Street Fighter II/Guile

For more information about Guile, please see his Street Fighter Alpha entry.

Although Guile's role in the Street Fighter story is minimal, he is considered the third leading male character in the series, after Ryu and Ken, largely due to his effectiveness as a character and his popularity. Guile is the first of many characters to introduce the "charge" gameplay style, in that a player must hold in a direction for a few seconds and press in the other afterwards to pull off a special move. This type of gameplay makes Guile a defensive character.  Guile wears Charlie's dog tag alongside his own, as he searches for M. Bison.

Early Street Fighter II sketches and notes suggest that Guile was developed specifically to appeal to American fans. His physical appearance is strikingly different from the many Asian characters in the Street Fighter series, with light blue eyes, a chiseled jaw, and a particularly tall flattop haircut. Capcom sourcebooks suggest that Guile's famous hairdo is styled with a special-order army hair spray to keep it up (though he ends up fixing it quickly after a match).

Another way Guile's image differs from the Asian combatants in the series is his Flag of the United States tattoos. Currently, he has one on each deltoid, which is a retcon from the initial one he had in Street Fighter II artwork (due to sprites in most videogames being forced to be symmetrical). Finally, Guile's Army fatigues complete his all-American look. The image of the uniformed American soldier is well-known in Japan due to the number of United States Armed Forces bases present in that country.

Background
Holding Bison responsible for the death of his best friend, Guile seemingly dedicates his whole life to exact revenge on Bison, who had by then somehow survived the explosion. A court case against the Shadaloo dictator failed when Bison bribed all the judges to let him go free. Bison by this time wanted revenge on Guile, Chun-Li, and many other people who had hindered his syndicate's efforts. To this end, he set up the second World Warrior tournament to trap them.

When Guile was a Lieutenant in the United States Air Force, he befriended his superior officer, Charlie and asked Charlie to teach him his unique form of fighting, which Charlie agreed to do. Guile learned the style, but his hot temper caused him to be not as proficient in the moves as Charlie was (shown in how Charlie can shoot sonic booms with just one hand and Guile needs both).

Although the circumstances on how Guile approached Bison is sketchy, he managed to corner Bison and asked him if he remembered him or his friend Charlie. While Guile threatens the defeated Bison with the intent to kill him, he is stopped.

Guile's wife Julie, and daughter Amy, appear and urge him not to kill the psychotic dictator, claiming that such behavior could destroy him. They tell him that the past is in the past and that he doesn't have to give up his life of revenge. Realizing they are correct, he abandons his pursuit of Bison and retires happily to be with his family. Also, Julia and Eliza are actually sisters, making Ken and Guile brothers-in-law. However, this is not often discussed because Guile does not think very highly of Ken, believing him to be a spoiled rich kid.