Characters / Ready 2 Rumble Boxing

Characters that appear in the Ready 2 Rumble series.

The Announcer

Michael Buffer

"Let's get ready to rumble!"

The announcer for the games, and the one who lends his Catchphrase and likeness to the name of this game. While retaining his role throughout the series, Buffer's role is more prominent in the second game, in which, at the title bout, he turns into a huge beast of a man called Rumbleman (see more about him in the Round 2 folder). As his own character, he is the only one to appear throughout the entire series.

Tropes:

• Catchphrase: "Let's get ready to rumbleeeeeee!" Buffer holds the rights for it, by the way.
• Ink-Suit Actor
• Large Ham: Not to the same degree as the rest of the characters, but he dials it up during the boxer introductions.
• Incredibly Long Note: Non-musical example: His "RUMBLE!" call in the second game gets longer depending on the level of your Rumble Meter.
• Non-Standard Character Design: Unlike the majority of the series' characters, Buffer's likeness is always rendered realistically. This is taken to the extreme in Revolution, where he's the only character that has a realistic design.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: Buffer is never seen without his tuxedos.

The Original 17

Boris "The Bear" Knokimov

Hometown: Zagreb, Croatia

Age: 33

Height: 6'3" (190.5 cm)

Weight: 218 lbs. (98.8 kg)

Reach: 73" (185.4 cm)

A boxer from Croatia who is praised in his home country to folk-hero levels. Becomes a bit of a sell-out in the second game.

Tropes

• A Hero to His Hometown: Almost reaches Patriotic Fervor levels. In the first game, he felt that he couldn't lose under any circumstanse, lest he let Croatia down.
• Husky Russkie: He's Croatian, but otherwise fits the trope to the T, being an example of the "Slavic = Russian" stereotype. Even his surname sounds more Russian (or Bulgarian, as the case may be) than Croatian (it still wouldn't exist, but "Knokimović" would be more appropriate).
• Lightning Bruiser: His power is complimented by his surprisingly fast footwork and combonations.
• Mother Russia Makes You Strong: Yeah, despite being from Croatia, he's basically an Expy of Ivan Drago. His alternate outfit in Round 2 has a lot of Soviet iconography, like the hammer and sickle and even a picture of Stalin.
• The Rival: Butcher Brown, largely due to him winning the world title off him in a controversial fight.

Butcher Brown

"I'm gonna knock you into Y3K!"

Hometown: Washington, D.C.

Age: 26

Height: 5'9" (175 cm)

Weight: 235 lbs. (106.5 kg)

Reach: 82" (208.2 cm)

A boxer known for his headbutts, bad temper, and infamy for getting banned from the sport for killing an opponent with an illegal move.

Tropes:

• Black Boxer Stereotype: Scary black man... trash talker... killed an opponent...
• Combat Pragmatist: Not to Punch Out!! levels, but he has no problem using illegal moves, which got him temporarily banned from the circut.
• Expy: Of "Iron" Mike Tyson, right down to the "Peek-A-Boo" fighting style, and at one point being the undisputed champion, which Tyson also was in his prime. Hell, in a commercial of the first game, Butcher biting off a chuck of Afro Thunder's hair parodies Tyson biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear.
• Fallen Hero: He was the undisputed champion, but got disqualified in a controversial title fight against Boris Knokimov and was stripped of his title.^note loosely based off the infamous"Bite Fight" between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield His life proceeded to go completely downhill until Kemo Claw helped restore his passion for boxing.
• Forbidden Dangerous Technique: "The Devastator". A mythical knockout punch so dangerous, he was banned from boxing for two years because he killed an opponent with it.
• Hot-Blooded: Known for having an insane Hair-Trigger Temper, much like Mike Tyson. Even training under Kemo Claw couldn't fully quell his temper.
• The Rival: Has one in Boris Knokimov.
• Scary Black Man: He's based off the most infamous boxer of all time. Would you want to piss him off?
• Stout Strength: Not as chiseled as Tyson was in his prime, but he's just as powerful nonetheless.
• Top-Heavy Guy: Twiggy legs to go with his otherwise built frame.
• Use Your Head: Uses a headbutt in his arsenal, and it's completely legal in game.

Afro Thunder

"Somebody betta call da doctor!"

Hometown: New York City, NY

Age: 24

Height: 5'7" (170 cm)

Weight: 121 lbs. (54.8 kg)

Reach: 70" (177.8 cm)

A former cab driver who is a living throwback to the jive-talking, afro-filled Blaxploitation films of the 70's.

