The Ballad of Mike Haggar
is a video game compilation video telling the awesome story of Final Fight's Mayor of Metro City (not related to another Metro City), the eponymous Mike Haggar, as he tries and cleans his beloved city of the criminal scum that has taken it over. It displays an awesome voiceover, as well as a great video editing. Plus, the ending is AWESOME.
Contains examples of:
- A God I Am Not: Haggar refuses to lead the Einherjar at Ragnarök, choosing instead to return to Earth and save Metro City."The path before Haggar was clear, / His duty was to end the Gear, / And thus he shunned this godly war, / Mayor was he, and nothing more.
- Ambadassador: Clearly, Haggar decided to resort to a different sort of diplomacy when negotiations failed.
- And the Adventure Continues: After all of that build up, you find out that Haggar has only finished Round 3 of Final Fight. He still has to plow through the Industrial Area, Bay Area, and Up Town."And so, pursuing evil's scent, / Haggar strode forth, his wrath unspent, / And I, your faithful balladeer, / Cry out in zealous joy, 'Round Clear!'"
- Badass Normal: Note that this doesn't stop him from piledriving a god.
- Combat Pragmatist: Edi. E takes advantage of his status as a Flunky Boss by shooting Haggar while he's dealing with some Mooks.
- Contractual Immortality: He's the main character, and, as such, can't stay dead. Even if it means piledriving ODIN out of Valhalla. From space.
- Crossover: After his death, Haggar winds up at the Valkyrie Profile version of Asgard in the Hall of Valhalla and meets that series' incarnation of Odin. Freya is briefly seen by his side in the throne room and then apparates away as Haggar walks in. Presumably, she isn't too happy about Haggar piledriving her hubby all the way back down to Midgard, seemingly killing Odin in the process.
- Demoted to Extra: Cody and Guy (key players in the actual game, Cody being the one who punches Belger out of the window of his complex in the finale) get a small, demeaning mention toward the tale's end. In this case, not a sour note for this ballad. This IS Haggar's story, after all.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Haggar piledrives Odin, the Top God of the Norse pantheon, after he tries to force him to fight at his side at Ragnarök.
- Götterdämmerung: Odin tries to recruit Haggar into his service in preparation for this event, speaking volumes about their respect for the mayor.
- Hero Killer: Edi. E. It doesn't last for long.
- Late-Arrival Spoiler: The narration spares no time in getting you up to speed with the events of the first Final Fight. Even Edi. E's Face–Heel Turn (played here as a shocking twist) shouldn't be a surprise to those who have played the game before.
- Lemony Narrator: While nuanced and reserved for most of the epic, the narration grows increasingly bombastic after Mike returns from Valhalla, all building up in time with the music to the final proclamation of "Round Clear!"
- Mundane Made Awesome: Respawning after losing a life has never been so awe-inspiring.
- Our Mayor Is Different: This one is a bit more straightforward in how he goes about reducing the monthly crime rate.
- Papa Wolf: Haggar will not idly stand by while his city is under attack. Doubly so if you kidnap his daughter Jessica.
- Rank Scales with Asskicking: He's the town's Mayor, and if he has to give a knuckle sandwich to every single criminal in the city himself, by damn, he will.
- Slouch of Villainy: Odin reclines in this fashion when Haggar first encounters him.
- Something Awful: Created as part of a contest for the Something Awful forums to document Stage 3 of Final Fight in an artistic manner.
- Vice City: Metro City was this... until Haggar proceeded to kick everyone's ass. He still has three more areas of Metro City to "clean up," but considering what he's had to overcome up to that point, it's pretty obvious he'll succeed.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: That Meteor Move noted above? Upon re-entry, it results in an nuketastic explosion that wipes out several Mad Gear members and Edi. E. The move itself also counts.
- Wrestler in All of Us: Subverted. Haggar is a former pro wrestler (as detailed in Saturday Night Slam Masters) and uses the skills he cultivated to clean up crime. Mercilessly.
