How Rufus Became Street Fighter's MOST HATED Character

Today we're talking about a character from Street Fighter 4 who failed on all of these fronts so hard that he's arguably the most hated character in franchise history. That character was the big-bellied and even bigger-mouthed Rufus, Capcom's off-putting amalgamation of some of the worst American stereotypes. But what exactly about the character made him so unlikable and does he really deserve the crap reputation he's garnered?
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[@BiggieCrescent]

I didn't realize that the King Cobra beta design was suppose to be Rufus 😭😭😭😭 that just makes me hate him even more 💀💀💀

[@pcharl01]

I feel that. I'm more upset that the King Cobra was scrapped and never brought up again. Or why did someone think King Cobra was the character that needed so many redesigns.

[@austinreed7343]

@@pcharl01 He did kinda come back as Jaimie.

[@liquidbiden]

I read this as KingCobraJFS and got floored

[@pn2294]

@@pcharl01because he’s boring

[@jalenikezeue4114]

They Should Of gone with King Cobra Mixing martial arts with Breakdancing Would Of Been insane In Good Way And Breakdancing Has a Strong background

[@FAMCHAMP]

I remember I saw an old comment that said Ken was how Japan viewed the U.S in the 90's Rufus was how they viewed us now

[@RawPower867]

More like the 80s, since his first game was the OG Street Fighter from 1987.

[@FAMCHAMP]

@@RawPower867 True

[@cheef825]

i mean when you see that the guy we have now is a gamer zoomer that skips leg day it checks out 😂

[@doncomedia7927]

Nowadays the entire world see you like a weird combination of Nicocado Avocado and Chris Chan

[@nomado.3855]

And the worst but funny part, Justin got results with Rufus.

[@astralgd4181]

And don’t forget about Ricky Ortiz, as well.

[@danielcookson2644]

Justin is basically Asian rufus

[@carlosaugusto9821]

The thing is that he isnt a weak character, and he was in fact really strong in the beginning

[@akilcharles3473]

@@carlosaugusto9821 Add that to the fact whenever he does his super the crowd yelled out during it. Look visually he is appauling but can't deny his gameplay is fun right!

[@piercesable344]

I remember that fight with Daigo (Ryu), he got bodied so hard he left the stage in silence.

[@kevingriffith6011]

The worst part is Rufus is a totally salvagable character. He's a hyperactive, overweight tourist who loves kung-fu. That's basically just Po from Kung-Fu Panda and people love that character. Give him clothes that fit him properly, tone down the stupid just a smidge so he's not accusing Dhalsim of being an alien and just make him the hype man of anyone who it makes sense in world (Celebrity fighters like Zangief and Fei Long, for example). This is a guy who is traveling the world with his girlfriend, seeing the sights and meeting his heroes, dude is having a BLAST and showing some of that positive energy would make him way more fun to watch than his annoying "I'm the best, check me out" attitude he's currently sporting. Making Candy a fight announcer could be a good way to get her involved in his hobby a bit more than just being arm-candy (heh), what little of their relationship we see seems quite happy and healthy. I guess what I'm saying here is just make Rufus into Street Fighter Jack Black. I could take or leave the one-sided rivalry with Ken, although seeing him drop it because of the state Ken is currently in would be fun growth... and having him lose to some blonde popeye-armed whataburger lover only for him to become obsessed with getting that runback would be a hilarious punchline.

[@ViApp0]

Who wouldn't accuse a stretchy teleporting firebreathing guy of being an alien?

[@notveryintelligent6239]

I feel like making him a genuinly nice character would also be a good change.

[@kevingriffith6011]

@@notveryintelligent6239 Oh absolutely. I don't think he should lose the ego entirely, but he can be likeable despite it if you make him genuinely nice to the other characters.

[@serhan-solo5144]

I dont think we’ve ever gotten a “Jack Black Energy” character before in any game. Especially with that speed and weight both Rufus and Jack Black have, it would’ve been a fun inspired character.

[@KEN-1991]

He's Po but without the charm and humor.

[@P_OmSa]

Rufus is the fighting game character equivalent of stretching a hilarious 5 minute sketch into a boring 2 hour movie.

[@moroseloki1912]

MacGruber... Anything SNL.

[@Rhino-n-Chips]

AMAZING analogy, because by the time you make the movie, the joke has already gotten so old, the original context is lost. He was inspired by Bob dominating in the arcade version of Tekken 6. There are Tekken pros today that don't even know this, and they thought that was a good enough premise to make an entire character around.

