Mike Haggar

Haggar in Capcom Fighting All-Stars
Series	Final Fight series Muscle Bomber series
First game	Final Fight
Designed by	Akiman (Final Fight), Aya Takemura (Namco X Capcom)
Voiced by	Tessho Genda (Namco x Capcom)
Information
Birthplace	Manhattan, New York[1](September 3, 1943[2])
Blood type	O
Fighting style	Professional Wrestling

Mike Haggar (マイク・ハガー, Maiku Hagā^?), also known simply as Haggar, is a fictional character in the Final Fight series of video games. Haggar first appeared in Final Fight and its subsequent sequels, later appearing in the Saturday Night Slam Masters series of video games and various other video game appearances. In Japanese was voiced by Tessho Genda in Namco x Capcom; in English, despite having spoken dialogue in Final Fight Streetwise, no voice actor was attributed to the character.

Contents 1 Design 2 In video games 2.1 In other media 3 Critical reception 4 References 5 Bibliography

[edit] Design

This section requires expansion.

[edit] In video games

Introduced as one of three playable characters in the Capcom game Final Fight, Haggar is a former professional wrestler turned mayor of Metro City, which is plagued by the Mad Gear gang. Refusing to accept their bribe, they kidnap his daughter Jessica. Haggar recruits the help of Jessica's boyfriend Cody and mutual friend Guy to rescue her. Haggar later appeared in the sequel games, fighting a revived Mad Gear in Final Fight 2 in order to rescue Guy's girlfriend and sensei, and fighting against the Skull Cross gang in Final Fight 3. He also appears in related titles such as Final Fight Revenge, fighting in search of his missing daughter, and Mighty Final Fight, a parody of the original Final Fight. Haggar also appears in Final Fight Streetwise, as a retired mayor in charge of a boat repair shop and training gym, offering assistance to Cody's brother Kyle. While not playable in the game's story mode, he can be recruited as a temporary computer controlled ally and is playable in the game's arcade mode.

Beyond the Final Fight series, Haggar appears as a playable character in Saturday Night Slam Masters and its sequel.^[3] He was also intended to appear in the canceled fighting game Capcom Fighting All-Stars as a selectable character, reprising his role as mayor to save Metro City from a bomb attack.^[4] He also appears as one of several playable characters in the crossover game Namco × Capcom, and as a character card in each of the SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash titles.

Haggar has also made several cameo appearances such as in Alex's ending sequence for Capcom Fighting Evolution;^[5] in backgrounds of Guy's Final Fight-inspired stages in the Street Fighter Alpha 2 and Street Fighter Alpha 3; Chun-Li's background in Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo; and with Zangief wearing his clothing as an alternate outfit in Street Fighter IV.

[edit] In other media

Haggar appears in the American Street Fighter cartoon episode "Final Fight". While the plot followed that of the game, in the episode Haggar was unable to act against the Mad Gear gang due to them holding his daughter hostage, and instead recruited the help of Ryu and Ken to rescue her. He reappears at the conclusion to be reunited with his daughter shortly before Mad Gear's defeat. Haggar also appears as a Mayor in the online flash cartoons Weebl and Bob's Team Laser Explosion.

[edit] Critical reception

Noted as the star of the Final Fight series,^[6] Haggar has been described as both iconic and one of the most unforgettable characters in gaming history.^[7][8][9] Haggar was named by Gamest magazine the best video game character of 1990, placing first in their top fifty characters list and appearing on the issue's cover,^[10] and later named the forty-fifth best character of 1993.^[10] In 2006, he was cited by Retro Gamer as one of the heroes of classic video gaming.^[11] In August 2009, GamesTM featured him in their "Hall of Fame", describing his character background as "wonderfully layered", with his aspects of being a father, a hard-working mayor, and former wrestler giving him "a sense of humanity" and "instantly memorable". They went on to state that without the character, the Final Fight series would not be as notable, calling Haggar "integral to its charm".^[12]

Haggar has been called one of the best and most enjoyable characters to use in the Final Fight series by reviewers of the titles,^[13][14] and GamesRadar described him as "arguably the most beloved character to come out of the Final Fight series".^[15] He ranked third in Electronic Gaming Monthly’s list of the top ten video game politicians, in which he was compared directly to former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura.^[16] In another article, they praised the character's behavior and actions in Final Fight, citing him as their favorite aspect of Capcom Classics Collection and stating "You'd have to be a damn communist not to vote for this guy".^[17] IGN listed him as a character they hoped to see as an unlockable character in home ports of Street Fighter IV, noting his fighting style as "a perfect fit" for the title;^[18] they later named him one of their favorite wrestlers in video games.^[19] Gamespy named him one of the "25 Extremely Rough Brawlers" in video gaming, praising the brutality of his fighting style.^[20] GameDaily named Haggar one of their favorite Capcom characters of all time, placing him 18th on their "Top 25" list,^[21] and later named him one of their favorite heavily muscled characters in video games.^[22]

[edit] References

[edit] Bibliography

• ALL ABOUT カプコン対戦格闘ゲーム 1987-2000 (All About Capcom Head-To-Head Fighting Game 1987-2000), ISBN 4885546761

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