Characters of the Street Fighter II series

Voiced by: Daisuke Gōri (SFII drama CDs), Joji Nakata (SFII: The Animated Movie), Tomomichi Nishimura (SFII V), Koichi Yamadera (SFA3, Capcom vs. SNK series), Sōnosuke Nagashiro (SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos), Satoshi Tsuruoka (SFIV, SFXTK, SFV) (Japanese); Paul Dobson (SF animated series), Joe Romersa (SFII: The Animated Movie, SFII V Animaze dub), Werner Richmond (SFII V ADV dub), Bob Carter (SFIV–present) (English)

Balrog appears in Street Fighter II as one of the opponents, and would become a playable character in subsequent revisions of the game, beginning with Street Fighter II: Champion Edition. He is characterized as a bully or a ruffian who is a tough, aggressive and belligerent street-raised boxer seeking the "American Dream" and one of the "Four Devas" (Shitennou, "Four Heavenly Kings") of Shadaloo. Balrog is a 6 ft 5 in tall African-American professional boxer wearing blue trunks with white trim and a torn white shirt under a blue tank top, as well as red boxing gloves and boxing shoes. In Japan, he is named M. Bison, with the letter standing for "Mike", after boxer Mike Tyson. When the developers of Street Fighter II were working on the overseas versions, they changed the names of three of the boss characters for the English localization, including M. Bison, as they feared naming him "Mike Bison" could cause legal issues.^[1] Years later, Mike Tyson revealed that he was unaware of the character, but was honored by the homage.^[2] The story of Street Fighter 6 acknowledged this change within the context of its narrative, claiming that all three names were aliases that Shadaloo's leadership operated under to protect their true identities.^[3]

His next major appearance was in Street Fighter Alpha 3, where he was a sub-boss in the arcade version who faced certain characters and became playable after certain requirements were met, but was also playable via a secret code. He was made into a regular playable character in the arcade update and subsequent home versions and given his own in-game plot, home stage, and endings. This incarnation of Balrog also appears in Capcom vs. SNK and Capcom vs. SNK 2. He later appears in other Street Fighter games, such as Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter X Tekken, and Street Fighter V. Balrog appears in the film Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, where he serves in a similar capacity to his role in the video game. In the 1994 live-action film version of Street Fighter, Balrog is portrayed by Grand L. Bush and is a supporting protagonist and the videographer in Chun-Li's news crew. He later appears in the 2009 film Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, portrayed by Michael Clarke Duncan. He also appeared in the 1995 Street Fighter animated series.

Voiced by: Shigezō Sasaoka (SFII: The Animated Movie), Shin-ichiro Miki (Real Battle on Film, SFA series, Capcom vs. SNK series), Banjō Ginga (SFII V), Sakai Albright (SFEX series), Kōji Suizu (SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos), Daisuke Endō (SFIV–present) (Japanese); Peter Spellos (SFII: The Animated Movie, SFII V Animaze) (English)

Sagat first appears as the main antagonist of the original Street Fighter. After being defeated, Sagat tells the player character that he is the "strongest Street Fighter in the world". His next appearance was in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, where he appears as one of the four Grand Masters. He appears in this game with multiple scars, including a large diagonal one across his chest that he received from Ryu as a result of his loss in the first game. This scar reminds Sagat of the grudge he harbors against Ryu after the loss in the first tournament.^[4] Like the other bosses, he became a playable character in the subsequent revisions of the game beginning with Street Fighter II': Champion Edition.

Sagat appears in the prequel series Street Fighter Alpha. In addition to fleshing out his rivalry with Ryu, a rivalry with his former apprentice Adon is introduced there as well, along with new character Dan Hibiki, whose father, Go, was killed by Sagat in a fight years before. It was also revealed that Sagat lost his right eye during that fight. The Alpha series also shows Sagat joining M. Bison's criminal organization Shadaloo, only to leave in Street Fighter Alpha 3 after he discovers that Bison had wanted to experiment his Psycho Power against Ryu, allowing him to realize the pettiness of his vendetta against Ryu. Sagat is an unlockable character in Street Fighter EX3, where his story has his resentment for Ryu fading.

