Conception and Development
In Japan, the character of Balrog is named M. Bison, with the letter being an initial for "Mike", and is intended as a parody of real-life boxer Mike Tyson. However, when the game was to be ported for worldwide audiences, under the suggestion that the character's name and likeness resembled Tyson to the point of infringement, the developers rotated the names of three of the boss characters for the English localization. As they felt the name Vega was better suited for the androgynous bullfighter, they gave him the character's previous name, Balrog, and changed the name of the game's final boss to M. Bison. In Street Fighter Alpha 3, Balrog tells some of his defeated opponents that he's going to "bite ear off", a reference to Tyson's infamous "Bite Fight" with Evander Holyfield. Although usually removed when these illustrations are published outside Japan, some character illustrations feature his Japanese name, "Bison" on the waistband of his trunks. In Street Fighter IV, the waistband now reads "Champion". At 6' 5" (195 cm), Balrog was one of the tallest fighters in Street Fighter beside Zangief, Sagat and Hugo.
A character named Mike, who was also an African-American boxer, appears in the original Street Fighter. Although recognized as a separate character, Mike is considered to be a prototype of Balrog due to their similar names (when one considers Balrog's Japanese name of Mike Bison) and backstories.
Read more about this topic: Balrog (Street Fighter)
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