ABItorial: The Clowning of Zangief

[@MarioGMan25]

He was a "villain" in Wreck-It Ralph because the director had a personal childhood grudge against him because of never being able to beat him in SF2 (or something similar). I think that's very funny.

[@killercore007]

I always thought it was based on the Street Fighter live action movie.

[@karldavis6022]

No he's a villain because communists are subhuman monsters.

[@Snow-dv7hx]

@@karldavis6022 That's pretty funny coming from a guy named Karl

[@ThatBoiDinky]

@@Snow-dv7hx GOTTI

[@chidaluokoro9104]

@@karldavis6022 shut up

[@huntinghunter1001]

The way you reimagine Zangief is exactly how I envision him when I play as him.

[@ProjectSudoku]

I know, right?!

[@Ihavenolifeorvideos]

Yeah, everything about Zangief's potential described here was what I already thought he was.

[@Gadlight]

as a giant slotmachine?

[@sanjivinsmoke2719]

Same

[@MrTrellheim]

Same here. Especially his likeness with Ryu. Zangief may be the only character in the game that takes fighting as seriously as Ryu and I always found it was a pity no one explored that angle.

[@spike_5272]

Zangief isn’t just A grappler. *He’s THE grappler.*

[@Vesperitis]

Just like Ryu is the jack of all stats shoto protagonist, Ken is the mirror, Chun Li the kick chick, and Guile the charge character, Zangief is the slow moving, high damage, full circle input grappler.

[@andrealmeida6831]

Our grappler

[@purpledinosaur5118]

*USSR SON!!*

[@ShiftyGuy777]

One of my favorite grapplers and Hsu Hao.

[@Saikyokugen]

Even Zangief trembles when he meets THE *ULTIMATE* grappler: *GORO. DAIMON.*

[@miguelcastillo3723]

Zangief deserves respect He is guy who crushes man's skull like sparrow egg between thighs

[@Darkaos_5]

Best quote in that movie XD

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

@@Darkaos_5 lmao

[@ahoyturtle]

I mean, if not for Zangief, then who would crush man's skull like sparrow egg between thighs?!

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

@@ahoyturtle idk, Hulk?

[@kaikitama6820]

you forgot the *slap*

[@TheEndKing]

You know what's weird in SF5? They made his character so over the top and ridiculous that he can deflect swords with his muscles, and basically made him a superhero. But in the actual game, they replaced his ridiculous over the top Atomic Buster with a grounded, realistic wrestling move. I really feel like some wires got crossed along the way somewhere.

[@calypso]

Couldnt agree more, his critical art is just a.. Suplex? That's it? Weird

[@Ihavenolifeorvideos]

a grounded, realistic belly-to-back suplex would just be falling backward while throwing the other person onto their back. A German suplex pin, in which you don't release them but pin them while you're in an arch like that, is already a physical feat. Pinning someone so hard that you break them through the floor and plant them vertically like a tree is the furthest thing from a realistic wrestling move. If anything, the spinning piledriver is more believable.

[@TheEndKing]

@@Ihavenolifeorvideos Sorry, I should have been more specific: A grounded, more realistic wrestling move within the crazy stylized logic of the Street Fighter games.

[@HellecticMojo]

Apparently the goal was to show that he got stronger by pile driving his opponent without needing to actually drop him, that just flexing and pushing a bit is enough now to give people a dirtnap. They failed to convey that obviously. Also even if they did, they undercutted the effect by existence of Abigail who does the "casual display of strength" schtick better with his flick for grab, casual toss for command throw, gut thrust parry for v-skill, and turning people into speed bag for super.

[@LexOrtiz]

I miss the atomic buster

[@CaptnMarvelous]

"How can we improve Zangief?" "Just make him Braum" Not wrong at all tbh.

[@StanNotSoSaint]

That character just works. Compassionate strongman is literally what Superman is. It's prototypical superhero.

[@Fizz-Q]

@@StanNotSoSaint also helps the fact that league doesn't really have to develop the character just have him have a solid starting motivation

[@jonahblock]

@@StanNotSoSaint I’d say more like Thor or hulk. Superman is serious

[@StanNotSoSaint]

@@jonahblock he is an everyman as Clark. And humble. Russian strongman prototypes would be serious and humble. Having anger or hubris issues kinda goes against the grain. Especially when he's an older and wiser man who probably has some following and have to set an example for those around him.

[@jonahblock]

@@StanNotSoSaint humble? I’d say he’s jovoual and magnanimous

[@IkariTheWraith]

Treating Zangief like a superhero is a strong choice. That's what kayfabe, and by extension wrestling itself, is all about.

[@BobExcalibur]

There's more to the world of wrestling than pre-scripted theatrics, as fun as WWE can be.

[@mayasanguinis8788]

@@BobExcalibur It's not just WWE. It's ROH, it's NJPW (which perhaps a fee of the boys at Capcom are familiar with), it's AAA or CMLL, it's wrestling as a story telling phenomenon of larger than life characters and tales of heroics, villainry, and the strongman clashes between these two.

[@ethanhinton4549]

@@mayasanguinis8788 it's Physical theater using a facade of sports as a framing device

[@andreslyon13]

zangief has a better hairline than jiyuna, that's why he's the best grappler

[@mrhObo9921]

thats not much of an accomplishment but i feel u

[@bigsmoke9209]

Better flattop than smug?

[@bluefalcon6356]

@@bigsmoke9209 no one, not even guile, has a better flattop than smug

[@Usoony]

Out of topic,but i like your profile picture.

[@maxithalo7796]

Zangief being a wrestling fan that wants everyone to do wrestling too is just like every conversation I've ever had with wrestling fans irl

[@felman87]

I think leaning more into compassion for comrades would be a nice trait for Zangief. Soviet ideology was practically an idolization of the common man and worker. The fact that it fell short of that ideal could be implied by Zangief that's how the union fell, with the current state of affairs of Russia having become the polar opposite of that, an oligarchy. So, why not have Zan just travel the world, helping out people in need. He'd be a foil to Balrog, a man who uses his strength only for his own personal fortunes. He's a nice compliment for Ryu because, well, despite being the face of Street Fighter, Ryu is more of a lone wolf. Seeking to better himself through training. He's not really doing a whole lot besides that (at least, that's my reading of the character). I guess if I were to pick a wrestler to kind of mimic, it would be John Cena. He's seen as the good guy wrestler and, in real life, he does a lot of work with the Make a Wish Foundation (I think he's fulfilled more requests there than any other person). If we want explain Zangief's past of working with criminals, just say he got taken advantage of. Bison used Zangief's compassion towards others to convince him that a world run by him and Shadaloo would ultimately be for the betterment of mankind. Once Zangief realized that this was all a farce, he bails. He wasn't part of the organization for fame, money or just to be number 2 in the world (looking at you, FANG). He truly just wanted a better world for everyone.

[@mc_zittrer8793]

That's actually a stroke of genius. 'Gief working for Bipson was what we got from the 90s movie. I mean say what you want about it, any and all criticisms would be valid. But the 90s movie DID try to explore some interesting questions with the cast that otherwise would have been left completely unexplored by Capcom. Zangief did indeed work for Bison(though admittedly it was played for laughs in favor of any real nuance to show what a doofus 'Gief is), and Ken and Raiyew were two wannabe gun traffickers. Ken Masters has always basically been the Donald Trump of Street Fighter - he's never had to worry about money, and Alpha 2 showed just how extravagant his parties can get. But what if he got too carried away at the gambling tables, like Cuphead did? Maybe the family kicked him to the curb to salvage their losses and reputation, and he basically tries out the criminal underworld to pay his debts off. Ryu still don't care about materialistic stuff, but he could just be along for the ride, and maybe be the one to watch Ken's back since he's got no one else. That movie did more to experiment with those characters than 30 years worth of stupid and insipid in-game stories from Capcom, and it's the only example that carries an approximation of the really well thought out scenario you described. All things considered, I'm kinda surprised there aren't more of the cast that formerly worked for Shadaloo.

[@mateuspokemon01]

Has Zangief ever worked for shadaloo in the games? I think that's an anime/cartoon exclusive and the anime/cartoon shouldn't be taken as canon.

[@jeangentry6656]

I like this!

[@jeangentry6656]

@@mateuspokemon01 I don't think he did.

[@nassiemartinez4399]

So you’re saying John Cena but a Marxist? I can fuck with it

[@alonsojett]

Zangief blocking a sword with his bare chest is like literally the only good part of SFV's story mode.

[@mc_zittrer8793]

Yeah, that's basically head-cannon for all 'Gief fans. I guess it's no coincidence that so many Street Fighter fans have this majestic vision of him in their heads, so despite how much Capcom memes him, they must be doing something right. I'll agree though, Zangief should get a little more love from Capcom than this.

[@maxithalo7796]

I like to think that he has so many scars because he willingly tried to block swords with his muscles during his life so many times that he eventually managed to do it for reals

[@anzol4523]

@@maxithalo7796 thanks for my new head-canon

[@dreadanimation7806]

​@@maxithalo7796 in canon is because his training regiment involved fighting bears, which i think is cooler

[@maxithalo7796]

@@dreadanimation7806 but he doesn't have claw marks, his scars are all straight unique cuts

[@novriltataki]

There lived a certain man in Russia long ago He was big and strong, in his eyes a flaming glow Most people looked at him with terror and with fear But to Moscow chicks he was such a lovely dear

[@joaodala549]

Zangief doesnt like women. That is actually a thing lil

[@genzo454]

@@joaodala549 He didn't say Zangief liked women, but that women liked him.

[@ogremoch]

RA RA RASPUTIN LOVER OF THE RUSSIAN QUEEN, HE WAS A CAT THAT REALLY WAS GONE

[@ajaxgaming6764]

@@ogremoch ZA ZA ZA ZANGIEF, TERROR OF THE SHOTO KINGS HE WAS A DUDE THAT REALLY WAS STRONG

[@StanNotSoSaint]

I also like how Capcom doesn't think he needs a first name. Ever.

[@Saiyanryu]

Everyone seems to forget, although non-canonically, he was THE HULK's counterpart before MvC3. Gamma-level respect points for Gief!

[@soulgrind1642]

Turning Zangief into basically Russian Hercules is about the best you can do. Good reinterpretation.

[@dragonheart1236]

Hercules is the pinnacle of the strong man archetype.