Sagat returns in Street Fighter IV as a playable character with the animosity in his feud with Ryu no longer present and even referring to him in his ending as a "friend". In Street Fighter V, Sagat is featured as part of the third season of downloadable content. During his story, he is briefly tempted by Satsui no Hadō but overcomes it, coming to understand Ryu's struggles in the process.

Sagat also appears in crossover games such as Capcom vs. SNK 2 and Street Fighter X Tekken, in which he is paired up with Dhalsim and in other titles, including mobile puzzle game Street Fighter: Puzzle Spirits, where he is a super-deformed character.^[5]

Basim Usmani of Dualshockers described him as the most believable villain of the series, a celebrated over 7 ft tall kickboxer that used very few words. They also praised his design compared to other fighters in the series, stating "He is gigantic, arrogant, and muscular in a way that is only slightly exaggerated, [...] He lives to fight and usually appears to be having a good time."^[6] IGN's D. F. Smith noted that while much of his design didn't stand out, "Throw in that face, though, and everything changes," adding that elements such as his scar and eye patch "come together to make a guy who means business." Smith further noted his importance as one of the few characters from the original Street Fighter to appear in later installments of the series, stating that while he wasn't as popular as Ryu, "he's certainly pulled together a following of his own."^[7] Gavin Jasper of Den of Geek described him as "a bit of an antihero", whose personality is reflected in how he fights, comparing him to Ryu but describing him as "far more blunt, unforgiving, and controlling". He further praised his story for being one of redemption, and how he eventually comes to see the world the same way his rival Ryu does.^[8]

Though Capcom has not stated the inspirations for Sagat's character, IGN noted a close resemblance to manga Karate Baka Ichidai's antagonist Reiba.^[9] Thai website Sanook additionally suggested the character's name was likely borrowed from that of Muay Thai fighter Sagat Petchyindee, who made several fighting appearances in Japan in the 1980s.^[10]

Voiced by: Masakatsu Funaki (SFII: The Animated Movie), Kazuki Yao (SFII V), Kōsuke Toriumi (SFA3), Yuichi Nakamura (SFIV) (Japanese); Bryan Cranston (SFII: The Animated Movie), Paul Dobson (SF animated series), Andrew Klimko (SFII V ADV dub), Randy McPherson (SFII V Animaze dub), Matthew Mercer (SFIV) (English)

Inspired by Bruce Lee, Fei Long is as an action film star from Hong Kong who enters the World Warrior tournament to test his skills as a martial artist in Super Street Fighter II.. In his ending for Super Street Fighter II, he gives up his film career and forms his own kung-fu style known as the Soaring-Heaven style (飛天流, Hitenryū, meaning "Sky-Flying style"). He later appears in other games, including Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Street Fighter IV. He also appears in other works, including Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, Street Fighter II V, and UDON's comic adaptation of the Street Fighter story.

Voiced by: Shōzō Iizuka (SFII: The Animated Movie, SFA3), Tōru Nara (SSFIV) (Japanese); Steve Blum (SFII: The Animated Movie), Paul Dobson (animated series), David Vincent (SSFIV) (English)

T. Hawk is one of the four new characters introduced in Super Street Fighter II. He is a member of the fictional Thunderfoot indigenous American clan, whose homeland was taken over 30 years before the events of the game by M. Bison, who also murdered his father, Arroyo Hawk.^[12][13] He was introduced as a grappler; despite his height at over 7 ft, he is much quicker and more maneuverable than the series' other large type characters such as Zangief and Sagat, despite his massive frame.^[14][15] As seen with moves such as the long-range "Condor Dive", his primary strategic aim does not involve grabbing opponents up close.^[16] During the development of Super Street Fighter II, T. Hawk was named "Geronimo", but his name was changed after an American staff member suggested that the name "Geronimo" could be seen as racially offensive.^[17] T. Hawk's hairstyle was also changed from an Elvis-style haircut to one more consistent with his heritage on the suggestion of Steve Patton, a staffer from Capcom's US office who is of Native American heritage.^[16] He has since appeared in multiple future games, including Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Super Street Fighter IV. He also appears in films, such as the 1994 live-action film version of Street Fighter (portrayed by Gregg Rainwater) and Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, and the cartoon series Street Fighter.