Ingrid

"Remember me as a messenger from the stars..."

- Ingrid

Ingrid (イングリッド), also known as the Eternal Goddess, is a video game character who first appeared in the fighting game Capcom Fighting Evolution and later Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX. She was designed by Hidetoshi Ishizawa (Neo_G). Ingrid was originally created for the canceled fighting game Capcom Fighting All-Stars as one of the original characters. In said game, she had the nickname "Eternal Ray" (most likely relating to a ray of sunshine, given her attack theme).

Appearance
Ingrid has long, platinum blonde hair with bangs and two, large gold pins, one on each side of her head. Her irises are red in color. Her outfit resembles that of a schoolgirl's, consisting of a light, purplish-blue, long-sleeved top with white accents, gold buttons, and a white bow below the collar; a matching, short, pleated skirt with a white petticoat; white gloves; brown tights; and black, high-heeled Mary Janes with a bow on each instep.

Personality
Ingrid is an extremely powerful being who detests the evil nature of the Satsui no Hado. She is very wise and intelligent in spite of her apparent physical age, and also has a playful side to her, as she enjoys tickling defeated opponents. Ingrid can be very serious when the situation calls for it, and holds Ryu and Rose in high regard. However, she displays an unusual lust for power, and often comes across as aloof.

Story
Little, if anything is known about Ingrid; however, Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX presents some possibilities about her true origins. Apparently, her source of power is derived from Psycho Power, yet it is not purely evil like that of M. Bison; it is likely something similar to Rose's Soul Power. Ingrid also claims that she is the true bearer of what is called "Psycho Power", as she constantly tells M. Bison that Psycho Power is "her power" and that he has stolen it. It seems that her power is so intense that if given the chance, she could actually break Ryu madness if he ever succumbs to the evil within. How M. Bison came into possession of the item is never exactly explained, though it is similar in appearance to the crests on her head. When M. Bison is eventually defeated, she comments that a regular human being like him couldn't possibly control that energy, and takes the whole Psycho Drive with her as she leaves.

Ingrid also possesses psychic abilities similar to Rose, as she addressed Ryu and Rose by name, even though both never revealed their names to her. Rose, on the other hand, cannot look into Ingrid's future as she did with other Street Fighters.

Finally, Ingrid has the power to travel through time, as she mentions heading to the year 201X in order to contact Ryu in her ending.

The canonicity of her story is under dispute due to her claim of being more powerful than M. Bison, contradicting much of his displayed power as well as Charlie being officially the one to have defeated him.

Capcom Fighting All-Stars
Before cancelation, some plot details of the game revealed that Ingrid was one of three Code Holders (the other two being D.D. and Rook) contacted by Mike Haggar, who are needed to defuse a bomb called Laughing Sun, hidden in Metro City by a character known as Death.

Capcom Fighting Evolution
In Ingrid's ending, after banishing Pyron, she decides to take off her crests, possibly giving up her power.

Street Fighter X Tekken
According to the prologue comic book by UDON, Ingrid plays a small role in the background story of Street Fighter X Tekken as the creator of Pandora; she sent it as a 'gift' to Earth to test humanity by using the temptation of the box's power.

Gameplay and fighting style
While Capcom Fighting All-Stars was never completed, her gameplay in Capcom Fighting Evolution (and later Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX) seems for the most part unchanged, save for her Sunshot traveling a much farther distance in a sine wave pattern.

Ingrid fighting using an unknown power that infuses all her attacks with a mystical energy. Telekinesis, energy blasts, and strange magical sigils are all parts of her fighting style. Ingrid almost seems to toy with her opponents, and with such powerful abilities at her disposal, she certainly gives the impression of being from a higher plane than the average fighter.

Trivia

 * Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada has cited Ingrid as one of his favorite Street Fighter characters and has teased about the idea of her being a rival to Tekken character Lili (whom is similar in appearance).
 * Ingrid's model from Capcom Fighting All-Stars was used as a test model in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and according to a Japanese pre-order booklet, she was also revealed to be playable at one point but was cut alongside Phoenix Wright from the Ace Attorney series, Komugi Narahara from Nurse Witch Komugi and Muteking from Muteking, The Dashing Warrior.
 * In Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX, when Ingrid finishes her opponent by using her Level 3 Sun Delta Super Combo, her Midnight Bliss pose from Capcom Fighting Evolution is reused as a victory pose.
 * Ingrid appears alongside other Capcom characters in the social games Street Fighter × All Capcom and Onimusha Soul.
 * Her theme song, entitled "Heat Haze", sung by Maiko Kubo, contains a series of six notes that resemble part of the opening riff from "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly.
 * Ingrid has a unique opening when facing Blanka in Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX where she throws a random fruit (being either a pineapple, a watermelon or a hand of bananas) upon which he either catches it in his mouth or gets hit on the head with it.
 * Ingrid, along with D.D. and Rook, make an appearance in the Mega Man rhythm RPG Otoranger.
 * Ingrid is the shortest known playable character, standing at only 5 feet.