Fighter II era.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: 5'5" and is still one of the best fighters around.
• Pressure Point: The Shi-ten-shu, which works as a Damage-Over-Time type of attack that culminates with a free stun—complete with a countdown, both of which can be stopped if the opponent manages to hit Gen. Several other attacks fit this as well.
• Professional Killer: He's killed hundreds of people in is role as a master assassin, and not for nothing is he known as ‘The Devil of Hong Kong’.
• Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: The Hyakurenko, a multi-hitting knife-hand strike. His trademark Zan'ei super also deals multiple blows following a single initial strike.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Delivers one to Akuma in his story mode. He tells Akuma that the path he's following will never allow him to reach his full potential, and that he must regain and accept his humanity in order to truly walk the path of a god. Akuma kills him shortly afterward, but Gen's words leave a lasting impression.
• Red Baron: ‘The Devil of Hong Kong’.
• Shirtless Scene: He has a shirtless alternate outfit in SSFIV.
• Small Role, Big Impact: If Gen hadn't withdrawn from the first World Warrior tournament, the events of the Street Fighter universe would have been very different: Ryu never would have faced Sagat and tapped into the Killing Intent, Bison and Akuma would never have noticed Ryu, Shadaloo might still be intact at its full force, and Charlie might still be alive.
• Social Darwinist: One of his win quotes in IV is "The weak deserve death."
• Stance System: Gen has the unique ability among the characters in the series to switch between two stances, Sou/Mourning/"Mantis" and Ki/Hateful/"Crane", while fighting. When he changes from one style to another, his fighting stance, basic techniques, Special Moves and even Super Combos are changed. In IV, his masked outfit also has him change masks.
• Story-Breaker Power: According to Akuma himself, if it weren't for Gen's leukemia, he'd be a match for him and could even possibly last a while against Oni. This would put his healthier self right up there with beings like Gill and Evil Ryu.
• Stroke the Beard: In his opening animation, and one of his possible taunts in IV.
• The Only One Allowed To Kill You: To Akuma, if his win quote against him in IV is any indication:
  I will not deliver the death blow this time. That pleasure comes another day...
• Took a Level in Kindness: In the base game of IV, Gen is noticeably hostile to everybody he defeats (save Gouken, who he recognizes in an almost friendly way as knowing what death entails), threatening to kill most of them, even Chun-Li. Come SSFIV, and he is noticeably calmer, and offers advice to many of the warriors, whether pleasant or no. Although he is still rude, he turns from a cold-blooded killer to an (albeit very blunt and sometimes cold) Warrior Therapist.
• Villain of Another Story: He’s a Professional Killer who has worked for all sorts of nebulous groups, making him a villain by association. However, he is never a Big Bad who causes the major conflicts in any of the Street Fighter games. However, he refuses to work for Shadaloo.
• Warrior Therapist: When he is not being brutally honest about his opponent’s abilities or life choices or fighting Akuma, he’s quite advisory to the younger characters like Sakura, Ibuki and Makoto, as his win quotes against them indicate.
• Wall Jump: The Oga, one of his specials in which he bounces off the arena wall to hit with a diving kick.
• Weak, but Skilled: Old and ill and all, he can still pack quite a punch against younger, healthier and physically stronger fighters. If Akuma is to be believed, Gen's age and illness are the only things that make it remotely fair (in-story) for him to fight any of the other characters.
• Worf Had the Flu: If he wasn't dying, a fight between him and anything less than another Story-Breaker Power would last half a minute at best.
• Worthy Opponent: Akuma sees him as one, which makes him one of the few characters Akuma respects. So much so that Akuma finally gives Gen his desired Duel to the Death in Akuma's V story.
• Would Not Hurt A Child: In the UDON comics, the final straw that led to him giving up his life as an assassin was the realization that he had to permanently silence a young Chun-Li after she witnessed him killing Geki. He initially intended to kill her at his restaurant, but ultimately could not bring himself to murder an innocent child.

Birdie

Headbutt Happy Glutton

^{Street Fighter Alpha}

^{Street Fighter I}

Oi! It ain't too late to run home to mum now!

Origin: England

Fighting style: Barroom Brawling
Appears in: SF (NPC), SFA, SFV

Voiced by: ^note Wataru Takagi (Street Fighter Alpha series)
Ryūzaburō Ōtomo (Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation; Japanese)
Hidenari Ugaki (Street Fighter V; Japanese)
Paul Dobson (American cartoon)
Michael Mc Carty (Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation)
TJ Storm (Street Fighter V; English)

A British bar bouncer who enters the first tournament looking for cash. He returns in the Alpha series, seeking to join Shadaloo. He succeeds and tries to steal Bison's Psycho Drive, but fails and escapes the destruction of the Shadaloo base. In the first Street Fighter he was a tall but slender light-skinned mohawked punk but was changed into a brutish black (but still British) thug in the Alpha series.

He returns to the series in V, no longer employed by Shadaloo, and with an updated look, looking noticeably paunchier than previous incarnations. He's living as a freeloading house guest in Karin Kanzuki's estate, where he spends all of his time eating, sparring with Karin, and acting as a security guard.

