Today is Father’s Day, a 24-hour long celebration of all things dad. In previous years, we’ve celebrated the Day of Pops with posts on Capcom patriarchs Ken Masters and Ethan Winters. This year’s post on Dia del Padre features yet another Capcom protagonist, the vengeful Sonic Soldier himself, Guile from Street Fighter.
In 1991, Capcom released Street Fighter II, the one-on-one arcade fighter and sequel to 1987’s Street Fighter, the series’ first game. SFII eventually became one of the most iconic and important titles in video gaming and entertainment as a whole. Guile, one of several characters that made their debut in SFII, is one of few dads in entertainment who’s hair rivals the volume of Goku’s locks.
Man on a Mission
Guile’s storyline exemplifies tragedy of the Canon Films variety. A soldier in the United States Air Force, he seeks revenge for the death of his friend and fellow soldier Charlie Nash, who died at the hands of criminal mastermind, M. Bison (known as Vega in Japan, his naming situation is… complicated). Armed with his Sonic Boom (an energy projectile attack), Flash Kick (a somersault kick), and the coolest leg sweep I’ve personally seen in a game, Guile is a most formidable fighter.
Despite his noble cause for defeating Bison and avenging Charlie, Guile’s efforts come with a steep price: an estrangement from his wife and daughter. All was not lost, however. If a player defeats Bison (SF II‘s primary end boss) using Guile, his individual ending sees the hardened soldier find peace:
The most important thing. Uploaded to YouTube by Thunderboy Shinoda. All rights belong to Capcom.
Since his debut, Guile has found some footing in popular culture. His list of appearances in media include comic books, action figures, and games outside of the Street Fighter main series like the Capcom vs. SNK franchise. Further, he stars in both animated and live-action film adaptations of Street Fighter II, (featuring characters from its update, Super Street Fighter II), which saw release in 1994. In the live action film, the very American Guile is played by the very Belgian Jean-Claude Van Damme in one of the actor’s greatest roles in my arrogant opinion. JCVD even did a version of Guile’s Flash Kick TWICE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKeJtRtug4Q
If you’ve been on the internet in the last five years, you may have seen one of several “Guile’s Theme Goes with Everything” memes. Guile’s theme, composed by Yoko Shimomura, remains one of the catchiest and most enduring music pieces in video gaming, partially thanks to this phenomenon. In the spirit of today, here’s footage of a brother dancing to the soldier’s song after talk show host Maury informs him he is not the father:
Uploaded to YouTube by CloudyMusic. All copyrights belong to their owner.
Most recently, Capcom released a trailer showcasing Guile’s appearance in the upcoming Street Fighter 6, the newest entry in the franchise’s main series:
To paraphrase a quote from JCVD’s Guile, the character is forever the repo man, putting evil out of business.
Here’s to another Father’s Day in the books! Respect to all the dads out there, and the moms holding it down if the dads aren’t present (thanks, Mom). For more information on Guile and Street Fighter as a whole, check out the articles at Fandom’s Street Fighter Wiki, which has the images and much of the information used in this post. Until next time.
Peace & Pixels
RIP Uncle Kenny. Five years and it still feels new. Best father figure I could ever hope for.
ChompRetro 