[@IPODsify]

Straight to TV fighting game character

[@IPODsify]

​@@Rhino-n-Chipsthe storied history of "parody characters" should be a video, there's so many cases of this between Capcom, namco and SNK making characters satirizing each other

[@IAMT3XAS]

"I knew I made you my girl for a reason, honeypants!" Rufus

[@AnonymousC2218]

I hated Rufus because they scrapped King Kobra for this abomination.....

[@pn2294]

They did us a favor

[@AnonymousC2218]

@@pn2294 who's "us"? because I'm not apart of it.

[@pn2294]

@@clanrikishizero saving us from a bland character

[@AnonymousC2218]

@@WhatIsMatter101 I don't see the similarities between King Kobra and Silber. Are you comparing them because they both have fur on their gi? If so then that is a weak statement. Well King's Kobra's "design" is a concept at the day a *Concept*

[@IceCreamCake96]

@@pn2294how do you know he’s bland when you know nothin about him?

[@colindoesmusic8456]

What’s funny about Rufus that I feel like a lot of people don’t get is that he ends up being a parody of the FGC itself, whether intentionally or not. Think about it; he’s an overweight, loud mouthed American that thinks he knows everything about foreign fighting styles he barely studies and forms pointless rivalries with people he doesn’t know. Sound familiar?

[@squirrelsyrup1921]

They should have leaned into that lol

[@matthewlong7547]

I think that Goldlewis from GGST is a much better "fat american" character for the sole reason that he's not a joke and a pain to look at.

[@Intrenxic_Dark]

Goldlewis completely rekts Rufus on all levels fundamentally.

[@carlosaugusto9821]

Before Goldlewis there was Bob and he is also better. I even believe Rufus was inspired by Bob, who debuted before him in T6.

[@matthewlong7547]

@@carlosaugusto9821 Definitely a sort of response to Rufus being so extremely annoying.

[@Macrochenia]

Rufus manages to make Earthquake look better by comparison.

[@alexspyro563]

The funny thing right now is that when you research king “Rufus” Cobra (the early design) you find that his fighting is style is break fu (break dance with kung fu). Then if we go foward to the present, street fighter 6 in the other hand you can realize that Jamie siu is actually Rufus and king cobra mix because Jamie has Rufus hair style and he has drunken boxing and that is Chinese kenpo with break dance mix. In other words this king cobra is actually Jamie so we always wanting king cobra in street fighter. LOL

[@TheShockVox]

But I still want it to aesthetically be Cobra 😢

[@SeiryuuX]

@@TheShockVox Maybe Jamie will get a DLC costume as King Cobra?

[@Negajoe]

Well when their overarching goal was to craft a character as aesthetically unappealing as possible and whose personality was an exaggerated hodgepodge of offensive stereotypes, can Capcom really be surprised at his reception? They succeeded in making the character they wanted, for better or worse.

[@pn2294]

Considering how the same can be said of the other characters, yeah.😅

[@Blas4ublasphemy]

Wario is popular

[@pedrourbano501]

​@@pn2294Funny thing is, he mentioned Blanka yet Blanka is absolutely beloved here in Brazil.

[@thegardner80]

As an American I like the basic idea of Rufus. I think they must’ve just taken it a little too far. Every other character has some pathos, like Blanka and his mom. Rufus just has no endearing qualities at all.

[@pn2294]

@@thegardner80 even Bison?

[@JustFrankEX]

I still find it amazing that Rufus’s voice actor, Christopher Smith, would end up later voicing G whom became one of the most beloved characters in the series yet POWER TO THE PEOPLE OF EARTH!

[@RocketChickArt1]

I feel like if they bring Rufus is back they need to bring back Sean. The supposed rival and supposed disciple of ken forming a weird friendship with each other

[@charlesmartin8563]

That could make for an interesting dynamic, I think.

[@douglasmijangos3327]

I can only dream … Rufus and Sean are 2 of my favorite Characters in SF.. I want them to bring back Balrog for sure .. then anyone from SFIII New Gen.. and Rufus… and I’d love to see them release New Characters as well.. 😂 I know I’m probably going against what everyone else wants .. but I don’t mind having my own opinions and thoughts anyway 🤷🏻‍♂️😂

[@charlesmartin8563]

@@douglasmijangos3327 I can understand too, I would like to see some not super popular characters come back, like Necro, Gill, Adon, Twelve or even Hakan. 🤷‍♂️ And I really like the others from SF3rd Strike

[@douglasmijangos3327]

