Solo

Solo (ソロ, originally written SOLO) is a recurring enemy, appearing in all versions of the first Strider coin-op as well as all its sequels. He also appears in Strider Returns for the Mega Drive and Game Gear, albeit under the name Inferno, "the flame thrower wielding maniac".^[1]

A freelance assassin and bounty hunter^[2][3], Solo's body is fitted with a reinforced armor that grants him free-flying capabilities and a speed boost that makes him fly at an incredible speed, such that he leaves several after-images as he moves around. In stark contrast to Hiryu's melee-focused style, Solo fights by wielding long-range firearms and explosives: usually a large-caliber or cannon-like weapon (Giant Flamethrower, Impact Cannon, Laser Rifle) in one hand with great dexterity, while holding a sidearm on his free hand for cover or employing other powerful weapons including homing missiles, energy rings and concussive proximity mines.

He's a ruthless and dangerous killer, a lone hunter who only trusts himself and takes great pride in standing alone as the world's "strongest man"^[2], unmatched and undefeated in battle. He is considered to be Hiryu's destined arch-rival^[4], awaiting the confrontation between his destructive weapons and Hiryu's martial arts mastery in which only one man will survive^[2]. In the end, however, Solo is not quite on Hiryu's level of skill or ability, making him invariably pursue Hiryu for a rematch in order to settle the score.

Story

Strider

Having placed a large reward over Hiryu's head^[2][5] after he has brought down the higher-ups in Kazakh, the Grandmaster personally contracts Solo's services to eliminate him, stating to the bounty hunter that Hiryu must not "leave Eurasia alive". Solo first ambushes Hiryu as he reaches the top of a Siberian plateau housing a secret complex, but is unable to take him out.

If he's not defeated at this point, Solo will pursue Hiryu across the mountain descent and power plant and eventually join fellow bounty hunters the Kuniang M.A. Team in fighting Hiryu as he attempts to hijack the girls' airship. Regardless of his presence, Hiryu confronts and quickly defeats them all.

When Hiryu invades the Third Moon, Solo appears once again for a rematch, now in a smaller area with a bottomless pit. In the end, he's unable to match Hiryu's skill and faces defeat, flying away in pieces as Hiryu's Cypher cuts through him.

Strider 2

Bounty Hunter Solo is said to be a prototype of the "Superhuman Army" project, whose success led to the creation of a mass-produced line of assassins based on his data. Solo's services are contracted, likely by Light Sword Cypher, to join the Chinese Mafia's terrorist strike on Neo Hong Kong City. Solo approaches the rooftops of the city's wealthy district, and after finding Hiryu and confirming he's the target, Solo descends and fights him inside a giant satellite dish. As he's unable to subdue Hiryu, Solo retreats to a nearby rooftop where he powers up his weapon and Halo Wings to full power, now determined to put a stop to Hiryu. After receiving enough damage, Solo is forced to retreat in frustration once again when his armor malfunctions.

Solo returns to greet Hiryu at the entrance port of the rebuilt Third Moon in search of a rematch, now accompanied by a group of the "Mass Production Solo" models, ready to settle the score. Even with the help of the weaker gravity in the area, Solo and his escort are no match to Hiryu and meet their ultimate end.

Strider (2014)

An unmatched bounty hunter, Solo prefers to work alone and believes only in two things: money and the weapons he holds in his hands. As a man who only trusts himself, his existence can be said to be a "shadow" of the Special-A Class Strider Hiryu, who carries out all his assigned missions to their end^[6]. Though his fees are not cheap, once he's paid Solo will carry out any contract no matter how dirty or dangerous^[7]. He has a reputation for always fulfilling a contract and for having never experienced a defeat in his career.^[7]

Before Hiryu's infiltration in Kazakh City, Solo pursued and killed the bloodthirsty Strider Ouga as he was on a mission onboard the Flying Battleship Balrog^[8]. Solo is first seen in a meeting with General Mikiel as they discuss Hiryu's recent intrusion into the city and the defeat of Pei Pooh. While Mikiel remains confident in the Winds' victory, Solo considers that they have no chance to beat Hiryu, not even together. At Mikiel's suggestion he may be worried they "steal his prize", Solo simply responds that he "awaits the inevitable", then flies away. Shortly afterward, he's contacted by Mikiel again. Grandmaster Meio has communicated to him his wishes to contract Solo, at which he remarks that he should have done so earlier, as "prices have gone up". Mikiel states money is no problem as long as Hiryu is exterminated and sends Solo the contract, which is promptly signed.

