| “ | Come on! Let's turn up the heat! | „ |
| ~ Ken's catchphrase. |
| “ | Don't expect me to be a push over! | „ |
| ~ Ken in Street Fighter 6. |
Ken Masters is the deuteragonist of the Street Fighter franchise.
He is a pyrokinetic fighter and the best friend of Ryu, whose goal is to test his power against many different fighters and become stronger. However, unlike Ryu, who is humble and reserved, Ken is hotheaded and arrogant, but still holds some restraint due to not wanting to jeopardize his family life.
He has been voiced by Yūji Kishi in the Japanese version since Street Fighter III: Third Strike, and in the English version by Reuben Langdon in Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter V, and later replaced by David Matranga in Street Fighter 6.
Physical Appearance
Ken is most easily recognized by wearing different sparring gloves that are either the matching color of his wild blonde hair or his bright red gi with neatly torn off sleeves (he wears brown gloves in most other appearances) that is similar to Ryu's, and it is usually seen in better shape than Ryu's (except for in the Street Fighter III series), since he can easily afford to keep up with and/or own spares. Ken's natural hair color is as black as his long and spiky eyebrows but he has dyed it blonde. He wears a black belt at his waist and fights without footwear.
In the Street Fighter Alpha series, he is slightly younger-looking and had waist-length hair that is tied into a ponytail with a red ribbon. The official event that took place where Ken gives up his ribbon is that he passes it down to Ryu during Street Fighter Alpha 2 (as stated in Ken's own ending); Ryu was distracted during his fight with Ken because he had just fought Sagat and ended up losing. To remind him of their fight, Ken handed his friendly rival his own ribbon that would later become the signature red hachima worn by Ryu since Street Fighter II and onward.
In Street Fighter II V, Ken's hair is dyed red, similar to the live-action movie and the animated series. Ken usually wears casual outfits throughout most of the episodes; for example, he dresses in a yellow formal suit jacket with a red tank top, matching white pants with a black leather belt to his waist and black dress shoes, but he still does sports the same signature bright red gi, though both he and Ryu always fights barehanded.
By the time of Street Fighter V, Ken's appearance has undergone the first major design change in the character's history. Ken's gi top now hangs around his waist and he wears a black v-neck training shirt with several red linings in its place. He sports matching black sparring gloves and his hair has grown longer, to the point of being tied in a topknot. Most likely due to events yet undisclosed instead of hanging loose which it was grown into medium length after the events of the Street Fighter IV series and now wears black ankle wraps with red linings instead of just barefoot.
In Street Fighter 6, his blond hair returns to his original look from his playable appearance in Street Fighter III sub-series and is no longer wearing a red gi. His main outfit was based on his first alternate costume in Street Fighter IV; his leather jacket is replaced by a hooded jacket that reaches below the knee and the sign "Eagle Shipping Company" ("E.S.C." for short) at the back of his jacket and has white folded sleeves that reaches through his mid-forearm. Underneath is a black tank top, red trousers with a loose gray drawstring and yellow high-top sneakers with blue linings at the back. Ken also wears his classic yellow gloves, along with a pair of black training gloves and a family necklace on his neck.
Personality
Conceptually, while Ryu is serious and stoic, Ken is his opposite—stylish, unorthodox, unpredictable, and more aggressive. Ken has a big ego, often boasting about his greatness. Despite his brashness and arrogance, he has a kind heart, is friendly, easygoing, and values family. He never backs down from a fight, no matter how tough it seems. The only exception to this is in Dan Hibiki, who ridiculed and taunted him unprovoked before, only to be beaten by him after.
Like Ryu, Ken believes in honor, hard work, discipline, and respect, which he learned under Gouken's tutelage. He treats rivals and mentors like Gouken, Ryu, Terry Bogard, and his brother-in-law Guile with high regard. Ken is also a devoted family man, almost skipping the tournament in Street Fighter IV to stay with his wife Eliza near her due date, only entering after she reassured him. Even during the event, he called her to check in and remind her about being careful around the stairs. Both Menat and Rose note that starting a family has softened his once-fiery spirit, making them wonder how long his drive to improve will last compared to Ryu's.
