Rose

"You're nervous, aren't you? (緊張しているようね)"

- Rose (Street Fighter IV series)

Rose (ローズ) is a character 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.

Concept
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. Additionally, one of Rose's alternate costumes in the Street Fighter IV series is extremely similar to Lisa Lisa's outfit.

Appearance
Rose is tall, curvy, and has long, purple, wavy hair that flows outward horizontally, with a large, zigzag forelock. She has violet eyes, a fair complexion, and a small mouth with full lips. Most official artwork of Rose make her appear to be pursing her lips.

She wears a loose, red (pink in some artworks) evening gown with a belt and large gold buttons; a violet top with tights under her gown; a set of red high heels; 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 as a weapon. Strangely, her cleavage is easily visible through her top. In most artworks, she appears to be wearing a tank top under her dress, but her SFIV sprite shows her to be wearing a sleeved top with shoulder slits.

In the Street Fighter Alpha series, Rose's hair was animated and flowed back with the wind; it remains mostly stationary in the Street Fighter IV series due to the use of 3D models.

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 in some removed location.

In official art for the Street Fighter IV games, Rose's face looks very similar to (and may be inspired by) Italian actress Monica Bellucci.

Personality
Rose is a serene, respectful, intelligent, and independent woman who muses quite a lot on destiny and fate. Wise and sophisticated, she is not prone to anger easily, and has a very calm demeanor, even in battle. 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.

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 M. Bison was still alive.

Sometime before facing M. Bison, she somehow encountered Akuma, noticing that his power was the same power Ryu used in his fateful Shoryuken against Sagat, in which Akuma promptly told her to leave. After Rose realizes who Akuma is, he reacts with anger and tells Rose to perish, and the two fought with Rose surviving their battle.

Street Fighter Alpha 3
In Street Fighter Alpha 3, Rose learned that she and M. Bison shared the same soul. She faced M. Bison once more, ramming her fist through his chest, channeling her energy into his body. Rose used all of her Soul Power to defeat M. 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 M. Bison was defeated by Ryu (who destroyed his body temporarily in the process), M. Bison's soul went to the Psycho Drive. Charlie sacrificed his life to try and destroy the Psycho Drive, but was not successful. M. Bison's soul then went to Rose's body, making her his temporary host.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo
M. Bison's soul 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 M. Bison during the second World Warrior tournament with the Raging Demon, which would destroy his soul.

What became of Rose during this time was largely unknown, but the Street Fighter IV Training Guide revealed that Rose is still alive, but has no memory of what happened to her while being possessed by M. Bison.

Street Fighter IV series
Upon learning from her tarot cards that M. Bison somehow survived Akuma's Raging Demon, Rose 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 M. Bison. She also decides that this person cannot defeat M. Bison until the stars align, and that she must protect him until such a time. However, she knows that she cannot defeat M. 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, M. 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 M. Bison and demands that he hand her over or he would destroy M. Bison's jet - his only source of escape. M. 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.

Namco × Capcom
Rose appeared in Namco x Capcom first as an enemy unit then as a fully playable ally. She is initially introduced as an enemy to the heroes onboard the Woglinde from Xenosaga Episode I alongside Armor King from Tekken, being made to serve Black Valkyrie from Legend of Valkyrie via soul contract. This is much to Ryu's disbelief, as he knows that Rose was always a good person before her death at M. Bison's hands. She does not speak very often and fights against the party a few times throughout the story, even demonstrating incredible healing powers. She, Armor King and Judas from Tales of Destiny 2 are unable to refuse Black Valkyrie's requests to attack the team as she holds complete sway over their souls. This is finally halted when, during Chapter 26, Heihachi Mishima arrives with the Golden Seed, giving it to Valkyrie. Valkyrie then uses the powerful item to break Black Valkyrie's control over the three souls, allowing them to escape.

After being freed from Black Valkyrie's influence, Rose appears before some of the scattered party members during Chapter 29, where she attempts to use her Soul Power to stop M. Bison. However, due to being inside the Soul Edge's metaphysical world, Bison's Psycho Power is greatly amplified to the point where nothing can damage him. For a time, the party is required to survive and endure Bison and his entourage's attacks until Ryu, who had run away from the party earlier due to being taken over by the Bloodlust Wave, shows up alongside Akuma. Whether Ryu or Akuma are brought down to low HP, Sakura tries to snap him out of it with her finishing move, but ultimately fails. Ryu counters with the intent to kill the girl, but Ken steps in to take the damage. Ken then executes Shin Shoryuken, effectively knocking Ryu out and waking him up. Aggravated by this turn of events, M. Bison, who had wanted Ryu to be the vessel for his new body, attempts to strike him down, but Ryu counters with his own Shin Shoryuken, weakening Bison's Psycho Power to the point the party can defeat him. After the chapter is cleared, Ryu rejoins the team and Rose officially joins the party for the rest of the game.

