Zangief
From Capcom Database Wiki
| Zangief | |
|---|---|
 Zangief, as he appears in Street Fighter Alpha 3. Art by Bengus. | |
| Profile | |
| Full Name | Zangief |
| Birthdate | June 1, 1956 |
| Birthplace | Russia (Soviet Union) |
| Height | 214cm (7') |
| Weight | 158kg (350 lbs) |
| Blood Type | A |
| Likes | Wrestling, Cossack dance |
| Dislikes | Projectiles |
| Measurements (Bust, Waist, Hip) | 163cm (64"), 128cm (50"), 150cm (59") |
| Fighting Style | Pro wrestling, sambo |
Zangief is a character from Capcom's popular Street Fighter series. Zangief is revolutionary in the fact that his appearance in Street Fighter II marks the first time a player could control a predominant grappler in a fighting game. He also was the first "360 degrees" fighter, whose main special move, named the Spinning Piledriver, required spinning the joystick nearly 360 degrees and pressing a punch button. The timing of this move is tricky, as Zangief will simply jump if the stick is tilted upwards for too long, and often it has to be chained with another attack to get it to work properly. Mastering this maneuver would eventually pay off since, in the first few versions of Street Fighter II, the Spinning Piledriver is the most powerful move in the game for any character.
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[edit] History
Zangief made his first appearance in Street Fighter II as one of the original eight playable characters, appearing in all subsequent revisions of the game as well. In the Street Fighter II games, Zangief was characterized as a former professional wrestler who participated in the tournament to represent his country under the request of the Soviet President.
Zangief would return in Street Fighter Alpha 2 and its follow-up Street Fighter Alpha 3. In the Alpha series, Zangief is a national Russian hero nicknamed the "Red Cyclone" who becomes acquainted with Gorbachev at the end of Alpha 2 and ends up fighting Shadaloo in Alpha 3.
Zangief has also appeared in all of Capcom's fighting game crossovers with Marvel, which includes X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom and Marvel vs. Capcom 2. In the Marvel vs. Street Fighter game, an alternate version Zangief named "Mecha-Zangief" appears. Zangief also appears in Capcom vs. SNK, as well as in the Street Fighter EX games. He appears in Street Fighter IV as the only implied winner of the World Tournament.
[edit] Abilities
- Lariat - Using his great weight and proportions, Zangief spins around like a top with his fists extended in either direction. He strikes any opponent who gets in the way of his fists. In Champion Edition, Zangief gains the ability to move left or right while spinning. Beginning in Street Fighter II Turbo, he also gains the ability to control the focus of his spin, making either his upper body or lower body invulnerable to attacks or projectiles. It also lets him move past projectiles.
- Screw Piledriver - A devastating move in which Zangief lifts his opponent off the ground, puts them in a piledriving position, and leaps off the ground in a spinning motion. The move ends with Zangief piledriving the opponent into the ground for tremendous damage.
- Flying Power Bomb - Zangief gains two new attacks in Super Street Fighter II that perform differently based on how close he is to his opponent when attempting them. When Zangief executes this move, he runs forward at the opponent. If he makes contact, he grabs them and leaps into the air, slamming them down into the ground in a power bomb position. Zangief is vulnerable to attack while running at the opponent, and will end up confused if the opponent moves out of the way.
- Atomic Suplex - When attempting the Flying Power Bomb close to the opponent, Zangief is able to perform two Suplexes with a small jump in between each one. He is far less likely to miss with this attack, but it does less damage.
- Banishing Flat - By Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Zangief was in need of a way to protect projectile attacks which he had a hard time avoiding because of his great size. He gained the Banishing Flat move, where he side steps a projectile while holding his hand out. His hand turns green to indicate that he can cancel the projectile out, while at the same time, getting closer to the opponent for a counter attack.
- Final Atomic Buster - In this tremendously damaging Super Move, Zangief rushes to grab the opponent. If he connects, he picks them up and performs a German Suplex on them before setting them back up for a very high Spinning Piledriver. Like all of Zangief's throws, this move is unblockable.
[edit] Notes
In Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, Zangief appears very briefly during a brutal battle against Blanka to entertain an audience of crime bosses. He is last seen being electrocuted by him.
Mike Haggar from the Final Fight series is similar to him. The Brawler Pack downloadable content for Street Fighter IV includes alternate costumes, one of which is Haggar's outfit.
[edit] Gallery
 Street Fighter II |
 Street Fighter II |
 Street Fighter II by Shoei |
 Screw Piledriver from Street Fighter II |
 Street Fighter II Turbo |
 Super Street Fighter II by Bengus |
 Super Street Fighter II |
 Super Street Fighter II Turbo |
 X-Men vs. Street Fighter |
 Street Fighter Alpha 2 |
 Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter |
 Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes |
 Super Gem Fighter: Mini Mix by Edayan |
 Super Gem Fighter: Mini Mix |
 Street Fighter Alpha 3 |
 Street Fighter EX |
 Street Fighter EX2 |
 Capcom vs. SNK by Shinkiro |
 Street Fighter EX3 |
 Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes |
 Capcom vs. SNK 2 |
 Capcom vs. SNK 2 |
 Capcom Fighting Evolution |
 Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX |
 Street Fighter IV |
 Street Fighter IV |
 Street Fighter IV |
 Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes by Joe Vriens |
