Strider Hiryu
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is a
fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
jointly owned by
Capcom is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...
and
Moto Kikaku Hiroshi Motomiya (, born June 25, 1947) is a Japanese manga artist. He is from Chiba Prefecture. Moto Kikaku ''Moto Kikaku'' (formerly ''Motomiya Kikaku'') is a group of Japanese manga artists, founded by Hiroshi Motomiya. They're best known i ...
. Although primarily known as a game character, Hiryu (''飛竜'', "Flying Dragon") debuted in 1988 as the
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
of a Japan-exclusive
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
titled ''Strider Hiryu,'' published by
Kadokawa Shoten , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines su ...
. Hiryu made his first video game appearance in the
arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...
'' Strider'' (1989) Since his debut, he has appeared in various video games produced by Capcom, notably in the ''
Marvel vs. Capcom is a series of crossover fighting games developed and published by Capcom, featuring characters from their own video game franchises and comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series originated as coin-operated arcade games, though ...
'' series. Several publications and polls have regarded him as one of the most popular Capcom characters, one of the top
ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...
characters in video games, or even one of the best heroes in all of gaming.


Character and design

In most versions of the ''Strider'' story, "Hiryu" is an elite-class member of a mercenary group of futuristic, high-tech
ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...
-derived agents known as the Striders, who specialize in various kinds of
black ops A black operation or black op is a covert or clandestine operation by a government agency, a military unit or a paramilitary organization; it can include activities by private companies or groups. Key features of a black operation are that it i ...
and
wetwork Wetwork ( rus, мокрое дело, mokroye delo) is a euphemism for murder or assassination that alludes to spilling blood. The expression and the similar ''wet job'', ''wet affair'', or ''wet operation'' are all calques of Russian terms for su ...
such as espionage, sabotage, and assassinations. The word "Strider", used by the organization to refer to their agents, is said to mean "He who runs across fields" (野を馳せる者), a reference to the group covering operations and specialties all over the world. Hiryu's
signature weapon A signature weapon (or trademark weapon or weapon of choice) is one commonly identified with a certain group or, in the case of literature, epic poems, comics, and film, where it is a popular ''trope,'' for both heroes and villains to be associate ...
is his "cypher" (a
plasma Plasma or plasm may refer to: Science * Plasma (physics), one of the four fundamental states of matter * Plasma (mineral), a green translucent silica mineral * Quark–gluon plasma, a state of matter in quantum chromodynamics Biology * Blood pla ...
-generating blade with a
tonfa The ''tonfa'' ( Okinawan: , lit. ''old man's staff'' / ''"crutch"''), also spelled as ''tongfa'' or ''tuifa'', also known as T-baton is a melee weapon with its origins in the armed component of Okinawan martial arts. It consists of a stick ...
-like handle) named Falchion. He also has three Option support robots that he can call in for assistance (Option A is a satellite drone, Option B is a robotic panther, and Option C is a robotic hawk), as well as tools such as the all-terrain climbing instrument "climb sickle". An active Strider agent, all personal data pertaining to Hiryu outside of his codename, such as real name, age, nationality, career and any other background information, are top secret.Capcom (October 24, 2006, PlayStation). ''Capcom Gamebooks, Capcom Gamebook: Strider Hiryu (Japanese)''. Pg. 42. . In fighting games, several of Hiryu's moves are named after various legendary weapons of various lore, including Ame-no-murakumo,
Excalibur Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...
,
Gram The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a Physical unit, unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one one thousandth of a kilogram. Originally defined as of 1795 as "the absolute weight of a volume of pure wate ...
, and
Vajra The Vajra () is a legendary and ritual weapon, symbolising the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force). The vajra is a type of club with a ribbed spherical head. The ribs may meet in a ball-shape ...
. According to Kouichi Yotsui, the planner of the original ''Strider''
coin-op game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade ...
, the ''Strider Hiryu'' franchise was conceived as a
multimedia Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms such as text, audio, images, animations, or video into a single interactive presentation, in contrast to tradition ...
collaboration between video game company
Capcom is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...
and
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
collective
Moto Kikaku Hiroshi Motomiya (, born June 25, 1947) is a Japanese manga artist. He is from Chiba Prefecture. Moto Kikaku ''Moto Kikaku'' (formerly ''Motomiya Kikaku'') is a group of Japanese manga artists, founded by Hiroshi Motomiya. They're best known i ...
, the two companies having previously collaborated on the video game versions of the manga '' Tenchi wo Kurau''. Moto Kikaku produced the manga version, while Capcom developed two separate video game versions, a coin-operated video game and a console version for the
NES The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...
. All three works share common plot elements, while featuring their differences as well. Because of Moto Kikaku's involvement in the character's creation, their name appears alongside Capcom's in the copyrights byline of the character. Kouichi Yotsui said it was he who "pushed for a ninja concept" as they were leaning towards an action game, a ninja setting would've been convenient. "The hero would be derived from a ninja. We loosely decided on that." Regarding Hiryu's three robot helpers, he said that he was inspired by the 1960s ninja comics (the one that most influenced him was Shirato Sanpei's ''
Kamui Gaiden is a 2009 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Sai, based on Sanpei Shirato's manga series of the same title. The film is written by Sai and Kankurō Kudō, starring Kenichi Matsuyama in the titular role. It premiered at Toronto International Fil ...
''), in which the ninja often had various animals to support them or attack their enemies. Speaking with ''
Retro Gamer ''Retro Gamer'' is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Launched in January 2004 as a quarterly publication, ''Retro Gamer'' soon became ...
'', Yotsui said that Strider Hiryu's climbing abilities were inspired by his personal experience when he got himself stranded on the roof of Capcom’s building; fearing freezing to death and with no way to call for help, he climbed down the side of the building to reach a nearby
fire escape A fire escape is a special kind of emergency exit, usually mounted to the outside of a building or occasionally inside but separate from the main areas of the building. It provides a method of escape in the event of a fire or other emergency th ...
stairway. A Capcom artist known as Harumaru redesigned the character for '' Strider 2'', inspired by American comics he had found at a bookshelf of the Design Office (among them
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
,
Mike Mignola Mike Mignola (; born September 16, 1960) is an American comics artist and writer best known for creating ''Hellboy'' for Dark Horse Comics, part of a shared universe of titles including ''B.P.R.D.'', '' Abe Sapien'', '' Lobster Johnson'', '' Wit ...
,
Simon Bisley Simon Bisley is a British comic book artist best known for his 1990s work on '' ABC Warriors'', '' Lobo'' and '' Sláine''. Early life Simon Bisley began drawing when he was six years old. He is self-taught, with only a short one-year stay a ...
, and
Spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment, and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** '' Spawn: ...
by
Todd McFarlane Todd McFarlane (; born March 16, 1961) is a Canadian comic book creator, artist, writer, filmmaker and entrepreneur, best known for his work as the artist on ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and as the creator, writer, and artist on the superhero horro ...
). In 2014's '' Strider'' Hiryu's scarf serves as a visual cue for the Cypher upgrade the player is using (Reflect, Explosive, Cold, Magnetic), changing colors accordingly.


