30 Day Blogging Challenge: Day 2 – Your Favorite Character

What can be considered a cliche type topic, it’s expected that most gamers would select one of the more famous names as their favorite character. I mean, why wouldn’t someone pick Mario, Sonic, Nathan Drake or Leon Kennedy as their most favorite character? The games that they are featured in are widely celebrated titles from a majority of players around the world. While I have a thorough appreciation for each of the characters listed (except maybe Sonic….those games get worse and worse with each succeeding release) there’s one character out there that I can’t help but to think is the best. Partially because he’s never been the best, and most likely will never will be, but he’ll always be that shining beacon of blasphemy to most gamers. While there’s not a whole lot of appreciation for him, I can safely say that he’s number one to me:

Dan Hibiki. What more can you say about this guy? Forever labeled as a joke character in the Street Fighter series, Dan was conceived basically as a rib towards a couple of SNK fighting game characters. His style is a mix between the typical Ryu/Ken/Akuma from the Street Fighter series, as well as Ryo from the King of Fighters/Art of Fighting series, but with an emphasis on each move being completely limp. Dan can hurl fireballs with one hand, but they barely go 1/3 of the screen on a fierce toss. His dragon punch move has only a 10% chance or so of being invulnerable at start uo, whereas Ryu, Ken and Akuma are always invulnerable on start up. His super fireball still doesn’t reach full screen, while his super dragon punch is almost completely immobile. The only thing that Dan excels at, is something that doesn’t even help him out during combat – taunting.

No other character has the stylish taunts that Dan has. No one in any game has a character show so much charisma, blinded confidance and unadulterated cookiness as Dan does when he goes on a taunting tyrade. Initially he was the only fighter that was able to taunt more than once a round, as well as having the ability to perform a taunt in mid air, as well as ducking. His taunting expertise was so vast that he even had a super taunt which, up until the Street Fighter IV series, had no solid use other than showing off and inviting a counterattack while the taunt tyrade was going on. Wit the Street Fighter IV series, a super caunt can be cancelled into an Ultra, though it;s completely situational. On top of that, the number of taunts expanded, as well as the crude, over-the-top nature of each taunt.

There really aren’t that many people out there that would peg Dan as their favorite character. He tries too hard to the point that it seems like he’s not even trying. He takes himself seriously, though he gives no reason for anyone to take him seriously. He’s always the ultimate underdog, though no one wants to to join him in his nourney from zero to hero. He begs for attention, but no one will give it to him, unless it’s negative. There really isn’t any other gaming character like Dan. This might be a positive thing to most, but I appreciate the parody characters that seem to be a parody of a parody. Plus, he’s got one of the more funky, memorable stage themes out there: