Sandbox / Street Fighter II

Street Fighter characters index
Street Fighter (Ryu | Ken Masters) | Street Fighter II (M. Bison) | Street Fighter II: Updated Versions (Akuma) | Street Fighter Alpha (Dan Hibiki) | Street Fighter III | Street Fighter IV (Seth) | Street Fighter V | Street Fighter V: Updated Versions | Street Fighter 6 | Street Fighter EX | Other Characters Part 1 | Other Characters Part 2 | 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 II: The World Warrior.

• For Ryu, Evil Ryu, Ken, Violent Ken, M. Bison and Akuma, check their respective pages.
• For Sagat, Balrog, Vega, and M.Bison, check the Street Fighter II: The Four Kings sheet.
• For T. Hawk, Fei Long, Dee Jay, and Cammy, check the Street Fighter II: Updated Versions sheet.

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E. Honda

Sumo Wrestler Chef

^{Street Fighter V} 

^{Street Fighter Alpha} 

^{Street Fighter II} 

It's natural for a sumo wrestler to become the world's strongest!

Origin: Japan

Fighting style: Sumo Wrestling
Appears in: SFII, SFA3, SFIV, SFV (DLC), SF6

Voiced by: ^note Paul Dobson (American cartoon), Masashi Sugawara (Street Fighter Alpha 3, Capcom vs. SNK, Capcom vs. SNK 2), Daisuke Gōri (Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie; Japanese), Richard Epcar (Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie; English), Yoshikazu Nagano (Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter V; Japanese), John Snyder (Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter V, Street Fighter 6; English, credited as Joe DiMucci)

Portrayed by: ^note Peter Navy Tuiasosopo (Live Action Movie)

Full name Edomondo "Edmond" Honda. A sumo wrestler who’s really fond of his craft. He enters the Street Fighter II tournament to prove the superiority of sumo worldwide. In IV he decides to take sumo all the way to the Olympics, and in V he has reopened his traditional bathhouse, Honda Sento. By the time of 6, his sumo skills are comparable to any Yokozuna in the field, though his taking part in the various Street Fighter tournaments over the years has hampered his promotion, and he's yet to officially attain the rank. In the meantime, however, he's also become famous as a chef, notably for his brand of chankonabe.

Honda is a power-oriented fighter whose lackluster movement speed is belied by the immense coverage of both his normal and special moves. His normal attacks have surprisingly long reach, with some able to hit at unexpected angles. His Sumo Headbutt is extremely fast, allowing him to torpedo across the screen and ram into his opponents. His Sumo Smash, introduced in Hyper Fighting, grants aerial coverage and slams down onto anyone below, providing a deceptive overhead attack that forces the opponent to guess where to block due to its ability to cross-up ambiguously. His Signature Move is the Hundred Hand Slap, an attack performed by mashing the punch buttons as fast as possible. Its usage and mobility have gone through many different iterations, but newer titles make it advance Honda towards his opponent and set the opponent up for combos should it hit. And lastly, being a sumo wrestler, he has a devastating command grab called the Oicho Nage in order to open up opponents who are too complacent in blocking attacks such as his Hundred Hand Slap. All in all, Honda is a well-rounded powerhouse who can seamlessly transition from being patient and defensive one moment into an overwhelming torrent the next.

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• Absurd Phobia: World Tour Mode in 6 reveals that he's deathly afraid of rubber ducks due to an incident where he nearly slipped on one while stepping out of the tub.
• Acrofatic: Jumps very high and performs somersaults very easily for a sumo wrestler.
• Always Second Best: Honda never achieved the highest rank in sumo, Yokozuna, but he has earned the second highest, Ozeki. His 6 bio confirms that his skills are equal to those of a Yokozuna, but he's never been officially promoted due to his constant globetrotting.
• Artistic License – Physics: Most sumo wrestlers can't fly at you horizontally like a giant, gravity-defying plank.
• Ass Kicks You: Sumo Smash, Oicho Throw and his second Ultra in SSFIV (the latter has more ground pounding) all involve crushing his opponent beneath his (large) backside.
• Big Beautiful Man: Honda isn't quite a Hunk like many other males in the series, but he's still got an impressive amount of muscle for his stature, an improbably prominent six-pack, and as of V his default outfit is a mawashi that shows off his toned glutes.
• Big Eater: Sumo wrestling requires a very extensive intake of calories and protein in order to develop the style's requisite bulk.
  Eat chanko to build your body! Push the opponent out of the Dobyo!
• Big Fun: Has the distinction of having many good friends amongst his fellow fighters, who all enjoy his company. Ryu, Zangief, Sodom, and Hakan have all been shown to be close buddies with him.
• Boisterous Bruiser: He's very boisterous and passionate about his fighting style, treating every fight with the gravitas of a sporting event.
• Button Mashing: Hundred Hand Slap requires rapidly pressing any punch to activate a super-fast blur of sumo palm strikes.
• Charge-Input Special: He has two charge-input specials, "Sumo Headbutt" and "Sumo Smash". Sumo Headbutt sends him flying forward with a quick but powerful head-ram, and Sumo Smash has him fly up and come down with a powerful Ground Pound. Honda uses these moves to pressure his opponent from across the screen and trick them into blocking, allowing him to use his powerful Grapple Move the "Oicho Throw".
• Chef of Iron: 6 reveals he's started up a successful restaurant chain and can cook up a mean chanko.
• Executive Meddling: In-universe example. In his ending in SSFIV, he figures the only way to make Sumo Wrestling an officially recognized worldwide sport is to directly join the Olympic Committee and force them to vote it in.
• Evil Laugh: Oddly enough, he gives a rather sinister laugh in one of his win poses in II. In several homeports, such as Championship Edition, it's even the same laugh as Sagat! In the later homeports, it's updated to a less-threatening but still triumphant and condescending laugh.
• EX Special Attack: V introduces "Sumo Spirit", a V-Skill where Honda can empower his next use of the Hundred Hand Slap, applying more damage and frame advantage which can greatly extend his combo potential. The move returns as a regular special move in 6, with the added benefit of a final strike at the end that staggers the opponent.
• Facial Markings: His face is painted in the kumadori style of makeup used by kabuki artists.
• Famous-Named Foreigner: An unusual example, as he's a Japanese character in a Japanese-made series. The character is likely named after the Japanese car brand, named for its founder, Soichiro Honda. According to the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection gallery, the character was designed to "seem excessively Japanese, so that overseas players understand". An image of a preliminary screen layout shows the HUD for a fight between Ryu and E. Honda with the latter labeled "E. Suzuki"; another Japanese car brand named for its founder that's familiar to overseas players.
• Food End: His II ending:
  Honda: So my students, now you see what rewards may be reaped when the mind and body are in perfect harmony. Do you think I will relax my discipline just because I have won? No! I will still train very hard. And I will still cook!
  Narrator: As Honda eats and chats with his disciples, everyone is in harmony— concentrating only on food and friendship.
• Grandfather Clause: His status as one of the original twelve World Warriors gives him an instant credibility boost among the franchise's vast cast, but his irrelevance to any of the major storylines and his limited characterization makes him more of a tagalong whenever a new game reunites the original cast. It took until the fourth season of V's DLC cycle for him to return, and his trailer appears to lampshade the fact that he was the one missing link among the II veterans for a long while. Despite this, he continues to be a mainstay in the games regardless, simply because he's one of the original World Warriors and is thus too iconic to leave out altogether.
• The Grappler: He is a sumo wrestler after all, although he didn't become a grappler until later in the franchise, when a number of command throws and super throws were added to his arsenal of attacks.
• Ground Pound: "Sumo Smash" has Honda leap into the air and come crashing down onto his rear. It's distance and power depends on the button used and is always an overhead attack, meaning he'll crush anyone that's crouching.
• Hawaiian-Shirted Tourist: Honda's third outfit in 6, including a floral shirt, shorts, and a Hawaiian lei, was inspired by sumo wrestlers taking a break to go on holiday during their off-season.
• Home Stage: He is always associated with "Edo no Yu" / "The Bathhouse" since II, set in Japan. In Alpha 3, we see its exterior, with the fight taking place on the street out front.
• Hot-Blooded: Honda burns with passion, and does everything he does wholeheartedly. His enthusiasm overpowers his common sense sometimes, meaning that he often completely misses the point during some character interactions, coming across as a little bombastic.
• In a Single Bound: He performs a 15-foot vertical leap every time he does his Sumo Smash.
• Kabuki Theatre: Honda borrows a lot from Kabuki visuals; his red face paint is derived from kumadori-red signifying that he's a powerful hero as per tradition, and his poses and expressions are very exaggerated for theatrical effect. This accentuates E. Honda's characterization as someone enthused about spectacle and tradition.
• Kappa: One of Honda's alternate costumes in V (his Halloween one) has him outright transformed into one of these guys, as kappas are supposedly well-versed in the art of sumo.
• Large Ham: If the kabuki makeup wasn't an indication, Honda treats his battles like staged performances, drawing out every stance, quote, and attack like a theatre actor. A lot of it is deliberate on his part, wanting to draw in an audience that he can share the wonders of Sumo with.
• Lightning Bruiser: Despite his huge size, he's relatively quick. Not in a nimble way like Cammy or Vega, but he's able to rocket himself around the stage and make every attack hurt like hell.
• Nerf:
  • The weak version of his Sumo Headbutt attack has gone through many balance changes. At first, it could go through fireballs on the first frame, but in Alpha 3 it was changed so it couldn't. Then in HD Remix it completely negated fireballs, inverting the nerf, but in IV it couldn't.
  • The Hundred Hand Slap underwent some nerfing throughout the various iterations of II, especially removing the ability to advance forward while performing it, as one of the easiest ways to beat single-player mode is to cheese your way through the game using only this move.
• Nice Guy: He's a big lumbering bruiser, yes, but he's also very friendly, open-minded and a good sport.
• Over-the-Shoulder Carry: How he carries◊ his opponent to the corner in one of his grabs.
• Patriotic Fervor: As with Zangief, this is illustrated in the UDON comics by having his speech balloons white with red text, in grand Hinomaru^note the name of the Japanese flag style.
• Punched Across the Room: His level 1 super in 6, "Show of Force", is a powerful shove that blasts the opponent away from Honda, usually into the corner.
• Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: The "Hundred Hand Slap" provides the trope picture. He palm strikes his opponents so fast that it looks like he has multiple arms.
• Red Baron: His shikona (ring name) for sumo is "Fujinoyama" (Mt. Fuji).
• Ring of Fire: Both versions of his Level 3 in 6, "The Final Bout", see Honda lock himself and the opponent in a ring of flame — that he ignites with just his opponent's dragged feet — to wrestle in a classic sumo bout. The standard Level 3 ends with Honda hurling his opponent onto the ring, extinguishing it, but in the Critical Art version, the opponent manages to briefly teeter on the edge — before he torpedos them into oblivion with a massive Sumo Headbutt.
• Serious Business: His story in V has him getting into fights with people over bathhouse etiquette.
• Skewed Priorities: One of his mid-fight taunts in IV is asking the opponent if they "Wanna get a bite to eat?".
• Spam Attack: His "Hundred Hand Slap", where he rapidly attacks with his palm if you continuously press the punch button.
• Spirited Competitor: A heroic version; Honda's always looking for opponents that can help bolster the popularity of his sport, and will take on any challenger to prove sumo's might. It's something he goes about in a very passionate and carefree manner.
• Stage Names: Since his debut in 1991, it was never really explained why the 100% Japanese Honda has an English first name like "Edmond", in Western name order no less. Speaking to him in World Tour in 6 reveals it isn't his real name, but a shikona that could work anywhere in the world.
  Edmond sounds like your everyday Western name, but in Japanese, it's "Edomondo". Like the Edo Period. A modern name with connections to classic Japan. Now doesn't that suit me? Bwahaha!
• Stout Strength: Honda's built like a sumo wrestler and still has six-pack abs.
• Sumo Wrestling: As the series’ resident sumo warrior, Honda’s arsenal includes plenty of open-palm strikes, powerful slaps, and crushing grabs, alongside more fantastical moves such as his “Sumo Headbutt” ramming attack. For his Level 3 Super in 6, he grabs his opponent and drags their heels in a broad circle, creating friction that forms a flaming sumo ring, outside of which he then shoves and bodyslams his unfortunate opponent for a traditional sumo ring-out, extinguishing the flames. For one of his victory poses, seat cushions are hurled into the arena, as with real sumo matches.
• Super Special Move: Sumo Headbutt has one in "Ultimate Killer Head Ram", a charge that carries the opponent way into the corner, and is followed up by an equally juiced-up Hundred Hand Slap.
• Supreme Chef: His 6 bio states that he's become renowned for his chanko stew.
• Symbolism: Honda has always exhibited spirited Patriotic Fervor and his background artwork in 6 (above) incorporates a Mount Fuji motif, with the red and white colour scheme also suggesting the Hinomaru flag of Japan.
• Techno Wizard: In his appearance in the American Street Fighter animated series, Edmond is depicted as a computer whiz who loves hacking government files.
• Trademark Favorite Food: He loves chanko, a protein-rich stew that sumo wrestlers eat to gain and maintain size and strength. He's even set up a business selling it by the time of 6.
• Use Your Head: The Sumo Headbutt, one of his signature moves, where he propels himself horizontally like a cannonball into the opponent.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Hakan, although it only shows when the pair are arguing the potency of Sumo versus Turkish wrestling.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: He wears a kimono over his sumo belt, but has it slung off both shoulders.

Blanka

Adventure Tour Guide

^{Street Fighter V} 

^{Street Fighter Alpha} 

^{Street Fighter II} 

Experience the wild - the HARD way!

Origin: Brazil

Fighting style: Feral movement & electricity
Appears in: SFII, SFA3, SFIV, SFV (DLC), SF6

Voiced by: ^note Yuji Ueda (Street Fighter Alpha 3, Capcom vs. SNK, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter V), Takeshi Yamane (Street Fighter EX series), Scott McNeil (American cartoon), Unshō Ishizuka (Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie; Japanese), Kevin Seymour (Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie; English), Taliesin Jaffe (Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter X Tekken, Street Fighter V; English [as T. Axelrod]), Luiz Bermudes (Street Fighter 6; English)

Portrayed by: ^note Robert Mammone (Live-Action Movie)

Real name Jimmy, a youth who was lost in the rainforests of Brazil after a plane crash. He survived alone, eventually becoming a Wild Man and learning how to channel electricity through his body. He’s good friends with Dan Hibiki, since he saved Dan's life once, as well as Sakura. In II he finds his long-lost mother Samantha, and in IV decides to enter the new tournament to make her proud, and to support Dan's Saikyo school somewhat.