@@charlesmartin8563 yeah sometimes I watch VesperArcade and he said that a bunch of people didn’t like Ed in SFV but not he’s a really popular character in SF6 after they reworked him …. Same wit FANG he was hated too and people thought he was a joke character but some people now really like AKI 😂 so why not rework old characters who “weren’t that great”? 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@charlesmartin8563]

@@douglasmijangos3327 Yes, I'm really in favor of them reworking characters that aren't great. And indeed, it's true for Ed and FANG, I would also add that in SF4 a lot of people hated Seth but that doesn't stop her from coming back in SF5 and being more appreciated or you have Dee Jay who was the worst character in SF4 and in SF6 it's one of the best in the game (in addition to being classier than before). So I think there's a way for characters like Twelve or Rufus

[@terrelltownsend8016]

I can tolerate Dan's stupidity, but not Rufus the Doofus.

[@dylanrobicheau-rl8pf]

Yeah Rufus is just terrible

[@lukemayo5672]

Their barbaric rufus Our glorious dan

[@G0rgar]

Space Opera Symphony is a cool ass name for a move, too bad it got wasted on Rufus.

[@EventHubs]

I didn't find a good place to insert it during the video, but his Ultras are named as such because he's a UFO conspiracy theorist. Fun fact

[@vandagylon2885]

​@@EventHubs it's more likely because he likes star wars, or legend of the galactic heroes. Since that's what you'd call those soap operas that take place in space.

[@Negajoe]

@@EventHubs The only instance I can think of where they showcase him being an alien conspiracy theorist is his SF4 rival match with Dhalsim. And even than you might miss cause he rambles on and on.

[@WhatIsMatter101]

Rufus' only purpose is to showcase the skin deformation animation capabilities of Dimps.

[@carlosaugusto9821]

I also get that feeling. Also Bob debuted in T6 during the making of SF4, and i believe that inspired the devs to make Rufus... who ended up being a worse Bob in looks and personality at least in my opinion. That could help to explain why the initial concept was so bizarrely altered. And nobody can convince me that it was because the devs were against another char who just looked a bit like a shoto... i dont believe in that possible concern at all. Look how many shotos there are in SF4 after all. Also the SF4 direction still was pretty old school, the devs werent trying to make shotos more different like in SF5-6. They just didnt care.

[@blaacksugar7714]

The "jiggle physics" of Street Fighter.

[@goku-pops7918]

Rufus had a good gameplay design. J wong showed his strength

[@AllStarKingD]

He was overpowered as fuck. Him being fat was also visually dishonest and scummy, since he's the most agile character in the game. He has a divekick better than Juri and Cammy with less commitment, fast moves that converted into his Ultra 80% of the time, and Messiah kick was too fucking strong. If someone actually mained this character he would be prob top 5.

[@k.u.5798]

@@AllStarKingD A lot of people mained him, and he was top 5 in SF4 and SSF4, but received nerfs and the gameplay systems like delayed wake up hurt him, so he fell down to high tier/upper mid in AE and USF4.

[@JonathonTheAsshole]

Rufus was the antithesis of "good gameplay design".

[@JonathonTheAsshole]

@@AllStarKingD Fuerte was the most agile character in the game. Rufus was slightly less annoying but could scum out undeserved wins by converting 1 or 2 degenerate coin flip interactions into most of your health. He also was based on pretty easy to use standardized tools that some, like his dive kick, also happened to be broken.

[@Rhino-n-Chips]

One on hand, I'm surprised that they didn't bring up how Rufus was inspired by how Bob was dominating Tekken 6 in arcades, on the other, I'm not because who the hell even remembers that. It was a "joke" that stopped making sense after T6 was released on consoles and Bob was fixed. If you didn't know, it's the fighting game equivalent of watching one of the Scary Movie series without understanding any of the references. But like, somehow even unfunnier.

[@goku-pops7918]

You guys put too much weight in sf story.its pretty bad , people dont blame the game for that

[@baronagony4767]

I thought he was a reference to Mr. Heart from Fist of the North Star

[@ClarenceSF4]

Rufus was one of the reason why I stopped and looked at the arcade machine back in the day as a kid. that's how i got into playing SF4.

[@christopherjones5827]

That is the best Street Fighter. It just has one flaw.

[@mr.checkyourself4672]

I'm still mad King Cobra was scrapped

[@dee_dee4640]

“Rufus is the worst character in sf history.” Necalli: Am I a joke to you?

