I cannot see in any reality where a Turkish oil wrestler is stranger than a half naked man with a black hole sucking Yin Yang in his belly named Seth. The entire Street Fighter roster is similar to Fox’s musical comedy drama, Glee. Superficially, none of these characters are similar but despite their differences they all share a common passion in show choir and that is what makes them similar. Similarly, Hakan is someone who doesn’t fit in with people in high school but finds his way into a niche club that’s filled with other outcasts. Except in Hakan’s case, the club is street fighting and they meet every week to determine who the best fighter in the World is. So in this scenario, Hakan fits right in with the rest of the Street Fighter cast.
The Sport of Kikpinar
Kikpinar, or Turkish oil wrestling, depending on who you ask, is credited as far back as ancient Egypt 2650 BC or Thrace in 1360. The basic rules of the sport is two men, covered in oil wearing nothing but leather shorts called a kispet, try to lock a firm hold on the other combatant by holding onto their kispet. This can last a long time but recent rules have changed matches to 40 minutes. This sport is huge in Turkey and is gaining popularity in the Netherlands and Japan. Judging from the trailer, Hakan’s special moves show him struggling to grab his opponent but since he is oily, they fly off of him. No way does a real kikpinar match resemble Hakan’s moves but the connection is there.
Just like the rest
Hakan is just another character gone through the Capcom weird machine and out comes as a caricature of a fighting style. Sagat is an expression of Muay Thai, E. Handa as sumo wrestling, Makoto is karate, wrestling, and Sean is everything horrible a person can think of. This is why Hakan fits in well. Street Fighter III: 3rd was a success in limited circles but didn’t reach to a broad audience because of its bizarre cast of characters. Half of them were strange mutants that didn’t utilize any kind of fighting style that was recognizable. Characters like Necro, Q, and Twelve feel out of place because they fit an anthropomorphic version of a martial art. C. Viper’s original announcement was met with similar reaction for the same reason. Street Fighter is a franchise with a roster of characters who represent fighting styles as their full Id. If Capcom were to create a character based on a Turkish oil wrestler, Hakan is the perfect match.
