Crimson Viper


 * "Try getting a real job!"
 * —C. Viper

Crimson Viper (クリムゾン・ヴァイパー), also known as Maya (マヤ) is an American fighter employed by S.I.N., and presumed head of the "Battle Suit" Project. In reality, Crimson Viper is a secret agent under the employ of a U.S. government agency, presumably the CIA. She enters and participates in the latest world tournament under the guise of acquiring data for the Battle Suit for S.I.N., though her true motives are to acquire data from the BLECE Project (Pronounced Blees), in addition to eliminating "Number 15". Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li depicts a character, Detective Maya Sunee, who is based off of Crimson Viper according to the making of commentary included on the DVD..

Battle Suit
Crimson Viper wears a specially designed Battle Suit for the tournament, developed and manufactured by S.I.N.. When inquired by an Executive as to the reason for her participation in the tournament, she states that she's the only test subject to utilize 100% of the suit's capabilities effectively, and thus is the prime candidate for the field test. The suit is remarkable in the sense that it resembles an ordinary business suit, though two weapons lurk within the accompanying gloves and boots.

The gloves have metal knuckles that can be electrically charged, creating visual arcs of electricity when enough power is supplied; these can stun or damage an opponent quite heavily at higher settings, which combined with Viper's natural speed and agility pose an incredible danger to fighters of all skill and size. The boots hold jets inside the arc between the heel and sole, with a switch on the side of the boot activating the temporary jet propulsion. The boots are capable of granting the wearer a much greater jumping ability, though Viper frequently fires them up and uses them in a defensive kick, burning anyone within distance.

The suit does not provide the wearer with any sort of ranged attacks or abilities in the traditional sense as opposed to ki practitioners who utilize attacks such as the Hadoken or the Sonic Boom, but the gloves (when switched to a particular setting) allow for C.Viper to unleash the "Seismic Hammer," a ground explosion from beneath her opponent that she causes by punching the ground with the glove. This is a very deceptive attack, considering it travels beneath the floor. The Battle Suit does not (presumably) protect the wearer from damage; it was designed for stealth and ease of concealment, not Battlefields or War Zones.

Super Street Fighter IV
Though employed by S.I.N., she is actually a mole for an American intelligence agency (most likely the CIA) investigating the BLECE project: she is in charge of the "Battle Suit project" in her role as S.I.N. operative, and enters the tournament they are holding to test the prototype. If successful, she will be reassigned to the BLECE project. In addition to this, she's also to scout for potential recruits on a recruitment list she is given, one of whom is Hakan whom she rejects as a candidate. Prior to the tournament, Viper attacked Ryu under Seth's orders to test his skills, but the fight is interrupted by Cammy; Viper manages to defeat Cammy but Ryu awakes his Satsui No Hado and she is forced to flee. Before the tournament, she is informed that members of a C.I.A. team which was investigating S.I.N.'s rumored links to Shadaloo have all been assassinated. Realizing that she alone must finish the mission, she infiltrates S.I.N.'s HQ searching for information. While there, she comes across a wounded Seth, who recognizes her as a CIA agent. She responds by finishing him off. Unfortunately the the data pertaining to BLECE is destroyed by Cammy before Viper has a chance to copy it, resulting in several years of investigation disappearing into thin air. The data linking Shadaloo to S.I.N. is not destroyed, however, and is recovered by Chun-Li prior to the Facility's destruction. Returning back to the CIA, she reports to her superiors that "#15" (i.e. Seth) has been eliminated, and that the "remaining 26" are in her sights. She then returns home to her daughter Lauren, who is finally seen and confirmed after having gradually been hinted at since the Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind anime special.

Personality
Crimson Viper's working personality is superior and condescending, as seen in her interactions with Chun-Li, Cammy and Hakan. However, she is also genuinely interested in the inner workings and problems of the other fighters, as shown in her various winquotes. Her true personality of a loving mother is only shown to her daughter, Lauren.

Trivia

 * C. Viper might possibly be in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, as there is a silhouette that takes the shape of her head.
 * Crimson Viper has a daughter who goes by the name of Lauren, as shown in Street Fighter: The Ties That Bind and her ending in Super Street Fighter IV. This makes her the only playable mother in the Street Fighter Series.
 * The Super Street Fighter IV site lists her birthdate as July 18.
 * C. Viper might have a darker skin tone compared to most of the female SF characters. Elena would be the only exception. The reason might be because of getting herself a simple tan or the possibilty of her being biracial.
 * C. Viper is one of the six characters from Street Fighter 4 (the others being Chun-Li, Cammy, Guile, Ryu & Seth) to have second rivals. Her second rival is Hakan, even though it was supposed to be Juri, due to her ultra combo video showing Juri as her rival.
 * Her moves closely resembles Captain Commando.
 * C. Viper's gloves and boots are fully seen if she is wearing either her Street Fighter IV or Super Street Fighter IV alternate costumes.
 * It is unknown if C. Viper had a husband or not. One theory suggests that Charlie Nash was either a boyfriend or the husband of Viper. In The Legend of Chun-Li, Charlie Nash's love interest was his partner named Maya (who may be C. Viper back then, as Viper's real name is Maya). Viper taking off her glasses after winning a match could be an opposite of Charlie putting on his glasses in one of his win poses.
 * C. Viper is the first playable female character from the United States in the series.