[@achair7958]

At least Necalli had the potential to be good, Rufus was a bad idea from square one

[@EventHubs]

Necalli was really cool to begin with though

[@djpegao]

Necalli was a jobber to everyone on the story mode, Rufus has a hot girlfriend and at least can day he had a decent match with Ken. So Rufus wins by a landslide

[@alexspyro563]

@@EventHubsyeah necalli would been great if he was inspired by kars from jojo bizarre adventure, yujiro hanma from Baki and ogre from tekken. They should call necalli the god of war

[@abrahamlupis9354]

​@@achair7958 Necalli should be on a new fighting game franchise not Street Fighter

[@BlueLightningSky]

Americans got offended by being portrayed as an annoying sterotype that people are supposed to laugh and be disgusted at?

[@LOL-gn5oh]

US Americans got offended because stereotypes only work if they're not about them.

[@robdavideogamer4119]

As someone who generally thinks American stereotypes are funny, I think the reason Rufus doesn't get that same reaction is because he doesn't really fit in with the usual. The typical American stereotype is hyperactive and overly patriotic and a little bit dumb. They took away the patriotism, turned the stupid up to 11, and didn't really do anything unique with him to compensate for it.

[@OdaSwifteye]

The Hyperactive Americans aren't also fat.

[@Halfort57]

​@@OdaSwifteye then why do you have the #1 spot in obesity?

[@freshboy3968]

​@@Halfort57 iz dat ADHD keepin them going.

[@Myke_with_a_Y]

His win quotes were hilarious.

[@SaltyKeldion]

He's the "wall of text" meme in humanoid form.

[@mathematical9529]

I do not understand how they already had a almost fully finished concept and one suggestion changed the character entirely when they could’ve added both character I understand one reason they didn’t continue with cobra is they didn’t want too many characters to Ryu and Ken but they went back on it anyways by having Sakura,Goken,Akuma,Evil Ryu,Dan and Oni

[@IceCreamCake96]

It’s almost certainly racism.

[@curry94400]

@@IceCreamCake96 We would have not have Elena, Dudley and DJ if that was it. Ono just really though goofy characters where a great idea.

[@curry94400]

@mathematical9529 I supose they would have had to create a new gameplay as well to keep both, while here they just needed to model and animate him and rerecord the lines. and they could'nt just justify two widely different characters being function of each other. That's still a complete waste of time and ressource to have made Rufus.

[@FAMc81]

​@@IceCreamCake96perhaps.. a break dancing black fighter is sort of DeeJay's territory so that could also have been the reason for the redesign. Notice that DeeJay in 6 is much more suped up and menacing, like a King Cobra would have been..

[@IceCreamCake96]

@@FAMc81 makes sense

[@NekobibuVonBibu]

How many most hated characters are there in SF? I thought "most hated" implied there would only be one. 🤔

[@EventHubs]

I mean, I'm considering doing El Fuerte next :P

[@NekobibuVonBibu]

@@EventHubs Ah, I knew something was up! 😁

[@djpegao]

Does Necalli count? He was hyped as the next big thing only to turn into a class A jobber.

[@SaltyKeldion]

​@@djpegaoNecalli is a giant disappointment; hate requires too much investment. The only appropriate response is apathy.

[@Max501]

​@@djpegaoA better example is Ingrid, people hated her for power level in the lore. Not even about her personality or gameplay is ever mentioned.

[@MarlinsPhinsHeat13]

I feel like I’m one of the few people who want Rufus to come back.

[@HiResDez]

If Dan had an OP dive kick he would be considered annoying as well...

[@tenkyu778]

I honestly wonder what that would have been like , if Dan's dive kick from Omega carried over in Sf5

[@Samurai-no4wu]

Imma be honest i'm glad Rufus exists. Also the fact that at one point he was one of the best characters makes it super funny

[@freshboy3968]

+2

[@r.c.3813]

I think he could be a fun joke character if they bring him back and work a bit on his character. I personally like his design its unique and his playstyle looks really fun it's a shame that the dive kick was so broken

[@freshboy3968]

+2

[@fireflocs]

Rufus has literally always been my favorite. I had no idea people felt this way about him.

[@christophercampbell4670]

Rufus is cool. Its OK to have abrasive joke characters, and Rufus' post-match banter that rambles on still gets a smile out of me today.

[@y_s4021]

Maybe if they made him more likeable and less gross he'd be better accepted

[@charlesmartin8563]

Same for me, I think that if Capcom decides to rework the character I am not against his return. Already in my opinion if you just change his hairstyle and his clothing you have a more acceptable character.

[@meganinten0078]

Why? Not everyone has to be a pretty boy. I want the freaks!

