How Rufus Became Street Fighter's MOST HATED Character 

I didn't realize that the King Cobra beta design was suppose to be Rufus 😭😭😭😭 that just makes me hate him even more 💀💀💀

I remember I saw an old comment that said Ken was how Japan viewed the U.S in the 90's Rufus was how they viewed us now

Rufus is the fighting game character equivalent of stretching a hilarious 5 minute sketch into a boring 2 hour movie.

The funny thing is that Rufus would be easy to salvage. focus more on the fact that he is actually pretty serious about his martial arts, has a guenuinely loving relationship with his girlfriend (though they're bot idiot), give him a outfit and hairstyle that's better. basically make him more of a funny idiot than a obnoxious idiot.

I think that Goldlewis from GGST is a much better "fat american" character for the sole reason that he's not a joke and a pain to look at.

Well when their overarching goal was to craft a character as aesthetically unappealing as possible and whose personality was an exaggerated hodgepodge of offensive stereotypes, can Capcom really be surprised at his reception? They succeeded in making the character they wanted, for better or worse.

And the worst but funny part, Justin got results with Rufus.

The funny thing right now is that when you research king “Rufus” Cobra (the early design) you find that his fighting is style is break fu (break dance with kung fu). Then if we go foward to the present, street fighter 6 in the other hand you can realize that Jamie siu is actually Rufus and king cobra mix because Jamie has Rufus hair style and he has drunken boxing and that is Chinese kenpo with break dance mix. In other words this king cobra is actually Jamie so we always wanting king cobra in street fighter. LOL

I feel like if they bring Rufus is back they need to bring back Sean. The supposed rival and supposed disciple of ken forming a weird friendship with each other

"I knew I made you my girl for a reason, honeypants!" Rufus

The worst part is Rufus is a totally salvagable character. He's a hyperactive, overweight tourist who loves kung-fu. That's basically just Po from Kung-Fu Panda and people love that character. Give him clothes that fit him properly, tone down the stupid just a smidge so he's not accusing Dhalsim of being an alien and just make him the hype man of anyone who it makes sense in world (Celebrity fighters like Zangief and Fei Long, for example). This is a guy who is traveling the world with his girlfriend, seeing the sights and meeting his heroes, dude is having a BLAST and showing some of that positive energy would make him way more fun to watch than his annoying "I'm the best, check me out" attitude he's currently sporting. Making Candy a fight announcer could be a good way to get her involved in his hobby a bit more than just being arm-candy (heh), what little of their relationship we see seems quite happy and healthy. I guess what I'm saying here is just make Rufus into Street Fighter Jack Black. I could take or leave the one-sided rivalry with Ken, although seeing him drop it because of the state Ken is currently in would be fun growth... and having him lose to some blonde popeye-armed whataburger lover only for him to become obsessed with getting that runback would be a hilarious punchline.

I hated Rufus because they scrapped King Kobra for this abomination.....

I can tolerate Dan's stupidity, but not Rufus the Doofus.

I still find it amazing that Rufus’s voice actor, Christopher Smith, would end up later voicing G whom became one of the most beloved characters in the series yet POWER TO THE PEOPLE OF EARTH!

Rufus' only purpose is to showcase the skin deformation animation capabilities of Dimps.

Space Opera Symphony is a cool ass name for a move, too bad it got wasted on Rufus.

Their barbaric rufus Our glorious dan

One on hand, I'm surprised that they didn't bring up how Rufus was inspired by how Bob was dominating Tekken 6 in arcades, on the other, I'm not because who the hell even remembers that. It was a "joke" that stopped making sense after T6 was released on consoles and Bob was fixed. If you didn't know, it's the fighting game equivalent of watching one of the Scary Movie series without understanding any of the references. But like, somehow even unfunnier.

Rufus was one of the reason why I stopped and looked at the arcade machine back in the day as a kid. that's how i got into playing SF4.

I thought he was a reference to Mr. Heart from Fist of the North Star

Rufus had a good gameplay design. J wong showed his strength

I'm still mad King Cobra was scrapped

What’s funny about Rufus that I feel like a lot of people don’t get is that he ends up being a parody of the FGC itself, whether intentionally or not. Think about it; he’s an overweight, loud mouthed American that thinks he knows everything about foreign fighting styles he barely studies and forms pointless rivalries with people he doesn’t know. Sound familiar?

