Dhalsim

"I will meditate and destroy you."

- Dhalsim (Street Fighter II)

"Today, I shall win again. (私は今日も勝って帰る…)"

- Dhalsim (Street Fighter IV series)

"I'm not very fond of conflict. (争いは好まぬのだが…)"

- Dhalsim (Street Fighter V)

Dhalsim (ダルシム) is a video game character from the Street Fighter series, first appearing in Street Fighter II. He is a Yoga Master who possesses the ability to stretch his body and conjure fire.

Appearance
Dhalsim is often depicted with pupil-less white eyes. His build is that of a normal man who exercises and weight trains regularly, except for his abdomen and waist, which appear much out of proportion and emaciated. His arms are also quite extraordinary in length, and he uses this to create an advantage over his opponents during fights, usually opting to wear them down from the outside. He wears torn yellow saffron shorts, held tied around his waist by a piece of rope, as his only clothing attire, as well as yellow saffron wristbands and anklebands. He has three red stripes adorning his head, hoop earrings, and metallic bracelets, sometimes also anklets. In the Street Fighter Alpha series, he wears a turban that he removes before battle, while in the Marvel vs. Capcom series he removes what appears to be a one-shoulder shirt. The skulls he wears around his neck are those of village children that died during a plague.

Dhalsim's minimal clothing and necklace of skulls are reminiscent of the Hindu ascetics known as Kapalikas ("skull-bearers") who were often associated macabre practices such as cannibalism and meditating on top of rotting corpses. Like Blanka and Urien, Dhalsim's alternate costumes change his skin color, usually a shade of grey or yellow like the ash that Hindu holymen cover their bodies in.

In Street Fighter V, he has gained a long white beard as a result from aging, and wears his turban rather than removing it.

Personality
Dhalsim is quite stoic, serious, self-disciplined, humble, and also very stern when needed. Being a pacifist, he will never hurt a person more than necessary, or kill an adversary, even the most evil ones such as M. Bison. His pacifistic beliefs also allow him to be a greatly loving father and husband towards his family.

As an extremely altruistic man, Dhalsim fights mostly for the poor and oppressed, as he constantly tries his best to raise money for his poverty-stricken people. Dhalsim is aware that if he uses his power to harm, he may become evil, and frequently questions his decisions to use his powers for fighting. Furthermore, all forms of yoga are meant to aid a personal journey towards enlightenment, and not to harm others. Therefore, Dhalsim is constantly concerned about his fighting style overwhelming his own principles of non-violence.

In contrast with Ryu's youngster (but still serious and self-focused) type, Dhalsim has a more "mature" and less "enthusiastic" nature, as he regularly relies on his traditional yoga meditation rites to expand his spirituality, and keep his inner neutrality off any emotional involvement that may prejudice his discipline.

Dhalsim always remains calm and serene. When he fights, he is always in a constant state of meditation so he can focus on the opponent. He rarely speaks to his opponents outside of calling his attacks, and when he does, his words are riddles that leave the foe confused about his or her own being. However, Dhalsim is capable of being angry or annoyed; he holds a grudge against Balrog who killed one of his elephants, (the boxer was practicing his Gigaton Blow) and he is visibly annoyed by Rufus mistaking him for an alien.

Concept
Dhalsim got his name from an Indian restaurant in Osaka near Capcom's office (Dhal is lentils, shim is Hyacinth beans).

During the development of Street Fighter II, the early original design for Dhalsim bore a striking resemblance to Ganesha, a Hindu god with four arms and the head of an elephant. A picture of Ganesha can be seen in the background of his Street Fighter II stage, and his fifth alternate costume in Ultra Street Fighter IV resembles him.

Lead designer of Street Fighter II, Akira Nishitani, stated in a interview that the concept of Dhalsim's ability to stretch his limbs comes from the Hamon Zoom Punch technique (from the manga series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure). This is reconfirmed in the comment section of Dhalism's bio in the Street Fighter X Tekken Artworks artbook.

Family
Dhalsim has a wife, Sally, and a son named Datta.

Sagat
Though he disproves of Dhalsim's mercy, Sagat has a strong respect for the yoga master and even trains with him in the Udon comics. In Street Fighter X Tekken, Dhalsim asks a favor of Sagat, telling him of missing children from his own village. The two decide to team up and search for Pandora, believing the power within it may help them find the missing children. Eventually reaching the Antarctic, the two find the missing children, and Pandora opens before them. Dhalsim tells Sagat that Pandora "is said to be a power to rival the Gods". Sagat decides that "a king has no need" for the box, and the two walk off into the distance, with Pandora closing behind them.

Cammy
Dhalsim was the one who made her self-aware of her mind control by Shadaloo after she was sent to assassinate him in Street Fighter Alpha 3. They, along with others, teamed up to defeat Shadaloo in Street Fighter V.

