Sagat (Street Fighter)
Encyclopedia
is a boss
character from the early editions of Capcom
's Street Fighter fighting game series. He was later turned into a regular, playable character
. Sagat is depicted as a well-renowned Muay Thai expert fighter known for his incredible power. He is often called the "Emperor of Muay Thai" in his home country.
. After the player defeats the eight initial opponents, their character Ryu
(or Ken on Player 2's side) is taken to Thailand
to face the final two opponents: Adon, Sagat's apprentice, and Sagat himself. After being defeated, he tells the player that he or she is the "strongest Street Fighter in the world".
His next appearance was in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior
, where he appears as one of the four Grand Masters, being the third CPU-controlled boss
in the single player mode before M. Bison
. He appears in this game with a scar across his chest that he received from Ryu as a result of his loss in the first game. Like the other bosses, he became a playable character in the subsequent revisions of the game beginning with Street Fighter II': Champion Edition.
He appears in the prequel series Street Fighter Alpha. In addition to fleshing out his rivalry with Ryu, a rivalry with his former apprentice Adon is introduced as well, and Dan, a character whose father was killed by Sagat years before, is introduced. It was also revealed that Sagat lost his eye while fighting Dan's father. The Alpha series also show him to become part of M. Bison's criminal organization Shadaloo, but leaves in Street Fighter Alpha 3
after he discovers that Bison had wanted to experiment his Psycho Power against Ryu. Sagat is an unlockable character in Street Fighter EX3
, where his story has his resentment for Ryu fading. He returns in Street Fighter IV
once again as a playable character with the animosity in his feud with Ryu no longer there and even referring to him in his ending as a "friend".
In the Street Fighter II series, Sagat's in-game sprite
does not display the highly muscular build of the Street Fighter Alpha series, although even at that time he had been consistently portrayed so in his Super Street Fighter II Turbo ending, and other Capcom artworks. Later on, the game graphics developed to match those of the comics.
Sagat wears an eyepatch
over his severely damaged right eye, though the lack of depth perception
and loss of peripheral vision
do not seriously hamper his ability as a powerful fighter. Sagat lost his eye due to a fight with Go Hibiki, the father of Dan Hibiki
, in the same fight in which Sagat killed Go.
The massive scar
on his chest is a constant reminder of Ryu's victory. Sagat makes no attempt to conceal the disfigurement, and in fact draws power from the hateful memory it invokes; in Capcom vs. SNK 2
, Sagat's scar glows while he charges energy for his S-Groove super meter.
Sagat wears traditional Muay Thai
kickboxing
shorts (which have the word "Tiger" printed on the waistband) and classic wraps. The trunks have colors varying from purple with yellow trim in the original Street Fighter, to blue with red trim in Street Fighter II and to blue with yellow trim in Street Fighter Alpha. He wears tape around his hands and feet to protect his knuckles and shins.
. In SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom
, Sagat was voiced by Kōji Suizu. In Street Fighter IV
, Daisuke Endou provides his Japanese voice.
ranked Sagat at number eleven in their "Top 25 Street Fighter Characters" article, noting him as one of the few characters in the original Street Fighter and adding "The shaved head, the scarred chest, and most of all the eyepatch, they come together to make a guy who means business." Gamespy
named him one of the "25 Extremely Rough Brawlers" in video gaming with comments focused on his appearance. GameDaily
listed him at number eight on their "Top 20 Street Fighter Characters of All Time" article, citing his role as the first boss in the series and praising his appearance. Sagat also ranked at No. 22 in the list of Best Characters of 1991 from the February 1992 issue of Gamest magazine in Japan. UGO Networks listed him eleventh in their article of best scarred character as the scar symbolizes Sagat's defeat at the hands of Ryu and his desire to continue fighting. UGO also placed him at #1 on their list of "Top 50 Street Fighter Characters", stating "Sagat is arguably the strongest fighter in the series and an important part of the overarching storyline of the series.". In a humor article by GameSpy, Sagat was labelled as an overpowered character in his Street Fighter II incarnation. Similarly, his Street Fighter IV received similar complaints to the point of being compared with the game boss, Seth. In response to this, Ryota Niitsuma, assistant producer of the arcade version of the game, admitted that the two ended up being overpowered, but players could stil defeat them without too many difficulites.
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
character from the early editions of Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
's Street Fighter fighting game series. He was later turned into a regular, playable character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
. Sagat is depicted as a well-renowned Muay Thai expert fighter known for his incredible power. He is often called the "Emperor of Muay Thai" in his home country.
History
Sagat made his first appearance in the original Street FighterStreet Fighter (video game)
is a 1987 arcade game developed by Capcom. It is the first competitive fighting game produced by the company and the inaugural game in the Street Fighter series...