Imma be honest i'm glad Rufus exists. Also the fact that at one point he was one of the best characters makes it super funny

I do not understand how they already had a almost fully finished concept and one suggestion changed the character entirely when they could’ve added both character I understand one reason they didn’t continue with cobra is they didn’t want too many characters to Ryu and Ken but they went back on it anyways by having Sakura,Goken,Akuma,Evil Ryu,Dan and Oni

How many most hated characters are there in SF? I thought "most hated" implied there would only be one. 🤔

I think he could be a fun joke character if they bring him back and work a bit on his character. I personally like his design its unique and his playstyle looks really fun it's a shame that the dive kick was so broken

Rufus has literally always been my favorite. I had no idea people felt this way about him.

His win quotes were hilarious.

I just realized his focus attack is a reference to that one scene from the karate kid where cobra Kai gets his face kicked in 😂😂😂

Another reason why Rufus's stupidity didn't work was because of the running gag where he thought that almost every character who was either blonde or in a gi was Ken. It didn't matter if it was Ryu, Dan, Guile, Abel, or even Cammy or Vega. I mean for christ sake, he though that POISON was Ken. That whole running gag just made him even more obnoxious.

The thing that really makes Dan work, at least from a narrative standpoint, is how tragic he is. He's unlucky and kind of a dumbass and life just endlessly shits on him, but he never complains about it, he just keeps plugging away. It's the kind of melodramatic yet inspirational story that you'd see in professional wrestling (Mikey Wripwreck, Colin Delaney, the list goes on).

Im one of the rare people that enjoy rufus as a character. I enjoy his post match dialogue just being a massuve blabber mouth and that's what i really like about him as a character If there was one thing id change it would be to tone down the "im kens rival" bit, since it does get annoying after a while where he mentions ken at everu single moment but the fact he confuses alot of people with ken is pretty funny most of the time

You guys put too much weight in sf story.its pretty bad , people dont blame the game for that

Rufus needs a serious glow up if he's gonna qualify as a potential SF6 DLC character

Maybe if they made him more likeable and less gross he'd be better accepted

Rufus failed where Dan succeeded.

If Dan had an OP dive kick he would be considered annoying as well...

I thought it was that guy in Street fighter 5 necalli

Rufus is cool. Its OK to have abrasive joke characters, and Rufus' post-match banter that rambles on still gets a smile out of me today.

Americans got offended by being portrayed as an annoying sterotype that people are supposed to laugh and be disgusted at?

And now we have jamie in sf6. Which means we're never getting this guy.

Rufus wasn't bad. He had a nice move set and can be lethal if you combine a combo and finish with space opera symphony. He pulled through for me in a match or two

Rufus was Chris Farley Beverly Hills ninja.

I've heard that Rufus has eight brothers that are just like him also, so please Capcom, make Rufus and ALL his brothers Individually selectable main characters in Street Fighter 6. Thanks in advance Capcom! 👍

The character designs in SF6 have been consistently great so far, compared to the hit-and-misses of SF5, that I don't mind if Rufus makes a return knowing that he'll look way better

The fact that tekken soon after created bob even dunking on rufus more

He failed because he is a joke character but super strong. Weak players can't understand losing to any player using him, and are still crying until today.

Never forgot when I first purchased SFIV in 08, worked at GameStop, traded in my Xbox rare MvC2 copy..just to play it, see Rufus and then return the game promptly back to the store!😂

dan wasn't liked because of his well fleshed out back story, i can gaurentee you most sf4 fans had no clue what that was, dan was liked (unlike chubs) because dans play style wasnt nearly as obnoxios, and he was real low on the tier list, thats very important, people always root for an under dog, and dans obnoxiousness wasnt nearly as bad, but really it was play styles and being low tier that made all the difference. someone wins with rufus, its like meh, seen it plenty, but u win with dan? god shit

Rufus and Dan could never return again and I wouldn’t shed a tear.

