- "If you train for another 81 years you might become a good Sennin.... Ho, ho, ho!"
- —Oro
Oro (オロ Oro?) is a video game character from the Street Fighter series, first appearing in Street Fighter III: New Generation. He is a 140 year old Japanese hermit who has mastered the secrets of immortality.
Biography
Appearance
Oro is an ancient hermit who has thin black hair, golden skin, crimson eyes that glow light blue during battle and is barefoot. His only prominent article of clothing is a large single torn red tarp-like cloth, belted with a rope and appears to be like a kesaya or chiton like robe draped over his left shoulder and tied at a knot. A magic spell binds one of his arms and he normally fights one-handed, but he can dispel its effects and pull out the other arm at any time. Standing at 5' 3" (161 cm), Oro is the shortest playable male character in the Street Fighter series.
Personality
Unusual for a hermit (and the oldest known character in the series, maybe with the exception of Necalli, being over 130 years old[2]), Oro has a casual and eased disposition with a lighthearted wile and whimsy. He also possesses a witty insight and a humbling sense of humor and wisdom. His hobbies include touring and leading people through the Amazon, and he enjoys the company of his pets.
Oro's quotes in SFIII hint that in his younger days, he was once a devoted and spirited warrior like Ryu, with the pride of a champion akin to Dudley, though his pride also seemed to have got him into trouble, and may be responsible for him becoming a hermit. Oro is also considerably modest, only considering himself a novice of his style.
Oro is not without a sense of justice or a need to humble those extremely proud and boastful of their talents, such as Urien. In addition, in his conversation before his duel with Akuma, Oro was visibly concerned as to how a violent; disturbingly aggressive individual expressed themselves as the "master of the fist", and was eager to show him how truly distant the path to mastery really was. However, he considers himself beyond the labels of good and evil, and believes that the next generation should be the one to take action against beings of great power.
Due to his amazing abilities, Oro naturally enjoys fighting against strong opponents, and finds those lacking exceptional aptitude and refinement boring, though he also does enjoy the simpler comforts of life, and often searches for ways to pass the time.
Oro has also a small weakness for women. When Ibuki fights him as a test to pass her school graduation exam, Oro was disappointed at first because he thought she was asking him for a date. Truthfully, Oro's ideal woman is one with an older and mature disposition.
Concept
Oro may be partially inspired by Hélio Gracie, the founder of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, who passed away in 2009 at the age of 95; Gracie famously received a broken arm during one of his few losses, but refused to tap out.[citation needed]
His small stature and origins from the Meiji Restoration also is evocative of Sokaku Takeda, one of the few "last samurai" within turn of the century modernizing Japan who taught and spread knowledge of his martial art of Daito Aiki Jujutsu to willing practitioners throughout the more socially open nation, and was the teacher of Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido who based the art on his teachings.
His backstory of attaining great power and enlightenment through ascetic means and wearing a red robe is evocative of the arhat monk Bodhidharma, the founder of Chan and Zen Buddhism, the patron saint of the Shaolin Monastery, and sagacious figure of steadfastness and patience for samurai. Along with being the founder of the martial arts of the Shaolin Temple, Bodhidharma was also said to have attained immortality through having discovered the secrets of the ways of xian through his journeys in China, and was reported in legends being seen leaving for home after his presumed death and burial. Alternately, his trait of using only one arm and being a novice of his style may also draw upon Shen Guang or Hui Ke, Bodhidharma's apprentice who was once a warrior who turned to spiritual enlightenment at realization of his actions, and had cut off his arm to show devotion to his teachings during Bodhidharma's famed time of meditation at the Shaolin Monastery.
Later information from the Shadaloo Combat Research Institute divulges that Oro is a descendant from a ninja clan; this may be in reference to the legendary figure Xu Fu, the Chinese alchemist and explorer who was sent by emperor Qin Shi Huang to find the famed elixir of immortality on the mythical island of Penglai/Horai. Upon his second voyage that saw him and his crew to never return to China, Xu Fu was believed to have made it to Japan, and assumed another identity as Oiro Tayuya, who is said in Iga Clan texts to be a founder of ninjutsu by incorporating military tactics and his own understanding of Xian Sh'en/Senjutsu. Alternately, the idea of ninjas residing in Brazil is spurred by the real life immigration of Japanese citizens into Brazil upon 1908, where a more cosmopolitan and open Japanese nation upon the Meiji Restoration allowed its citizens greater freedom to learn all trades and knowledge within the world for the sake of its citizens to shape the nation by their rights within the Meiji Constitution and its laws.
