Balrog, M. Bison, and Vega namers switched around for the American release of the original Street Fighter II due to M. Bison being too similar to Mike Tyson. But their American names are incorrectly left unchanged for the Japanese release of Street Fighter to the movie the game.
Tag: Mike Tyson
Fun Fact: When Mike Tyson Changed Street Fighter Forever
The character Balrog in Street Fighter is actually called M. Bison in Japan. The obvious Mike Tyson parody made Capcom switch names to avoid a lawsuit. Balrog is Vega’s Japanese name and M. Bison is named Vega in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Fun Fact: The Motivation For Mike Tyson Becoming Champ
When Mike Tyson defeated Larry Holmes easily in 1988, it wasn’t just for personal glory. Mike Tyson was determined to “avenge” Muhammad Ali who lost to Holmes years before.
Fun Fact: Mike Tyson Took Forever To Play His Own Game
Mike Tyson might have been the epic final boss of Punch-Out, but he admitted it took him thirteen years to get around to actually playing the video game.
Fun Fact: Why Mike Tyson Was Replaced in Punch-Out
In later versions of Punch-Out on NES, Mike Tyson is cosmetically replaced by a boxer named Mr. Dream. Most assumed it was Nintendo distancing themselves from his criminal history, but it was because he lost his championship title.