Guile and Nash: Soldiers Avenging a Comrade
Street Fighter has a soldiers' story of "comrades" and "revenge" — Guile and Nash. Their bond is one of the most tragic threads on the hero side.
Two soldiers
Guile is a US Air Force combat instructor, recognizable by his iconic flat-top haircut and stoic, tough-guy demeanor. Nash (Charlie Nash) was his comrade and closest friend; the two fought side by side for years, closer than brothers.
Nash was also an elite military fighter, his moves in the same "charge"-style school of combat as Guile's.
Nash's sacrifice
In the Street Fighter Alpha 3 storyline, the two hunted Shadaloo straight into M. Bison's stronghold. In the final battle, Shadaloo's headquarters was detonated, and Nash — to buy his comrade time and to pin down Bison for good — chose to sacrifice himself, taking Bison with him.
That moment became Guile's eternal wound. The surviving Guile shouldered a single obsession from then on: avenge Nash.
Guile's revenge
After Nash's death, Guile made hunting Bison and destroying Shadaloo his life's mission. His fighting style carries a soldier's ferocity:
- Sonic Boom: the signature projectile, a blade of light hurled after a brief charge.
- Flash Kick: the signature anti-air, a straight upward kick.
These two moves were the "charge-style" essentials that left countless players' fingers sore in the arcades.
A soldier's tenderness
Guile's story mirrors Chun-Li's — both fight to avenge a loved one. But Guile is harder: he doesn't express himself well, pouring all his grief into his fists. Between him and Nash there's no sentimental speech, yet the weight of the word "comrade" outweighs a thousand words.
A Sonic Boom, a Flash Kick — each holds a soldier's deepest memory of a fallen friend. Guile and Nash are the most iron-blooded, and most heartbreaking, pair in Street Fighter.