This article is not to be confused with fellow Street Fighter character Balrog, whose first name in the Japanese version of the games is also Mike.
Mike (マイク) is a non-playable character from the Street Fighter series who only appeared in the original Street Fighter game as one of the ten computer-controlled opponents.
Story
Heavyweight boxer Mike spent some time in prison for robbery. During his time there, he learnt to box. When he was set free, he started to look for fights in order to raise money to help the poor in addition to contributing to his community by teaching children how to box. He loves his family and has a good relationship with his sister who is five years younger than him.[1]
Other appearances
Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition
Mike makes an appearance in Balrog's Street Fighter I arcade ladder (where some character's who debut in future instalments appear for story purposes including Balrog, Abigail, and Zeku). The ending depicts Balrog defeating Sagat, however, reporters rush by him to instead congratulate Mike, mistakenly believing he was the victorious one (with Balrog proclaiming "Waitaminute... That's not me!"). Balrog suddenly wakes up, revealing everything to be a nightmare.
Trivia
- Mike is based on the retired boxer, Mike Tyson.
- The African-American character and the Caucasian character featured in the original Street Fighter II intro were initially believed to be Mike and Joe from the very first game. However, the Shadaloo C.R.I. section of the Capcom Fighters Network website later revealed that they were separate characters named Max and Scott, respectively.[2]
- Up until their new artwork were released for the Shadaloo C.R.I. website, Mike and Joe were the only fighters never to be officially featured in any other Street Fighter related media outside the original game.
- Due to his appearance, moveset and Japanese name, Balrog was speculated to have been an updated version of Mike. However, Capcom has insisted that, despite these similarities, they were always intended to be two separate characters. The Street Fighter World Warrior Encyclopedia (hardcover version) lists them as separate individuals[3] as does the Shadaloo C.R.I. website, which has a separate character page for Mike and redesigned artwork for him.[1]
- Mike slightly resembles Mr. Sandman from the Punch-Out!! series by Nintendo.
- Coincidentally, Mr. Sandman is also based off an African-American boxer, in his case, Muhammad Ali.
Gallery