Relationships
Allies
Ryu
While Ryu is weirded out by his eccentric personality, he still respects him as a master martial artist. Oro declares that Ryu will one day be his successor, but believes it would take at least 15 years for him to be truly worthy of this role.
Dhalsim
Oro and Dhalsim are old acquaintances who’ve known each other long before the events of Street Fighter V. Oro respects Dhalsim greatly and will sometimes visit his residence for a friendly discussion and meal.[3]
Ibuki
Ibuki was tasked with fighting Oro as her final task as a ninja. While she was unable to defeat him, she is one of the few to wound him. He even thought she would ask him out on a date.
Karin
Karin seeks to fight Oro, due to his status as a legendary martial artist and hearing he fought her grandpa for 3 days straight.
Retsu
They've crossed paths with one another in the past.[4]
Enemies
Akuma
Oro is among one of the only men who have matched Akuma in combat. The two have fought each other to a draw, as the fight was called off due to the two fighters sensing that if they fought each other seriously, it would result in a mutual kill. Both have earned each other's mutual respect and contempt on a personal basis. [5]Akuma exhibits a gesture of familiarity as if they were acquainted, but since Oro’s memory is a bit shaky this may be their first encounter. [6][7]
Story
Background
Oro is an ancient, mysterious hermit who seeks a fighter that is worthy to inherit his fighting style. He is of Japanese descent and hails from the Amazon Jungle, where he lives in a cave with his many pets, including a turtle and a dog.
In the past, Oro made his living as a martial arts instructor in Japan in his younger days, and moved to Brazil with a friend in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, over time, his life in Brazil wasn't going very well and he eventually became a recluse. During his retreat from society, Oro spent much of his time practicing and learning the secrets of an esoteric martial art called Senjutsu, and finally after several dozens of years, Oro had mastered it.
Oro occasionally leaves his cave and visits town. Upon word and rumor of his mastery of his fighting style and existence, he received many disciples and apprentices at his doorstep for the first time in years, but they all dropped out; none of them managed to handle the extreme training regiments required to master Senjutsu. Out of boredom, he embarked on a journey (traveling the world atop a jumbo jet) to seek out the ideal successor to his Senjutsu style. This was also the first time he left Brazil ever since he moved there.
Street Fighter V
Oro and Dhalsim
Oro appears in Dhalsim's character story, as the latter is teaching a policeman named Mahesh how to breathe fire. Oro makes his presence known to Dhalsim (who he has been previously acquainted with at some point in the past), calling his abilities odd and engaging in a discussion with the yoga master over the merits of spreading one's skills instead of perfecting them. Then, he leaves soon after, sensing another interesting person in the area.
In Karin's character story, her butler Shibazaki tells her that a "Senjutsu master that fights with his dominant arm sealed" has been spotted in India, and he also mentions that he might be the same hermit that her grandfather fought for three days, a hundred years ago. She goes to India to challenge him, but Dhalsim informs her that he is gone since a few days prior; Karin muses that, since strong power attract, they will meet one day.
In Menat's character story, he is visited by Menat who warns him about future predictions, though stated that he was already aware of them.
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.[3] 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,[3] 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.[8] 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.[8]
Street Fighter III games
Oro decides to participate in the Fourth World Warrior Tournament to further scout for potential candidates, but he also comes across rumors that speak of a secret society which has said to be responsible ad infinitum for all of society's current state since regarding the event and its relation to the tournament.
Though disputed whether canon or not, he defeated Ryu in the 4th World Warrior Tournament (during the events of 2nd Impact), but then leaves the tournament in search of him, seeing him as a potential successor. He eventually finds Ryu and begins observing and aiding the young warrior's training, all while remaining undetected.
Ibuki fights Oro as a test to pass her ninja school graduation exam. Oro was disappointed at first because he thought she was asking him for a date.
Oro observing Ryu's training, while remaining undetected.
