Mike Haggar
Encyclopedia
, also known simply as Haggar, Mayor of Earth, is a fictional character
in the Final Fight series
of video games. Haggar first appeared in the 1989 Capcom
arcade game Final Fight and its subsequent sequels, later appearing in the Saturday Night Slam Masters
series of video games and various other video game appearances. In Namco x Capcom
, Haggar's Japanese voice actor was Tessho Genda and despite having spoken dialogue in Final Fight Streetwise, no English voice actor was attributed to the character. In Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
, Matt Riedy provides his voice.
, Haggar is a former professional wrestler turned mayor of Metro City, which is plagued by the Mad Gear gang: the most dominant street gang in the city. After he refuses their bribe, they kidnap his daughter Jessica in hopes of forcing Haggar into a reluctant cooperation with them. Haggar recruits the help of Jessica's boyfriend Cody and mutual friend Guy
to rescue her and defeat the gang. Haggar later appeared in the sequel games of Final Fight, in which he battles against a revived Mad Gear in Final Fight 2
in order to rescue Guy's girlfriend and sensei, and fighting against the Skull Cross gang in Final Fight 3
. He also appears in related titles such as Final Fight Revenge
, in which he fights against members of Mad Gear while searching for his missing daughter, and Mighty Final Fight
, which happens to be a parody of the original Final Fight. Haggar also appears in Final Fight Streetwise as a retired mayor in charge of a boat
repair shop and training gym, offering assistance to Cody's brother Kyle. While not playable in the game's story mode, he can be recruited as a temporary computer controlled ally and is playable in the game's arcade mode.
Beyond the Final Fight series, Haggar appears as a playable character in Saturday Night Slam Masters
and its two sequels, Muscle Bomber Duo and Ring of Destruction: Slam Masters 2. He was also intended to appear in the canceled 3D fighting game Capcom Fighting All-Stars
as a selectable character, reprising his role as mayor to save Metro City from a bomb attack. He also appears as one of several playable characters in the crossover game Namco × Capcom, and as a character card in each of the SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash
titles. Haggar appears as a playable character in the crossover fighting games Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
.
Haggar has also made several cameo appearances such as in Alexs ending sequence for Capcom Fighting Evolution; in the backgrounds of Guy's Final Fight
-inspired stages in Street Fighter Alpha 2
, Street Fighter Alpha 3
, and Super Street Fighter IV
; Chun-Li
s background in Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
; and with Zangief wearing his clothing as an alternate outfit in Street Fighter IV
.
Mike Haggar makes a brief appearance in one of the 2011 trailers for Street Fighter X Tekken
where he gets beaten by King. He also appears within one of the game's stages, chasing fellow Final Fight character Sodom
.
cartoon episode "Final Fight". While the plot followed that of the same arcade game, Haggar was unable to act against the Mad Gear gang due to them holding Jessica hostage, and instead recruited the help of Ryu
and Ken to rescue her, along with Cody and Guy. He reappears at the conclusion of the episode to be reunited with his daughter shortly before Mad Gear's defeat. Haggar also appears as a Mayor
in the online flash cartoons Weebl and Bob
's Team Laser Explosion.
as one of the heroes of classic video gaming. In August 2009, GamesTM
featured him in their "Hall of Fame", describing his character background as "wonderfully layered", with his aspects of being a father, a hard-working mayor, and former wrestler giving him "a sense of humanity" and "instantly memorable". They went on to state that without the character, the Final Fight series would not be as notable, calling Haggar "integral to its charm". Nintendo Power
listed Mike Haggar as having one of the best mustaches.