Tropes:

• Afro Asskicker: And he was the only straight example to appear in the series until the debut of Big Wallop in Revolution
• Arch-Enemy G.C. Thunder. See Clashing Cousins below.
• Awesome, but Impractical: His "Sucker Punch" in the first game. it does a lot of damage, even while blocking, but has a long wind up time that leaves him vulnerable. Round 2 speeds up the wind up time slightly, but you'll still find yourself eating your opponent's glove if you don't time it right.
• Big Applesauce: Hails from New York City.
• Boxing Doesn't Pay: Averted. He was a cab driver prior to the start of the series, and never looked back once he got in the ring. By Round 2, he parlayed his boxing success to a decent career in Hollywood.
• The Cameo: Afro Thunder's last official appearance before Midway shut their doors was in the TNA iMPACT (now known as Impact Wrestling) wrestling game, accompanied by a remix of Round 2's main theme that featured a new rap by Afro's original voice actor.
• Catchphrase: "Call da doctor!" and "It's time to dance!"
• Clashing Cousins: Apparently, during the 3 year gap between the first two games, G.C. started boxing to fill the void when Afro Thunder had gone to Hollywood, while talking trash about his older cousin in the meantime. Afro took great exception to this, and returned to boxing to smash his cousin's face in.

  Afro Thunder: You've been talkin' alllllll that smack, G.C., but now it's time to put up, or shut up!
  G.C. Thunder: Afro Thunder, baby! G.C. is gonna rock your world! Yeah!

• Dance Battler: Type 2.
• Deliberately Monochrome: He and Willy Johnson have outfits that greyscale their models.
• Disco Dan: Subverted. He's has the vibe and appearance, but his persona is an act, rather than being his real personality.
• Expy: While he's not based off anyone in particular, Afro's voice is very similar to Chris Rock's. Also, Big Wallop, his contemporary from Revolution, is based off him.
• Groin Attack: A self-inflicted variation. During one of his victory dances, he jumps up and lands in a split, but ends up landing too hard, and spends a large part of the dance holding his crotch in pain.

  I feel it in my bones!

• Jack of All Trades: Aside from being a cab driver, Afro had tried his hand at several careers before taking up boxing.
• Jive Turkey: When you're a 70's blaxploitation sendup, this is a requirement.
• Lightning Bruiser: In his own words:

  Light as a feather, and fast as a locomotive!

• Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: The "Up Tempo" combo, where he throws a series of lighting fast right punches, before ending with a quick left hook.
• Red Baron: "The Funkadelic Boogiebro."
• Rollerblade Good: In some of Afro's outfits, his shoes are a cross between disco platform boots and 1970's era roller skates.
• Series Mascot: Save for Revolution, he's appeared in all games, appeared in all ads for the first two games, and is the only character to appear on the cover of the game twice.
• Shout-Out:
  • Many of Afro's phrases are taken from various 70's funk songs, with Parliament-Funkadellic and James Brown providing the biggest influence.
  • The "Sucker Punch" attack is an exaggerated version of the bolo punch, made famous by Ray Lenoard and Roy Jones Jr.
• Soul Brotha: As is expected of a blaxploitation pastiche.
• Stage Name: Take a wild guess to what it is. This also applies to his cousin G.C. Thunder.
• Traumatic Haircut: In one of the ads for the first game, Afro freaked out when he realized Butcher Brown took a giant bite out of his afro, and his cornerman had to cut it to even it out.

  (in resignation) Cut me, dawg. Cut me.

• Weak, but Skilled: He's incredibly agile, but far from strong, and thus uses his speed and showmanship to make up for what he lacks.
• Younger Than They Look: You wouldn't think he was only in his mid-twenties by looking at him.

Salua Tua

Hometown: Waipahu, Oahu, HI

Age: 33

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

Weight: 358 lbs. (162.4 kg)

Reach: 77" (195.5 cm)

A former sumo champ who wanted to give the sport the recognition it deserves, and thought moving to boxing would be a good idea for that. He later leaves the circuit to become a wrestler.

Tropes:

• Acrofatic: He's the heaviest character in the first game, but by no means the slowest.
• Gentle Giant: Despite his size, he is quite soft-spoken.
• Red Baron: "The Loaded and Bloated".

Angel "Raging" Rivera

"Let's rumble, holmes!"

Hometown: Monterrey, Mexico

Age: 26

Height: 5'9" (175 cm)

Weight: 153 lbs. (69.4 kg)

Reach: 71" (180.3 cm)

A Mexican boxer who used traditional methods, but adapted his fighting style after losing to an unorthodox opponent.