. After the player defeats the eight initial opponents, their character Ryu
Ryu (Street Fighter)
is a video game player character created by Capcom, the main protagonist of the Street Fighter series. Having premiered in the first Street Fighter in 1987, Ryu appears as the lead character from the game along with his best friend Ken Masters participating in the Street Fighter tournament...
(or Ken on Player 2's side) is taken to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
to face the final two opponents: Adon, Sagat's apprentice, and Sagat himself. After being defeated, he tells the player that he or she is the "strongest Street Fighter in the world".
His next appearance was in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior
Street Fighter II
is a competitive fighting game originally released for the arcades in . It is the arcade sequel to the original Street Fighter released in and was Capcom's fourteenth title that ran on the CP System arcade hardware...
, where he appears as one of the four Grand Masters, being the third CPU-controlled boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
in the single player mode before M. Bison
M. Bison
M. Bison, known in Japan as Vega, is a video game character created by Capcom. First introduced in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, he is a recurring character in the Street Fighter series of fighting games, acting as the final boss and primary antagonist of the Street Fighter II and Street...
. He appears in this game with a scar across his chest that he received from Ryu as a result of his loss in the first game. Like the other bosses, he became a playable character in the subsequent revisions of the game beginning with Street Fighter II': Champion Edition.
He appears in the prequel series Street Fighter Alpha. In addition to fleshing out his rivalry with Ryu, a rivalry with his former apprentice Adon is introduced as well, and Dan, a character whose father was killed by Sagat years before, is introduced. It was also revealed that Sagat lost his eye while fighting Dan's father. The Alpha series also show him to become part of M. Bison's criminal organization Shadaloo, but leaves in Street Fighter Alpha 3
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Street Fighter Alpha 3, known as in Japan and Asia, is a fighting game by Capcom originally released for the CPS II arcade hardware. It is the third game in the Street Fighter Alpha series, following Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams and Street Fighter Alpha 2...
after he discovers that Bison had wanted to experiment his Psycho Power against Ryu. Sagat is an unlockable character in Street Fighter EX3
Street Fighter EX3
Street Fighter EX3 is the third console installment in the Street Fighter EX series developed by Arika and published by Capcom. The game was released in 2000 for PlayStation 2 in Japan and North America, and subsequently released in Europe in 2001....
, where his story has his resentment for Ryu fading. He returns in Street Fighter IV
Street Fighter IV
is a fighting game produced by Capcom. It is the first numbered Street Fighter game released by Capcom since . The coin-operated arcade game was released in Japan on July 18, 2008, with North American arcades importing the machines by August...
once again as a playable character with the animosity in his feud with Ryu no longer there and even referring to him in his ending as a "friend".
Characteristics
Sagat is very tall at 7'4" (224cm), two heads taller than Ryu in Street Fighter, a trait he uses to his advantage in his long-reaching attacks. He possesses a hulking, muscular build. His hands are massive enough to close around the entire head of many of his opponents. He is depicted as bald.In the Street Fighter II series, Sagat's in-game sprite
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
does not display the highly muscular build of the Street Fighter Alpha series, although even at that time he had been consistently portrayed so in his Super Street Fighter II Turbo ending, and other Capcom artworks. Later on, the game graphics developed to match those of the comics.
Sagat wears an eyepatch
Eyepatch
An eyepatch or eye pad is a small patch that is worn in front of one eye. It may be a cloth patch attached around the head by an elastic band or by a string, or an adhesive bandage. It is often worn by people to cover a lost or injured eye, but it also has a therapeutic use in children for the...
over his severely damaged right eye, though the lack of depth perception
Depth perception
Depth perception is the visual ability to perceive the world in three dimensions and the distance of an object. Depth sensation is the ability to move accurately, or to respond consistently, based on the distances of objects in an environment....
and loss of peripheral vision
Peripheral vision
Peripheral vision is a part of vision that occurs outside the very center of gaze. There is a broad set of non-central points in the field of view that is included in the notion of peripheral vision...
do not seriously hamper his ability as a powerful fighter. Sagat lost his eye due to a fight with Go Hibiki, the father of Dan Hibiki
Dan Hibiki
is a video game character from Capcom's Street Fighter series of fighting games. Introduced in Street Fighter Alpha, Dan is consistently portrayed as an arrogant, overconfident, yet utterly feeble character.-Concept and creation:...
, in the same fight in which Sagat killed Go.