[@ShehrozeAmeen]

@@dragonheart1236 it depends. Hercules is the GREEK Strong Man Archetype. If you want others you have King Günther from the Nibelung (Remember the Dance of the Valkyrie as played by Richard Wagner? That's how you can imagine him), you have Bhishma from the Mahabharata, David if you want to go Biblical, Gilgemesh from Sumerian mythology, Thor from Norse Mythology, and if we continue we could also include at least one character from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Beowulf if you are going for the hero character in an abstract format, Osiris from Egyptian Mythology, just to name a few off the top of my head. And all of them have a role to play which fulfills the whole "strong man archetype" and even adds to the layers to it. If we head back to the Greek strongman archetype, I think there are far more examples to pick and choose from: Achilles, the hero of Troy, the killer of King Priam's son, whose death because of an arrow to his heel resulted in not only the most famous idiom in European history - to have an Achillian Heel - but also in an actual orthopedic discover of how the Achilles heel is in fact a necessary anatomical feature which, if lost due to any sort of accident or deliberate attack, does result in an inability to use the feet. I mean, the Illiad literally starts with the single most awesome declaration of any hero story: "SING, O goddess, the *anger* of Achilles son of Peleus, that _brought countless ills upon the Achaeans_. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs." Odysseus / Ullyseus, the protagonist of the Odyssey, who is a hero because of his determination to try and reach home, after succeeding in the Trojan War. But his departure and absence during the war results in his home becoming a den for brigands and vagabonds, who essentially are loitoring in his house because his wife is being wooed by a chad. Jason, leader of the Argonauts. Which predates Hercules and sets the backdrop for Hercules himself. Heck, even Zeus has a hero arc because his father, Cronos, was a titan who feared losing his control and power and so was intend, *hellbent* even, to eat Zeus had it not been for his mother's compassion. And these are just a taster in Greek mythology. If we go with the strongman perspective in Norse, Old English and Middle English mythologies, we have: King Arthur and the Round Table of Camelot (although French in origin, it was completely amalgamated into English history, and is essentially lampooned in Monty Python and the Quest of the Holy Grail with significant accuracy) Beowulf, as mentioned earlier, who is not only a buff superhero, but is also a really cunty person generally. there's a lot of depth to him, albeit showing that even with all his strength he's basically a hedonist, a self-serving mercenary, a glutton, and a sex addicted chad. Badass, without question, and definitely far more realistic, and human, when contrasting with Greek mythology and Hercules, but still a cunt. Thor, son of Odin, and brother of Loki, God of Thunder, and the bearer of men when Valhalla will cry havoc upon the realm of men. But with all these archetypes, there is definitely an element of character building and story tropes which they carry over. At least as far as European angles are concerned. David defeated Goliath, but had to kill one of his sons who was out to claim the throne. Absolom to be specific. Samson was betrayed by Delilah, but chooses to self sacrifice by taking down his enemies in the same building he is in, using the last of his strength. Bishma of the Mahabharata, who took a vow of celebacy (_Oh joy, I wonder where that came from and if it won't come to be a very terrible stereotype indeed_) but because of his vow, he does not marry Amba who was rejected by the other king she had vowed to marry and yet doesn't marry because the King was cucked through combat (_I hope again this doesn't come back to bite me in the ass because this sounds very VERY familiar_) and because of Bishma's vow of celebacy he cannot marry her, resulting in her becoming his bitter enemy and essentially having him killed. The entirety of Romance of the Three Kingdoms is just... so good, and so insane, and a casual summary does not do it justice, at all. Like the Illiad, it has the most baller declaration of any story, PERIOD: "he empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide. Thus it has ever been". Just saying, the strongman archetype is a misnomer. If you really want a Zangrief comparison which is specific to Zangrief, then you'd go for Jason, King Arthur, Atlas (a titan, true, but the sheer strenght of *holding the world in place* is ballsy as is), and Samson (before he met Delilah).

[@dragonheart1236]

@@ShehrozeAmeen I'll agree with you on Thor and Beowulf. But Heracles/Hercules is the Greek/Roman god of strength. Herculean has become synonymous with strength. Also, a better example for a biblical string man would have been Samson. David defeated Goliath with cleverness

[@slkjvlkfsvnlsdfhgdght5447]

hercules was a piece of shit, not at all what we consider a hero nowadays, and not at all what zangief should be

[@door5443]

Zangief in SF6 after it came out feels kinda like this, like a legend and big funny strongman. Uncle Gief is a goat

[@magicno2]

I've read somewhere that Zangief's double lariat is copied from Mike Haggar who in turn, copied Zangief's atomic buster. They homies

[@Jackrost01]

It can be true, because Final Fights is Street Fighters 2 in early development stage

[@bowserfriend]

Weren't they also from the same universe or something

[@phantomspaceman]

@@bowserfriend Yes. Haggar was also a wrestler in Saturday Night Slam Masters series and turns up in the SF Alpha and IV backgrounds.

[@teamflyboys]

@@bowserfriend Guy, Cody, Abigail, Hugo, Poison, Maki and Lucia being Final Fight characters playable in Street Fighter means that Metro City and Haggar by default are part of the Street Fighter universe.

[@des6801]

phantomspaceman and Sfv as well

[@titaniumbat7820]

Necro isn’t really a clown type, sure he’s got funny win poses with Effie and cameos of the same nature in V but he’s got connections to the main evil faction, he’s got an arc of gaining self esteem from his new body and protecting Effie

[@Alanthewhite]

"It is not my place to act like I can write better than Capcom can" *shows clip of Zangief calling Gorbachev a fucking tzar*

[@StanNotSoSaint]

Fuuuuuck, that was really stupid

[@KillExcl]

Tekken 7 characters: "help us"

[@HellecticMojo]

*Lucky Cloe enters the frame*

[@Keyguin]

I don’t think a lot of Tekken 7 characters have this problem. If at all really. If you’re talking about the newcomers I feel we need another game for them to really know.

