Guile (Street Fighter)
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is a fictional character from
Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...
's ''
Street Fighter is a Media mix, Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Capcom. Street Fighter 1, The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by List of Street Fighter video games, six other ma ...
'' series of
fighting game The fighting game video game genre, genre involves combat between multiple characters, often (but not limited to) one-on-one battles. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappling, counter- ...
s. He debuted as one of the original eight World Warriors in 1991's ''
Street Fighter II is a 1991 fighting game developed and published by Capcom for arcade game, arcades. It is the second installment in the ''Street Fighter'' series and the sequel to 1987's ''Street Fighter (video game), Street Fighter''. Designed by Yoshiki O ...
'' and appeared in the game's subsequent updates. In the games he is portrayed as a pilot in the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
who is seeking to avenge the death of his Air Force buddy Charlie at the hands of the villainous dictator M. Bison. He started out as a
major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
of the Air Force, until he is promoted to a
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
rank in ''
Street Fighter V ''Street Fighter V'' is a 2016 fighting game developed by Capcom, Dimps and Taito and published by Capcom for PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows, Windows. The major follow-up to ''Street Fighter IV'' (2008) as part of Capcom's ''Street Fighter'' ...
''. One of the most popular characters in the series, Guile has appeared in other ''Street Fighter'' games, including the home port versions of ''
Street Fighter Alpha 3 ''Street Fighter Alpha 3'', released as in Japan, Asia, South America, and Oceania, is a 1998 fighting game developed and published by Capcom for arcades. It is the third and final installment in the '' Street Fighter Alpha'' sub-series, which ...
'' (where he is a playable character alongside Charlie), and '' Street Fighter IV''. He is also a playable character in various spin-off titles, such as the ''
Street Fighter EX is a 1996 fighting game originally released as a arcade game, coin-operated arcade game for the Sony ZN hardware. It is a Spin-off (media), spin-off of the ''Street Fighter'' series co-produced by Capcom with Arika and was the first game in the ...
'', '' Marvel vs. Capcom 2'', and '' SNK vs. Capcom'' series. Guile has also appeared in other ''Street Fighter'' media: the main protagonist in the 1994 live-action ''
Street Fighter is a Media mix, Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Capcom. Street Fighter 1, The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by List of Street Fighter video games, six other ma ...
'' film and its animated spin-off, as well as one of the main characters in '' Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie''. The character has also been featured in various official comics and merchandise. His music theme, known simply as "Guile's Theme", has been used multiple times, usually to give a sense of victory. Guile has been perceived as unique among ''Street Fighter II'' characters in both appearance and gameplay. He is noted as having only two signature moves in the game, both of which are performed by first holding a direction on the joystick and then pushing in the opposite direction with a punch or kick - the Sonic Boom and the Flash Kick, respectively. Guile has been well received, with the character often placing highly in various lists of the best ''Street Fighter'' characters of all time.


Conception and design

Early ''
Street Fighter II is a 1991 fighting game developed and published by Capcom for arcade game, arcades. It is the second installment in the ''Street Fighter'' series and the sequel to 1987's ''Street Fighter (video game), Street Fighter''. Designed by Yoshiki O ...
'' sketches and notes suggest that Guile was developed specifically to appeal to American fans. In an interview with ''Game On!'', Capcom Research and Design head Noritaka Funamizu stated that of the more popular characters in the series with western audiences, Guile was most likely considered the game's main character. Guile's design and hairstyle is based on Rudol von Stroheim and Jean-Pierre Polnareff, characters from the manga ''
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was originally serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1987 to 2004, and was transferred to the monthly manga magazine ''Ultra Jum ...
''. Guile's name is not a reference to
The J. Geils Band The J. Geils Band (formerly known as The J. Geils Blues Band) was an American rock band formed in 1967, in Worcester, Massachusetts, under the leadership of guitarist John "J." Geils. The original band members included vocalist Peter Wolf, h ...
, whose name was also referenced in ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure''.