He returns in V, looking even wilder than before with much longer and thicker hair. Additionally, he's also grown green hair around his arms and legs, making him almost entirely covered in fur. Despite this, he's now living peacefully with his mother and has integrated himself into society. He was also approached by a suspicious salesman who promised Blanka fame, and made a line of "Blanka-chan" dolls. Unfortunately, they're not selling, and Blanka is now faced with a surplus of dolls he needs to sell. Blanka returns to the series in 6, and having become a tour guide for his native Amazon region, he hopes his newfound career will help him and his mother enjoy a more comfortable life.

Blanka's greatest strength is his blistering mobility, having special moves that rocket him all over the screen to attack from different angles. His signature Rolling Attack requires a charge input, but at its highest strength, he can attack from across the entire stage. He can also play keep away with Electric Thunder, enveloping himself in electricity to ward off offense, and shut down his opponent's long-ranged attacks with his various command leaps and evasive duck.

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• Action Bomb: Not him but his "Blanka-chan Bomb", where he tosses out a Blanka-chan doll that he can charge up with his electric attacks to make it explode.
• Amazing Technicolor Population: Blanka's most apparent characteristic is his green color, which he attributes to his constant use of chlorophyll from plants to better blend in with the jungle environment, a color change that eventually became permanent.
• Ambiguously Human: How exactly Blanka came to be is a bit of a mystery. He's got green-skin, the ability to generate an electric charge, has slouched gorilla-like proportions and big animalistic fangs. Making it even weirder is his very human-looking mother who doesn't possess any of his beastial traits.
• Animalistic Abilities: According to an older manual, Blanka's ability to generate electricity is something he learned from observing electric eels.
• Animal-Themed Fighting Style: Blanka's fighting style consists of wild, animalistic attacks he learned from surviving in the jungle and mimicking animals, including somehow learning how to copy an electric eel's ability to generate electricity.
• Anime Hair: Has wild, spiky orange hair. In V, his hair gets even longer and spikier than before.
• Anti-Air: "Vertical Roll", basically what it sounds like, propels Blanka upwards like his own full-body Shoryuken.
• Assist Character: In 6, Blanka can deploy Blanka-chan dolls that react to his electric attacks, running forward and exploding if they're activated.
• Badass in a Nice Suit: Fortnite gives us this◊. According to the official news page, it was inspired by Boman Delgado.
• Beast Man: He has a savage appearance, complete with fangs and thick fur on his arms and legs, and often assumes a Primal Stance. In V, the fur on his arms and legs is not only thicker and longer, but he also has green fur on his forearms and calves where there was none before.
• Big in Japan: Blanka tries to invoke this In-Universe. In V, his attempts to sell people dolls of himself in Brazil don't go over well. Sean and Laura suggest he try selling them in Japan, and Sakura gets her manager to put them in the prize grabber machines at the arcade she works at. This helps Blanka get rid of his overstock, but nobody seems to actually find the Blanka-chan dolls as cute as Blanka does.
• Button Mashing: His Electric Thunder is one of the franchise's original examples, being performed by mashing punch buttons.
• Carpet of Virility: He has bushy chest hair which is just as orange as the hair on his head. In V, it's even thicker.
• Charge-Input Special: All of his Rolling Attacks are performed with charge inputs. The payoff for the charge is an unparalleled range of fast, far-travelling melee attacks that can attack from almost any angle.
• Charged Attack: His "Ground Shave Roll" super can be charged up to deal more damage.
• Combo Platter Powers: He has a super strong monstrous form and can set an electric current through his whole body. What's more, he picked up those abilities through prolonged exposure to electric eels.
• Comedic Underwear Exposure: In his alternate costume in IV, the seam of his pants is split.
• The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: Witness him bust out rolling attacks as he walks toward you!
• Confusion Fu: Blanka's animalistic fighting style features some unusual standard hits and unpredictable timings, which is why he often earns the ire of online players.
• Demoted to Extra: In Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, where his only appearance is a fight against Zangief that has no impact on the story.
• Dumbass No More: Chronologically, he first shows up in the Alpha series completely unable to speak in anything but apelike grunts. From II onward, he's able to speak and communicate clearly, albeit with some difficulty, and by 6, he's able to speak fully cohesively.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: Throughout most of the series, Blanka really only wants to make his mother happy, but deals with prejudice because of his appearance from everyone else all over the world. In SSFIV, he finally gets his Happy Ending as other villagers are no longer afraid of him and want to be his friends.
• Evolution Power-Up: Compressed into a mere matter of years in his case. Following the plane crash which left him stranded in the Amazon, Blanka's skin turned green, his hair grew wild and raggedy, he grew claws and (most inexplicably) his facial features turned feral and beast-like, complete with fangs and pointed ears in some art. All this is hand-waved by him apparently adapting to life in the jungle, no matter how utterly impossible this may be.
• Eye Pop: An apparent Running Gag with him in the games are his eyes comically bugging out whenever he's taking damage.
• Goofy Suit: His Story costume in V is a mascot costume that looks like a giant version of one of his plushies. The pose he normally strikes after using his Wild Hunt throw is an intimidating, feral growl with his arms outstretched like he's ready to pounce again. However when used with the Blanka-chan story outfit, it looks more like he's saying "Sorry, lol," with his big goofy grin and large eyes. The suit reappears as his third outfit in 6.
• Grapple Move: In V, "Wild Hunt" has Blanka leap forward and, if he connects, claws the crap out of his opponent before tossing them aside. Throwing this out in between all of his rolling attacks can make players second-guess their defense.
• Guest Fighter: He and Sakura appear as guests in Fortnite.
• Fighting Clown: In 6, his fighting style is less ferocious and much more goofier, reflecting his new fun loving personality.
• Home Stage: His stages are primarily jungle-themed in keeping with his background, including the "Amazon River Basin" in II, the "Madeira River Tributary" in Alpha 3, the "Inland Jungle" in IV and to a lesser extent "Hillside Plaza" in V, all set in Brazil. In 6, he returns to the series along with an elaborately reimagined version of his stage in II, dubbed "Ranger's Hut", in recognition of his new role as an Amazon tour guide.
• Hypocritical Humor: One of Blanka's interactions in World Tour has him bring up the Metro City gang members who wear cardboard boxes on their heads, saying that you know they're bad because they hide their faces — a Call-Back to his rival battle with El Fuerte in IV. The Avatar then points out that Blanka "disguises" himself as Blanka-chan.
  I've been seeing bad guys lately. Bad guys wearing cardboard. They hide their faces. That's proof they're up to no good! Hmm? "What about Blanka-chan?" B-Blanka-chan’s different! He's not hiding anything!
• I Am a Monster: Part of the reason he leaves Samantha in IV is that he doesn't want his mother to feel guilty about being associated with him. It's also a big source of angst for him in the cartoon.
• Lighter and Softer: As time went on, Blanka became more civilized. When he first appears on the scene in the Alpha series, he's a completely apelike Wild Man who can't speak. In II, he can talk, but he's still pretty savage. By the time of IV he's reunited with his mother, found himself a couple of friends, and is much kinder. 6 shows that he's taken a very positive shift in attitude, smiling more and being in a much better place in life than before thanks to his new tour guide job and popularity in his hometown.
• Lightning Bruiser: (No pun intended) Blanka isn't lacking when it comes to durability and defensive tools, able to withstand a decent amount of damage. Top that off with his wild ability to roll everywhere and you've got a high-speed bruiser of a fighter.
• Line-of-Sight Name: The name "Blanka" doesn't make much sense, to the point where there has been much contrived Fan Wank to try to put it into context. However, the simple truth is that Blanka's name was a leftover from one of his placeholder names, "Hama Blanca" (Japanese-Brazilian for "white beach"), a former leisure center in Wakayama located near the Capcom offices.
• Mama's Boy: Blanka adores his mother, Samantha, and after they are reunited in II, following many years apart, all he wants to do is make her proud. Despite his monstrous appearance, Samantha adores him right back, cheering him on from the sidelines in 6.
• Man Bites Man: His default grab since II, Blanka grabs his foes and goes to town on the opponent's face with his chompers. It became a notorious meme.
• Mayincatec: His Battle Outfit in V resembles the garb of an Aztec warrior, which includes an eagle headdress, a loincloth, lots of feathers, and even a shield strapped to his arm.
• Misplaced Vegetation: In Alpha 3, Blanka has a Super Combo, the Tropical Hazard, in which he jumps to the ceiling and shakes it, making fruit fall down on the opponent, stuff like pineapples, apples, guavas, and freaking watermelons which he then proceeds to hurl at the enemy.
• No Brows: Of the "neanderthal" variety.
• Non-Indicative Name: "Blanka" sounds like the Spanish word blanca, which is the feminine form of the word "white". He is a male character with decidedly non-white skin. In addition, the word for "white" in Portuguese (the official language in Brazil) is "branco/branca"; "blanca" is Spanish. The UDON comics explain this as being a nickname given to him by Brazilian natives to describe his pale white skin from before he turned green. The name stuck, even though his obviously green skin means that the nickname no longer makes any sense.
• Noodle Incident: He apparently saved Dan's life at some point in the past, which is how they became friends. What exactly happened and how Blanka helped is never explained.
• Odd Friendship: His best friends are Ordinary High-School Student Sakura Kasugano and Joke Character Dan Hibiki. The two of them are also the only people, along with his mother, to call him by his real name, Jimmy.
• Orphan's Plot Trinket: Turns out that the anklets he's wearing in II were a birthday gift from his mother who, by the end of the game, recognizes him as her long lost son Jimmy thanks to said anklets. Not that it makes much sense for a kid to be gifted things that look more like shackles (they even have broken chains from IV onward), but hey, plot convenience. SSFII Turbo HD Remix does go into better detail to show that said anklet is not what we usually see, but a realistically delicate golden chain just above one of the shackles.
• Piranha Problem: Using the costume code on his Nostalgia costume in V adds a few piranhas latched onto him. Two hang from his butt while one hangs from his eyebrow.
• Pitiful Worms: He says that A.K.I. and her poison are nothing compared to a jungle's poison ants in his win quote against her.
• Primal Chest-Pound: All part of his Level 3 Super Art, Ground Shave Cannonball, and his victory animation in 6, reflecting his wild side.
• Primal Stance: He always stands a bit hunched over like a gorilla, though the extant isn't always the same across different games.
• Prophet Eyes: His in-game sprites have these, but his character portraits and ending pictures consistently depict him with pupils. His models in IV and V finally give him in-fight pupils as well.
• Rolling Attack: The Trope Namer, as well as his Signature Move; Blanka tosses himself at the opponent while keeping his arms and legs folded into his body and spinning rapidly. He has A few variations of the move, namely vertical and backstepped/arched. Mastering these techniques is key to performing well with Blanka, relying on the reach of the moves to attack from any angle.
• Rule 63: Capcom pulled this on him with a piece◊ of Concept Art.
• Series Mascot: Played with. He's definitely not the face of the franchise, as that honor belongs to Ryu, but he was heavily associated with former series producer Yoshinori Ono, who kept a Blanka toy with him at all times. Whether he was teasing an announcement or just taking pictures with fans, you could expect to see him holding the toy. This is referenced in V, where his character story involves a line of mass-produced dolls made in his likeness.
• Shaking the Rump: Of the cockiness variety, as seen with his Drive Parry stance in 6.
• Sham Supernatural: In 6, he tries to drum up interest in his jungle tours venture by attempting to turn Blanka-chan into a local legend, marketing him as a cryptid and jungle sprite who resides deep within the Amazon. As it’s just him in a Goofy Suit, nobody is convinced.
• Shock and Awe: He’s able to generate an electric field that radiates around his body, and zaps the opponent if they get too close.
• Significant Birth Date: Blanka was born February 12th, sharing a birthday with famous naturalist Charles Darwin.
• Slide Attack: His unique normal, "Amazon River Run", has him slide forward with his fists outstretched. The attack has been present every since SFII Turbo.
• Spam Attack: His "Electric Thunder" attack, which is performed by mashing the punch buttons.
• Stance System: In V, "Coward Crouch" is reworked into an alternate stance with follow-ups that Blanka can perform; he can do either a Launcher Move ("Wild Life") or jump way behind his opponent for mix-ups ("Raid Jump").
• Stink Snub: He delivers one to JP if he beats him:
  Uwo? You, uh... You smell like trouble.
• Super Mode: In V he gets two through his V-Triggers:
  • "Jungle Dynamo" empowers all of Blanka's rolling attacks with lightning and lets him use his classic Ground Shave Roll super.
  • "Lightning Beast" grants him access to a follow-up strike on all of his rolling attacks by pressing the punch button, dubbed "Rolling Cannon". The move returns in 6 as his level 2 super.
• Trademark Favorite Food: He likes tropical fruit and arapaima (a type of fish found in the Amazon).
• Ugly Cute: In-Universe; in V, Blanka starts marketing "Blanka-chan", a little plushie version of himself akin to UglyDolls. At first people are put off by the weird and spiky look of the dolls, but they prove popular enough that you see them popping up all over the series, especially in 6 where several characters have Blanka-chan merch like keychains and stickers; you can even unlock a Blanka-chan accessory in Fortnite. Blanka even learns how to use the dolls in combat in 6 as a corner pressure tool.
• Unskilled, but Strong: He fights by using wild, animalistic moves, not having been trained by a master like other fighters (lest you count the electric eels).
• Use Your Head: "Rock Crusher" has him slam his forehead down onto his opponent.
• Verbal Tic: Aside from howling like an animal, his Japanese lines have him switching "sh" and "ch" sounds to "j" sounds, which conveys a simpler, more childlike speech pattern.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: As a savage wild man, he wears no shirt. Downplayed in 6, as his default costume has him wearing overalls, though no actual shirt underneath.
• Walking Techbane: In his win quote in 6, Rashid bemoans the fact that Blanka’s electrified state fries his ever-present GoPro.
• Wearing a Flag on Your Head: Blanka's default costume in 6 makes him a walking tribute to the Brazilian flag. His very skin is green, he has a yellow scarf and hair with blue overalls complete with light blue accents.
• Wild Child: Blanka's an all grown up example, having had to survive in the Amazon ever since he was a baby.
• Wild Hair: Comes with being a wild man. It's even wilder in V.
• Wild Man: He walks around on all fours, wears nothing but torn pants, and fights like a gorilla. He's intelligent enough to chat with and befriend people though.
• X-Ray Sparks: Happens whenever he hits an opponent with his electric attack.
• You No Take Candle: Blanka's speech is pretty clearly stunted from his years of growing up in the jungle. He isn't a Third-Person Person, but he will skip certain words that would make his sentences more complete. No longer the case as of SF6.
  Blanka-chan is cute, like tiger, see!? This just looks like rat!

Guile

Air Force Pilot

^{Street Fighter V} 

^{Street Fighter II} 

Easy operation.

