Guile (video game character)
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Guile is a video game character in Capcom's Street Fighter series of fighting games. He has had many voice actors in the games he has appeared in, but he is voiced by Tesshou Genda in the majority of them. He is played by Belgian actor Jean Claude Van Damme in the 1994 movie Street Fighter, where he is the main character. Although his role in the Street Fighter story is minimal, he is considered the third leading male character in the series, after Ryu and Ken Masters.
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Biography
Guile was born on December 23, 1960 in the United States. He stands 182 cm tall (a little over 5' 11½") and weighs 86 kg, with a blood type of O. His given name is simply Guile. (the American movie gives him the name of William F. Guile, but Capcom hasn't officially recognized it). It is not known when he was married, but Guile and his wife Jane share a daughter, Amy. Guile is also brother-in-law to Ken Masters, but this connection is largely downplayed in the storyline, as Guile does not think highly of him. He is often seen with his trademark flat-top haircut, as well as the lack of eyebrows and American flag tattoos on his shoulders.
His fighting style is simply known as the "Special Forces" style, a fighting style comprised of military combat techniques and chi manipulation techniques taught to him by Charlie, a friend that he had met when they were US Army Rangers. In the games, his special moves all involve holding the joystick a particular direction for a short time, then quickly changing direction and pressing a button. These moves are known as charge moves, and Guile is known as a charge fighter.
Although Guile, when he was first introduced in Street Fighter II, was one of the more popular characters, he also had a tendency to annoy players through ticking: the repeated application of a quick and easily blocked move (that produces its namesake sound) such as a light punch, with intermittent applications of unblockable attacks. Because of the nature of charge moves, Guile players also employed a turtling strategy, in part to protect themselves while performing charge moves.
The Special Forces style is also known for its limited numbers of special moves. When Guile was first introduced to Street Fighter, he was given two moves: the Sonic Boom and the Somersault Kick (or alternately the Flash Kick), the same two special moves that he has in every game since. However, since his introduction, no new special moves were given to him (except in Marvel vs. Capcom 2, as a consequence of the style of play), a point of criticism from fans of the series, who repeatedly call for either new moves or a conversion to a more traditional circle-style character. Besides the limited numbers of special moves, the Special Forces style has many command attacks and super combos - in fact, Guile is one of the few characters to have more super combos than special moves.
In the Street Fighter continuity, Guile was not introduced to the series until Street Fighter Alpha 3, when he was sent by the American army to look for Charlie, who had gone AWOL. His search led him to M. Bison's Shadoloo headquarters. There, he finds Charlie and Chun-Li, who were trying to hunt down Bison and destroy the Psycho Drive, the source of his power. Despite his orders to immediately return, the two convince Guile to accompany them, and the three eventually reach the inside of the Shadoloo base, where the Psycho Drive weapon apparently stood. However, as the three were preparing to destroy the base, they were caught by surprise by Bison, and a fight ensued. Charlie convices Guile and Chun-Li to escape while he held Bison off, but not long after escaping, the base was destroyed, with Charlie apparently killed in the blast.
Holding Bison responsible for killing his best friend, he left the army to exact revenge on Bison, who had apparently survived. Bison, in turn, wanted a piece of Guile and Chun-Li, and set up the second World Warriors tournament to entrap them. Capcom does not indicate the winner of the tournament, but Guile is one of the most likely candidates. After the tournament, he retired to be with his family, which fits with his ending. But Chun-Li is just as likely to have won, and dialogue in Street Fighter III makes this the more likely possibility.
Trivia
- Early Street Fighter II sketches and notes suggest that Guile was developed specifically to appeal to American fans.
- In Street Fighter: The Movie, the character was given the full name of William F. Guile, although this is not considered canonical, as it has never been used by the main games. It was also used in the American Street Fighter animated series.
Related Characters
See also
External links
- Real Life Flash Kick (http://www.rolandosborne.com/article1.htm)
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