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Rufus (Street Fighter)
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character
in the Street Fighter
series of video games. Designed by Daigo Ikeno for Capcom
's development team, he first appeared in the arcade version of Street Fighter IV
and later in related promotions and media for the title. A very large, overweight martial artist, Rufus seeks to defeat Ken Masters
, angered by his claim of being the "number one fighter in America". Along the way he instead fights many people he confuses for Ken due to similar attire or hair color, regardless of gender. The character is voiced by Wataru Hatano
in Japanese, and Chris Kent
in English.
Since Rufus's introduction, the character has received a mostly positive reception. Sources such as IGN
praised him as the best of the new characters introduced in Street Fighter IV, while Anime News Network
described the character as engaging. Though some criticism has been made over the character's design and aesthetic, the majority have praised the character as exceeding expectations based solely on his appearance.
While previous Street Fighter titles relied almost solely on Capcom's Research and Development branch, the development team instead allowed other branches of the company to give input on the design of new characters, due to the influx of fan requests from outside of Japan. Rufus was designed based upon marketing research on what sorts of characters an American audience would enjoy playing, and was one of several characters considered for inclusion during the game's development.
Designed by Daigo Ikeno, Rufus was initially intended to be a bald slender African American
male wearing martial artist robes named "King Cobra", meant to be a more acrobatic counterpart to series characters Ryu
and Ken
and voiced by Wataru Hatano
. His fighting style was intended to be "breakung-fu", mixing elements of kung fu with breakdancing, which they perceived as a fad in the United States at the time, and Ikeno developed the character's concept around it. Midway through the process of recording the character's lines however, art director Takashi Kamei proposed that they have the character be overweight, an idea Ikeno agreed with. As a result, the design was gradually changed completely, becoming more obese and turned into a blonde, long haired white male, a design which Ikeno later admitted was in fact rushed. The changed appearance surprised many of Capcom's staff members, including Hatano, who remarked "Wait, is that my character?" Rufus final appearance was chosen over his initial design because the developers felt he would "freak people out". Street Fighter IVs executive producer Yoshinori Ono likened his inclusion to that of Blanka
in Street Fighter II
, noting that the character's "over-the-top" design was intended to help set the game apart from Tekken
and Virtua Fighter.
In an interview, Ono noted they made Rufus intentionally silly, adding that he could be called an "American Dan
" in terms of being a joke character in the game's roster. He later referred to Rufus as "quite grotesque to look at" when describing the new characters for the game. When asked about comparisons between Rufus and Bob, a character introduced by Namco
for their Tekken series around the same time, Ono emphasized that the characters were different in many regards, and while Bob represented a "cool fat guy", Rufus represented a "weird fat guy". Other Capcom staff members including community manager Seth Killian have received the character warmly, noting Rufus as their favorite new character in the series.
Street Fighter IV sound director Masayuki Endou developed the character's musical theme for the title with a "freewheeling spirit" in mind due to Rufus's motorcycle and personality, utilizing an American drummer and drum set for parts of the theme. Feeling it would be an interesting approach, Hatano's recorded voice samples to be incorporated into the character's background music. The development team agreed, feeling that his voice gave the character presence and fit Rufus' overall image.
Rufus is depicted as a large, heavily obese blond male. His head is mostly bald, with a long braided ponytail jutting from the top, and a mustache extending down the sides of his mouth to his chin. His clothing consists of a yellow and black sleeveless jumpsuit with padded shoulders, with the closing straps left open due to his girth and exposing the center of his torso and lower abdominal hair
. Black shoes cover his feet, while black fingerless gloves cover his hands and most of his forearms. His secondary outfit is similar, changing the jumpsuit to a dark blue and green version with sleeves and a raised collar, additionally removing the gloves and changing his hairstyle to a double ponytail. Other alternate designs were considered but rejected, amongst which included an Elvis impersonator
appearance and martial artist attire. Rufus stands tall, and weighs 185 kilograms (407.9 lb).
