Rufus
Rufus is an American martial artist who debuted in the Street Fighter IV series. A massive fighter claiming to be the number one in America, he holds genuine competitive credentials, having won past North American and Midwestern martial arts tournaments. Driven by an intense, one-sided rivalry, he seeks to challenge Ken Masters to prove who is truly the strongest fighter.
Overview
Rufus is an American martial artist who debuted in the Street Fighter IV series. A massive fighter claiming to be the number one in America, he holds genuine competitive credentials, having won past North American and Midwestern martial arts tournaments. Driven by an intense, one-sided rivalry, he seeks to challenge Ken Masters to prove who is truly the strongest fighter.
Appearance
Rufus is a heavy-set Caucasian man standing 195 cm tall. He features long blonde hair worn in a single braided ponytail, paired with blue eyes and a mustache. He dresses in a skin-tight yellow-and-black jumpsuit stretched across his bulky frame.
Personality
Rufus is extremely self-confident, proud, and completely enamored with himself. Impatient and excessively talkative, he rattles on without listening to others, earning a reputation for being irritating and receiving sarcastic remarks that he belongs in comedy rather than martial arts. He is notoriously hasty, routinely confusing anyone with blonde hair or a martial arts gi for Ken Masters, yet ironically suspecting the real Ken of being a bodydouble because of his dark eyebrows. Despite his overwhelming demeanor, he possesses a fundamentally good nature and is devoted to his girlfriend, Candy.
Abilities
Rufus fights using a self-taught martial art often called Hip-Hop Kung Fu, which blends his unique interpretations of Kung Fu and Karate. Despite his heavy build, he possesses remarkable speed, high health, and heavy attack power. His unorthodox moves bear grand names, including Galactic Tornado, which neutralizes projectiles during a dash; EX Messiah Kick, providing invincibility for reversals; and Falcon Kick, a sharp diving attack. His high offensive capability is offset by his low stun tolerance and large hurtbox.
Background
Determined to surpass Ken Masters, Rufus travels across various locations to challenge him. His hasty nature leads him to constantly mistake strangers in martial arts gis or with blonde hair for his rival, starting fights with innocent bystanders and opponents from other martial arts disciplines. In his personal life, he met his girlfriend Candy when he rescued her from a group chasing her over an unpaid bill, which he settled on the spot using a check.
Relationships
Rufus views Ken Masters as his ultimate rival, relentlessly pursuing him to prove his superiority. He shares a loving relationship with his girlfriend Candy, whom the fortune-teller Rose recognizes as his destined partner. Due to his hasty misidentifications, he mistakes numerous fighters for Ken, including Ryu, Dan Hibiki, and Makoto for their gis, Guile, Abel, Cammy, and Cody for their blonde hair, and even Vega despite fitting neither trait. In Street Fighter X Tekken, his mistaken identity targets expand to Bob, Paul Phoenix, Nina Williams, Lili, Steve Fox, King, and Jack-X, while he forms the Heavyweight Tag Team alongside Zangief. His endless talking once incited severe anger from Sagat, who demanded he keep quiet.
Trivia
Rufus is famous for having exceptionally long win quotes in battle results screens, to the point that his text continually overflows the frame and gets cut off mid-sentence. Outside of fighting, his favorite pastimes include riding motorcycles and singing karaoke, while he strongly dislikes anyone who manages to stand out more than he does.