I’m thinking the only reason for Gouken to be in Ryu’s story as of now is to properly refine his SnH through Nothingness to create his Denjin based attacks.
*
“Denjin! The electric bite of the Thunder God cannot be stopped!”*
I’ve stated before that I believe there’s a strong connection to the kata’s of Ansatsuken, and the forms that the pantheon of Buddhist based deities take.
The Thunder God Raijin is usually depicted as a kishin that wields lightning as his club. He along with his brother Fujin were originally enemies of the Buddha until the Buddha had subdued them in battle and employed them into service for him.
Similarly Ryu has a struggle with SnH that he must subdue and learn to put into good use. The fact that he is starting to use Denjin signifies the beginning to the end result of this struggle, as he may now wield the power of the lightning god without becoming the lightning god in the process (a kishin like Gouki).
just like with Street Fighter IV and Marvel vs. Capcom 3 New Generation Pictures is the studio who did the English dub for Street Fighter 5. however Jonathan Klein is the voice director for Street Fighter 5 and not Taliesin Jaffe. this guy was the voice director for Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny, The Last Remnant , Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon , Final Fantasy IV and Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth.
Haven’t read SF Unlimited 4 (or any of the issues, despite having owning 1-3; will probably get 4 tomorrow), but from scanning the spoilers: SF U follows Udon’s canon, right? Well since Gouken was Definitely Dead™ in Udon’c canon, they would have to jump through some hoops to explain why he’s still around. I wouldn’t worry about it too much, personally.
BTW, a “jedi ghost” is the original explanation for Gouken’s resurrection in SFIV. Not sure when before the arcade version dropped and the console version came out that did that change, but the original plan was Gouken was basically a ghost of some sort. If Udon had access to the same pre-release info that I saw (I knew the console cast for SFIV months before the arcade version came out, minus Dee Jay and T.Hawk who were ultimately cut), that’s what they would have gone with for their story originally and probably continuing to use now.
Can we honestly that it is the ‘original explanation’? Wouldn’t calling it ‘one of the earliest concepts proposed to explain Gouken’s return’ be more accurate? Because like many early concepts, it was clearly abandoned in SF4 a beyond. The Plot Guide still clings to that explanation with its teeth though, in spite of everything we came to learn since.
I thought the Plot Guide’s explanation was that he and Gen were reanimated by Shadaloo as a way of being able to record their moves or something. Not that he was a force ghost.
The original explanation of Gouken’s “death” was him falling into a waterfall and his body was never found. It’s the classic way to give yourself an out if you change your mind. It’s not Capcom’s fault the Udon wrote themselves into a corner. As it was stated earlier, Gouken’s SFIV teaser video paid homage to this by having training at that very waterfall.
Been looking at Charlie since Resurrection’s trailer dropped and going back to similar observations, Charlie’s gem glows a bit in Resurrection, it glowed in his first reveal teaser at SF5’s infancy, but in the game it doesn’t so far. I’m thinking that when it does activate, it’ll be significant and near the climax. Afterall, we still haven’t seen that footage of when he picks up his glasses. In that footage, it’s hard to see anything in the dark background, but it doesn’t look like ruins. I’m thinking that Charlie is awoken twice - right after his death, and after a disaster he’s awoken in New Zealand. If you look at my earlier theory on this, I looked at what waifu-supreme, Helen said about how she thought he had broken bones, how his memory is spotty and slowly fully returns, but he never questions who she is. I strongly feel that Charlie was taken out on a field test before his resurrection in NZ.
Another thing I noticed. Charlie’s design is very asymmetrical, looking at his chest, he’s got a lot of grey on the right of his chest, also, in addition to being shot up, in Bison’s storymode he stabs Charlie in the chest with his hand before throwing him off the cliff. One thing that’s interesting is we hear the wet sound of the stab, but before that we hear a surge of energy. I’m wondering if, while not accurate, the Udon books may have his return have something to do with psycho energy. I’m not saying Bison revived him at all, but what if the Illuminati’s technique was greatly helped by finding lingering psycho energy, but at the cost of his stability. Maybe the reason why he’s so stapled up is that that lingering energy, plus Charlie’s hatred is fighting their techniques, so he has to routinely undergo skin grafts and surgery?
The waterfall death was the explanation that was given to “Sheng Longs” survival. SF4 Gouken at one point could have been based upon SFA Gouken until they incorporated the Shen Long design into him. Even going as far as to have his scar from SGS.