Haggar has been called one of the best and most enjoyable characters to use in the Final Fight series by reviewers of the titles, and GamesRadar
described him as "arguably the most beloved character to come out of the Final Fight series", expressing their wishes to see him appear in Super Street Fighter IV
. He ranked third in Electronic Gaming Monthly
’s list of the top ten video game politicians, in which he was compared directly to former Minnesota
governor and wrestler Jesse Ventura
. In another article, they praised the character's behavior and actions in Final Fight, citing him as their favorite aspect of Capcom Classics Collection
and stating "You'd have to be a damn communist not to vote for this guy". IGN
listed him as a character they hoped to see as an unlockable character in home ports of Street Fighter IV
, noting his fighting style as "a perfect fit" for the title; they later named him one of their favorite wrestlers in video games. Gamespy
named him one of the "25 Extremely Rough Brawlers" in video gaming, praising the brutality of his fighting style. GameDaily
named Haggar one of their favorite Capcom characters of all time, placing him 18th on their "Top 25" list, and later named him one of their favorite heavily muscled characters in video games.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Final Fight series
Final Fight
is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up game originally released by Capcom as a coin-operated video game in . It was the seventh game released by Capcom for their CP System arcade game hardware...
of video games. Haggar first appeared in the 1989 Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
arcade game Final Fight and its subsequent sequels, later appearing in the Saturday Night Slam Masters
Saturday Night Slam Masters
Saturday Night Slam Masters, known in Japan as , is a 1993 pro wrestling arcade game released for the CP System by Capcom. The game features character designs by manga artist Tetsuo Hara, famous for Fist of the North Star....
series of video games and various other video game appearances. In Namco x Capcom
Namco x Capcom
is an action RPG/tactical RPG hybrid game for the PlayStation 2 console, developed by Monolith Soft and featuring characters from games produced by companies Namco and Capcom.- Storyline :...
, Haggar's Japanese voice actor was Tessho Genda and despite having spoken dialogue in Final Fight Streetwise, no English voice actor was attributed to the character. In Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom. It features Capcom's own characters and characters from American comic book company Marvel Comics. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel vs...
, Matt Riedy provides his voice.
Design and characteristics
Haggar is depicted in the original Final Fight wearing olive-colored trousers with brown shoes and a brown strap over his right shoulder, which is the usual depiction of the character. Some games deviate slightly from this design. For example, in the Slam Masters series, he wears green tights with a red trim and brown wrestling boots. By the events of Final Fight 3, he is given a pony-tail hairstyle and wears green bicycle shorts as part of his outfit.Appearances
Introduced as one of the three playable characters in Final FightFinal Fight
is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up game originally released by Capcom as a coin-operated video game in . It was the seventh game released by Capcom for their CP System arcade game hardware...
, Haggar is a former professional wrestler turned mayor of Metro City, which is plagued by the Mad Gear gang: the most dominant street gang in the city. After he refuses their bribe, they kidnap his daughter Jessica in hopes of forcing Haggar into a reluctant cooperation with them. Haggar recruits the help of Jessica's boyfriend Cody and mutual friend Guy
Guy (Final Fight)
is a video game character who first appears in the 1989 arcade beat-em-up Final Fight by Capcom. Guy would later reemerge, along with other Final Fight characters, as a fighting game character in Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams and its sequels...
to rescue her and defeat the gang. Haggar later appeared in the sequel games of Final Fight, in which he battles against a revived Mad Gear in Final Fight 2
Final Fight 2
Final Fight 2 is a side-scrolling beat 'em up released by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in . It is a sequel to the coin-operated video game Final Fight...
in order to rescue Guy's girlfriend and sensei, and fighting against the Skull Cross gang in Final Fight 3
Final Fight 3
Final Fight 3, released in Japan as , is a side-scrolling beat 'em up by Capcom originally released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in...
. He also appears in related titles such as Final Fight Revenge
Final Fight Revenge
is a 1999 American-developed 3D one-on-one fighting game. The game was produced by the American division of Capcom , the same team that later produced Maximo: Ghosts to Glory and Final Fight: Streetwise. Final Fight Revenge was released for the arcades on July 1999 and ran on the Sega ST-V arcade...
, in which he fights against members of Mad Gear while searching for his missing daughter, and Mighty Final Fight
Mighty Final Fight
Mighty Final Fight is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up released by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System in . It is a spinoff of Capcom's arcade game Final Fight, which was previously ported to the Super NES in two different editions...
, which happens to be a parody of the original Final Fight. Haggar also appears in Final Fight Streetwise as a retired mayor in charge of a boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
repair shop and training gym, offering assistance to Cody's brother Kyle. While not playable in the game's story mode, he can be recruited as a temporary computer controlled ally and is playable in the game's arcade mode.