Rufus is a good fighter who just needs to put an end to his unlikable traits (rambling, jeleousy of Ken) & show more of his likable traits (Candy, UFO & kung fu fan, US patriotism, motorcycles, etc.).

Me after hearing Rufus personality description: Yep, definitely american.

Street Fighter already had a Rufus-Like design in Sodom. You can't improve on perfection.

As someone who doesn't mind stereotypes (I like the Kinnikuman series after all) I am fine with Rufus. I would like to see him come back alongside his girlfriend. I like their relationship 😊

Not even gonna lie. I've always liked Rufus. Yeah hes stupid, but I guess I'm easily amused, and I like how he plays. Plus his theme is great.

Ngl, I forgot Rufus even existed in Street Fighter.

Somehow even when rufus is winning, he looks like hes losing. Extremely unsettling character design

I don't mind fat characters in fighting games. Its just his personality and voice and attitude that turned me off. Like Bob was fine. Used him a couple of times. I never picked Rufus once. He's an annoying nobody, wanting to be the main rival to my favorite SF character.

Didn’t even mention the fact that he confuses literally every single character on the roster for Ken. Every last one, no exceptions. Ryu? That’s Ken Blanka? That’s Ken Gen? That’s Ken Chun-Li? Take a guess

I liked him in a goofy way. If king cobra looked normal and wasn’t just about being comedy he would definitely be back. What Rufus does have going for him? -candi -candy -sfxt one of the better characters. Probably isn’t coming back anytime soon maybe a cameo at best.

I loved Rufus just like I loved Bob in T6.

Rufus made me expect George Carlin from the original Bill and Ted. Instead we got, as the narrator so succinctly put it, Chris Farley's Beverly Hills Ninja in Bruce Lee's uniform. IMO Rufus is more like if Mike Meyers did Fat Bastard with the blonde hair instead of Scottish red

Sounds like a personal issue. Rufus was lit AF. Everyone was raising the Rufus. The entire EG team made multiple Top8s with this character. Stop the hate.

They saw King Cobra's design and Rufus' final design... and chose Rufus?!?

The lack of personality trying too hard for "He is fat so he is disgusting, make fun of him!" is what killed him for me. I really hope they don't bring him back

The jiggle physics on Rufus is insane DoA levels of bouncy

*While Ono was witnessing the Street Fighter IV Tournament, a Capcom Agent speaks into his ear about an unexpected guest dropping inOno panicked, speaking into a headset* Ono:What?! Whose here?! The crowd gasps as Akuma, a figure shrouded in darkness, appears in the corner. Ryu: Akuma! Ono: Rushing into the arena, breathless No! No! No! Why are you here, Akuma? Are you trying to ruin me?! This event... I've been dreaming of this for years! Please, don't do anything to ambush it! Akuma:I am not here to ambush anything. I am here to make your tournament better. You want the strongest, do you not? Your roster is missing a name. Your tournament is filled with dead weight. Akuma approaches Rufus, a cocky fighter. Akuma: Allow me to substitute an inferior fighter with a more deserving one. * Akuma effortlessly folds Rufus like a chair* Akuma: This man is injured. I have a reserve to take his place. A new figure, King Cobra, enters the room. He is muscular and intimidating, with a gold powerful aura illuminating the area around him. King Cobra: I Am Ready. Ono: But... Akuma... this is... Akuma: This is a gift, Ono. A chance to make your tournament truly memorable.

If he wasn't good, nobody would have cared.

I feel like I’m one of the few people who want Rufus to come back.

If you played or watched enough SF4 Rufus is a character that you just learned to like. The giant win quotes, the goofy moves, the fact that he was a serious contender. I don’t know, I wouldn’t be mad if he came back in 6.

We could've had that concept design and we ended up with what we have now? No way 😭

My most hated part of him is that the man is clearly a danger to himself and others, and he isn't even evil. Hes just some lunatic who will attack anyone under the assumption that they are, or potentially work for Ken. The man is clearly insane.

For the life of me, I completely fail to understand the desire to make a fighting game character disgusting and obnoxious. It has *never* worked. Strange can work. Funny can work. Rowdy can work. Evil can work. Cute can work. Disgusting and obnoxious is a one-way trip to the dustbin, every time. I mean, the way Darkstalkers flatlined practically out of the gate should've _taught_ Capcom something. This is inexcusable. Feel exactly the same way about El Fuerte. Different recipe, same inedible mush.