Around the end of the Tournament, Oro, sensing Akuma's extremely powerful and murderous ki, thought to test his strength against him. The two fought, yet there was no set winner as they sense it would end in their mutual death if they continued.
In his ending, Oro is sitting on a large boulder while lifting a big rock with just one hand. As he mumbles about his mastery in Senjutsu, beneath the boulder was none other than Ryu, whom Oro stealthily trains and gauges his current capability. Happy to know that his blood begins to boil again in the excitement in the presence of a true worthy potential successor since 50 years ago, he decrees however that it would take another 15 years for his true potential to come about, in hopes of allowing him the chance to wield both arms in a fair fight. Oro decides to rest, letting Ryu continue lifting the boulder.
Cameo appearances
Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix
Oro is one of the many characters that can be seen in the background in the Running Battle mode.
Comics
Street Fighter III: Ryu Final
In Ryu Final, Oro appears as both a teacher and traveling partner. While Ryu is taking a nap, Oro appears and attempts to rob Ryu of his belongings. Ryu easily senses Oro's presence and calmly asks for them back, only to have Oro challenge Ryu for the right to his belongings. Ryu accepts, Oro surprises him with his mystical powers and skills, proving to be more than just an ordinary hermit. During the fight, Oro reveals that he knows of Ryu's search for his power of soul and determines that he has already found it after witnessing Ryu's power, but that Ryu simply doesn't know it yet. Identifying and refining Ryu's chi manipulation with an attack of his own, the Yagyou Dama, Oro overwhelms Ryu and is victorious. Disappointed that Ryu's belongings are just garments, Oro declares that instead Ryu shall be his apprentice and will help him discover his power of soul.
Street Fighter Legends: Ibuki
Oro decided to challenge himself by fighting with one arm bound after easily defeating Makoto's father and several of his Rindoukan students simultaneously. Years later, after witnessing Ibuki's ninja exam against Oro in a shrine on Mt. Atago, Makoto challenges Oro in order to make up for this humiliation and says she must defeat him to prove Rindoukan's power. Oro refuses her challenge, saying that she is not ready and "if [she is] angry, how can [she] hope to strike effectively?" (one of his 3rd Strike win quotes). He does, however, offer her hope by saying that he might fight her "another time, perhaps." Makoto accepts this rejection tearfully, but gracefully.[9]
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Oro makes an appearance in the comics, where his fondness for women gets the better of him. He is lured by a succubus and supposedly disappears.
Gameplay
Fighting style and abilities
Story-wise, Oro is one of the most powerful characters in the series. Much of this power comes from him wielding the arts of Senjutsu, a Chinese originated martial art of mythical and legendary proportions. Through years of practice, he has full mastery over his body and ki, giving him monstrous strength and stamina far surpassing that of many other fighters, even in his old age. Oro's mastery of Senjutsu has also granted him immortality, telekinesis, and the ability to survive extreme atmospheric and environmental conditions; he is shown riding a plane by simply standing on it as it flies.
As a result of the immense powers he has gained over the decades, Oro has bound one arm (his dominant arm, which is his left) through the use of magic while fighting to give the opponent a chance in battle, or else keep things interesting for him; his Super Arts (explained below) show that he can unbind the arm at any time for various needs, including self defense and convenience. Oro only seals his arm for competitive fighting.
As revealed in the Street Fighter V side story, Musings on a Still Night, Oro is capable of using the Satsui no Hado, or specifically an imitation of it.[3][8]
Moveset
In-game, Oro's is a particularly tricky character to master, as he lacks the combo ability and versatility of other characters. His punch attacks are somewhat limited in terms of creating follow-ups, though they still have advantages, e.g. medium punch can cover distance well and launch up close.and his punch-based special attacks are mostly charge moves His kick attacks are far more versatile, though most of his special attacks are punch-based. Oro's advantages often lie in mobility, positioning and timing, including being unpredictable and lulling his foes into misreading his moves.
