Rufus

"You've fought the rest, now try the best!"

- Rufus

Rufus (ルーファス) is an obese American character who makes his first appearance in Street Fighter IV.

He declares himself America's Greatest Fighter (as well as the best-looking) and considers Ken Masters to be his rival. He fights to prove he is better than Ken Masters, though he frequently mistakes other fighters for Ken. According to the Super Street Fighter IV blog, he was born on July 30th, and one of his special skills is karaoke.

In Japanese he is voiced by Wataru Hatano, while in English he is voiced by Christopher Corey Smith.

Story
Not much is known about Rufus' past before the events of Street Fighter IV, except that he met his girlfriend Candy by beating up a waiter who was chasing her. Rufus describes this event on a win quote to Rose; "I’ll never forget when I first met my girl. It was a rainy day in October and I was on my way home from a fight. Suddenly, this chick came outta nowhere an’ was all like 'Help!' I guess she pulled a dine an’ dash, so I beat up the waiter that was chasin’ her!" Rufus first became interested in martial arts after seeing an abundance of kung-fu flicks in his youth; this prompted him to take correspondence courses, and later ride his motorcycle around China studying under various masters. Another thing Rufus has described about his past is that he is a legend in the biker world, a fact he feels indifferent about.

Super Street Fighter IV
After reading an article praising Ken's status as America's best fighter, Rufus is, naturally, insulted. Candy suggests that he defeat Ken in front of an audience, making it clear who the best is.

On their way to the tournament, Rufus and Candy ride through a wasteland with very little signs of life. Rufus wonders whether's he headed the right way, and decides that Ken must have somehow set him astray. Nevertheless, he eventually finds the tournament and Ken, although the results of the fight are unknown. After the tournament, Rufus and Candy zoom past Ken and Ryu in the wasteland, stopping briefly for an insult. Not too long after, however, he's seen pushing his motorcycle, as it's run out of gas. Ken rolls up to him in his stylish SUV with Candy's hat, offering a tow. Rufus proudly turns the offer down, stating that the pushing was part of his training. Ken shrugs it off and drives away. Candy offers to help push, but Rufus insists that she stay put, cursing Ken for his misfortune. Rufus and Candy eventually reach a gas station, where Candy gets the attendant to fill the bike while Rufus cools off by emptying an entire tank of water upon himself. Setting out on the road again, Rufus asks Candy where they should go next. Candy suggests that since they're far too hot in this desert, they should head for the North Pole. Rufus enthusiastically agrees.

Appearance
Rufus's basic appearance is that of a fat man with blond hair in a yellow and black jumpsuit.

Similar to how Dan is a parody of Ryo from SNK's Art of Fighting, Rufus seems to be similar to Bob from rival fighting game, Tekken 6. Both are obese American martial artists with blond hair, are incredibly fast for their size, have similar move sets and each a master of their respective fighting styles (self-taught kung-fu based on Snake style in the case of Rufus, freestyle karate in the case of Bob). Rufus' Messiah Kick and its mix up properties are exactly the same as one of Bob's attacks. However their personalities are opposites as Rufus is obnoxious and impatient while Bob is calm and serious, having deliberately gained weight.

Personality
Rufus is a loudmouthed master of Kung-Fu, hailing from the U.S. Believing himself to be the strongest in America, he develops a personal hatred for Ken Masters, who carries that title officially. Often seen riding his motorcycle with his girlfriend, Candy (an attractive but not very bright, redheaded woman with a notably tacky way of dress who met Rufus while bailing on a diner check; he beat up the waiter), who seems to adore him and agree with his belief. He is very hasty and impatient, constantly jumping to conclusions to reach a goal which often results in him sacrificing accuracy for speed. Rufus is prone to loud-mouthed rambling, often spouting off at the mouth continuously until someone cuts him off (usually about trivial things he notices about the characters, doting over Candy, giving random anecdotes, or mistaking several members of the cast for Ken Masters, including Cammy). In fact, his win-quotes are so long they're normally impossible to read beginning to end before the results screen is gone. He's also prone to saying whatever random thoughts come to his mind, regardless of how rude they are (i.e. asking Dhalsim if he is an alien because of his Yoga power, and then giving his personal view of aliens before Dhalsim cuts him off). Most of the other fighters object to his constant talking whenever they defeat him, with some people getting annoyed of how much he speaks (i.e. Fei Long says: "No need for words. In fact, shut up already, will ya?") Despite his goofy appearance and personality, he is a highly skilled master of Kung-Fu, which even surprises several of the other characters.

Gameplay
Throughout the years, Rufus has managed to create his own style of kung-fu. Contrary to what one might think - given his rotund shape - this unique fighting style is surprisingly effective. It is revealed that his technique stems from years of studying various kung-fu books and movies. He also spent many years studying in China, reinforcing what he had taught himself. His fighting style takes advantage of his extreme weight, strength, and (surprisingly) his agility. He has some limited control over ki, as seen in his Super and Ultra combos; visible shockwaves cap off the double palm thrust at the end of each combo. Despite his devastating ability, it seems that he has not yet gained the respect of his peers: Ryu, for example, considers the style "interesting", but "too flashy to be effective".

Rufus's only weakness is the absence of any projectile attack in his arsenal. His moves are damaging, he has high stamina, his combos are easy to perform, he is very quick, and both the Messiah Kick and Galactic Tornado serve as excellent means to overcome his lack of ranged attacks. Not only is he easy to pick up and play, but players aren't forced into a specific role as Rufus is effective whether played offensively or defensively.

Trivia

 * The creation of the character seems to be inspired by Chris Farley's caricature in "Beverly Hills Ninja" and Bruce Lee's yellow jumpsuit from "The Game of Death." His overall appearance and concept (that of a fat guy with long, blond hair, a beard and a love for motorcycles) could've been inspired by Michael Teutul, from the reality show "American Chopper". One of Rufus' concept drawings in Street Fighter IV shows him with his hair down, bearing quite a resemblance to Michael's appearance.
 * Rufus is one of the 19 characters in Street Fighter IV to not have second rivals in Super Street Fighter IV, despite having a ultra combo video to include his second rival (Ryu).
 * Rufus is one of the few characters in the series that are in a romantic relationship or are married. The others are Ken, Dhalsim, Guile, Necro, T.Hawk, Hakan, Yang and Yun.
 * Rufus's concept art was a complete opposite from his final. In the original, he was African American, Thin, muscular, and had a sense of fasion with a furred karate Gi.
 * The name of Rufus' dive kick, Falcon Kick, is a reference to one of the signature attacks of Captain Falcon in the Super Smash Brothers fighting games, which is also a downwards dive kick, though unlike Captain Falcon's, Rufus' doesn't produce flames.
 * Rufus was recently confirmed for the game Street Fighter X Tekken