Directed to the Military Ring, Solo ambushes Hiryu on the top of the Military Fortress and engages him in battle. Solo unleashes his many weapons and attacks at Hiryu, taking occasional pauses to mock his performance, as he "expected better", or to laugh maniacally. In the end, however, Solo is unable to put Hiryu down and is eventually defeated, going down in flames as his exoskeleton breaks apart.

Solo ZN-2

This, however, was not the end for him. Through the technical prowess of Meio's Army, the heavily damaged Solo was brought back to life with even more upgrades and weapons than ever, giving even more power to the already powerful bounty hunter^[9] which now goes by the name Solo ZN-2. This, however, didn't come without a cost, as the forceful resurrection and upgrade process, coupled with the mental anguish he suffered after having his pride wounded by "defeat", took a heavy toll on Solo's mind^[9]. Mentally unstable and unhinged, Solo now lives as a demon of revenge whose sole purpose is to finish off Hiryu.^[9]

Catching up with Hiryu in the Balrog's Gravitron Chamber, Solo admits he underestimated him, states this time Hiryu will be killed and demands he fight with all his might. Both warriors engage for the last time in battle, during which Solo's reckless use of explosives puts the Gravitron and the Balrog in critical condition. In the end, Hiryu claims victory, sending a damaged Solo spiraling out of control into the Gravitron, bringing the whole battleship down with him, supposedly ending him for good.

Skills and Abilities

Besides his skills as a bounty hunter, Solo relies mainly on his armor and weaponry. His armor provides not only protection, but high-speed flight^[10]. Equipped with powerful jet thrusts on his back, he's capable of moving faster than the eye can see, leaving an after-image effect as he soars through the skies. Solo's primary strategy during combat is to remain airborne, outside the enemy's range, and attack with his weapons. Whenever he's close to being hit while airborne, he uses his jet thrusts to instantly fly out of range^[11]. Certain techniques or actions do force him to land or remain still, leaving him vulnerable to a counter-attack.

Information

Solo's strategy focus on using the many ranged weapons he wields to attack from afar. He usually wields a large-caliber weapon in his right hand and a smaller side arm in his left, and compliments them with other weapons that are part of his armor.

For more information on the many weapons he's wielded, see Solo's weaponry.

First Armor

Called a Fighting Suit (ファイティングスーツ)^[2], Solo's original armor is a sturdy mechanical suit with a set of jet thrusters on its back which allows both sustained flight and the ability to fly away at high speed on reaction. Solo's main weapon is a large, long-barreled cannon known as the Giant Flamethrower, a flamethrower with a mounted missile launcher on top. His secondary weapon is a silver Handgun which shoots 3-bullet spread shots.

During battle, Solo remains flying high above and out of Hiryu's reach, attacking safely with his Handgun and missiles. Solo stays in the sky for as long as Hiryu remains close to his location, and if he's in range of a strike, Solo instantly flies away before he can be hit, moving around before taking position to attack again. If Hiryu stands far enough from him, however, Solo lands on the ground and prepares to attack with his Laser Beam. The best strategy is to predict his movements and act fast enough, in particular taking advantage of the times he lands to attack as his reaction is slower. Using the Cypher "extension" power-up is also very useful, as Solo doesn't account for the extended range and can be hit more reliably. Since Solo has few hit points, he can be defeated very quickly once his pattern is understood.

• Laser Beam: Solo descends to the ground and charges up his main weapon, shooting a thin laser beam forward, accompanied by a few fire waves and homing missiles. While one of Solo's strongest techniques, it leaves him vulnerable to a counterattack.^[11]
• Three-Way Shot: Using his handgun, Solo shoots three bullets spread at three different angles (straight, 30° up and 30° down) while in the air. He only aims it in a diagonal angle while hovering above Hiryu, and can shoot several times in quick succession.
• Homing Missiles: Solo shoots a barrage of homing missiles from within the armor. The missiles home-in on Hiryu, traveling in erratic patterns and making them hard to dodge. Solo does this technique only while airborne and out of reach.

Second Armor

Solo's second armor is a state-of-the-art "mechanical suit" which gives him the ability to float and move in the air at high speed^[12]. The armor is equipped with several weapons, including the "Halo Wings"^[13], shoulder-mounted sharp rings of energy; and a "Missile Pod" built in his left arm, which Solo can expand with a quick gesture of his hand. His primary weapon is the Impact Cannon, a large cannon held in his right hand. The weapon starts in a smaller less-powerful form and increases in size when Solo powers up to full strength.

