Rose

"Power is nothing without skill."

- Rose

Rose (ローズ, Rozu) or (薔薇) is a fighter from Capcom's Street Fighter games. She is the first Italian fighter to be introduced, as well as the third playable female character in the series, after Chun-Li and Cammy.

Street Fighter Alpha 2
A fortune teller from Genoa, Rose sensed that Doomsday was approaching, and that a person of great evil was causing it. She found the source of the evil in M. Bison and defeated him, believing that she had rid the world of him for good. Unfortunately, by reading her tarot cards, she discovered Bison was still alive.

Street Fighter Alpha 3
In Street Fighter Alpha 3, Rose learned that she and Bison shared the same soul. She faced Bison once more, ramming her fist through his chest, channeling her energy into his body. Rose used all of her Soul Power to defeat Bison, but it was not enough. Rose passed out from complete exhaustion, and was soon found by Guy (whom she met earlier when he was pursuing Shadaloo). When Bison was defeated by Ryu (who destroyed his body temporarily in the process), Bison's soul went to the Psycho Drive. Charlie sacrificed his life to try and destroy the Psycho Drive, but was not successful. Bison's soul then went to Rose's body, making her his temporary host.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Bison stayed in and controlled Rose's body until a new, albeit weaker body was made for him during the time of Street Fighter II. Akuma supposedly killed Bison during the second World Warrior tournament with the Shun Goku Satsu, which would destroy his soul. What became of Rose during this time was largely unknown, but The Street Fighter IV Training Guide has revealed that Rose is still alive, but has no memory of what happened to her while being possessed by Bison.

Street Fighter IV series
Upon learning from her tarot cards that Bison somehow survived Akuma's Shun Goku Satsu, she enters the new tournament. Her cards also reveal "The Fool", a card which in this case symbolizes reckless heroism, and determines that the person represented by this card is only hope for defeating Bison. She also decides that this person cannot defeat Bison until the stars align, and that she must protect him until such a time. However, she knows that she cannot defeat Bison herself, as she possesses the same power he has. During her participation in the tournament, she runs into Ryu, dead-set in stopping his advancement for his own protection, stating that he is "the last hope". This results in a fight with much reluctance from both parties.

In her ending, Bison ambushed and grabbed hold of her face, taking back what little power of his that remained in her, and awakening the memories of what he did while in her body, as well as visions of the horrific acts he would continue to do. When finished, he lets her live and leaves her unconscious, saying she will make excellent fodder for his insatiable spirit. However, Guy confronts Bison and demands that he hand her over or he would destroy Bison's jet - his only source of escape. Bison reluctantly agrees, and Guy holds his part of the bargain and allows him to escape. Rose wakes up to the sight of Guy, and decides that there is still work left for her to do.

In Other Media
Rose makes a cameo appearance in an episode of the first season of the American Street Fighter TV series, titled "The Medium is the Message", as a competitor in a Street Fighter tournament in India among other Street Fighter Alpha characters. She has a more prominent role in the second season episode "The Flame and the Rose", where she teams up with Ken and Blanka to fight against Bison.

Rose also plays a major role in the 1995 manga adaptation of Street Fighter Alpha by Masahiko Nakahira, where she is a soothsayer who guides Ryu in his quest to control the Dark Hadou. She plays a similar role in the 1999 Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation.

In the UDON Comics
In the Street Fighter comic produced by UDON in close collaboration with Capcom, it is told that Rose was a member of a tribe of Roma (a.k.a. Gypsies) that followed a white haired woman known only as Master. The woman had a glowing yellow lightning bolt on her forehead and a very similar hairstyle to Rose. When Rose was a child (roughly ten years of age), M. Bison, a former student of the Master, returned to the tribe and declared that he was going to kill Master, as her knowledge of Soul Power was a threat to him. Though Master fought bravely, Bison's Psycho Power (corrupted Soul Power) ultimately killed her and almost every other person present in the village. Only a man who was away chopping wood away from the village survived. He returned after the explosion and discovered an unconscious Rose, who now bore Master's Lightning bolt on her forehead (events in Street Fighter #1).