The massive scar
Scar
Scars are areas of fibrous tissue that replace normal skin after injury. A scar results from the biological process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a natural part of the healing process. With the exception of very minor lesions, every wound results in...
on his chest is a constant reminder of Ryu's victory. Sagat makes no attempt to conceal the disfigurement, and in fact draws power from the hateful memory it invokes; in Capcom vs. SNK 2
SNK vs. series
The SNK vs. Capcom series is a collection of video games by either Capcom or SNK featuring characters that appear in games created by both companies. The "vs. series" terminology originates from the fact that many of these games are fighting games.As a rule, games in this series either contain...
, Sagat's scar glows while he charges energy for his S-Groove super meter.
Sagat wears traditional Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
kickboxing
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
shorts (which have the word "Tiger" printed on the waistband) and classic wraps. The trunks have colors varying from purple with yellow trim in the original Street Fighter, to blue with red trim in Street Fighter II and to blue with yellow trim in Street Fighter Alpha. He wears tape around his hands and feet to protect his knuckles and shins.
Actors
In Street Fighter Alpha series and Capcom vs SNK series, Sagat has been voiced by Shinichirō MikiShinichiro Miki
is a Japanese voice actor. He is a member of 81 Produce.Miki is most known for the roles of Kojiro , Takumi Fujiwara , Kisuke Urahara , Akira Yuki , Lockon Stratos , and Roy Mustang .According to the Anime News Network, as of Spring 2007, Miki is...
. In SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom
SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom
is a competitive fighting game produced by Playmore for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. The game is a crossover featuring characters from SNKs and Capcoms respective fighting game properties such as The King of Fighters, Samurai Shodown, Street Fighter, and Darkstalkers...
, Sagat was voiced by Kōji Suizu. In Street Fighter IV
Street Fighter IV
is a fighting game produced by Capcom. It is the first numbered Street Fighter game released by Capcom since . The coin-operated arcade game was released in Japan on July 18, 2008, with North American arcades importing the machines by August...
, Daisuke Endou provides his Japanese voice.
In other media
- In the Japanese animatedAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
film Street Fighter II: The Animated MovieStreet Fighter II: The Animated MovieStreet Fighter II: The Animated Movie, known as in Japan and Australia, is a 1994 Japanese animated film adaptation of the Street Fighter II fighting games written by Kenichi Imai, directed by Gisaburō Sugii and animated by Group TAC. The film, originally released in Japan on August 8, 1994, has...
, Sagat appears in the opening scene fighting against Ryu during a thunderstorm, receiving his iconic chest wound at the climax of the fight. The battle takes place at a grassGrassGrasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
field during a stormy night, a scenery which was remade as a stage in Street Fighter Alpha 2Street Fighter Alpha 2Street Fighter Alpha 2, known as in Japan, Asia and South America, is a fighting game originally released for the CPS II arcade hardware by Capcom. The game is both a sequel and a remake to the previous years Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams, which is itself a prequel to the Street Fighter...
for Sagats final match in the single-player mode against Ryu. Afterwards, he is seen working for Bison. He was voiced by Shigezo SasaokaShigezo Sasaoka, real name , was a seiyū born in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. After his death, Ryūzaburō Ōtomo took over all of his ongoing roles.-TV:*Akū Daisakusen Srungle *Attacker YOU! *Blue Comet SPT Layzner...
in Japanese and Peter SpellosPeter SpellosPeter Spellos is a voice actor who is also known as G. Gordon Baer, Gordon Baer, G. Gordon Bear, David Conrad, and Orville Ketchum.-Anime:* Black Jack - Mr. Brane* Bleach - Koganehiko, Dordonii...
(as David Conrad) in English.
- In the live-action film version of Street FighterStreet Fighter (film)Street Fighter is a 1994 American action film written and directed by Steven E. de Souza. It is based loosely on the same-titled video games produced by Capcom, and stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Raul Julia, along with supporting performances by Byron Mann, Damian Chapa, Kylie Minogue, Ming-Na...
, Sagat was portrayed by Native AmericanNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
actor Wes StudiWes StudiWesley "Wes" Studi is a Cherokee actor, who has earned notability for his portrayal of Native Americans in film. He has appeared in well-received Academy Award-winning films, such as Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves, Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans, the award-winning Geronimo: An...
. He was given the full name of Victor Sagat and is depicted in the film as a black market arms dealer that runs the Shadaloo TongTong (organization)The word tong means "hall" or "gathering place". In North America a tong is a type of organization found among Chinese living in the United States and Canada. These organizations are described as secret societies or sworn brotherhoods and are often tied to criminal activity...
and gets conned by Ryu and Ken. He is also depicted with his eye patch over his left eye, instead of his right. In this version, he was a former cagefighter who went by the Iron Fist before retiring. In the film's climax, he is defeated by Ken. In the video game versions of Street Fighter: The Movie for the arcadeStreet Fighter: The Movie (arcade game)Street Fighter: The Movie is a head-to-head fighting game released as a coin-operated arcade game. The game is based on the 1994 live-action Street Fighter movie and uses digitized images of the films cast posing as the characters in the game...
and home consolesStreet Fighter: The Movie (home video game)Street Fighter: The Movie, released in Japan as , is a head-to-head fighting game released for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. The game is based on the 1994 live-action Street Fighter movie and uses digitized images of the films cast posing as the characters in the game...