[@carlosaugusto9821]

About the gross part, if you mean being fat then i think there are small chances of that happening.

[@carlosaugusto9821]

@@charlesmartin8563 Like Tekken's Bob then

[@orangeslash1667]

@@charlesmartin8563 Remember this was during the era where Capcom was trying way too hard to appeal to the west, because Japanese games were struggling to sell well compared to western games. However because Capcom is Japanese, they struggle to understand what we like. So they pander to the west in the most stereotypical way.

[@andrewbaxter64]

Another reason why Rufus's stupidity didn't work was because of the running gag where he thought that almost every character who was either blonde or in a gi was Ken. It didn't matter if it was Ryu, Dan, Guile, Abel, or even Cammy or Vega. I mean for christ sake, he though that POISON was Ken. That whole running gag just made him even more obnoxious.

[@UltraCollagenBooster]

I've heard that Rufus has eight brothers that are just like him also, so please Capcom, make Rufus and ALL his brothers Individually selectable main characters in Street Fighter 6. Thanks in advance Capcom! 👍

[@tjreardon8495]

The fact that tekken soon after created bob even dunking on rufus more

[@carlosaugusto9821]

Didnt T6 come before SF4? And the console version came later. So the chances are that the SF4 devs made Rufus as a response to Bob. And to me, that even makes the radical character change from King Cobra do Rufus look plausible... as the devs might have been inspired by Bob to make a fat char in the middle of development.

[@tjreardon8495]

@carlosaugusto9821 i didn't know the arcade release was like that but that just makes bob cooler because he wasn't just a cool version of a streetfighter character if anything rufus is a crappy version pf bob

[@orangeslash1667]

@@tjreardon8495 Remember this was during the era where Capcom was trying way too hard to appeal to the west, because Japanese games were struggling to sell well compared to western games. However because Capcom is Japanese, they struggle to understand what we like. So they pander to the west in the most stereotypical way.

[@BowsettesFury]

Rufus and Dan could never return again and I wouldn’t shed a tear.

[@vandagylon2885]

And now we have jamie in sf6. Which means we're never getting this guy.

[@mgmboy3778]

I thought it was that guy in Street fighter 5 necalli

[@faken6252]

I wouldn’t say Necalli is hated, just wasted potential, and dismissed because of it

[@johnguerrero4546]

I made a video on him too! kzbin.info/www/bejne/i6XUZp6lib-FhcU

[@fedupwthursht420]

Rufus was Chris Farley Beverly Hills ninja.

[@TheR3DSniper]

Ngl, I forgot Rufus even existed in Street Fighter.

[@nicholaslewis57]

I just realized his focus attack is a reference to that one scene from the karate kid where cobra Kai gets his face kicked in 😂😂😂

[@XxKNIGHT742xX]

Me after hearing Rufus personality description: Yep, definitely american.

[@gavinpowell4607]

Anyone with a Juri profile pic needs to get gone.

[@XxKNIGHT742xX]

@@gavinpowell4607 Let me guess, american?

[@MCorner]

@@XxKNIGHT742xXlet me guess, euro trash?

[@mastadope397]

I loved Rufus just like I loved Bob in T6.

[@user-ts5re7kj6j]

Bob is greater than Rufus by alot.

[@terrelltownsend8016]

​@user-ts5re7kj6j Agreed. Bob is WAY more likable and charismatic with a strong sense of justice. I hope he'll be in Tekken 8. Rufus on the other hand is just an obnoxious idiot. I can tolerate Dan's stupidity, but not Rufus the doofus.

[@orangeslash1667]

@@terrelltownsend8016 Remember this was during the era where Capcom was trying way too hard to appeal to the west, because Japanese games were struggling to sell well compared to western games. However because Capcom is Japanese, they struggle to understand what we like. So they pander to the west in the most stereotypical way.

[@BrownMan-gg7dx]

Rufus wasn't bad. He had a nice move set and can be lethal if you combine a combo and finish with space opera symphony. He pulled through for me in a match or two

[@thiago4santos]

He failed because he is a joke character but super strong. Weak players can't understand losing to any player using him, and are still crying until today.

[@emperormegaman3856]

The funny thing is that Rufus would be easy to salvage. focus more on the fact that he is actually pretty serious about his martial arts, has a guenuinely loving relationship with his girlfriend (though they're bot idiot), give him a outfit and hairstyle that's better. basically make him more of a funny idiot than a obnoxious idiot.

