What's in a name? Apparently a lot, when it comes to Street Fighter
games. The names of three of the four grand masters are different between the
Japanese and American versions of Street Fighter 2. It all stems from a joke
that could have turned into a U.S. lawsuit.
In Street Fighter one, there was a out-of-luck boxer named Mike. When it came time to make Street Fighter 2, the creaters
took this character and turned him into Mike Bison, an obvious parody of Mike
Tyson . M.Bison, as he would be called, looked similar to Tyson. They then
created Balrog (the Spanish ninja), and Vega (the boss of Shadowlaw). When it
came time to release the game in the U.S., it was realized that Tyson could
possibly sue them, so they switched the Grand Masters'names around. The main
boss became M(aster) Bison, the ninja was named
Vega, and the controversial boxer was called Balrog. Capcom was never sued, and "Balrog's" appearance
became less like Tyson's as the series went on. That is why the character
Mike is considered a different character than the Street Fighter 2 boxer.