[@HellecticMojo]

@@Keyguin have you seen the arcade ending for non-mishima characters? It's out right travesty.

[@Keyguin]

@@HellecticMojo yeah Tekken 7 story-wise for others is asscheeks buts it’s one game. SF characters have always been this way

[@HellecticMojo]

@@Keyguin It was also that way for 6. 7 merely culminated the memes into a single character called Chloe

[@kevingriffith6011]

I can actually appreciate that they took a bold move with E.Honda in SF5. While it's buried in one of the silliest story modes in the game, Capcom has decided to have Honda looking to retire. He bought (or started) a Bath House and seems to be looking to end his career as a globe-trotting sumo wrestler... and I don't think I've seen that in any other Street Fighter character. Sadly it's not really reflected in any of his character dialogue or gameplay, so it's questionably canon, but one can dream.

[@StanNotSoSaint]

Well, if he uses it to have at least two character traits instead of one - it's a win in my book

[@nerdwarp112]

That could be interesting if they have him be retired by SF6, and have a new sumo wrestler take his place (either an apprentice or maybe an up-and-coming champion). Honda doesn’t have a whole lot of characterization, so it could maybe be good to introduce a new sumo with more personality.

[@kevingriffith6011]

@@nerdwarp112 I don't think it would be worth retiring honda just to bring in a new sumo. Since really his only personality trait is that he's a sumo wrestler (who is starting a bathhouse) you could take whatever you'd give a new sumo and kinda paste it on top of him without a lot of issues. Him being retired does give us a good reason to not have him around for third strike, but I do wonder what Capcom is going to do with SF6... are they *finally* going to go past SF3? I hope so.

[@nerdwarp112]

@@kevingriffith6011 I see what you mean. I also hope that SF6 takes place after SF3. It feels like some fighting games focus too much on the past and don’t try to move forward too much with their stories. Hopefully we’ll get to see some story development in 6.

[@enomiellanidrac9137]

"In SF5 Zangief is just about... being buff?" And then I couldn't stop myself from picturing Zangief and Machio teaming up yelling "SAIDO CHESTO!!!"

[@maskofice9432]

Oh, I absolutely started singing "Onegai Muscle" during that bit

[@ЮрийБогомолов-б8щ]

Abigail feels more of just about being buff. He is taller and broader than Zangief

[@ThatWolfArrow]

Dude, the character you created with Zangief has the potential for a badass origin story. Imagine seeing a young Zangief growing up in the streets of Russia a frail and weak boy determined to become stronger not just for himself, but for the people around him. Further emboldened by the soviet spirit of hard work and perseverance in the name of the people and the country. And we'd see him grow into the legendary warrior that you described. Edit: Also, imagine the fucking hype that would come from him pulling off his first ultimate atomic buster against an opponent.

[@honeyham6788]

Honestly, imagine a "Street Fighter Flashback" series that mechanically aims for a more streamlined experience of the original SF2, but hella balanced and more characters, but narratively is about exploring the origins of these classic characters, giving major focus on the original cast of the story, and what their life in the past was like.

[@blaacksugar7714]

Dude just read Kengan Ashura.

[@sharafbalboa3460]

@@blaacksugar7714 was thinking about a certain wrestler the entire time, too!

[@megabuster3940]

Russian All Might

[@tcchip]

Kind of Alex's backstory if you ask me, except without the patriotism.

[@lancelot717]

Something that always stuck with me about Zangief beyond him being a sheer force of nature was one of his story cutscenes from SFIV; "To become a true champion of the people, you must build a body of Iron Muscle, and become a hero to the children!" To me, Zangief has always been a character almost like All Might from MHA. He's a man that has made it, and stays killing it as to inspire more to uphold the values he holds. Him goofing off with Mika and Abel always made me smile. Additionally, in SF lore, he's one of the few characters that "canonically" body Ryu. I'd also like to imagine that the explanation for Zangief not just being able to just murder the whole cast with his ludicrous strength is that he treats it like wwe and doesnt actually hurt them as bad as he could but still wants to be flashy.

[@Dante_LegendaryDevilHunter]

After watching this video,Zangief went from my favorite street fighter character to still my favorite

[@nixuniverse5240]

I feel like Necro would've been a pretty fleshed out character if he didn't only appear in one game to be a Blanka x Dhalsim stand in for Third Strike.

[@Mr.Maguro]

despite that he's still one of my favourite sf ııı characters, solely because of his personality and design.

[@alt0799]

In the comics he does get a bit of character development with his struggles to accept himself as a person rather than try to fit in.

[@deadorpheus8407]

He does have quite a bit of character though, yeah he's goofy and weird, but its about self acceptance of his new freaky body. And his entire relationship with Effie is really nice.

[@maagic2031]

I feel like Necro got a lot more characterization and depth then I would have expected from a character who only appears in SF3

[@StanNotSoSaint]

Wasn't he a tragic figure in III storyline?

