History VideoGame / Strider

[[caption-width-right:350:Don't FUCK with FLYING DRAGON.]]

* Red Eyes, Take Warning: Hiryu, the main character.

* {{Badass}}: Strider Hiryu himself. And he knows it. When seeing the Balrog battleship for himself in the arcade game, ''he scoffs at it, considering it a mere toy.''
** Strider Hien is no slouch either.
** BountyHunter Solo as well, specially so in his 2014 rendition.

->''He slashes, springs, slides and climbs! Every single action he takes is superhuman! Here comes the super-A ranked strider called "Hiryu"!!''
-->Game description from the [=X68000=] version.

** CapcomVsWhatever: As already said, Hiryu is a playable character in ''Marvel vs. Capcom 1'', ''2'' and ''Ultimate'', as well as ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom''. Ton Pooh appears in the first ''[=MvC=]'' as an AssistCharacter, and she along with the Grandmaster, Solo, Hien and two {{mooks}} are A.I.-only characters in ''[=NxC=]''.

http://img3.sector.sk/files/novinky/2013-7-19-10-15-66%5C/strider-75737-7161916.jpg
[[caption-width-right:350: Don't fuck with "FLYING DRAGON".]]

[[caption-width-right:350: If you see him ninja running at you, get the hell out of his way.]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/strider_limited_edition_art_0.png]]

[[caption-width-right:350:If you see him ninja running at you, get the hell out of his way]]

''Strider'' is a [[RuleOfCool stylish]] 1989 action/platforming game by Capcom about a {{ninja}} with an [[CoolSword incredibly badass sword]]. The game features our hero Hiryu as he takes on the "Grandmaster", [[GalacticConqueror an entity from another galaxy that has decided to conquer the Earth.]] The arcade game was ported to many systems, including the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, where it was one of the system's first {{Killer App}}s, and the first game to be released on an 8-megabit cartridge.

The arcade version of ''Strider'' was actually the product of a three-way collaboration between Capcom and manga studio Motomiya Kikaku, which also resulted in a separate NES game and a single-volume manga version. The manga and NES version follows Hiryu, as he is forced out of retirement to track down and eliminate Kain, a fellow Strider and friend who has been compromised by his capture. Hiryu must travel around the world, from enemy bases to a moving train and from New York to China. During his mission, he uncovers a conspiracy that involves the Strider organization. The NES version understandably has a much deeper story than the more-famous arcade version, but suffered from many programming and control errors. Notably, the NES version was never released for the Family Computer in Japan, in a bizarre reversal of NoExportForYou.

The game naturally inspired a number of [[FollowTheLeader imitators and similar games]], such as ''VideoGame/RunSaber'' and ''Shadow of the Ninja''. One of these, ''[[VideoGame/CannonDancer Osman]]'', was created by the same designer of the original and is considered its SpiritualSuccessor. In 1990, the European-based company U.S. Gold produced an officially-licensed sequel titled ''Strider II'', which was originally released for various home computer platforms in Europe (specifically the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum). The game was remade in 1992 for the [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Mega Drive]] with redesigned stages and play mechanics much closer to the original arcade game. This was that version that was released in North America under the title of ''Strider Returns: Journey From Darkness''. An 8-bit UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem version of ''Strider II'' was also released, with a corresponding American release for the GameGear under the ''Strider Returns'' title.

The series remained silent until 1998, where Hiryu was included as a playable character in ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomClashOfTheSuperheroes Marvel vs. Capcom]]'' and its sequel ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2''. Hiryu's speed, easily-chained combos, zone control, and full-screen LimitBreak made him a favorite of {{Scrub}}s and StopHavingFunGuys alike. In 1999, Capcom [[Music/{{Prince}} partied]] with ''Strider 2'', released in arcades in 1999 and then received a UsefulNotes/PlayStation port a year later, where Hiryu once again faces the Grandmaster as well as a new foe, the renegade Strider Hien. Since then, Hiryu and his enemies have appeared in ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom''; notably, the Grandmaster gets the honor of being the last BigBad to be confronted before the biggest bad herself. While not present in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' due to copyright issues, Hiryu did join the line-up of its UpdatedRerelease, ''Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3''. He also joined the cast of ''[[VideoGame/ProjectXZone Project X Zone 2: Brave New World]]''

!! The game series contains examples of:

[[folder:General]]

** DualTonfas: The weapon is tonfa-shaped. Hien can actually dual-wield his double-edged Cypher as two separate weapons.

* TheGreatPoliticsMessUp: The Soviet Union still exists in the [=2040s=] and the country of Kazakhstan is referred by its former name of Kazakh SSR in both arcade and NES games, as well as the manga.
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Hiryu's enemies tend to fly away in two pieces whenever they are hit by the Cypher.
** In the manga, Hiryu cuts one bastard soldier in half vertically.

