So who defeats him or is his rival?
Is geese stronger ?
Rugal > Geese as far as power goes. Geese lost one on one to Terry Bogard and Rugal can take on a team consisting of Terry, his only-slightly-weaker brother Andy and their also-strong friend Joe Higashi.
Rugal was defeated several times by Team Japan that consists of Kyo (top tier main character of KOF), Benimaru (a friendly rival to Kyo so not a heckuva lot weaker) and their ally Goro (like the strongest, toughest judo guy in Japan).
Rugal was also outright stomped by Goenitz. Goenitz gouged out his eye in a single attack (which is why Rugal has an awesome cyber-eye)ā¦oh and Goenitz did this when he was barely an adult and Rugal was older. In terms of KOF power, Goenitz is pretty damn top-tier having absolutely rofflestomped Kyo 1v1. It took Kyo, Iori (a guy just as strong as Kyo and his primary rival and main anti-hero of all of KOF) and Chizuru (herself a sub-boss level character near Kyo & Iori in strength) to beat him 3v1.
So as far as bosses goā¦Rugal is VERY strongā¦especially Omega Rugalā¦but there are bigger fish in the pond. Rugal is probably on the same tier as Krizalid from 99.
As a little guess about relative strengths Iād lay out bosses like thisā¦
Rugal < Omega Rugal = Krizalid < Zero = O. Zero < Goenitz = Igniz = Mukai = Magaki = Saiki < Orochi (literally unbeatable save for a team-up by Kyo-Iori-Chizuru because of mystical powers/immunities)
People want to argue that power inflation in KOF is really badā¦but it doesnāt actually seem to be. Itās only the case if you assume that every boss is stronger than the previous oneā¦but I think thatās a poor assumption just like assuming Gill>Bison because Gill is in SF3 and Bison is in SF2. Just like with Gill, starting in KOF99, the bosses were being fought primarily by a NEW set of heroes (like Alex) who were not as powerful as previous main characters since they still had room to grow.
Of course, thatās not to say bosses havenāt become harder. Magaki can go fuck himself. That dude is INSANE to fight againstā¦and so is Omega Rugal in KOF2002UM. Good lord.
True, but they might also just change one of those 3 characterās hair styles to fit for SF5.
Can Krauser hang out with them?
Thanks for the reply. That story makes more sense because that sounds like something heād do. Rugal is by far one of my favorite villains right next to Bison and Wesker. Dude is a cartel leader with his own private aircraft, a badass pet panther, a stylish pimp suit, and a bunch of statues reminding him of his victories. On top of that, heās *incredibly *skilled and can even drain you of your power. I still remember how hyped I was seeing God Rugal toss Akuma off the screen after absorbing his Satsui no Hado.
Thereās also this: āIām more than a god! Iām a superstar! Hah, hah!ā
Nothing gets better than that line. Absolutely nothing.
Saikiās one of those people that are hard to gauge. I know he tells Vice/Mature that even the addition of the 4 Kings wouldnāt be enough to stop him, but that might just be bullshit.
Dorai and Q comparison
Family is important butā¦did they really have to make Q Dorai? That sounds veryā¦downer.
So Capcom appears to be going through SF3 characters right now. Letās see who they can cover:
YunDone
Chun-LiAlready in
KenAlready in AND has a concept bio
Dudley
Makoto
AkumaDone
UrienIncoming, probably wonāt get a bio
YangDone
RyuAlready in
IbukiIncoming, could be the May character anyway
Oro
Elena
Necro
AlexAlready in
Remy
Hugo
QDone
Twelve
Sean
Bolded characters were not in SF4, SFV, or any concept art thus far.
Sean and Oro were cameos in SFV, if youāre counting that.
As much as Iām not a fan of Remy, Iām curious what description they will come up with for him, itās quite a guarantee that they will allude him to Nash or Guile in one way or the other.
Also, how would you guys feel if they were to actually reveal who/what Q is? I myself think that it would be quite bad, because a major part of his character design that makes him likeable is the mystery he isā¦ Iād hope for a plot twist done right if they were to reveal his identity, but with how mysterious he is I think it can be really hard to accomplish that without polarizing reactions.