, the film version of Sagat is a selectable character, where he wears yellow boxing trunks and lacks his chest scar.
- In the American animated TV series Street FighterStreet Fighter (TV series)Street Fighter is an American animated series produced by InVision Entertainment based on the Street Fighter live action movie, which was in turn based on the Street Fighter video game franchise. The series aired as part of the USA Network's Cartoon Express and Action Extreme Team lineups...
, which combined plot elements of the game and the live-action movie mentioned above, he is depicted as Bison's second in command. Once again, he is given the full name of Victor Sagat.
- In the Japanese Street Fighter II VStreet Fighter II V, is an anime series based on the fighting game Street Fighter II. Directed by Gisaburo Sugii , the series first aired in Japan in 1995, from April 10 to November 27, on YTV...
animated series, Sagat is a former Muay Thai champion who was falsely incriminated by a drug ring known as the Ashura. He encounters Ryu after he is imprisoned in the same jail as a result of a frame-up by the same gang. They start off as rivals, but eventually develop a mutual respect for each other and team up against the prison's corrupt warden. The Sagat in this series lacks the eye-patch and scar from his video game counterpart. He also has a darker skin tone and wears a Mong KonMong KonMongkhon is a type of headgear worn by Muay Thai athletes. The mongkhon was given after the trainer saw that the student had become an experienced fighter and learned a great deal of knowledge about Muay Thai. Mongkhon was never to be, in any way, close to the ground or else it would lose its...
on his head. This version is not antagonistic and is not affiliated with Shadaloo as opposed to other versions.
- Sagat's name is mentioned in "Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation".
- In ImaginationlandImaginationland"Imaginationland" is a three-part episode of the American animated television series South Park.*Episode I*Episode II*Episode III...
, an Emmy-winning South ParkSouth ParkSouth Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
episode, a representation of the character is included in a shot along side other noted imaginary villains, including the fellow Street Fighter antagonist AkumaAkuma (Street Fighter)Akuma known in Japan as , is a video game character from the Street Fighter series of fighting games. Akuma made his debut in Super Street Fighter II Turbo as a secret character and hidden boss. In the storyline of the Street Fighter video games, he is the younger brother of Gouken, Ryu and Ken's...
.
- Sagat has been confirmed to be a playable character in Street Fighter X TekkenStreet Fighter X Tekkenis an upcoming crossover fighting game being developed by Capcom. The game was announced at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International by Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono. The game is set to release on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation Vita sometime in March 2012. The game...
. - While not appearing in the Capcom video game Resident evil 5Resident Evil 5Resident Evil 5, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. The game is the seventh installment in the Resident Evil survival horror series, and was released on March 5, 2009 in Japan and on March 13, 2009 in North America and Europe...
His signature move the Tiger uppercut appears as a melee attack for Albert Wesker in The Mercenaries mini-game.
Critical reception
IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
ranked Sagat at number eleven in their "Top 25 Street Fighter Characters" article, noting him as one of the few characters in the original Street Fighter and adding "The shaved head, the scarred chest, and most of all the eyepatch, they come together to make a guy who means business." Gamespy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
named him one of the "25 Extremely Rough Brawlers" in video gaming with comments focused on his appearance. GameDaily
GameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
listed him at number eight on their "Top 20 Street Fighter Characters of All Time" article, citing his role as the first boss in the series and praising his appearance. Sagat also ranked at No. 22 in the list of Best Characters of 1991 from the February 1992 issue of Gamest magazine in Japan. UGO Networks listed him eleventh in their article of best scarred character as the scar symbolizes Sagat's defeat at the hands of Ryu and his desire to continue fighting. UGO also placed him at #1 on their list of "Top 50 Street Fighter Characters", stating "Sagat is arguably the strongest fighter in the series and an important part of the overarching storyline of the series.". In a humor article by GameSpy, Sagat was labelled as an overpowered character in his Street Fighter II incarnation. Similarly, his Street Fighter IV received similar complaints to the point of being compared with the game boss, Seth. In response to this, Ryota Niitsuma, assistant producer of the arcade version of the game, admitted that the two ended up being overpowered, but players could stil defeat them without too many difficulites.