Answering The Internet's Most Asked Questions About Guile from Street Fighter

Guile was one of the original characters in Street Fighter II and has since then been in almost every iteration of the game. He is a member of the US army, and his signature hairstyle has become so iconic for many Street Fighter fans. Also, his fighting style was something of a novelty at the time, as he possesses a strong defense, which makes him something of a patient fighter.

Guile counts Ken Masters as an in-law and has a close friendship with Chun-li. But, possibly his most iconic relationship is with Charlie Nash, who's tragic story is one that is generally overlooked. In this article, we want to look at some of the most common questions asked about Guile and provide answers for those who want to understand the character on a deeper level.

How old is Guile?

Guile was born on the 23rd of December 1960 in the United States of America. Therefore, Guile turns 60 later this year. Considering how powerful he is in Street Fighter V, it is safe to say that his workout routine must be doing wonders. Also, since he fights using a mix of martial arts and wrestling, you can assume that he takes good care of himself, which is probably why he still looks as fit as he does.

Is Guile a super soldier?

Yes, and no. While Guile is a normal human being, his skillset is probably beyond most of his peers. However, strictly speaking, he is a regular human being, and there has been no super serum or the likes introduced into his system. Guile was designed to appeal to an American audience and therefore has a few exaggerated qualities, including his patriotism (seen with the tattoos on his arms).

Is Guile stronger than Ryu?

Now, this is pretty tricky because there are no official ratings for the strength of characters. So, we can only speculate as to the true strength of Guile. Guile is pretty strong and can hold his own against the best fighters, but in my opinion, he should probably be seen as a B-tier character. In the live-action movie, Guile defeats Bison, but he has also lost to Juri and some other fighters that aren't particularly considered as dangerous. Speaking specifically about Ryu, it is safe to say that Guile can't defeat Ryu. This is because Ryu can tap into the power of nothingness, which requires the user to be in a state where nothing really matters. This is almost certainly impossible as Guile is a family man who also cherishes friendship. Therefore, hypothetically speaking, this would mean that Guile would be unable to muster those reserves of strength to truly fight against a character like Ryu. That said, Guile does have a fireball that could be considered faster than Ryu's hadoken...small wins, eh?

How did Guile learn the sonic boom?

There is no record of how Guile picked up his signature sonic boom, so we will have to delve into the world of speculation once again. We know that Charlie Nash can also do the sonic boom, and considering the relationship between the two, it is safe to assume that Guile learned the move from his friend and mentor. As for how he pulls it off, again, we will have to speculate. But, from the connotations of the name, you could say it requires the user to move their hands with such speed that they manipulate the air currents and deploy sharp air currents called a sonic boom. Noticeably, Charlie can do his one-handed while Guile needs both hands to pull off the move. That said, Guile is probably the better user of the move, seeing as he has different special moves based on the projectile, including 'sonic hurricane' and 'sonic explosion.'

What rank is Guile?

Guile is a member of the United States Air Force, and the planes that typically dominate his stages in the game show this pretty clearly. As for his exact rank, his official wiki says he is a Major in the Air Force. There has been speculation that his rank might have changed at some point, but as far as we know, Guile is a Major.

Why was Guile the main character in the live-action movie?

If anyone remembers the godawful 1994 movie for Street Fighter, they'll remember that Guile was the protagonist of that movie rather than Ryu. According to this quora response, it was presumably to sell a tonne of toys. Considering how influential the GI Joe toys were back in the day, it is understandable that by making the Street Fighter narrative about a group of good guys fighting an oppressive dictator, it might be more appealing to little kids to buy toys. Another theory (a bit more personal) is that since it was ostensibly an American movie (both the director and producer are American), it might have seemed odd that a Japanese character takes the spotlight. This decision would most likely have gotten a lot of criticism now, but it was in line with the movies of the time, which had a lot of American protagonists and antagonists from other countries.

Why is Guile's theme so awesome?

I do not know. But, I can say with certainty that most people love the Guile theme song. In fact, it is so good that in Street Fighter V, there are two versions of the song. The grandness of the music for Guile's stage was quite impressive, and I was enamored with it from a young age. In Street Fighter II, the only theme that came close was that of Balrog.

Who composed Guile's theme?

This is a lot easier to answer. Yoko Shimomura is the woman behind many of the iconic songs from Street Fighter, including that of Guile's stage. Music was an integral part of video game design back in the day, which is probably why the music from that era is still considered as the best. The music for Guile was iconic and represented the fighter to the T. It sounded bombastic, patriotic, and very American— all hallmarks of Guile. Shimomura has also worked on Final Fantasy and Final Fight.

Who is Guile based on?

While Guile is as all American as they come, it is possible that the inspiration for his design came from a very Japanese source. Jojo's Bizzare Adventure is a very popular manga created by Hirohiko Araki and is well-known for its weird character designs. One of Araki's characters, Rudol von Stroheim, looks remarkably like Guile, and it is believed that since the manga character precedes Guile, there might have been some inspiration there.

So, here's hoping that this gives you some clarity on the legendary Street Fighter character. And, here's hoping we enjoy a continuation of his story in Street Fighter VI.