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[Rurunaki]

To be fair, I think Balrog is a Tolkien reference for tall/shadowy creatures which explains the height and ninja-like moves.

Wasn't Balrog the Demon who Gandalf cockblocked to save the hobbits?

I just want the boxer to be named M. Bison in the US to see Tyson's reaction.

 

[Mechanized]

The English names are better suited to the characters.

 

[antitrop]

The English names are better suited to the characters.

Nailed it.

And it will always be Dr Robotnik to me.

 

[plasmawave]

The American names are the correct names. The other regions should copy us instead.

Americans should also adopt the metric system.

 

[Nocturno999]

I always thought even Japanese names were mistaken and these are the correct ones:

Boxer = Mike Bison
Claw = Vega (Spanish last name)
Dictator = Balrog (Balrog being a Middle Earth demon)

 

[Village]

Nailed it.

And it will always be Dr Robotnik to me.

His nick name is eggman, and that is what he likes to be called.

 

[Anth0ny]

too late now, I think.

 

[Finale Fireworker]

US on the left, Japan on the right.

Dictator = M. Bison = Vega
Claw = Vega = Balrog
Boxer = Balrog = M. Bison

What the eff

I never knew that three SF characters had their names switched around.

 

[Neff]

Raul Julia played M. Bison so 'dictator' is M. Bison.

Holy shit that's amazing.

 

[Raonak]

Actually they should split the difference.

Claw = Vega
Boxer = M. Bison
Dictator = Balrog.

Best combination.

 

[Rurunaki]

What the eff

I never knew that three SF characters had their names switched around.

Capcom was scared of a lawsuit from Mike Tyson.

 

[MrBS]

Right after CAPCPOM rename Resident Evil to Biohazard in the west amirite OP? Precedent set. Ship sailed etc etc

 

[Inuhanyou]

Bison actually fits as the boss dude's name/

Balrog for some beautified spanish guy with a claw makes absolutely no sense. Vega sounds perfect for him.

Balrog makes sense for some boxer guy who isn't very smart.

 

[Squishy3]

Maybe because calling a villain "Eggman" sounds stupid as shit and would only work within the context of a children's fairy tale.

i was always under the impression sonic and friends knew his name was dr. robotnik and called him eggman as a diss

this fits the late 90s "2cool4skool" attitude sonic adventure has

 

[Sectorseven]

I always thought even Japanese names were mistaken and these are the correct ones:

Boxer = Mike Bison
Claw = Vega (Spanish last name)
Dictator = Balrog (Balrog being a Middle Earth demon)

Why'd they swap around three characters instead of just two?

 

[jailbird20022]

Names just fit better, and it's been 2 decades.

 

[Duxxy3]

The Raúl Juliá Street Fighter movie is canon.

 

[Overside]

Because they called to ask me about it, and I said no.

 

[Fularu]

What's in a name?

A dirty little pile of secrets

 

[Catalix]

The English names are better suited to the characters.

And it will always be Dr Robotnik to me.

Yes to both. They're just plain cooler that way.

 

[WrenchNinja]

Right after CAPCPOM rename Resident Evil to Biohazard in the west amirite OP? Precedent set. Ship sailed etc etc

I think renaming a series and three characters is a little different as far as branding goes

 

[timetokill]

The American names are way better. It doesn't always work that way, but it's best to recognize when it does.

 

[ThatCrazyGuy]

I like the american names better. They should go with that.

 

[Toxi]

Right after CAPCPOM rename Resident Evil to Biohazard in the west amirite OP? Precedent set. Ship sailed etc etc

Resident Evil fits the tone of the series better because it sounds ridiculous.

Biohazard definitely fits the content better.

 

[ZeroTheShadow]

I just call them Claw, Boxer, & Dictator like people have been for 20 years.

 

[mollipen]

I think the bigger question is why do you swap around three different characters' names, when simply changing one to something else would have fixed the entire problem?

 

[webkatt]

What if they change the Japanese names to match the American ones?

 

[Charlouie Jonesman]

I just call them Claw, Boxer, & Dictator like people have been for 20 years.

Like I've said earlier, that's completly pointless in english language message board, they're not only their US names, those are their names in all of the west and maybe even parts of Asia, I'm not sure.

 

[Mael]

Why are people saying they're only the American names?
They're that way in Europe too.
Really it's Jpn vs Rest of the world more than Jpn vs USA in this case.

 

[MakeMeFeelAlive]

I thought only japan used the original japanese names? I always liked the western version. Maybe it's because that's what i grew up with. However, i just think the names fit. Vega is cool for a spaniard since it could easily be his surname. Balrog sounds like a good name for a boxer (the boxer, balrog. Yay for alliteration). M. Bison always fit for me. As a kid i thought it was Master Bison, and then the movie referenced this as well, no?

 

[M.W.]

I just call them Claw, Boxer, & Dictator like people have been for 20 years.

I must live in a parallel universe because I've always known them as Vega, Balrog and M Bison. I had no idea they switched.

 

[GekigangerV]

What if they change thee Japanese names to match the American ones?

The thought of Norio Wakamoto NOT saying "Kono Bega-Sama" is disheartening.

 

[Neoxon]

The English names are better suited to the characters.

I'd have to agree, mainly since...

Vega works much better for Claw. In Spanish it's a word for a meadow or fertile area, a pretty word that fits a narcissist.