Retsu
Retsu is mentioned to be a friend of his.

Street Fighter Alpha 2
During Street Fighter Alpha 2, Dhalsim raises money to save his village, and gains the respect of villagers; some call him "Great Yoga Master Dhalsim". He questions what good could come from his damaging powers.

Street Fighter Alpha 3
In Street Fighter Alpha 3, he sets out to destroy the evil M. Bison. He travels around the world and meets Rose and Birdie, and uses his mind control powers to get his answers. He is responsible for making Cammy White self-aware, thus freeing her from Bison's control. He later confronts Bison and destroys the Shadaloo base, but this is not considered canon.

Street Fighter II
Dhalsim enters the tournament to raise money for his village, but realizes that it contradicts his pacifist beliefs. Dhalsim retires from fighting after the second World Warrior tournament, and continues to roam the world helping those in need.

Super Street Fighter IV
Dhalsim makes his return in the Street Fighter IV series, this time to free the flow of water to his village after S.I.N. builds a dam upstream. His son, Datta, is a penpal of Amy, Guile's daughter. When Datta informs Dhalsim that his penpal's father is away on a mission to investigate said dam, Dhalsim recognizes that the situation is even more serious than he thought. He is reluctant to use his powers for self-serving purposes, but feels compelled to save his village.

Dhalsim goes to participate in the tournament S.I.N. was organizing. While fighting at the tournament, he encounters Rufus who asks and interrupts Dhalsim about his yoga. After he defeats Rufus he defeats Seth. When the dam base is destroyed at the end of the game, the water returns to the village. Although Dhalsim believes that Shadaloo represents an evil in the heart of humanity that will never truly be defeated, he also recognizes that "the goodness in mankind's heart is also endless".

Character story
Prologue - 'The Path of a Yogi'

In his character story, a police officer named Mahesh seeks out Dhalsim and requests to be taught the ways of yoga. When Dhalsim inquires as to why he wishes to be taught, Maheesh says that he wishes to become strong enough to protect his people in the same way Dhalsim does. However, the yoga master replies that yoga is not meant to teach about strength nor violence, rather it is meant to spread harmony and understanding. Mahesh is taken aback, Dhalsim ultimately decides to train the eager police officer. However, they are interrupted by the arrival of Rashid and Azam.

Rashid is enthusiastic to be in the presence of one of the "seven yoga masters you have to meet at least once", as it was stated on the Internet. Dhalsim is confused at Rashid's words, and Mahesh angrily tells the pair that the yoga master is busy. Rashid asks to spar with Dhalsim; when asked why, he replies that he needs to get stronger. He, however, is unable to improve himself and presumably loses. Before leaving, asks if Dhalsim has seen his friend, but to no avail. He and Azam then depart.

A short while later, whilst showcasing his flames to Mahesh, Dhalsim is greeted by Oro, who claims the yoga master's abilities to be odd. A surprised Mahesh asks if Oro knew yoga, as he was floating in the air much like Dhalsim; Oro laughs and shoots down this claim, saying Mahesh has much to learn. Shocked to see the ancient hermit whom he had been previously acquainted with at some point in his earlier life, Dhalsim expresses how he never thought he would encounter Oro in India. Oro replies that he sensed interesting people here and came to investigate; he also questions Dhalsim as to why he is training a new pupil instead of mastering his own skills. Dhalsim responds by saying honing his own skills are secondary goal, as his primary goal is to harmonize everything as he believes it will set him upon the right path in life. Oro humorously says that Dhalsim hasn't changed since they last met, and sensing another interesting person in the area, decides to leave. He bids Dhalsim farewell, telling the yoga master to make him curry next time they meet.

Mahesh begins to practice breathing flames, but is unsuccessful. Dhalsim critiques him for his impatience, but his lesson his cut off once again, this time by the arrival of R. Mika. Mika introduces herself, and conveys her desire to learn to breath fire like he does, as she believes it will improve her wrestling performance and make the crowds go wild. Dhalsim complies, however Mika is unable to breathe fire. Dhalsim tells her to not be discouraged, as she has the passion to ignite her flame one day. Taking the lesson in good stride, Mika takes her leave. Mahesh is finally able to breathe fire, albeit only a tiny amount. Dhalsim tells him not to worry, as he will happily teach him for as long it takes.

Other story appearances
In Necalli's character story, the "Warrior Prophet", an Aztec warrior-priest from a place called "Ancient Altar", foresees that during the next 'Hour of Battle', Necalli will battle and consume the soul of Dhalsim, who is referred to as "The one who serves the God of Fire".