Birdie originally started out as a mostly nondescript CPU-only opponent in the first game, but his playable debut in the Alpha series fleshed out his fighting style significantly. Birdie is a close-to-mid-range brawler whose slow movement is mitigated by his attacks generally having long range and far travel distance, granting Birdie high damage output per hit. On top of all of that, he also has command grabs to open the opponent's defenses. His return in V stays true to his Alpha incarnation's design philosophy while also greatly reworking and expanding upon it. While fundamentally sound, Birdie's true strength comes from his unique bag of tricks including a new long-ranged grab using his chains, V-Skills that deploy various projectiles across the screen, and lots of armored special moves, allowing a good Birdie player to ride that momentum to victory.

---

• Acrofatic: His V incarnation has gained quite a bit of a gut.
• Adaptational Villainy: In the games, Birdie is employed by Shadaloo (until V), although he's considerably less evil than Bison's other subordinates. Non-game media seriously waffles as to which side of the spectrum Birdie falls on, though. The UDON comics make him an incurable career criminal. The Alpha manga and animation portray Birdie as a violent yet surprisingly honorable ally to the heroes. He even saves Chun-Li from Evil Ryu when she was trying to arrest him just moments before.
• Affably Evil: Even when he was employed by Shadaloo, he wasn't exactly a terrible guy, especially when compared to Bison's other subordinates like Balrog and Vega. In his Alpha 3 story mode, he even has a friendly confrontation with E. Honda, giving him a genuine compliment about his hair and only fights him because he wants to know what sumo is. When he mentions taking over Shadaloo, Honda thinks he's just making a joke.
• All There in the Manual: Some background details; for instance, he was once a professional wrestler and formed a fearsome tag team with fellow British goliath Titanic Tim from the Saturday Night Slam Masters games.
• Amazing Technicolor Population: One of his alternative palettes features olive green skin.
• Anime Hair: In the Alpha series, he has a large yellow mohawk with a physically impossible hole punched through it.
• Ascended Extra: In Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation, he's the only "new" character to get any real depth, even fighting the Big Bad with the heroes, and saving Chun-Li.
• Big Eater:
  • He became one in V. His V-Skill ability allows him to eat one of three snacks: a donut, a banana, or an energy drink. The donut amps up his V-Trigger meter, the banana peel leaves a trap on the ground, and the energy drink has him throw a low-rolling can at his opponent. His victory animation also involves him tossing two donuts into the air and letting them drop into his mouth, before pulling out another giant donut and getting ready to chow down. Most of his dialog involves complaining that he's hungry, too.
  • His Arcade Mode endings in V show that what ended up pushing him over the edge and making him fat is joining Shadaloo. Apparently, their cafeteria food is really good.
• Big Fun: He becomes one in V. At 507 pounds, he's the second heaviest human character in the entire series, behind Abigail.^note The plot compendium lists Gill and Urien, and possibly Twelve, as being heavier. However, Gill and Urien gain mass in their Super Mode and Twelve is made of an unknown substance. Yes, he's even heavier than Rufus, the fattest of all characters, and Hugo, the biggest mountain of muscle in the series behind Abigail.
• The Bus Came Back: Birdie was among the many of the roster who got phased out in the transition to the ultra-popular Street Fighter II. He finally got to make his comeback in the Alpha series, which saw the return of several of the first game’s fighters, but was then completely absent from both III and IV. Naturally this made it quite the shock that Birdie not only returned for V but actually made the base roster.
• Butt-Monkey:
  • He becomes one in V. Although his fighting skills manage to impress Karin, he often gets his ass kicked in the other story modes where he makes an appearance. He gets beaten by Ken, Rashid, Laura, R. Mika, Cammy, Ibuki, and by Charlie and Guile off-screen in Chun-Li's story. In the Cinematic Story, he's ambushed by Aprile of The Dolls, and after he manages to defend himself, he's immediately knocked out by Noembelu.
  • He can't even catch a break in his own V Arcade Mode ending. After defeating Karin in a fight, she reveals that she was wearing weights on her arms, and takes them off. The Oh, Crap! expression on Birdie's face seems to imply that round two isn't going to end well for him.]]
• Calling Your Attacks: Birdie has an exclamation unique to not only each of his attacks but each strength of said attacks, including his famous "Goin' to heaven!" shout, which plays during his EX Killing Head headbutts.
• Chain Pain: Wears chains around each arm as a punk fashion accessory, which he can also use to ensnare his opponents and slam them around with horrific intensity.
• Cherry Tapping: In V, Birdie's idle animation sees him pick a booger out of his nose and flick it at his opponent. It can knock them out.
• The Chew Toy: Birdie's main role in the story of V is to get his ass kicked, often in hilarious ways. He manages to kick a few along the way, but the amount of characters that attack him is rather disproportionate.
• Combat Haircomb: Birdie has a folding knife that has a comb built into the blade. He never actually uses it as part of an attack, though he'll still pull it out to style his hair.
• Composite Character: His V redesign is a combination of his Street Fighter I and Alpha appearances, with a few original additions, like his sudden weight gain and Big Eater tendencies. White in the original and black in Alpha, his skin tone now lies somewhere near the middle. Possibly a reference to Birdie's claim that he was pale in the first game due to being ill, Birdie is shown to have a sneezing attack. He's also lost the trademark hole in his mohawk, making it look more like his original Street Fighter I mohawk.
• Cool Shades: Wears a pair in his Nostalgia costume in V, even though he didn't wear sunglasses in either SFI or Alpha.
• Defector from Decadence: Completely abandons Shadaloo in V, claiming that he "didn't like how they handled business." It's shown that in reality, he just didn't like how they made him wear a hat, covering his hairdo.