Beyond the Final Fight series, Haggar appears as a playable character in Saturday Night Slam Masters
Saturday Night Slam Masters
Saturday Night Slam Masters, known in Japan as , is a 1993 pro wrestling arcade game released for the CP System by Capcom. The game features character designs by manga artist Tetsuo Hara, famous for Fist of the North Star....
and its two sequels, Muscle Bomber Duo and Ring of Destruction: Slam Masters 2. He was also intended to appear in the canceled 3D fighting game Capcom Fighting All-Stars
Capcom Fighting All-Stars
Capcom Fighting All-Stars: Code Holder was a 3D fighting game planned for the arcade and PlayStation 2 that was to be developed by Capcom. Like KOF: Maximum Impact, it was designed to translate a 2D fighting game series into 3D. This was done previously in the Street Fighter EX series, which...
as a selectable character, reprising his role as mayor to save Metro City from a bomb attack. He also appears as one of several playable characters in the crossover game Namco × Capcom, and as a character card in each of the SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash
SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash
SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash is a series of SNK Playmore games between 1999 and 2006 for hand-held consoles.This game has a CCG theme, spun off from the popular series of fighting games by SNK and Capcom, and also including references to many other kinds of games from both companies. The...
titles. Haggar appears as a playable character in the crossover fighting games Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom. It features Capcom's own characters and characters from American comic book company Marvel Comics. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel vs...
and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom. It is an updated version of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. After the events of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami disrupted the development schedule for downloadable content for the original game, the additional content was made into a...
.
Haggar has also made several cameo appearances such as in Alexs ending sequence for Capcom Fighting Evolution; in the backgrounds of Guy's Final Fight
Final Fight
is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up game originally released by Capcom as a coin-operated video game in . It was the seventh game released by Capcom for their CP System arcade game hardware...
-inspired stages in Street Fighter Alpha 2
Street Fighter Alpha 2
Street Fighter Alpha 2, known as in Japan, Asia and South America, is a fighting game originally released for the CPS II arcade hardware by Capcom. The game is both a sequel and a remake to the previous years Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams, which is itself a prequel to the Street Fighter...
, Street Fighter Alpha 3
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Street Fighter Alpha 3, known as in Japan and Asia, is a fighting game by Capcom originally released for the CPS II arcade hardware. It is the third game in the Street Fighter Alpha series, following Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams and Street Fighter Alpha 2...
, and Super Street Fighter IV
Super Street Fighter IV
is a 2010 fighting game produced by Capcom. It is an updated version of Street Fighter IV and has been said to mark the definitive end of the Street Fighter IV series. Having been deemed as too large an update to be deployed as DLC, the game was made into a standalone title, but given a lower price...
; Chun-Li
Chun-Li
is a video game character produced by Capcom. First introduced in Street Fighter II, she has since appeared as a player character in nearly all subsequent games....
s background in Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, released in Japan as and commonly referred to as Puzzle Fighter, is a one or two player puzzle game first released in the spring of 1996 by Capcom on the CPS II arcade system...
; and with Zangief wearing his clothing as an alternate outfit in Street Fighter IV
Street Fighter IV
is a fighting game produced by Capcom. It is the first numbered Street Fighter game released by Capcom since . The coin-operated arcade game was released in Japan on July 18, 2008, with North American arcades importing the machines by August...
.
Mike Haggar makes a brief appearance in one of the 2011 trailers for Street Fighter X Tekken
Street Fighter X Tekken
is an upcoming crossover fighting game being developed by Capcom. The game was announced at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International by Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono. The game is set to release on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation Vita sometime in March 2012. The game...
where he gets beaten by King. He also appears within one of the game's stages, chasing fellow Final Fight character Sodom
Sodom
- Places :* Sodom and Gomorrah, infamous Biblical cities* Sodom, Ontario, Canada* Mount Sodom or Mount Sedom, Israel* Mount Sudum and valley near Lund Khwar, Pakistan Lund Khwar#Holy war against the Sikh* Winschoten or Sodom, Netherlands...