Unlike the previous version, Solo makes no attempt to avoid or block Hiryu's attacks, instead flying around slowly while attacking Hiryu with his weapons. Most of the time Solo doesn't even fly particularly high, making him easy to reach and strike even as he moves around. When using the Halo Wings, Solo stands idle in one place as he charges up, which leaves him wide open for getting attacked. In exchange, he can't be stopped or interrupted from attacking, so Hiryu must keep an eye on the discs to dodge them as soon as they are thrown.

• Three-Way Shot: With a hand gesture, Solo expands his missile pod and aims 3 small missiles spread at three different angles straight ahead, in a similar way to his old handgun. He can shoot this attack straight and aim it either high or low. This is also the only technique he has available while in his first form.
• Fast Shot: Solo shoots three small missiles straight ahead from his Impact Cannon. Identical to the attack above, only without the long start-up animation or the angled options.
• Plasma Blast: Solo charges up for a few seconds and then unleashes a blast of energy straight in front of him at the shout of "Take this" (Kurae). Solo uses it exclusively in the Third Moon battle, and only if he and Hiryu stand at around the same height.
• Halo Wings: Once Solo powers up, two plasma rings are created over his shoulders. Solo charges up energy until the rings on his shoulders release two floating discs of plasma, which he then commands toward his target. The discs have little homing capability, making them somewhat easy to avoid if seen in advance. It also leaves Solo open to attack while he's charging up.

Third Armor

Solo's "reborn" armor is a nimble full-body exoskeleton which, while not as defensive as his previous armors, allows him greater freedom of movement in the sky. The armor is equipped with a large jetpack on the back for high-speed flight and a belt of concussive mines worn over his right shoulder, placed above a white, long feathery cape. Solo wields a single weapon this time, a Laser Rifle which while smaller than his previous weapons, packs just as much power. The rifle has an alternative "Laser Net Form", where the front opens up to reveal 4 more laser emitters which not only increase the potency of the laser attacks, but also allow the creation of more complex laser patterns.

True to form, Solo's strategy remains the same: he stays flying high above Hiryu, out of range as he paces back and forth and unleashes several laser attacks upon him. Solo has a larger number of different attacks that must be avoided in different ways, forcing Hiryu to pay attention to what attack he's about to perform. He can be struck while preparing his attacks, or when he stops in mid-air to speak, mock or laugh at Hiryu.

• Laser Cannon: Solo flies to either side of the platform and unleashes a large plasma beam forward. It can be avoided by timing a jump right before it starts.
• Laser Spike: From either side of the platform, Solo shoots downwards and generates a wave of plasma spikes reaching the middle of the platform.
• Laser Net: Flying over the middle of the area, Solo unleashes a laser array in the form of a net, which travels downwards covering the whole platform. It can be avoided completely by ducking right below Solo.
• Volcano: Solo shoots several times at the platform, each emerging back as powerful plasma eruptions. A pentagram of energy in the ground signals from where the attack will come. Solo does several of these in succession.
• Volcano Spike: A variation of the above done when low on health. Instead of a single plasma eruption, Solo generates an array of plasma spikes that rise from the ground. A glow indicates from where the spikes will rise, and there's an open space where Hiryu can stand to avoid damage. The final array covers the entire platform, so it can only be avoided with a timely jump, or by interrupting Solo before he can perform it.
• Tracking Bombs: Solo releases several proximity mines, which slowly home-in on Hiryu. These bombs can be destroyed with the Cypher.
• Flying Ram: Solo performs three dive-in attacks, trying to ram Hiryu with his body. Only the latter two dives need to be avoided, as the first goes way too high.
• Rising Strike: Solo dives down toward Hiryu, and at the last second performs a sharp upward dive while spinning around.
• White Barrier: Solo's body is covered by a circular white aura, which protects him and injures Hiryu on contact.

Solo ZN-2

In this damaged form, Solo's exoskeleton is equipped with an upgraded jetpack with missile launchers and a renewed version of his Giant Flamethrower, this time equipped with mine launchers.

Solo's strategy has become more chaotic and unhinged, as he moves in and out of the room, flying all over the place while performing several of his attacks. He can also land on the right side of the screen in order to use his flamethrower to release large walls of fire or myriad projectiles.

