Balrog, Vega, M. Bison: The Great Name-Swap Trap

Talk about the Four Kings and you can't avoid the trap that has confused players for decades: these three characters' names are "mixed up" between the Japanese and Western releases. The same "Vega" is the dictator in Japan but the claw in the West.

First, know the three characters

Three of the Four Kings have names that often clash:

• The Boxer: the hulking fighter in boxing gloves.
• The Claw: the Spanish ninja with a claw and a mask.
• The Dictator: the military-capped final boss with Psycho Power.

The fourth, Sagat (the eyepatch fighter), keeps the same name in both versions — no need to memorize him.

The Japanese (original) names

Street Fighter is made by Japan's Capcom, so the Japanese version is the "original":

• The Boxer = M. Bison
• The Claw = Balrog
• The Dictator = Vega

The Western version: three names, rotated

For the Western release, Capcom "rotated" the three names:

• The Boxer = Balrog
• The Claw = Vega
• The Dictator = M. Bison

Simply put: Japan's M. Bison became Balrog in the West; Japan's Balrog became Vega; Japan's Vega became M. Bison.

Why the shuffle

The reason is very practical: in the Japanese version, the boxer's name was "Mike Bison" — too close in name, profession, and even hairstyle to the boxer Mike Tyson. Capcom's US branch, fearing a lawsuit from Tyson, swapped the three kings' English names to dodge trouble, and it stuck ever since.

So depending on which version you're looking at, "Vega" might be the dictator or the claw.

How to remember as an English player

The easiest way is to remember the titles, not the English names:

• Dictator / police officer = the final boss (M. Bison)
• Boxer = the big man with gloves (Balrog)
• Claw / matador = the masked ninja (Vega)

Lock onto the titles and this "name-swap" trap will never catch you again.