** The Kuniang are ColorCodedForYourConvenience identical sprites in the first game (Ton Pooh = green, Sai Pooh = [[TrueBlueFemininity blue]], Bei Pooh = red). Averted in the second game and beyond, where they have personalized hairstyles in addition to the color-coding (with Bei/Pei's coloring additionally becoming [[PinkMeansFeminine a lighter shade]] in the 2014 game).

* RecycledTitle: There are 3 games (out of 5 total) named "Strider": the arcade game, the NES game, and the HD digital game.
** In Japan, the manga is named the same as the arcade game.

** The arcade and Famicom versions were developed in tandem. Strangely, the Famicom version was canceled despite the fact that it was heavily promoted by Moto Kikaku's tie-in manga, although it eventually saw a U.S.-exclusive release on the NES.

* SameSexTriplets: The Kuniang sisters. They become [[AmazonBrigade an all-female]] SiblingTeam starting in ''Strider 2'' (Ton Pooh, the leader, is the middle sister, Bei is the oldest, and Sai/Nang is the youngest).

** The Kuniang sisters are specially prone to this, thanks to their Chinese names being filtered through Japanese spelling and then localized, resulting in Ton Pooh/Tong Poo, Bei/Pei Pooh and Nam/Nang Pooh.
** Hiryu himself, since his name in furigana and romaji has the extra "u" vowel ("Hiryuu"). Most of the time, the said extended vowel often ignored.

** The Ton Pooh sisters are named for three of the four winds: Ton, Sai, and Bei are respectively the eastern, western, and northern winds. (Ton Pooh also doubles as a musical ShoutOut to the first track of the second side of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Magic_Orchestra_(album) a self-titled album by the Yellow Magic Orchestra.]]) In the 2014 game, Sai is replaced by a different sister named Nang Pooh (the southern wind), as in this continuity, the trio was trained by a master martial artist named [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_Wangmu Xi Wang Mu.]]
* WallCrawl[=/=]CeilingCling: One of the iconic elements of the series. In the main series and crossovers, Hiryu uses his Climb Sickle to climb to any surface and ceiling. In the NES game, he can move up specific glowing walls/ceilings with magnetic boots.
** WallJump: An ability in both the NES game and ''Strider 2''. Much loathed in the former due to funky controls.

[[folder:The arcade game and ''Strider 2'']]

* BigFancyCastle: Herzog Schlange's Fortress Wahnen from ''Strider 2'', mixing an ancient german castle with ThoseWackyNazis technology.

* CompilationRerelease[=/=]EmbeddedPrecursor: ''Strider 2'' came packaged with a second CD with the first arcade game.
* {{Cyborg}}: The very first boss of both games, Strobaya and the Chinese Terrorist ([[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Elder Brother]] Honghuo).

** There could be a case for the fourth stage boss Admiral Wilhelm, who uses similar techniques to Hiryu and even wields a curved sword that's more like a counterfeit Cypher.

* TheFaceless: Solo is always seen with his mask/visor on.

* FragileSpeedster: Solo moves ''really fast'' and has a lot of firepower... but dies in 3 hits.
* GainaxEnding: The ending of ''Strider 2''. [[spoiler:Among other things, it's implied that Strider Hiryu is the {{reincarnation}} of the Strider who defeated Grandmaster Meio almost 2,000 years ago (i.e. the events of the original ''Strider''). Strider Hiryu does kill Grandmaster, so it's not a matter of being a DownerEnding... It's simply that this plot element will probably remain an AbortedArc.]]

* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: [[spoiler:Caduceus, the FinalBoss of the second game. There's a bit of foreshadowing in that Meio creates pieces of it in the previous boss fight, though.]]

* GratuitousRussian: While the first ''Strider'' contains some Russian, it's not always the case it's fairly accurate. Just as a little example, the subtitles at the end of stage one don't even remotely point at what the USSR leader is saying. And thanks to the horrible accent acting and the fact that Meio interrupts his speech out of nowhere, the supposed phrase "Никто не уйдёт живым!"[[note]]Nikto ne ooydjot zhivim - No one will leave alive[[/note]] has turned into "Никто не идиот!"[[note]]Nikto ne idiot - No one is an idiot[[/note]]
** This trope follows straight after that cutscene: the location name of stage 2, "Сибирь", is actually spelt correctly, but it's obvious that Capcom didn't used the English-Russian dictionary the right way... [[DontExplainTheJoke They forgot to remove the stress mark.]]

* KickChick: The three Kuniang are all about kicks... that can create ''blades of plasma''.
* KillerGorilla: Second stage boss Mecha Pon, a ''mechanical'' gorilla.

* LegacyCharacter: ''Strider 2'' takes place over two ''thousand'' years after the rest of the series, leaving it unclear whether Hiryu had actually survived those two millenia or if another Strider had come along to take his place. WordOfGod eventually confirmed the latter.