[@LucOfLegends]

Honestly I dont even think Zangief really needs a full arc, the interpretation feels content with his current state. Instead, he feels like a much supportive anchor of joy and muscle, more of meant to help the other characters through their problems in the way Zangief knows how

[@Mokey_MokeyLordofPuns]

I think Zangief has been Unclowned hes a menace nowadays

[@KogaCommittee]

I feel like modern day street fighter has lost a lot of that 90's, anime edge and are trying to emulate Tekken's mix of edgelord and goofiness. Like, remember how they presented Zangief in the street fighter alpha anime movie back in the day?

[@lukejones7164]

Yeah, he was vicious

[@THEHAR0LD]

Zangief 'blocking' that sword was the best part of sf5's story mode.

[@SpeedDemonPowerage98]

Ibuki’s reaction: Whattt??!?

[@619Slipk]

6:23 "You don't see benefit of big trapezius? You have no sense!" Legit af tho

[@Ronatario]

Hi Score Girl has by far one of the best depictions of the character for me, definitely wanted to main him after finishing it.

[@Saiyanryu]

6:21 SFV Zangief is just a physical therapist without saying it. Nash should have proper posture for good musculature, even if he already is a rotting corpse.

[@Seloliva1015]

"Like he is some kinda weapon the president can just deploy at any time" -SHOWS POTEMKIN fair.

[@jeangentry6656]

Many pro wrestlers have a background in bodybuilding, so Zangief being aesthetics minded isn't out of place, but I think the hyper focus on muscles is out of character for him, as it makes him vain, and the vanity gimmick has always been Vega's.

[@nosherkhan3232]

There's a key difference here... Vega/Claw is so obsessed with vanity that he has to wear a mask to "preserve his beauty" while using a claw to disfigured others. That shows that he in fact admits that his key feature is vulnerable. Zangief doesn't care what you throw at him, because his "iron body is invincible". He's not really vain; he's proud at his key feature being impervious to anything, and that goes with the grand nature of his character.

[@jeangentry6656]

@@nosherkhan3232 It's still a type of vanity, but I'll concede that It's based in something different.

[@DammitVictor-8H]

The difference is that Zangief looks at you... and deep down in his heart, he wants you to be stronger than him.

[@gamerbear84]

@@DammitVictor-8H Oh that's good. Vega wants to look down upon others, Zangief wants to lift others to his level and see if you can reach even higher.

[@lukejones7164]

The Street Fighter characters and story is frequently much better handled in official spin off material (Anime, Manga, UDON comics, etc) than in the games themselves.

[@RandoChrisYT]

Next time, featuring the Unroolie one: "Dear Namco, what the hell are you doing with Eddy Gordo?"

[@genzo454]

And Paul. And Law. And Bryan. And Feng. Honestly, so much of the T7 cast is lacking any meaningful character development, it's sad.

[@ayar2]

Zangiefs simplicity is actually the reason I like him so much, he`s always been such a nice guy and when you have mastered how to play him, he`s so hype. Final Atomic Buster¡¡

[@ProjectSudoku]

6:21 - EPIC ZANGIEF QUOTE ANALYSIS!!! Vs Ryu: Zangief is criticizing Ryu’s loner mentality and is trying to convince him that it’s good to be open and connected with others. Vs Ken: Zangief is simply showing pride in his chosen path to getting stronger, letting his not-as-much-seen boastful side shine. Vs Vega: Vega’s remarks about how Zangief’s muscles make him look ugly are repelled by Zangief’s positive body image. Vs Nash: It’s a double meaning for how Charlie needs to lift the baggage and trauma he has off his shoulders before he can start living his life again. Vs Karin: Karin may be swift and have years of practiced technique, but in Zangief’s eyes, she doesn’t have the raw power to put behind her strikes.

[@Keinish79]

Whenever I played Zangief it was to figuratively flex on my friends that said he was a bad character.

[@majorghoul9017]

I love Zangief and Honda being friends, like two relatively simple wrestling-focused characters who respect eachother like an even burlier Ryu and Ken

[@radicard5193]

Your pitch for Zangief might have actually been the direction for his character going into Street Fighter 6. He's also probably the most of a pro wrestler he'll ever be

[@Daniel_Coffman]

I love Zangief's reference to the stereotypical Guile main strategy *and* his own SF2 ending in his original win quote against Guile. XD

[@StanNotSoSaint]

SF IV had shitloads of meta references. Yun was saying he wasn't cheap, like his cap is really expensive

[@The4thSnake]

They should bite the bullet and finally bring Haggar over to SF to canonise their rivalry. See how they steal moves from each other and are impressed by how the oher incorporates them into their moveset.

[@jeangentry6656]

agreed.

[@AKImeru]

Zangief, the Grandfather of grappling characters: Mike Haggar "Stole my move, now you steal my legacy!?!"

[@afqwa423]

I like this take of Zangief. Just have him this be this positive masculine figure that is genuinely and outwardly affectionate. He's in it for the friendly competition and the teachable moments. He fights evil on the side.

[@mlrobbins02]

*Me watching this in the future* "See you can combine all the traits of him being jovial, superhumanly strong, and a champion of the people..." Me: "Sounds like Braum-" "...See there's this character in League called Braum." Mason: "...I'm a god damn genius."

[@origamiman7891]

“He’ll just show up, start flexing, and that’s it” Imagine being in a dark alleyway alone, and some huge buff guy walks up to, flexes, and just leaves

[@sirreginaldfishingtonxvii6149]

- Gets to dance with the president instead of some lame "character arc" or "emotional development" - Man of the people - Will wrestle anyone at any time just because he loves it, enjoys his life immensely - Blocks swords with pure muscle, didn't even flinch - Jovial and kind-hearted - Shows up, flexes, refuses to elaborate, leaves Y'know, Zangief is the best.