Tropes

• Anime Hair: A mild example. Spikes like his are doable with lots of hair gel, but they wouldn't stay up long in a real life fight.
• Arch-Enemy: Rocket Samchay.
• Catchphrase: In the first game, it was "Let's Rumble, holmes!". Round 2 changed it to "You ain't got nothing on me, holmes!"
• Eye Scream: Knocked out Rocket Samchay's right eye with his thumb during a match. This makes him a bit of a Karma Houdini, as he didn't get disqualified from the fight, and even won the championship from Samchay.
• Flanderization: He had a lot of intensity in the first game to begin with, but Round 2 made him into a total show off.
• Hot-Blooded
• Shoryuken: His "Ghetto Blaster" uppercut. His "Salsa" combo from the first game^note Right, A, left, right, X also acts as a Shin/Metsu Shoryuken variant, if done properly.
• Spicy Latino

Tank Thrasher

Hometown: Guntersville, AL

Age: 33

Height: 6'4" (193 cm)

Weight: 290 lbs. (131.5 kg)

Reach: 80" (203.2 cm)

A crocodile wrestler who turned to boxing because he couldn't find any challenge in his former sport.

Tropes:

• Expy: A clear analogue to David "Tank" Abbot, down to dominating a unrespected sport to moving to a more respected one (Abbot: Street fighting to MMA, Thrasher: Crocodile wrestiling to boxing).
• Put on a Bus: His whereabouts in Round 2 are unknown.
• Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: His Tenderizer attack is a series of quick body blows.
• Red Baron: "The Mouth from the South".
• Stout Strength: He doesn't look fit for a boxing match, but he can pack a wallop.

Selene Strike

"Don't be fooled by my looks, sweetie!"

Hometown: Brasilia, Brazil

Age: 27

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

Weight: 130 lbs. (58.9 kg)

Reach: 80" (203.2 cm)

A Brazilian former cheerleader-turned-boxer.

Tropes:

• Arch-Enemy: Mama Tua.
• Catchphrase: "Think twice, before you strike."
• Fallen Hero: Before the events of Ready 2 Rumble: Round 2, she gets obliterated in a fight against Mama Tua when she was expecting to win easily, dealing a huge blow to her self-confidence. After some training with Lulu Valentine, she gained confidence and improved her boxing ability.
• Jiggle Physics: The second most prominent example in the series.
• Leg Focus: One of her intro poses does a long scroll up her legs.
• Ms. Fanservice: Oh yeah.
• Orgasmic Combat: Good Lord... Granted, it could apply to most of the characters, but she is the absolute worst offender.
• Red Baron: "The Ring Diva".
• The Rival: Mama Tua, due to her embarassing Selene in the ring with little effort.
• Series Mascot: Not to the same degree as Afro Thunder, but she was a prominent part of the "It's Thinking" campaign for the first game's Dreamcast port.
• Statuesque Stunner: At 6'2", she's the tallest woman in the series.
• Stripperiffic: Her champion outfit in Round 2. The pants aren't so bad, but the blouse looks like is this close to bursting open.

Jet "Iron" Chin

Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan

Age: 23

Height: 5'8" (173 cm)

Weight: 148 lbs. (67.1 kg)

Reach: 78" (198 cm)

A former stunt double for a famous Hong Kong action star, he seeks to make a name for himself in the boxing ring. In the sequel, he starts teaching his style.

Tropes

• Bruce Lee Clone: Subverted. He does check out on the fighting style and high-pitched kiai (which, in a bit of an in-company Shout-Out, sounds a lot like Liu Kang's), but looks nothing like the Dragon. His backstory as a martial arts movie stuntman makes him more of a Jackie Chan clone.
• The Mentor: What he becomes in Round 2, opening up his own fighting school. Afro Thunder and Rocket Samchay are stated to be among those who trained under him.
• Punny Name: A rather easy one.
• Red Baron: "The Far East Beast".
• The Rival: Johnny Blood.

Rocket Samchay

Hometown: Bangkok, Thailand

Age: 26

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

Weight: 165 lbs. (74.8 kg)

Reach: 78" (198 cm)

A Muay Thai champ who decided to venture into boxing to show his superiority. He is the unorthodox opponent who defeated Angel Rivera.

Tropes

• Arrogant Muay Thai Guy: He's pretty much Adon if he took up boxing.
• Blood Knight: His profile in the first game's manual puts it best:
  Although restricted to the rules of Western Boxing, it often doesn't stop him from punctuating his wins with Eastern style fury.
• Eye Scream: Between the first and second games, he lost his right eye in a rematch with Angel Rivera.
• Fiery Redhead
• Hot-Blooded
• Red Baron: "The Lord of the Ring".
• The Rival: Angel Rivera, due to him blinding Samchay in a title fight.

"Furious" Faz Motar

Hometown: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Age: 28

Height: 6'5" (195.5 cm)

Weight: 230 lbs. (104.3 kg)

Reach: 76" (193 cm)

A former bodyguard for a wealthy Middle Eastern businessman, who bankrolls his boxing career.

Tropes

• Put on a Bus: His whereabouts in Round 2 are unknown.
• Red Baron: "The Hunk of the Harem".

Lulu Valentine

"Big things come in small packages!"