Appearances


''Strider Hiryu'' manga

The manga ''Strider Hiryu'' by Tatsumi Wada and Tetsuo Shiba was serialized in the monthly magazine ''Comic Computique'' from May to October 1988, spanning six issues. During this time, there were already two ''Strider'' games in development. A single volume collection was later published on November 10, 1989. A short
prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term " ...
story, titled , was published following the completion of the main series and is not included in the collected edition. The manga is set in the year 2048 and centers around Hiryu, a young Special A-Class rank Strider who retired early during his career after he was forced to kill his elder sister Mariya, a Strider who went insane (as shown in the prequel story). The main series begins with Hiryu living peacefully in Mongolia when his former superior, Vice Director Matic, forces him out of retirement in order to kill his best friend Cain, who has been captured by hostiles in the
Kazakh SSR ; kk, Қазақ Советтік Социалистік Республикасы) *1991: Republic of Kazakhstan (russian: Республика Казахстан; kk, Қазақстан Республикасы) , linking_name = the ...
and has become a liability to the rest of the Striders. With the help of Strider Sheena, Hiryu manages to rescue and extract Cain, but he attacks them after regaining consciousness. Hiryu manage to subdue Cain, but not before Sheena is mortally wounded and dies. Hiryu uncovers a small device implanted under Cain's neck and learns that he has been the subject of a mind-control weapon codenamed Zain and that Hiryu's sister Mariya was under the influence of Zain when she went rogue. After Cain regains his sense and freewill, he decides to make amends for Sheena's death by teaming up with Hiryu and stop the Zain project from reaching its completion. The two learn that an organization known simply as the "Enterprise" is behind the Zain project and that Matic himself was cooperating with the Enterprise leader Faceas Clay. With the help of Cain, Strider Chief Kuramoto, and a group of other Striders, Hiryu manages to thwart Matic and Clay, and destroy the main Zain terminal.


