Zangief
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character
in the Street Fighter
series of video games. Created by Akira Yasuda
for Capcom
, Zangief first appeared in Street Fighter II
, later appearing in other games, media, and promotions related to the Street Fighter franchise. Zangief is considered to be the first fighting game character whose moveset is centered around grappling.
, Zangief was initially conceived for Street Fighter II as a character named "Vodka Gobalsky", planned to be a very strong but extremely slow character to play as. Early designs of the character closely resembled the character's finalized appearance, but with the addition of a black tanktop and anchor tattoo on his upper arms. His name was later changed to "Zangief", though the development team would not learn until twenty years after the game's release that the name was not possible within the Russian language. In an interview with Game On!, Capcom Research and Development
head Noritaka Funamizu
stated that of the series' characters, Zangief was one of the most popular characters with American audiences, alongside Ryu
and Guile
.
in the Street Fighter Alpha series, Tesshō Genda
in the Capcom vs. SNK series and Capcom Fighting Evolution, and Kenta Miyake
in Japanese and Anthony Landor in English for Street Fighter IV
. In anime, he is voiced in Japanese by Tetsuo Kanao
and in English by William Johnson. In the live-action Street Fighter
film, the character was portrayed by Andrew Bryniarski
, who was dubbed over by Ryūzaburō Ōtomo
in the Japanese television dub and by Katsuhisa Hōki in the video and DVD dub.
's Street Fighter manga
, which was released in the early 1990s. In his depiction in the comic, Zangief was depicted very much like his video game self. One of his main motivations was to defeat Guile, who as an American, represented the rival country of Zangief's homeland. In more recent adaptations, Zangief is shown to have a rivalry with Ryu, and Street Fighter IV implies that it was Ryu who knocked Zangief out of the second tournament.
Zangief appears in Masahiko Nakahira
's Sakura Ganbaru! manga, in which he is introduced fighting in his exact same stage from Street Fighter Alpha 2. He first defeats Blanka, and then is engaged by Sakura and Cammy, whom he easily overpowered. He was later defeated by the duo and his friendly and good natured personality soon surfaced.
He is a playable character in Street Fighter X Tekken
.
.
In Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie
, Zangief appears very briefly during a brutal battle against Blanka
to entertain an audience of crime bosses. He is last seen being electrocuted by him in a somewhat comical fashion due to his reaction of the process.
In Street Fighter II V
, he is a henchman for Shadaloo, and sent by M. Bison
to capture Ryu
, whom he had seen displaying talents of Hadou on a beach earlier. Ryu resists, and they fight for a while until Zangief manages to knock him out (although he had kindly asked Ryu to come quietly). As they are leaving, Zangief spots Guile
watching them from afar, and later on, while Guile and Nash are infiltrating Bison's base, Zangief corners Guile with the intention of killing him (under Bison's orders). Guile and Zangief fight a long, violent battle which takes its toll on both fighters, until Guile manages to knock Zangief out with a severe blow to the head. He is not seen again after this, but it is likely he escaped the explosion of Bison's base.
In Street Fighter Alpha: The Movie
, he appears as a competitor in a fighting tournament. He does battle with Shun, Ryu's supposed little brother, and begins to ruthlessly beat the boy to within an inch of his life until Ryu intervenes and battles Zangief. Zangief appears to have the upper hand, and Ryu, enraged, almost gives in to the Dark Hadō and fires a lethal dark Hadōken which narrowly misses Zangief but causes the building to collapse. Zangief, stunned by Ryu's power, subsequently falls through the crumbling floor.
In the live-action Street Fighter
movie, he is once again a (very dim-witted) lackey of Bison's, only this time he truly has a good heart and believes that the A.N., and not Bison, are the enemies of world peace and freedom. It is Zangief who gives Ryu and Ken their signature white and red martial arts clothes (as in this continuity, they are uniforms for Bison's men). During the climactic battle, Zangief battles E. Honda, who appears to have the upper hand. After the battle ends, he is told by Dee Jay
that Bison was in fact the enemy and had been fooling Zangief the whole time (to the point that Bison had been paying Dee Jay a fortune while nothing to Zangief). To redeem himself, he helps Ryu and Ken hold the emergency exit door open for the hostages to escape. He is last seen complementing Guile's bravery, and gives him the Bison salute which Guile turns into the thumbs-up when he survives the explosion.
was released on December 12, 2008 as downloadable content
for the title.
