Great character design is sometimes hit or miss. The things that some gamers love end up revolting others. Capcom has one of the greatest legacies in character design. From time-to-time that legacy has included some duds and questionable characters. Street Fighter IV was mixed between new characters and redesigned classic characters. The new characters that could have been designed better. They seemed odd and lacked the memorable spark of the originals. It seems that sometimes Capcom doesn't understand American tastes and aesthetics as well as they should, especially when they claim that some of the new characters were designed with the USA in mind.

If you have played through the various modes in the game then you have unlocked plenty of concept art. Some of the characters looked silly and some had potential. There was one that really stuck out. The community on SRK pointed out an exceptional character months ago. This character was possibly the best new design in the series and was a step above the design of a popular SF III character. Unfortunately he died in the planning stages. Let's take a hard look at "King Cobra," and question why Capcom let this character get away.

The series is saturated with karate characters, adding another one would have been overly redundant. However the style and presentation on Cobra is a lot more in tune with fight culture and the game series than any of the other designs in recent years. A quick overview of the character tells us several things. An African-American that isn't a boxer, already this character is endearing himself with minority players. The shaved head and youthful appearance shows us that this young man is trying to prove his worth by challenging the best fighters around. Ken and Ryu had started that tradition earlier and their story was of course based on actual karate legends Oyama and Soeno. The black gi and gold belt are a good contrast and compliment his skin color. The best touches on his design were the most subtle and the most profound. A gold chain, a worn edge or ruffled collar on his gi and sneakers on his feet. These things said far more about the character, his origins and influences than any gimmick ever could (frying pan anyone?). Let's try to put ourselves in the head of the designer and see where the origins of this character came from.

The name of the character seems to be the biggest sticking point for many, it works yet might also be insulting. King Cobra is an animal, and animal nicknames have been given to the oldest characters in the series. Ryu is the dragon, Sagat the tiger and Adon the jaguar. The muay Thai master that Oyama defeated, the inspiration for Sagat, was even nicknamed the Black Cobra. These animals all have myths and fables associated with them in the various cultures. When a man is made analogous to the beast, when it is made his avatar, then he becomes something greater than himself. The king cobra is possibly the most feared and mythicized of the poisonous snakes. It is revered in the Hindu spiritual belief as well as many other cultures in India. It stands to reason that a man named after it would be far more dangerous than the average fighter.

The cobra logo turns up several times in popular culture. The one that some people find offensive is a malt liquor that also happens to be named King Cobra. Naming a minority character after an alcoholic beverage is the surest way to insult the community. The Russian Zangief was originally named Vodka Gobalsky, intentionally naming a black American character after malt liquor would be enough to prove that Japanese fighting game designers are racist. However I do not think that was the intention. The logo was made popular in martial arts by the villainous karate dojo "the Cobra Kai" from the movie the Karate Kid. Chances are that the black uniform with gold trim and logo itself for this concept character were inspired by the film rather than the malt beverage.

Martial arts characters from film are instantly recognizable to Americans. If adapted correctly they would work into fighting game continuity. Such was the case for William Zabka aka Johnny Lawrence, the main rival from the Karate Kid. A character that was equal parts parody of the Shotoclone and homage to Johnny turned up via Jimmy Zappa in the game Capoeira Fighter 3. Spiritonin was able to make a memorable character and stage in CF 3 by taking so many cues and liberties with the pop culture character. Jimmy's stage and level music seemed eerily lifted from the film. Even the other characters from the film made cameos in the background. Aside from cartooning the features, the only other notable change to the character was replacing the Cobra Kai logo with a lighting bolt instead. Those that have played the game and character enjoy the inspiration to his design and how he plays very much like Ken and Ryu without having exactly their same abilities.

Putting a black character into the series with the same moves as Ken and Ryu is redundant. Sean did little in the series to demonstrate originality on the part of Capcom. He was simply a black understudy of Ken with many of the same moves. Had King Cobra been given the same moves as Sean then he would have been more insipid. I do not think that was the original intention with the character. Based on his look and stance from the concept art Cobra might have been given a whole new set of karate moves so that he would have been a stark contrast to the ways in which Ken and Ryu played. A strong black character with a unique form of karate should have been the reason for introducing him into canon. Like Makoto, this new character would have had a purpose and form that shows the many different interpretations of karate. Anything less than that and Capcom is refusing to advance the series, or evolve their character design.

Sean is a very weak character in concept and canon. There is little originality to Sean's design as even his sprites are based on the familiar Ken and Ryu template with only a few different moves thrown into the mix. A Brazilian karate savant known for his love of basketball and bubblegum. Why were these things important to present to gamers? Or was this a way to make Asians identify a colored character based on assumptions they had picked up from television? Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised to have seen El Fuerte show up to battles with a frying pan... These racially-influenced gimmicks were placed on the character because the designers lacked confidence in the strength of their design. In order to make him or her more appealing to the public then certain stereotypes has to be reinforced.

Black characters in fighting games have been given up to stereotype since the early 1990's. Capcom cannot claim innocence as much as ignorance when it comes to following the trends. Bobby "Brown Bullet" Nelson from Aggressors of Dark Kombat / Tsuukai GanGan Koushinkyoku and Lucky Glauber from the King of Fighters were the original, basketball-loving, protagonists from fighting games. It pained me to see Capcom stay with the old design notions when I first saw Sean. These characters gave western gamers a glimpse into the mind of character design from Japan. After a decade of seeing global cultures change and the attitudes towards black culture become more accepted then perhaps Capcom should have taken the colored characters back to the drawing board.