''Strider'' video games

Two video game versions of ''Strider'' were produced following the publication of the manga. The NES version of ''Strider'', released a few months after the arcade version, adapts the storyline of the ''Strider Hiryu'' manga, although a few changes were made to the presentation of the plot. However, the ''Strider'' coin-operated arcade game follows a completely different storyline, sharing only a few common elements such as Hiryu himself and the use of Kazakh SSR as the game's initial setting. In this game, Hiryu is hired by a rebel organization to assassinate the Grandmaster, an alien dictator who has gained control of all of the world's military. Hiryu's mission takes him not only to Kazakh, but also to
Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
and the
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
, as well as the Grandmaster's flying battleship "Balrog". Eventually Hiryu travels to the Grandmaster's lair, the "Third Moon" space station, for the final battle against him. Hiryu also stars in the second arcade game in the series, titled '' Strider 2'' (released in 1999, almost ten years after the first game). In it, the Grandmaster has returned to life and has reconquered the Earth, and so Hiryu must once again fight against the Grandmaster and his minions, as well as Hien, a former Strider and Hiryu's rival. An earlier, uncanonical ''Strider'' sequel has been released by British game publisher
U.S. Gold U.S. Gold Limited was a British video game publisher based in Witton, Birmingham, England. The company was founded in 1984 by Anne and Geoff Brown in parallel to their distributor firm, CentreSoft, both of which became part of Woodward Brown Ho ...
years prior to Capcom's version of ''Strider 2''. Titled '' Strider II'' in Europe and ''Journey from Darkness: Strider Returns'' in North America, the game was released for various European home computers in 1990 and remade for Sega consoles in 1992. In ''Strider II'', however, the main character, while implied to be the same Strider from the original game, is addressed as "Hinjo" in the instruction manual for the
Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
version. In this game, Hinjo must save a young woman, the leader of planet Magenta (whose name is Lexia according to the console versions) from a terrorist group (led by the Grandmaster himself in the console versions, who originally did not appear in the game's computer versions). A new ''Strider'' game developed by
Double Helix A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...
, was announced by Capcom in July 2013, and was released for the
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
,
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
,
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
,
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
and
Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
on February 18, 2014.