• Fire Blast: Solo circles the room with his flamethrower, unleashing a stream of fire all around him that reaches across the entire room.
• Mine Toss: Solo releases several mines which stand in place for a while before exploding. They come in different numbers and patterns. Hiryu needs to destroy them all before they go off, causing unavoidable damage.
• Fire Wall: Solo dives downward and strikes the ground, releasing two fire streams traveling through the ground. Then, he shoots several small fireballs in large circular waves, originating from him and expanding all across the room. The waves have usually one free spot to help avoid damage, and the fireballs can be destroyed or reflected by the Cypher.
• Jet Fire: Solo dashes close to the ground, leaving a trail of fire on the ground which can harm Hiryu.
• Missile Barrage: Solo does three flying passes back and forth, each time spinning and shooting missiles all around him.
• Flying Ram: Same as in his first encounter.
• White Barrier: Same as his first encounter.

Design Notes

Strider: Solo was introduced because Isuke wanted to expand Strider's world by showing characters not related to either Hiryu or the Grandmaster, in much the same way the scene from The Empire Strikes Back in which Darth Vader contracts bounty hunters did^[14]. Due to this, it's possible his design was inspired by the Star Wars character Boba Fett, as both are bounty hunters who employ firearms and wear armor that allows them to fly. His name Solo also may call back to the Star Wars character Han Solo, a space-faring rascal and Boba Fett's target to capture.

Solo's armor is based on the mosquito, which according to Isuke is the "most developed and completed (perfected) creature", having existed on Earth long before humans^[15]. His behavior during battle (flying around and moving away whenever he's attacked) is likely inspired by mosquitos and how hard they are to catch as well. Isuke would later use the same concept for the "Mosquito" enemy in Moon Diver.

In-story, Solo's name is meant to indicate his belief in being unmatched, as he's alone at the top as the "single strongest man" (唯一最強の男)^[2]. In the original artwork notes and early sources, Solo's name is actually written "SOLO" in all-caps rōmaji (Roman script).^[2][5]

Strider 2: Solo was designed as part of the Superhuman Army, a set of enemies created to represent the game's worldview. As such, his initial design had a much more organic nature, showing a notable lack of armor and having some of his weapons, like the Halo Wings, growing out of his own body^[13]. While the final armored look made it in the game, some details were lost in the transition, most notably the "Tail Whip", a long whip-like appendage coming out from the back of his head which he'd have used in close-distance attacks. Even though these details are missing in the in-game sprite, they do show up in official art.^[13]

Strider (2014): Solo was initially shown in a batch of screenshots previous to the 2013 New York Comic-Con and briefly featured in the trailer from the convention itself, before being officially revealed later in December^[16]. As with most of the returning enemies, Solo's design concept was "rebuild": creating a new design by taking over elements from the past and fusing them with new elements^[17]. In Solo's case, most of his old design was kept while introducing minor new details such as the feather-styled cape.^[18]

Solo's arsenal during his boss battles sought to realize Solo's full potential as a boss, citing how Solo in previous games was always cool but had a limited set of moves and was quickly defeated, so allowing this version to do moves that fans had only fantasized about in the past.^[19]

The "ZN-2" from Solo's 2nd form is a reference to the Capcom ZN-2 Arcade board which was used for Strider 2. Although possibly unintentional, his title "Inferno Revived" may be a nod to his name in Strider Returns. This would make it the only allusion to Returns in the whole game.

Other Appearances

Game Appearances

Strider Returns
"Inferno" is one of the Master's slave warriors. He awaits Strider Hinjo at the end of The Forbidden Forest, in ambush at an abandoned warehouse building. He fails to defeat Hinjo and retreats. He's later faced at the Prison Ship, the Master sending him forth to "fulfill his existence". He fights Hinjo right at the starting point on the ship's surface, and is defeated again.

Solo's Mega Drive pattern is simple: he flies toward Hinjo and, once in front of him, shoots a stream of fire straight ahead, then flies away and repeats. He's much more difficult and chaotic in the Game Gear port, where he flies from one end of the screen to the other while shooting homing missiles each time.

Namco x Capcom
Solo appears as a minor non-playable enemy in this strategy RPG crossover game. His design is based on the original Arcade version rather than his Strider 2 self. Being an enemy character, he has a very limited set of techniques: his main attack consists of a missile barrage, while his special technique is his laser beam. He also has an evasion move where he flies away from the attack, a reference to his high-speed dodge maneuver in the Arcade game.

