ken-masters-sf3-new-generation-art-hd.png (1914955 bytes)
Ken Masters

  
ken-sfex3-select-art.jpg (164215 bytes)              ken-masters-sfex2plus-bust-artwork.jpg (255463 bytes)              ken-sfa3-side.jpg (97527 bytes)              ken-3rd.jpg (120606 bytes)             
 

BIO:

Ken was born into a rich family; his father the owner of a well known hotel chain. When Ken was a teenager, his father decides that his son needed to learn discipline, or else he'll become spoiled and mooch off of him for the rest of his life. Ken is sent to Japan to train under his father's old friend, Gouken. At first, Ken is hesitant and wanted to return home, but he eventually begins to respect Gouken and the martial arts. Ken soon becomes good friends and training partners with Gouken's adopted son, Ryu

When Ryu turns 23, Gouken decides that both of his students had grown into worthy fighters and that their training is over. After they were permitted to leave the dojo, Ryu decides to travel the world to continue his training, and Ken is happy to return home to America. Back in the USA, Ken competes in many martial arts tournaments and is victorious in most of them. He also meets a girl Eliza, who soon becomes his girlfriend.

After winning a famous martial arts tournament, Ken returns to Japan to tell Master Gouken about his victory. However, when he arrives at the dojo, he witnesses Gouken's death at the hands of
Akuma. Enraged, he attacks Akuma but is easily defeated. Akuma then vanishes from the dojo grounds. Afterwards, Ken searches for Ryu to inform him on what had happened to their master. Upon meeting Ryu, they catch and decide to have a match like old times. Upon winning, Ken realizes Ryu wasn't acting like himself (which he later learns is due to his recent fight with Sagat). Ryu tells Ken that deep within him, there is a burning rage... a power trying to overcome him. To cheer him up, Ken gives Ryu his red headband and tells him to stay focused.
 
                       
 
Ken then receives an invitation to the second Street Fighter tournament, but due to spending so much time with his girlfriend, Eliza, he has been slacking on his training. However, Ryu personally challenges Ken, which inspires him to enter the tournament and continue his training. After the events of Street Fighter 2, Ken marries Eliza, something he vowed only to do after winning a decisive victory against Ryu (it is believed that Ken did defeat Ryu during the events of SF2). At one point during the tournament, M. Bison takes control of Ken after inducing a large amount of Psycho Power into him, and "Sennou Ken
" becomes Ken's alter-ego for a short period of time. Ken becomes a killing machine for a brief while, and attacks several of his friends. After he recovers, Ken ends up helping the other fighters defeat Bison. In the SNK VS Capcom Chaos storyline, Ken absorbs the Orochi power and becomes Violent Ken.

During the events of Street Fighter IV, Eliza is a few months pregnant and Ken doesn't want to leave her to enter the tournament. Eliza senses his inner conflict and assures him that she'll be fine, and the baby isn't due for quite a while, persuading him to enter the tournament. After he enters, Ken encounters a weird guy named Rufus, who claims to be his rival. After the tournament, Ken discovers that Gouken did not die in the battle with Akuma. Many years later, Ken decides to enter the third Street Fighter tournament. During this time, a Brazilian teenager named Sean consistently begs Ken to train him, and Ken reluctantly accepts. Ken also trains his son Mel, who is now old enough to learn martial arts.
 
          ken-masters-xmen-vs-streetfighter-artwork-fix.png (430216 bytes)          kenmasters-3so.jpg (120630 bytes)          ken-mvc2-versus-art.png (4476724 bytes)          ken-sfex1-character-art-white.jpg (60262 bytes)         
 
          ken-mshvssf-artwork.png (144248 bytes)         
                             
 
ken-superturbo.png (169037 bytes)          ken-super-sf2-art.jpg (63328 bytes)                                        ken-sfa1.png (147320 bytes)
 
  

ORIGIN:
Street Fighter

   
                                                ken-sf2-profile-cut.png (160735 bytes)
 
                                                  ken-sfii-hado.png (207988 bytes)
 
                              ken-ssfiv.jpg (219050 bytes)          ken-newgen-win.png (296651 bytes)          ken-sfxtekken-white.jpg (115162 bytes)
 
ken-shoryuken-sf2.png (108772 bytes)          ken-project-x-zone2-artwork.jpg (163191 bytes)          ken-masters-sf4-concept-by-daigo-ikeno.jpg (69949 bytes)          ken-streetfighter1-art-by-bengus.png (1924742 bytes)          ken-super-turbo-art.jpg (75605 bytes)          ken-nxc-big.jpg (249216 bytes)
   

OTHER APPEARANCES:
Street Fighter 2, SF2: Championship Edition, SF2: Turbo, Super SF2, Super SF2 Turbo, Super SF2 Turbo: Hd Remix, Super SF2 Revival, Ultra SF2, Street Fighter EX, Street Fighter EX2, Street Fighter EX3, Street Fighter: The Movie, Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3, SFA3 Upper, SFA3 Max, Street Fighter 3: New Generation, SF3: 2nd Impact, SF3: 3rd Strike, SF3: 3rd Strike Online Edition, Street Fighter 4, Super SF4, Super SF4: 3D Edition, Super SF4: Arcade Edition, Ultra Street Fighter 4, Street Fighter V, SFV: Arcade Edition, SFV: CE, Street Fighter 6, Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo, Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo: HD Remix, Pocket Fighter, SNK Vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium, Card Fighters Clash, Card Fighters Clash 2, Card Fighters Clash DS, X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Capcom Vs. SNK, Capcom Vs. SNK: Pro, Capcom Vs. SNK 2, SNK Vs. Capcom Chaos, Namco X Capcom, Street Fighter X Tekken, SFA: Anthology, SF: Anniversary Collection, SF:30th Anniversary Collection

  
                                                             
 
                                       
                   


ken-sfv-profile-art3.jpg (259964 bytes)            ken-sfv-profile-art.jpg (274301 bytes)            ken-sfv-profile-art2.jpg (285575 bytes)                        ken-cvs2-bust.jpg (48253 bytes)
  
 

Page Updated:  Dec. 16th, 2023

In the original Street Fighter II, you were either Team Ryu or Team Ken. Bitter rivalries were formed back in those days. It was interesting to have two characters so similar in a fighting game, yet, subtly different. This "concept" of friendly rivals / sprite clones would later be used by countless other fighting game developers (with mixed results). As the friendly rival of Ryu, Ken has always been trying to steal the show. Even though he fights very similarly to Ryu, his persona and trademarks have always defined him and distinguished him. In addition to Ken's memorable taunts & mannerisms, Ken's unique spin on the classic "shoto" moves are what made his evolution in the series interesting. 

Over the years, Ken became an unforgettable character in the Street Fighter series and simply put... a Street Fighter game just wouldn't feel complete without Ken. One of my favorite iterations of Ken is definitely his SFIII version... Shin-ryuuuuuken!!! Shoryu-Reppa! Ken's SFV design was interesting, but not perfect. Washed up Ken in SF6 = Perfect evolution of his design.

Fighting  Style  /  Moveset
Personality  /  Charisma
Outfit(s)  /  Appearance
Effectiveness  in  series
Overall Score

 

 
                                                                            
 
                                                                           
   
 
                                                                     
 
                                                                     
 
 
                                                           
 
                                                                     
 
                                                                     
  
 
                                                                
 
                                                           
 
                                                           
  
 
                                                                         

   

Click Here for more Ken Masters Artwork!