| Blanka | |
|---|---|
| Street Fighter character | |
 Blanka inSuper Street Fighter II (1993), drawn by Bengus | |
| First game | Street Fighter II (1991) |
| Designed by | Akira "Akiman" Yasuda and "Pigmon-san" (Street Fighter II) |
| Voiced by |
|
| Portrayed by | Robert Mammone (The Movie film, game) Jason Momoa (Street Fighter film) |
| In-universe information | |
| Origin | Brazil |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
Blanka (/ˈblɑːŋkə/ ⓘ;Japanese:ブランカ) also known by his birth nameJimmy,[1] is a character inCapcom'sStreet Fighterfighting game series. He first appeared inStreet Fighter II (1991) as one of eight playable characters, and continued to appear in sequel andspin-off games. Blanka is also present in a number of Capcom's crossover games, including theSNK vs. Capcom series. The character has appeared in other media adaptations of the franchise, including ananimated film, alive-action movie, ananimated television series, acomic book andmanga series.
Blanka was originally designed as a pink-skinned human character byAkira "Akiman" Yasuda, and underwent several re-conceptualizations during the production ofStreet Fighter II before reaching his final depiction as a feral savage with green skin and long orange hair.
Blanka'sbackstory is that he was once human, but after a plane crash in Brazil, he mutated, resulting in his green coloring and his ability to generate electricity. Blanka was generally well received by critics and fans, becoming one of the most popular characters in the franchise.
Designed by "Pigmon-san"[2] andAkira "Akiman" Yasuda, the concept behind Blanka emerged in an early 1988 pitch design as anAfrican man namedAnabebe who was raised by a lion.[3] After the release ofFinal Fight, Capcom again approachedStreet Fighter II and considered several designs for the Blanka character (including a masked wrestler modeled afterTiger Mask and a ninja-style warrior).[3][4] His design later changed to a large man with thick hair and sideburns, named "Hammer Blanka".[5] The staff then adopted Blanka's feral appearance, because they felt the game would be "dull" with only human characters.[6] After Yasuda did "rough drafts" of "a pro wrestler, [a] sumo wrestler, and a beast", he asked his team to decide which designer would finish each concept. They decided it onrock paper scissors; the "beast" was the last option and was assigned to "Pigmon-san".[2] Blanka was originally designed with pink skin, which Yasuda considered “disgusting,” leading him to change the color to green.[2]
Blanka's most prominent physical characteristic is his green color, initially attributed to his consumption ofchlorophyll from plants to blend into his jungle environment.[7][8] However, whenStreet Fighter was brought to the U.S., Blanka's coloring was attributed to his being struck by lightning during the electrical storm in which his plane crashed.[9][10] InStreet Fighter II Blanka's default skin is yellowish-green, but later versions of the character are bright green.[11]
Blanka fights in a self-taught, animalistic style.[7][12] In several of his special moves he rolls into a ball, launching himself at an opponent.[7][13][14] In Blanka's signature attack, he crouches and emits an electric current shocking anything it touches.[7][15][16] Although Blanka growls in combat,[17] he usually speaks with words incutscenes,[18][19][20] except forStreet Fighter Alpha 3.[21]
Blanka first appears inStreet Fighter II, when he sees his mother (who tells his backstory) after he competes in the World Warrior tournament.[18][22] According to the story, Blanka was born as a boy named Jimmy who was involved in a plane crash in theAmazon rainforest.[9][22] Although in the initial games Blanka's mother says the plane crashed when he was "a little boy", the manual forStreet Fighter IV says it happened when he was a baby.[18][23] After the crash, he was exposed toelectric eels, triggering the mutation which changed his appearance and gave him electric powers.[22] InStreet Fighter Alpha 3, aprequel toStreet Fighter II,[24] Blanka rides on a truck to civilization for the first time.[25] After defeatingZangief,[21]Balrog and the leader of the Shadaloo criminal organization M. Bison,[26][27] Blanka joins old friendDan Hibiki[28] andSakura (Dan's pupil) to destroy Bison's "psycho drive" weapon.[29] Blanka then returns to the jungle.[30]
InStreet Fighter IV, whose events are set afterStreet Fighter II,[31] Blanka, living in a town, feels out of place and decides to travel the world.[32] At the end of the game, Dan helps his mother find him in Hong Kong.[19] InSuper Street Fighter IV, Blanka enters a worldwide tournament to be recognized by people so his mother will be proud of him.[20] When he returns home, the townspeople visit him and he plays games with the local children.[33] Blanka returns as a playable character in the third season ofStreet Fighter V: Arcade Edition, with a character story where he attempts to sell plush toys of his own likeness named Blanka-chan (Blanka-chan was also available as a skin for the character).[34] InStreet Fighter 6, Blanka has become a tour guide in the Amazon, working to support his mother. He also dons a Blanka-chan costume to make visitors believe that Blanka-chan is a jungle sprite that visits the area.