--> "Hmm... it is Strider Hiryu. He will ''never'' leave Eurasia alive!" [[TheDragon "I got you."]]

[[folder:Manga and NES]]

* AIIsACrapshoot: [[spoiler:The Zain computer goes batshit crazy after all the human baddies are killed.]]

* BerserkButton: If you use innocent people as guinea pigs and then as meat shields, or even worse children... it's best that Hiryu never discovers that, lest you want to end up in tiny pieces.
* BigBad: Faceas Clay, with [[spoiler:Matic as the true mastermind.]]
** TheDragon: Manga-exclusive character Yuri.
* BloodKnight: Captain Keith in the manga.
* BossRush: The NES game has a MiniBoss Rush, pitting the player against previous stage sub-bosses before facing Matic and the Zain machine.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Kain. [[spoiler:Hiryu's sister is revealed to be one as well.]]
* ButNotTooForeign: Little is known of Hiryu's past other than that he's an orphan of Asian descent (likely Japanese), but when you consider that his sister [[{{Mukokuseki}} has blond hair]] and a Russian/Ukrainian first name, it's possible the manga/NES continuity meant for Hiryu to be Eurasian.
** Interestingly enough, an old Capcom source lists Hiryu as being born in a region of Siberia. Although this would apply to the coin-op, since both it and the manga were done concurrently, is quite possible this backstory is also true for the manga.
* ContinuityCameo: Both manga-exclusive enemies Arana and Kubira appear as enemy grunts in some stages of the NES game.

* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler:Strider Kain in the NES game just before the final stage (he survives in the manga).]]
* DeathSeeker: Hiryu during the ''Gaiden'' extra chapter of the manga, where the guilt over his sister's murder has made him act reckless and suicidal during missions because he's looking to die during an assignment.
* {{Determinator}}: Hiryu. Specially near the end of the manga.
* DodgeTheBullet: An ''awesome'' display of this in the manga. [[note]]The aforementioned Shadowtag Bullets are able to perfectly track the movements of any target, to the point that they could be considered anti-Strider weaponry. Hiryu dodges them ''effortlessly''.[[/note]]
* EvilBrit: [[spoiler:Matic.]]
* EvilPlan: The whole story of the manga is revealed to have been the work of [[spoiler:Matic]], who started it three years before its beginning as a way to get enough power and resources to TakeOverTheWorld.

* [[spoiler:KillTheOnesYouLove: Hiryu is tasked with killing his sister Mariya, an A-Class Strider (and the first woman to obtain the rank), after [[BrainwashedAndCrazy she went mad]] and slaughtered ten trainees for the organization. At the end of a fierce battle, Hiryu manages to {{impale|dWithExtremePrejudice}} her with Cypher, and a crying Mariya, the shock rousing her out of the brainwashing, asks her brother what happened as she dies. The ordeal affected Hiryu so deeply that he retired from the Striders and spent two years living in Mongolia with a young girl named Rin who reminded him of his sister.]]

* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Badger in the NES game has a rather large shield that protects him from any attack...[[AttackItsWeakPoint as long as it's not coming from behind]].
* MadScientist: The manga has one, working for Enterprise.

* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:Matic is revealed at the end of the manga as this.]]
* MeaningfulName: One of the manga's enemies is Arana, which is Spanish for spider, and he uses [[RazorFloss web-like threads to ensnare his targets]].
* MegaCorp: Enterprise in both.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: [[MeaningfulName Ka]][[Myth/HinduMythology li]] in the manga.

** Kain ''really'' freaks out after [[spoiler:finding out he killed Sheena while under mind control]] in the manga.
** [[spoiler:Hiryu was forced to kill his sister Mariya as part of a mission, which led to him retiring from the Striders. Later he discovers she was brainwashed courtesy of Enterprise.]]

* ObfuscatingDisability: Director Kuramoto from the manga suffers from senility, appearing very dispersed and oblivious about what's going on around him. Then, [[spoiler:when a group of Matic's men show up with orders to kill him, Kuramoto suddenly stands up and kills them instantly, revealing his condition to be faked as he awaited for Matic to show his true colors.]]
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Kain [[spoiler:and Kuramoto]] in the manga.

** ShockAndAwe: In the manga, Hiryu's Cypher makes use of electricity.

* [[spoiler:SacrificialLion: Sheena.]]

** [[spoiler:FourEyesZeroSoul: The guy's truly irremediably evil too.]]
** OpaqueLenses
* SchrodingersCast: [[spoiler:Kain]] dies at the end of the NES game, but survives in the manga.
* SmugSnake: Matic in the manga, ''full stop''.
* SpaceStation: The Striders' main base, the Blue Dragon, in the game. Matic has a SpaceBase that's his personal copy of it, named the Red Dragon.

