30 years of Street Fighter: 30 years of Characters #8

Guile is without a doubt an over-the-top G.I. Joe-cartoon character squeezed into the Street Fighter II lineup for the sake of appealing to Westerners. I should be mad but I'm not. I'm not mad about his nonsensical haircut. Or that he looks like a caveman because he's missing his eyebrows. I'm not even mad about the USA flag tattoo and camo pants that obviously every serviceman gets when they enlist. Capcom of Japan really had our number when designing the westerner. Every fiber of Guile's being was infused with military imperialism. It was a bit on the nose. That's why I can't say anything bad about it. Guile deserves to be remembered on the 30th anniversary of Street Fighter. Not because of the overt pandering but instead because of what he evolved into.

Guile's look was obtuse for a reason. The Capcom designers were heavily influenced by the stylish manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. The tall hair was pulled from Jean Pierre Polnareff, the military muscle from Rudol von Stroheim and the name taken from Jean Pierre's rival J. Geils. Despite this mix of influences Guile was a prime example of how military design worked in a fighting game. Just about every other character presented was an archetype of a school of fighting. We had the karate guys, the kung-fu girl, the wrestler, the boxer, a muay thai champ, and so on. We could more or less tell what they were about just by looking at them. Then there was this super buff American soldier. We didn't know what style he practiced but knew he could brawl. Not only could he fight but he had some very unorthodox moves. He could do an inverted head kick, a somersault "Flash Kick" and even had his own variation of the fireball called the "Sonic Boom." These moves were flashy and very effective in the game, making him a sold choice for the tournament crowd. His fighting ability was as mysterious as his personality. His origins and reason for entering the Street Fighter competition were shrouded in secrecy.  

It turned out that Guile was a special forces officer. He was on the hunt for Vega / The Dictator. Years ago he lost his best friend Charlie Nash in a Shadowlaw ambush. Guile swore revenge and traveled the globe looking for clues. His obsession lead him to abandon his family. Nash was not only his best friend, he was also the one that taught him how to fight. These small details would be revealed over the events in Street Fighter II and Street Fighter Zero. As Guile's origin came into focus it made him more interesting. He wasn't just a pandering brute but an interesting archetype. He would become central to the plot of Street Fighter II and even get a prominent role in the animated movie. There hadn't been many military fighters in this series or other games that was as interesting. So to Guile we salute you on this anniversary! As always if you enjoyed this blog and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!