• Demoted to Extra: He only gets a few parts in the UDON comic series. First, he gets the crap beaten out of him by Guile in the first issue. Then he gets the crap beaten out of him by Zangief in the Street Fighter II Turbo series. And then he gets the crap beaten out of him by Abel in the first issue of the IV series. He disappears from the rest of the comics following this, outside of Unlimited's covers.
• Did Not Do the Bloody Research: For the very first time since his debut, in V he has an English VA who voices him with a suitably gruff cockney/SE London accent. However, as well as his accent slipping a lot of the time, there are also a few notable cases of Did Not Do the Bloody Research; witness Birdie referring to Shadaloo as a bunch of "wanks" (instead of wankers), much to the amusement of British fans everywhere.
  I'm never going back. Piss off, Shadaloo!
• Dressing as the Enemy: His alternate costume in V is a very ill-fitting Shadaloo soldier uniform.
• Easter Egg: His stage in the first game has posters depicting the Velvet Underground's debut "banana album" artwork. The pub in front of which he fights is called "Blockheads" in reference to Ian Dury's seminal post-punk band, and the Bill Cravens depicted in the graffiti on the pub's door was a real person (he was a marketing executive who worked with plenty of game developers, including Capcom).
• Face of a Thug: Birdie can be a jerk sometimes and once worked for Shadaloo, but he's really not that bad of a guy.
• Fat Slob: Wears clothing much too small for him, eats like a pig, and even flings a booger as an idle animation.
• Fighting Clown: V gives him new attacks such as throwing banana peels and soda cans at his opponent, which are much more comical than the series' usual mix of realistic martial arts with mild supernatural elements. He even gains a new move (Skip To My Chain) where he can smash an opponent into the ground hard enough to bury them waist-deep if he knocks them out them with it.
• Fire-Breathing Diner: Birdie's V-Trigger activation has him eat a hot pepper and breathe fire as a result. The fire has a hit-box and does damage, and can indeed be used to KO an opponent.
• Fluffy the Terrible: A big scary thug named 'Birdie'.
• Foil: For Eagle. As is often the case with depictions of English males in pop culture generally, Street Fighter's English pair are designed to represent the extreme opposite ends of the cultural spectrum found in their native land. As a punk, Birdie represents England’s anarchic, rock and roll culture, which contrasts enormously with Eagle, a classically sophisticated Quintessential British Gentleman.
• Formerly Fit: In Birdie's reappearance in V, he seems to have let himself go a bit, as he's now sporting a distinct beer belly. He's still got his muscles, though, so it's not that he's completely out of shape, just not as in shape as he used to be. Also, while he's still got his badass chain attacks, he's been given a few goofier moves, like sneezing, throwing banana peels/beer cans, and breathing fire from eating a red chili pepper.
  Ken: I could swear I've seen you around somewhere before. Well, give or take 200 pounds.
• Freddie Mercopy: In V, Birdie gets an outfit that resembles the look Freddie Mercury wore for his 1986 Wembley concert.
• Genius Bruiser: In most other adaptations. In any case, it's incredibly surprising that Birdie is smart enough to be constantly plotting against Shadaloo.
• Gonk: Not so much in his earlier incarnations but his redesign for V, complete with a huge beer-gut and comedic gross-out moves, does not do him any favors.
• The Grappler: Beginning with Alpha, where he is retooled as a grappling character who mostly uses chains to toss his opponents around.
• Hammerspace: In V, he can pull a seemingly endless supply of donuts, bananas, soda, and chili peppers out of nowhere. In his victory animation, he also somehow pulls out a donut that's even bigger than his massive gut!
  Ken: Boy you can eat! But where the heck are you pulling all that food from?
• Hand Wave: "Oh, what? Before? I looked pale because I was sick!"
• Heel–Face Turn: In V. He completely deserts Shadaloo, and wants nothing more to do with them. He ends up working at Karin's estate, serving as her sparring partner as well as a security guard. It's implied that Birdie also left Shadaloo because he became disgusted by their increasingly cruel actions; the real reason he left was that F.A.N.G. forced him to wear a hat that would ruin his hair, rather than out of morality. The only reason he stays with Karin is that she feeds him and gives him a place to stay, though he seems to have more or less come around by the end.
• Home Stage: As he's amongst the lowliest of the characters in the series, Birdie's stages are all set in the rougher areas of England. In Street Fighter, his stage is set on a run-down street in a bad part of town. In Alpha 2, he fights in the public toilets of the London Underground railway system. In Alpha 3, he fights on a railway bridge with crashed London Underground trains piled up behind him. The exception is his "Union Station" stage in V, which is a far less grubby, fairly glamorous location, though some fellow punks still appear in the background cheering him on.
• Hot-Blooded Sideburns: Incorporated into his Alpha redesign, and outrageously bushy — they almost look like a sideburns/mustache combo! Exaggerated in V as his sideburns are now even bigger and longer!
• Hypocritical Humor: When fighting Février, the Bison Doll who uses guns, Birdie calls her out on using weapons. Février then calls him out on the fact that he uses chains. During the fight, he can also be heard saying that she's got a potty mouth, after she called him a "fat sack of merde." Birdie himself isn't exactly averse to saying dirty words.
• Idle Animation: He gains a notable one in V. Not only will he scratch his ass, but he'll pick his nose and flick the booger. If the opponent is standing close enough, the booger will actually hit them and even cause a minimal amount of damage!
• Is It Something You Eat?: His win quote against Kolin.
  "Systema"? What's that? Can I eat it?
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold:
  • Birdie was never much of a villain to begin with, but he tends to act rather dismissive and anti-social when around others. With that said, he does genuinely appreciate any kindness thrown his way, especially if it involves food. The Cinematic Story has him contemplate leaving everyone to fight the battle against Shadaloo, but the ending cutscene shows that he's still there, and a big smile appears on his face when he sees that Ryu, Guile and Chun-Li are alive.