Balrog also works well for big mean muscular Boxer.

As for M. Bison, I think his full American name is Master Bison. It's a little bit of a stretch, but it works

 

[GamerJM]

I feel like it would make the most sense if they changed both Japanese and American to make it where Vega is still claw, but M Bison is Boxer and Balrog is dictator

Edit: Beaten lol

 

[Sir Ilpalazzo]

I think the bigger question is why do you swap around three different characters' names, when simply changing one to something else would have fixed the entire problem?

If I remember right (this was explained in that Polygon Street Fighter article, I think), by the time they decided on changing Balrog / Bison's name, the people who would have been needed to draw up new graphics for the character names and program them were busy. So they just decided to switch boss names names around instead.

 

[gblues]

Would they still really get sued for a Mike Tyson parody?

Would there be serious fan backlash in the west if they went back in line with the Japanese names?

I mean maybe there would be, people still get upset with Sega and the whole Robotnik to Eggman correction. Or with Square Enix correcting Aeris as Aerith.

It just seems annoying that people have to refer to them as Claw, Boxer, and Dictator to talk about then internationally.

For you, the day Capcom swapped the names around of the Street Fighter boss characters was the most painful day of your life.

For Capcom, it was Tuesday.

 

[Ceallach]

For you, the day Capcom swapped the names around of the Street Fighter boss characters was the most painful day of your life.

For Capcom, it was Tuesday.

And we're done here.

 

[Jamaro85]

I'm shocked that I never knew anything about the names being different originally. "Dictator" has always been M. Bison to me and I guess I never had any reason to randomly make the connection, "hey, M. Bison sounds kind of like M. Tyson, who looks a lot like Balrog." I haven't followed Street Fighter since playing it in the arcades in the malls as a kid, but my mind is seriously blown. Like, wow. Yeah, the names of these characters were burned into my brain as a 7 year old and there's no making any other correlations at this point.

 

[samuraidino]

No way,I'm not about to start calling these balrog bucks.

 

[CamHostage]

The American names are better.

Naw, we're just used to it.

Even as a kid, I always thought it was weird that the All-American boxer repping Vegas had the exotic-sounding name "Balrog". (The name doesn't fit the Spanish acrobat to me either.) It makes much more sense that he was M. Bison (which is a pun on M. Tyson, plus the animal is I assume better known to America, though Europe does have bison.) In fact, I wouldn't have minded if they had just ditched Balrog and went back to the SF1 character "Mike"; even now they could use SF5 as an opportunity to retire Balrog and give Mike a second shot at the title. At least that would put to rest one of those annoying name switches, plus Mike could be given a total graphical makeover whereas Balrog, unless they do a SF5-Ken style makeover, probably could only get even more buff.

And M.Bison as the name of the big bad was a mistake from the beginning. Maybe it's interesting that his initial hints that we will never know his 'real' name, but whatever, it's a fighting game, I only care about names because hearing them said aloud pumps me up for the fight ahead.

I do like the flying acrobat from Spain being named "Vega", though. Don't know what to do with that one...

For you, the day Capcom swapped the names around of the Street Fighter boss characters was the most painful day of your life.

For Capcom, it was Tuesday.

No way,I'm not about to start calling these balrog bucks.

As always, Street Fighter: The Movie proves everything I have ever known to be wrong.

 

[ffdgh]

It may be because we're used to it, but the name switches actually fit the characters more.

Balrog doesn't fit for a flamboyant guy with a claw hand like vega does.
Mike Bison...Eh I get the reference but I like Balrog better. It fits.
M.Bision or just Bison sounds more imtimidating than vega.

 

[staticneuron]

No, it's Mike. Boxer is Mike from SF1 but to skirt around the Mike Tyson issue, Capcom to this day is still coy about the situation.

I am sorry, I should have bet the /s tag there.

Mikul is an Indian name that is sometimes translated to Mike in English.

 

[Momentary]

If they stayed the same years ago people wouldn't say "their names don't fit."

 

[LordBaztion]

I accept no other denomination tha. Major Bison.

 

[Imm0rt4l]

Too late. Fwiw they wouldn't get sued, capcom is just really afraid of lawsuits. I think poison being transgendered also has to do with fear of litigation.

 

[ZenTzen]

Well at this point it just sounds wrong, at least for me to call bison as vega or vega as balrog

and besides the western naming fits better to them than the original japanese naming

 

[Toxi]

If they stayed the same years ago people wouldn't say "their names don't fit."

I like everyone can agree Vega makes more sense for the vain Spanish ninja than Balrog.

 

[Jotamide]

I always thought even Japanese names were mistaken and these are the correct ones:

Boxer = Mike Bison
Claw = Vega (Spanish last name)
Dictator = Balrog (Balrog being a Middle Earth demon)

I absolutely agree.

 

[KingJ2002]

Would they still really get sued for a Mike Tyson parody?

Would there be serious fan backlash in the west if they went back in line with the Japanese names?

I mean maybe there would be, people still get upset with Sega and the whole Robotnik to Eggman correction. Or with Square Enix correcting Aeris as Aerith.

It just seems annoying that people have to refer to them as Claw, Boxer, and Dictator to talk about then internationally.

yeah... no.

 

[Spinosaurus]

Because who doesn't want to see a literal dictator bison