Sean is not the first but hopefully last minority character that should ever have stereotypes pinned on him as a fighter. Instead Capcom and the other studios should realize that there are ways to create an ethnically diverse cast, keep them consistent with global attitudes, without sacrificing the timeless quality or resorting to gimmicks. King Cobra was very much on the fast track to becoming that character, the modern legend that did not lose the karate influence, yet presented a new world to gamers.

The things that made King Cobra stand out most; the colors of his uniform, the gold and the sneakers were perfect. They were very subtle, and yet, could not be ignored. Cobra represents just a hint of Hip Hop culture, just enough to remind audiences that he is the modern urban youth. He is not a jet-setting playboy like Ken, nor is he the wandering solemn Ryu. He is young and bold and not scared to bring just a little bit of his world into the Street Fighter universe. However his design is not so bold as to try to change the universe and our attitudes towards the established characters. His belt and uniform reminds us that he is mindful and respectful of the martial arts. Yellow is usually a belt given to students that are still in the process of learning, however his belt had more of a golden hue to it, allowing us to ponder if he is indeed a master and of what form. The gold and black and cobra logos also allow us to imagine that this character is a more subtle homage to the Karate Kid than even Johnny Zappa.

The gold chain on his neck was not too bold or thick, nor did he sport any sort of earrings, medallion or emblem. His jewelry was very clean and simple. The ruffled edge of his gi gave him personality. His sleeves were not torn or sewn in the was of the other karate characters in the SF universe, it was the fringe on his collar that gave his top character. The sneakers were classic and probably something that would be worn while traveling down city blocks walking into dojos and beating people up. The legend of the barefoot master did not make much sense in the city. When combined all of these elements made for a memorable character. One that was followed the traditions of the classic characters yet did not have to bring up racial prejudices or gimmicks to make him stand out to audiences.

It was the idea behind his character, the inspiration of street culture, which I found most profound. Cobra was not designed by accident. There was some forethought to his character. The idea of Hip Hop that made it obvious, yet he was not the typical representation of Hip Hop culture. If you were to ask an American to design a new Street Fighter character then they might very well try to write a thug into canon and try to make him work. By giving him large muscles, attitude and tattoos they would assume that this is the type of character America wants to see and that Street Fighter needs to see.

A lack of respect to martial arts tradition would actually turn a generic "Thug Doug" into nothing more than the American answer to Birdie, Joe Fendi or Rob Python; the characters pictured above. He would be worse than the typical American character and actually become the stereotypical American character. A character that was 100% Hip Hop, or what mainstream America thinks is Hip Hop, would become somebody that belongs in Def Jam rather than Street Fighter.

The design of King Cobra owes something to Hip Hop, but it is not garish, in-your-face Hip Hop. It is the sneakers, the fringe and gold necklace which bring up these cues. They allow us to absorb the influences much nicer than any frying pan ever could. This type of presentation on a minority character would make him more progressive yet as memorable as somebody like Marco Rodriguez, without placing a karate-fool stigma on him. These cues allow fighting game fans, especially westerners, to see that Capcom is evolving with the times. It sends a message that the designers are allowing the universe to grow without conceding too much to the modern world. Yes Hip Hop is an important culture, especially to the youth, but it must be incorporated with fight culture rather than be put at odds to it. This incorporation, this nod to the culture, endears the designers to audiences more than any stereotype ever could.

Japan is a big consumer of Hip Hop culture. They are probably more in tune with the four elements; graffiti, b-boy, emcee and DJ than most western connoisseurs of rap music. It was in this culture that Japan's most influential Hip Hop manga artist, Santa Inoue, created the Tokyo Tribe series. He explains and explores the culture through a series of adventures and wild characters. His insight into the culture, especially from the Japanese perspective, is profound. Rather than use Hip Hop as a gimmick for his stories, he completely immerses audiences into the culture so that they can appreciate and understand the youth movement that seems so at odds with traditional Japanese customs. As Hokuto No Ken inspired the evolution of Ryu I would like to think that Tokyo Tribe might have had a hand at inspiring King Cobra.

Had King Cobra appeared in SF III rather than Sean I would have celebrated the decision and had reminded Capcom of the greatness of that character to this day. King Cobra could have been the example that I reference as a solid design rather than Allen Snider. His inclusion into the series, with just a hint of style, would have made him like a modern Jim Kelly. A genuine athlete with respect to the martial arts rather than a stylized faker, the wildly popular but silly Shogun of Harlem.

Of course I say all this without having seen a sprite or move list. Chances are that Capcom would have flubbed the character by giving him absurd move names or have him walk into the level with a boombox.

It really boils my blood to think that Capcom leaves some of their best designs on the cutting room floor. Unsure or unaware of how close to greatness they are, they instead take the low road and release gimmick characters, or those based on tried-and-true stereotypes. A fat man, a chick in a suit, a masked cook and an amnesiac Frenchman. The four were almost memorable but not one has true staying power or respect for the martial arts that inspired them. The absense of King Cobra in Street Fighter IV is depressing, despite being another karateka in a karate-laced series he is the one design that really could have made it. The design that could have changed the status-quo.

Perhaps Ikeno is saving the character for the future. Listening to fan reactions for him and the other concept characters. If King Cobra is first in line for Street Fighter V then I will be the first to congratulate Capcom. Until then I'll just sit here cursing them under my breath.