  • His SFI ending in Arcade Mode shows him treating Ryu to a meal after their fight.
• Large Ham: Very literally in V, where he’s portrayed as a grossly overweight foghorn.
• Licking the Blade: In Alpha, Birdie has a habit of licking his chains. This makes a return in V.
• Lethal Joke Character: For all his goofy mannerisms and Butt-Monkey status in the story, he is consistently one of the highest performing characters in the competitive V scene. Much like Rufus from the previous game.
• Lightning Bruiser: All that muscle and/or gut belies a surprising amount of mobility. Bull Head gives him a gap-closer, Bull Horn makes for a surprisingly fast uppercut, and (in V) Bull Revenger has him leap in for a damaging Grapple Move.
• London Gangster: All four of his home stages throughout the series are set in London, and as of V, he sports an attempt at a Cockney/South East London accent. He's also one of the series' more criminally inclined characters.
• Lower-Class Lout: Unlike fellow Brits Eagle, Cammy and Dudley, who are all classy and decorous in character, he represents the UK’s antithetical punk counter-culture in his capacity as a thuggish brute.
• My Greatest Failure: His previous work as a Shadaloo goon. The other characters in V are quick to bring up his previous employment, much to his increasing annoyance.
  I ain't with those Shadaloo wanks no more!
• Nobody Touches the Hair: Birdie takes great pride in his big yellow mohawk, and becomes very concerned if he thinks his opponent is going to mess it up. This is why he left Shadaloo because he didn't want to wear a hat which messes up his hair according to his story mode in Street Fighter V.
• Non Conformist Dyed Hair: Starting with the Alpha series, his bright bottle-blond hair enhances his punk image. It carries over to V as well, and he even has blond chest hair!
• Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Only in Alpha: The Animation, where his accent sounds more African-American than British.
• Odd Friendship: With Karin in V, although calling them "friends" is probably a stretch. She feeds him and lets him stay at her house in exchange for work as a sparring partner and bodyguard.
• Ornamental Weapon: Birdie is shown to carry around a switchblade comb, but he never actually uses it as a knife, only ever using the comb to style his hair.
• Parrying Bullets: Birdie tries this Wonder Woman-style, using his chains in his battle against Février in V. It works, but it still stings his arms.
• Pet the Dog: Birdie's Arcade Mode ending for SFI shows that after his fight with Ryu, Birdie treated him to a burger and fries.
• Punk Rock: His overall design is based on a British punk rocker, although there are some differences in how this style is applied depending on which game he appears in. His Alpha incarnation, for example, draws much from the Japanese interpretation of punk style, where shoes with upturned tips are common. His V outfit is perhaps the nearest to classic English punk, and he evokes a burnt-out roadie or British Rock Star with his enormous beer belly.
• Race Lift: Zig-zagged. He debuted as a fair-skinned Caucasian in the original game, but for unknown reasons, he was retconned to being black when he next appeared in the Alpha series. Birdie acknowledges this by saying that he was pale due to being ill in the first game. Oddly enough, in his V appearance, his skin isn't quite as dark, but he isn't exactly white either. Capcom went as far as to retcon his Street Fighter I appearance with this new design. However, Birdie's ending in the SFI version of Arcade Mode shows him as white again.
• Scary Black Man: Except in the original game, where he was white. He states in Alpha 3 that he was really sick back then, and it made him look pale and flushed.
• Small Name, Big Ego: In the UDON Comics series, he bursts into a Chinese restaurant and causes a ruckus in the name of Shadaloo. He's confronted by Guile, who says he's nothing more than a lowly thug whose name Bison wouldn't even know, let alone give the time of day.
• Stout Strength: In V. Although he's gained a considerable stomach and is now the heaviest character in the series, he's no less strong than he previously was, still being able to swing his opponents around overhead repeatedly with his chain.
• Tattooed Crook: In the Alpha series, he has a heart tattoo on the left side of his head. In V, he gains another couple of tattoos, with "Life Like Dice" written on his stomach and a pair of dice on his left arm.
• Theme Naming:
  • The English pair, Birdie and Eagle, are named for terms used in the game of Golf, invented in the United Kingdom.
  • Birdie's attacks are universally either named after some aspect of criminality or have a "Bull" prefix.
• The Thing That Would Not Leave: He's a freeloader who is living with Karin Kanzuki's family.
• Top-Heavy Guy: He has a huge upper body, though to what extent depends on the adaptation. He’s leggy and muscular in the first game, then becomes much bulkier in the Alpha series, with enormous arms and proportionately skinny legs, as seen in the artwork above. In V, he's very similar in build to his Alpha days, but with the addition of having a huge gut. The animations and the UDON comics he appears in take this to the extreme, and he's much more exaggeratedly huge, with almost gorilla-like proportions.
• Unskilled, but Strong: UDON's World Warrior Encyclopedia sums up Birdie's fighting style as "an unrefined, sloppy combination of barroom brawling and crushing professional wrestling manoeuvres." He's never had any actual training as a fighter, but he's powerful and he has a lot of experience.
• Use Your Head: Many of his specials consist of head-based attacks; charging with his head, knocking down airborne foes with his head, performing Grapple Moves with his head, you name it. He didn't gain the title of "Headbutt Happy Glutton" in V for nothing.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: He wears a short, unbuttoned punk vest.
• Wardrobe Malfunction: It's for a fraction of a second, and it automatically corrects itself, but Birdie's pants fall down exposing his ass◊ during his Bull Head attack.
• The Yardies: In his Alpha 3 incarnation, he’s a Black British gangster working for Shadaloo.
• You Don't Look Like You: Birdie has gone through what is undoubtedly the biggest visual overhaul in the history of the series, starting out as a fit white man and eventually becoming a fat black man. The only aspect of Birdie's character that has remained completely consistent is him being a British punk.