In Street Fighter 6, Ken appears more somber after the Nayshall incident. He lost control of his own company, and is framed, with people being wary or hostile at him. His desperation to save his son Mel leads him to detonate a hijacked drone and fight Luke, leaving Luke scarred. Working at Eagle Shipping Company and mentoring the Avatar, Ken regrets his past recklessness, seeing it as among the cause of his troubles. His thirst for vengeance and revenge against JP for framing him leaves him torn over whether to take lethal action. He declines Guile's assistance and refuses to return, not wanting to endanger his family and brother-in-law. In Terry’s storyline, their rivalry turns friendlier, with Terry sensing Ken’s current mood after the Nayshall incident. After their fight, Terry’s encouragement lifts Ken’s spirits slightly.
Abilities
Ken is an extremely skilled martial artist, having trained for many years together with Ryu under Gouken. He developed his own variation of the Ansatsuken style, combining kicks, rapid movements and a particular attention and focus on the Shoryuken. He invented his Shoryureppa on the fly to defeat an opponent who could counter his Shoryuken. Ken won many martial arts tournaments until he became the undisputed American champion, gaining worldwide fame and attention from numerous people, such as Rufus, who wants to claim the title from him, and Sean, Ken's future pupil.
Ken also efficiently runs the Masters Foundation, one of the wealthiest companies in the world, which he inherited from his family. Despite his occasional cockyness, Ken is overall a level-headed and reasonable person, who takes in great care the safety of his beloved ones. He is also particularly skilled in cooking pasta.
Crossovers & Other Media
Marvel vs. Capcom series
Ken appears as a playable character in several games in the series: Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, X-Men vs. Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes.
Ken's name can be seen in a board in the background in Ryu's Marvel vs. Capcom 3 ending, where he prepares for a match against Marvel Comics character Mr. X.
In Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, Ken makes a cameo in the New Metro City - Downtown stage, where an ad for a special match between him and Marvel's Iron Fist can be seen in the background.
SNK vs. Capcom series
Ken appears as a playable character in all the games of the SNK vs. Capcom series.
SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium
Ken who has the title of the "National Fighting King" enters and hosts the tournament alongside Robert Garcia after seeing Terry Bogard's name in the invitation, he enters to in order to fight the hero of Southtown who heard he heard rumors about.
Street Fighter X Tekken
When Ryu heads to Antartica to search for Pandora, fearing it has a connection with the Satsui no Hado, Ken joins him. The two head to the South Pole, fighting those who they meet along the way, a list which includes Kazuya Mishima and Nina Williams. When they reach the place Pandora crashed and defeat Ogre, Ryu vanishes with the box, leaving behind only the headband that Ken gave him. Ken searches all over the South Pole for Ryu, but finds nothing. However, Ken remains confident that his best friend will come back.
Super Smash Bros. series
Ken appears as a collectible trophy in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U, using his model from Super Street Fighter IV. Three versions of his Street Fighter II theme, including a new remix made for the game, is included in the Wii U version.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Ken made his playable debut; he is an "Echo Fighter" (a cosmetically unique character with different attack animations and voice clips but functionally similar in gameplay and attack data to another character) to Ryu. He was first leaked on September 21st, 2018 and later officially confirmed on November 1 the same year. As the 'original' echo fighter within fighting game history, Ken is based primarily on his Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers incarnation (most further one is from Turbo), with details such as his eyes being colored blue as opposed to amber, palms appearing in his Hadoken and his Roundhouse Kick special moves, executed with the same motion. He retains many of his differences from Ryu, such as a multihit Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku, a flaming Shoryuken, his kick Focus Attack from Street Fighter IV and his Turbo Heavy Kick as his Forward Smash Attack instead of Ryu's Joudan Sokutogeri. His Final Smash changes depending on the distance to the nearest opponent, so if no one is directly in front of and close to Ken, he performs a Marvel vs. Capcom-styled Shinryuken. If there is an enemy within melee range, he instead performs the Shippu Jinraikyaku, which has few spinning kick-based essences based on his Guren Senpukyaku and Guren Enjinkyaku from post-Street Fighter III games.
Audio
Theme
Quotes
| “ | If you're buying, buddy. | „ |
| ~ Ken in Wreck-it Ralph. |
Trivia
- His favorite food is spaghetti, and he is also very good at cooking it.
 Heroes
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The Arcade Internet Video game characters Disney characters | ||