During Karin's character story, Dhalsim begins to teach Mahesh the fundamentals of teleporting, but gets a surprise visit from Karin, her butler Shibazaki, and Birdie. Having heard of Oro's presence in India days prior, the young head of the Kanzuki family came to seek him out. He tells her that the Senjutsu master has been gone by a few days; Karin however promptly decides to challenge Dhalsim, who did not expect the sudden developments. After a very long match in which neither gain the upper hand, they both commend each other for their own respective skills (Dhalsim's mastery of Yoga, and Karin's "pure fist") before the yoga master teleports away to continue teaching his pupils.

Street Fighter V Side Story: Musings on a Still Night
Sometime in the evening, Oro makes a visit to Dhalsim's home for a friendly conversation and dinner. Pondering with the Yoga master of the meaning of power and such power wielded in the world of martial arts and street fighting, he begins by loosening Dhalsim's solemn zeal and steadfast devotion. Displaying to him examples of ki and the Satsui no Hado, the sennin theorizes and discusses with Dhalsim of how such powers, despite boundaries and origins of manifestation, share an origin and shared source, and how despite even as malevolent the Satsui no Hado and Psycho Power make themselves to be, ultimately share a neutral ground and capability for good in their own way as much as all concepts of power. Making note that such boundaries are as interchangeable as the seas and the skies and fish and birds capable of entering both domains, yet as complex as a Calabi-Yau structure, and that the misuse of labeling evil tends to empower its own strength with ignorance, Oro leaves Dhalsim with the wise lesson that knowledge of such power should be used for good when evil intends to abuse it.

Street Fighter EX series
Dhalsim is one of the playable characters in the Street Fighter EX series.

Capcom vs. SNK series
Dhalsim is playable in Millennium Fight 2000, Mark of the Millennium 2001/EO and SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos.

Marvel vs. Capcom series
Dhalsim is also playable in X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

Street Fighter X Tekken
Dhalsim is a playable character in Street Fighter X Tekken, his tag partner is Sagat. Whilst training by a waterfall, Sagat is informed by a villager that the young girl he once saved has gone missing. Listening to the brother of the girl's pleas for help, Dhalsim appears before him and asks a favor of him, telling him of missing children from his own village. The two decide to team up and search for Pandora, believing the power within it may help them find the missing children.

Eventually reaching the Antarctic, the two find the missing children, and Pandora opens before them. Dhalsim tells Sagat that Pandora "is said to be a power to rival the Gods". Sagat decides that "A King has no need" for the box, and the two walk off into the distance, with Pandora closing behind them.

Street Fighter × Mega Man
Dhalsim is one of the bosses of Street Fighter × Mega Man.

Street Fighter cartoon
In the American animated series, Dhalsim is shown to be like his movie adaptation-- as an established biochemist who reluctantly worked for Shadaloo and was responsible for the mutation of Carlos "Charlie" Blanka. However, having survived the destruction of Bison's base alongside Blanka, he attempts to atone for his past mistakes by working alongside the Street Fighters. Since then, he abandoned science for yoga and the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment-- gaining his in-game powers of fire-breathing, teleportation and limb-stretching as a result of it.

Street Fighter II V
Dhalsim lives in a remote village in India. Ryu and Ken go after him to learn about the Ways of Hadou. At first he turns them down, but later changes his mind. With his advices, Ryu managed to learn the Hadoken and Ken the Shoryuken.

Wreck-It-Ralph
Dhalsim has a small cameo in Disney's video game-themed film Wreck-It-Ralph as one of the portraits in Tapper's.

UDON comics
In the UDON comic book series, Dhalsim is a wise and powerful mystic who aids Ryu in his quest to become stronger in order to avenge his master without being taking over by the Satsui no Hado, he teaches Sagat the way of fighting with sportsmenship, compassion, mental control, and respect for the well being of another opponent.

At some point, he is encountered by Ryu who is looking for a way to become stronger to defeat Akuma, he tells Ryu that he is fighting with rage and despair in his fist, he teaches Ryu to fight in a more positive manner.

Cameo Appearance
Dhalsim makes a small cameo at the end of the Sakura Ganbaru manga along with his wife and Rolento, complaining about their lack of appearance. Rolento and Dhalsim were the only members of the cast of SFA2 to not appear at all in the Street Fighter Alpha manga or Sakura Ganbaru.

Fighting style and abilities
Dhalsim's fighting style is generally given as Yoga, as in the form of exercise. Oddly enough, the manuals for the SNES and Genesis versions of Street Fighter II identified Dhalsim's fighting style as Kabaddi, which is actually an Indian sport.

Dhalsim's abilities also resemble those of an Indian fighter in the 1976 motion picture Master of the Flying Guillotine starring Jimmy Wang Yu. Like Dhalsim, the fighter in the movie used a yoga-based fighting style, and had the ability to extend his limbs to attack.