Eagle

The Fancy Bodyguard

^{Capcom Fighters Network}

Shall we dance?

Origin: England

Fighting style: Bojutsu
Appears in: SF (NPC), SFA3 Upper

Voiced by: ^note Jin Yamanoi (Capcom vs. SNK 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Max and Upper only))

A British bodyguard in the service of a noble family, Eagle enters the first tournament to test his skill. Thereafter he didn’t make a playable appearance until Capcom vs. SNK 2, and was added to the portable editions of Street Fighter Alpha 3 after he gained more recognition.

Gameplay-wise, Eagle fights using twin kali sticks, granting him a notable range advantage against his opponents. Although he is fundamentally strong and has a comparatively large variety of versatile special attacks, it comes at the cost of long wind-up and recovery times, meaning Eagle has to make a lot of risky commitments lest opponents punish his mistakes or see through his gaps.

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• Ambiguously Gay: Heavily implied to be gay, though it's never been outright confirmed, and makes some rather suggestive remarks to some of his male opponents. He also tells Chun-Li to cover herself.
• Ascended Extra: Started out as a non-playable opponent in Street Fighter, but has since reappeared in Capcom vs. SNK 2, and the portable editions of Alpha 3.
• Attack Reflector: St. Andrews Green. Eagle swings his batons like a golf club, which as well as acting as a powerful hit in itself, also reflects fireballs and other projectiles. An appropriately named move, as St. Andrews, Scotland is known worldwide as the "home of golf" since The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews' founding in 1754.
• Cultured Badass: The series' original version before characters such as Dudley and Karin debuted. The dislikes listed in his bio include "ungentlemanly behaviour" and "unrefined fellows".
• Dash Spam Attack: His Oxford Red, which is also used at the ending of his Union Jack Platinum super introduced in CVS 2, in which he thrusts at his opponent multiple times with his batons.
• Dual Wielding: Wields a pair of Escrima batons.
• Extremity Extremist: Unique to the series; he attacks with just his batons. No punches or kicks!
• Foil: For Birdie. As is often the case with depictions of English males in pop culture generally, Street Fighter's English pair are designed to represent the extreme opposite ends of the cultural spectrum found in their native land. As a punk, Birdie represents England's anarchic, rock and roll culture, which contrasts enormously with Eagle, a classically sophisticated Quintessential British Gentleman (albeit with perhaps a colder persona than is typically encountered).
• Freddie Mercopy: Eagle started out as an expy of the bodyguard Petrov from Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury, but his comeback in Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium and the portable versions of Alpha 3 was a direct homage to Freddie Mercury, complete with Catch Phrases like "The Show Must Go On" and "No Time For Losers". Even further, his win quotes in the Japanese version present him as a Straight Gay, who makes suggestive remarks to the male characters he fights.
• Gratuitous English: "No time for losers!".
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has a large scar on his left cheek — doesn’t make him any less handsome, though.
• Home Stage: Eagle has only ever had one personal stage (Street Fighter 1), though the location — a lakeside with a glamorous castle in the background — suits his classy vibe perfectly.
• Hunk: Of the classy variety. Eagle is seemingly a little more mature than most of the men in the cast (looking to be in his forties), and his moustache and elegant wardrobe lend him a dashing, hot older guy vibe.
• I Know Madden Kombat: One of his moves, St. Andrews Green, has Eagle swing his sticks like a golf club. The name of the move references a famous golf course in Scotland.
• Manly Gay: He's a brawny, no-nonsense man who acts as a bodyguard for a noble family, but his dialogue in the Japanese version of Capcom vs. SNK 2 makes his sexuality glaringly obvious. His taunt ("No time for losers.") and victory quote ("The show must go on.") reference Freddie Mercury of Queen, who was himself bisexual.
• Meaningful Name: He’s named for a golf term (though 'Eagle' is also a British surname), and supplementary materials suggest he's quite skilled at the game.
