History Characters / StreetFighterII

** "Guile" is a (relatively uncommon) French surname, originating from "Guillaume," which is the French for "William." In [[Film/StreetFighter the first movie]] this is referenced with [[Creator/JeanClaudeVanDamme JCVD]] playing Colonel ''William'' F. Guile.

->'''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/NorioWakamoto (''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' [[AudioAdaptation CD dramas]]), Creator/MichaelDonovan ([[WesternAnimation/StreetFighter American cartoon]]), Toshihide Tsuchiya (''Street Fighter Alpha 3'', ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2 Marvel vs. Capcom 2]]''), Creator/TesshoGenda (''Anime/StreetFighterIIV'', ''Street Fighter EX'' series), Creator/KirkThornton (''Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie'', ''Street Fighter II V''; Animaze dub), Creator/RobMungle (''Street Fighter II V''; ADV dub), Creator/UnshoIshizuka (''Capcom vs. SNK'', ''Capcom vs. SNK 2''), Takenosuke Nishikawa (''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcomSVCChaos''), Jesse Kuntz (''Street Fighter'' motion comics), Creator/HirokiYasumoto (''Street Fighter IV'', ''Street Fighter X Tekken'', ''Street Fighter V'', ''Manga/HiScoreGirl'', ''Street Fighter 6''; Japanese), Creator/TravisWillingham (''Street Fighter IV'', ''Street Fighter X Tekken'', ''Street Fighter V'', ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''; English), Creator/LucienDodge (''High Score Girl''; English), Creator/RayChase (''Street Fighter 6''; English)[[/note]]

->'''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/NorioWakamoto (''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' [[AudioAdaptation CD dramas]]), Creator/MichaelDonovan ([[WesternAnimation/StreetFighter American cartoon]]), Toshihide Tsuchiya (''Street Fighter Alpha 3'', ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2 Marvel vs. Capcom 2]]''), Creator/TesshoGenda (''Anime/StreetFighterIIV'', ''Street Fighter EX'' series), Creator/KirkThornton (''Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie'', ''Street Fighter II V''; Animaze dub), Creator/RobMungle (''Street Fighter II V''; ADV dub), Creator/UnshoIshizuka (''Capcom vs. SNK'', ''Capcom vs. SNK 2''), Takenosuke Nishikawa (''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcomSVCChaos''), Jesse Kuntz (''Street Fighter'' motion comics), Creator/HirokiYasumoto (''Street Fighter IV'', ''Street Fighter X Tekken'', ''Street Fighter V'', ''Manga/HighScoreGirl'', ''Street Fighter 6''; Japanese), Creator/TravisWillingham (''Street Fighter IV'', ''Street Fighter X Tekken'', ''Street Fighter V'', ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''; English), Creator/LucienDodge (''High Score Girl''; English), Creator/RayChase (''Street Fighter 6''; English)[[/note]]

[- ''Characters/StreetFighterI'' | '''''Street Fighter II''''' ''([[Characters/StreetFighterTheFourKings The Four Kings]])'' | ''[[Characters/StreetFighterIIUpdatedVersions Street Fighter II: Updated Versions]]'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterAlpha'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterIII'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterIV'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterV'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterVUpdatedVersions'' | ''Characters/StreetFighter6'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterEX'' | [[Characters/StreetFighterOtherCharacters Other Characters]] | [[Characters/StreetFighterOtherMedia Other Media]]-]]]]]

* For T. Hawk, Fei Long, Dee Jay, Cammy, and Akuma, check the ''Characters/StreetFighterIIUpdatedVersions'' sheet.

* CharacterDevelopment: Chun-Li was a carefree young woman until the death of her father at Bison's hands, which prompted her to become a detective. In all games up to ''III'', she's therefore mainly concerned with avenging her father's death and bringing down Shadaloo, with her serious personality and workaholic nature reflecting her focus. In ''III'' and ''6'', as Bison is destroyed, she is calmer, more mature, and focused on being a BigSisterMentor, teaching kung fu to local children.

* CharacterDevelopment: Chun-Li was a carefree young woman until the death of her father at Bison's hands, which prompted her to become a detective. In all games up to ''III'', she's therefore mainly concerned with avenging her father's death and bringing down Shadaloo, with her serious personality and workaholic nature reflecting her focus. In ''III'' and ''6'', as Bison is destroyed, she is calmer, more mature, and focussed on being a BigSisterMentor, teaching kung fu to local children.

* VirtuousCharacterCopy: Guile was inspired by Rudol von Stroheim from ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency'', both having green military outfits, blonde towering ImprobableHairstyle and deeply patriotic attitudes. However, Stroheim [[ThoseWackyNazis is a Nazi]] (even when [[HeelFaceTurn for the majority of his role]] [[TokenEvilTeammate is on the heroes' side]], and is [[EqualOpportunityEvil more concerned about bravery than ethnicity]]), while Guile is a red-blooded and heroic American who detests fascism and dictators like Bison.