For Super Street Fighter IV
, a third outfit intended to resemble the Chinese
Jiang Shi was included, consisting of a long Chinese robe, black hat with his ponytail extruding from the top, yellow and black striped pants, and a yellow strip of paper meant to represent a sealing charm extending from the front of the hat and over his face. The developers considered to have the charm able to be knocked off by an opponent's attacks, and as a result alter his attack patterns and power; however, they felt this overcomplicated the character, and instead abandoned the idea. Assistant producer Natsuki Shiozawa cited the outfit as one of her five favorites in the game, feeling that design suited his body well.
is declared the best fighter in America. Per Candy's suggestion that he find and defeat Ken to prove himself as the best, he declares Ken as his rival
and sets out to find him. However, along the way he repeatedly mistakes other fighters for Ken, attacking similarly dressed or blonde people regardless of gender, and blames the mistaken identities on his belief Ken is using decoy
s to delay him, notably, the character Abel. He eventually confronts Ken, who states he does not know who Rufus is, which angers him further before they fight. In the game's conclusion, Rufus is shown pushing his broken down motorcycle uphill with Candy on board, using it as training and blaming Ken for the predicament. At the conclusion of Super Street Fighter IV
, Rufus repairs his motorcycle and at Candy's request for a colder climate, heads due north to the North Pole
. Rufus is also going to appear in the crossover game Street Fighter X Tekken
.
Outside of the video game, Rufus has also appeared in UDON
's Street Fighter comic series. First appearing in their Street Fighter II Turbo comic in February 2009, Rufus is shown to hate Ken for being named the best fighter in America as well as for the media attention he receives, feeling Ken put no effort into the achievement. Taking Candy along with him, Rufus sets out to find and defeat Ken at the story's conclusion. Later appearing in the second issue of UDON's Street Fighter IV comic book, Rufus attempts to find him through his friend Sakura Kasugano
, defeating Dan Hibiki
in the process but is himself defeated afterwards.
of his body fat, accompanied by martial artist yells and shouts.
Rufus's gameplay has been compared to the fighting styles used by Street Fighter III characters Yun and Yang by the development team, notably in regards to his diving kick attack, and emphasized mobility while attacking. Other attacks were designed as a means to negate enemy offensives, such as the Galactic Tornado, which destroys enemy projectiles while drawing the opponent closer to Rufus for a final strike. His Ultra Combo, Space Opera Symphony, is a barrage of attacks that requires close proximity to the opponent, dealing several blows and ending in a final upwards blast.
In Super Street Fighter IV, a second Ultra Combo named "Big Bang Typhoon" was added, consisting of Rufus spinning his body with arms outward in a tornado-inspired fashion. The attack was designed to have deceptive range, but a long startup period. In addition, several attacks were altered in terms of range and damage. This in turn gave the development team trouble and relied on a lot of "trial and error" to balance the character.
of the character is included in Xbox Live
themes. Worldwide restaurants Wan Zhu Ji and Benitora Gyoza Bo offered four Street Fighter IV themed meals, which included a nimono meat dish named after the character. At organized events, Capcom distributed a limited series of Street Fighter IV cards to promote the arcade title, one of which features Rufus in a fighting stance.
Rufus has received mostly positive reception since his debut. GameDaily
named Rufus the strangest of the new characters introduced in Street Fighter IV, placing him 12th on their "Most Bizarre Fighting Characters" list and noting his high attack speed despite his weight. IGN
described Rufus as one of the most interesting new characters introduced in the title, due to the "juxtaposition between his comical size and impressive speed" and added that his attack set "shows that if you can get past Rufus' comical exterior, a capable fighter hides within." IGN AU stated that while they felt the character was the ugliest in the game, they enjoyed his unpredictability and acrobatics, as well as his attitude. 1UP.com
called Rufus a worthy addition to the series, "despite...outward, me-too appearances". Anime News Network
described Rufus as well-designed and engaging, despite initial reservations regarding the character. VideoGamer.com praised Rufus as one of the game's better new characters in the title, in heavy contrast to other additions such as Crimson Viper. GameTrailers
praised the character and noted he "definitely offered something different", adding "You may not have expected a game's most obvious jiggle physics to apply to a male character." Stars and Stripes
noted the level of detail in Rufus's animations and movements, describing his mobility as "weirdly awesome".