IGN
ranked Zangief at number thirteen in their "Top 25 Street Fighter Characters" article, stating "he's a bit of a stereotype, a hulking lug from Mother Russia, but he plays the type so well, though. Between the Mohawk, the muttonchops, and the all-over bear-wrestling scars, it is hard to imagine a more perfect embodiment of the muscle-bound grappling goon." GameDaily
listed Zangief at number three in their "Top 20 Street Fighter Characters of All Time" article, describing his appearance as "menacing" as well as praising the strength of his fighting style. They also featured him in several other lists. They called him one of Russia's greatest patriots in video games, stating that he is "by far the most successful" Russian character. His hairy chest and scars resulted in him being included in lists of the hairiest chests in gaming and characters with scars. They listed him as the buffest video game character, stating that readers "cannot deny his awesome." In discussing the evolution of the Street Fighter series, GameDaily commented that Zangief has stayed mostly the same throughout the series. In the January 30, 1997 issue of Gamest magazine in Japan, Zangief ranked at No. 18 on the Top 50 Characters of 1996 poll. UGO Networks placed Zangief at #5 on their list of Top 50 Street Fighter Characters", stating "Zangief can be an intimidating character to play because he is far slower than other competitors, however he makes up for that in his ability to close range quickly and bypass and counter projectiles from his opponents.".
Fictional character
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. Created by Akira Yasuda
Akira Yasuda
is a Japanese animator, character designer, game designer and mecha designer, who works under the pen name "Akiman".-Career:...
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...
, Zangief first appeared 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...
, later appearing in other games, media, and promotions related to the Street Fighter franchise. Zangief is considered to be the first fighting game character whose moveset is centered around grappling.
Conception and creation
Designed by Akira YasudaAkira Yasuda
is a Japanese animator, character designer, game designer and mecha designer, who works under the pen name "Akiman".-Career:...
, Zangief was initially conceived for Street Fighter II as a character named "Vodka Gobalsky", planned to be a very strong but extremely slow character to play as. Early designs of the character closely resembled the character's finalized appearance, but with the addition of a black tanktop and anchor tattoo on his upper arms. His name was later changed to "Zangief", though the development team would not learn until twenty years after the game's release that the name was not possible within the Russian language. In an interview with Game On!, Capcom Research and Development
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
head Noritaka Funamizu
Noritaka Funamizu
, sometimes credited as Poo, is a Japanese video game designer formerly employed by Capcom, best known for his involvement in the development of several Capcom fighting games...
stated that of the series' characters, Zangief was one of the most popular characters with American audiences, alongside 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 Guile
Guile (Street Fighter)
is a fictional character in Capcom's Street Fighter series of fighting games.-Street Fighter series:Guile made his first appearance in Street Fighter II as one of the eight selectable characters featured in the first release of the game...
.
Portrayal
Various actors have voiced the character in his video game appearances: he is voiced by Wataru TakagiWataru Takagi
is a Japanese seiyū and stage actor from Chiba Prefecture. He is currently affiliated with Arts Vision.He is best known for his roles in Detective Conan , After War Gundam X , Slayers Try , the Beast Wars: Transformers series , GTO , Hajime no Ippo (July 25, 1966 - ) is a Japanese seiyū and stage...
in the Street Fighter Alpha series, Tesshō Genda
Tessho Genda
is a Japanese voice actor. He is employed by the talent management firm 81 Produce. When he debuted, he used his real name, . as artist name. Because he had experience with ballet, he was known by the nickname "Pirouette Genda."...
in the Capcom vs. SNK series and Capcom Fighting Evolution, and Kenta Miyake
Kenta Miyake
is a Japanese voice actor who is affiliated with 81 Produce.He is known for his unusually low voice .After the death of Hirotaka Suzuoki in 2006, Kenta took over the role of Giovanni during Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. He has since expanded this role into the new series, Pokemon Best Wishes...
in Japanese and Anthony Landor in English for 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...