[@MEGA-lb7cu]

Necro has a legit story arc through the 3 different sf3 games lol

[@tiovoctor566]

i love zangief, he's literally one of my favorites character in all videogames, he has been an inspiration for me and i've always seen him like you say, the hero of the people, who inspires everyone, he's literally the hero of the kids in SFIV, so he's an amazing character who doesn't need to be deep, just needs to be amazing and be himself, i love that he has more screentime where he appears as an herculean god basically, he's the best

[@MaoriGamerDood]

YAY! One of my favorite Characters! I love how this humble Giant wishes to help the world and his friends through the power of Muscle Spirit. He may be a clown, and that just makes me love him even more. Thank u for this Video. Your point about him being mistaken as bad is a point I made in my Top 10 SF characters. Hes a Good Jolly Giant who helps with MUSCLE! Nice brief mention of BALROG too. He is also one of my top 10 characters.

[@-obamium5320]

I think for what he was given Necro’s backstory was really cool and his chill personality made him my favorite character. Third Strike needs a sequel where they explore his relationship with the Illuminati, his girlfriend, and his clone 12.

[@byronvonedmund]

So literally street fighter 6,since time line makes it that sf5 is prequel to sf3

[@-obamium5320]

@@byronvonedmund Pretty much. The timeline is really bizarre. At least it's not X-men levels of confusing.

[@Stroggoii]

@@-obamium5320 It's rather simple, 1>A/Z>2>4>5>3. 6 Might be another step towards 3 or a retelling plus sequel of 3.

[@-obamium5320]

@@Stroggoii May I ask where does Street Fighter Alpha and Street Fighter Alpha 2 go in the story? Or are they not in the cannon?

[@Stroggoii]

@@-obamium5320 Alpha/Zero are regional names for the same games. They're between Street Fighter 1 and Street FIghter 2, edited my previous comment for clarity.

[@carlbloke8797]

Stuff like this makes me glad that Sakura had such consistent character development. She was always one of my favorite characters but SFV made me fall in love with her even more. Her and Cody pretty much have had pretty consistent character growth. Honestly it makes no sense why the writers of SF can’t do the same for other characters like E Honda and Zangief. Heck, I wouldn’t mind if Rufus came back in SF6, if they made him a better written character.

[@Jackrost01]

Plot twist: Rufus go to gym last years and drop plenty of his weights, and start truly learning some martial arts

[@dracocrusher]

It really seems like Zangief got put in a bad spot overall. It's fun to have a character just be the Soviet one, but over time having someone be 'the soviet' becomes way less doable. So that characterization has to get replaced with something eventually.

[@carlbloke8797]

@@dracocrusher Pretty much this. Honestly they could’ve easily replace the Soviet spiel with giving Zangief an actual backstory or show what his life is like outside of wrestling. It’s what made Sakura so relatable since we get to see her life outside of martial arts. Characters like Honda and Gief, we don’t know anything about them other than they want to spread wrestling. They don’t have arcs of their own or have any character development. They pretty much have the textbook definition of one dimensional.

[@OnyxTwilight00]

A revision like that is an excellent basis to potentially build a compelling arc from. Hell, sense SFV takes place before 3, maybe building off R.Mika being Zangief's apprentice has the most potential show how effective his influence can carry onto a new generation of fighters in actual practice.

[@saadabdullah3225]

I couldn't help but shed tears when I heard your reimagining of Zangief. Good stuff, man.

[@PakuTheMagnificent]

Zangief could exist as a sort of test of limits/will for a character. He pretty much has everything that most characters in SF want, power, a reason for fighting, and a kind heart. He could be used as a way to reflect which one of those a character may be lacking (sagat looking only for revenge, Ryu looking for a way to get past the hado/a reason to fight) and those who cannot overcome him are able in a way to reflect on their weaknesses to grow. He really could be a full-on living legend.

[@thechugg4372]

If we give so much respect for Zangief (which he rightfully deserves), I'd like to see the other first characters treated with the same respect, Honda needs more love....

[@derpknightfully]

My suscription box: Look at all these fun new year videos everyone's posting! My brain: ZANGIEF

[@Viviantoga]

"Hey Hibiki, remember when we went to that bug planet? And we made the king and queen do it? And then, we killed them all. Remember that, Hibiki? Hibiki? Hey Hibiki? Hey Hibiki? Hibiiiiiiiki? Hibiiiiiki. Hey Hibiki." "God damn it, Blanka"

[@jandipopo_art2012]

Zangief is also the reason grapplers are an archetype in fighting games now. He has that honor

[@brennanelledge3150]

Now *this* is something I can get behind! I’ve always been a fan of storytelling so seeing someone attempting their own take on a character is absolutely amazing! I would love to see more of this kind of content. 10 out of 10!

[@XinGraves13]

Thing is, that's not unheard of. Some guys are just simple. Some guys are just "I like to be strong!" And that's it.

[@Hatsworthful]

As much as SFV absolutely murders the horse that the "HAAH I AM THE STRONGEST!" zangief joke is, its hard to deny how badass its to see him straight up tank deathblows like that. Especially considering how (well, at least in older canon, not sure if it still is) balrog killed one of dhalsim's elephants in a single blow.

