Rufus

Rufus (ルーファス) makes his first appearance in Street Fighter IV.

Appearance
Rufus's basic appearance is that of a fat man with blonde 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 blonde 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 on purpose. Also, while Dan is usually considered a bottom tier character, Rufus is one of the highest in the game.

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, 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 winquotes 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). Despite his goofy personality, he is a highly skilled master of Kung-Fu, which even surprises several of the other characters.

Story
He declares himself America's Greatest Fighter 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.

Pre-Street Fighter
Not much is known about Rufus' past before the events in Street fighter IV, except that he met his girlfriend Candy by saving her from a waiter (Rufus beat him up) 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.

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.

Afterwards, Rufus and Candy zoom past Ken and Ryu, 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.

Fighting style
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".

Gameplay
Rufus's only weakness is the absence of any projectile attack in his arsenal. His moves are damaging, he has high stamina, second only to Zangief, is difficult to stun, 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.

Techniques
Galactic Tornado: Rufus spins towards his opponent absorbing any projectile before hitting them and ending with a straight punch knocking his opponent off the ground.

Messiah Kick: Rufus leaps through the air in an arc before kicking his opponent and follows up with either a flip kick, a trip or a over head heel kick.

Snake Strike: Rufus jumps skyward unleashing a rapid series of punches and kicks knocking any airborne foe back to the ground.

Falcon Dive: Whilst in the middle of a jump Rufus dives towards his opponent heel first to land a crushing blow.

Super Attacks
Spectacle Romance: Rufus strikes with two powerful punches to his opponent before flipping over them and delivering a two palm thrust attack with such force his adversary is sent hurtling horizontally.

Space Opera Symphony: Rufus unleashes a flurry of punches and kicks, followed by hitting them into the air and then smashing them with his hands as they come falling down. Video can be found here: http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/14211549/street-fighter-iv/videos/sf4_rufus_12009.html

Video
Rufus vs Crimson Viper in Street Fighter IV

Rufus Winning Quotes
In alphabetical order : (warning, contains spoilers about hidden characters)

Abel Now you know how it feels to lose Ken Masters! What’s that? You say I got the wrong guy? No way, man! I ’t stupid! You got the hair, the gloves… Maybe you changed your pants or whatever, but still! I know Ken Masters when I see him! Yeah!

Akuma Phew! That was tough! I kinda knew just ’ at you, man, that you ’t no pushover. I was like “This dude means business, Rufus! Watch out!” And you totally proved me right, ya know? I’ll hand it to you, you’re pretty tough. But I came through in the end!

Balrog (Boxer) So, my friend’s got this sweet low rider, right? It’s pretty cool an’ all, but I think if I ever bought a car, I’d go for a luxury sedan or ’, ya know? seats, drink holders, all that classy stuff! ‘ I’m a classy guy, right? Anyway, I….

Blanka My old lady, she wants to get a cat, but I’m like “No way, babe!” I mean, those things just meow and meow all day, ya know? How you s’ to get to sleep with all that racket? Cat’s are cute an’ all, but I gotta be able to hear myself think! So…

Cammy I finally beat you, Ken Masters! What? You’re not Ken Masters? Sure you are! Just one look at that hair of yours and I knew it was you. ‘Course, you look a lot bigger TV. What, are you ’? some kinda reverse elevator shoes or ’? Anyway…

Chun-Li You sure got some ham hocks on you, lady! But it’ll take more than mad to defeat the mighty Rufus though, do ya? I mean, your fast and move all graceful an’ stuff, but you’ gotta have skills to get along with all that. And skills are my speciality! Ha ha!

Crimson Viper So, I was getting’ outta bed the other day an’ the thing up an’ broke on me! You know those wooden slot thingies under the mattress? It was all like “Crack”! An’ that’s all she wrote! What’re they made out of? Toothpicks? That’s the third one I broke! …

Dan Take that, Ken Masters! Huh? You say you ’t him? You can’t fool me, man! I mean you got the whole karate outfit an’ gloves and crap, right? Maybe you dyed your hair or whatever, but I know it’s you! ‘Course, you are weaker than I thought…

Dhalsim ’ tastes better than a sandwich with chunky peanut butter and gobs an’ gobs of grape jelly, ya know? But lately, I’ been ’ bananas in there. That’s right. Bananas! Crazy, right? I could see why you’d think so, but I tastes awesome! Try it!