• Out of Focus: He was thought to have disappeared with the other original Street Fighter characters, but reappeared in Capcom vs. SNK 2 and the handheld versions of Alpha 3. However, he hasn't made an appearance since then, and isn't often represented in other media, either.
• Quintessential British Gentleman: Certainly in appearance, with his dress shirt and cravat, and also in his appreciation for refinement and gentlemanly behaviour.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: Fights in suit trousers, a formal shirt, braces, and a bow tie or cravat. Across the franchise, only Dudley and JP rival him in sartorial prowess.
• Spin Attack: Only one of his special moves, St. Andrews Green, doesn't involve spinning in some fashion or another. He even twirls his batons around like a drummer when he taunts. There's also a special intro between him and Zangief in CVS 2 where they parry each other with the Manchester Black and the Double Lariat (which are functionally the same moves).
• Static Stun Gun: In concept art for V, he's shown to have traded in his batons for taser sticks.
• Straight Gay: Nothing about Eagle is stereotypically camp, though his sexual preference is inferred from his Japanese win-quotes, which are peppered with innuendos about his male opponents and expressions of disinterest in his female opponents.
  (Vs. Dhalsim) I don't think that the saying "the longer, the better" holds true.
  (Vs. Zangief) Hmm... I'm so very sorry, but your body doesn't cause any particular feeling to bud in me.
  (Vs. Cammy) My apologies. I am not interested in young ladies.
  (Vs. Morrigan) Trying to seduce me with charm is useless. The reason? Don't ask dumb questions.
• Theme Naming: His attacks are named after various locations in the United Kingdom plus colors; Manchester Black, for example. Additionally, both Birdie and Eagle are two terms used in Golf, with his St Andrews Green special move referencing the famous golf course of the same name.

Joe

The Superstar

^{Capcom Fighters Network}

Okay, baby!

Origin: USA

Fighting style: Kickboxing

Appears in: SF (NPC)

An underground martial artist from Missouri who entered the tournament to test his skills. He eventually faced money problems, and turned to violent crime to solve them. He currently fights in tournaments under the name "Superstar."

---

• Anime Hair: His V concept design features his hair slicked back from behind, and pointing upward in a star-like pattern at the front.
• Does Not Like Spam: According to his V profile, he can't stand pickles.
• Fallen Hero: Joe was originally the undisputed kickboxing champion of the United States, but became an outlaw on the road after being hit by financial problems and several violent outbursts outside of the ring. However, he eventually made a comeback in several indie tournaments, under the ring name of "Superstar".
• Home Stage: Joe fights in a gloomy, rundown railway yard surrounded by graffiti-covered carriages — a stage later reimagined for Sodom and Bison in the first Alpha game.
• Meaningful Name: He's an 'Average Joe' incarnate.
• Out of Focus: He hasn't appeared at all since his first appearance. He’s the only character who hasn’t appeared in anything Street Fighter-related since the original game. It was thought for a long time that the two guys fighting in the intro to II were Joe and Mike, but Capcom have stated that those were to completely different characters named Scott and Max.
• Ridiculously Average Guy: Joe has a very simple, no-frills design compared to the majority of fighters across the franchise.
• Symbol Motif Clothing: Stars. As of V, he's developed a fondness for star-shaped things, wears a star belt, and his ring name is "Superstar."
• Walking Shirtless Scene: In his original appearance, before V gave him a midriff-baring tank top.

Mike

Reformed Criminal

^{Capcom Fighters Network}

Ha ha ha! I'm strongest!

Origin: USA

Fighting style: Heavyweight Boxing

Appears in: SF (NPC)

A former criminal from Oklahoma who entered the world of professional boxing after serving prison time for committing an armed robbery. Now he's reformed, and is the polar opposite of Balrog. In Japan, the series apparently has two African-American boxers by the name of Mike, the other being Balrog, whose Japanese name is "Mike Bison." This has led to a lot of confusion over whether or not Mike and Balrog are the same character, although Capcom has been insistent that the two are totally unrelated.