[@Kinos141]

Damn right. Zangeif has always been a fav of mine, even though I don't play him. His attitude is infectious!!

[@kz270392]

Just curious, how the whole "patriot gimmick" just end when the USSR disolved. And then started the " individual force" character arc. But also, in SFV i loved how the "Muscle spirit" was managed: "with Hard work, you'll become unstoppable". (Just like in the USSR!)

[@Stroggoii]

It's a common sentiment in Russia that "If you don't miss the USSR you have no heart, but if you want it back you have no brain". They understand the reality of it was a catastrophe responsible for mass misery and might have perpetually prevented eastern Europe from reaching independent sustainability. The ideology was noble and inspiring, the implementation should never be repeated.

[@Stroggoii]

@Awawawa CM Putin's a fairweather populist. What he does pleases the autocratic oligarchs, but what he says is the voice of the people echoing back at them. That's why it took 15 years of endless anti-Putin propaganda and the pro-American zoomer generation being of age to poll for his approval ratings to go below 60% while no American president since Bush Sr. has even averaged 60%.

[@DareMurdok]

Zangief being a Russian folk hero that just lIves in Siberia and wrestles bears and stops natural disasters through sheer willpower and strength sounds awesome making him kind and compassionate and showing up when called upon like a superhero fighting for justice of the common people. You could tweak it a bit and have his philosophy becoming a combination of Heart and Strength. Because Strength without Heart is Cruel and Heart without Strength is Empty. Harden Your Body but Never Harden Your Heart, comrade!

[@psicopato2460]

those last lines sounded awesome, and had more charisma than most Zangief scenes in SFV, congrats!

[@PotofGlue]

This hits different nowadays

[@HoodWeegee]

4:03 Wait. Zangief only weighed 237 pounds? That gigantic, 7 foot tall, two average humans wide walking muscle only weighed 237? BULL SHIT

[@garretwoeller7669]

Sagat is 200 pounds a 7.5

[@HoodWeegee]

@@garretwoeller7669 That too. Sagat is a whole One Piece character.

[@garretwoeller7669]

@@HoodWeegee nah he is straight up Genetics.

[@jblue88hoodgamer54]

For some reason Japanese people don't know how to weight there characters I weight 239 5"10 and I even know that's a lie thankfully on. street Fighter 5 he weight 400 even though in my opinion he should be 580 pounds by his look alone but yet they can get the height right but they did change it later on.

[@jblue88hoodgamer54]

@@garretwoeller7669 Sagat Alpha 3 Weight make more sense he's around 300 witch I can agree just by looking at the the former NFL player Shaq who stand s at 7 feet 3 and weight 312 pounds.

[@fernandoluna6589]

i was so sad when the only mexican luchador in the rooster was just a joke, i mean mexican food and lucha libre are great but they used the concept in the most superficial way, so sad

[@ominousparallel3854]

There are two of them T Hawk and El Fuerte.

[@fernandoluna6589]

@@ominousparallel3854 yeah i mean t hawk was from the united states but shadaloo took his land and made him and his people move to México, it's not exactly a luchador

[@KaitouKaiju]

@@ominousparallel3854 Hawk is not a luchador

[@Favalify]

@@fernandoluna6589 To be exact, T. Hawk is officially a Mexican in the games, born in the Sonoran desert. In the Live Action he's from the USA, tho.

[@fernandoluna6589]

@@Favalify i Guess You are completely right, i suppose the movie origins stuck with me more because the native american indumentary of t. hawk

[@armorbearer9702]

Your reinterpretation honors both Zangief and Braum. Not every character needs a dark backstory.

[@jeremybrossard195]

It's simple Zangief is love, Zangief is life.

[@MRPP]

I wish your tale was absolute canon. It would make him absolutely fabulous.

[@bazzman1680]

I love your concept for zangief, I loved the character interactions so much that it honestly felt disappointing that it wasn’t in the games.

[@Mage_Nichlas_]

Street Fighter 6: Zangief has made it his goal to widen his body to be just like his President and gain his raw power.

[@OccuredJakub12]

I always felt like Zangief and E.Honda would work perfectly as rivals. They have a Red Oni Blue Oni kinda thing going on. Maybe they could have them compate and argue over whether muscle or pure body mass is the way to achieving martial arts mastery. There's a lot of good material to use there.

[@Onyx1987]

This aged well, lol. These days, Zangief would surely be having a crisis of faith.

[@yuurou7927]

Gief has great potiential and pretty easy to rearrange into a good character with enough depth for people to be invested. Charismatic comic relief can be great and beloved characters, say the turtle hermit in DB. Eat, sleep, and train your muscle! That's the way to be strong. Fear not! The red cyclone is here! Cheezy one-liners with wholesomeness fits him so well.

[@ZZmasta]

Definitely on the Zangief fan boat here and I like the interpretation of combining his best traits from the main games into a more cohesive package. He may not be the deepest character on the SF roster, but he shouldn't be lacking in a 'larger-than-life' personality. This reminds me of a character from a series called 'Kengan Ashura', a fighting-focused manga. In its roster of various characters (and god, are there characters here) is a pro wrestler named Jun Sekibayashi. His love of pro wrestling is so great that he'll take just about any blow that hits him, because he believes it is a wrestler's duty to not dodge any attacks. He isn't an idiot though, being smart enough to develop a defense that can hurt an opponent just as much as they hurt him (plus, he'll use a bit of psychology and acting to trick opponents into riling up and making mistakes). Honestly, I don't think I'm doing him justice just by the comments alone. If you ever get the chance to, try and check out the manga series for yourself (or catch up the anime adaptation on Netflix).