* TreacherousAdvisor: [[spoiler:Matic.]]

** TriangRelations: While Hiryu [[ShipperOnDeck teases Sheena about how she and Kain would make for a good couple]], Sheena secretly harbors feelings for Hiryu (as evidenced by how her personality does a complete 180 around him). [[spoiler:Sheena doesn't make her feelings known (sort of) [[DyingDeclarationOfLove until she's on her deathbed]].]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/l_530f1fe0e72c5_2.jpg]]

[[caption-width-right:350:NinjaRun If you see him ninja running at you, OneManArmy get the hell out of his way]]

[[]], ''[[]]''. [[AudibleSharpness *SWHING!!*]]]]

[[NinjaRun If you see him ninja running at you]], ''[[OneManArmy get the hell out of his way]]''. [[AudibleSharpness *SWHING!!*]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi52Lb-mrDOAhUKOSYKHbbnCUQQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fstrider.wikia.com%2Fwiki%2FFile%3ANewStrider_JP_art.png&bvm=bv.129391328,d.amc&psig=AFQjCNFXErX3XGrQ5Pv2yVvwG1-e7Wr6Yg&ust=1470690438024840
[[caption-width-right:350:[[NinjaRun If you see him ninja running at you]], ''[[OneManArmy get the hell out of his way]]''. [[AudibleSharpness *SWHING!!*]]]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hiryumvsc3_6640.jpg]]

* Experienced Protagonist: Hiryu is a Special A Rank Strider by the time the story begins.

The series remained silent until 1998, where Hiryu was included as a playable character in ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomClashOfTheSuperheroes Marvel vs. Capcom]]'' and its sequel ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2''. Hiryu's speed, easily-chained combos, zone control, and full-screen LimitBreak made him a favorite of {{Scrub}}s and StopHavingFunGuys alike. In 1999, Capcom [[Music/{{Prince}} partied]] with ''Strider 2'', a UsefulNotes/PlayStation follow-up to the arcade game where Hiryu once again faces the Grandmaster as well as a new foe, the renegade Strider Hien. Since then, Hiryu and his enemies have appeared in ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom''; notably, the Grandmaster gets the honor of being the last BigBad to be confronted before the biggest bad herself. While not present in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' due to copyright issues, Hiryu did join the line-up of its UpdatedRerelease, ''Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3''. He also joined the cast of ''[[VideoGame/ProjectXZone Project X Zone 2: Brave New World]]''

* SiblingMurder: Hiryu was forced to do this to his sister Mariya after she went insane and started murdering other Striders. He tried to talk her out of fighting, but being unable to, was finally forced to fight back and [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice pierce her through with his Cypher]]. This would weight heavily on his mind afterwards, eventually leading to him leaving the Striders.

The series remained silent until 1998, where Hiryu was included as a playable character in ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomClashOfTheSuperheroes Marvel vs. Capcom]]'' and its sequel ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2''. Hiryu's speed, easily-chained combos, zone control, and full-screen LimitBreak made him a favorite of {{Scrub}}s and StopHavingFunGuys alike. In 1999, Capcom [[Music/{{Prince}} partied]] with ''Strider 2'', a PlayStation follow-up to the arcade game where Hiryu once again faces the Grandmaster as well as a new foe, the renegade Strider Hien. Since then, Hiryu and his enemies have appeared in ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom''; notably, the Grandmaster gets the honor of being the last BigBad to be confronted before the biggest bad herself. While not present in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' due to copyright issues, Hiryu did join the line-up of its UpdatedRerelease, ''Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3''. He also joined the cast of ''[[VideoGame/ProjectXZone Project X Zone 2: Brave New World]]''

** The PlayStation port of ''Strider 2'' included an exclusive extra "Stage 0" and made [[TheRival Strider Hien]] playable.

* JungleJapes: Amazon in the first, the PlayStation-exclusive "Waterfall stage" in the second (mixed with TempleOfDoom).

The series remained silent until 1998, where Hiryu was included as a playable character in ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomClashOfTheSuperheroes Marvel vs. Capcom]]''. Hiryu's speed, easily-chained combos, zone control, and full-screen LimitBreak made him a favorite of {{Scrub}}s and StopHavingFunGuys alike. In 1999, Capcom [[Music/{{Prince}} partied]] with ''Strider 2'', a PlayStation follow-up to the arcade game where Hiryu once again faces the Grandmaster as well as a new foe, the renegade Strider Hien. Since then, Hiryu and his enemies have appeared in ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom''; notably, the Grandmaster gets the honor of being the last BigBad to be confronted before the biggest bad herself. While not present in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' due to copyright issues, Hiryu did join the line-up of its UpdatedRerelease, ''Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3''. He also joined the cast of ''[[VideoGame/ProjectXZone Project X Zone 2: Brave New World]]''