Gen (Street Fighter)

“	You cannot keep my fists in your sight, for they move with the fury of hell!	„
	~ Gen

Gen (元, Gen?) is a character in the Street Fighter series of fighting games. He first appeared in the original Street Fighter game. Stated by the official Street Fighter website to be in his 70s by the time of Super Street Fighter IV, Gen is a legend in the Chinese underworld, however, he has been diagnosed with a fatal illness, believed to be leukemia, and is seeking to die as he has lived: fighting.

He was voiced by Yōhei Tadano (who also voiced Vegapunk in One Piece and Mimir in God of War) in Japanese.

History[]

Early life[]

Gen was known as one of the legends of martial arts, supposedly being the "man who killed hundreds". He was not only a great martial artist, but a legendary assassin known as "The Devil of Hong Kong", reputed to be invincible, and whose skills was prominently sought throughout the Hong Kong underworld. Even into the current day, Gen's reputation and might draws out many who seek his presence, be it the world of crime, or numerous aspiring assassins and martial artists who dare to seek his life, but whom are never heard of again.

Gen was also a friend of Chun-Li's father Dorai.

Street Fighter Alpha 2[]

Later, he was diagnosed with leukemia, and did not have much time to live. At first, he decided he would be careful and just manage his restaurant, but old foes sent assassins who made repeated attempts on him and his family's lives. Due to this, he decided he would stop hiding and go out fighting, in a blaze of glory, as he felt it was a more honorable way to die.

He went on a search for a worthy opponent, taking on members of Shadaloo and other crime syndicates, to provoke a fight to the death in which he would meet his demise. Word got around about Akuma, a fighter who fully embraced the Satsui no Hado. After seeking him out, Gen challenged him to a fight that he hoped would be decisive. The two fought fiercely until the end, each surviving the other's finishing blow. At the end, Gen narrowly defeats Akuma. However, in spite of Akuma's demands to end his life, Gen enjoyed the fight so much he couldn't bring himself to land the killing blow. He spares Akuma, hoping to one day battle him again.

Street Fighter Alpha 3[]

Eventually, Gen challenged Akuma once again, but although the results of the battle are unknown, Gen did survive.

When Gen and Akuma fight during the game's story mode, they perform their signature moves on each other before the fight begins, re-enacting the fight described above.

Super Street Fighter IV[]

Gen is haunted by nightmares where he is surrounded on all sides by the ghosts of those he has killed in the past when he was still an assassin. Scorning the ghosts, he proclaims that while he is still alive, he will not succumb to the likes of them.Reflecting on how Chun-Li has grown into a strong and admirable woman, he knows he cannot protect her for much longer, as his time is running short. He remembers the day when his illness allowed Shadaloo to capture her father; cursing his body and its "infernal frailties", he vows not to let them get away.

He joins the S.I.N. organized tournament, and at some point Chun-Li finds him and demands that he tell her all that he knows about what happened to her father. Gen refuses and fades away, leaving her alone. When the S.I.N. base is destroyed, Gen protects Chun-Li from the ensuing collapse, though it's not shown how. While partially trapped under the rubble, Gen witnesses Akuma and Gouken fight over an unconscious Ryu, internally referring to the two fighters as "Life and Death". He muses that "Death is indeed strong. Impressed by what he called their "ultimate battle", in which both men were "prepared to give up the ghost", Gen resolves not to die until their final battle, and so returns to his own "fight to the death".

Street Fighter V[]

Gen appears in Akuma's character story in Street Fighter V, locked in combat with the demonic martial artist. Gen observes Akuma's newfound power, and ponders as to whether or not he has become a "true demon god", before realizing he has not attained this level of power yet. Gen laughs, stating that Akuma will never reach the path of the divine if he does not know the path of humanity. Akuma calls Gen weak, and calls his speech an attempt to "delay the inevitable". Akuma then tells Gen to accept his fate and go to hell, before striking him down with a lunging fist. As he stands over Gen's body, the old man's words echo in Akuma's head. With contempt, Akuma remarks that he has no interest in for the path of humanity or the divine, and only walks the path of the demon.

While it was heavily implied Gen got killed by Akuma, he is still alive and remains active, though his current whereabouts is unknown.

Appearance[]

Gen is an elderly man who often has a stern look on his face. He is among the shortest male characters in the series, standing at just 5'5". Gen wears a loose, purple outfit with a red sash around his clothes, and red Chinese martial art shoes with white socks. He has white hair with a long, white beard. In the original Street Fighter, he had black pupils in his eyes, not to mention he didn't have the red sash, but in his more recent incarnations, his eyes are now completely white in color.

Prior to his recent appearance in Street Fighter IV, Gen had short hair. In the Street Fighter IV games, his hair not only has grown much longer but he also keeps it tied in a formal bun at the back of his head (the bun in the Street Fighter IV series has a traditional qipao similar to Chun-Li's ones, but is completely exposed in Street Fighter V artworks). In most recent games his skin also has aging wrinkles in his entire body, notably his face.

Abilities & Skills[]

Gen has mastered countless Chinese martial arts and developed his own two fighting styles, called Sou and Ki. Likewise, he was well regarded as a legendary underworld assassin, said to having prevailed in hundreds of battles and with an assassination success rate held to be 180%. He can get closer to his targets without making a sound. Gen has entered the first and third World Tournaments and has fought twice with the only person he deemed worthy of a death match, Akuma.

Despite his ruthlessness, Gen is also a wise man, and possesses several other skill, such as Chinese poetry, Chinese medicine and mentoring, having taught martial arts to Dorai, Chun-Li's father.

Personality[]

Gen is a silent, precise and wise man who takes fighting very seriously and prefers to take on formidable, honorable warriors, such as Ryu and Akuma. Elderly though he is, Gen's temperament is extremely sharp, his speech patterned with a weathered and biting coarseness. With a tendency to muse over death (likely rooted in his condition), he is also not hesitant to speak of such dark matters regarding the inevitable passing of all things, especially to those that walk the path of a fighter, since he seeks to die as he has lived: fighting.

Despite being a powerful assassin in the past, and a legend in the Chinese underworld, Gen follows a code and has benevolent intentions, as he never imposes his power over those who cannot fight, nor does he kill the defenseless. Though he fights to test his strength and his opponents, much like Akuma, Gen is very respectful to younger fighters like Sakura and Ibuki, and is displeased by those who do not rely on their own power, as he values the true spirit of martial arts and honor. Another sign of his inner goodness is that he shows a great deal of care for Chun-Li, as he trained her in her youth.

Other Media[]

Super Smash Bros.[]

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Gen appears as an advanced-ranked primary neutral-type spirit who increases the user's fist attacks. His spirit battle it's a stamina battle against purple Lucario with increased aura power on the omega form of new pork city with reduced jump power.

Gallery[]

GEN'S MOVE LIST - Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX - Street Fighter Zero 3 Double Upper (SFA3)

Trivia[]

Gen's restaurant is one of the stages in Super Gem Fighter: Mini Mix (Pocket Fighter in Japan) where Fei Long, Dhalsim, Birdie, M. Bison, Victor, Rolento, Charlie, Sodom and Bishamon can be seen having lunch, Gen himself is seen on the leftmost side of the stage, slicing a duck.
In the UDON comics, Gen has stated that Akuma has not yet mastered his dark powers during his talk with Ryu.