.
In other media
Haggar appears in the American Street FighterStreet Fighter (TV series)
Street Fighter is an American animated series produced by InVision Entertainment based on the Street Fighter live action movie, which was in turn based on the Street Fighter video game franchise. The series aired as part of the USA Network's Cartoon Express and Action Extreme Team lineups...
cartoon episode "Final Fight". While the plot followed that of the same arcade game, Haggar was unable to act against the Mad Gear gang due to them holding Jessica hostage, and instead recruited the help of Ryu
Ryu (Street Fighter)
is a video game player character created by Capcom, the main protagonist of the Street Fighter series. Having premiered in the first Street Fighter in 1987, Ryu appears as the lead character from the game along with his best friend Ken Masters participating in the Street Fighter tournament...
and Ken to rescue her, along with Cody and Guy. He reappears at the conclusion of the episode to be reunited with his daughter shortly before Mad Gear's defeat. Haggar also appears as a Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
in the online flash cartoons Weebl and Bob
Weebl and Bob
The Everyday Happenings of Weebl is a Flash cartoon series created by Jonti Picking and co-scripted by Chris Vick .-Main summary:...
's Team Laser Explosion.
Critical reception
Noted as the star of the Final Fight series, Haggar has been described as both iconic and one of the most unforgettable characters in gaming history. Haggar was named by Gamest magazine the best video game character of 1990, placing first in their top fifty characters list and appearing on the issue's cover, and later named the forty-fifth best character of 1993. In 2006, he was cited by Retro GamerRetro Gamer
Retro Gamer is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Although launched as a quarterly publication, Retro Gamers soon became a monthly...
as one of the heroes of classic video gaming. In August 2009, GamesTM
GamesTM
GamesTM is a UK-based, multi-format video games magazine, covering many video game platforms including PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 2, PC games, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS and Arcade machines...
featured him in their "Hall of Fame", describing his character background as "wonderfully layered", with his aspects of being a father, a hard-working mayor, and former wrestler giving him "a sense of humanity" and "instantly memorable". They went on to state that without the character, the Final Fight series would not be as notable, calling Haggar "integral to its charm". Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
listed Mike Haggar as having one of the best mustaches.
Haggar has been called one of the best and most enjoyable characters to use in the Final Fight series by reviewers of the titles, and GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
described him as "arguably the most beloved character to come out of the Final Fight series", expressing their wishes to see him appear in Super Street Fighter IV
Super Street Fighter IV
is a 2010 fighting game produced by Capcom. It is an updated version of Street Fighter IV and has been said to mark the definitive end of the Street Fighter IV series. Having been deemed as too large an update to be deployed as DLC, the game was made into a standalone title, but given a lower price...
. He ranked third in Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
’s list of the top ten video game politicians, in which he was compared directly to former Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
governor and wrestler Jesse Ventura
Jesse Ventura
James George Janos , better known as Jesse Ventura, is an American politician, the 38th Governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003, Navy UDT veteran, former SEAL reservist, actor, and former radio and television talk show host...
. In another article, they praised the character's behavior and actions in Final Fight, citing him as their favorite aspect of Capcom Classics Collection
Capcom Classics Collection
Capcom Classics Collection is a compilation of arcade games released by Capcom for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox on September 27, 2005. It was developed by Digital Eclipse Software . A second volume, Capcom Classics Collection Vol...
and stating "You'd have to be a damn communist not to vote for this guy". IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
listed him as a character they hoped to see as an unlockable character in home ports of Street Fighter IV
Street Fighter IV
is a fighting game produced by Capcom. It is the first numbered Street Fighter game released by Capcom since . The coin-operated arcade game was released in Japan on July 18, 2008, with North American arcades importing the machines by August...
, noting his fighting style as "a perfect fit" for the title; they later named him one of their favorite wrestlers in video games. Gamespy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
named him one of the "25 Extremely Rough Brawlers" in video gaming, praising the brutality of his fighting style. GameDaily
GameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
named Haggar one of their favorite Capcom characters of all time, placing him 18th on their "Top 25" list, and later named him one of their favorite heavily muscled characters in video games.