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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Balrog (''Street Fighter'')}} #REDIRECT ]
{{About|Balrog the boxer, known as "M. Bison" in Japan|the character known as "Balrog" in Japan|Vega (Street Fighter)|the character known as "M. Bison" outside Japan|M. Bison}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Balrog
| series = ]
| image = Balrog (Street Fighter).png
| caption = Balrog in '']''
| first = ''] (1991)''
| last = ''Street Fighter Duel'' (2023)
| creator =
| designer =
| portrayer = {{Plainlist|
* ] (''Street Fighter'' film)
* ] (''Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li'')
}}
| voice = {{Plainlist|
* '''English'''
* ] (''SFII: The Animated Movie'', ''SFII V'' (Animaze dub))
* Werner Richmond (''SFII V'' (ADV dub))
* ] (animated series)
* Bob Carter (''Street Fighter IV'', ''Street Fighter X Tekken'', ''Street Fighter V'')
'''Japanese'''
* ] (''Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie'')
* ] (''Street Fighter II V'')
* ] (''Street Fighter Zero 3'', ''Capcom vs. SNK'' series)
* ] (''SNK vs. Capcom'')
* Satoshi Tsuruoka (''Street Fighter IV'', ''Street Fighter X Tekken'', ''Street Fighter V'')
* ] (''Real Battle on Film'')
* Seiji Chihara (Japanese dub of ''Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li'')
}}
| motion_actor = Grand L. Bush (''The Movie'' games)
| fighting_style = ] (])
| origin = ]
| nationality = ]
| based_on = ]
}}


{{R with history}}
'''Balrog''' is a ] in ]'s '']'' series.<ref>"''Street Fighter IV'': Return of the World Warriors", ''Game Informer'' 178 (February 2008): 90.</ref> He made his first appearance in '']'' in 1991. In the series, he is a disgraced boxer and antagonist who works for ]'s organization, Shadaloo.
{{R to section}}

==Conception and development==
Balrog is depicted as an ] ] wearing blue trunks with white trim and a torn white shirt under a blue tank top, wearing red boxing gloves and boxing shoes. In Japan, the character of Balrog is named M. Bison (with the letter being an initial for "Mike") after real-life boxer ]. However, when the developers of ''Street Fighter II'' were working on the overseas versions, they rotated the names of three of the ] for the English localization, fearing that naming the boxer character "Mike Bison" might be a legal liability.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/street-fighter-iv-character-profiles/ |title=Street Fighter IV character profiles, Street Fighter IV Xbox 360 Features |publisher=GamesRadar |date=2009-01-14 |access-date=2011-11-05}}</ref> Ironically, years later, Mike Tyson revealed that he was unaware of the character, but was honoured by the homage.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Legend Mike Tyson - Playing abit of Mario Kart and Discovering Balrog(SF2) for the First Time!! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6Fjiu2E8cs |language=en |access-date=2022-09-21}}</ref> At {{height|ft=6|in=6}},<ref>{{Cite book |last=Moylan |first=Matt |title=Street Fighter: World Warrior Encyclopedia |publisher=UDON Entertainment Corporation |year=2010 |isbn=1926778014 |pages=16 |language=English}}</ref><ref>"Lair of the Four Kings" Stage, Street Fighter 5</ref> Balrog is a tall, massive, heavy built fighter in the ''Street Fighter'' series. As a comparison, Tyson is only {{height|ft=5|in=10.5}} tall. Balrog is simply known as Boxer for international tournaments.

A character named Mike, who was also a {{height|ft=6|in=3.5}} tall, extremely well-built African-American boxer, appears in the original '']''. Although recognized as a separate character,<ref name=":0">''Street Fighter: World Warrior Encyclopedia Hardcover'', page 143</ref> Mike is considered to be a prototype of Balrog due to their similar names (when one considers Balrog{{'}}s Japanese name of Mike Bison) and gameplay.<ref name=aac340>''All About Capcom Head-to-Head Fighting Game burat ratbu'', page 340</ref>

==Appearances==
===In video games===
Balrog appears in '']'' as the first of four CPU-controlled opponents at the end of the single-player tournament. Balrog would become a playable character in subsequent revisions of the game, beginning with '']''. Balrog is characterized as a belligerent street-raised boxer seeking the "]" and one of the "Four Devas" (], ''"Four Heavenly Kings"'') of Shadaloo.