Hometown: Seattle, WA

Age: 27

Height: 5'2" (157.5 cm)

Weight: 108 lbs. (49 kg)

Reach: 64" (162.5 cm)

A fashion designer from Seattle, WA who supports her company through boxing in prize fights.

Tropes

• Age Lift: Lulu was 21 in the first game, but by Round 2, her age was changed to 27, despite only 3 years passing, in-universe. Whether or not this was a retcon or an oversight is unknown.
• Boxing Doesn't Pay: Subverted, as it was her main source of funding for her fashion company in the first game. By the time of the second game, her company is loaded, but she still boxes anyway, if only for the promotion.
• Catchphrase: "I guess size doesn't matter!" which reappears again in Round 2, but as "I TOLD you size doesn't matter, chump." "Let's rumble!" could also count.
• Cute Bruiser
• invokedDye Hard: In Round 2, Lulu's hair color will change depending on the outfit you select, ranging from pink, indigo, and black.
• Fragile Speedster: She has, hands-down, the fastest attacks in the game, but isn't very durable. If one knows how to use her, though, she can be pretty powerful. As she herself says, "Big things come in small packages!"
• Jiggle Physics: Not as much as Selene, but it's still there.
• Little Miss Badass: She knocked out a former Italian mob hitman. None of the other female characters can say they topped that.
• Ms. Fanservice: Becomes more apparent in Round 2, as she switches out her standard boxing gear for more revealing outfits.
• Red Baron: "The Sweet Petite".

"Big" Willy Johnson

Never mess with Big Willie

Hometown: Chester, England

Age: 41

Height: 5'9" (175 cm)

Weight: 175 lbs. (79.3 kg)

Reach: 72" (182.8 cm)

An old school British boxer. Emphasis on the old, as he was (originally) the oldest character in the series. One of the "Original 17".

Tropes:

• Deliberately Monochrome: He and Afro Thunder have outfits that greyscale their models.
• Older Than They Look: Was billed at 108 years old in the first game. Round 2, however, billed him at 41.
• Red Baron: "The Blast from the Past".
• The Rival: ROBOX RESE-4.
• Time Travel: According to the first game, this is how he appeared in the modern boxing scene.

Jimmy Blood

Hometown: Oamaru, New Zealand

Age: 23 (in the first game)

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

Weight: 226 lbs. (102.5 kg)

Reach: 87" (221 cm)

A vicious, undisciplined Kiwi boxer.

Tropes:

• Blood Knight
• Hair-Trigger Temper
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Considering how fighting-crazy he is, yes. He has Blood in his name and he's out for yours.
• Put on a Bus: His brother Johnny replaces him in the second game, with no explanation as to what happened to him.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red to Johnny's Blue.
• Screaming Warrior: Mainly when he wins a match. Sometimes coupled with Roar Before Beating.
• Tribal Facepaint: Has the entire right side of his body tattooed, including his face.
• Version-Exclusive Content: Was a Dreamcast exclusive character in the first game.

J.R. Flurry

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Age: 24

Height: 5'11" (180 cm)

Weight: 150 lbs. (68 kg)

Reach: 75" (190.5 cm)

A young boxing prodigy who talks a lot of trash and can often back it up.

Tropes:

• Ascended Extra: He's the only one of the original game's version exclusive characters to make it to Round 2.
• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: A shining example, though he gets somewhat better in Round 2.
• Break the Haughty: His arrogance caused him to turn on his former mentor Gino Stiletto (a PlayStation exclusive character from the first game). Stiletto then faced Flurry in the ring and curbstomped him, which lead to his Character Development in the second game, though he still has a bit of a smug attitude.
• Expy: of Vanilla Ice. Also has some traits of Tommy Gunn, even going as far as to turn on his mentor.
• The Fighting Narcissist: Being an arrogant pretty boy-type, he naturally has shades of this. Being a boxer, he's not gonna complain if you sock him in the face, but God forbid if you mess up his hair during the match.
• Pretty Fly for a White Guy: Made more apparent in Round 2, where he tries just a bit too hard to come off as cool, and even wears Rocawear clothes; complete with a backwards baseball cap.
• Red Baron: Fittingly enough, his is "The Dude with the Attitude".
• Retcon: The first game's backstory said he was tutored by Kemo Claw. The second game changed it to Gino Stiletto.
• Version-Exclusive Content: Was originally an Nintendo 64 exclusive character in the first game. Round 2 made him playable across all platforms.

Gino Stiletto

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Age: 38 (in the first game)

Height: 6' (183 cm)

Weight: 180 lbs. (81.6 kg)

Reach: 72" (182.8 cm)

A retired boxer who decides to step into the ring for one last shot at glory, after seeing the young boxers he trained becoming successful.