I actually like his theme.

King Cobra reminds me too much of Retsu, one of the original Street Fighters (or Fighting Street as it was originally called) who ironically came back as an NPC for SF6. Honestly, Rufus has a great moveset, but his mean spirit towards others (minus his girlfriend Candy) is a character killer in my opinion. His dim-witted nature was done better with Abigail, since he has kind of a solid history, and he has actual friends/crew who actually do meet as equals.

I never *liked* Rufus, but when I found out King Cobra's original design was scrapped to make him, I've hated him since.

Rufus just needs a little tweaking because his personality is just good. Not to mention he was able to learn all his skills from merely watching kung fu movies

Crazy that JWong mained him too! I love Justin, esp now, but it was before his resurgence as the vet hero. So, that may have hurt Rufus too lol 😅

I liked Rufus, thought the character was hilarious and liked his fighting style. People in the FGC need to lighten up and get a sense of humour.

Hakan was the better-realized concept for a weird Blanka-like character.

Hear me out, I could be wrong but the fact that Rufus shows up as Ken’s rival (Where Ken is set to beat Rufus) and Rufus’s rival is Dhalsim. Would it be safe to say that he supposedly lost the battle? And I think it’s so because no other cutscenes with him shows a victory or any feats completed over the games events

My issue with Rufus has nothing to do with him being fat, a terrible American stereotype, or even a clear joke character. He's overall a bad concept in terms of design and function as well as being just obnoxious. If they announce Rufus at any point in SF6, I'm just gonna dance blindfolded in the middle of traffic.

Frankly I like Rufus. But I would believe it if you said F.A.N.G was the worst

For a guy with a curvature of 360 degrees, Rufus could really move

Six years ago, as of this comment, Rufus appeared on a Countdown by greenscorpion64. It was a list of characters he hates to love. He basically said that Rufus was a joke on the worst parts of the Street Fighter community.

Rufus was a really fun player to use. You didn't have to spend 1000000 hours practicing combos. Dive kick + ultra. Boom you're good to compete.

When I still played SFIV, Rufus was my favourite to play. He was fast, had easy enough moves to pull off and I found his character hilarious. I was in early secondary school at the time, though, so that may have coloured my opinion

King Cobra's fit was given to Ken as an Alt outfit, meaning if some dedicated modders wanted to make him a reality, it'd be possible.

If you never played Dive Kick on arcade, you haven’t lived.

Eh, I don't hate Rufus, kind of think it's neat the guy was so passionate about Kung Fu that he studied it, not just in movies and books but actually went to China and studied under actual masters to become a legit Kung Fu master.

Capcom should fire whoever suggested they change from the original king cobra design

All good points, Rufus was annoying to look at, annoying to listen to, and annoying to fight against.

Most hated? On what planet? We loved Rufus!

It‘s funny that we fighting game players can say Justin and everyone knows who we are talking about

Personally I never minded Rufus. I think with some tweaking (a lot of which people in the comments are making good suggestions with), he could be perfectly likable. If they actually used the original King Cobra idea that everyone (myself included) seems to love, that would go a long way towards redeeming Rufus in people’s eyes.

Rufus (and el fuerte) need to stay gone from the series!

I think, if you had to add Rufus to SF6 the ideal way to do it would probably be leaning into the whole "Raise the Rufus" thing, spiff his design up with some shades and other fancy clothing and make him look like a bit of a party animal, maybe take some queues from the wrestler Rikishi and make him actually HAVE a bit of fun doing what he's doing instead of only being the butt of the joke. That and give him even just a SLIGHT bit more story relevance, not much he'd still be a joke character, but like ANYTHING AT ALL.

This might be a weirdly subjective things, but one of my friends mained Rufus back in the day, in large part because of his nonsensicly over the top comical abrasiveness. As far as me and the rest of my friends were concerned, Rufus was a delightfully absurd goofball for things like his nonsequitor win quotes that were often twice as long as anyone else.

I like Rufus quite a bit. I hope he comes back