Rugal is why I cannot stand Akuma anyomre. I bought into the air of mystic and ākewlā toughest of the toughguy at first but, digging deeper thereās nothing for me. With Rugal, heās an incredible and terrifying warrior who likes fighting the strongest of warriors, squeals at carnage and having a good time with Murdertime inbetween setting up business across the globe. Heās so good at things physically he doesnāt have favourite sports, heās just good at any of them, likes bronze, his panther and screwing fools over. Even with that basic description, heās miles above Akuma in terms of interesting. Heās a fighter, specifically the boss type of being the big bad, but heās plugged into the world of KoF and has aspects of him beyond fighting. He has established an arms business to put world governments in fear or him, but has a personal life, family and even an exotic pet.
Heās so different from a generic, āperfectā anime badguy:
Heās established as incredibly powerful and influential, but early on in his life (I canāt remember when and what game they mention him finding out about Goenitz and losing his own eye) heās immediately humbled and shown thereās bigger and badder things than himself out there instead of being beaten by the next big bad guy like some animes do to recurring villains. Heās also presented as being tough, but not some unbeatable God that makes Geese Howard and Yamazaki burst into tears or have Krauserās 'stache burst into flames at the mere mention of his name.
Heās not bound by a particular code or philosophy, heās an arms dealer and he loves to live the good life; fancy clothes (but with an edge), ornate surroundings, has a pet PANTHER.
As good at fighting as he is, heās still a sore loser. This, plus the detail about him not having favourites- be it food or sports, and his mimicry special skill make me want to know more about his backstory. Could it be that heās actually so good at things that heās bored and through the years he led a privileged life, so the first sign of adversity really screws him up and he is unable to understand the concept of him NOT being able to do something?
At the end of the day heās got loads personality and aesthetics - that iconic laugh, his clothing style (the classic smoking jacket, but with the meshed shirt underneath, the earrings and fingerless gloves), the love of classical music, thereās so much to him that I would have loved to see a scene where him and Bison are meeting at a neutral location, having dinner and having a fantastic time as old, super evil comrades.
One thing Iād like to see is him not being a total psycho in*** all*** aspects of his life. From details, it looks like he was around long enough that his kids got to know him somewhat (Adelās fighting style, Roseās personality traits), I think it would be interesting and kind of sick if off of work he was this seemingly normal family man in the vein of some film mobsters but could compartmentalize business and family time; him being around for his kids, his wife fully knowing and liking what he does, encouraging his kids to beat the hell out of anyone that ever gives them trouble, showing off his Bronze Fighter collection to them as life lessons on how to deal with people who donāt give them respect, etc. In my head, if making an anime series, Iād have a scene like this in a flashback for Adel:
I say this not to make him sympathetic and capable of redemption; he lives life the way he wants, makes no apologies, but isnāt so stereotypically villainous that he kills his men on a whim is an outright abusive dad or nothing beyond his alignment in the series. I think that could make him interesting, unpredictable (since global governments would be reading from a playbook on how to stop him and failing evertime to psychologically understand him) and ultimately make him disturbing if he walks both those lines.
Wow, I got off topic lol. Basically, I wanted Akuma to expand into something interesting, but just got vague stuff for years without any real progress. Years ago, I saw an awesome, admittedly out of character piece of work for Akuma, but it made me want an Akuma that finally got to a level he enjoyed fighting stylewise, butā¦decided to live a little. Heād still train, but he wouldnāt be so one note
In general Iām not a fan of official teams dramatically twisting characters to match the tastes of the audience members who never liked them in the first place and resulting in an alienation of said original fans, so Iām not asking them to do this to olā Akuma. Iām just enjoying this real awesome fanart, but that being saidā¦
I just see something more with this alternate take and it makes me wonder. An older, but still energetic Japanese biker who is a superhumanly strong and skilled martial artist with a few personality traits from Victor Creed/Sabretooth (sarcasm for one) resonates with me, but itās not what they want to do with the character so itās nothing I would hope for.
I guess the appeal for me is having an Akuma who finally hit his ceiling and starts to live less like a monk and starts eking out a life for himself while still being a fighter. Iād have it that he thinks heās hit a ceiling powerwise, but, he eventually gets inspiration to get stronger through different perspectives and people he meets, ironically by not killing all he meets and letting his hair down metaphorically, I could see this as a path to start developing him.
It would start off with him actually troubled that he doesnāt know where to go next. Takes the night off of training, decides to go on a journey after some dinner and over the course of 2 weeks, goes on a journey and sees how Japan is without him being in the lens of fighting. Tries some drinks, enjoys new food, discovers heās really good at pool and begins to try new competitive things.
