Zangief
Zangief is a male video game character who features in Street Fighter.
Contents |
Biography
Zangief (Japanese: ザンギエフ, Hepburn: Zangiefu, Russian: Красный циклон, Krasnyy tsiklon)
He came to be the national Russian hero where he earned the nickname the Red Cyclone. The leader of the Soviet Union, regarded as 'the President', promised Zangief the country's full support in exchange for traveling around the world and showing off the might of the Soviet Union. During his travels to prove his Russian might, Zangief encounters Birdie and the two trade barbs about their appearance. Later, Zangief meets Ken Masters, who called him a 'mama's boy', angering him and starting a fight. After Ken is defeated, the President appears, congratulating Zangief, who was then sent to train in remote Siberia. Under orders from the Soviet President, Zangief is sent to combat the forces of Shadaloo, which is beginning to spread its corruption into Russia. Zangief encounters many fighters along the way, befriending some such as E. Honda and R. Mika. It is believed that he lost to Blanka before he could accomplish his final objective of destroying the Psycho Drive; however in his ending, he and Honda team up to destroy it. He then participated in the second World Warrior Tournament, hosted by Shadaloo, at the behest of the president, but loses. After the tournament, Zangief, dissatisfied with the outcome, returns to training in the Russian wilderness, wrestling bears. Eventually, he is approached by the largest wrestling organization in the world with an eye to signing the "Red Cyclone" to their promotion. Zangief at first refuses, saying that he is less interested in money than he is in bringing honor to Russia by demonstrating Russian strength. He is promised a stage to better showcase his skills, with his matches watched by millions. Due to the obvious help this will bring to his will to show Russian strength, Zangief gladly accepts.
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Zangief was a male Russian who was a massive fighter, weighing 400 lbs and standing slightly over 7 feet tall. Zangief has been portrayed with a beard and a mohawk, along with a uniquely-shaped formation of chest hair on his torso and on his shins. His massive frame is almost entirely covered in scars from his bouts with brown bears in the barren and remote area of Siberia. Zangief's wardrobe consists of simple red wrestling trunks with a gold belt, along with red and gold wristbands and his red wrestling boots with gold trim. In one of Zangief's concept artworks, he wore a tank top and had a sailor anchor tattoo on his left arm. He came to be known as the Crimson Cyclone (Japanese: 赤きサイクロン, Hepburn: Akaki Saikuron).
Born and raised in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Zangief is an incredibly patriotic character who has been motivated in some way to fight for his Russian motherland in every single game he has ever been in. While his personality has varied from one media source to another, Zangief is mostly been portrayed as a very fearless and tactical fighter who is prone to quick temperaments and is always very competitive. In addition to being overwhelmingly patriotic, he is immensely proud of his massive physique and is obsessed with muscle building. In battles, he constantly belittles his opponent's smaller muscular build and blaming their losses on their lack of muscular power. His win quotes often consists of critiques towards his specific opponents about their lack of power or him telling his opponents to build more muscle.
Powers and abilities
Zangief's signature fighting style is close-range wrestling specifically, a mix of Russian and American pro wrestling with devastating throws and powerful base moves. This makes him tough up close, though he often has trouble with foes with projectiles.
Many of Zangief's moves are more complicated to pull off, due to the 360 motions input required to perform the moves, making him a character for advanced players. This, along with the fact that several of his moves incorporate spins, is likely the basis for his wrestling moniker "Red Cyclone".
Notes
- Zangief was created by Akira "Akiman" Yasuda and Ikuo "Ikusan.Z" Nakayama where he featured in the setting of the Street Fighter universe.
In other media
Television
Films
Video games
Comic Books
Appearances
- Street Fighter II: The World Warrior: (1991)
External Links
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