Also referred to as "Assassin Solo" (暗殺者ソロ), Solo is a mercenary contracted by Grandmaster Meio with orders to eliminate Hiryu. He's characterized as mostly as an actual robot, with his lines written in a monotone robot speech pattern displaying a robot-like fixation on his main directive, "Eliminate Hiryu". He's first seen together with Strider Hien and Tong Pooh as the defense force in the Third Moon, later informing all present that he was merely delaying them in the Third Moon as Meio planned to blow it up. He remains mostly a support ally for either of them in following chapters, and is eliminated for good alongside all of Meio's supporters during Chapter 44.

Capcom Quiz: Hatena? no Daibouken
Solo appears in this Game Boy board-themed quiz as the mid-boss in the game's final world, serving as a bodyguard for the main villain, the "Quiz Master". As a boss, he has 10 life units, which means the player needs 10 correct answers to win.

Street Fighter × All Capcom
Solo appears as one of the 500+ character cards found in this crossover mobile phone game. He appears in a single card of "SR" (high) rarity. His card artwork mirrors his appearance in official art for Strider, which colors his armor green and firearm gold instead of gray as in the game's sprite.

Project X Zone 2
Solo appears as an enemy unit in this crossover tactical-role playing game. His design is based on his appearance from Strider 2 and includes scrapped elements from his original design such as the "Tail Whip" weapon. Solo serves as a mid-boss rival unit in-game, and as such lacks unique attack animations.

Solo appears in Prologue 3, one of the few surviving followers of Grandmaster Meio Hiryu is hunting down. Keeping with his characterization in Namco x Capcom, Solo acts and speaks in a robot-like, unemotional manner. After an initial battle against Hiryu and Hotsuma, he later appears as a right-hand man assisting both Tong Pooh and Vile Mk-II in their plans, while pursuing a mission to assassinate Hiryu. He dies for good in Chapter 37.

TEPPEN
As part of the expansion "A Dark Agenda", TEPPEN added Strider as a represented series. Solo appears as a Rare Unit Card in his 2014 Strider design, with a secret animated variant. Solo ZN-2 also appears in the Action Card "Mortal Enemies", facing Hiryu in battle. In the 14th expansion, "Defying the Light", Solo ZN-2 appears as an Unit Card and in the artwork of the card "Winged Obsession", confronting Hiryu over his defeat.

In the 29th expansion, "Metal Suit Mafia", Solo appears as an Unit Card with his design from Strider 2. As the expansion happens in an alternative world different from the main TEPPEN continuity, all characters from Strider appear in this designs instead of their 2014 designs.

Other media

Namco x Capcom Comic Anthology
Solo makes a minor appearance in the Hien-centric story from Namco x Capcom Comic Anthology.

Gallery

Strider Official art

PC-Engine cutscene

PC-Engine portrait

Strider 2 official art

Strider 2 concept sketch

2014 Strider art (hi-res)

2014 Strider portrait art

2014 Strider intro card

2014 Strider concept art

2014 Strider Solo's rear view and equipment

2014 Strider 3D test model render

Bounty Hunter Solo vs. Strider Hiryu

Solo ZN-2 art (hi-res)

Solo ZN-2 portrait art

Solo ZN-2 intro card

Solo ZN-2's rear view and equipment

Namco x Capcom Solo in-game

In his original Strider pose

Capcom Quiz: Hatena? no Daibouken

Street Fighter x All Capcom card

Solo in Project X Zone 2

Solo facing Hiryu and Hotsuma

Project X Zone 2 dialog artwork

Solo card in TEPPEN

Animated Solo card

Solo ZN-2 in the card "Mortal Enemies"

Solo ZN-2 card

Solo in the card "Winged Obsession"

Solo card in his Strider 2 design

Trivia

• Keiji Inafune has stated that one of the characters from Strider (namely Solo^[20]) served as the inspiration/source for the name of Mega Man X character Zero.^[21]
• The character Apparitor from the 2021 retro-style ninja game Cyber Shadow bears a noticeable resemblance to Solo in his 2014 appearance.
• In the original Arcade version, Solo is unable to land and attack from Hiryu's left side, having only sprites for landing/attacking from the right side of the screen. This allows the player to prevent Solo from ever coming down by reaching the right-side of the screen, leaving no space for Solo to land in front of him.
• In its coverage of the Mega Drive port, EGM called Solo the "Shadow Fighter", apparently due to a bug in Siberia where he didn't show up for his boss fight.

References