Other appearances

Hiryu is also a playable character in the tactical role-playing game ''
Namco × Capcom (pronounced as "Namco Cross Capcom") is a tactical role-playing (RPG) crossover video game developed by Monolith Soft for the PlayStation 2 and published by Namco in 2005. The gameplay combines tactical RPG and action sequences during battles, ...
'' (2005) and in the crossover fighting games '' Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes'' (1998), '' Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes'' (2000), ''
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom in collaboration with Eighting. It is an updated version of '' Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds''. The game features characters from both Capcom's video game franchises and comic book se ...
'' (2011), and '' Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite'' (2017), where he is one of many characters representing the Capcom universe. His ending in the first ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' game is an homage to the ending in the original ''Strider''. He was also supposed to appear in the cancelled arcade game ''
Capcom Fighting All-Stars ''Capcom Fighting All-Stars: Code Holder'' was a 3D fighting game planned for the arcade and PlayStation 2 that was to be developed by Capcom. Like '' KOF: Maximum Impact'', it was designed to translate a 2D fighting game series into 3D. This ...
''.''Retro Gamer'' issue 76 page 53. A
remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...
/
reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
of the ''Strider'' series by Grin was being developed in 2009, but was ultimately cancelled. He appears as a playable character in ''
Project X Zone 2 ''Project X Zone 2'' is a crossover tactical role-playing game for the Nintendo 3DS developed by Monolith Soft and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Despite the game being the sequel to '' Project X Zone'', the plot is a homage to the eve ...
'', partnered with
Hotsuma ''Shinobi'' is a 3D action-adventure video game developed by Overworks and published by Sega as part of the ''Shinobi'' series. It was released for the PlayStation 2 console on November 10, 2002, in North America; December 5 in Japan; and May ...
from
SEGA is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
's ''
Shinobi A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 21 ...
'' series. In addition, Hiryu has made multiple cameo appearances in other Capcom games, including in the
Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...
version of ''Hatena Hatena no Daibōken'', in the arcade quiz game ''
Capcom World 2 is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. It has created a number of multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster Hunter'', ''Street Fighter'', '' Mega Man'', ''Devi ...
'', in the fighting game ''
Street Fighter Alpha 2 ''Street Fighter Alpha 2'', known as in Japan, Asia, South America, and Oceania, is a 1996 in video gaming, 1996 fighting game originally released for the CP System II, CPS II arcade hardware by Capcom. The game is a Video game remake, remake to ...
'' (as a spectator in
Ken Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine. * Ken Masters, a main character in ...
's home stage), and in the action game ''
Mega Man Legends ''Mega Man Legends'' is a series in the ''Mega Man'' franchise. While the classic series is known for its 2D side-scrolling platformer gameplay with very little story, this series instead features 3D action-adventure gameplay and a robust story ...
''. He is also featured in various cards in
SNK is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...
's '' Card Fighters'' series (co-produced with Capcom), as well as in cards in ''Street Fighter x All Capcom'' and ''Dragon's Dogma Quest''. Hiryu's action figure was produced by
ToyBiz Toy Biz (also stylized as ToyBiz), was a toy company which later became a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment and was renamed to Marvel Toys. It was best known for producing action figures and toys and holding the Marvel Comics license from 1990 t ...
in 1999, and a garage kit figure of him was manufactured by Chemical Reaction in 2008. The Strider Hiryu Visual Chronicle, the first official artbook released for the Strider series, compiling artwork from the arcade ''Strider'', ''Strider 2'' and ''Strider (2014)'', as well as art from the unreleased Famicom ''Strider'' and Hiryu's main crossover appearances was released in February 2014 at the same time as the 2014 game as part of the Strider Hiryu Special-A Class Limited Edition package, along with other items, including the Strider Hiryu Sound Chronicle, a soundtrack compilation of the Strider series, a 3-CD set compiling the entire soundtrack from the arcade ''Strider'', ''Strider 2'' and ''Strider (2014)''.Capcom (February 22, 2014). ''Strider Hiryu Visual Chronicle (Japanese)''.Capcom (February 22, 2014). ''Strider Hiryu Sound Chronicle (Japanese)''. In ''
Street Fighter V ''Street Fighter V'' is a fighting game developed by Capcom and Dimps and published by Capcom for PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows, Windows in 2016. An Arcade game, arcade version exclusive to Japan was released by Taito in 2019. Similar to th ...
'', Guy's master, Zeku, can transform into a younger version of himself that bears a strong resemblance to Strider Hiryu in both looks and attire. In his story mode, he begins a new ninja clan and ponders "Striders" being a possible name, hinting that he is the founder of the Strider clan that Hiryu becomes a part of. The Strider series was added to the mobile video game ''
Teppen (stylized as ''TEPPƎN'') is a free-to-play digital collectible card game developed by GungHo Online Entertainment and Capcom. It released in North America and Europe on July 4, 2019 and in Asia on August 8 for Android, and iOS. The game was i ...
'' with its March 2021 expansion titled "A Dark Agenda".