El Fuerte Dude, I can hardly tell what you’re ’ about! You don’t sound like a fighter at all, man. What’s that? You’re a chef? That’s pretty cool I guess. Maybe you were all like, “What should I cook for dinner an’ stuff?” and ’t concentrate of the fight, huh?

E.Honda I hear that you sumo dudes eat nothing but sushi and stew and tofu and stuff like 24 hours a day, man. There’s this sushi place near my house, but there’s all these rumors ’ around that they serve spoiled fish! One bite, an’ you’ll be on the toilet all day!

Fei Long So many dudes now days are all talk, no action, y’know? I mean, you can do all the fancy moves an’ whatnot on the big screen, but once I get ya in the ring, you’re all like, “Oh no! I’m all powerless an’ stuff!” Yeah, I got your number dude. I got ya pegged!

Gen Do you have a will all set up an’ whatnot? You probably should get that taken care of, man. If not, you will have all these weird third cousins an’ stuff just ’ outta the woodwork ’ for scraps! That ’t no way to treat your legacy, man. Anyway…

Gouken So why don’t guys like you wear shoes, anyway? Like, is it some kind of rule or ’? Or do you just have really bad corns and shoes would make it worse? I had this corn once, man. It was the size of a ’ jelly bean! An’ what if you stepped in dog ?

Guile Did you enjoy your beating, Ken Masters? Huh? I got the wrong guy? Don’t play me for a fool, man! Look at that hair! How could you not be Ken Masters? You can’t fool me just by ’ your hairstyle, dude! I’m no dummy, pal! I can see right through you!

Ken Now you know what it feels like to lose, Ken Masters! I bet you totally though you could run from me, but I proved you wrong an’ then some, ’t I? Oh Yeah! You never thought I’d find you, but I did! And I gave it to you good! Were you even ’ for real?

M.Bison (Dictator) Y’know, ever since I was a kid, I’ always wondered what I’d do with super powers. ‘Course, if you think about it, do you really need ‘em? Like, we ordinary folk seem to get along fine without ‘em. I guess if you forget your keys and had to break a door…

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 an’ was all like “Help!” I guess she pulled a dine an’ dash, so I beat up the waiter that was ’ her!

Ryu So you’re Ken Masters, huh? What? You’re not? Are you sure, man? You sure look like him in that outfit. I mean, you’ got the gloves and all that, I guess maybe you ’ dyed your hair or something. But that’s not enough to fool me, Ken! I’m on to you! You hear me?

Sagat Y’know I think the way a dude wears his hair tells you a lot about his personality, right? Like, I took forever an’ a day to finally decide on my look. It’s not a decision you can take lightly, man. I put a lot of thought into this. I spent years ’ it!

Sakura You could totally use a make over, girl. What’re you ’ ’ your school uniform, anyway? Are you so poor you ’t afford a cool ensemble like the one I’m ’? You won’t get far in the fighting world in an outfit like that! What you need to do is…

Seth What a crazy fight. Never expected to run into a weird dude like you, man. What’ with that weird basketball thing stuck in your belly an’ all. How do you eat, anyway? Do you just spoon stuff right into that ball? What’s it like ’ a a robot thing? Is it fun?

Vega (Claw) So, I finally found you, Ken Masters! How does it feel to lose to me, Masters? Are you filled with regret? Rage? How about rue? I bet your filled to the brim with rue, ’t ya? What? You’re not Ken Masters? C’, man! It’ll take more than a mask to fool me!

Zangief Now that’s what I like to see! You an’ me, we think alike, ya know? I mean, all these skinny dudes ’ around like they’re so cool, but you an’ me, we know that only wimps and losers are skinny right? No one likes a guy that looks like a skeleton! Seriously…

Well that's all of them, i did however wonder if he had a win quote on the off chance of Rufus vs. Rufus, but i wasn't willing to wait and find out. I hope now you don't have to worry and try and read super quick in order to take it all in. I will post a link to all the photos of the quotes that i took, you can check them to see if i made any errors and what not. If you are also wondering why, M.Bison and Vega have extra names on them (Boxer, Dictator and Claw) this is simple. Back in the days of Street Fighter II, these three characters had different names, i will draw a short table to explain the names:

Vs. Mode Quotes

So, I’m like a legend in the biker world. Or maybe more like a god. But I ain’t satisfied with that status. This time, I wanna be a god in the fighting world, ya know? Like on a worldwide basis! People tell me I should be satisfied with best in America, but…

The way I see it, bein’ a biker is a like a total lifestyle choice. I mean, you pick a bike and customize it and all that. It’s a real commitment, ya know? And the best part is, you can go pretty much anywhere on a bike. Everywhere but the ocean, I guess.