Nichirin Shou is his projectile attack, throwing out an iridescent golden ball of light in any angle. Oni Yanma is an uppercut attack, with Oro leaping up and swinging his open arm to hold out the edge of his elbow for damage. Niou Riki is a throw in which Oro clutches at the opponent's collar and proceed to thrash them on the ground three times in succession with ease. Jinchuu Watari is a kick attack in which Oro leap high into the air, before kicking at the opponent and leaping off of them to the other side of the arena, while Hitobashira Nobori is a variation performed in the air that kicks at the opponent multiple times. In compensation for his limited attacks, Oro is also one of the few characters with an easy-to-perform anti-air throw, the Kuuchu Jigokuguruma (lit. Midair Hell Carriage); he grabs the opponent and tucking them into a ball before falling onto them with his knee.
Super Arts
Kishin Riki is a Super Art that displays Oro's attainment of superhuman strength. Focusing and unleashing the latent strength hidden within his body, Oro's punches become unblockable grabs, and he is able to perform more wrathful throws. Yagyou Dama unleashes a large floating ball of ghostly ki at his opponent, while Tengu Stone levitates various items such as stones, toys, and debris around him to act as combo extenders.
True to Oro's design, each Super Art also has an "unsealed" form that can be used by presing two punch buttons instead of one, and often has Oro use both hands. Kishin Tsui has Oro subdue and capture the opponent before tossing them into the air and crash landing them with his head back onto the earth at mach speed. With Yagyou-Odama, Oro creates an enormous sphere of ki to drop onto the enemy, and Tengu Midareishi grabs more objects with Oro's telekinesis to increase his range of attack by a vast degree.
Subpages
Quotes
Gallery
Sprites
Trivia
- The name Oro means "gold" in languages such as Italian and Spanish, likely referring to his skin color.
- Oro's skin color and name may also refer to the treasured and fabled Golden Elixir of the methods of Neidan (lit. "Internal Alchemy"), said to be the source of immortality in its lore.
- In the Street Fighter IV series, the tenth alternate color of Dhalsim's first alternate costume is a homage to Oro. Similarly, Gouken's 8th color makes him resemble Oro.
- Oro is one of the three playable characters in Street Fighter who intentionally handicaps themselves: the other two are Cody, who formerly wore handcuffs despite being able to easily remove them, and a more subtle example, Akuma who only fights at full power against an opponent (like Oro) he deems worthy.
- Oro's stages sees him fight in Brazil, usually in sparsely populated and rural areas in the day. Correlating with his in-game story, New Generation and Second Impact sees him at home in the Amazon Rainforest, while 3rd Strike sees him at the ports of Santos as he begins his quest to find his ideal successor.
- Oro's character theme is the song Cave Man, which was at first an intense mystical sounding track, while 2nd Impact saw a Drab style rearrangement, giving it a most calm, relaxed and solemn tone from its preceding song. An arranged version of the New Generation soundtrack saw Cave Man become a more avant-garde track, using piano with Brazilian tribal instruments, as well as synths and sample replays. Notably, Cave Man only plays when the stage is specifically set at Oro's cave home in the rainforest.
- In 3rd Strike, he shares the song The Longshoreman with Sean.
Themes
See also
Oro's moves in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Street Fighter: World Warrior Encyclopedia Hardcover
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Street Fighter V Character Encyclopedia: Oro
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Shadaloo Combat Research Institute: Side Readers 01: "Musings on a Still Night" (part 1)
- ↑ Street Fighter V Character Encyclopedia: Retsu
- ↑ "Experts who know with respect" (尊で知る 達人同士) roughly translated from Street Fighter Eternal Challenge page 252. (Japanese)
- ↑ ALL ABOUT Capcom Fighting Game 1987-2000
- ↑ ” He seems to be acquainted with Gouki, but Oro's memory is uncertain, so it may be the first time he meets him.”(豪鬼 と は 顔見知り で ある か の よう な そぶり を 見せる が 、 オロ の 記憶 は あやふや な ので 、 初対面 かも しれ ない。)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Shadaloo Combat Research Institute: Side Readers 01: "Musings on a Still Night" (part 2)
- ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2E30DMxZWQ
| Street Fighter III Characters | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Generation | Alex · Dudley · Elena · Ibuki · Ken · Necro · Oro · Ryu · Sean · Yang · Yun | |||
| 2nd Impact | Akuma · Gill · Hugo · Shin Akuma · Urien | |||
| 3rd Strike | Chun-Li · Makoto · Q · Remy · Twelve | |||