In contrast, Doug Buel of The Tampa Tribune
considered Rufus a character the game could have done without, describing him as "an obnoxious, overweight fighter with a big mouth", additionally citing the character as the game's worst feature. GameSpot
described him as "a bit of a sight gag", though noting his speed as "deceptive". A reviewer for the New Straits Times
felt that though the character stood out from the other newcomers, his play was too "lethargic". Giant Bomb
's Jeff Gerstmann
noted that the character was "a bit out of place" with the rest of the cast, describing him as a "big, bobbing belly with appendages", though he added that Rufus was feasible as a playable character.
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 Street Fighter
Street Fighter
, commonly abbreviated as SF, is a series of Fighting Games developed in Japan in which the players pit the video games' competitive fighters from around the world, each with his or her own unique fighting style, against one another...
series of video games. Designed by Daigo Ikeno for 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...
's development team, he first appeared in the arcade version 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...
and later in related promotions and media for the title. A very large, overweight martial artist, Rufus seeks to defeat Ken Masters
Ken Masters
, originally spelled in Japanese as , is a video game character created by Capcom. As a main character, he has appeared in all of the Street Fighter games along with his best friend and rival, Ryu...
, angered by his claim of being the "number one fighter in America". Along the way he instead fights many people he confuses for Ken due to similar attire or hair color, regardless of gender. The character is voiced by Wataru Hatano
Wataru Hatano
, is a seiyū who works for 81 Produce.His name is often mistakenly written as 波多野 渉 or 羽田野 渉. At the second annual Seiyū Awards in 2008, Wataru won the Best Male Rookie Award for his roles as Sam Houston in Toward the Terra and Tenshi Yuri in Saint Beast: Kouin Jojishi Tenshitan.-TV animation:*07...
in Japanese, and Chris Kent
Christopher Corey Smith
Christopher Corey Smith is an American voice actor, mostly working in the anime dubbing and video game industry. Smith began his movie career as a set dresser in 1986, and has been voice acting since 1992...
in English.
Since Rufus's introduction, the character has received a mostly positive reception. Sources such as 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...
praised him as the best of the new characters introduced in Street Fighter IV, while Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
described the character as engaging. Though some criticism has been made over the character's design and aesthetic, the majority have praised the character as exceeding expectations based solely on his appearance.
Character design
Designed by Daigo Ikeno, Rufus was initially intended to be a bald slender African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
male wearing martial artist robes named "King Cobra", meant to be a more acrobatic counterpart to series characters 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
Ken Masters
, originally spelled in Japanese as , is a video game character created by Capcom. As a main character, he has appeared in all of the Street Fighter games along with his best friend and rival, Ryu...
and voiced by Wataru Hatano
Wataru Hatano
, is a seiyū who works for 81 Produce.His name is often mistakenly written as 波多野 渉 or 羽田野 渉. At the second annual Seiyū Awards in 2008, Wataru won the Best Male Rookie Award for his roles as Sam Houston in Toward the Terra and Tenshi Yuri in Saint Beast: Kouin Jojishi Tenshitan.-TV animation:*07...
. His fighting style was intended to be "breakung-fu", mixing elements of kung fu with breakdancing, which they perceived as a fad in the United States at the time, and Ikeno developed the character's concept around it. Midway through the process of recording the character's lines however, art director Takashi Kamei proposed that they have the character be overweight, an idea Ikeno agreed with. As a result, the design was gradually changed completely, becoming more obese and turned into a blonde, long haired white male, a design which Ikeno later admitted was in fact rushed. The changed appearance surprised many of Capcom's staff members, including Hatano, who remarked "Wait, is that my character?" Rufus final appearance was chosen over his initial design because the developers felt he would "freak people out". Street Fighter IVs executive producer Yoshinori Ono likened his inclusion to that of Blanka
Blanka
is a video game character from the Street Fighter series of fighting games. Blanka is depicted as a feral savage, with green skin and long orange hair, resembling a monster more than a human...
in Street Fighter II
Street Fighter II
is a competitive fighting game originally released for the arcades in . It is the arcade sequel to the original Street Fighter released in and was Capcom's fourteenth title that ran on the CP System arcade hardware...