Tropes:

• Expy: Of Rocky Balboa, particularly during the Rocky V era, since he's an Old Master, and has grievances with his former student J.R. Flurry, who's also a Tommy Gun expy, as mentioned above. Their offscreen fight is also a reference to Rocky V, though it was a sanctioned bout instead of a street fight, like the movie.
• Old Master: Not old-old, but he's an multi-time champion, and had been out of the game long enough to become a successful boxing coach for J.R. Flurry before the latter's arrogance got the best of him. When they faced each other in the ring for the final time, Gino made it clear that age and retirement did little to diminish his skills, and flattened his former student.
• Put on a Bus: Seemingly, Gino retired for good after his first outing.
• Red Baron: "The Lord of the Ring"; for some reason, the same as Rocket Samchay.
• Retired Badass: Though his initial retirements didn't always stick, they did little to regress his skills in the ring; something J.R. Flurry learned the hard way.
• Version-Exclusive Content: Was a PlayStation exclusive character in the first game.
• Wearing a Flag on Your Head: After a fashion; he wears blue, star-spangled trunks with red trim.

Kemo Claw

Hometown: Gallup, NM

Age: 34

Height: 7'1" (216 cm)

Weight: 120 lbs. (54.4 kg)

Reach: 99" (251.4 cm)

A Native American boxer who also served as Butcher Brown's mentor in the first game. By Round 2, he's retired from the ring.

Tropes:

• Magical Native American: Implied. Kemo's profile states that "he channels the spirit of the greatest warriors from his family, and that his long reach and towering height are the products of a shaman."
• Red Baron: "The Mystic Boxer".
• The Mentor: To Butcher Brown.
• The Voiceless: Grunts, but never speaks.

Bruce Blade

Hometown: San Diego, CA

Age: 25

Height: 6'5" (195.5 cm)

Weight: 243 lbs. (110.2 kg)

Reach: 78" (198.1 cm)

A shipyard worker who moonlights as a boxer. A notorious ladies' man, he fights with headgear to protect his face and identity. Was killed in the ring by Butcher Brown in the intervening period between both games.

Tropes:

• The Casanova
• Killed Off for Real: Bruce was on the receiving end of Butcher Brown's Devastator.
• Small Name, Big Ego: Stated to have a massively inflated ego. The manual even snarks that he wore headgear to protect his ego.

Nat Daddy

Hometown: Las Vegas, NV

Age: 25

Height: 6'9" (205 cm)

Weight: 265 lbs. (120.2 kg)

Reach: 100" (254 cm)

A powerful and fast prize-fighter who, even with a limited repertoire of moves, is a force to be reckoned with.

Tropes:

• Boring, but Practical: Nat's movelist isn't too terribly long, but his speed and amazing reach more than make up for it.
• Expy: Takes more than a few cues from NBA player Shaquille O'Neal; to the point where Shaq's actual Round 2 appearance and moveset was a tweaked version of Nat's, the main difference being that Nat had hair.
• Lightning Bruiser: Is quick on his feet despite his size.
• Put on a Bus
• Red Baron: "The World's Most Dangerous Boxer".
• Scary Black Man

Damien Black

Hometown: Unknown

Age: 500

Height: 7'3" (221 cm)

Weight: 250 lbs. (113.4 kg)

Reach: 105" (266.7 cm)

A towering, intimidating boxer who is heavily implied to be Satan. Damien is the one bankrolling the Rumble Tournament in the first game, but his motives are unclear.

Tropes:

• Big Bad
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: The manual states Damien's the one funding the Rumble Tournament in the first game.
• Parts Unknown: Or "unknown origins", as Michael Buffer announces him.
• Power Echoes: His booming voice has a distinct reverb effect to it.
• Satanic Archetype: That's if he's not the Big D himself.
• True Final Boss: He can only be fought if you beat the Arcade or Championship modes on Gold Class (aka, Hard difficulty).

Round 2 Contenders

Mama Tua

Hometown: Kalopei, Oahu, HI

Age: 55

Height: 6' (183 cm)

Weight: 400 lbs. (181.4 kg)

Reach: 77" (195.5 cm)

Salua's mother, who got into boxing just for fitness but found herself in the circuit due to her ease handling heavyweights, including a thorough beating of Selene Strike.

Tropes:

• Acrofatic: Despite her weight, she's not as flatfooted as one might think, being able even to do cartwheels.
• Big Fun / Fat and Proud: She's a big, jovial fighter who likes to dance, and jokingly threatens to eat her opponents.
• Fan Disservice: Her size would be bad enough, but her holiday outfit is a Playboy Bunny costume.
• Girlish Pigtails: She has them in her Champion outfits.
• Jiggle Physics: As Fan Disservicey as it is, it's to be expected, considering her... um, girth.
• Red Baron: "The Mother of All Boxers".
• The Rival: Selene Strike.
• Underestimating Badassery: Pretty much how she made her career. Most prominently with Selene Strike.

Joey T.