Rose is a solo unit who never gains a partner of her own, but her high MP and extensive spell list make her a great support character. Rose's character theme during her active turn is the same as Sakura and Karin's.

Capcom Fighting Evolution
Rose appeared as a playable character in Capcom Fighting Evolution.

Street Fighter Alpha manga
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 personal quest to overcome the Satsui no Hado's influence. She meets up with him after he falls into a sewer. Ryu begins to wonder if she has any relation to Shadaloo who were after him for his dark power. After a short battle between the two, which Rose won, she told him that the Satsui no Hado is a dangerous power. Ryu questions on her knowledge of his Satsui no Hado and who was, she then tells him that he must go to see two fighters in red. After she got of the water of the sewers, she told Ryu that he will get a cold if he does not get out of the sewer water as well before she leaves him.

Street Fighter III: Ryu Final
Rose makes a cameo appearance in the manga adaptation of Street Fighter lll: Ryu Final as a memory inside of Ryu's head.

UDON comics
Rose appears in the Street Fighter comic produced by UDON in close collaboration with Capcom. In Street Fighter #1, 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 the Master, as her knowledge of Soul Power was a threat to him. Though the Master fought bravely, M. 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.

In Street Fighter #2, Cammy is tracking Ken and Ryu in San Francisco when she is 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 M. Bison.

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

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

In a final battle between M. Bison and Ryu that was interrupted by Akuma, M. 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.

Street Fighter cartoon
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 M. Bison.

Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation
Rose appears in the 1999 Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation film, where she tell Ryu about his Satsui no Hado and his meeting with Shun, as she shows him the card of the devil, which stands for one's own demon. She then tells Ryu that he can become more powerful and overcome the Satsui no Hado. She then senses Ken comming to the temple that Ryu was at, and leaves Ryu behind with the card.

She later appears again to Ryu after he fell into a deep derpression, she tells him that Shun is wavering, and that Ryu must keep fighting off the Satsui no Hado. Rose then asks him if Shun's own soul may not really be his own problem to worry about. This question makes Ryu angry and he throws a Hadoken at glass windows, breaking it completely before she leaves him to his choices. Rose appers again in front of Ryu who was fighting off the Satsui no Hado, telling him that he has yet to turn over the card before she leaves.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li
Rose appears in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li as M. Bison's 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 M. Bison's good side, though she is born instead of created, making her M. 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 M. Bison as she was in the games.

Cameo Appearances
Rose makes a cameo appearance on the London stage along with Dudley in the crossover fighting game Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001. She is on the far left of the stage, speaking with a commuter during the second round and onward, while Dudley appears during the first round only.

Gameplay
Rose's overall styles revolves around pacing and ranged attacks while being able to absorb and neutralize projectiles. Rose has an above-average offensive capabilites with an unusually strong air defense and offense that make her able to attack from any standing point, and her basic fighting abilities have a far reach thanks to her scarf and excellent dexterity.

Rose has the ability to absorb and reflect projectiles back at projectile heavy characters like Ryu and Sagat, and with her Soul Illusion, she can extend her combos and extend the damage of her super combos to deal more hits. Her Soul Throw can reach out and negate cross-up attacks and could avoid projectiles with her air time.

However, because Rose can reach far, it also leaves her open for a jumping strike, and her attacks don't cause that much knockback, allowing the opponent or the player a chance to counterattack at their leisure. Despite this, Rose is still a force to be reckoned with, and is a versatile character with many tools at her disposal to handle almost any kind of situation.

Trivia

 * 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 Super Street Fighter IV ending, she has a vision of Ryu and M. Bison fighting.


 * Zafina, from Namco's Tekken series of 3D fighting games, share some similar character traits with Rose.
 * Another Tekken fighter who also share similarities with Rose, even more so than Zafina, is Claudio Serafino.
 * They are both Italian fighters who utilizes "magical" powers.
 * They wear striking outfits which are more suited for style than for combat.
 * They are both pitted against evil spiritual forces of their respective series (the Psycho Power energy for Rose and the demonical Devil Gene for Claudio).


 * Viola, from Namco's Soul Calibur series of weapon-based fighting games, also bears a resemblance to Rose.


 * In SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos, Rose is referenced in Ryu's winquote against Tessa, saying that her outfit reminded him of a fortune teller he met in Genova.


 * Rose's quote to Juri may be linked to the battle with Ryu and M. Bison, or possibly the final battle between Evil Ryu and Akuma.


 * Rose is the first female character to be used as a main during an EVO championship run, as Olivier Hay (Luffy) deployed her as his main on his way to winning Ultra Street Fighter IV at EVO 2014.
 * Rose's win quote towards El Fuerte reveals that she is on a diet.
 * In ScrewAttack!'s Shao Khan vs. M. Bison boss battle video, when he is talking about M. Bison's former life before becoming Shadaloo's leader, it is stated that M. Bison was both good and evil. His good side left him, creating Rose, meaning that M. Bison is like Rose's father.

Gallery
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Other Artworks
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Quotes

 * See also: Rose/Quotes.