[@ttgb2990]

Didn’t even mention the fact that he confuses literally every single character on the roster for Ken. Every last one, no exceptions. Ryu? That’s Ken Blanka? That’s Ken Gen? That’s Ken Chun-Li? Take a guess

[@dragonnoises8824]

The lack of personality trying too hard for "He is fat so he is disgusting, make fun of him!" is what killed him for me. I really hope they don't bring him back

[@esincorporated6123]

I actually like his theme.

[@chunkbungus]

Rufus needs a serious glow up if he's gonna qualify as a potential SF6 DLC character

[@PowerQuestGB]

Never forgot when I first purchased SFIV in 08, worked at GameStop, traded in my Xbox rare MvC2 copy..just to play it, see Rufus and then return the game promptly back to the store!😂

[@phabiorules]

Damn, that sucks.

[@johnbuck4395]

Rufus made me expect George Carlin from the original Bill and Ted. Instead we got, as the narrator so succinctly put it, Chris Farley's Beverly Hills Ninja in Bruce Lee's uniform. IMO Rufus is more like if Mike Meyers did Fat Bastard with the blonde hair instead of Scottish red

[@plumaDshinigami]

I find myself in the odd minority that likes the guy. Before you judge, to me it looked like a parody of the ultra fans of fighting done to the ridiculous extreme it needed to go. All his moves are basically from copying kung-fu flicks in his basement. My point of view is that he's meant to be a joke character like Dan, but didn't get enough to make him as likeable as Dan.

[@lakersgg]

He was just so annoying

[@Netherwolf6100]

I don't mind fat characters in fighting games. Its just his personality and voice and attitude that turned me off. Like Bob was fine. Used him a couple of times. I never picked Rufus once. He's an annoying nobody, wanting to be the main rival to my favorite SF character.

[@KevinRobertsArt]

I never *liked* Rufus, but when I found out King Cobra's original design was scrapped to make him, I've hated him since.

[@EggOnBeansOnToast]

Rufus (and el fuerte) need to stay gone from the series!

[@franciscor390]

Two of the absolutely worst characters ever in a fighting game.

[@meganinten0078]

El Fuerte is cool. Most people who complain about him are probably the same kind of people who complain about 'El Tigre' tv show

[@caldw615]

​@@meganinten0078Fuerte was more a menace to fight against. He was a living 50/50 mixup on crack that could be very overwhelming since he forced so many guessing games against him.

[@carlosaugusto9821]

I think El Fuerte at least has the good side of having an interesting group of unique gameplay ideas for SF. So he contributes with something. Also SF6 is changing every char, in varying levels, in moveset and design, so if El Fuerte returned it would be a new version anyway. Regardless of loving or hating him, those two feelings only work on that specific "El Fuerte" creation that belongs in SF4... that will never return. The possible SF6 El Fuerte will be a different version.

[@deciduous_reaper]

El Fuerte is amazing what are y’all talking about I loved his lucha libre inspired design

[@futurewario9591]

Rufus failed where Dan succeeded.

[@beebeefoke1205]

My boy Rufus was a fun character to play in USFIV and SFXT. He was my main and I miss him so much in SF5 et 6. I know he will never come back... but I'm Still sad to see so many people hating on him T^T...

[@platypuspracticus2]

They are never allowing a divekick like rufus had in another Street Fighter.

[@MrBlaziner]

dan wasn't liked because of his well fleshed out back story, i can gaurentee you most sf4 fans had no clue what that was, dan was liked (unlike chubs) because dans play style wasnt nearly as obnoxios, and he was real low on the tier list, thats very important, people always root for an under dog, and dans obnoxiousness wasnt nearly as bad, but really it was play styles and being low tier that made all the difference. someone wins with rufus, its like meh, seen it plenty, but u win with dan? god shit

[@BronzeAgePepper]

to counter some of that point, they made him more viable in SFV but kept his personality intact and translated it to his gameplay, where he's constantly taunting to cancel his moves into huge combos, having RNG pink Gadokens to prevent infinites (showing he has STILL not yet learned to tap into whatever latent power he has, if there's even anything there), and giving his opponent V meter all the while. and people loved him as much as ever, if not more.

[@MrBlaziner]

@@BronzeAgePepper he was a bit more viable, but he wasnt winning top eights, also he was very hard to play at top levels and people respect that skill plus he still had the left over love from sf4, people were clammering to have him back. still an under dog, if you saw him at evo you'd shit, and yea people like the jokey silliness of him still has nothing to do with the back story tho

[@carbodude5414]

The character designs in SF6 have been consistently great so far, compared to the hit-and-misses of SF5, that I don't mind if Rufus makes a return knowing that he'll look way better

[@ExcitedAlex]

Not bothered about Rufus. If he comes back, he’s back. If not, not bothered. I wanna see more inspirational Zangief scenes.