. In anime, he is voiced in Japanese by Tetsuo Kanao
Tetsuo Kanao
is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Tokyo attached to Theatre Company Subaru. He often voices over military and villain roles.-Television animation:*B't X *Bleach *Golgo 13 *Keroro Gunsō...
and in English by William Johnson. In the live-action Street Fighter
Street Fighter (film)
Street Fighter is a 1994 American action film written and directed by Steven E. de Souza. It is based loosely on the same-titled video games produced by Capcom, and stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Raul Julia, along with supporting performances by Byron Mann, Damian Chapa, Kylie Minogue, Ming-Na...
film, the character was portrayed by Andrew Bryniarski
Andrew Bryniarski
Andrew Bryniarski is an American actor and a former bodybuilder of Russian descent, who is best known for portraying Steve Lattimer in The Program, as well as Leatherface in the remake of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and its prequel and Zangief in the live action Street Fighter movie...
, who was dubbed over by Ryūzaburō Ōtomo
Ryuzaburo Otomo
is a Japanese voice actor, actor and narrator from Tokyo. He is currently affiliated with Aoni Production as of December 2006, and was formerly affiliated with 81 Produce and the Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society....
in the Japanese television dub and by Katsuhisa Hōki in the video and DVD dub.
Appearances in other media
Zangief appeared in Masaomi KanzakiMasaomi Kanzaki
is a Japanese manga artist. He has worked on titles such as Flag Fighters, Ironcat, Hagane, and Xenon. He is best known worldwide for his work on the Street Fighter II manga in the early 1990s.-External links:*...
's Street Fighter manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
, which was released in the early 1990s. In his depiction in the comic, Zangief was depicted very much like his video game self. One of his main motivations was to defeat Guile, who as an American, represented the rival country of Zangief's homeland. In more recent adaptations, Zangief is shown to have a rivalry with Ryu, and Street Fighter IV implies that it was Ryu who knocked Zangief out of the second tournament.
Zangief appears in Masahiko Nakahira
Masahiko Nakahira
is a manga artist from Kōchi City, Japan. He is best known for his numerous manga adaptations of the popular fighting game series Street Fighter...
's Sakura Ganbaru! manga, in which he is introduced fighting in his exact same stage from Street Fighter Alpha 2. He first defeats Blanka, and then is engaged by Sakura and Cammy, whom he easily overpowered. He was later defeated by the duo and his friendly and good natured personality soon surfaced.
He is a playable character in 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...
.
Film and anime
Zangief appears in almost every Street Fighter movie adaptation to date except for Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-LiStreet Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is the second live-action film based on the Street Fighter series of video games. It follows the quest of Street Fighter character Chun-Li, who is portrayed by Kristin Kreuk. The story follows Chun-Li's personal history and her journey for justice. The film...
.
In Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie
Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie
Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, known as in Japan and Australia, is a 1994 Japanese animated film adaptation of the Street Fighter II fighting games written by Kenichi Imai, directed by Gisaburō Sugii and animated by Group TAC. The film, originally released in Japan on August 8, 1994, has...
, Zangief appears very briefly during a brutal battle against 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...
to entertain an audience of crime bosses. He is last seen being electrocuted by him in a somewhat comical fashion due to his reaction of the process.
In Street Fighter II V
Street Fighter II V
, is an anime series based on the fighting game Street Fighter II. Directed by Gisaburo Sugii , the series first aired in Japan in 1995, from April 10 to November 27, on YTV...
, he is a henchman for Shadaloo, and sent by M. Bison
M. Bison
M. Bison, known in Japan as Vega, is a video game character created by Capcom. First introduced in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, he is a recurring character in the Street Fighter series of fighting games, acting as the final boss and primary antagonist of the Street Fighter II and Street...
to capture 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...