"I'm gonna make you bleed!"

Hometown: Milan, Italy

Age: 38

Height: 6'4" (193 cm)

Weight: 287 lbs. (130.1 kg)

Reach: 79" (200.6 cm)

A former hitman for the mob, he suffered a crushing defeat to Lulu Valentine, and trained hard so he wouldn't go through this humiliation again.

Tropes:

• I Was Beaten by a Girl: Got his ass handed to him by Lulu Valentine. To add insult to injury, she's the smallest, lightest member of the cast.
• Moveset Clone: Of Mama Tua; though justified, since she was his trainer. He also adopted some moves from Tank Thrasher as well.
• The Mafia: A ex-Italian mob hitman turned boxer, and it's implied he still has ties to his organization. He even wears pinstripe trunks!
• Red Baron: "The Enforcer".
• The Rival: Lulu Valentine.
• Stout Strength: He's quite heavyset, and we're not talking about muscles; but he does hit hard.
• Wearing a Flag on Your Head: His default shorts rock the colors of the Italian flag.

Johnny "Bad" Blood

Hometown: Papatoetoe, New Zealand

Age: 21

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

Weight: 231 lbs. (104.8 kg)

Reach: 87" (221 cm)

Brother of former contender Jimmy Blood, Johnny is a shepherd. While noticeably more composed than Jimmy, Johnny also has a mean streak of his own.

Tropes:

• Red Oni, Blue Oni: By comparison, Johnny is the Blue to Jimmy's Red.
• The Rival: Jet Chin.
• Screaming Warrior: Like his brother, except he isn't as loud.

Freak E. Deke

Hometown: Toronto, ON

Age: 19

Height: 5'11" (180 cm)

Weight: 128 lbs. (58 kg)

Reach: 74" (188 cm)

A hyperenergetic Canadian punk.

Tropes:

• Creepy High-Pitched Voice: His voice is so high and he talks so fast that he's borderline unintelligible. It suits him.
• Expy: Subverted. His moveset is similar to Kemo Claw's, but otherwise has nothing in common with him - especially because his arms are tiny compared to Kemo's.
• Keet: He just can't sit still.
• Lean and Mean: The guy's skinny as a rail, and a vicious scrapper.
• The Quincy Punk: He's a violent punk rock type. His backstory says he learned to fight in mosh pits.
• Punny Name: On "freaky-deaky".
• Red Baron: "The Hyper Guy".
• The Rival: Freedom Brock.

G.C. Thunder

Hometown: Miami, FL

Age: 20

Height: 5'7" (170 cm)

Weight: 118 lbs. (53.5 kg)

Reach: 70" (177.8 cm)

Afro Thunder's near-identical cousin and longstanding rival. Where Afro is a throwback to the 70's, G.C. is a sendup of the 80's.

Tropes:

• Arch-Enemy: Afro Thunder.
• Boxing Doesn't Pay: Averted as with the other fighters-slash-entrepreneurs in the game. He used his success to open a chain of hair salons.
• Clashing Cousins: Read Afro's entry on this trope.
• Climax Boss: While not a "boss" in the traditional sense, he's usually the last fighter between you and Rumbleman, and will often be your wake up call before you move on to the championship fight.
• Dance Battler: Type 2, like Afro.
• Disco Dan: Subverted. Like Afro Thunder, his 80's shtick is an act, rather than being his true personality.
• '80s Hair: It's even in his name (according to Word of God, G.C. stands for "Geri Curl").
• Expy: G.C. is heavily based on Prince, with a dash of Rick James.
• Jive Turkey: Not quite as extreme as his cousin, but it's still present.
• Moveset Clone: Subverted. While G.C. takes some cues from his cousin, most of his combos are unique to him.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Although billed at five-foot-seven, the manual mentions that he's "a tad diminutive", and is always seen wearing high heels to compensate for his lack of height, much like his real-life inspiration.
• Red Baron: "The Divine Shine."
• Soul Brotha
• Stage Name: Same deal as Afro Thunder.
• Toilet Humour: In certain costumes, he'll actually rock assless pants similar to the ones Prince wore onstage during concerts.
• Wearing a Flag on Your Head: Play as him on American Independence Day, and he'll be dressed as Uncle Sam.

Wild "Stubby" Corley

Hometown: Corsicana, TX

Age: 21

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

Weight: 145 lbs. (65.7 kg)

Reach: 77" (195.5 cm)

A cowboy who lost his left hand at a rodeo and had it replaced with a prosthetic that caused him to develop boxing skills.

Tropes:

• Americans Are Cowboys: Boy, is he ever.
  Ah'm a rootin' tootin' Fastest Jabster o' the West!
• Red Baron: "The Fastest Jab of the West".
• The Rival: J.R. Flurry.