Appearances


In video games

Guile was first introduced in ''
Street Fighter II is a 1991 fighting game developed and published by Capcom for arcade game, arcades. It is the second installment in the ''Street Fighter'' series and the sequel to 1987's ''Street Fighter (video game), Street Fighter''. Designed by Yoshiki O ...
'' (
1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
) as one of the eight selectable characters featured in the first release of the game. The former elite SOF teammate from the United States, Guile along with his best friend and co-pilot Charlie Nash were missing in action during a mission in Shadaloo. In his ending, he defeats Bison and lifts him on his knees by his throat to finish him off just after reminding him of who he murdered, but is dissuaded from killing him by his wife Julia (Jane in Japan) and their daughter Amy (Chris in Japan and ''Street Fighter 6''), he then spares the bruised and bloody Bison and returns to his country to spend his family. Guile's returns in console versions of ''
Street Fighter Alpha 3 ''Street Fighter Alpha 3'', released as in Japan, Asia, South America, and Oceania, is a 1998 fighting game developed and published by Capcom for arcades. It is the third and final installment in the '' Street Fighter Alpha'' sub-series, which ...
'' (1998) as an Air Force JTAC ordered to track down Charlie, who has gone missing. In his ending, Charlie holds off Bison while Guile escapes and the base explodes with Charlie still in it, resulting in his death. Guile also appears as a playable character in ''
Street Fighter EX is a 1996 fighting game originally released as a arcade game, coin-operated arcade game for the Sony ZN hardware. It is a Spin-off (media), spin-off of the ''Street Fighter'' series co-produced by Capcom with Arika and was the first game in the ...
'' (1997) and its two sequels, '' Street Fighter EX2'' (1998) and '' Street Fighter EX3'' (2000). His relationship with Ken as brothers-in-law (with their respective wives being sisters) is mentioned for the first time in the games in Ken's ending in the Japanese version of the original ''EX2''. Guile returns as a playable character in '' Street Fighter IV'' (2008), Guile investigates S.I.N. and their connection to Shadaloo. In his Street Fighter IV ending, Guile is searching for Chun-Li after he defeats Seth. In '' Super Street Fighter IV''s ending, Guile visits Charlie's grave and tells him that Shadaloo's plans are not over yet. Guile also appears as a supporting character in the crossover fighting game '' Street Fighter X Tekken'' (2012), with Abel as his official tag partner. Guile returns as the first of the delayed characters in ''
Street Fighter V ''Street Fighter V'' is a 2016 fighting game developed by Capcom, Dimps and Taito and published by Capcom for PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows, Windows. The major follow-up to ''Street Fighter IV'' (2008) as part of Capcom's ''Street Fighter'' ...
'' (2016–2022), as one of 6 DLC characters. In this game, he is now promoted to a colonel rank. During Shadaloo's final scheme under a Black Moon-based Operation C.H.A.I.N.S., Guile suddenly encounters Charlie, who was resurrected by an unknown assailant, and joined the said third party side, despite their motives for Shadaloo's downfall are same. After Charlie cures Abel of M. Bison's Psycho Power, Guile reconciles with his undead friend. Guile joins the heroes who Karin recruited who join a final assault against the Shadaloo, While Rashid managed to shutdown Shadaloo's Operation C.H.A.I.N.S, Guile, Ryu, and Chun-Li watch Charlie a final time where the latter sacrifices his life to weaken M. Bison. Guile decides to retire from fighting to be with his family and become a mentor of the son of late-Robert Sullivan, Luke. As Guile was absent from '' Street Fighter III'', which took place several years after ''Street Fighter V'', Guile returns in '' Street Fighter 6'' (2023), which itself takes place after ''Street Fighter III''. Guile returns to his duty to investigate the ongoing conspiracy at Nayshall caused by the Amnesia terrorist organization led by JP, ever since they framed Ken for the crime he did not commit. Guile appears in both the arcade and home versions of ''Street Fighter: The Movie'', which were two separately-produced 1995 fighting games that used digitized footage from the live-action ''Street Fighter'' film, in which Guile was the lead character. Actor
Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian martial artist and actor. Born and raised in Brussels, his father enrolled him in a Shotokan karate schoo ...
posed for Guile's animation frames in the game. The ''Alpha 3'' incarnation of Guile appears as a selectable character in several fighting game crossovers which including '' Marvel vs. Capcom 2'' (2000), '' Capcom vs. SNK'' (2000), '' Capcom vs. SNK 2'' (2001) and '' Capcom Fighting Jam'' (2003). He also appears in the SNK-produced installments of SNK/Capcom crossovers in '' SNK vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium'' (1999), '' SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos'' (2003) and the '' SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters'' series. A super-deformed version of the character is playable in the mobile puzzle game ''Street Fighter: Puzzle Spirits'' (2014). Guile appears in Charlie's ending in ''
X-Men vs. Street Fighter is a Crossover (fiction), crossover Fighting game, fighting video game developed and published by Capcom. It is Capcom's third fighting game to feature Marvel Comics characters, following ''X-Men: Children of the Atom (video game), X-Men: Chil ...
'' (he is not identified by name, only as "Charlie's friend"), swearing revenge on Bison for apparently killing Charlie. A Guile-inspired costume for players to use in Sony's ''
LittleBigPlanet ''LittleBigPlanet'' (''LBP''; stylised as ''LittleBIGPlanet'') is a Puzzle video game, puzzle platform video game series created and produced by British developer Media Molecule and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Most games in th ...
'' was released as
downloadable content content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...
. Guile appears as an assist trophy in '' Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', using Flash Kick and Sonic Boom. Guile was also added to ''
Fortnite Battle Royale ''Fortnite Battle Royale'' is a 2017 Battle royale game, battle royale video game produced by Epic Games. It was originally developed as a companion game part of the early access version of ''Fortnite: Save the World'', a cooperative survival ...
'', along with Cammy on August 3, 2021. A playable Guile skin will also be added to '' Exoprimal''. The English version of '' Saturday Night Slam Masters'' implies that the character Gunloc is related to Guile. The video game adaptations of ''Street Fighter: The Movie'' expand on this, stating that Gunloc is Guile's brother.