Origin: USA

Fighting style: Special Forces Training
Appears in: SFII, SFA3, SFIV, SFV (DLC), SF6

Voiced by: ^note Norio Wakamoto (Street Fighter II CD dramas), Michael Donovan (American cartoon), Toshihide Tsuchiya (Street Fighter Alpha 3, Marvel vs. Capcom 2), Tesshō Genda (Street Fighter II V, Street Fighter EX series), Kirk Thornton (Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, Street Fighter II V; Animaze dub), Rob Mungle (Street Fighter II V; ADV dub), Unshō Ishizuka (Capcom vs. SNK, Capcom vs. SNK 2), Takenosuke Nishikawa (SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos), Jesse Kuntz (Street Fighter motion comics), Hiroki Yasumoto (Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter X Tekken, Street Fighter V, High Score Girl, Street Fighter 6; Japanese), Travis Willingham (Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter X Tekken, Street Fighter V, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; English), Lucien Dodge (High Score Girl; English), Ray Chase (Street Fighter 6; English)

Portrayed by: ^note Jean-Claude Van Damme (Live Action movie)

Full name William Guile. An all-American Air Force major who has sworn revenge on Bison for the death of his friend Charlie (as later seen in the Alpha series), and almost succeeds in Street Fighter II until his wife Jane and daughter Amy arrive and convince him to stop. He spares Bison and goes home to live a life away from fighting... until IV when Shadaloo rears its ugly head again and he's sent in to investigate S.I.N. He has really big hair, which he apparently maintains via a military-order hairspray. His wife Jane is Eliza's sister, making him and Ken in-laws, but they don't really like each other very much. In V he's still hunting down Shadaloo, now accompanied by Abel. He returns in 6 to chase a new mission, despite having settled down into family life, sporting a new look based on a US Air Force flight suit.

Guile is the archetypical "charge" character, a highly defensive fighter who can deny his opponents' approach with strong, far-reaching normals and his aforementioned Charge Input Specials. His two special moves have stayed the same since his debut, the iconic Sonic Boom and Flash Kick; the former a projectile to space opponents out on the ground, and the latter a powerful Anti-Air to keep anyone from jumping in on him. It wouldn't be until 6 that he gets a new special, Sonic Blade. It can supplement Guile's defense by acting as a barrier, or transform into a Sonic Cross by throwing a Sonic Boom into it as another projectile option. Couple this with many situational normals, and Guile has a tool to react to almost any situation, rewarding players for strong fundamentals and keeping a cool head in the heat of battle.

---

• Ace Pilot: He's part of the United States Air Force, and in the background of his stage an F-16 Fighting Falcon is shown. Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie outright shows him piloting a fighter prior to meeting Chun-Li.
• All-American Face: He's an unambiguously heroic character who fights to repel the evil forces who would threaten his country, sports prominent, patriotic tattoos of the Stars & Stripes on both shoulders, and when revealed for 6, a graphic booming "America's Hero is back!" kicked off his trailer.
• Anime Hair: Sports a vertiginous blond flat-top based on an exaggerated military 'high and tight'. In some sources, it's noted that he uses military-issue hair product, which, in the video game of Harvey Birdman, turns out to be extremely flammable. His Arcade Mode ending illustration in 6 shows that even when his hair lays flat, it's still quite anime-esque, appropriately resembling eagle wings.
• Anti-Air: "Flash Kick" is a mighty somersault kick (which is also what it's called in some games) that covers a huge amount of air space around Guile. Jumping over Guile is always a gamble because of this one move.
• Arch-Enemy: M. Bison, to the point that the Trope Namer for But for Me, It Was Tuesday always remembers who Guile is.invoked
• Artistic License – Martial Arts: His Forward Heavy Kick command has him flip over on the spot into an upside down kick. For some reason. It defies gravity in such a way that it ends up looking completely absurd even for these games, which is saying something.
• Artistic License – Military: His hairstyle is most definitely not up to regulation. Rolling the sleeves of his service uniform as in V and 6 is also not allowed.
• Ascended Glitch: Guile has a glitch in II referred to by fans as the "Handcuff Glitch", which causes an opponent thrown by Guile to be stuck in front of him, tethered to him as if they were handcuffed. Come V, Guile's V-Trigger move gives him a pair of handcuff-like rings around his wrists made of Sonic Boom energy. He also has an actual "Handcuffs" move in the Street Fighter: The Movie game.
• Badass Biker: As seen in his prologue from SSFIV, he rides on a badass-looking chopper.
• Bash Brothers: Originally with Charlie in Alpha as the two try to take down Shadaloo together, and then he does the same with Abel in Street Fighter x Tekken and V.
• Best Served Cold: Against Bison for Charlie's death. Justified in that Guile thought Bison was dead between Alpha 3 and II.
• Big Brother Instinct: His arcade run in 6 shows that he's looking for Ken, his brother-in-law, after the latter's gone on the lam following the Nayshall incident. He's clearly concerned about Ken being separated from his wife and son for so long, something Guile himself has experienced first-hand, and doesn't believe for a second that Ken could be a terrorist like everyone says.
• Blow You Away: His Ki and associated attacks are wind-based. Even his attack names play into it like the "Sonic Hurricane".
• Boring, but Practical:
  • From II to V, Guile has had the same two special moves and at least one Super version of each. Most characters have at least three and many are flashier than Guile. However, he makes up for the lack of variety by having an assortment of extremely good normal attacks which make him a force to be reckoned with.
  • Whereas Charlie has found ways to make his technique more flexible and personalized, Guile's form is extremely by-the-books and sticks to the basics (his Sonic Boom being a double-arm cross compared to Charlie's single arm hook or his Flash Kick a basic backflip vs. Charlie's inverted flip kick). In the UDON comic books Charlie chides him during a sparring match for not breaking out and finding his own style.
• Calling Your Attacks:
  Sonic Boom!
  Somersault! / Flash Kick!
  Sonic... HURRICANE!
• The Cameo: Shows up in Final Fight 2 as a background spectator in the French area during the fight with Freddie, a discharged member of the US Marines he’s perhaps keeping an eye on.
• Cassandra Truth: Guile's assumption that Charlie didn't die appears to have been correct... Well, technically correct.
• Charge-Input Special: The Trope Codifier. In every appearance, his move-set has always featured his two Signature Attacks; the Sonic Boom and Flash Kick. Sonic Boom travels incredibly far compared to other projectiles, but it also allows Guile to move alongside it, granting him greater area control. Flash Kick is a powerful anti-air move that covers most of the space above Guile, being great for catching opponents who try to jump over him. The charge requirement lends to a very defensive play style that requires Guile to be ready to perform whatever input he needs at a given moment.
• The Comically Serious: He practically never smiles. He gets ribbed about this from time to time, particularly by his wife's brother-in-law Ken, who sees him as a stiff who needs to loosen up (conversely he sees Ken as an Idle Rich playboy and wishes he'd be more responsible).
• Cool Shades: In IV, he arrives to the battle with a pair of cool aviators, only to whip them off his face to get down to business. They've proven quite popular with the fanbase, and became a standard part of Guile's default outfit in V.
• Difficult, but Awesome: Guile's simplicity ironically makes playing him optimally very execution-heavy, requiring a strong understanding of fundamental fighting game concepts. Said execution has gotten more complex throughout the series. Good Guile players turn the character into an absolute nightmare in both his approaches and him being approached, with an answer to every possible situation.
• Divergent Character Evolution: Guile and Nash played almost the same in Alpha, but in V, Guile remains a defensive beast and charge character, whereas Nash is a motion character more geared towards offense.
• Dressed to Kill: One of his Alternate Costumes in IV has him wearing a more formal military uniform. He wears a similar outfit as his default costume in V, albeit with the sleeves rolled up.
• Eagleland: Type 1 — a manly, heroic military man.
• Exiled to the Couch: In the UDON comics, Guile ends up sleeping on the couch, as he had forgotten his wedding anniversary. Julia was not happy.
  Guile: Happy anniversary—
  Julia: Couch.
  Guile: I'm so sorry. I lost track of time—
  Julia: Couch.
• Failed a Spot Check: "Are you man enough to fight with me?" and "Go home and be a family man!" He says one or the other to whoever he's beaten — including Chun-Li. Most likely an oversight, although some joke that it's a Stealth Insult on Guile's part.
• Family Man: Guile loves his wife and daughter. Also referenced in his famous Catchphrase:
  Go home and be a family man!
• The Glasses Come Off: He takes off his Cool Shades as seen in his fight intro in IV. In SSFIV, he puts them back on as a move. They're a part of his default outfit in V.
• Gratuitous English:
  • Sonic Boom is prone to this, going from "ALEX BOOM!" to "TYPHOON!" to "SIKE BOOM!" to "SANNIKU BOO!" to "SHIT KABOOM!" to "SANIC BEUM!" and just about anything in-between.
  • Flash Kick doesn't go by unscathed when it's using its original official name, Somersault Kick. ("SUMMA SOUL!")
• Guest Fighter: He appears as an unlockable skin in Fortnite, being released alongside Cammy.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: He and Charlie had this dynamic. As of V, the keyword here is had.
  Nash (to Guile): I have nothing left to say to you.
• Home Stage: His "Air Force Base" stage from II, reimagined in V, is among the series' most iconic. In 6, he has a brand new stage that follows the theme of his previous stages, dubbed "Carrier Byron Taylor", which is set on the deck of an aircraft carrier named for Guile's former Captain General.
• Hunk: A chiseled, lantern-jawed military man — with a flat top! In 6, he gets a beard to signify his age.
• Hypocritical Humor: His taunt in V, as he's been known to be a "turtle" character who barely moves while throwing out Sonic Booms.
  You won't win just standing there.
• "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: As of V, when he fights Nash.
• I Let Gwen Stacy Die: Guile believes he was fully responsible for Charlie's Heroic Sacrifice in Alpha 3, and blames himself for not being able to save him. Even after his family pleads with him to let it go, he spends the next several years in mourning. By the time of IV, he is still obsessed with getting his revenge on Bison, with his priorities being geared toward stopping his plans instead of killing him. Because of this, he has become introverted, bitter, and emotionally distant from his wife and daughter. V only makes things worse by revealing that Charlie's Alpha 2 ending is canon, which means that Guile was right in believing he was still alive. However, he still has no idea that Charlie's backup unit were Shadaloo spies who betrayed him by shooting him in the back.
• If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!: The reason why Guile spares Bison in his II ending. It takes his wife and daughter to convince him of this, though.
• Improbable Hairstyle: It's probably the trait he's best known for, and an in-universe Hand Wave explains his vertiginous flat-top is achieved via "military issue hair product".
• Incompletely Trained: Charlie attempted to pass his personal style on to Guile, but died before he could finish doing so. Guile was left to fill in the gaps on his own.
• "Just Frame" Bonus: In 6, Guile can perform Just Frame versions of his Sonic Booms and Flash Kicks. This version has different audio and visual cues and is more advantageous on hit and block, allowing him to both link into further combos and continue applying pressure. Some of his combos in V actually operated on this principle to a degree, but it isn't until 6 that it becomes an official part of his gameplay.
• Justice Will Prevail: Extremely evident in Alpha. It gets toned way down and turns very bitter after Charlie's supposed death destroying the Psycho Drive. Lampshaded by Cody:
  Sometimes, justice don't prevail... but you already knew that, didntcha?
• Ki Manipulation: Guile specifically has wind ki which he channels through his specials, the Sonic Boom and his Flash Kick, which also uses Ki localized into his legs, similar in function to a Shoryuken.