I dunno, I mean the idea would be a drastic shift away from the core character that I donāt think would work or should, but the core idea from the picture still sticks with me. What does Akuma do when heās not training or plotting to convert Ryu? Does he have a sense of humour, does he like to drink a brand of beer, when heās in the mountains and recovering from intense training does he remember childhood ghost stories? Yāknow something other than āI am the lord of fists, who trains at the temple of fists, for the fisty glory of FISTS!ā
I sound like a broken record, but I like to see characters, villains/antagonists especially, that have more to their lives than what it says on the tin. I.e. a shot of Magneto sitting in Asteroid M and casually thinking, reclining and playing with levitating his helmet (seen this a few times here and there) or Dr. Doom reading arcane texts while enjoying wine.
Itās like how I said Iād love a scene of Gill, Urien, Kolin and Charlie discussing things, dressed in normal clothes behind the scenes, or how about a new one? Kolin and Gill, having an outdoor dinner at an isolated location overlooking the sea while they discuss the tenets of their faith, philosophy and etc. Also for a bonus, sheād be in casual clothing and Gill would be in an outfit that was in the middle of something traditional but casual; since the Illuminati members are people who have duality of the public faces and the ātrueā faces, I can see that reflected in Gillās attire ā heād on the outside, be some tall and tanned Mediterranean guy whoās rather well-to-do in whatever his public persona is and nothing that would make a person do a double take. UNLESS upon becoming Emperor, he gave up his public persona entirely. If thatās the case, I can still see him occasionally reclining in something thatās not robes, but still having a flavour of traditional.
Totally agree. I think Saiki was mostly self-hype and high on his own power. Nothing he did made him seem any worse than the high tier bad-guys and he certainly wasnāt in the tier of Orochi itself. Not even close. Strong? Sureā¦but not much more than that.
Yes absolutely. Krauser is at Geeseās level. Thereās a lot of hype around Krauser in that Geese was afraid of him but that was when they were younger and Krauser was a TRAINED WARRIOR FROM BIRTH. Of course heād knock the shit out of Geese. Since then, however, Geese has grown by leaps and bounds and Iād say Krauser plateaued like most fighters do. Terry beat Krauser too so Krauser canāt be that much stronger than Geese since Geese is also still a threat to Terry. So theyād both be equal with Rugal slightly above.
Couldnāt agree more. Rugal just destroys Akuma for me too. I always kind of saw him as an evil James Bond in attitudeā¦a guy thatās charming and suave when he wants to be but, in reality, is this completely remorseless, stone-cold guy (I like Ian Fleming James Bond :P) except that with Rugal we get to see him EMBRACE that half of himself when he fights. The dude is good at EVERYTHING. A natural star athlete in anything he tries heās like a natural-born Captain America. Hell, the only reason he isnāt the premiere business man in the world would be because ITāS TO EASY and carries no danger. Why do that when he can be an arms dealer that has to negotiate with madmen while staving off attempts on his life? That sounds WAY more fun! Why have a dog or a cat when you can have a deadly panther?! Why travel by yacht when you can own an airship of your own? Thatās the kind of guy Rugal is. Why worry about playing sports when you could just be the best combatant on the planet?
And, as stated, when he got humbled by Goenitzā¦he didnāt pout. He realized the guy was stronger because of a power he had and determined to make that power his own through training and focus. Thatās a HEROIC anime trope right there.
On top of all thisā¦he just happens to be sociopathic. If not for that, HEāD be the main characterā¦but the dude has no empathy and no sympathy and no feelings for other human beings. Theyāre just things to him. Why are his two kids brilliant and well schooled and his son is so powerful? Because theyāre HIS so they have to be dammit. He isnāt going to have weak, dumb progeny laying around. Itād make HIM look bad.
Hell, in my table top game universe Bison and Rugal were allies. Bisonās Shadaloo made the weapons and Rugal trafficked them for Bison. They had dinner together. Adel and Rose knew Bison as āMister Bisonā. They were this horrible symbiotic relationship that spread misery in the worldā¦Bison because it powers him and Rugal for shits and grins. The two most evil men in the world that simultaneously hate and respect one another because they know they need each other to maximize their respective situations and because they both know the other is a physical threat. Theyāre both used to dominating others through power of personality and literal physical mightā¦but neither can do that to the other. Terrifyingly, itās the common ground that lets them just chat as equals. Of course, when Rugal āmasters the Orochi powerā or Bison āgets his perfect bodyā they fully intend to do away with the other and absorb their power baseā¦but thatās the future and they have to deal with the now.