* VirtuousCharacterCopy: According to WordOfGod, Guile was inspired by Rudol von Stroheim from ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency'', both having green military outfits, blonde towering ImprobableHairstyle and deeply patriotic attitudes. However, Stroheim [[ThoseWackyNazis is a Nazi]] (even when [[HeelFaceTurn for the majority of his role]] [[TokenEvilTeammate is on the heroes' side]], and is [[EqualOpportunityEvil more concerned about bravery than ethnicity]]), while Guile is a red-blooded and heroic American who detests fascism and dictators like Bison.

[- ''Characters/StreetFighterI'' | '''''Street Fighter II''''' | ''([[Characters/StreetFighterTheFourKings The Four Kings]])'' | ''[[Characters/StreetFighterIIUpdatedVersions Street Fighter II: Updated Versions]]'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterAlpha'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterIII'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterIV'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterV'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterVUpdatedVersions'' | ''Characters/StreetFighter6'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterEX'' | [[Characters/StreetFighterOtherCharacters Other Characters]] | [[Characters/StreetFighterOtherMedia Other Media]]-]]]]]

[- ''Characters/StreetFighterI'' | '''''Street Fighter II''''' | ''Characters/StreetFighterTheFourKings'' | ''[[Characters/StreetFighterIIUpdatedVersions Street Fighter II: Updated Versions]]'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterAlpha'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterIII'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterIV'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterV'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterVUpdatedVersions'' | ''Characters/StreetFighter6'' | ''Characters/StreetFighterEX'' | [[Characters/StreetFighterOtherCharacters Other Characters]] | [[Characters/StreetFighterOtherMedia Other Media]]-]]]]]

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Prior to ''SSFII'', she was the only female fighter on the roster, as well as being the ''first'' female character in a popular fighting game, hence her nickname "First Lady of Fighting Games"). One of her win quotes in ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' (which has a roughly even male/female mix) [[LampshadeHanging makes fun of this]]:

* GirlyBruiser: She's an ActionGirl SuperCop who takes down criminals by [[KickChick personally kicking the hell out of them]], but still maintains an elegant, sweet, and feminine personality.

* InformedAttractiveness: Chun-Li is stated to be [[WorldsMostBeautifulWoman the most beautiful female of the cast]], though of course, the audience's tastes may vary.

* LegFocus: One of Chun-Li’s defining features are her long, incredibly muscular legs, which have become more emphasized and proportionately larger as the series has progressed. They're famous even InUniverse as Urien refers to them as the "legendary legs that took down Shadaloo" and the PlayerCharacter in ''6'' can compliment them in dialogue.
* LeeroyJenkins: Her commitment to justice and [[YouKilledMyFather wanting to avenge her father]] often blinds her when it comes to Bison, causing her to pick a fight with him even when she knows she has no chance on her own. Both Nash and Guile criticize her for this in ''V'''s story mode, when she almost gets herself killed fighting Bison.

* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: The Light to Juri's Dark Han, as both rival {{Kick Chick}}s, but Chun Li is a SuperCop ActionGirl with an elegant demeanor who's ''very'' firmly on the side of good, while Juri is a criminal DarkActionGirl with an irreverent and rebellious personality.
* LongHairIsFeminine: She has very long hair that is usually contained by her ox horns hairstyle. She [[LettingHerHairDown wears her hair down]] in costumes that emphasize her femininity, such as her Battle costume in ''V''.

* MentorArchetype: ''6'' sees her mentoring Li-Fen, effortlessly schooling the girl in combat and teaching her many of her [[SharedSignatureMove signature techniques]]. She also teaches a class that the Avatar can join. Prior to ''6'', she exhibited a knack for passing on her skills to the younger fighters in the series.

* NoFullNameGiven: She has never been given an official surname by Capcom. [[NamedByTheAdaptation Some adaptations]] have given her a surname (such as Feng in ''Street Fighter Zero'' novel, Wang in a drama CD, Xiang in ''Film/StreetFighterTheLegendOfChunLi'' and Zang in the [[Film/StreetFighter original live-action movie]]) and a few old sources from the 90's seemed to imply "Chun" was originally supposed to be her surname, but Capcom has never officially recognized any of them.

* ProudBeauty: She's shown to be vain about her appearance and takes great care to preserve her good looks and maintain her body in shape, being particularly proud of her legs.

* SpamAttack: [[SuperSpecialMove Hundred Rending Legs]] has her standing on one leg and spamming the same sidekick at lightning-fast speed.

* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Her defeat portrait in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' is pretty tame compared to the other character's portraits -- her OdangoHair is messed up and she's tearful, but that's mostly it.

* BigYes: Her most iconic win phrase has her yelling "Yatta!" (dubbed as "I did it!" in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'') when she wins a match.

* BuxomBeautyStandard: Fitting for a character considered the WorldsMostBeautifulWoman, she has a well-endowed chest. While it's not as mentioned as often as [[LegFocus her legs]], it's still one of the physical traits that have others fawning over her beauty in many ''Street Fighter'' media.

-->'''Chun-Li:''' ''[[GratuitousEnglish Spinning Bird Kick!]]''

* AffirmativeActionGirl: From the original release of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' to ''Hyper Fighting'', Chun-Li was the game's sole female playable character (she was also the earliest playable character in a fighting game ''ever'', hence her nickname "First Lady of Fighting Games"). This changed when Cammy was added in ''Super'', and subsequent installments of ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' have made sure that at least two women are in the cast.

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Prior to ''SSFII'', she was the only female fighter on the roster, as well as being the ''first'' female character in a popular fighting game. One of her win quotes in ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' (which has a roughly even male/female mix) [[LampshadeHanging makes fun of this]]:
-->'''Chun-Li:''' I remember when [[SelfDeprecation I was the only girl on the roster]].

* AnimeChineseGirl: Set the standard for all the others with her iconic look, including her [[OdangoHair odango hairdo]], her spiked Nan Quan bracelets, her jade-blue UsefulNotes/{{qipao}}, and her legendary thunder-thighs.

* ByTheBookCop: Her standards as an ICPO officer are fastidiously high.

* CloseToHome: Chun-Li has empathy for Juri, as she too lost her parents to Shadaloo. This "soft spot" sentiment is most in evidence in ''6'' when she urges Juri to atone for her crimes; unfortunately, Juri just laughs it off.

--> ''(To M. Bison) You're the one person... I will never forgive!''

--> ''[[GratuitousEnglish Spinning Bird Kick!]]''

* InterpolSpecialAgent: As a crime fighter, Chun-Li liaises with various law enforcement and military agencies investigating Shadaloo. She has a personal stake, as Bison [[YouKilledMyFather murdered her father,]] himself a detective, so her involvement in the investigation goes beyond simple work duty.

* LadyOfWar: Initially a straight-up ActionGirl, from ''3rd Strike'' onwards a graceful fluidity was added to each of her attacks. Her fighting style resembles Tai Chi Quan, and she possesses chi control, as shown in her Kikouken or Kikoushou.
* LegFocus: One of Chun-Li’s defining features are her long, incredibly muscular legs, which have become more emphasized and proportionately larger as the series has progressed.

* MentorArchetype: ''6'' sees her mentoring Li-Fen, effortlessly schooling the girl in combat. She also teaches a class that the Avatar can join. Prior to ''6'', she exhibits a knack for passing on her skills to the younger fighters in the series.

* PowerTrio: Composed of her, Guile, and Charlie in the ''Alpha'' series. Once Charlie goes MIA, his spot is given to Cammy.

* SheFu: Her arsenal of moves is extremely acrobatic, featuring a large selection of flips and spins, and reaches its zenith with her gravity-defying Spinning Bird Kick. In ''3rd Strike'', her medium punch is a double slap to the face.

* SignificantWardrobeShift: Her design in ''6'' features bracelets that don't have spikes on them, and her hair is no longer covered by white brocades, showing she’s has moved on from her father's death with Bison defeated.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Prior to ''SSFII'', she was the only female fighter on the roster, as well as being the ''first'' female character in a popular fighting game. One of her win quotes in ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' (which has a roughly even male/female mix) makes fun of this: "I remember when [[SelfDeprecation I was the only girl on the roster]]."

** "Tenshokyaku" has her leap up with several revolving kicks.

* SuperCop: She shoots fireballs and can kick at lightning speeds. Any high-profile criminal would be right to fear confronting her.

* SupportingLeader: Chun-Li always directly opposes the BigBad, and her arcade endings feature her defeating Shadaloo (''II'', ''Alpha''), S.I.N (''IV''), and the Illuminati (''III''), rather than [[SupportingProtagonist Ryu]].

* ToughSpikesAndStuds: She’s the franchise's most famous ActionGirl and wears spiked kung fu bracelets.

* TrueBlueFemininity: Her main outfit is a deep blue in most games, and she originally stood out for being the only female fighter in the series.

-->''Bison. Shadaloo's CEO! I've finally found you. I'll avenge my father!''

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-> For Balrog, Vega, and M.Bison, check the ''Characters/StreetFighterTheFourKings'' page.