Freedom Brock

Hometown: Boulder, CO

Age: 38

Height: 5'9" (175 cm)

Weight: 121 lbs. (58.5 kg)

Reach: 76" (193 cm)

A surfer who boxes to fund his surfing tours. He is usually mellow if he's not trying to go for the perfect wave.

Tropes:

• Berserk Button: As the manual points out, telling him someone else is trying to ride the wave he's got his eyes on is a good way to set him off.
• New-Age Retro Hippie: He also has elements of this trope, in addition to his general surfer gig.
• Red Baron: "The Peacemaker".
• The Rival: Freak E. Deke.
• Single Malt Vision: In one of his intros (although he seems to be high, rather than drunk):
  "Whoa... Why are there two boxers?!"
• Surfer Dude
• Technical Pacifist: He doesn't like fighting, and flat-out says as much in one of his fight intros. But he boxes anyway, just so he can fund his surfing habit.

ROBOX RESE-4

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Age: 1

Height: 5'9" (175 cm)

Weight: 150 lbs. (68 kg)

Reach: 80" (203.2 cm)

A literal boxing machine, RESE-4 is a workout station adapted for the fighting ring.

Tropes:

• Calling Your Attacks: "Jab! Jab!"
• Moveset Clone: shares some attacks with Angel Rivera.
• Red Baron: "The Automatic Punch-o-matic".

Michael Jackson

"Hey, I got into this game for a real match!"

Hometown: Gary, IN

Age: Unknown (was actually 42 at the time)

Height: 5'10" (177 cm)

Weight: 125 lbs. (56.7 kg)

Reach: 74" (188 cm)

Exactly What It Says on the Tin, but with an extra heaping of badass. One of two playable celebrity cameos in Round 2, Michael is unlocked by either beating Arcade Mode twice, or via cheat codes.

Notably, Round 2 was MJ's final appearance on a Dreamcast game in the USA (Space Channel 5: Part 2's Dreamcast release was Japan-only), and his second-last video game appearance in general until 2010's Michael Jackson: The Experience.

Tropes:

• Adaptational Badass: This game is not the first to do it, however.
• As Himself
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: He's aware he's in a video game, but his quotes only bring it up once, unlike Shaq.
• The Cast Showoff: All of his taunts use his most famous dance moves (which MJ himself mo-capped), and a few of his dances are incorporated in his combos.
• Dance Battler: Type 2.
  With this groove, I can't lose!
• Iconic Item: His right glove is always sequined, regardless of the costume.
• Ink-Suit Actor
• Lethal Joke Character: To quote Will Smith: "You'd never think of Michael Jackson kicking your ass, but he probably could".
• Lightning Bruiser: Stat-wise, he's very quick and strong, but not to the point of being overpowered.
• Limited Wardrobe: Averted without crossing over into Unlimited Wardrobe, and also a strange example: Jackson has four costumes to choose from, which is twice more than what the other secret characters have: Two based on his military suits (worn during the Dangerous Tour), and two based on "Jam" & "Black Or White". The latter two are designated as "Championship Outfits", which he shouldn't have, as none of the secret characters can be used in Championship Mode, and thusly shouldn't have any other extra outfits.
• Moonwalk Dance: but of course. Two different variants of it are used as taunts, and others are used for his Victory Dances.
• Motion Capture: The best example in-game. The head director of the game brought up a funny story about how MJ asked him to demonstrate how to do the dance moves he wanted. As you could imagine, the director was pooping bricks at the fact he had to "teach" Michael Jackson how to dance.
  "I presented a binder full of these storyboards just before we began the shoot. He looked at it for a few seconds, closed the book and proceed to tell me that he wanted me to direct him by performing the moves myself. That moment I was overwhelmed with fear that I had to “demonstrate” dance moves to Michael Jackson and dread that the supposed “closed-off” set was packed with nearly the entire staff that worked at our studio that wanted to witness the master performer (MJ, of course) at work"
• Mythology Gag: Michael's third level Rumble Flurry is recycled from Willy Johnson's Flurry from the first game.
• Red Baron: "The King of Pop", of course.
• Secret Character: The very first one you get in Round 2, as he's unlocked after beating Arcade Mode twice, or through a cheat code. However, see the Walking Spoiler entry below.
• Shout-Out: All over the place. One of his moves is a 45-degree lean, two of his standard outfits are based off the military suits he wore on the Dangerous tour, and the other two are based off the outfits he wore for his music videos "Jam," and the infamous "Panther" ending from "Black or White." And when in "Rumble" mode, tiles under his feet light up, a la "Billie Jean."
• Spin Attack: Three of his combinations involve him doing a variant of his signature spin before throwing the punch.
• Vague Age: The sixth generation ports of Round 2 don't list his age for whatever reason, and he was billed as 25 years old in the Nintendo 64 version (He was actually 42 at the time of the game's release)
• Vocal Dissonance: It was originally thought someone else did MJ's voice for the game, but Emmanuel Valdez confirmed that he did record lines for the game, and they simply pitch-shifted his voice down to make MJ sound more masculine.
• Walking Spoiler/Wolverine Publicity: Although he and Shaquille O'Neal were classified as secret characters, Michael appeared on the back cover of the game, and inside the manual. This was likely done due to contractual obligations.