, noting that the character's "over-the-top" design was intended to help set the game apart from Tekken
Tekken (video game)
Tekken is a fighting game and is the first of the series. It was released at arcades in late 1994 and on the PlayStation in 1995. A simplified "arcade" version of the game was later released in Tekken 5s Arcade History mode. It was developed and published by Namco...
and Virtua Fighter.
In an interview, Ono noted they made Rufus intentionally silly, adding that he could be called an "American Dan
Dan Hibiki
is a video game character from Capcom's Street Fighter series of fighting games. Introduced in Street Fighter Alpha, Dan is consistently portrayed as an arrogant, overconfident, yet utterly feeble character.-Concept and creation:...
" in terms of being a joke character in the game's roster. He later referred to Rufus as "quite grotesque to look at" when describing the new characters for the game. When asked about comparisons between Rufus and Bob, a character introduced by Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
for their Tekken series around the same time, Ono emphasized that the characters were different in many regards, and while Bob represented a "cool fat guy", Rufus represented a "weird fat guy". Other Capcom staff members including community manager Seth Killian have received the character warmly, noting Rufus as their favorite new character in the series.
Street Fighter IV sound director Masayuki Endou developed the character's musical theme for the title with a "freewheeling spirit" in mind due to Rufus's motorcycle and personality, utilizing an American drummer and drum set for parts of the theme. Feeling it would be an interesting approach, Hatano's recorded voice samples to be incorporated into the character's background music. The development team agreed, feeling that his voice gave the character presence and fit Rufus' overall image.
Personality and attributes
Rufus is an American motorcycle repair shop mechanic. Using a self-taught fighting style from watching martial arts films and putting his own spin on the attacks, he believes he is handsome and America's best martial artist. Rufus takes himself very seriously in this regard, to the point of referring to himself as "Lord Rufus" and regarding rude people as beneath him. Capcom describes the character as having a hasty personality, prone to jumping to conclusions to achieve a goal and sacrificing accuracy for speed. Rufus tends to speak in a long-winded manner, demonstrated through considerably long victory quotes at the end of fights. His girlfriend, Candy, accompanies him as a result of him protecting her from an angry waiter she attempted to bilk and paying the bill.Rufus is depicted as a large, heavily obese blond male. His head is mostly bald, with a long braided ponytail jutting from the top, and a mustache extending down the sides of his mouth to his chin. His clothing consists of a yellow and black sleeveless jumpsuit with padded shoulders, with the closing straps left open due to his girth and exposing the center of his torso and lower abdominal hair
Abdominal hair
The term abdominal hair refers to the hair that grows on the abdomen of humans and non-human mammals, in the region between the pubic area and the thorax . The growth of abdominal hair follows the same pattern on nearly all mammals, vertically from the pubic area upwards and from the thorax...
. Black shoes cover his feet, while black fingerless gloves cover his hands and most of his forearms. His secondary outfit is similar, changing the jumpsuit to a dark blue and green version with sleeves and a raised collar, additionally removing the gloves and changing his hairstyle to a double ponytail. Other alternate designs were considered but rejected, amongst which included an Elvis impersonator
Elvis impersonator
An Elvis impersonator is someone who impersonates or copies famed American musician Elvis Presley. Professional Elvis impersonators can work all over the world as entertainers, and such tribute acts are in great demand due to the unique iconic status of Elvis...
appearance and martial artist attire. Rufus stands tall, and weighs 185 kilograms (407.9 lb).
For 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...
