Ken Masters

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Ken Masters
File:Street Fighter - Ken Third Strike Online.png Official artwork of Ken from Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition.
Universe	Street Fighter
Debut	Street Fighter (1987)
Smash Bros. appearances	SSB4 Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance	Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
Console/platform of origin	Arcade
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Place of origin	United States
Created by	Manabu Takemura
English voice actor	Reuben Langdon
Article on Wikipedia	Ken Masters

Ken Masters (ケン・マスターズ, Ken Masters) is a major character from the Street Fighter series of fighting games by Capcom. As Ryu's best friend and longtime rival, Ken appears throughout the Street Fighter series and utilizes a similar fighting style, making him one of the most famous examples of a moveset clone in fighting games.

Character description

Ken Masters is one of the main characters of Street Fighter and is one of the only two characters (the other being Ryu) that have appeared in every single installment of the series. He is widely known by many as being Ryu's "clone" using similar attacks such as the Hadoken, Shoryuken and Tatsumaki Senpukyaku but with differences, such as using fire and multi-hit capabilities.

Born to a wealthy family, Ken was sent to Japan to be taught discipline in order to avoid being spoiled by his family. He was trained by his master Gouken and constantly sparred with his future rival and best friend Ryu being taught the Assassination's Fist. After leaving Gouken's dojo, Ken returns to America and enters many martial arts tournaments as well as meeting a woman named Eliza who becomes his girlfriend. Returning to Japan to tell his master of the news of his victories in America, he witnesses the murder of Gokuen by the mysterious Akuma who easily defeats Ken after he tried to attack him in rage. After the attack, he then searches for Ryu to inform him of their master's death. Upon meeting up with him, the two have a sparring match which Ken comes out victorious who claimed that Ryu wasn't himself and gives him his red headband to cheer him up and telling him to keep focused. Ken later teams up with Sakura Kasugano and Sagat to rescue Ryu from Shadaloo.

Ken then receives an invitation to the second Street Fighter tournament but had been slacking in his training due to spending a lot of time with Eliza. Ryu however challenges and inspires Ken to continue training and enter the tournament. After the events of the tournament, Ken and Eliza would get married, eventually having a son named Mel.

During the events of Street Fighter III, Ken would later take up an apprentice himself in the form of Sean Matsuda of São Paulo, Brazil, after being pestered by the aspiring fighter. Ken later entered the Third World Warrior tournament, held by the Secret Society, but drops out after learning that Ryu had been defeated by the Brazilian hermit Oro. Along the way, Ken fights against Urien, the younger twin of the Society's leader Gill, and meets up with Ryu once again for their long awaited rematch. Ken later enters his third straight US martial arts tournament, where he is named the winner, offering his trophy to Sean.

In Super Smash Bros. 4

Ken appears as a downloadable content trophy in both versions of Super Smash Bros. 4 using his design from Street Fighter IV. His trophy is unlocked immediately upon downloading Ryu. In addition, Ken Stage, his theme from Street Fighter II, is available as a music track on Suzaku Castle in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U in its original version, its Super Street Fighter II version, and a new remix. In addition, Zero Suit Samus adopted his pose in Ryu's reveal poster for the same game.

Trophy description

Ken has been Ryu’s number-one rival and best friend since they trained together as children under the same master. In fact, the headband Ryu wears was a gift from Ken! Along with being a very talented martial artist, Ken is also heir to his rich father’s Masters Foundation. But sorry, would-be suitors, Ken’s married and has a son!

Ken has been Ryu's number one rival and best friend since they trained together as children under the same master. The head band Ryu wears was a gift from Ken. Heir to his rich father's Masters Foundation, Ken is a highly skilled martial artist, but eventually goes home and becomes a family man with his wife Eliza and their son, Mel.

Street Fighter (1987)

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  Ken trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Ken trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Ken as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Main article: Ken (SSBU)

Ken appears as an unlockable newcomer in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, serving as Ryu's Echo Fighter. His inclusion was leaked on September 21st, 2018 through a screenshot, before being officially revealed on November 1st.

Trivia

• Ken is the second playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series to have two Final Smashes in his moveset, after Ryu.
• Ken is the seventh playable character who hails from a real life location, along with Snake, Little Mac, Ryu, R.O.B., Simon, and Richter.
• Ken is the second third party character to be playable in the same universe as another third party character. The first was Richter.
• Ken's SSB4 English PAL trophy description contains a reference to Guile's iconic phrase from Street Fighter II, "Go home and be a family man!".
• Ken is the only playable third-party character who was not a playable character in his first Smash Bros. appearance, as he only appeared as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. 4.
• Humorously, during development of Super Smash Bros. 4, Reuben Langdon, Ken's English voice actor in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, mistakenly claimed to have portrayed a character in a Super Smash Bros. game, leading many fans to conclude that he had accidentally leaked the inclusion of Raiden or another one of his characters in the then-upcoming fourth entry, before later correcting himself and stating that he had mixed Super Smash Bros. up with PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.