In Street Fighter #2, Cammy was tracking Ken and Ryu in San Francisco where she was intercepted by Rose. Later, Rose completely cleansed Cammy of the Psycho Power's influence and erased her brainwashing. She later deposited Cammy on the doorstep of the British Embassy in Italy where her instinctual response to a terrorist attack directly led to her being recruited to Delta Red, the organization she works for in Super Street Fighter II. Rose is distressed when Cammy, under the employ of MI5, not only returns to a life of violence, but also engages in missions that will inevitably lead her back to Bison.

Rose appeared to die by Bison's hands in Udon's Street Fighter II #6 after a battle between herself, Bison, and Cammy. In the same issue, Rose explained to Cammy what she had done to free her from Bison, and also explained to Cammy that she was a clone created to serve as Bison's next body should the need ever arise. Rose was killed by Bison and her body turned to dust blowing away in the wind.

She appears again and again in Bison's nightmares, and her face randomly appears on his computer monitor. Dhalsim later warns Bison that "Someone with purple hair and a yellow scarf will one day be your destruction."

In a final battle between Bison and Ryu that was interrupted by Akuma, Bison attempts to place his soul into Cammy, but is pulled away by a ghostly yellow scarf wrapped around his neck. Rose's ghost then tells him that it is time for both of them to die and she holds him in place for Akuma to deliver the finishing blow via "Shun Goku Satsu".

Rose appears in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li as Bison's main, ulterior objective in the story, having sought her in Bangkok where she was left after her mother died. As in the games, she is depicted as the manifestation of Bison's good side, though she is born instead of created, making her Bison's daughter. For safety reasons, she is alternatively referred to as the White Rose to hide her identity. Because she has lived her entire life in Bangkok, she is incapable of speaking English.

In the movie's deleted scenes, there is a part where she is confronted by Nash and her eyes turn red, meaning that she was likely meant to be possessed by Bison as she was in the games.

Appearance
Rose is tall, curvy and has long dark wavy hair that flows outward horizontally, violet eyes, a fair complexion, and a small mouth with full lips. Most official artwork of Rose make her appear to be puckering her lips. In battle, she wears a loose red evening gown with large gold buttons, and a large golden scarf around her shoulders and arms. By channeling her mysterious Soul Power through it, she is able to make the scarf glow, and wield it in such a way that is particularly damaging to her opponents. Rose also wears a dark colored body stocking, and manages to fight capably while wearing high heels.

In one of Rose's win poses, she wears a large red ball gown, a choker decorated with an antique key design, and matching earrings (in her ending movie in Alpha 2, she is seen wearing this outfit). Also, a lighting-bolt design is visible on her forehead in this form. In this particular victory pose, she holds tarot cards in each hand, and one in her cleavage. This win pose is reserved for a perfect win in Street Fighter Alpha 3, but is a normal victory in Capcom Fighting Evolution. In the UDON comic book series, Rose is often pictured in this attire, particularly when she is interpreting the future or some removed location.

Personality
Rose is a serene, intelligent and independent lady who muses quite a lot on destiny. She states that power is nothing without skill and that she must continue on her path, even if it means to give up her life for the greater good.

Stage Theme
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Trivia

 * Rose 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 her second rival (M. Bison).
 * Rose's hair flowed back with the wind in the Street Fighter Alpha series. It remains mostly stationary in the Street Fighter IV, since 3D models are used instead of sprites.
 * Rose makes a cameo appearance on the London Stage in the crossover fighting game Capcom vs SNK 2.
 * Rose was likely inspired by Jojo's Bizarre Adventure character Lisa Lisa, Rose's outfit is almost identical to Lisa Lisa's and like her Rose also channels her "Soul Power" into her scarf to fight. One of Rose's alternate costumes in Street Fighter IV is Lisa Lisa's outfit.
 * Strangely, in Street Fighter IV, Blanka's Amazon River Run will not hit Rose if she is walking forward; this glitch was fixed in the Arcade Edition of Super Street Fighter IV.
 * In Rose's ending of Super Street Fighter IV, she has a vision of Ryu and Bison fighting (possibly the final battle of Ryu and Bison before the events of Street Fighter III).
 * Viola from the Soul Calibur series bears a resemblance to Rose.
 * Rose's quote to Juri may be linked to the battle with Ryu and Bison, or possibly the final battle between Ryuand Akuma.
 * Zafina from the Tekken series is often compared to Rose.