, a third outfit intended to resemble the Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
Jiang Shi was included, consisting of a long Chinese robe, black hat with his ponytail extruding from the top, yellow and black striped pants, and a yellow strip of paper meant to represent a sealing charm extending from the front of the hat and over his face. The developers considered to have the charm able to be knocked off by an opponent's attacks, and as a result alter his attack patterns and power; however, they felt this overcomplicated the character, and instead abandoned the idea. Assistant producer Natsuki Shiozawa cited the outfit as one of her five favorites in the game, feeling that design suited his body well.
Appearances
Introduced in the 2008 video game Street Fighter IV, Rufus is angered that martial artist Ken MastersKen Masters
, originally spelled in Japanese as , is a video game character created by Capcom. As a main character, he has appeared in all of the Street Fighter games along with his best friend and rival, Ryu...
is declared the best fighter in America. Per Candy's suggestion that he find and defeat Ken to prove himself as the best, he declares Ken as his rival
Sports rivalry
A sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes. This pressure of competition is felt by players, coaches, and management, but is perhaps felt strongest by the fans. The intensity of the rivalry varies from a friendly competition on one end to serious violence on the...
and sets out to find him. However, along the way he repeatedly mistakes other fighters for Ken, attacking similarly dressed or blonde people regardless of gender, and blames the mistaken identities on his belief Ken is using decoy
Decoy
A decoy is usually a person, device or event meant as a distraction, to conceal what an individual or a group might be looking for. Decoys have been used for centuries most notably in game hunting, but also in wartime and in the committing or resolving of crimes.-Duck decoy:The term duck decoy may...
s to delay him, notably, the character Abel. He eventually confronts Ken, who states he does not know who Rufus is, which angers him further before they fight. In the game's conclusion, Rufus is shown pushing his broken down motorcycle uphill with Candy on board, using it as training and blaming Ken for the predicament. At the conclusion of 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...
, Rufus repairs his motorcycle and at Candy's request for a colder climate, heads due north to the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
. Rufus is also going to appear in the crossover game 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...
.
Outside of the video game, Rufus has also appeared in UDON
UDON
UDON Entertainment Corporation is a studio of Asian-influenced comic book creators that provides creative services to the entertainment industry. The company is a publisher of comic books, graphic novels, and art books, as well as English editions of Japanese manga and Korean manhwa titles. Erik...
's Street Fighter comic series. First appearing in their Street Fighter II Turbo comic in February 2009, Rufus is shown to hate Ken for being named the best fighter in America as well as for the media attention he receives, feeling Ken put no effort into the achievement. Taking Candy along with him, Rufus sets out to find and defeat Ken at the story's conclusion. Later appearing in the second issue of UDON's Street Fighter IV comic book, Rufus attempts to find him through his friend Sakura Kasugano
Sakura Kasugano
is a player character in the Street Fighter series of fighting games. Sakura is portrayed in the series as a young Japanese schoolgirl who idolizes Ryu, whom she wants to be trained by.-In video games:...
, defeating Dan Hibiki
Dan Hibiki
is a video game character from Capcom's Street Fighter series of fighting games. Introduced in Street Fighter Alpha, Dan is consistently portrayed as an arrogant, overconfident, yet utterly feeble character.-Concept and creation:...
in the process but is himself defeated afterwards.
Gameplay
Rufus was purposefully made faster than his outward appearance would indicate and given the ability to string his attacks together more readily, in order to "[defy] expectations based on what he looks like", and to contrast against other large characters in fighting games. During development of his attacks, the developers devised several options for his fighting style, considering different ways to combine it with his appearance. After considering his design, they decided to allow his movements to be quick and strengthened by the inertiaInertia
Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion or rest, or the tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion. It is proportional to an object's mass. The principle of inertia is one of the fundamental principles of classical physics which are used to...
of his body fat, accompanied by martial artist yells and shouts.