[@Knuckles8864]

King Cobra reminds me too much of Retsu, one of the original Street Fighters (or Fighting Street as it was originally called) who ironically came back as an NPC for SF6. Honestly, Rufus has a great moveset, but his mean spirit towards others (minus his girlfriend Candy) is a character killer in my opinion. His dim-witted nature was done better with Abigail, since he has kind of a solid history, and he has actual friends/crew who actually do meet as equals.

[@jeddflanders9394]

I’m one of those people who actually wouldn’t mind seeing Rufus make a comeback.

[@darrnellnott07]

Crazy that JWong mained him too! I love Justin, esp now, but it was before his resurgence as the vet hero. So, that may have hurt Rufus too lol 😅

[@devinwendell9110]

If we get Marvel vs. Capcom 4. We need Blob vs. Rufus. We can at least have that little chuckle, right?

[@BowsettesFury]

The only character worse than Dan

[@akilcharles3473]

Would you actually call him failed if the people of Capcom made him to bring him back in SF X Tekken alongside with the other new fighters Juri & Abel. Sidenote: His interaction cinematic cutscene with Bob is pretty damn funny you can't deny that. But besides that I've been looking back previous games with Rufus and despite him being an obnoxious idiot, he's kinda a capable idiot that can actually knows how to fight and hold his own unlike Dan(another sidenote: he even met Dan in the comics and beat him). Not only that he has some knowable tournament winning results especially in the hands of JWong of all people. And look honestly I wouldn't be surprise if Capcom were to bring him back in SF6 with a whole new redesign, I mean just look at Ed who people would say before is a failed forgotten SF character until Capcom turn him around to be more likable and we hardly have any much SFIV represetatives in SF6 aside from Juri as it is. Fun fact: Rufus was in a crossover comic along with the other fighters in Street Fighter vs G.I Joe.

[@carlosaugusto9821]

I think that is not a strong point because recycling chars from a previous game was always a very common convenience in fg history. Like, Capcom made Xmen vs SF (96) to feature the classic and representative chars: if you remember the SF part of the roster, it covers only SF2 chars... except Charlie/Nash, who is replacing Guile. Everyone else is truly from SF2. But then Guile didnt have a new sprite by that time, only in SFA3 (98). That decision probably could be explained by the simple reality of the challenging annual development schedule, that must have convinced them to just use Nash's sprite instead of making an original Guile sprite based on SFA for the game (but it was made for SFA3). At least that is a more plausible logic than saying only Nash is popular and not Guile, that it's just impossible to agree. So in that same sense, SFxTK, a brand new game that was recycling assets, used Rufus and Abel probably just because they were done and actually fine gameplay wise, not necessarily because they were popular at the time.

[@carlosaugusto9821]

Secondly, an important factor to remind is the intent of promoting newcomers regardless of popularity. I have no idea if that comes from the devs' pettiness about their own new creations, or higher ups requesting that a portion of the SF newcomers are included in a new game, so they are not "wasted" in a way. Also thinking more about it, maybe that was the case of Viper in MvC3 too, because technically she has no business being in a prestigious franchise that includes historical icons of Capcom. That roster is reserved for worthy representatives of Capcom history, and the game already has the right SF representatives. So that choice seems to have been from a specific bias that was pushing SF4 newcomers into new games in that early 2010s era.

[@nickadt]

Sounds like a personal issue. Rufus was lit AF. Everyone was raising the Rufus. The entire EG team made multiple Top8s with this character. Stop the hate.

[@captainphoton1693]

I want him to come back. But fit and grown. Still bad at Kung fu and all. But the guy listened to the only advice he ever listened to. Ken saying his martial art still didn't fit his big belly. And so the only think he changed was his shape. And sf6 storry for him is him being as stupid as before. But at the end taking the second advice he ever took from someone. Ken saying to go look at other fighter if he wanted to beat him. And thu going to challenge other martial art master.

[@caldw615]

Basically a reverse of what happened to Birdie. I wouldn't mind him still being a bit overweight as it does make him visually distinct but maybe they could make him look more "strong fat" like Honda. He could perhaps still ramble on about things but I think they could do a 180 on him being an obnoxious egomaniac and instead have him be more like a hypeman who just spouts constant motivation. Maybe have something in his story where his girlfriend ends up in danger because he refused help from others and it scared him into making it his goal to actively seek out the potential for strength in others. You know how Zangief had that scene in 6 where he's pushing the player character to lift themselves up? Imagime something like that with Rufus just constantly trying to push others to be the best version of themselves and seek potential they otherwise would just give up on. Still do it in a silly rambly way where he seems to describe random tangents but in a more positive way.