Blanka also appears in severalspin-off titles. He is a playable character in the laterStreet Fighter EX series games (Street Fighter EX2 andStreet Fighter EX3),[35]Capcom vs. SNK,Capcom vs. SNK 2 andthe home version ofStreet Fighter: The Movie.[36] Blanka is a playable character by default in thePlayStation Vita version ofStreet Fighter X Tekken,[37] and viadownloadable content in theXbox 360 andPlayStation 3 versions.[38] He is aboss character inStreet Fighter X Mega Man.[39]
A cosmetic Blanka outfit has also been added toFortnite.[40]
The live-actionStreet Fighter film combined Blanka andCharlie into one characterCarlos "Charlie" Blanka.[15] Charlie is taken captive by General M. Bison at the beginning who forces Dr.Dhalsim to subject him to genetic testing to create the perfect soldier.[41][42] Blanka was played byRobert Mammone,[15] while Kim Repia played the role inits home console video game adaptation.
Richard Ng's Uncle Richard turns into Blanka in the final action scene from the 1993Hong Kongparody filmFuture Cops.
Jason Momoa is set to play Blanka in the upcoming reboot.[43]
Blanka briefly appears inStreet Fighter II: The Animated Movie, when he is lowered from a cage and defeats Zangief inLas Vegas.[15]
TheAmerican cartoon series retained the film's origin story for the character, as he and Guile search for a cure for his mutation.[44]
He also makes cameo appearances in the 2012 Disney filmWreck-It Ralph,[45] and the 2018Steven Spielberg filmReady Player One.[46]
InUDON'sStreet Fightercomic adaptation, Blanka is used as a living weapon by Shadaloo until he is rescued by Delta Red (Cammy's squad). Returning to his senses, he reunites with his mother. Blanka is an opponent faced byRyu, Guile, andChun-Li in theStreet Fighter manga history.[citation needed]
Blanka has been described as a fan favourite by video game mediaUGO Networks, IGN, GameSpot and1UP.com,[47][48][49][50] with IGN calling him "one of the most recognizableStreet Fighter characters".[7] GamesRadar said that Blanka "never quite approached Chun-Li's popularity, but has gained a strong fan following nevertheless".[22] Sharing ninth place withKen Masters in the Japanese magazineGamest's 1991 best-character list,[51] in the 1992 poll he finished 38th.[52] Blanka was voted 20th in Capcom's poll of 85 characters for the series' 15th anniversary.[53] In 2008, the character was the tenth-most-popular video game character in the United Kingdom, according to a poll conducted at theLondon Games Festival.[54] Although Blanka was well received by Brazilian gamers, Capcom was criticized for its depiction of Brazil. Capcom producerYoshinori Ono, surprised when told that Blanka is popular among Brazilians, apologized for the poor impression of the country given by the character.[55] When the Brazilian programCuste o Que Custar asked people in Spain who the best-known Brazilians were, Blanka ranked third (afterGisele Bündchen andPelé).[56] In 2009, after Rio de Janeiro was chosen to host the2016 Summer Olympics, aninternet meme spread making Blanka the games' unofficial mascot.[57] A 2012 meme said thatO Maior Brasileiro de Todos os Tempos, the Brazilian version of100 Greatest Britons, had chosen Blanka the "Greatest Brazilian of All Time".[58]
IGN ranked Blanka seventh of its "Top 25Street Fighter Characters", noting his unique characteristics,[9] andGameDaily placed Blanka fourth on its "Top 20 Street Fighter Characters of All Time" list.[59] He was ranked the franchise's 17th-best character (out of 50) byUGO as initially "hook[ing]" gamers and "an indispensable part ofStreet Fighter now."[47] Including Blanka on a list of "The 30 best Capcom characters of the last 30 years",GamesRadar staff said that they could include all ofStreet Fighter II's characters but would only choose "the wildest of the crazy characters in the game. Blanka exemplifies the special brand of insanity that made us love Capcom."[60]Edge's James Leach called him "by far the best character" inStreet Fighter II.[61]GameSpy called Blanka one of the "25 Extremely Rough Brawlers" in video gaming, praising the brutality of his attacks.[62] ThePittsburgh Tribune-Review described the character as resembling "some ridiculous hair-club-for-Hulks member", although his electric attacks made him an effective character.[63]Computer and Video Games, GamesRadar andGame Revolution also noted the difficulty of fighting Blanka.[60][64][65] Blanka has been called a "monster" and "weird",[66][67] and GamesRadar said he "is a bit goofy looking in theAlpha series"[24] (described byGameSpot as "comical").[68] GameDaily and GamesRadar joked about the character's "sweet" ending (in contrast to his appearance),[22][59] andEmpire called his ending "the worst ... in the game."[11]
Blanka's mother: Jimmy...? Are you my long lost son, Jimmy? /Blanka: Who are you? Why would I be your son? My name's Blanka. /Blanka's mother: My son was lost in an airplaine crash over Brazil when he was only a little boy. Wait! That anklet... I gave that to you on your birthday! /Blanka: Mommy! /Blanka's mother: Jimmy!