Meanwhile, Akuma? The idiots smashing his face against rocks. Grr so stronk!
The playbook about stopping him is a perfect example of what I mean. Rugal would defy all psychological expectations because the guy might just GIVE AWAY weapons if he saw fit because it would create more conflict. Heās already filthy rich. Itād be a drop in the bucket for himā¦but the chaos it would cause would be entertaining for a little while until he moves on to the next diversion.
Thereās a reason I consider āAkuma selling fruitā not only the most important and evocative piece of Akuma artā¦but also the most tragic in that itās NEVER had anything done with it. Itās always been an ignored facet of the character. And I donāt mean āthe adventures of Akuma the fruit sellerā, I mean the parts of Akumaās character that would make him, yāknow, resemble anything like a character instead of a walking fanwank-fest.
Yeah, it sucks, I really hope this is a Red Herring or one in a series of them. Iāve gone on at length how Iād rather a whole new character be Q. Iām not even married to the idea of Q being David, itās just who I think it is with all my research. if Q turned out to be a tall guy who looked and sounded like a blond Lance Henriksen Iād still be just as hyped for him. Making him Dorai, in my opion, damages Chun Li and wastes his potential.
I would touch upon details, but introduce more mystery with every detail hinted. I.E. so say they reveal David to be Q. Iād IMMEDIATELY, not even waiting for sequel, bring in questions about his powers, his origins and introduce new characters. Or reveal that the guy we played at in SF3 and SF5 is David, but, going with his SF3 ending heās terrified to learn that barley anything heās done is accounted for in the report(s) by Juliana and thereās an entire band of doppelgangers. With that, you donāt even have to have questions of him questioning his identity, you can have him wondering if someone or group is impersonating him or arriving at a similar aesthetic by coincidence, if someone is trying to catch his attention by deliberately saying āWe see youā¦you canāt see us. We will replace you.ā Heck, if David is a legacy Q, then could it be that his previous colleges are unhappy with who and what heās become? Is it like the Shadow, only Q is part of a global ring of heroes and upon having lives saved by a figure or even force, you are indebted to them and have to serve as an eternal force of justice and Davidās face is āborrowedā occasionally?
You can even keep that heās the sole Q and his powers enable him to be in various parts of the globe due to teleportation, but then focus on WHY heās always investigating murders. Is he aware of something terrible hiding in the shadows that could lead to the next threat now that Bisonās days are numbered? Could he be noticing the people killed are targeted by the Illuminati and heās working his way into busting up Gillās plans?
Itād be a game of constant keep away. If heās always mysterious, but nothing is ever given, thereās nothing to have fun with or speculate and heāll quickly become stale. Youāve got to keep up momentum by dropping crumbs and intersperse that with a cake which has edible directions to a steak festival.
Dorai could still be aliveā¦but him being Q kinda isā¦eh.
So what power did goenitz have? Thatās the guy with with one hand in his pocket right? Was rugal able to beat him eventually? Or any version of him?
Holy shit you guys are going in
Honestly, Q being Chun-Liās dad would be pretty cool to me, but I donāt think they would reveal that. At most, I think they should present it as a possibility, but not a definite answer. Dorai isnāt the only missing character in the series, it could be any one of them. Hell, he could be Rashidās missing pal for all we know.
Iām holding out hop
Iām holding out hope that theyāre different people hah. goes full conspiracy mode
-so far the width of their ties is different. Qās is thinner, Doraiās is fuller, almost like an ascot
-Dorai has light grey pants and Q has darker pants that almost look brown rather than the charcoal pants he had in his sprites.
-Msic: the incredibly hard to see patch of skin on his neck looks really light, so according to this piece Q is NOT David.
Also isnāt his fighting style revolved more around a brawler/grappler type? That and Q hasnāt demonstrated (supposedly) a chinese martial art. Since He did train Chun a little before disapproving if I remember right.
Goenitz controls wind. After he easily tore Rugalās eye out, he gave him some Orochi power. Rugal never fought him after that.
The guy with the hand in his pocket is Yamazaki.