Rufus's gameplay has been compared to the fighting styles used by Street Fighter III characters Yun and Yang by the development team, notably in regards to his diving kick attack, and emphasized mobility while attacking. Other attacks were designed as a means to negate enemy offensives, such as the Galactic Tornado, which destroys enemy projectiles while drawing the opponent closer to Rufus for a final strike. His Ultra Combo, Space Opera Symphony, is a barrage of attacks that requires close proximity to the opponent, dealing several blows and ending in a final upwards blast.
In Super Street Fighter IV, a second Ultra Combo named "Big Bang Typhoon" was added, consisting of Rufus spinning his body with arms outward in a tornado-inspired fashion. The attack was designed to have deceptive range, but a long startup period. In addition, several attacks were altered in terms of range and damage. This in turn gave the development team trouble and relied on a lot of "trial and error" to balance the character.
Promotion and reception
To promote Street Fighter IV and the character, artwork of Rufus including hand-drawn spritesSprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
of the character is included in Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
themes. Worldwide restaurants Wan Zhu Ji and Benitora Gyoza Bo offered four Street Fighter IV themed meals, which included a nimono meat dish named after the character. At organized events, Capcom distributed a limited series of Street Fighter IV cards to promote the arcade title, one of which features Rufus in a fighting stance.
Rufus has received mostly positive reception since his debut. 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 Rufus the strangest of the new characters introduced in Street Fighter IV, placing him 12th on their "Most Bizarre Fighting Characters" list and noting his high attack speed despite his weight. 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...
described Rufus as one of the most interesting new characters introduced in the title, due to the "juxtaposition between his comical size and impressive speed" and added that his attack set "shows that if you can get past Rufus' comical exterior, a capable fighter hides within." IGN AU stated that while they felt the character was the ugliest in the game, they enjoyed his unpredictability and acrobatics, as well as his attitude. 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
called Rufus a worthy addition to the series, "despite...outward, me-too appearances". Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
described Rufus as well-designed and engaging, despite initial reservations regarding the character. VideoGamer.com praised Rufus as one of the game's better new characters in the title, in heavy contrast to other additions such as Crimson Viper. GameTrailers
GameTrailers
GameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
praised the character and noted he "definitely offered something different", adding "You may not have expected a game's most obvious jiggle physics to apply to a male character." Stars and Stripes
Stars and Stripes (newspaper)
Stars and Stripes is a news source that operates from inside the United States Department of Defense but is editorially separate from it. The First Amendment protection which Stars and Stripes enjoys is safeguarded by Congress to whom an independent ombudsman, who serves the readers' interests,...
noted the level of detail in Rufus's animations and movements, describing his mobility as "weirdly awesome".
In contrast, Doug Buel of The Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune, published in Tampa, Florida, is one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area, second in circulation and readership to the St. Petersburg Times. The paper's tagline is "Life...
considered Rufus a character the game could have done without, describing him as "an obnoxious, overweight fighter with a big mouth", additionally citing the character as the game's worst feature. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
described him as "a bit of a sight gag", though noting his speed as "deceptive". A reviewer for the New Straits Times
New Straits Times
The New Straits Times is an English-language newspaper published in Malaysia. It is Malaysia's oldest newspaper still in print , having been founded as The Straits Times in 1845, and was reestablished as the "New Straits Times" in 1965. The paper served as Malaysia's only broadsheet format English...
felt that though the character stood out from the other newcomers, his play was too "lethargic". Giant Bomb
Giant Bomb
Giant Bomb is an American video game website and wiki that includes gaming news, reviews, commentary, and video, created by former GameSpot editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis in collaboration with Whiskey Media...
's Jeff Gerstmann
Jeff Gerstmann
Jeff Gerstmann is an American video game journalist and former editorial director of the gaming website GameSpot and the founder of the gaming website Giant Bomb. He began working at GameSpot in the fall of 1996, around the launch of VideoGameSpot when GameSpot separated PC and console games into...
noted that the character was "a bit out of place" with the rest of the cast, describing him as a "big, bobbing belly with appendages", though he added that Rufus was feasible as a playable character.