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• The Cameo: He makes a small cameo in V, during Balrog's ending in the Street Fighter I themed Arcade Mode, although the whole thing was All Just a Dream and purely a joke about how similar the two are.
• Extremity Extremist: As a boxer, he only punches.
• Good Counterpart: To Balrog. Formerly a criminal, Mike reformed and learned to box whilst in prison, and now he helps the needy and gives kids self-defense boxing classes.
• Home Stage: Mike fights in front of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota.
• No Brows: Curiously, his V concept redesign lacks visible eyebrows.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Obviously based on Mike Tyson, who was, as of 1987, the heavyweight boxing champion of the world.
• Out of Focus: He hasn't appeared at all since his first appearance save for the above mentioned cameo in V, as Balrog pretty much made him redundant. It was thought for many years that he and Joe were the two fighting in the II intro, but that was apparently two completely unrelated characters named Max and Scott.
• Retcon: Just like what happened with Balrog, his original backstory described him as being expelled from boxing after killing a man in the ring. This was retconned with something more realistic, since you cannot be expelled from boxing if you kill someone accidentally in the ring in an official bout, only if you did it intentionally.^note See Values Dissonance in the franchise's YMMV tag for more details. His new backstory involves him being a former criminal from Oklahoma, who was sent to prison after being involved in an armed robbery. There, he took up boxing, and once he was released, entered the tournament to raise money for his ill younger sister's medical treatment— and later moved on to teaching self-defence boxing classes afterwards.
• Ridiculously Average Guy: He and Joe are considered the two most generic characters in the original Street Fighter, which is probably why they haven't made any reappearances.
• Scary Black Man: Although he's the polar opposite of Balrog.

Adon

Fanged Beast

^{Street Fighter Alpha}

^{Street Fighter I}:

^{Capcom Fighters Network}

I'll show you just how strong I am!

Origin: Thailand

Fighting style: Muay Thai
Appears in: SF (NPC), SFA, SSFIV

Voiced by: ^note Wataru Takagi (Street Fighter Alpha series, Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation; Japanese)
Robert Martin Klein (Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation; English)
Taliesin Jaffe (Street Fighter IV; English [as T. Axelrod])
Atsushi Imaruoka (Street Fighter IV; Japanese)

A hotheaded, arrogant Muay Thai master. He used to be Sagat`s apprentice until Sagat's loss against Ryu in the first game. During the first two Alpha games, Adon challenged Sagat for the title of Emperor of Muay Thai and won, although barely. In Alpha 3, he went to find Akuma, but failed in his search. He appears in IV, where he returned to Thailand only to be defeated by Sagat, and then makes a full comeback to the playing cast in Super Street Fighter IV.

Adon is the polar opposite of his former mentor Sagat. Where Sagat focuses on being defensive and taking advantage of his power and reach, Adon focuses on high mobility and aggression. He can easily bob and weave his way out of his opponents' effective range and punish them with an assortment of far-reaching attacks. His Jaguar Tooth is an off-the-wall diving kick that serves as a means to both quickly close the distance and reposition himself. His signature move, the Jaguar Kick, forces his opponents to think twice about blocking low, as it will hit them overhead. A very tricky character, Adon's style involves confusing and frustrating opponents while luring them into situations where he can press the advantage.