In other media

In the 1994 live-action ''
Street Fighter is a Media mix, Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Capcom. Street Fighter 1, The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by List of Street Fighter video games, six other ma ...
'' film, going by "William F. Guile", is played by
Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian martial artist and actor. Born and raised in Brussels, his father enrolled him in a Shotokan karate schoo ...
. Guile is commanding the A.N. forces as he searches for General M. Bison. His motivation for searching for Bison is not to avenge Charlie's death but to end Bison's corrupt organization and to rescue Charlie, although he receives a great deal of help to find Bison's base, and is aided in his mission. Van Damme was approached to reprise the role in the reboot, '' Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li'', but ultimately did not appear. Guile was planned to appear in the second season of '' Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist'', titled ''Street Fighter: World Warrior''; series creator Joey Ansah was interested in casting Scott Adkins as Guile. ''World Warrior'' was eventually scrapped in favor of '' Street Fighter: Resurrection''; Guile was mentioned by Ken in the ''Resurrection'' episode "Fight & Flight" but did not appear in the series. Guile is one of the main characters in the 1994 anime film '' Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie'', where he is voiced by Masane Tsukayama in the Japanese original and by Kirk Thornton (credited as Donald Lee) in the English dub. Guile, serving as a jet fighter pilot and ranked as a
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
(O-3) in the U.S. Near the end of the film, Guile manages to track Ryu down but is followed by Bison and a brainwashed Ken. Guile engages Bison who finishes the fight by blasting Guile down a chasm. Guile survives this, although exhausted and bloodied, and when Bison finds Guile, he decides to spare him as an insult, and leaves. Guile is rescued along with
Balrog Balrogs () are a species of powerful demonic monsters in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. One first appeared in print in his high-fantasy novel ''The Lord of the Rings'', where the Company of the Ring encounter a Balrog known as Durin's Bane in ...
by E. Honda. In his final scene, Guile, fully recovered, is moved to tears when informed that Chun-Li survived Vega's attack. Based loosely on the storyline of the 1994 film while combining elements from ''Street Fighter II'', Guile serves as the main protagonist of the ''
Street Fighter is a Media mix, Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Capcom. Street Fighter 1, The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by List of Street Fighter video games, six other ma ...
'' animated series, and is depicted as the leader of an organization of Street Fighters consisting of himself and fellow fighters. Bison has survived his battle with Guile following the events of the film, and Guile's sole goal is to destroy Bison once and for all. Guile appears in the 1995 anime series '' Street Fighter II V'', where he is voiced by Tesshō Genda in the Japanese original and once again by Kirk Thornton in the English Amimaze dub and by Rob Mungle in the ADV Films dub. In this TV series, Guile is a
Master Sergeant A master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries. Israel Defense Forces The (abbreviated "", master sergeant) is a non-commissioned officer () rank in the Israel Defense Force ...
(E-7) in the U.S. Air Force, who spends most of his time training physically and who has great pride in the Air Force and motivates Ryu and Ken to improve themselves. Later in the series, Guile is recruited by Ken's father along with his friend Charlie when Ryu, Ken and Chun-Li are taken captive by Shadaloo. He faces Zangief while infiltrating Bison's base. Guile knocks Zangief out, but is unable to save Nash from Bison, who pits a brainwashed Chun-Li against the enraged Sergeant. Outside, Guile fights Chun-Li until Bison's demise snaps her out of her brainwashing.