I consider myself to be a pretty modest guy, really. People don’t always see me that way, but that’s totally who I am. Like, I’m not necessarily the greatest fighter out there yet, but I don’t let it get me down, ya know? I mean, there’s a lot a dudes out there…

I don’t actually remember that dude’s name, but there was this one guy, and he was like the greatest fighter in the USA or whatever. So, I don’t actually know much about him or whatever, but I’m pretty sure I could take him in a fight ‘cuz I’m one tough cookie!

When I was a kid, I used to go to the movies all the time. I totally dug all the kung-fu action flicks. I mean, I was practically obsessed! So I started taking all these martial arts correspondence courses. Then, I rode my hog all around China picking up skills!

I’ve got this rad pool back at my pad, and not one of those kidney shaped thingamabobs, no way! Mine is like totally original and just oozing with style and class. Check this out, man… It’s shaped like a freakin’ dollar bill! Is that the greatest? Isn’t it?

I’ve got a great body, don’t I? My girlfriend is all like, “it bounces around like a water bed!” She’s a real freaky chick, man. But don’t get me wrong, OK? I spend plenty of time with my dude friends, too. I mean, bros before hos, right? Am I right? So anyway….

So, I’m totally dating the chick named Candy, right? And lemme’ tell ya, man, she’s just as sweet as candy, too! Know what I’m sayin’? The name suits her so well, man. At first, I was like “is that some kind of stage name or what?” Guess I was wrong…

So, you got a significant other or what? I do! And she’s totally hot, man. Just smokin’! I mean, we fight once in a while just like any couple, but it’s all good. She sure is aggressive, though. One time, she totally started throwin’ stuff around, man!

Anyway, things are gettin’ pretty serious with me and Candy, right? Like she totally talks about gettin‘ married and whatnot. I’m cool with that an’ all, but I’m not so big on fancy ceremonies and stuff, right? I mean, it’s not like I stockpile tuxedos or…

My old lady, Candy? She’s not just about good looks, man. No way, she’s got an awesome personality, too. The two of us are like the worlds most perfect couple, ya know? We both suck at math, so we can borrow each other’s hands if we have to count past 10.

Other Dialog

Rufus: They say this joker “Ken Masters” is the best fight in America!? The best fighter in America, an’ not to mention the best lookin’, is yours truly, Rufus! Yea that’s right I’m the best. Period.

Candy: Hey, Rufus. What if you just like totally beat the crap outta that Ken dude on TV or something? Then everyone will know for sure who the best really is… Right baby? Right?

Rufus: You are a Genius, Candy! I know I made you my girl for a reason, honeypants! I guess we know where we’re headed’ next! Get ready Ken Masters! Your days are numbered!

Rufus: Ya Losers! (at Ryu and Ken)

Ken: Need a tow there, friend?

Rufus: I don’t need no tow! This is all part of my training!

Ken: Really? Well whatever…. See ya!

Candy: Seriously, baby, why don’t I just help you push? That’d be faster than this. Rufus: Don’t you move! Like I said, I’m training here! This is all your fault! Ken Masteeeers!!!!!!!

Rufus: What the-? What- Whoa- Wha- Wha-? Are you floatin’? How you doin’ that? What? ESP? Plasma? Magnets…

Dhalsim: This… is yoga

Rufus: What are you an alien or somthin’? Because I’m not sure, if you noticed…(but uh. You know? There’s all sorts of aliens like err, take Martians for instance. I mean, those crazy things…)

Rufus: So, Ken Masters! At last we meet! This is gonna hurt like nobody’s business!

Ken: Hmm… This could be interesting. Bring it on, Meatball!

Rufus: Why, you!!!

Rufus: Ha! Looks like I finally caught up to you, blondie! You gave me quite the run around! The fat ladies about to sing ain’t she?

Ken: Wha-? Who the heck are you?

Rufus: Why, you little… That’s it! Every time, man, every time…! (well ha, I’m sick of this treatment)

Ken: Alright man… I get it. You wanna fight me, is that it? Cool, I was just looking for an opponent anyway. Rufus: Why, you!!! I’ll pulverize you! I’ll cut you up! Then, I’ll put you back together and do it again!

Thanks to Rario for getting all quotes.

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