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• Adaptational Heroism: In the UDON comics, Adon is very much the same antagonistic, condescending character he is in the games, but he is portrayed more sympathetically, as when reading his mind, Dhalsim learns that he acts maliciously to hide the fact that deep down he is very insecure and yearns for acceptance. By the time of Street Fighter Unlimited, while he acts just as arrogantly as he usually does, his thoughts reveal that Adon has matured and humbled considerably. He has regained his respect for Sagat and acknowledges that he has a long way to go before becoming a true "God of Muay Thai". He even surprisingly joins the other fighters to stop Gill.
• Adaptational Villainy: In the Street Fighter Alpha manga, Adon is presented as a far more villainous character. Not only does the manga introduce his desire to have the Satsui No Hado for himself, but he is also presented as working for Shadaloo in order to take revenge on Ryu (since in this continuity Sagat refused the call from the very beginning) and kills several fighters (including Eagle) for absolutely no reason. He also manages to force Ryu into giving in to the Satsui No Hado by making him believe that his friends were crushed to death.
• Always Second Best: To Sagat, much to Adon's chagrin. Though he did fairly defeat Sagat during the events of Street Fighter Alpha, earning him his current status as Muay Thai champion.
• Animal Motifs: Jaguars. All of his attacks have "jaguar" in their names.
• Anime Hair: In a series with quite a few characters that have crazy hairstyles, he definitely sports one of the more far-fetched ones.
• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: He's easily one of the best examples (if not THE best example) in the entire Street Fighter series. He has nothing but contempt for anyone else and he shows absolutely no friendliness or respect to ANYONE. If you try to fight him, he will do everything to give you a savage beatdown.
  Not bad, but not good enough to dethrone the king!
• A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: Adon was a former pupil of Sagat’s before leaving on his own after Sagat lost to Ryu. He does everything he can to topple Sagat from his title ever since.
• Blood Knight: Unlike Sagat, Adon doesn't really fight for an expressed purpose. He just wants to play.
• The Bus Came Back: Adon is the benefactor of this twice. After serving as the Pre-Final Boss in the original Street Fighter, he is absent throughout the entirety of the II series, before making a comeback in the Alpha series. He's again absent through the entirety of III before returning once more in IV.
• Cheshire Cat Grin: The only way to wipe that smug grin off his face is to beat it off— which is no easy task.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Prior to the events of IV, he challenges Sagat, who had come to see one of his matches. One Tiger Destruction later, Adon is down for the count.
• Defeating the Undefeatable: Adon did defeat Sagat in a fight for the title of Muay Thai champion, something Ryu canonically never did. However, Sagat was still hurting from his injury to Ryu and was consumed by such Unstoppable Rage that Adon nearly died from the battle. When they have a casual rematch years later, Sagat effortlessly defeats Adon.
• Diabolus ex Machina: In their rival battle, Sagat implies that Adon may be trying to harness the Satsui no Hado.
• Diving Kick: His Jaguar Tooth move has Adon leaping backwards onto the edge of the screen before launching himself into a high-speed flying kick.
• Fate Worse than Death: Adon views being a loser as such, as seen by his attitude towards Sagat after the latter loses to Ryu. As far as he is concerned, Sagat is nothing if he isn't the undefeated God of Muay Thai.
  Death awaits tigers and jaguars who have lost their fangs. When the mere act of living is humiliating, you're finished.
• Fiery Redhead: He sports orange-red hair and is hot-blooded, with a fierce temper.
• Glass Cannon: He's incredibly fast and hits very hard, but his health is below average in SSFIV and USSFIV.
• A God Am I: "I will see them worship me as a god!" — said to Sagat in SSFIV before their rival match.
• Gratuitous English: Adon is Thai, but calls all his attacks in English.
  Jaguar Kick!
  Jaguar Tooth!
  Rising Jaguar!
  Jaguar Revolver!
• Home Stage: Adon's stages are all set in Thailand and are surprisingly beautiful (given his morally dubious character), featuring historical temples (his Street Fighter stage and his "Chao Praya River" in Alpha 2) or ancient ruins (his "Khmer Ruins" stage in Alpha 3).
• Hypocrite: Absolutely chides and detests Sagat for losing to Ryu, as he believes that Sagat has disgraced Muay Thai, all while conveniently forgetting about how Ryu defeated him without much effort before fighting Sagat.
• Hypocritical Humor: His win quote against Abel in SSFIV — "Obsession with the past is a sign of weakness, worm!" — a bit rich when considering his own obsession with never losing.
• Insufferable Genius: He has one mean bite to back up all his barking.
• Jerkass: He's cocky, snide, and enjoys humiliating his opponents, but he's not an outright villain.
• Kneel Before Zod: He wants the world (and especially Sagat) to bow down before him and worship him as a god.
  (before Adon's rival match against Sagat)
  Sagat: The power you’re after is twisted.
  Adon: Just save it! Everyone will bow before me. I will see them worship me as a God!
  (during said rival match)
  Adon: Grovel before me!
• Martial Arts Headband: Known as a “Mongkhon” in Thailand.
• Meaningful Name: His name, which suitably means "peerless" in Thai, likely comes from real-life Thai boxer Àdun Sěesǒhtor (อดุลย์ ศรีโสธร).
• No Indoor Voice: He's quite the loudmouth and calls his attacks in a shrieking, high-pitched tone.
• Perpetual Smiler: He always has an extremely arrogant and grotesque grin on his face.
• Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: His Jaguar Thousand Super Combo has him throw out a flurry of extremely fast jabs.
• Red Baron: The "God of Muay Thai" is nothing more than a self-pronounced title, showing his arrogance, though as he’s beaten many Muay Thai practitioners, including Sagat, it’s not like he’s undeserving of it either.
• Screaming Warrior: He's constantly yelling and shrieking while making bird-like Kiais in battle.
• Small Name, Big Ego: Apart from Dan, he’s probably the biggest example in the series. He's a strong fighter in his own right (his ending in Alpha 2 had him destroy a huge statue of Sagat with a knee blow), but even his defeat against Ryu has done nothing to quell his inflated ego and he still insists on being the most powerful man on Earth.
• Smug Super: Though a prideful, egocentric man, his arrogance isn't for nothing and is pretty much justified, as he was the reigning Muay Thai champ thanks to Sagat's tutelage, someone who actively pursued Akuma of all people to fight him personally after his competitors were murdered, and is capable of smashing a Buddha statue's face with just one knee strike. Just like the jaguar he names his special moves after, he’s dangerous and powerful.
• The Starscream: His English dub even sounds like Starscream. Although unlike Starscream, he is not at all a Dirty Coward.
• Theme Naming: Adon is the Jaguar to Sagat's Tiger.
• Trash Talk: One of the biggest trash talkers in the series. Several of the other characters even lampshade this in their win quotes to him in SSFIV. But given his character, this isn't too surprising.
• Villainy-Free Villain: He’s not a villain, and isn’t aligned with any of the series’ major villainous organisations— he’s just an arrogant vindictive asshat who loves to humiliate his opponents.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: For his default costume, he sports only Thai-boxing shorts and armbands.

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