Printed

In UDON's ''Street Fighter'' comic adaptation, Guile is given a central role alongside Chun-Li, particularly in the first arc but he also is a frequent cast member in later arcs. Similar to the official story, Guile is chasing after Shadaloo to discover the whereabouts of his Air Force buddy, Charlie Nash. Like the official story, Charlie teaches Guile to fight. For the first arc of the comics, Guile spends his time looking for Ryu, believing to there to be a connection between him and Shadaloo. He traces him to the US and then back to Japan. While in Japan, he and Chun-Li engage a Shadaloo-controlled Charlie (codenamed "Agent
Shadow A shadow is a dark area on a surface where light from a light source is blocked by an object. In contrast, shade occupies the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross-section of a shadow is a two-dimensio ...
") and fight him off. At the end of the first story arc, Charlie regains his senses and rejoins Chun-Li and Guile before they're attacked by M. Bison. Charlie unleashes his latent Psycho Power abilities and sacrifices himself to take out Bison (Charlie giving his own life to stop Bison echoes Guile's ending in ''Street Fighter Alpha 3''), leaving Guile distraught and swearing vengeance against Shadaloo. Afterwards, Guile continues to assist Chun-Li in looking for Bison (whom they believe survived his encounter with Charlie) but all the while juggling his struggling relationship with his wife, Julia, and their daughter, Amy. Eventually the family reconciles at the end of the comic's second arc. Guile isn't heavily active during the second series of comics (''Street Fighter II'') but he is given an invitation to Bison's tournament, which he accepts as his final bid for vengeance. The final series (''Street Fighter II Turbo'') documents Guile's entry into M. Bison's fighting tournament. While on Shadaloo island, he is contacted by Cammy, who needs his help but cannot openly assist him as she is attempting to fool Bison into thinking she is under his control. Through a carefully woven set of scripted matches, Guile and Chun-Li get themselves eliminated from the tournament and successfully free the Delta Red squadron. Together they manage to locate and destroy Bison's Psycho Drive before evacuating the island as it sinks. The aftermath of the tournament show that Guile is satisfied with the results, believing he has successfully avenged Charlie, and is now comfortably living with his family. Guile also appears alongside other ''Street Fighter'' characters in the
Archie Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc. (often referred to simply as Archie Comics) is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the village of Pelham, New York. The company's many titles feature the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Jug ...
crossover event ''Worlds Unite'', which featured various Capcom and
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franchises guest-starring in the ''
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,
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,
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'', and ''
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'' comics.


Reception

Since his introduction, Guile has been positively received, ranking 4th in ''Gamest'' magazine's list of Best Characters introduced in 1991. ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
''s D. F. Smith stated that while "there's nothing too fancy about him. He's just your basic, no-nonsense, all-American tough guy", his unique hairstyle and aesthetics helped give him enough personality to stand out. In another article for the website, he argued that the image of an "American soldier" is often the first that comes to mind for the Japanese, and felt of the whole cast the most like a "regular guy" in many ways. He voiced some disdain for how different the character was in the live action film, noting that despite Van Damme being a good fit physically, the rest of the aspects deviated too far. ''
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''s Gavin Jasper praised Guile's backstory of revenge, and how the cost of his "soul" in the metaphorical sense helped make the conclusion of his story in ''Street Fighter II'' one of the best in video games overall. He further argued that compared to Chun-Li's own story of revenge, his was more compelling, stating "he has actual issues to work through". Nicholas Ware in a dissertation titled ''You Must Defeat Sheng Long to Stand a Chance'' suggested Guile acted as a connection for the series to American blockbuster films, comparing him to characters such as Rambo or those played by
Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. He was known for his roles in action films and his "granite features and brawny physique". Bronson was born into extreme poverty in ...
who were often involved in quests for vengeance. He further argued that Guile's military background was not only intended to reflect the "one man army" hero archetype common in American films, but also reflect Japanese views of foreign military forces, establishing him to Japanese audiences as different from themselves compared to Ken for example, and thus not portrayed as crucial for inclusion in subsequent ''Street Fighter'' entries. Ware elaborated further to state he represents "both a trust in and a fear of white Western power, particularly military/martial power." University of Delaware professor Rachel Hutchinson also discussed the use of imagery and military aspects to illustrate Guile as "not Japanese", stating that combat was "militarized and sexualized" through the presentation of his character and aesthetics in ''Street Fighter II''. She also noted the increased use of American iconography in this regard, namely in comparison to the first ''Street Fighter'' game, and how significant it was to Guile as a character through aspects such as his tattoos. Guile has also appeared in the
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
'' Hi Score Girl'' by Rensuke Oshikiri. The series' main character, Haruo Yaguchi, is a fan of ''Street Fighter II'' and always plays as Guile. This tends to be exaggerated to the point Haruo suffers from hallucinations where he talks to Guile while playing the game or interacting with other gamers. In Japan, the character has been used by cosmetic company Yanagiya as a real-world spokesman for their "J-Gel" hair products. Guile artwork was featured on an officially licensed NubyTech/
UDON Udon ( or ) is a thick noodle made from wheat flour, used in Japanese cuisine. There are a variety of ways it is prepared and served. Its simplest form is in a soup as with a mild broth called made from dashi, soy sauce, and mirin. It is usual ...
joypad for the
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, announced on May 25, 2005.


References


External links

* {{Street Fighter series Action film characters Fictional American people in video games Fictional aviators Fictional fighter pilots Fictional kickboxers Fictional military lieutenants Fictional majors Fictional MCMAP practitioners Fictional special forces personnel Fictional United States Air Force officers Male characters in video games Fictional military personnel in video games Fictional soldiers in video games Street Fighter characters Video game characters introduced in 1991 Video game characters with air or wind abilities