Shaquille O'Neal

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA (born in Newark, NJ)

Age: 28

Height: 7'1" (216 cm)

Weight: 315 lbs. (142.8 kg)

Reach: 90" (228.6 cm)

One of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time, and the star of the hilariously bad Shaq Fu, O'Neal gets a proper video game treatment this time around.

Tropes:

• Adaptational Badass: Like MJ, this isn't the first game to do so, but it's the first one that's actually enjoyable.
• As Himself
• Badass Boast: "I'm tall. I'm strong. If you think I'm going down, you're wrong."
• Catchphrase: "The Shaq is back!"
• Expy: Nat Daddy in the original game. When Shaq signed on for the sequel, all of Nat Daddy's assets were purposed for him.
• Ink-Suit Actor: Except for the S-shield tattoo on his left arm, which is altered to look like a diamond.
• Mighty Glacier: Has a couple fast combos, but otherwise throws slow punches.
• No Fourth Wall: He's the series' most meta character, ironically enough:

  (To the player) "You didn't think I could box, did ya?"
  "Restart the game and try again!"

• Red Baron: "League MVP", a reference to him winning the NBA's Most Valuable Player award the year the game was released.
• Shout-Out: His primary costume colors uses purple and gold, the Los Angeles Lakers' colors, which was O'Neal's team at the time.

Mr. President

Hometown: Washington D.C. (born in Hope, AR)

Age: 54

Height: 6' (183 cm)

Weight: 180 lbs. (81.6 kg)

Reach: 75" (190.5 cm)

A satirical take on the 42nd President of the United States.

Tropes:

• Affectionate Parody
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: This is obviously Bill Clinton, except his name is never mentioned.
• President Action
• Red Baron: "The Commander-in-Chief".
• Ripped from the Headlines: Unsurprisingly, some of Mr. President's quotes referenced the real Bill Clinton's infamous sex scandals during his presidency.
  Mr. President: My fist wants to have pugilistic relations with your face!
• Wearing a Flag on Your Head: He wears Rocky-style Old Glory trunks in his main costume.

The First Lady

Hometown: New York City, NY (born in Chicago, IL)

Age: 53

Height: 5'4" (162.5 cm)

Weight: 120 lbs. (54.4 kg)

Reach: 65" (165.1 cm)

A satirical take on the wife of the 42nd President of the United States.

Tropes:

• Action Girl
  Now you know who's really in charge!
• Affectionate Parody
• Kicking Ass in All Her Finery: Both her costumes are proper business suits.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Same as her husband.

Rumbleman

Hometown: Encino, CA (born in Lancaster, PA)

Age: 55

Height: 8'4" (223.5 cm)

Weight: 510 lbs. (231.3 kg)

Reach: 120" (304.8 cm)

Once you reach the title bout of the championship, Michael Buffer reveals that he will be your challenger, before falling over and transforming into a towering mass of muscles.

Tropes:

• Amazing Technicolor Population: Rumbleman's alternate costume is just his skin turning red.
• Badass in a Nice Suit: All torn up, but still fits.
• Expy: Rublmeman is an obvious Hulk homage, though, unlike Banner, Rumbleman seems to retain his inteligence.
• Hulking Out: Basically what happens to Buffer. Funnily enough, if you're playing as him, Buffer will still announce your opponent normally, even though you just saw him turning into Rumbleman.
• Large Ham: Even moreso as Rumbleman, due to channeling his inner Hulk.
• Mighty Glacier: Emphasis on mighty. Taken almost literally in his holiday outfit, which turns him into a giant snowman.
• Painful Transformation: Michael Buffer lets out a chilling howl as he falls to the ground when turning into Rumbleman.
  Let's get ready for RumblemaaaannAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--
• Sharp-Dressed Man: He retains what's left of his tuxedo when transforming.
• SNK Boss: Rumbleman has insane reach, his blows take out quite a lot of your stamina, and he can fill his Rumble gauge really fast (most of his blows give him a letter, and his taunts can fill about 3-4 of them and the most dangerous of the taunts can GIVE HIM LEVEL 3 INSTANTLY). As a FAQ in GameFAQs puts it, "he makes Damien black look like a pansy". Luckily, these benefits extend to his playable version as well.
• That Man Is Dead: "Buffer no more. Just me: Rumbleman!"
• True Final Boss: Can only be fought (and unlocked) by beating the game with every character, and then completing Arcade mode on Hard difficulty.