Blanka: Dear, Mama, I'm Hong Kong. -Jimmy /Blanka's mother: Jimmy! /Blanka: Mama!? What are you doing here? /Blanka's mother: Oh, Jimmy. I just love spending my time with you! It makes me so happy! Let's go home now, sweetheart. /Blanka: People still stare at me sometimes, but I don't le it get to me. It's OK to make mistakes once in a while. As long as I get to spend time with my Mama, everything will be just fine...
Blanka: Dan taught me how to be a better man. I'm gonna win this tournament. If win, I can earn everyone's respect. Mama will be so proud. Mama always takes such a good care of me... Most people are scared of me, but not her... I'll come back a new man, Mama. One you can be proud of. Just you wait and see!
Zangief: How could I lose such a fight?! Great Leader, I am very sorry... I've failed my mission... I could not destroy Shadaloo... /Blanka: Uwo uwo? <What is this Shadaloo?>
Narrator: Blanka lived as he pleased, deep within the jungle of the Amazon. One day, he unwittingly hitched a ride on a poacher's car. Curious and excited, Blanka now ventures into the outside world.
M.Bison: Ha ha ha! You saved me time by defeating that Russian dog... As your reward, you'll now have the honor of fighting Balrog! /Blanka: Uwoooooo! <Your toy soldier's going down!>
M.Bison: This... This can't be... I cannot be defeated! But I won't be destroyed as long as I have the "Psycho Drive"! Wa ha ha ha ha ha ha! /Blanka: Uwoooooo! <No! He's getting away!>
Dan: Jimmy...?! You're Jimmy!! /Blanka: Uwon!! Uwon!! <Oh! My dear old friend Dan!!> /Dan: Long time no see...! I owe you my life, you know! How about a match? Let's see if you're as strong as you were! /Blanka: Uwho!! <OK! That's an excellent idea!>
Dan: This place sure smells evil... The bad guys must be here! Let's destroy the entire base! Well, then again... This place is enormous! How can we destroy it? /Sakura: Well, I suppose you could destroy its power source. That would be a start! /Dan: My number one disciple never fails me! Okay, let's find it! Ha ha! That must be what we're looking for! Jimmy! Let me see that move you always do! /Blanka: Uwhoo! <Right!> UWOOOOOOO!! <UWOOOOOOO!!>Sakura: Master Hibiki... It looks like it's going to explode....Dan: Yahoo!! Let's get out of here!!
Narrator: Blanka ran off to the horizon, as free as the wind... The outside world has much to offer to his curiosity!
Blanka: As long as you're here, Mama, I don't mind living in town. I can still do my street fights, and the best part is that I get to be with my Mama. But, I'm sad. Why am I sad? Because my being here has only made things hard on you. Everyone stares at us and they talk bad behind our backs. That's why I have to leave. I can't be here anymore. Wait for me, Mama. I'll come back when I won't be an embarrassment to you anymore.
Blanka's mother: Jimmy! You have company!Blanka: What? Company?Blanka's mother: That's right. These folks saw the article about you and wanted to meet you in person!Blanka: Me!?Blanka's mother: Well, Jimmy. Looks like we finally made some friends. Why don't you bring some fruits for our guests? I'll go put some tea on.
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