Reception

The character has received positive reception both from critics and the general public. In the Japanese ''
Gamest was a Japanese video game magazine that specialized in covering arcade games. Published by Shinseisha, it first began in May 1986 and originally published bi-monthly, later changed to be a monthly-issued magazine in the late 1980s. The magazine al ...
'' magazine's "Best 100 games of the Year" in 1989, Hiryu ranked 3rd in the "Best Characters" category.Staff (December 27, 1989). "3RD Gamest Grand Prix".
Gamest
' (41). Pg. 68-79.
In 2000, ''
Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
'' opined that "in terms of visual appeal and agility, Strider Hiryu ranks as one of the best characters ever designed." In 2008,
GameDaily GameDaily (GD) was a video game journalism website based in the United States. It was launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads. The site changed its business model from a flat fee ...
ranked him as the fourth top Capcom character of all time, noting that he "has become an extremely popular character in Capcom's arsenal," while '' EGM'' called him "gaming's most stylish character." That same year,
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
's Travis Fahs noted him "one of Capcom's best loved characters", commenting that "there's no denying the iconic appeal, but for all of his flashy moves and fashion sense, Capcom has never really known what to do with him."Travis Fahs
The Shrouded Past of Strider Hiryu: Celebrating two decades of sword-slashing.
IGN, August 20, 2008.
Strider Hiryu was one of the 64 characters chosen for the
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
's 2009 poll All Time Greatest Game Hero. In 2012,
GamesRadar ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...
ranked this "somewhat of an enduring classic" as the 59th "most memorable, influential, and badass" protagonist in games, commenting that his "sheer levels of badass cool have seen him endure long past his
cliché A cliché ( or ) is an element of an artistic work, saying, or idea that has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, even to the point of being weird or irritating, especially when at some earlier time it was consi ...
s sell-by date, making him now an
archetype The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ot ...
rather than a
stereotype In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...
." In 2013, GamesRadar staff included him among the 30 best characters in the three decades of Capcom's history. According to Hanuman Welch of ''
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'', Strider Hiryu and Ryu Hayabusa of the ''
Ninja Gaiden is a series of action video games by Tecmo featuring the ninja Ryu Hayabusa as its protagonist. The series was originally known as in Japan. The word "gaiden" in the North American ''Ninja Gaiden'' title means "side story" in Japanese. The o ...
'' series were the "two ninjas synonymous with both the NES era and enduring all the way to the current generation of consoles." Hiryu defeated Ryu in
ScrewAttack Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC is an American digital media company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2003 by Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, Jason Saldaña, Gus Sorola, and Joel Heyman, Rooster Teeth is a subsidiary of Warner ...
's ''
Death Battle Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC is an American digital media company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2003 by Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, Jason Saldaña, Gus Sorola, and Joel Heyman, Rooster Teeth is a subsidiary of Warner ...
'' show, emerging superior from a comparison of strength, speed and weaponry. In 2010, ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
'' chose Strider Hiryu as one of the 20 Capcom characters they would like to see in a rumored crossover fighting game ''Namco Vs Capcom'', his
Namco was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...
side equivalent being Taki from the ''
Soulcalibur is a weapon-based fighting video game franchise by Bandai Namco Entertainment. There are seven main installments of video games and various media spin-offs, including music albums and a series of manga books. The first game in the series, '' ...
'' series. In 2012, ''Complex'' included "Capcom vs. Sega" as sixth fighting game crossover they would like to see the most, imagining Hiryu clashing with
Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
's classic ninja
Joe Musashi is a player character and main protagonist in Sega's ''Shinobi'' series of video games, first introduced in 1987. This original Shinobi hero has achieved great popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s, when it was used as one of Sega's m ...
from the ''
Shinobi A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 21 ...
'' series. Strider Hiryu has been often featured in the various lists and rankings of top ten video game ninja characters. As such, he was ranked as the seventh top ninja in games by 1UP.com in 2004, even as he "loses a few points for not even trying to be stealthy," and placed fourth on a similar list by
ScrewAttack Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC is an American digital media company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2003 by Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, Jason Saldaña, Gus Sorola, and Joel Heyman, Rooster Teeth is a subsidiary of Warner ...
in 2010. ''Complex'' declared Strider Hiryu the swiftest ninja in games in their 2012 list, calling him "pretty much the perfect ninja." In Jon Ledford of Sushi Arcade included among the ten best video game "ninjas". In 2010, ''Retro Gamer'' rated him as number one "Athlete King" of video games, beating the likes of
the Prince ''The Prince'' ( it, Il Principe ; la, De Principatibus) is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli as an instruction guide for new princes and royals. The general theme of ''The ...
,
Lara Croft Lara Croft is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the video game franchise ''Tomb Raider''. She is presented as a highly intelligent and athletic British archaeologist who ventures into ancient tombs and hazardous ruins around th ...
, or
Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
. In addition, he was also ranked as the third most acrobatic character in video games by ''Complex'' in 2011, and as the ninth top swordsman in gaming by Cheat Code Central's Shelby Reiche in 2012.
WatchMojo WatchMojo is a private company in video producing, publishing and syndicator that is based in Canada. The company has created around 20,000 videos on YouTube, and 5,000 additional videos from other platforms. It primarily is known for their ...
has listed Hiryu at #8 in their list of the top 10 video game mercenaries. The British rapper
Tinchy Stryder Kwasi Esono Danquah III ( ; born 14 September 1986), known by the stage name Tinchy Stryder, is a Ghanaian-British rapper, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and investor. Stryder has released three solo studio albums, '' Star in the Hood'' (2 ...
said his stage name was partly derived from Strider.


See also

*
Ninja in popular culture In the history of Japan, ninja (also known as shinobi) operated as spies, assassins, or thieves; they formed their own caste outside the usual feudal social categories such as lords, samurai, and serfs. Ninja often appear as stock characters in ...
*
List of ninja video games The following is an incomplete list of video games which feature ninja, mostly in action and role-playing games, from the early 1980s to the present. It is organized in alphabetical order. Game series Visual novel series Standalone games Game ...


References


External links


e-Capcom ''Strider'' site
{{Strider series, state=expanded Capcom protagonists Fictional assassins in video games Fictional Japanese people in video games Fictional kenjutsuka Fictional mercenaries in video games Fictional private military members Fictional secret agents and spies in video games Fictional special forces personnel Fictional swordfighters in video games Fictional taijutsuka Male characters in anime and manga Male characters in video games Ninja characters in video games Science fiction video game characters Video game characters introduced in 1988 Video game superheroes