His next major appearance was in '']''. Balrog was a CPU-controlled sub-boss in the arcade version who faced only certain characters and was only playable after certain requirements were met, but also selectable as a playable character via 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 '']'' and '']''. Balrog also appears in '']''.

Balrog appears in '']'' and '']'', once more serving Shadaloo in the hopes of making easy money. He appears in the crossover fighting game, '']'', with his official tag partner, ]. Balrog reappears in '']'' as one of the game's initial six DLC characters, released in July 2016.

====Gameplay====
As a boxer, Balrog generally does not fight with his feet. This makes him unique among the game's characters. Instead of possessing three punch attacks and three kick attacks like the rest of the cast, he has six punches, with the kick buttons generally (but not always) used for low blows while the punch buttons are used for high blows. He also has no projectile attacks, unlike many ''Street Fighter'' characters. Many of his special attacks, super combos and ultra combos consist of dash punches, some of which can pass through projectiles.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ryan Clements |url=http://ps3.ign.com/articles/949/949456p1.html |title=Street Fighter IV: Balrog - PlayStation 3 Preview at IGN |publisher=Ps3.ign.com |access-date=2011-11-05}}</ref>

===In other media===
In the 1994 anime film '']'', Balrog is portrayed as one of Bison's three top men like in the ''Street Fighter II'' games, serving as a representative and informant for Bison during a drug deal in Las Vegas and ends up fighting against E. Honda during the final battle. Honda defeats him off-screen and later carries him to safety. He is presumably handed over to the authorities after Bison is defeated by Ryu and Ken. In battle, he wears dark green cargo pants instead of his boxing trunks, and lacks his boxing gloves. He is voiced by ] in the original Japanese version and ] in the English dub.

In the 1994 live-action film version of '']'', Balrog is portrayed by ] and is a supporting protagonist, more specifically the ] in ]'s news crew. Like the other members (Chun-Li and ]), Balrog holds a grudge against the Shadaloo Tong, headed by Sagat, for ruining his boxing career, after apparently refusing to throw a match for them. Near the end of the film, he dons a purple variation of his regular outfit from the games and aids Guile, Chun-Li, Ryu and Ken in rescuing the hostages, and personally breaks the lock to the hostage chamber to free them. In the AN forces' files, he is listed as "'''Balrog, G'''"; the "G" could either stands for ''Gerard'' (the middle name of ''Mike Tyson''), or it could possibly be a homage to Grand L. Bush's first name. Balrog also appears in the arcade and home versions of the '']'' game.

The 1995 anime series '']'' features a significantly altered depiction of Balrog where he is a Shadaloo spy who has infiltrated Interpol. Balrog hires Cammy to assassinate Chun-Li{{'}}s father Dorai, under the false pretense that Dorai is the Shadaloo spy. Though Cammy carries out the assassination, Balrog later learns from his superiors that Dorai survived and Interpol are covering it up to lure the spy up. In a panic, Balrog demands that Cammy finish Dorai off, which leads to a fight between her and ] inside Dorai's hospital room, during which Cammy learns of Balrog's treachery. Balrog is later confronted by Cammy and he attempts to kill her, but with help from Fei-Long and the Interpol chief, he is subdued and arrested. Unlike in the games, Balrog never actually fights in the TV series and only appears in wearing boxing gear in concept art and during the show's second opening animation. He was voiced by ] in Japanese, while Joe Romersa reprises his role from ''Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie'' for the English dub.

In the 1995 '']'' animated series, Balrog appears as a computer programmer working for Bison. He appears in one episode only ("Medium is the Message"), where he was voiced by ].