• Lantern Jaw of Justice: Has an absolute brick of a jawline and is one of the heroes of the series.
• Long-Range Fighter: One of the original zoners of the series; Guile's unique toolkit makes him good at pressuring and conditioning opponents from afar. Sonic Boom is everything from a long ranged damage tool to a cover for his mid-ranged approach. And Flash Kick serves as the ultimate deterrent, punishing anyone who approaches Guile carelessly. The fact that these moves are charge moves means Guile wants to have space to build up the attacks, making keep-away one of his main priorities.
• Majorly Awesome: Guile is confirmed to hold the rank of Major in the IV series, and is a commanding element of the series' heroic forces.
• Manly Facial Hair: By 6, he's grown out a goatee, adding to his tough, no-nonsense image.
• Manly Man: A muscular, well-built man who serves in the military and is gruff and no-nonsense in personality.
• Meaningful Name:
  • "Guile" describes a certain cunning; a capability of knowing what the opponent will do in advance. In short, exactly the kind of play Guile's two-second charge moves entice. In theory.
  • "Guile" is a (relatively uncommon) French surname, originating from "Guillaume," which is the French for "William." In the first movie this is referenced with JCVD playing Colonel William F. Guile.
• Never Found the Body: His motivation for looking for Charlie in IV.
• No Brows: Of the "rarely emotive", stern variety. His more detailed model in 6 sports blond brows, however.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: The normally cool-headed Guile becomes full of rage when dealing with Shadaloo, and especially M. Bison.
• Out of Focus: Suffers this during the Alpha-series, essentially being replaced by Charlie. Guile did not become playable until the console port of the third game.
• Patriotic Fervor: Sports Stars and Stripes tattoos on both shoulders and his Sonic Booms are patriotic; colored red, white, and blue.
• Power Trio: Composed of himself, Charlie, and Chun-Li, all of whom are united in trying to take down Bison. Cammy (or Ryu/Ken) usually fills in for Charlie after his “death”.
• Primp of Contempt: A male example that's more out of professionalism than vanity or disinterest, but many of Guile's victory poses across the games has him whipping out a comb and touching up his signature flat-top hairstyle, all while maintaining his stoic frown.
• Revenge: Guile is motivated both out of a sense of justice and a desire to avenge Charlie by ensuring Bison's downfall.
• The Rival: He's the main nemesis of M. Bison, and the two have several arcade mode battles with each other.
• Series Continuity Error: In II, Guile wants revenge on Bison for killing Charlie. In the intro of his story in IV, he's insistent that Charlie is still alive because they Never Found the Body. Which is an echo to his Alpha 3 ending, where he says exactly the same.
• Shared Signature Move: Guile learned the iconic Sonic Boom from his good friend Charlie Nash. Guile can power up his Sonic Boom into "Sonic Hurricane", a powerful super move, or perform "Sonic Blade" where he creates a vertical Sonic Boom that can combine with the base projectile. He can also perform them while leaping through the air, and with his feet instead of his hands.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: An alternate costume in SSFIV is his Air Force dress uniform. A variation of this returns as his default V design, and his 30th Anniversary costume is a ceremonial command uniform.
• Signature Move: Sonic Boom. By V he has mastered a wide range of Sonic Boom-themed techniques (like being able to place a stationary Sonic Boom that acts as a wall or charges his next Sonic Boom, a jumping Sonic Boom with the addition of V-Skill II, or infusing his fists with the power to throw Sonic Booms with every punch). He also retains his Sonic Hurricane super move from Super Street Fighter IV.
• Spam Attack: With Solid Puncher activated, Guile can fire a barrage of Sonic Booms. He can fire just one, or rapidly press the button to send out the whole assault.
• Stay in the Kitchen: He’s clearly somewhat old-fashioned, as many of the female characters in Street Fighter X Tekken are teenage girls and he tells every single one of them to do this. He says the same to Ibuki in his IV appearance if he beats her in his story mode.
• The Stoic: Guile is gruff, no-nonsense, and controlled — so much so that in his cameo in Harvey Birdman, he just stands there while his hair is on fire.
• Stone Wall: His fighting style is built around defense and forcing his opponents to fight at his pace. A solid Guile player will know how to bait an opponent into doing exactly what they want via well-timed Sonic Booms and the threat of a Flash Kick or jumping throw for trying to come in from the air while they get closer to unleash some in-your-face combos. His Training Montage for the player avatar in 6 emphasizes this, showing him stoically defend against the avatar's wild strikes until they slip up, letting him defeat them with a single Sonic Boom.
• Super Mode: The "Solid Puncher" V-Trigger, which allows Guile to toss Sonic Booms with every punch. Using Sonic Hurricane while it's still active turns it into "Sonic Tempest", which creates a larger projectile that does more hits. Solid Puncher returns in 6 as his Level 2 Super.
• Super Special Move:
  • Sonic Hurricane is the classic Sonic Boom but bigger. While it doesn't travel as far, it has a larger hitbox, does multiple hits, and can be canceled into from a standard projectile, making it effective at finishing off low-health opponents.
  • 6 gives him Crossfire Somersault, which is a Flash Kick, but much deadlier. Its Critical version is a Crossfire Double Somersault, and as the name implies, has him perform two of them. The already airborne opponent is used as a platform to unleash the second one.
• Surpassed the Teacher: By V, Guile has learned to fire multi one-handed sonic booms (though smaller than Nash's) and fire sonic booms from his somersault kick, which Nash never did.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Chronologically for Charlie, due to the latter's death, but in order of game release, Charlie is this to him, possessing very similar specials and lore connections.
• Tarot Motifs: Guile represents The Hierophant in the 30th Anniversary Tarot Deck. The Hierophant often represents conservatism and obedience, which fits with Guile's nature as a soldier with a simple yet powerful moveset.
• Technician vs. Performer: Compared to Charlie, he's the Technician since Charlie's already mastered every move Guile knows and puts his spin on them, whereas Guile sticks to doing things the way he knows works. Thus he throws Sonic Booms with both arms, his Flash Kick is just a simple backflipping kick, and his supers stick to the form of the move (multiple Flash Kicks and a very large Sonic Boom).
• Temporary Bulk Change: His Sonic Hurricane Critical Art in V causes his forearms to bulk up to Popeye-esque proportions just before he releases the attack.
• Time-Passage Beard: Jumping from V to 6, an unspecified difference of time for the SF universe, Guile grows a goatee.
• Took a Level in Cynic: After the events of Alpha 3 and, more specifically, Charlie's first death, he goes down a dour path as he seeks revenge against Bison. Prior, he was more of an Ideal Hero.
• Tragic Keepsake: He wears Charlie's dog tags alongside his own.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: He has shirtless alternate outfits in IV and Super.
• Wearing a Flag on Your Head: He famously has the American flag tattooed on both of his arms.
• We Used to Be Friends: Guile is very disheartened at seeing what Nash has become in V.
  Nash... what on earth happened to you?!
• Wrestler in All of Us: Guile has a suplex and aerial backbreaker in his arsenal of throws.

Chun-Li

Martial Arts Master

^{Street Fighter V} 

^{Street Fighter Alpha} 

^{Street Fighter II} 

I'm the strongest woman in the world!

Origin: China

Fighting style: Kung Fu
Appears in: All mainline games from SFII onward

Voiced by: ^note Eri Nakamura (Street Fighter II series), Yumi Touma (Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation, Street Fighter II CD dramas; Japanese), Yuko Miyamura (Street Fighter Alpha series, Street Fighter EX series, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Super Puzzle Fighter Turbo, Super Gem Fighter: Mini Mix), Miki Fujitani (Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie; Japanese), Lia Sargent (Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, Street Fighter II V (Animaze dub), Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation; English), Junie Hoang (Street Fighter II V; Animaze dub), Tamara Lo (Street Fighter II V; Animaze dub), Donna Yamamoto (American cartoon), Michiko Neya (Capcom vs. SNK, Capcom vs. SNK 2), Mari Jitsukawa (SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos), Chisa Yokoyama (Street Fighter II V; Japanese), Atsuko Tanaka (Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Namco × Capcom), Vanessa Prokuski (Street Fighter motion comics), Laura Bailey (Street Fighter IV, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Street Fighter X Tekken, Street Fighter V; English), Fumiko Orikasa (Street Fighter IV, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Street Fighter X Tekken, Project × Zone, Street Fighter V, TEPPEN; Japanese), Ashly Burch (Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, TEPPEN; English), Jennie Kwan (Street Fighter 6; English)

Portrayed by: ^note Ming-Na Wen (Live Action Movie), Kristin Kreuk (The Legend Of Chun-Li)

A Chinese Interpol agent and the original fighting game Action Girl. She joined Interpol to investigate her father's death at the hands of Bison and constantly pursues him and any other members of Shadaloo. In IV, she goes to investigate S.I.N.'s possible connection with Shadaloo along with Guile and Cammy. By the time of III: 3rd Strike, she has retired from Interpol and runs an orphanage. When one of her students, Li-Fen, is abducted by Urien, she goes into Mama Bear mode and goes after him. V shows how the two met, and gives a clearer picture of her early days working with Nash and Guile. 6 elaborates that she has since moved to Metro City, and mainly acts as a martial arts advisor and community figurehead for its Chinatown district.

While Chun-Li was not the first playable female fighting game character^note That would be Yuki from the 1985 fighter Onna Sansirou - Typhoon Gal, nor the first female fighter by any means^note That honor goes to Star and Fan from Yie Ar Kung-Fu, released earlier in 1985, she is definitely the first prominent and well-known one, earning her the honorary title "First Lady of Fighting Games". The trend of female fighters being quicker and lighter and liking kicks can be traced directly to Chun-Li's huge and powerful legs.

Chun-Li's gameplay has undergone many overhauls throughout the series' history, though generally she is portrayed as a well-rounded but technical character who specializes in restricting the opponent's movement with her arsenal of pokes and space control tools. She boasts a plethora of unique command normals that grant her extra mobility and force opponents into making quick decisions. Her Lightning Kick serves as a combo tool generally and sometimes a means of locking the opponent down depending on the game; her Spinning Bird Kick, initially a mobility tool in earlier games, eventually became her primary combo ender which allows her to steadily push opponents into the corner; and II Turbo granted her third and final signature move in the Kikoken, a multi-purpose projectile that allows her to cover space, combo opponents, and even score a quick knockdown or juggle.