, whom he had seen displaying talents of Hadou on a beach earlier. Ryu resists, and they fight for a while until Zangief manages to knock him out (although he had kindly asked Ryu to come quietly). As they are leaving, Zangief spots Guile
Guile (Street Fighter)
is a fictional character in Capcom's Street Fighter series of fighting games.-Street Fighter series:Guile made his first appearance in Street Fighter II as one of the eight selectable characters featured in the first release of the game...
watching them from afar, and later on, while Guile and Nash are infiltrating Bison's base, Zangief corners Guile with the intention of killing him (under Bison's orders). Guile and Zangief fight a long, violent battle which takes its toll on both fighters, until Guile manages to knock Zangief out with a severe blow to the head. He is not seen again after this, but it is likely he escaped the explosion of Bison's base.
In Street Fighter Alpha: The Movie
Street Fighter Alpha: The Movie
Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation, released in Japan as and also known as Street Fighter Alpha: The Movie, is a 1999 OVA film loosely based on the Street Fighter Alpha fighting games. It was directed by Shigeyasu Yamauchi, with character designs by Yoshihiko Umakoshi...
, he appears as a competitor in a fighting tournament. He does battle with Shun, Ryu's supposed little brother, and begins to ruthlessly beat the boy to within an inch of his life until Ryu intervenes and battles Zangief. Zangief appears to have the upper hand, and Ryu, enraged, almost gives in to the Dark Hadō and fires a lethal dark Hadōken which narrowly misses Zangief but causes the building to collapse. Zangief, stunned by Ryu's power, subsequently falls through the crumbling floor.
In the live-action Street Fighter
Street Fighter (film)
Street Fighter is a 1994 American action film written and directed by Steven E. de Souza. It is based loosely on the same-titled video games produced by Capcom, and stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Raul Julia, along with supporting performances by Byron Mann, Damian Chapa, Kylie Minogue, Ming-Na...
movie, he is once again a (very dim-witted) lackey of Bison's, only this time he truly has a good heart and believes that the A.N., and not Bison, are the enemies of world peace and freedom. It is Zangief who gives Ryu and Ken their signature white and red martial arts clothes (as in this continuity, they are uniforms for Bison's men). During the climactic battle, Zangief battles E. Honda, who appears to have the upper hand. After the battle ends, he is told by Dee Jay
Dee Jay
is a character from Capcom's Street Fighter series of fighting games. He is a Jamaican kickboxer who also works as a recording artist and breakdancer...
that Bison was in fact the enemy and had been fooling Zangief the whole time (to the point that Bison had been paying Dee Jay a fortune while nothing to Zangief). To redeem himself, he helps Ryu and Ken hold the emergency exit door open for the hostages to escape. He is last seen complementing Guile's bravery, and gives him the Bison salute which Guile turns into the thumbs-up when he survives the explosion.
Promotion and reception
A Zangief-inspired costume for players to use in Sony's LittleBigPlanetLittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet, commonly abbreviated LBP, is a puzzle platformer video game, based on user-generated content, for the PlayStation 3 first announced on 7 March 2007, by Phil Harrison at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California...
was released on December 12, 2008 as downloadable content
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
for the title.
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...
ranked Zangief at number thirteen in their "Top 25 Street Fighter Characters" article, stating "he's a bit of a stereotype, a hulking lug from Mother Russia, but he plays the type so well, though. Between the Mohawk, the muttonchops, and the all-over bear-wrestling scars, it is hard to imagine a more perfect embodiment of the muscle-bound grappling goon." 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...
listed Zangief at number three in their "Top 20 Street Fighter Characters of All Time" article, describing his appearance as "menacing" as well as praising the strength of his fighting style. They also featured him in several other lists. They called him one of Russia's greatest patriots in video games, stating that he is "by far the most successful" Russian character. His hairy chest and scars resulted in him being included in lists of the hairiest chests in gaming and characters with scars. They listed him as the buffest video game character, stating that readers "cannot deny his awesome." In discussing the evolution of the Street Fighter series, GameDaily commented that Zangief has stayed mostly the same throughout the series. In the January 30, 1997 issue of Gamest magazine in Japan, Zangief ranked at No. 18 on the Top 50 Characters of 1996 poll. UGO Networks placed Zangief at #5 on their list of Top 50 Street Fighter Characters", stating "Zangief can be an intimidating character to play because he is far slower than other competitors, however he makes up for that in his ability to close range quickly and bypass and counter projectiles from his opponents.".