Gratitude #41: Super Street Fighter IV: Theme of Dudley

Let’s dedicate this one to one of the classiest characters in videogames.

There’s just something about the gentlemanly boxer trope that’s executed all too perfectly in Dudley’s design, voice-acting and gameplay. He’s one of those characters who seems to stand on his own equally as much as he compliments the series he’s from. I adore his special moves and quips, the over-the-top taunts, and the way he drinks tea with his boxing gloves still on – to say nothing of his phenomenal animations in both Street Fighter III and IV that make him stand out a mile from the rest. It also can’t be understated how, in a game where each character has three ‘punch’ buttons and three ‘kick’ buttons, Dudley sticks to his art by using just his fists. I think the mechanical tidbits like that help elevate the character that much higher – as does his rivalry with Balrog, who while having the same mechanical ‘handicap’, is the polar opposite of a dignified and gentlemanly boxer.

I’m partial to Dudley’s Street Fighter IV iteration, since that is the game which introduced me to him as a character. His theme song being a mellow electronic dance song isn’t what most people would assume it to be, but this many years later, it feels like a clean progression from his original stage theme. Much of Street Fighter IV‘s soundtrack was phenomenal, with Guile, Balrog and Vega (claw)’s themes being among my favorites.