Balrog/Pop Culture

A popular and memorable Street Fighter character, Balrog has been referenced many times in pop culture ever since his introduction in Street Fighter II. This is a page listing his references in general pop culture.

Capcom games

• In Final Fight: Streetwise, if the player goes in Mike Haggar's gym and looks closely at the posters on the wall, it says "Dudley vs. Balrog".

Other video games

• T.J. Combo from Killer Instinct has a similar moveset, physical appearance and fighting style to Balrog, but he throws knees and kicks while Balrog does not.

Comics and Manga

• The manga Osu!! Karate Bu features a protagonist with a similar hairstyle. Since the series started before Street Fighter II was released, it might be possible Balrog's hair was based on Takagi Yoshiyuki's.^{[citation needed]}

Movies

• Balrog resembles James "Clubber" Lang from the Rocky film series. Both sport blue and white trunks and unorthodox hairstyles for boxers. They also share a belligerent attitude and similar aggressive boxing style, though Balrog incorporates more cheating and Lang uses cleaner tactics.

Internet

• The fact that Balrog only uses punches is referenced in College Humor's parody work, Street Fighter: The Later Years. When Dhalsim asks; "Do you kick?", Balrog responds; "What's a kick?".
• Balrog appears in Death Battle's 81st episode, fighting the aforementioned TJ Combo from Killer Instinct. They engage in a brutal boxing match, where TJ Combo eventually wears out and decapitates Balrog with an uppercut.