Hello friends, this marks my first original series for the Capcom BBS rather than a reprint from my 1UP blogs. I hope you don't think this deconstruction as pretentious but I am just passionate about character design in videogames, especially in Street Fighter. I don't mean to pick on Yoshinori Ono or Capcom as much as I want to see the best from him and his team. The Street Fighter series is so epic that I am fascinated with the influences that went into it and how they are reflected to the gamer. I am a firm believer that Street Fighter can always be better but in order to find room for improvement we have to be willing to recognize that our window into the world, the avatar, or fighting game character is the most important design element that Capcom creates. If I spot an inconsistency I will call Capcom on it. I don't pretend to know everything there is to know about character designs and the martial arts but I do have enough insight to know why a character doesn't work for me. I will do so by deconstructing El Fuerte as featured in Street Fighter IV. There are three reasons why I feel the design of El Fuerte fails my SF universe litmus test. Those three things are his appearance, his move selection and his purpose in the game. As part of the deconstruction we have to look at the history of not only the game but also of lucha libre, for which El Fuerte represents.
In case you couldn't tell from my illustrations and blogs here on the Capcom BBS I am a big fan of wrestling and have been following its inclusion and evolution in the Street Fighter series. When it was announced that there would be a luchador in Street Fighter IV I was both excited but also skeptical. Just because there was a masked wrestler in the game and just because he was Mexican, it did not make him a true enmascarado (masked luchador). There are a few things that Capcom of Japan, Capcom of the USA, and developer DIMPS should recognize about wrestling culture in order to make El Fuerte "right."
Most people don't realize that there are many different types of pro wrestling. The pro wrestling seen in the US has many variations, from traditional to bloody and violent "hardcore." Those are slightly different than the high-flying lucha libre seen in Mexico. In Japan the style of wrestling they perform is a little stiffer, as in the hits they perform are a little harder and they go through more "finishing moves" than either the US or Mexico. They even have a unique name for their format of pro wrestling called puroresu or puro for short. Japanese puro has been heavily influenced by both the USA and Mexico formats. Japan's love of lucha libre even resulted in the creation of lucharesu, a combination of lucha libre and puroresu. What makes the sport unique is how different cultures interpret it and make it their own. I feel that El Fuerte is not consistent with true lucha libre, or even lucharesu. I think that Capcom and DIMPS introduced a character based on a surface knowledge of the sport and masked athletes rather than a deep understanding of it. Let's get under the mask of El Fuerte and understand the ideals of lucha libre, how or why the character came to be and what he should represent.
The most obvious distinction of lucha libre are the masked characters and high-flying acrobatics. To many in the US they view these "gymnastics" with disdain, saying that pro wrestling has a history connected to trapping and grappling of catch wrestling and of course classic Greco-Roman wrestling. The type of wrestling performed in Mexico is seen as too acrobatic or choreographed to be taken seriously. Lucha libre as we know it is around 80-years-old and no, not every luchador wears a mask. Salvador Lutteroth is the man credited to bringing wrestling to Mexico. He saw some matches in El Paso and noticed how a masked performer worked well with the crowd. He thought this secret identity would be very important and go over well in Mexico. Needless to say he was right! I would suggest you watch a short but very well put-together lucha libre podcast from the George Eastman (as in Eastman Kodak) house explaining some of the history and charm of these masked characters. Lucha libre certainly has a long and established tradition that deserves some respect, especially in videogame form.
The closest thing that I could compare the masked luchadores, the enmascarados in the USA to would be superheroes. The elaborate masks, tights (and sometimes capes), are all part of their costume. Their secret identity is as important to them and their fans as it is to the fictional characters in comic books. A true enmascarado never, ever goes out in public without his mask and protects his identity to the best of his ability. He never does anything to bring shame to his name or his mask. An enmascarado does not go into the lifestyle casually but with all his heart and conviction. Believe it or not the true enmascarados in Mexico never leave the house without their masks, even when they are out with their friends and family. To the public it's all part of tradition and they do not think twice about seeing a masked man.
The reason for what we would consider "odd social behavior" is actually seeped in tradition. These men are seen as daring fighters, mythical warriors. The physical ability to perform all sorts of crazy moves is part of the spectacle but the bond between the audience and the luchador goes deeper than performance fighting. The good guys are called "Technicos" they fight by particular guidelines and always have to uphold the rules of clean combat. The bad guys are called "Rudos" and are free to use every dirty trick in the book. The matches they engage in are very much a live battle between good and evil.
Audiences are drawn to these morality plays like moths to a flame. With the good guys and bad guys so clearly defined it becomes hard not to choose a side. Kids will their heroes to overcome the obstacles and win the fight even when faced against insurmountable odds. A huge reason why enmascarados go over so well in Mexico, as opposed to in the USA or Japan, is because of cultural relevance.
Mexico is predominantly Catholic but with lingering traditions, including folklore and myth, from the natives. The battles between good an evil are an every day occurrence for those with strong superstitions. The warriors that perform in these battles harken back to the pre-columbian world. The masks themselves are inspired by iconic images. The Aztec warriors went into battle with brightly colored uniforms and headdresses so that generals could watch their exploits in battle. These were known as Caballeros Aguilas (eagle riders) and are symbolic of the fiercest warriors of ancient society. The design of the caballero aguila can be seen on the mask of the villainous Dr. Wagner Jr and Canek "El Princepe Maya" (the Mayan Prince).
One of the most famous and successful of all wrestlers, Mil Mascaras (a thousand masks), even has a costume in the jaguar pattern, similar to what the ancient warriors would wear in battle. Here is an excerpt from the Sun interview with enmascarado El Hijo Del Santo explaining the origin and importance of the mask.
"The Sun: Can you describe the importance and history of the mask to Mexican wrestlers?
El Hijo Del Santo: I believe that when lucha libre started, it all began with a wrestler that came from the American circuit. He [the masked wrestler] got a lot of attention from the Mexican crowds and as Mexican wrestling is a war of good v evil, the masks have an importance with the roots of our culture, like the Aztecs, Olmecs and Teotihuacans. They always wore masks of animals when at war, the most significant were the jaguar, wolf, the eagle, snake, as they believed they would get the animal’s powers in combat. I think lucha libre adopted this belief and the luchador looks for a name that suits his personality from say nature, animals, the heaven like El Santo or hell like Demon. Many years ago, my father Santo took the mask off Black Shadow in a match with wagers, that day the importance of the mask took a new dimension, to lose a mask became very important and an opportunity for promoters in Mexico to present something new that doesn’t happen in the USA."
Unless you were raised in this culture it is very hard to identify with the wrestlers and understand why their masks and style of wrestling is important or why lucha libre means so much to Mexico's cultural identity. This is why when I heard that a Mexican masked wrestler was being added to the lineup of SF IV I was hesitant. Did Capcom add him knowing the history, legacy and importance of enmascarados? Or did they add him as a "flavor of the month," a character to balance out the popular El Blaze from Virtua Fighter? I was not certain in either regards but after a few months of reading about him, and thanks to the Street Fight Club, finally having a chance to play as him, I learned that Capcom and DIMPS had not gotten the enmascarado 100% right. Please return tomorrow for part 2 of this series and leave a comment if you have any questions about lucha libre.