---

• Acceptable Feminine Goals and Traits: Zig-Zagging Trope. In her original appearances, Chun-Li was simply an ordinary woman who learned martial arts to avenge her father's murder, and in the endings she returns to the life of an ordinary girl. After a retcon established her as an Interpol agent, her endings instead have the option of having her return to a civilian life or continue working as an undercover cop. Games set later in the chronology establish that while she still does minor police work, her primary role is acting as caretaker and martial arts instructor to orphans, including her adopted daughter, Li-Fen.
• Action Fashionista: Her regular attire is a very ornate qipao, and many of her alternate looks are even more decked-out, emphasizing her femininity and beauty. Upwards of six of her outfits in V incorporate lots of elegant lacing and flowing fabric while playing up the fanservice. She's not just careful of her own fashion choices: 6 shows her picking out clothes for Ryu after he continues to have trouble wearing his gi everywhere, and he describes the trip as being insanely long given her choices for him.
• Action Girl: She's the example in fighting games, being the first playable female character of note, and is also an Interpol agent who enters fighting tournaments to stamp out evil forces.
• Action Mom: In III, she has several adopted children whom she trains in kung fu, including Li-Fen, who calls her "Jiejie" (Big Sis), though the relationship is more like mother-daughter for Chun-Li.
• Amazonian Beauty: Thanks to her legs which, depending on the game and official art, range from merely toned to massive pillars of muscle. Naturally, her fighting style is largely based on acrobatics and kicks. Her upper body is usually slender, though in the Alpha series she has muscular arms and abs. Her costumes are always designed with tights and/or dresses with high-side slits — both for fanservice and to avoid impeding her range of motion.
• Anime Chinese Girl: Set the standard for all the others with her iconic look, including her odango hairdo, her spiked Nan Quan bracelets, her jade-blue qipao, and her legendary thunder-thighs.
• Anti-Air:
  • Tenshokyaku, available in Alpha and various crossover games like MVC, has her leap up with three consecutive spin kicks.
  • Tenkukyaku, starting in V, is a unique normal where she performs a vertical side kick, catching out airborne approaches.
• Apologetic Attacker: Her taunt in the Alpha series, literally "Sorry!", complete with a coy wave.
  Gomen ne~!
• Arch-Enemy: M. Bison, who killed her beloved father.
• Author Appeal: Chun-Li's huge thighs are noted by Capcom artists Akira Yasuda and Akiman to be of particular personal appeal.
• Badass Adorable: Would you expect a badass like her to jump for joy, strike a V-Sign, and proclaim "Yatta!"?
• Badass in Distress: The first issue of Street Fighter Unlimited ends with a shot of her Bound and Gagged after having been captured by Vega.
• Battle Ball Gown: A few of her alt costumes are fancy gowns, including a wedding dress.
• Berserk Button: Chun-Li is somewhat self-conscious about her thighs. In SVC Chaos, she gets into a fight with Mai Shiranui after Mai makes fun of her "chunky legs." This carries over to 6 where she outright threatens the player character in World Tour should they point out how thick her legs are after she catches them staring.
  If you want to know WHY they're "thick". I'd be happy to teach you — until you beg for mercy.
• Beware the Nice Ones: She’s very kind as long as you're not evil, don't hurt innocent people, hurt her children....or make fun of her thighs.
• Big Sister Mentor: To Li-Fen as her master and parent, but also Yun and Yang, Cammy, and Sakura.
• Blue Is Heroic: It’s her signature colour, and she’s one of the most heroic characters in the franchise, as well as being a dutiful, kind-hearted person, appearing in each game usually to challenge the Big Bad of the respective plot.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: In Street Fighter II V, which may have served as the inspiration for Shadow Lady, a Palette Swap Secret Character in Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, and a alternate, non-canon version of Chun-Li turned into a brainwashed, cyborgized assassin for M. Bison, complete with Mind-Control Eyes. Shadow Lady once again appeared as a secret boss in V's Extra Battle Mode.
• Breakout Character: The most popular character to come out of II, with only Akuma coming close. Ryu, Ken and Chun-Li have basically formed the holy trinity of Street Fighter ever since. She is conspicuous by her absence in the first editions of III.
• Button Mashing: Her Lightning Kick. Street Fighter X Tekken and V require a command to execute it, though the mashing input was re-added in Season 2 of V.
• By-the-Book Cop: Her standards as an ICPO officer are fastidiously high.
  (To Dan) Hey, hey! Don't just set up a tent in an empty lot without permission!
  (To Kazuya Mishima) If only we had an arrest warrant for you. I could haul you in right now...
• The Cameo:
  • In Final Fight 2, she can be seen enjoying a meal in the background of the Hong Kong area, the opening stage of the game.
  • In the first Breath of Fire game, she sometimes appears in the town of Bleak, practicing her signature lightning kick.
  • She appears in the epilogue of Asura's Wrath, where she is seen hassling the present-day reincarnation of Kalrow while he rides his Segway on a crowded sidewalk.
  • She makes a few non-speaking background appearances in Wreck-It Ralph.
  • She has a spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Said spirit begins as her Alpha incarnation and can be leveled up into her classic II appearance.
• Character Catchphrase: "Gomen ne!" (Sorry!) and "Yatta!" (I did it!).
• Character Development: Chun-Li was a carefree young woman until the death of her father at Bison's hands, which prompted her to become a detective. In all games up to III, she's therefore mainly concerned with avenging her father's death and bringing down Shadaloo, with her serious personality and workaholic nature reflecting her focus. In III and 6, as Bison is destroyed, she is calmer, more mature, and focussed on being a Big Sister Mentor, teaching kung fu to local children.
• Characterisation Marches On: Chun-Li’s ending in II, where she can either choose a normal life after defeating Bison or continue her police work, is a product of later revisions of the game — in the very first arcade build, she's simply a young woman trying to avenge her father. Her being law enforcement is an addition that added more layers to her backstory and proved to be integral to her character moving forward, as presented in all subsequent games until she retires prior to the events of 3rd Strike.
• Charge-Input Special: She has two recurring charge attacks; the "Kikoken"^note  "Qigong Fist" and "Spinning-Bird Kick". Though the Kikoken input has ZigZagged across games, sometimes requiring a half-circle input instead. Spinning-Bird Kick is a powerful multi-hitting move that covers a wide horizontal reach. She can also perform an EX version that doesn't move her forward, but is invincible on startup, making it a great counter tool.
• Close to Home: Chun-Li has empathy for Juri, as she too lost her parents to Shadaloo. This "soft spot" sentiment is most in evidence in 6 when she urges Juri to atone for her crimes; unfortunately, Juri just laughs it off.
  Juri: Back when she was an ICPO agent, she was constantly on my ass. Had the nerve to say she was doing it because our situations were similar. Leave it to a cop to spew that crap.
• Commonality Connection: She vibes well with Cammy, Guile, and Nash via their jobs, and personal beef with Bison.
• Consummate Professional: Chun-Li takes her role as a ICPO officer very seriously and rarely loses her cool.
• Cool Big Sis:
  • SSFIV portrays her as such to Yun and Yang, happily chatting with them at the end of Yang's arcade run. Considering a martial arts instructor/master is viewed as a parental figure, she qualifies as the Lee brothers’ elder sister in the martial arts sense too.
  • In 6, Li-Fen refers to her as "jiejie" or "older sister", and looks up to Chun-Li enormously.
• Costume Evolution: Swaps her iconic Chinese dress for a leotard in the Alpha series, and sports a more mature, very traditionally Chinese look in 6 evidencing her maturity and elegance.
• Deceased Parents Are the Best: Chun-Li idolises her late father, and her world and destiny change completely after his death at Bison's hands.
• Determinator: She is utterly resolute in her mission to avenge her father and shut down Shadaloo, as well as putting a stop to Juri's criminal behaviour. Her allies sometimes note that she needs to take a break and stop wasting her young life pursuing M. Bison.
  Rose: Your unclouded eyes... You must never lose them!
• Doting Parent: Chun-Li does admit she spoils Li-Fen a little bit, but can't help herself.
  When she's happy, I can't help but smile. And, well, I can't help but buy her what she wants, either. I assume she's been begging you (the Avatar) for things too. Just try not to overindulge her, okay? Which is rich coming from me, I know.
• Elegant Classical Musician: In 6, it's revealed that one of her hobbies is playing the erhu, a traditional Chinese string instrument. She extends an invitation to the Avatar for a private and intimate solo performance beneath the Hong Hu Lu Chinatown gazebo at night, where she notes that playing the erhu evokes cherished memories and provides a sense of tranquility and inner peace.
• Energy Ball: Her "Kikoken". The move was introduced in II Turbo to grant her a new spacing tool. Compared to other projectiles, it's not as easily spammable, but it makes for a strong lockdown tool, allowing her to keep opponents in range for her basic attacks. Similar to a Hadoken, its range and damage depend on the strength of the button used.
• Face Palm: Her pose if the fight ends in a draw.
• Fair Cop: She's an agent of Interpol's Chinese branch, and is considered the most beautiful woman in the series. Some of her quotes reflect her role — for example, demanding Yoshimitsu's ID and fighting him to confiscate his sword, and arresting her defeated opponent for "interfering with official Interpol business and destruction of public property".
• Final Boss: To Juri Han in 6.
• Flower Motifs: In IV, the energy effects accompanying her supers are designed after flower petals. This plays into her elegant fighting style and in-universe beauty.
• Fluffy Fashion Feathers: In V both her Capcom Pro and Covert Ops outfits are different evening dresses with a white feather boa.
• Fragile Speedster: Though speedy, her moves have a tendency to be heavily risky, often having some sort of long delay after they hit. If her moves are blocked, she leaves herself wide open for combos, though her actual durability/HP usually isn't too bad.
• Friendly Rival: With allies Guile, Cammy, Sakura, Ken, Ryu, Charlie, and Rashid.
• Friend to All Children: Adopts a group of children in Third Strike and teaches them kung fu.
• Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: Frequently does this against her enemies throughout the franchise, most notably in just about every single one of her IV rival animations.
• Good Is Not Dumb: Due to Chun-Li's occupation and her pure sense of justice, many of the series' villains underestimate her.
  Balrog: Take a good look at yourself! A dumb cop can't touch me!
  Juri: Give me a break, sweetie; there is no such thing as innocent; it must suck to be so stupid.
• Good Is Not Soft: She's a kind person unless her loved ones are threatened.
  (To M. Bison) You're the one person... I will never forgive!
• Good Parents: Li-Fen grows from a shy, timid child to an easy-going, sweet (if a little indulged) young woman under her guidance.
• Goomba Stomp: Her Yousou Kyaku has her kick off an opponent's head three times in a row if positioned above them.
• Gratuitous Foreign Language: She's Chinese but speaks English when she performs her Spinning Bird Kick and her iconic win pose has her shouting "Yatta!". Her attacks are mostly rendered in on'yomi and/or Japanese-styled versions of Chinese characters/hanzi.
• Guest Fighter: As the "First Lady of Fighting Games", Chun-Li has sometimes appeared outside the series’ crossover games — for example the Power Rangers crossover series Power Rangers: Legacy Wars, where she goes by the "Chun-Li Ranger", and Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid, appearing as the "Blue Phoenix Ranger".
• Hates Small Talk: Her bio notes that one of the things she hates most is people who can't get to the point.
• Heroic Vow: In her Alpha 2 ending, Bison admits responsibility for her father's death. With tears in her eyes, she swears vengeance against him.
  I'll get you, Bison! Next time we meet, we'll settle it. (Tears up.) This is the last time I'll cry. Don't worry...Father!
• Home Stage: Chun-Li’s stages are primarily themed around busy downtown areas in China, including "Shopping District, Taiping Road" in II, "Beijing" in Alpha 2 (complete with a continuous stream of cyclists), and "Bustling Side Street" in V. "Tiang Hong Yuan" (based on a real public garden in Shanghai) is shared with A.K.I. and Jamie in 6.
• Hollywood Cop Uniform: In Real Life, Chinese police officers don't wear white boots and blue pants as Chun-Li does in V.
• Hurricane Kick: Her gravity-defying Spinning Bird Kick begins with her flipping upside down into the splits, and then spinning around in midair towards her opponent.
  Spinning Bird Kick!
• Iconic Outfit: Chun-Li’s classic look, consisting of a blue modified qipao, hair buns, and knee-high boots, is so iconic that it was added as an alternate costume in Alpha 2 — no mean feat for a 2d fighter — and along with Ryu and Zangief, she isn't subject to a costume redesign in V. In 6 she does have a new default outfit, which means her first design lasted thirty years as her main.
• Iconic Sequel Character: First appearing in the second game of the series, Chun-Li has gone on to become one of the most prominent characters, appearing in every mainline title and being featured in several big crossovers like Marvel Vs. Capcom. The other World Warriors haven't had as many appearances as her, making her prominence all the more noteworthy.
• Imposed Handicap Training: Those spiked bracelets she wears? Both of them are solid iron, meaning she's walking around with several pounds of metal on each wrist at all times.
• Improbable Age: Chun-Li became a police detective at the age of eighteen, and managed to become an Interpol agent in her early twenties.
• Informed Attractiveness: Chun-Li is stated to be the most beautiful female of the cast, though of course, the audience's tastes may vary.
• Interpol Special Agent: As a crime fighter, Chun-Li liaises with various law enforcement and military agencies investigating Shadaloo. She has a personal stake, as Bison murdered her father, himself a detective, so her involvement in the investigation goes beyond simple work duty.
• Intimate Hair Brushing: One piece◊ of official art shows Chun-Li brushing Cammy's hair for her. Cammy and Chun-Li are friends who tend to be involved in the same plot, as they're both law enforcers, but operate in different national groups.
• Instant Flight: Just Add Spinning!: Her Spinning Bird Kick allows her to hover in mid-air while striking her opponent, and in 6, if the Avatar learns the move from her, they can use it to cross gaps.
• Ki Manipulation: The Kikoken (Qigong Fist) projectile; it even has the character for "qi/chi/ki" in it, along with her Kikoushou (Qigong Palm) and variations of both moves.
• Kick Chick: The Trope Codifier as one of the first female fighting game characters ever, and certainly the most iconic. Her legendary thighs have been toned to perfection for her kick-based style, reaching their zenith in Third Strike, where her legs are proportionately far more muscular than her upper-body — a trait that continues into later games.
  Dee Jay: Ya girl, you got some beautiful kicks with dem horse legs!
  E. Honda: I could barely feel your blows! You've got legs like a sumo wrestler, though.
  Ken: The arm I blocked with is stinging to high heaven. Those legs of yours are indeed the world's finest.
• Kicking Ass in All Her Finery: Her qipao allows a good degree of movement, but it's still pretty fancy for fighting. She has even fancier alternate costumes in V, including a wedding dress.
• Lady of War: Initially a straight-up Action Girl, from 3rd Strike onwards a graceful fluidity was added to each of her attacks. Her fighting style resembles Tai Chi Quan, and she possesses chi control, as shown in her Kikouken or Kikoushou.
• Leg Focus: One of Chun-Li’s defining features are her long, incredibly muscular legs, which have become more emphasized and proportionately larger as the series has progressed.
• Leotard of Power:
  • Her main outfit in the Alpha series is a unitard worn underneath an embroidered vest.
  • Her outfit in 6 includes a unitard worn under a more traditional style of qipao.
• Lethal Chef: Her arcade ending in V shows that cooking isn't exactly her strong point, unlike her ward, Li-Fen.
• Lovely Angels: With Cammy in the opening cinematic of SSFIV. The two are friends, and artwork from around the time of II and Alpha has a habit of pairing them up, as Interpol is in collaboration with Delta Red and the U.S. Armed Forces when investigating Shadaloo. Guile is frequently paired with them to form a Power Trio.
• Mama Bear: Someone should have told Urien that you do not kidnap her adopted children. She already showed some signs in Alpha, as she was VERY pissed off when she met a struggling Cammy, and found out about the Dolls. Upon seeing Bison, she pulls a gun on him, appalled he could do such things to innocent teenagers.
• Meaningful Name: Her name means "Spring Beauty" (春麗) in Chinese. Despite the series being made by a Japanese company, an assumed Japanese on'yomi reading would've been "Shunrei" instead of the Chinese reading, which makes her one of the few Chinese characters to have their name pronounced in a Chinese fashion, even in the Japanese dub/script (unlike her father and Gen; whose names are spoken solely in Japanese on'yomi).
• Mentor Archetype: 6 sees her mentoring Li-Fen, effortlessly schooling the girl in combat. She also teaches a class that the Avatar can join. Prior to 6, she exhibits a knack for passing on her skills to the younger fighters in the series.
  Yang: I thank you for teaching me an incredibly valuable lesson.
  R. Mika: Thanks for all your guidance! True pros sure are a cut above!
• Missing Mom: She was seemingly raised by a single father, and in some materials it's noted her mother passed when she was too young to remember.
• Morality Pet: For Gen. The old assassin threatens to kill anyone — even her — in actual combat, but he still protects his friend's daughter from harm, as seen in IV when the S.I.N. base is destroyed and he rescues her.
• Ms. Fanservice: Unsurprising, considering she's often dubbed the World's Most Beautiful Woman in-universe.
  • Her shower scene in Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, in which she infamously lacks Barbie Doll Anatomy, kick-started a trend that would continue in later installments.
  • Her Kikouken was redesigned for SSFII and given its own unique animation where she prominently sticks out her butt, instead of just combining her in-close HP with Dhalsim's Yoga Fire colored blue, as per Turbo — something that was retained for subsequent games.
  • In V, she's given over a dozen costumes — most of which are some of the skimpiest in the whole game, like her Battle Outfit 1 and Training costume.
  • In Fortnite, she has her Alpha outfit as an alternate costume, which emphasizes the size of her rear, and immediately caused her to trend on Twitter.
• Multiple Endings: In both versions of SSFII, Chun-Li is given the option of two different ending outcomes, something no other character in the series has.
• Mythology Gag: Chun-Li appears in Mega Man 9 as a news reporter in the intro, as she did in the 1994 movie.
• Nice Girl: She's polite and friendly to just about everyone, provided they're not a villain.
• Older and Wiser: In 6, Chun-Li has retired from Interpol and now works as a kung-fu teacher. Her design shows subtle hints of age, including a more mature-looking face and neater, unadorned hair.
• Parental Substitute: For Li-Fen, a young orphan she adopts as her ward.
• Pastimes Prove Personality: Her skill at playing the Chinese erhu evidences her elegance and maturity in 6.
• Plucky Girl: So much so that when she faces Bison in Alpha 2, he is impressed by her spirit and promises that he'll use both hands the next time they met.
• Power Trio: Composed of her, Guile, and Charlie in the Alpha series. Once Charlie goes MIA, his spot is given to Cammy.
• Pretty in Mink: Her B Girl outfit in V includes a fur jacket.
• Primary-Color Champion: Her classic design features a blue qipao, red-brown tights, and yellow/gold accents. The palette suits her status as a series mascot and hero.
• Proper Tights with a Skirt: Her professional costume in V.
• Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: Her Lightning Kick/Hyakuretsu Kyaku has her repeatedly kick her opponent with incredible speed.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The composed Blue Oni to Juri (the Red), who's erratic, sadistic, and tends to follow her impulses.
• Retired Badass: In 6 she has retired from police work, spending her days as a kung fu instructor in Metro City, which does not go unnoticed by her allies and rivals alike.
  Juri: I heard rumors you'd retired, but I guess your senses are still working, at least [Chun-Li kicks her] Oh HELL yeah! That's the stuff! I was worried you'd be losing your touch.
  Guile: You retired from investigation work? The caliber of your techniques says otherwise.
• The Rival: She consistently opposes Juri and Vega, though she keeps things business-like, and sees putting them away as merely part of her job. She even expresses sympathy for Juri in her win-quotes.
• She-Fu: Her arsenal of moves is extremely acrobatic, featuring a large selection of flips and spins, and reaches its zenith with her gravity-defying Spinning Bird Kick. In 3rd Strike, her medium punch is a double slap to the face.
• Ship Tease: As the series most iconic — and unattached — woman, she's often teased with leading male cast members such as Charlie (in the Alpha series) and Ryu (mostly in non-canon material), though Capcom has always officially stated them to be Just Friends. Juri also exhibits a (one-sided) cheeky flirtation with Chun-Li (which is subject to much fan-art), though it's mostly just to wind her up.
  Juri: Wow. Back for another beating, officer? Or maybe you've got a little schoolgirl crush?
• Signature Headgear: Her hair has been worn in the "ox horns" style ever since her debut, with cloth or ribbon holding the buns in place, most notably the white silk covers she sports in her classic attire.
• Signature Move: The "Hyakuretsu Kyaku/Lightning Kicks", being an integral part of her kit in most playable appearances. The way it's used, and the similar animation, make it a Distaff Counterpart to Honda's “Hundred Hand Slap”.
• Significant Wardrobe Shift: Her design in 6 features bracelets that don't have spikes on them, and her hair is no longer covered by white brocades, showing she’s has moved on from her father's death with Bison defeated.
• The Smurfette Principle: Prior to SSFII, she was the only female fighter on the roster, as well as being the first female character in a popular fighting game. One of her win quotes in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (which has a roughly even male/female mix) makes fun of this: "I remember when I was the only girl on the roster."
• Sphere of Destruction: The "Kikosho", a powerful exertion of Ki based on her standard Kikoken. Its size often varies from title to title, with the versions from 3rd Strike and Marvel vs. Capcom games being the largest.
• Spin Attack:
  • "Spinning Bird Kick", a multi-hitting attack where she flips upside down into a handstand a spins around like a top, hitting with her legs.
  • "Tenshokyaku" has her leap up with several revolving kicks.
• Stance System: 6 introduces a new special move, "Serenity Stream", where she enters a low stance that changes all of her normal attacks, making for some highly evasive maneuvers.
• Stern Teacher: Chun-Li is a fair but firm mentor, and in her introductory scene in 6, she gives a very blunt show of being unimpressed by Li-Fen's training. She also displays no sympathy for those who fail to complete her kata during her classes.
  Li-Fen, I'm disappointed in you.
• Super Cop: She shoots fireballs and can kick at lightning speeds. Any high-profile criminal would be right to fear confronting her.
• Superhero Sobriquets: The "First Lady of Fighting Games".
• Super Mode: The "Renkiko" V-Trigger in V, where she charges her limbs with ki and adds additional properties to her normal attacks (either a damage buff for lights or extra hits for medium and hard strength attacks).
• Super Special Move:
  • Hyakuretsukyaku ("Hundred Rending Legs") is powered up with "Senretsukyaku" (the same name, but a thousand!). Several similar attacks exist, like "Hoyokusen", which utilizes Hyakuretsukyaku's movements, often with other attacks interwoven for variety.
  • Kikosho resembles an extreme version of her Kikoken projectile. It's bigger and deals multiple hits, but doesn't travel forward like a regular fireball. She even looks visibly exhausted after using it in some games due to channeling so much ki. In EX2 she can take it even further with Kikosho Goku, channeling a much bigger burst of energy.
• Supporting Leader: Chun-Li always directly opposes the Big Bad, and her arcade endings feature her defeating Shadaloo (II, Alpha), S.I.N (IV), and the Illuminati (III), rather than Ryu.
• Sweet Tooth: French crepes — one of the “likes” that’s been listed in her bio since her debut in 1991.
  (Vs. E. Honda [SSFIV]): I love sweets. Feeling up to going to get a bite to eat after this?
• Sympathy for the Devil: Her interactions with Juri have shades of compassion, despite their rivalry, with Chun-Li still holding hope that Juri can change and atone for her crimes.
  What would your parents think if they saw you now?!
• Tarot Motifs: Chun-Li represents Justice in the 30th Anniversary Tarot Deck. As an Interpol officer, justice is something Chun-Li values greatly.
  I fight for justice and to protect those I care about.
• Team Mom: In later games, her tone is maternal, sensible, and supportive.
  (To Dan) Isn't it about time you got a stable job? I know it's out of place for me to say, but I do worry about you.
  (To Sakura) I know you like chasing Ryu around, but you should think of your future, too.
• Third-Person Seductress: Chun-Li was the very first woman in a fighting game, and her popularity has never waned. Her famous thighs are a massive draw, and in V she is given FAR more costumes than any other character, allowing players to dress her up any way they prefer.
• Tough Spikes and Studs: She’s the franchise's most famous Action Girl and wears spiked kung fu bracelets.
• Training from Hell: Her daily training consists of 7000 squats and bench pressing 150 kg (330.69 pounds); no wonder her legs are so powerful.
• True Blue Femininity: Her main outfit is a deep blue in most games, and she originally stood out for being the only female fighter in the series.
• True Companions: With Guile and Cammy, allies with whom she partners frequently to oppose Shadaloo.
• Unlimited Wardrobe: In V, she’s given a huge amount of alternate costumes. Whereas most characters have around four or five costumes, Chun-Li has more than a dozen.
• Wall Jump: Inexplicably, she can jump off the non-physical borders of the stage, let alone an actual wall.
• Weak, but Skilled: Chun-Li usually relies on combos, as well as a versatile number of ways to break her opponent's defenses, to deal damage. By comparison, characters like Zangief, Ken, or Balrog are able to do more damage in fewer hits. Her stat chart in V lists her as high in technique but low in both health and power.
• Weight Woe: Unlike most other characters, Chun-Li's weight has been noted as "secret" since her introduction to the series.
• Workaholic: She takes her duties as an ICPO agent very seriously right up until Shadaloo's defeat in V.
  ...Even after Bison's death, if there's any chance of something still lurking in the shadows, I have no choice but to uncover the truth. I guess I really am a workaholic.
• Wolverine Publicity: Not only has she appeared in every mainline Street Fighter game, she and Ryu are the only two characters from any Capcom franchise who have shown up in every Capcom vs. title out there. They even outdo the Trope Namer in this regard (due to him being dropped in Infinite).
• World's Strongest Woman: She’s the self-proclaimed "Strongest Woman in the World", possesses amazingly muscular thighs, and was the only woman on the roster going toe-to-toe with the men until Cammy debuted.
• You Killed My Father: She holds a personal grudge against Bison, who killed her father, and it's her main motivation for fighting in the II / Alpha era.
  Bison. Shadaloo's CEO! I've finally found you. I'll avenge my father!
• You Remind Me of X: As the Avatar trains under her in 6, they remind her of her past self when she was training with single-minded purpose.