In the 2009 '']'', Balrog is played by ]. He serves as Bison's bodyguard, and a feared gangster. He is killed by ]'s mentor ].

Lincoln Blake played Balrog in the fan film ''Street Fighter: Enter the Dragon''.<ref>{{cite web|date=April 30, 2021|title=Street Fighter: Enter the Dragon Live-Action Short Film|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcioOciRZk4|access-date=April 30, 2021|website=YouTube}}</ref> In the fan film ''Balrog: Behind The Glory'', Balrog's origin is elaborated on with the ''Mike Bison'' name his given name. He was played by Les Jennings. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1948526/ | title=Balrog: Behind the Glory | website=] }}</ref>

==Reception==
Balrog was voted 18th in ]'s own popularity poll of 85 characters for the 15th anniversary of ''Street Fighter''.<ref name="web.archive.org">{{cite web|url=//www2.geestore.com/sf15th2/sf15rank/ninkichara.html |title=キャラクターランキング |date=2005-12-19 |access-date=2011-11-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051219091936/http://www2.geestore.com/sf15th2/sf15rank/ninkichara.html |archive-date=December 19, 2005 }}</ref> ] ranked Balrog at number 15 in their list of top ''Street Fighter'' characters in 2008, noting his similarities to Tyson as well as his role as one of boxing's representatives in fighting games.<ref>. ]. Retrieved on 2008-08-15</ref> In 2009, ] named him one of gaming's greatest black characters, noting that while not the deepest character on the list, he had significant longevity as a ''Street Fighter'' series character and received praise for representing boxing in the game "alongside flashier martial arts".<ref>Swiderski, Adam (2009-02-25). . ]. Retrieved on 2009-02-26</ref> ] ranked him as 12th on a list of top ''Street Fighter'' characters in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|last=Furfari |first=Paul |url=http://www.ugo.com/games/top-50-street-fighter-characters?page=4 |title=Top 50 Street Fighter Characters |publisher=UGO.com |date=2010-08-25 |access-date=2014-06-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225044501/http://www.ugo.com/games/top-50-street-fighter-characters?page=4 |archive-date=December 25, 2013 }}</ref> ] wrote in a list of gaming's most satisfying uppercuts, "while it’s hardly Street Fighter’s most iconic or famous uppercut, the Dash Upper still packs a pretty nasty wallop."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/gamings-most-satisfying-uppercuts/?page=2 |title=Page 2 of Gaming's most satisfying uppercuts, Street Fighter x Tekken Xbox 360 Features |publisher=GamesRadar |date=2010-09-28 |access-date=2011-11-05}}</ref> ] listed Balrog as the 10th best fictional boxers, but criticized him by calling him "one of the worst video game bosses ever", citing that he could only punch.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/125335-the-10-greatest-fictional-boxers-of-all-time/page/2 |title=The 10 Greatest Fictional Boxers of All Time |website=Bleacher Report |date=2009-02-17 |access-date=2011-11-05}}</ref>

On the other hand, '']'' stated however Balrog "seems a little useless" in light of ], a boxer introduced in '']''.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.edge-online.com/magazine/feature-street-fighter-iv-unwrapped?page=0,1 |title=Street Fighter IV Unwrapped |magazine=] |author=Staff |date=2008-01-09 |access-date=2009-08-15}}</ref> In the official survey by ], Balrog was the fourth-least requested ''Street Fighter'' side character to be added to the roster of '']''.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813063608/https://fb.namcobandaigames.com/fbtekken/statistics_user.php?sid=78423 |date=August 13, 2012 }}</ref>

==References==
===General references===
*{{cite book|title=All About Capcom Head-to-Head Fighting Game 1987-2000|language=ja|date=September 2000|isbn=4-88554-676-1|series=A.A. Game History Series (Vol. 1)|author=Studio Bent Stuff|publisher=Dempa Publications, Inc.}}

===Inline citations===
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* Balrog's , , and entries at

{{Street Fighter series}}
{{Mike Tyson}}
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