4 Most Patriotic Video Game Characters
GUILE
Aside from being brought to life in a film by Belgium-born actor Jean-Claude Van Damme, Guile is as American as they come. One of the original 8 characters in Street Fighter II, Guile has been flash kicking and tossing sonic booms since 1991. Although different versions of Guile’s story has been told in movies, comics, and games, the Air Force Major originally participated in the World Warriors Tournament to avenge the death of his friend Charlie. One would be hard-pressed to find Guile, or William F. Guile if you consider the live-action movie canon, without his American military inspired clothing. Early Street Fighter II sketches and notes suggest that Guile was developed specifically to appeal to American fans. This is made obvious by the aforementioned military inspired clothing, as well his chiseled frame, strong jaw, piercing blue eyes, and his trademark dude-bro flattop, which was high enough to make every bodybuilder in Venice Beach during the ‘90s insanely jealous.
JAX
Not to be outdone by his Street Fighting counterpart, Major Jackson “Jax” Briggs, journeyed into an alternate dimension for Kombat against villains from the Outworld, to save his partner, Sonya Blade. Jax has the appearance of a tough African-American soldier and even carried a machine gun in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. Because fighting for America requires everything from a soldier, Jax did what any patriot would do: He gave up his arms for cybernetic replacements. Jax is a shining example of truth, justice, and the American way, and in Mortal Kombat Legacy, he even becomes a Major in the Deacon City Police Force.
Mike Haggar
The epitome of American muscle, Mike Haggar, one of the playable characters in Capcom’s Final Fight is a former professional wrestler who becomes the Mayor of Metro City (Take that Jesse “The Body” Ventura). When the Mad Gear gang kidnaps his daughter, Haggar does what any American politician would do, he contacts his daughter’s boyfriend and one of his buddies and they set out to rescue her. Mike Haggar eventually retires from politics and gets back in the ring in Saturday Night Slam Masters and its two sequels. Haggar even gets the chance to face off with another American icon, Captain America himself, as a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Being the ultimate dude-bro, wrestler, and politician, Mike Haggar eventually gets out of the spotlight and opens up a boat repair shop and a training gym, because… America.
Contra Dude-Bros
Two characters for the price of one is what you get with Bill “Mad Dog” Rizer and Lance “Scorpion” Bean, the protagonists in every gamers favorite ‘80s side-scrolling run and gun adventure, Contra. In the NES version, like a number of 8-bit co-op games, one character wears blue, the other wears red. While we cannot be sure if that was intentional or not, their color scheme screams America. Fortunately for many of us, the beloved Konami code was there to give Bill and Lance enough chances to survive their battle against the Alien horde.