Zangief

Red Cyclone

^{Street Fighter V} 

^{Street Fighter Alpha} 

^{Street Fighter II} 

I am the Red Cyclone!

Origin: Russia (USSR at debut)

Fighting style: Pro-wrestling
Appears in: SFII, SFA2, SFIV, SFV, SF6

Voiced by: ^note Tetsuo Kanao (Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie; Japanese), Wataru Takagi (Street Fighter Alpha 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Street Fighter EX series, Super Gem Fighter: Mini Mix), Yasuo Tanaka (Street Fighter II V; Japanese), Hidenari Ugaki (Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation; Japanese), Tesshō Genda (Capcom vs. SNK, Capcom vs. SNK 2), Kenta Miyake (Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter X Tekken, Street Fighter V; Japanese), Michael Sorich (Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie; English), Kevin Seymour (Street Fighter II V; Animaze dub), Michael Donovan (American cartoon), Joe Romersa (Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation; English), Peter Beckman (Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter X Tekken, Street Fighter V, Street Fighter 6; English, credited as Anthony Landor before V), Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph), Minoru Hirota (Wreck-It Ralph; Japanese)

Portrayed by: ^note Andrew Bryniarski (Live-Action Movie)

Russian wrestler and the Boisterous Bruiser of the series. Like Honda, he enters the tournament to further the glory of his homeland and fighting style. His numerous scars come from his training method: wrestling bears. He hates Vega immensely and the same goes for projectiles. By the time of V, he has started a "Wrestlers' Alliance", whose known members include himself, Rainbow Mika, Laura Matsuda, and Rashid's butler Azam, and he has begun a pilgrimage around the world with Mika in order to further hone their "Muscle Spirit".

Zangief is the fighting game grappler, a big-bodied, slow, and close-ranged powerhouse who works his way in to decimate his opponents with devastating command grabs. His Signature Move, the Spinning Piledriver, centers his moveset, with his other moves being used to get close to his opponents, usually with armor (Flying Powerbomb) or being immune to projectiles (Double Lariat, Banishing Flat).

---

• Adaptational Dumbass: In both the Animated Adaptation and The Movie, he acts like a stereotypical Dumb Muscle, but his canon portrayals never really show any egregious levels of stupidity, just loud, boisterous enthusiasm, and his World Tour interactions in 6 eventually revealed him to be a well-educated Genius Bruiser.
• Adaptational Villainy: One of gaming's most frequent victims.
  • The American release of II made him out to be a Dirty Communist and Foreign Wrestling Heel, whereas in the original Japanese (and later games) he's very much a Face and overall likable guy. Other examples are the 1994 film, 1995 anime and 1995 cartoon, however the first two do downplay this, as he's depicted as a Punch-Clock Villain.
  • In Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation, Zangief is an animalistic brute in service of Dr. Sadler who has no problem subjecting a child to a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown.
  • This gets played with an amusing twist in Disney's Wreck-It Ralph, where Zangief appears as a member of the title character's "Villain Support Group". Unlike every other villain present in the scene, Zangief is quite amicable and sincerely helpful, and doesn't actually behave in any way different than he does in Street Fighter. His inclusion in the group itself seems to be a meta-joke about his history with the trope, making him the perfect character to reassure to Ralph that "Just because you are 'bad guy', does not mean you are bad guy."
• Animal Nemesis: The Eurasian brown bear, the national symbol of his country, with which he enjoys wrestling in the freezing Siberian snow.
• Anti-Air: His level 1 super in 6, "Aerial Russian Slam", has Zangief leap up to suplex whoever's right above him.
• Artistic License – Sports: While he is based on a real-life Russian pro-wrestler of the early 90s, Victor Zangiev, him being a Russian who takes a patriotic stance with his pro-wrestling is a little bit meta-example. Russia (and by default, the Soviet Union) didn't have a wrestling promotion until the 2000s, and many Russian wrestlers like the aforementioned Zangiev were forced to wrestle in foreign promotions, mainly in Japan and the U.S.^note And that's discounting the fake Russians.
• Badass Boast: His intro quote in V.
  My iron body is invincible! So beware!
• Badasses Wear Bandanas: His premium alt has him wearing a brightly multi-colored bandana reminiscent of the ones worn by Macho Man Randy Savage.
• Badass Teacher: He offers R. Mika a chance to go traveling and training with him in V, and saves her from a bear by throwing it into the air.
• Bare-Handed Blade Block: In the V story mode, he faces off against Satsuki and attempts to block her katana. Instead, the blade passes right by his hands, and cuts right to his chest... just in time for him to flex and then break Satsuki's sword with just his pecs.
• Boisterous Bruiser: Zangief is a very proud man (with a loud voice to prove it), but all the same, he's a sportsman at heart and always extends respect towards opponents. That is, unless you're a bad guy, in which case he'll DEFINITELY rub it in.
• Bookworm: In Street Fighter 6's World Tour mode, he advises the player character to read more, claiming that he reads at least 300 books a year. His in-game art also shows him spending time at a library in between wrestling.
• Briefs Boasting: He's a proud, boastful man in general, and wears probably the smallest underwear of the entire cast, which in some artworks (particularly in Alpha) make clear that he’s big all over.
• Bruiser with a Soft Centre: He's a brutal fighter, but he cares deeply about his fans, especially all the kids who look up to him. He's also a Warrior Therapist who will do his best to make someone feel better if they look sad.
• The Cameo: Can be seen in the crowd of the Moscow stage in Muscle Bomber 2, fittingly enough. Biff also makes mention of him (as "Comrade Zangief") in his losing quote. And, of course, in Wreck-It Ralph and its sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet.
• Canon Immigrant: His Mecha Zangief costume originated in Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter and shows up as an alternate skin in IV.
• Carpet of Virility: His big, manly physique is complimented by a bed of chest hair, so much so that even his Mecha costume has the equivalent in the form of a metal plate. Can't top that.
• Celibate Hero: His dislikes in his earlier character bios include "Beautiful women of marriageable age", seemingly because he views them as a distraction. Even in 6, he finds himself very awkwardly turning down Marisa's marriage proposal after taking part in what he realizes was her screening process for a husband in his Arcade Mode interaction with her.
• Charles Atlas Superpower: He's trained his muscles to be so hard that he's capable of shattering blades by flexing.
• Characterization Marches On: Over time, Zangief's patriotism has been downplayed, with an increasing emphasis on his appreciation for his muscles taking over, starting with a significant portion of his win quotes in IV, to becoming the primary focus of his character in V.
• Charged Attack: V introduces the "Super Russian Kick", a V-Skill where Zangief charges a powerful kick that blasts his opponent onto the wall at full charge. He also gets a useful layer of Super Armor during the charge and can cancel at any point to fake out his opponent.
• Chummy Commies: Despite the recurring Adaptational Villainy he receives, Zangief has never been anything other than a heroic, patriotic warrior from the Soviet Union. Even in games set after the fall of the USSR, he's still draped in its symbols and colors, so he likely still harbors some loyalty for the Soviet Union.
• Color Motif: Red and yellow, as per the flag of the former Soviet Union. He has red wrestling trunks, red and yellow boots, a yellow belt, and yellow wrist bracelets. And from V onward, all of his VFX utilize red and gold ink effects; he also literally turns red when activating any move with Super Armor.
• Combat Commentator: Using Zangief's V-Trigger II activates a wrestling announcer who comments on his attacks.
• Costume Evolution: In 6 he exchanges his wrestling briefs for full-length red and white wrestling tights.
• Counter-Attack: "Tundra Storm", introduced in V, lets Zangief counter a kick attack, catching the opponent and performing a leg whip on them. While it catches grounded kicks, it doesn't catch all of them, resulting in limited use and precision to use it correctly, especially as whiff frames changed between V and 6, which can result in a hit punish if done incorrectly. However, knowing which kicks Tundra Storm can catch makes for a great poke punish, and in 6, it can also catch kick-based Drive Impacts, allowing Zangief a life saving option in the corner if in burnout.
• Death or Glory Attack: While all Critical Arts in 6 are this by default, Zangief's CA version of the Bolshoi Storm Buster is even more so, as the move's the strongest in the cast at 5300 damage under neutral circumstances; this makes the difference between equalizing a life lead or outright robbing a would-be victory from the opponent. Should he whiff, he has a lethally long animation to go through at such low health.
  MY LOYAL FANS!!
• Demoted to Extra: In Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie he just shows up briefly as an opponent of Blanka in a Las Vegas Fight Clubbing scene.
• Delinquent Hair: He sports a Mohawk, which makes him look wild and sinister, despite him being a rather friendly fellow.
• Difficult, but Awesome: He's amongst the slowest fighters in the series, his only options against fireballs are jumping, Lariat, or a well-placed Banishing Flat, and his only true damage output lies in his command grabs (his combos are all extremely hard links). Zangief is a thinking man's character who has to go through a lot of hurdles to get up close, but once he gets into that special range, the hard work pays off, as players can exploit their opponent's fear of getting grabbed and win with effort. This is especially true with 'Gief's V incarnation, where he's widely considered to be on the bottom-tier list. He still remains viable in the hands of those who've truly taken the time to learn how to use him effectively.
• Dirty Communists:
  • Despite being a hero or at least a lovable incidental fighter in every other source, Zangief is a villain in the two American Street Fighter productions he appears in. In Street Fighter II V he works for Bison (as a bit of a Punch-Clock Villain) and is sent to find, fight and capture Ryu; in Street Fighter Alpha: The Movie he was pretty much a savage Mook that Dr. Sadler used. The only remote exception is in The (Animated) Movie, where he appears in a glorified cameo fight with Blanka. Finally discredited with authority in IV where he's an out-and-out pro-wrestling hero, loved and adored by his fans all over the world.
  • Although Zangief appears in the film Wreck-It Ralph in his II incarnation, the screenwriter Phil Johnston has gone on record saying the only reason why Zangief cameos as one of the bad guys (which many fans didn't take to well) is because Zangief was his least favorite character to fight in II.
    Phil Johnson: Because I grew up playing Street Fighter, and Zangief was not a good guy! He was very mean to me! Regularly.
• Dynamic Akimbo: With his exaggerated manliness, Zangief does this as a Victory Pose. In V, he can even use this as a "parry" by taking a hit in Super Armor.
• Evil Laugh: In II, one of Zangief's win poses has him let loose a deep, sinister-sounding laugh. In some of the home ports, the laugh is the same sound bite as the one used by Sagat and M. Bison. Along with his appearance, this is probably one of the reasons why he's often mistaken for a villain.