[@Morgan_of_the_Maxilla]

I think Zangief has a lot of potential having a character arc as a “man out of time”, 99% of Soviet citizens had a massive economic identity crisis after the Union dissolved. They lost everything overnight: their country’s brotherhood, their economic security, their children’s education, their jobs, their healthcare, their homes, and lost all prestige on the world stage, being paraded around as a prize pig head for the supposed “end of history” being their impoverishment. A lot of older people who grew up in the USSR (especially Russians) miss that time. I think Zangief would be super interesting if we got to see something like his fellow wrestlers losing state funding, and having to grapple with that, or fellow athlete friends becoming corrupt and taking part in the “Great Grab” under Yeltsin. And him struggling with the fact that he now has to work in a completely new reality, maybe have him “grapple” with the fact he has to take private sponsors to eat, that he has to go against everything he was raised to do simply to not starve. And maybe have him try making things better in his immediate surroundings, because he might not be able to single-handedly restore his motherland to how she used to be, but maybe he can supplex a corrupt boss that fires unionizers.

[@goob8945]

I’d argue Necro is not one note, he’s trying to evade the illuminati after escaping from the lab where they ran experiments on him. He also has Effie, a girlfriend who he’s trying to protect

[@gtsgreatteacherscathach5550]

If it wasn't for the mighty Zangief we would never have so many great grappler characters in fighting games like best girl of Skullgirls Cerebella.

[@garretwoeller7669]

Bro Beowulf.

[@gtsgreatteacherscathach5550]

@@garretwoeller7669 I said best girl but yes Beowulf is a great example of a grappler too he's fun.

[@StanNotSoSaint]

It's Cerebella.

[@Bisnaguitos_]

I dont know shit about SF lore, but your vision of Zangief its exactly what I imagined he was

[@reaz6082]

today we fight each other, tomorrow we fight together

[@ryszakowy]

zangief dances prisyadka with gorbachev when he wins the tournament... you can't get better ending that this XD

[@Snow-dv7hx]

I think it would be cool to imagine him as a wrestler and strong-man, while being a Superhero-firefighter, always showing up and single-handedly saving people from burning buildings and helping cats out of trees on the side.

[@chubbubdreamer6904]

Dude, I love to see your version of Zangief in the game. Make him the People's Red Cyclone!

[@Mr.Maguro]

ngl i really enjoyed zangief's characterization in sf ıv, possibly because he was basically russian tizoc from garou.

[@BurnyToast]

I love this idea of making zangief like this modern folk hero and inexplicable motivational speaker

[@Vherstinae]

Two kids are arguing and Zangief pulls a Kool-Aid Man on a nearby wall. "THAT IS NO WAY TO TREAT FRIEND!"

[@chara2038]

*MUSCLE POWER* I knew it XD

[@otakon17]

5:27 IIRC this scene was put in because the director could never beat Zangief in SF2 as a kid. So he was his "bad guy" even if he wasn't any more antagonistic than any other opponent in the game save M. Bison.

[@nelomalkevain4129]

Watch Braum being a grapler in the upcoming League Fighting Game

[@carlospitteri3146]

God that would be so good, I hope they do that and figure something out with his door and don't just go the easy way out and put sett instead xd

[@yeahboyz9314]

That game is very causal-friendly from what i saw

[@lotusdragontamer]

I would love this. Zangief is always a nightmare to play against wether that be cpu or person. This man is renowned deeper than just wrestling lmao, cause 2 command grabs in a row...

[@Zadamanim]

The cool thing about Street Fighter's characters is that they speak with their character designs and their fists more than any cutscene could ever tell you, so we all have an understanding of who they are almost intrinsically.

[@StanNotSoSaint]

And then we give them twenty minutes if dialogues and cutscenes where they talk about exactly one thing 👌

[@Zadamanim]

@Rob Shabibo I wouldn't say so, some good characters are mysterious and don't show their hand right away.

[@Zadamanim]

@Rob Shabibo Not every fighting game does it like Sf does. For example, Melty Blood, Koihime Enbu, and Mortal Kombat don't really tell you who these characters are just by looking at them.

[@evilded2]

Yes, but consider... 💥☝️MY LOYAL FANS☝️💥

[@shinkushadow]

Love it. If they wrote Zangief like this, I’d be on board.

[@Mariokartfann]

5:22 it's actually funny why they have Zangief with villains in the first Wreck-it-Ralf, it's simply because one of the staff members felt that he was difficult to beat as a kid

[@conradojavier7547]

E. Honda is now a Bathhouse Owner, after his Retirement in Sumo.

[@chelmrtz]

They turned him into that guy at the gym who’s all about maxing his gains brah

[@Taktaagic]

Man, your reimagined Zangief sounds awesome. If Street Fighter 6 is ever a thing, and it gives characters a lot more depth, and Zangief is just like the version you invision, I might just main him in that game. I normally play rushdown characters, but I’d gladly switch that out to play as a living legend who fights to show that anyone can grow!

[@LexOrtiz]

Zangief is my favorite character, and i agree with you. You gained a subscriber. Thanks for those wise words