[@kyps1259]

The only real "waste of character slot" I´ve ever seen in an FG...

[@ainaalaina-kn8kp]

Bro this character was awesome and y’all are lame af for shitting on it 😂 His gameplay is fun af and his dialogue is even better

[@ggamemaster1689]

How do you think he would look like if he were to return to Street Fighter 6?

[@ChronoUchiha]

Rufus is still my favorite Street Fighter character. He's funny, and break stereotypes of the large fighters. He definitely gets unfair hate.

[@mcb2438]

For a guy with a curvature of 360 degrees, Rufus could really move

[@trahapace150]

Capcom should fire whoever suggested they change from the original king cobra design

[@kaiserwave5977]

Imagine Rufus jiggle physics in Re Engine

[@EdgeofNotion]

Hakan was the better-realized concept for a weird Blanka-like character.

[@freshboy3968]

+2

[@TheArchivist30]

Six years ago, as of this comment, Rufus appeared on a Countdown by greenscorpion64. It was a list of characters he hates to love. He basically said that Rufus was a joke on the worst parts of the Street Fighter community.

[@spectrumbots4268]

I'm actually kinda surprised Rufus wasn't in UMVC3. I would've liked to see him and Deadpool interact!

[@streamingnowstreamingnow2568]

Rufus busted down the door, took on the rest becuase he's the best. And rode off into the sunset on his bike with his woman! I can see why people would Hate that. Living life on the Open road with the love of a good woman.

[@johnsayles8032]

Hey man, i like that dumpster fire, definitely made more sense than Hakan. That said yeah, King Cobra shoulda been in the mix too.

[@LucasKelleher]

It's almost impressive that Rufus managed to suck on every level. He really is the worst Street Fighter character ever.

[@MrMrphelps]

When I still played SFIV, Rufus was my favourite to play. He was fast, had easy enough moves to pull off and I found his character hilarious. I was in early secondary school at the time, though, so that may have coloured my opinion

[@teppler]

Rufus was a really fun player to use. You didn't have to spend 1000000 hours practicing combos. Dive kick + ultra. Boom you're good to compete.

[@a1rg3ar31]

And then they turned Birdie into Rufus.

[@HolyHadou]

It's not that I don't want to see Rufus again. It's that there are so many other characters I'd rather see over him. I'd rather see King Kobra over him which is kinda unfortunate.

[@craigwright8216]

King Cobra would've been perfect for Street fighter 6. King Cobra was supposed to be Ken's rival.

[@thefanwithoutaface8105]

Eh, I don't hate Rufus, kind of think it's neat the guy was so passionate about Kung Fu that he studied it, not just in movies and books but actually went to China and studied under actual masters to become a legit Kung Fu master.

[@platypuspracticus2]

What sucks is rufus is fun to play. The character design is just the worst, most obnoxious parts of Ono's "humor".

[@Mr.Maguro]

i love that rufus puts the muricans in other countries shoes. instead of giving them a cool character they want to see, they made this fatso stereotype and said "you see that annoying jerk over there? that's you. that's how everyone sees you."

[@EMdemo]

Who was the person that suggested this character?

[@Nyug3r]

I fucking love Rufus. He is so hateable and dumb, but incredibly fun to play. I hope he comes back.

[@Tahldon-kun]

Capcom, please put Rufus in the bin next to Nacalli and remove further considerations of their inclusions in the series thereafter. Thanks.

[@BigDez37]

I think they should reload King Cobra, slightly change his moves, write him into as a trainer or friend of Rufus, and bring him into SF6.

[@Intrenxic_Dark]

My issue with Rufus has nothing to do with him being fat, a terrible American stereotype, or even a clear joke character. He's overall a bad concept in terms of design and function as well as being just obnoxious. If they announce Rufus at any point in SF6, I'm just gonna dance blindfolded in the middle of traffic.

[@carlosaugusto9821]

But that was exactly the intention of his design, and your reaction and comments show the idea of the devs was successful.

[@charlesmartin8563]

It's true that this character didn't make a good impression on the majority of people but to be honest I'm not against Rufus coming back if Capcom has ideas to rework the character on certain points like they did with Dee Jay and Ed.