• Exposed to the Elements: When he goes out and wrestles bears, he wears his normal wrestling briefs and nothing more. As a result, he's built up a powerful resistance to cold weather.
• Famed In-Story: Judging by the mentions of the Red Cyclone's accomplishments and Rashid's reaction to meeting him in person, Zangief is one of the most internationally famous characters in the story.
• Face: His pro-wrestling persona is all about appealing to his audience of young fans, who are ecstatic to see him win in the ring. However, this wasn't always the case, as he reveals in 6 that he did go through a Heel–Face Turn at some point, with his prior heel persona being The Gief.
• Face of a Thug: Body and voice of one, too. His face is usually contorted in anger with a barbaric and evil looking beard, his head is shaved aside from a wild mohawk, his deep, booming laugh rings through the air, his giant and intimidating muscular body is covered head to toe in red scars, and he's especially hairy. Yet he's one of the nicest characters in the cast, a Graceful Loser, and a Gentle Giant that likes to help others, especially children. No wonder Zangief keeps getting the Adaptational Villainy treatment in Western media.
• Fire-Breathing Diner: Alpha 3 shows (via a Victory Pose) that Zangief can blast a gout of flame after downing vodka.
• Flung Clothing: His entrance attire in Alpha and some cutscenes is a Badass Cape that he throws away before the fight, which first appeared in The Animated Movie.
• Friend to All Children: Children adore Zangief for being one of the friendliest and most personable competitors among the expansive roster, and he loves them straight back. As a worldwide wrestling idol, making his young fans proud is one of his main motivations for competing.
• Genius Bruiser: 6 reveals he's actually an esteemed university graduate and professional writer — something you probably wouldn't expect from a boisterous pro-wrestler. He's also a voracious reader; he reads approximately 300 books a year. His third outfit, consisting of a smart shirt, waistcoat and slacks, presents him in this surprising intellectual light.
• Gentle Giant: Outside of fighting and competition, he's actually a big and friendly fellow with a heroic heart of gold, especially around children.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: Sports many scars all over his body from wrestling bears in the Motherland, and he's portrayed as good in the games, but evil in the American movie and cartoon.
• Grapple Move: Besides the obvious Spinning Piledriver, he's got a couple of others with their own utility.
  • "Flying Power Bomb" has Zangief position himself behind the opponent and performs a head-first suplex that moves them forward. With this, Zangief can drag his opponent towards the corner. IV introduces a unique feature where if he's far enough from the opponent, Zangief will run forward and instead perform an "Atomic Suplex". V replaces the move with a new version called "Siberian Express", with Gief now locking his opponent into a somersault, crushing them upon landing. The original FPB then returns in 6.
  • "Borscht Dynamite" is an airborne version of the SPD, allowing Gief to intercept airborne opponents.
• The Grappler: The prototypical Grappler character, being one of the first of his kind in the fighting game genre. Zangief codifies a lot of the traits common to the archetype such as huge size, slowness, and overwhelming attack power. Playing him well means being able to guess how your opponent will react once you're in their face, being able to alternate between grapples, his hefty normal attacks, and invincible Lariat. He is the Trope Namer of the Spinning Piledriver.
• Gratuitous Russian: In II, the Russian text appearing throughout his stage is written surprisingly well (although the "Children aged less than 18 are not allowed to watch" banner in the background seems to be a bit out of context), but when he appears in Alpha, he goes full on Яussian. For instance, his "Bolshoi tavieda!" sound sample when he wins. Sounds hilarious, right? Well, yeah... Even more hilarious to native Russian speakers. Because actually, the phrase "The Big Victory" must be translated as "Bol'shaya pobeda" (Большая победа). His stages in Alpha aren't safe, either. ("... to work... ... to work... ... to work...") screen in Alpha 2 and "Machine heat" (both words to be treated like nouns in this case) in Alpha 3).
• Heel: Zangief mentions in 6 that he was a heel early in his career, which is connected to his "The Gief" persona, but at some point he did a Heel–Face Turn.
• Hidden Depths: Zangief reveals through interactions in 6's World Tour mode that in his downtime, he's actually a huge bookworm and reads 300 books a year.
• High-Pressure Blood: Some artwork from the II and Alpha eras portrays him with such intense veins that they’re literally popping and squirting blood.
• Home Stage: His stages are always themed around heavily industrialised locations, including "Big Factory" in II, "Bilsk Steelworks" in Alpha 2, "Snowy Rail Yard" in IV, and "Underground Arena" in V, all set in Russia. His stage in 6, "Barmaley Steelworks", is set in a heavily industrial submarine assembly plant, and is a smart mix of his classic factory stages in II and Alpha 2 — complete with rowdy spectators braying behind barbed-wire fences — and the Terminator 2: Judgment Day-esque steelworks that featured as his Alpha 3 stage.
• Hot-Blooded: So much so that he occasionally bursts a vein in his forehead!
• Husky Russkie: Zangief is one of the largest characters in the series after Hugo, T. Hawk, Abigail and Sagat... He's pretty much the uber-russkie and speaks with a booming rumble.
• Iconic Outfit: His red and gold accessories have shown up in all of his appearances. Notably, he's the only character besides series mascots Ryu and Chun-li not to have his outfit redesigned in some manner for V. Even his look in 6 just has him swap in a similarly-colored pair of wrestling pants.
• Implacable Man: For his EX Siberian Express, he slowly inches forward, and can even take a hit without flinching until he grabs you and grapples you to your doom. In 6, it is instead portrayed as him running towards you.
• Improvised Weapon: He's shown happily eating a sub on a train in the cartoon until Guile and Cammy show up. Then he proceeds to throw his sub threateningly enough that Guile and Cammy actually dodge it like it's lethal!
• In a Single Bound: As his Piledriver displays, Zangief is strong enough to drag a whole other person with him several dozen feet through the air. The EX series takes it to its logical pinnacle, where he goes into orbit.
• Ki Manipulation: "Banishing Flat" has Zangief perform a quick spin with an aura-imbued fist that's able to neutralize the opponent's fireballs, as well as quickly shorten distances with the enemy. The move is phased out in V and becomes completely redundant in 6 where he can parry and use Drive Rush to close gaps like the rest of the cast.
• Large Ham: He's incredibly loud and boisterous. Almost all of his fight intros are delivered at the top of his lungs, and he has very little sense of subtlety, especially when fighting villains like Balrog and Bison.
• Made of Iron: In-story, Zangief's flesh is harder than Satsuki’s steel sword, causing the weapon to break in two when it hits him (note that said sword was infused with Psycho Power at the time). He can also survive jumping out of a helicopter at a ridiculous height using nothing but his muscles for cushion. He says that his muscles are his "shield".
• Man Bites Man: Despite his status as a good guy, one of his grapples in most of his games is to grab hold and chow down on an opponent's face. Even has a super version of it in Super Gem Fighter.
• Manly Facial Hair: Characterized by his muscular physique, boisterous attitude, and Herculean levels of strength, Zangief also has a very iconic beard that is consistent across all of his appearances. He's also got a strong Carpet of Virility to go with it.
• Manly Man: Bar none, the manliest and most muscular man of all Street Fighters; an encouraging wrestler who uses his muscles to do nearly anything.
• Mighty Glacier: His attacks are some of the most damaging in the series, but he also walks and approaches slower than just about any other character. This can expedited in 6 with the universal Drive Rush mechanic.
• Mother Russia Makes You Strong: He wrestles bears for fun and can dish out entire worlds of hurt, but as long as you're not fighting him, he's a big, lovable Gentle Giant who adores kids.
• Mr. Fanservice: He's an absolute mountain of muscles, and is almost always attired in nothing but his signature wrestling briefs.
• Muscles Are Meaningful: He's the Trope Codifier in fighting games, looming over his fellow cast members with muscles bulging everywhere and possessing slow but powerful attacks. He can canonically break a katana with his pecs.
• Nice Guy: Boisterousness aside, Zangief is a good-natured man who always treats people, including his opponents, with friendliness and proper respect unless they happen to be unlikable evildoers.
• No-Sell: Multiple instances:
  • For his first V-Skill, "Iron Muscle", he flexes his muscles and can absorb a single attack. When the buttons are released, he flexes again, which hurts the opponent if they're standing too close. Carries over into the Cinematic Story Mode where he not only tanks several hits from Balrog, whose punches are strong enough to smash concrete, overturn a car, and kill an elephant, but also withstands a samurai blade to the chest without so much as a scratch, the blade itself breaking.
  • In 6, this is how he parries strikes.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: Zangief has a heel persona introduced as a costume in V called "The Gief", which is just his normal outfit with the addition of a wrestling mask that only covers the top half of his head. At the very least, the outfit also gives him different, more heel-like win quotes against the rest of the cast.
• Patriotic Fervor: In his II ending, he performs a victory dance with President Gorbachev. In the UDON comics, his speech balloons are red with yellow text. And in IV, his Battle Cry before performing Ultimate Atomic Buster? "FOR MOTHER RUSSIA!" It gets even better with his Siberian Blizzard Ultra. "I AM PROTECTOR OF RUSSIA'S SKIES!!"
• Pec Flex: He proudly flexes in one of his end poses, and as seen in V's story mode, said pecs are strong enough to snap blades.
• Punctuated! For! Emphasis!:
  Final... Atomeek... BUSTAAR!
• Red Baron:
  • Usually refers to himself as 'The Red Cyclone'.
    "I AM (THE) RED CYCLONE!"
  • El Fuerte recognizes him as "Tornado Rojo!" (Spanish for the above).
• Red Hot Masculinity: Zangief is a Husky Russkie who wrestles with bears as a workout and wears red trunks and boots.
• Red Is Heroic: He's a very friendly and boisterous fighter, and his appearances in the games' stories pit him against antagonists like Shadaloo and Seth. This is sadly bastardized into Red Scare for most of his other media adaptations.
• Rejected Marriage Proposal: In 6, he encounters a flyer searching for a 'partner'. Believing it to be searching for a tag-team wrestling partner, he travels to the Colosseum, not noticing the second part of the flyer, which details Marisa's quest for a marriage partner. The two giants clash, and Marisa happily declares that Zangief will make a great husband, to his utter shock. He quickly makes up an excuse and skedaddles, leaving an amused Marisa to admit that while the whole "marriage partner" thing was a joke^note partially, she starts to develop a genuine interest in Zangief.
• The Rival: Mike Haggar inspired many of his moves and the pair share a good-natured rivalry.
• Signature Move: The Spinning Piledriver.
• Smarter Than You Look: Zangief looks the part of a stereotypical musclehead and tends to act like one, but there are more layers to him than meets the eye. 6 reveals that he's actually a Genius Bruiser and is far more sophisticated than his wrestling persona would suggest.
• Spectacular Spinning: Every single major move of his involves spinning; Spinning Piledriver, Spinning Lariat, even moves without "spinning" in the name. Escalated with his "Siberian Blizzard" super.
• Spin Attack: The Lariat, one of his staple moves ever since II, has him spin around with his fists outstretched. His first V-Trigger in V, the Cyclone Lariat, lets you suck opponents in while Zangief spins like a turbine.
• Spinning Piledriver: The Trope Codifier for this attack. His standard SPD can destroy a big chunk of his opponent's health bar. He also has other variations including an airborne version and several super moves that escalate the move by incorporating other maneuvers like somersaults and suplexes. Capcom overkilled it with his "Siberian Blizzard"; he grabs an opponent midair and spins them around at almost sonic levels.
  Final... Atomic... BUSTAAAAH!
• Spirited Competitor: Good ol' Zangief is always traveling around the globe looking for strong opponents to test his might against. Win or loss, it means little to him, since he's all about the passion, sportsmanship, and hearty competition.
• Stout Strength: His 6 incarnation is just as big and muscular as before, but adds a slight layer of cushioning fat over his physique — which only make his muscle flexes that much more striking.
• Stripperiffic: Up until 6, he fights wearing only boots and Speedo-like wrestling briefs.
• Super Mode: His second V-Trigger, "Cossack Muscle", increases the power of his already strong command grabs, bringing his damage up to game-making levels.
• Super Special Move: "Cyclone Lariat" is a stronger version of his Double Lariat, including having a vacuum effect that sucks the opponent towards him and the lariat dealing multiple hits instead of just one. 6 even adds a grab with two variants at the end for good measure, one being him teetering with his catch for a bit that ends with a falling body slam and the other being a Jackhammer.
• Super-Toughness: While Zangief has always been sturdy and Made of Iron, V takes his toughness to absurd, superhuman levels even by Street Fighter standards. His pecs are hard enough to shatter a sword on impact.
• Suplex Finisher:
  • His Hyper Atomic Buster concludes with a bone-shattering suplex.
  • The Bolshoi Storm Buster from 6 is a souped-up power bomb.
• Tarot Motifs: Zangief represents The Chariot in the 30th Anniversary Tarot Deck. The Chariot often represents victory and control over the flow of battle, something Zangief strives for with his command grabs.
• That Russian Squat Dance:
  • In his ending in II, he joins at-the-time Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev for a traditional dance in celebration of his victory. He also uses it as a multi-kicking super in Pocket Fighter.
  • For his ending in EX Plus Alpha, the entire sequence consists of Zangief randomly Hopak/Cossack dancing in various parts of the world. That's it. Nothing else.
• Third-Person Person: Especially in the American cartoon, though rarely in the games themselves.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Prior to IV, Zangief has some of the cockiest and most flat-out violent win quotes, such as telling enemies that he’ll break their arms and other threats. From IV onward (villainous opponents notwithstanding) most of his quotes are either simply boisterous (bragging about how strong his muscles are) or encouragement and advice (usually telling opponents to build more muscle).
• Training from Hell: From braving blizzards to treating bears like sparring partners (activities which are not necessarily mutually exclusive), his training regime is not for the faint of heart. 6 shows that he even takes more "mundane" training methods to absurd degrees, such as doing squats with only one leg while lifting barbells in both hands. While he shrugs it off like nothing, he cannot seem to grasp that anyone else might have a little difficulty in following his example, so be his pupil at your own peril.
• Turns Red: Beginning in V, via his "Iron Muscle" V-Skill. Attacking Gief while he's absorbing your blows only makes him stronger... and really, REALLY mad.
• Underwear of Power: As a wrestler, he sports a pair of brief briefs — and not much else.
• Variant Power Copying:
  • Zangief developed his Spinning Piledriver by watching Mike Haggar perform his Spinning Lariat (which he also copied). Then, Haggar got him right back by stealing the piledriver, minus the spinning.
  • In Karin's Story Mode in V, she suddenly masters one of the Kanzuki-ryu school's greatest arts, which allows her to repel enemies using nothing but her Battle Aura. This is Played for Laughs when Zangief sees her do it and (because Zangief's style is based entirely on his muscles) he learns how to vibrate his body at just the right rhythm to achieve the same ability. Karin's assistant, Shibasaki, is awestruck by Karin's achievement, but dumbstruck that Zangief can do it in such a crude manner, too.
• Victoria's Secret Compartment: He's able to hide his chess piece in the chest hair between his huge pecs in the story mode in V.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: He never wears a shirt, not even in the middle of the Russian winter!
• Warrior Therapist: For his rival fight in IV, he battles Abel to help snap him out of a blue funk.
  Fighting is the best thing to do when life gets you down! Alright, I'm ready to help you out!
• Wearing a Flag on Your Head: At least during his original debut. His outfit has a red and yellow color scheme, the same as the flag of the now-dissolved USSR. However since 1991, that's no longer the flag of his country, so his outfit's color scheme is just a relic at this point.
• Willfully Weak: In 6, Zangief admits that he knows how to channel chi to the point of being capable of throwing a fireball. However, he's too proud to ever resort to it.
• Wrestler of Beasts: Zangief wrestles wild bears as a workout, often in the middle of blizzards.
• When All You Have Is a Hammer…: Zangief's fighting ability lies in his muscles. If he loses, he builds more muscle until he finds a way to deal with it. In V, he even learns how to copy one of the Kanzuki family's strongest techniques simply by replicating how Karin uses her muscles.