Dhalsim is the original long-range fighter of fighting games; his intense training has given him the ability to contort and extend his limbs into forms physically impossible for a normal human. He can project his arms and legs outward in order to deliver attacks that would be out of the range of normal limbs, and teleporting to maintain the distance.

Dhalsim also has the ability to breathe fire in various ways. In earlier releases, Capcom USA claimed that Dhalsim's ability to breathe fire stemmed from his consumption of curry, but Capcom of Japan changed this to a blessing from Agni, Hindu god of fire, and a later English manual of Super Street Fighter II for the Super Nintendo states that the flames stem from his mastery over fully unleashing his latent kundalini energies in his training. In Super Street Fighter IV, however, Gouken theorizes that it might be an energy-based ability instead. This may also explain Seth's ability to use some of Dhalsim's moves, though it is just as likely that he is more directly mimicking Bison's teleport.

Dhalsim's fire is actually an illusion that he manipulates with the help of the god Agni. In the UDON comics, the flames won't hurt a person if they believe that they won't be burned; he proves it via engulfing Adon in flames, and as he recoils and notices he's not getting burned, taking advantage of Adon's confusion to knock him out. Also, in Super Street Fighter IV, he calms Hakan after defeating him by mentioning that his fire is only an illusion that won't burn his oil. Furthermore, when defeating Dhalsim, Zangief boasts that Dhalsim's imaginary flames have no chance against his own real muscles.

Moveset
Dhalsim's overall style involves keeping the opponent at bay with distance attacks and projectiles, only getting close to strike with a surprise aerial attack or sliding kick. Dhalsim has both very low offense and defense, making it vital for him to avoid sustaining too many blows from a strong fighter. Dhalsim has a long airtime when he jumps so he could easily avoid projectiles and rushes, but is prone to light jump attacks, but he is very slow both on the ground and in the air, which can leave him vulnerable to a patient opponent. Dhalsim however, can create many ambiguous setups to confuse the opponent, and attack through with ease.

Dhalsim's sprite, while standing, is actually quite a small target, due to the total number of pixels it occupies while not attacking; he becomes a much larger target while attacking. As of Super Street Fighter II Turbo, the player can make Dhalsim perform only short range attacks by holding back on the joystick.

In addition to his fire-breathing and stretching, Dhalsim has a "slow-motion" floating jump that allows him to surprise foes with midair attacks. He can also utilize his teleport in midair to throw off opponents who attempt to knock him out of the air.

His Super Combos commonly include powerful flames attack, the most common of which is known as the Yoga Inferno. Some games also allow him to aim the Inferno upwards instead; this variant is known as the Yoga Volcano. Another relative common Super Combo is the Yoga Strike; Dhalsim uses his stretching limbs to grab a faraway foe and slam them into the ground.

In the Street Fighter IV games, Dhalsim's new Ultra Combos continue this trend. His first Ultra Combo is the Yoga Catastrophe, which is similar to the Metsu Hadoken, but recovers almost immediately, allowing for a plethora of cross-up combo opportunities. His second Ultra Combo, Yoga Shangri-La, is a midair grab that targets an earthbound foe; if successful, he headbutts them repeatedly using the momentum granted by his stretching limbs. Dhalsim also has the most reach with his Focus Attack, and has one of the few Personal Actions that actually have an effect on gameplay.

In Street Fighter V, his V-Trigger, the Yoga Burner, works similar to his Yoga Flame and he can blow fire at the opponent in mid-air. His V-Skill is the Yoga Float where he floats in mid-air to hit his opponent. The Yoga Catastrophe (Dhalsim's first Ultra Combo in Street Fighter IV) is now his Critical Art, Dhalsim breathes in, making his belly enlarge. He then spits out a slow-moving giant ball of flame that arcs and hits the opponent.

Quotes
Main Article: Dhalsim/Quotes

Popular Culture
Dhalsim/Pop Culture

Trivia

 * Dhalsim is one of the eleven playable Street Fighter characters who are married or in a romantic relationship.


 * Despite having the same rival as he did in Street Fighter IV, Dhalsim's rival fight stage has been changed in Super Street Fighter IV. It was the Crowded Downtown stage before, but then got changed to the Exciting Street Scene stage. This was due to the fact that the latter stage is located in India (which is Dhalsim's home country), and thus suits him better.


 * Dhalsim is one of the few characters in the original Street Fighter IV game who only has one rival (in his case, Rufus) throughout the whole sub-series.


 * In Monster Hunter Explore, there is a Monster called Yoga Gigginox whose coloration is based of off Dhalsim.
 * His win quote in Street Fighter II, "I will meditate and then destroy you" seems to contradict his pacifistic beliefs.

Gallery
Dhalsim/Gallery

Sprites
Dhalsim/Sprites