I’m thinking now that Charlie actually died and he was brought back to life by Gill’s organization. He is the Lazarus to Gil’s Jesus so to speak. His ‘injuries’ are not consistent at all with what happened to him in the SF5 prologues. So I’m thinking now that the tissue was probably going through necrosis and needed to be replaced (still doesn’t explain why only half his body went through necrosis). They don’t seem to be enhancements so much as they are artificial skin grafts. His appearance makes very little sense honestly, even if it was caused by the Alpha 3 Guile ending explosion it still doesn’t make sense.
Re: Third eye gem
Why does he have it? He’s not coming off as a member of the Illuminati but more like a pawn. He didn’t even bother to ask Helen the most pertinent questions like ‘who the fuck are you’ and ‘why do i look like this?’. So now I am thinking that the gem is perhaps an activation like you said. When the time is right, they will activate it Manchurian Candidate-style. But what will happen when it does activate? The Illuminati from the comics seem to be against overriding and forced brainwashing, so the activation will not override his will. Perhaps it will give him a sudden boost of power when he most needs it so that he can fulfill his purpose.
I’m thinking that it’ll be a full on power boost (and maybe end to his body cycling through healthy and rotting) looking at what you said and what was shown in the udon books, I don’t think it’ll be brainwashing, but more of a “once you fully give yourself over to our cause, then you can become ‘enlightened’ and bring about ‘true justice’ to your foes…and our’s” so maybe Charlie’s going through this all with some doubts and knows that there’s more to his power, but he may be dragging his feet (looking to Ryu for answers to the power may be him looking for an alternate way to understanding his newfound strength? In the trailer he did seem to be looking at his glowing green hands).
Either way, I think they’ve put a lot of thought into Nash and it’ll hopefully be interesting to see all the threads come together. I also hope Chun li is very involved in the overall plot, but with Charlie’s.
I personally never liked the idea of Gouken coming back to life, regardless of if his death was ambiguous or not. If they wanted him to be playable, I’d rather he be just that, but have no actual relevance to the story, being a what-if or a prequel character. In general, I question why that isn’t used as often in fighting games. You don’t have to justify Bison showing up in the next game after his body was completely destroyed and his soul sent to hell and whatnot, just do what SNK did with nightmare geese.
Speaking of lazarus, it’s like the mind of Jason todd/Red hood former red robin after being in a lazarus pit of Ra’s al ghul of Batman,
Maybe their is a superiority among other illuminati member having a Gem on the fore head which lacks twelve, hellen, kollin and Necro. boost like Juri eye?
Nash is most likely seen by Gill as a more useful grunt compared to experiments they did later, hence the gem. Maybe they count for his allegiance with them once Nash is done with Bison
Yeah! since they have been doing what if endings, why not what if encounters right?
Geese manage to return using a scroll once in the Fatal fury universe that was a good interpretation simple and less complicated, the same with the nightmare version or dream match concepts?
I myself not against his re-appearance, I enjoyed his gameplay design not being the shoto, It also boost the hype factor of SF4 that time due to curiousity and shenglong revisted hype. I just hope capcom wouldn’t make him a ghost because it would complicate the approach for making him alive on SF universe and for Gouken to have those exclusive priviledges that others superior entities or human cannot achieve. (unlike Gill that is known for being beyond human and a supernatural being), I really never hope to see him on SFV but be someone that ryu has already surpassed and useless to akuma goals like akuma treats Gen as somehow inferior somewhat like Chizuru Kagura or Heidern of KOF series during the nest saga its simple but less problematic for later installments.
As of now I don’t care how the Shun Goku Satsu being toned in the SF Universe rather than making it an AUTO WIN or a deus ex machina solution for many as making him almost the most powerful character in the series that only Gill, Gen or Gouken ka nulify, I feel its more interesting that Akuma fails his expectation from the path of thinking that being the strongest that is no other way than the Satsu no Hadou, that he could just Shun Goku Satsu everyone and that why he needs to learn new techniques like “Kongou Kokuretsu Zan” and to know he isn’t what he thought would be or he was and Satsu no Hadou was by then realizing their’s something more on Ryu’s path and new achievements, new discoveries, new disciplines, new master beyond his understanding that their is one path and its his way.
Seeing himself like the dictator that once he despise by being dependent/slave of his shadows. (SSF2Trevival ending)