Dhalsim

Yoga Master

^{Street Fighter V} 

^{Street Fighter Alpha} 

^{Street Fighter II} 

Allow me to demonstrate the miracle of Yoga.

Origin: India

Fighting style: Esoteric Yoga
Appears in: SFII, SFA2, SFIV, SFV, SF6

Voiced by: ^note Naoki Tatsuta (Street Fighter II CD dramas, Japanese), Yoshiharu Yamada (Street Fighter Alpha 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Street Fighter EX series, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom 2), Eiji Yano (SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos), Gary Chalk (American cartoon), Yukimasa Kishino (Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie; Japanese), Michael Sorich (Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie; English), Shōzō Iizuka (Street Fighter II V; Japanese), Steve Blum (Street Fighter II V; English), Daisuke Egawa (Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter X Tekken, Street Fighter V; Japanese), Christopher Bevins (Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter X Tekken, Street Fighter V; English), Keith Silverstein (Street Fighter 6; English)

Portrayed by: ^note Roshan Seth (Live Action Movie)

An Indian mystic who has trained in Yoga so well that he can extend his limbs further than any man alive. He enters the Street Fighter tournament to raise money for his village, and is often consulted by many of the other fighters in regards to his spirituality. He has a cute wife named Sally and a son, Dhatta, who are usually featured in the background of his stages, cheering him on. The skulls he wears are those of children who died due to famine in his village, not the skulls of his enemies. In IV S.I.N builds a dam far upstream blocking a river that provides water (and trade, fishing, etc.) to his village, so he enters the tournament to reclaim it. He returns in Street Fighter V sporting a new look, with a beard and a pagri. His story prologue shows that he has started a Yoga school and is training an up-and-coming police officer named Mahesh, who wishes to use Yoga to protect others. Dhalsim returns to the series in 6, still sporting his long white beard though not his pagri.

Dhalsim is the franchise's archetypal ranged, tricky fighter. His long, stretchy limbs allow him to control nearly the entirety of the screen, safely poking and prodding at impatient opponents. This, however, does not necessarily mean he is helpless in close-quarters situations. Like Chun-Li and others, he has several unique command normals that allow him to fight up-close. His mobility is normally very slow with very floaty jumps, but through the use of his Yoga Drill command normals he can alter his jump arc at will while going on the offensive. His Yoga Fire is a small but slow-moving projectile that can both bait out reactions from opponents as well as allow Dhalsim to approach. His Yoga Flame and Yoga Blast serve as both combo enders and anti-airs. Lastly there is his Yoga Teleport. Introduced in Hyper Fighting as the result of an Ascended Glitch, this move is both one of Dhalsim's greatest defensive and offensive assets as it allows him to both escape pressure from his opponent while also quickly moving him in close to surprise and pressure the opponent himself.

---

• Anti-Air: Yoga Blast has Dhalsim spitting flame upwards at an angle, catching opponents in the air.
• Ascended Glitch: His ability to teleport was actually a glitch in his first appearance. Capcom turned it into a real move in II' Turbo and it’s become a mainstay of his arsenal ever since.
• Amazing Technicolor Population: Has some odd, unnatural palettes, like bright orange and purple-blue, the latter of which references how some Hindu deities are depicted with blue skin in classical artworks.
• Badass Pacifist: A noted pacifist, yet he regularly enters violent martial arts tournaments. This would seem to be contradictory or hypocritical, but Dhalsim only fights for noble causes, such as to restore the supply of water to his deprived village. He also acknowledges that he has a moral obligation to use his divine gifts to enact justice against evil organisations like Shadaloo.
• Bald Mystic: Dhalsim is a bald Indian mystic whose training in the art of Yoga has granted him extraordinary powers such as levitation, fire-breath, elasticity, and teleportation.
• Balloon Belly: His Critical Art in V has him deeply inhale and inflate his stomach to ridiculous proportions, before spitting out a large, floating fireball.
• Barefoot Sage: A master yogi who's wisened by years of self-mastery and curbing conflict, hence why he goes everywhere barefoot (also because he can freely levitate and teleport, so he doesn't need to ever touch the ground).
• Body Paint: He's always sported red face-paint, but in V, he paints his arms and legs too.
• Breath Weapon: Owing to his yoga training (somehow…), Dhalsim can breathe fire, either as a ranged fireball or a defensive, close-range blast.
• Catchphrase: "YOGA!"
• Combo Platter Powers: He can spit fire, stretch his limbs like rubber, and teleport.
• Confusion Fu: His various angled jump attacks and different teleportation moves make him great at screwing with the opponent's head.
• Contortionist: His intense training has given him the ability to contort and extend his limbs into forms physically impossible for a normal human.
• Costume Evolution: He wears a pagri (Indian term for "turban") as a part of his look in V. His premium alt has him wearing a crown, and some of his alternate costumes in IV also include turbans.
• Creepy Good: Dhalsim's super skinny frame, whitened eyes, and inhuman ability to stretch make him very otherworldly and unsettling to look at. Even so, he's a very friendly, level-headed and honest man who is always on the side of good.
• Death from Above: "Yoga Comet" has Dhalsim spit a Fire Ball midair that travels downward at an angle.
• Denser and Wackier: As the series has gone on and the graphics have improved, his stretching is taken to more and more bizarre lengths, with Dhalsim assuming impossible, contorted poses almost by default, his select portraits in V and 6 being notable examples. It results in him seeming more otherworldly and inhuman, as if his yoga mastery has let him transcend his human limits.
• Difficult, but Awesome: Playing Dhalsim requires a keen sense of knowing his effective distances, predicting the opponent's actions and intentions, spot-on execution, and mastering the use of his teleport as of later games. Otherwise, his stretching attacks extend his hurtbox across the stage, making him easier to hit. And he's got less health than other fighters to keep him alive. Once mastered, Dhalsim becomes a constantly-moving 50/50 that can attack from almost anywhere.
• Diving Kick: His Drill Kick normal lets Dhalsim attack below at an angle. He also has a similar attack, "Yoga Mummy", which strikes with his head first.
• Facial Markings: He sports coloured marks on his face in the manner of a Hindu sadhu or holyman.
• Faux Flame: One of his win quotes in IV says that his fire is all just an illusion that won't actually harm you.
• Final Boss: He is Lily's final boss in 6.
• Fire-Breathing Diner: He’s able to breathe fire in huge blasts without damaging his insides. How does he do it? Supplementary material first suggested it's because he eats a lot of very spicy curry before a fight; this would later be retconned into a blessing from Agni, the Hindu god of fire.
  El Fuerte: Teleportation and flame power? What kind of spice does that?
• Fireballs: Yoga Fire is his signature projectile, breathing a puff of flame that slowly travels across the screen, both baiting reactions from opponents as well as allowing Dhalsim to approach. It's gone through a lot of iterations throughout the series including firing in an arc and from the air.
• Flung Clothing: Dhalsim tosses his pagri away before starting a fight in the Alpha series. He keeps it on in V, though.
• Grapple Move: Alpha introduces the "Yoga Strike", using his legs to grab an airborne opponent to preform an elastic Frankensteiner.
• Gratuitous Foreign Language: He uses the Hindi word "Namaste" as a greeting in some games, befitting his heritage.
• Home Stage: All of his stages, whether set inside or outside, feature Indian elephants, including "Maharaja's Palace" in II, "Banks of the Ganges" in Alpha 2, "Jaunpur Monument" in Alpha 3, "Exciting Street Scene" in IV, and "Apprentice Alley" in V, all set in India. In 6, Dhalsim returns to the series accompanied by a beautifully reimagined version of his stage from II, set inside a cavernous shrine to the deity Ganesha and featuring (of course) elephants and his wife and son cheering him on.
• Lighter and Softer: He ditches the necklace of skulls in 6, opting instead for a metal ornament resembling a pair of clasped hands.
• Location Theme Naming: According to the development team, Dhalsim got his name from an Indian restaurant in Osaka near Capcom's office.
• Logical Weakness: Stretching his limbs to attack means he's also extending his hurtbox at the opponent, meaning Dhalsim can be attacked if he whiffs his long-range strikes, and from way across the screen too.
• Long-Range Fighter: Dhalsim's gameplay is built around keeping the opponent at bay with his variety of far-reaching attacks. He can stretch his limbs out for his standard attacks, breathe fire to make projectiles and even teleport away should the opponent get too close for comfort. Because of this, he's very fragile stat-wise and can't take much punishment, encouraging players to keep their distance from the opponent when possible.
• Lotus Position: He is often seen using this posture; during levitation, while teleporting, or simply in meditation outside combat.
• Magic Fire: His illusory flames are said to be a gift from Agni, the Hindu god of fire. He even states that the fire can't actually burn anyone, especially since that would go against his pacifist leanings.
• Martial Pacifist: He is one of the game's peaceful characters and a definite good guy, despite his somewhat alarming, skeletal appearance.
• May–December Romance: According to bios from the time of II, Dhalsim is the oldest of the World Warriors, his birth date being given as November 22, 1952. His wife Sari is 16 at the time of Alpha 2 (which presumably takes place in the late 80s/early 90s, whereas II is set between 1992 and 1994).
• The Mentor: He's taken to being Ryu's Mentor by the time of V It's telling that Ryu went out of his way to travel all the way to India just to seek out Dhalsim's help and advice. Interestingly enough it's not the first time in media that he's had this role, as he was Ryu's Mentor in Street Fighter II V.
• Mistaken for Aliens: Rufus sees Dhalsim floating around and reaches this conclusion. Note that Rufus is kind of stupid and he liked sci-fi movies, so this really is the obvious connection for him.
  (When winning against Rufus) I am no alien!
• Nice Guy: He looks spooky, but he's a loving husband and father, and his win quotes tend to either be constructive criticism or gentle encouragement.
• No Brows: Which enhances his mystical, vaguely disquieting appearance.
• Out-of-Character Moment: He makes an unusually mean-spirited jab against Blanka, a morally neutral character, in V
  The path of a yogi is also one of nature. However, it is not one to be traversed by simple savages like you.
• Painfully Slow Projectile: His Yoga Catastrophe super in IV is a very slow-moving fireball. Yoga Sunburst, a similar super introduced in V and his level 2 super in 6 is similar, but it travels in an arc instead, and can be charged.
• Power Stereotype Flip: He breathes fire, but remains cool. He's flexible, but always stable.
• Prophet Eyes: Has white eyes with no pupils.
• Psychic Powers: To some extent; he can teleport through short distances, jumps quite slowly, and has the ability to sense people's aura. In one of his win quotes in IV he states that his fire is an illusion, but works because the target believes they will be burned by it. The UDON comics have it work as such, as demonstrated by Dhalsim engulfing Adon with a Yoga Flame, Adon recoiling, then realizing he's not burned... just in time to be KO'd by a massive headbutt.
• Puppet Permutation: His Halloween costume in IV turns him into a wooden puppet.
• Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: His level 3 super in 6, "Merciless Yoga", has Dhalsim whipping his arms at high speed ala Monkey D. Luffy or Merkava, even juicing it up with flaming fists.
• Religious Bruiser: Both a devout Hindu and a major ass-kicker. In V, he sports a full beard and pagri, typical to Hindu Sadhus — aka older holy men.
• Rubber Man: A serious variation, due to his dignified nature, and the very first example in the fighting game genre in terms of a character that can stretch for additional reach.
• Skeleton Motif: He famously sports a necklace of shrunken human skulls around his neck, and despite the macabre overtones, this is actually reminiscent of the Hindu ascetics known as Kapalikas ("skull-bearers") and not necessarily associated with anything evil.
• Slide Attack: His crouching hard kick lets him slide below high attacks, and is the first example of a sliding normal in the series (unless you count M. Bison).
• Stone Wall: Unlike most variations of the trope, Dhalsim doesn't have much health. But while he doesn't have much in the way of damage, he's extremely good at keeping the opponent at bay with his numerous long-ranged tools and can teleport away should they break through his defenses.
• Super Special Move:
  • "Yoga Inferno" uses the same animations as his Yoga Flame special, but with much more fuel behind it. There's also an Anti-Air version called "Yoga Volcano" used in the CVS games.
  • "Yoga Catastrophe" is a massive, multi-hitting version of Yoga Fire
• Tarot Motifs: Dhalsim represents The Magician in the 30th Anniversary Tarot Deck. The Magician often represents wisdom as well as trickery, fitting with Dhalsim's nature as a mentor figure, and his move-set involving teleportation and keeping the opponent away from him.
• Teleport Spam: “Yoga Teleport” is relatively easy to crank out and confuse an opponent over and over. It also gives Dhalsim a surprisingly useful offensive tool should he need to mix up his opponent.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Curry; a (since-retconned) piece of lore indicates that his fire-breath is the result of the massive amount of curry he ate. 6 shows that he enjoys preparing the dish himself and exploring the endless flavor possibilities he can produce. The player can even gift him curry to net extra affinity points.
• Tragic Keepsake: The skulls around his neck, which belonged to children from his village who died due to famine.
• Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: He's not exactly a handsome guy (but not that ugly, though; just unusual looking and very skinny, if anything)— yet he has a very cute wife called Sari. They're very Happily Married.
• Unusually Uninteresting Sight: His Rival fight against Rufus has Dhalsim floating through an Indian marketplace like it's no big deal. No one seems to care though, except Rufus, who leaps to the obvious conclusion—Dhalsim's an alien.
• Use Your Head: He has a normal headbutt attack for his close fierce punch, but he does this far more dramatically with his Yoga Shangri-La Ultra, in which he attacks his opponent with a drilling headbutt.

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