Q (キュ. Kyu) is a character in the Street Fighter series. He first appeared in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, and is voiced by Len Carlson. While Q can be chosen as a playable character, he is also a "hidden" computer-controlled sub-boss in Arcade Mode that can only be battled after meeting specific requirements: the player must win the first eight matches without losing a round.
Biography
Not much is known about Q, except that he appears at different places around the world, and may be linked to various disasters.
Of note is that Q is the only character in 3rd Strike that does not have his own stage. However, starting a two-player game with both players selecting Q will take them directly to Dudley's stage (London), while his own theme plays in the background.
Concept
The design for Q draws a clear influence from characters such as Shotaro Ishinomori's Robotto Keiji K (Robot Detective K) and Iron Mask from Mitsuteru Yokoyama's Babel II manga. The trench-coat, fedora and gloves are articles of clothing worn by H.G. Wells' "Invisible Man".
Appearance
Q sports a hat and trench coat, along with black pants and dress shoes, and under his coat is a typical white button-up shirt and red tie; this type of clothing is a trademark of archetypical spies and detectives (e.g. Rorschach, The Question, Mr. A). His head is engulfed in a metallic shell-like mask which surrounds his entire head. The mask has yellow eyes of varying brightness.
It is unknown if Q is a human or at least-part machine; when Q is shocked in-game, instead of showing the skull and skeleton of the character, it shows his muscular system and an indistinct head. Also, Q's neck is the only portion of his body that is visibly made of flesh and skin, though some of his legs are visible during certain animations.
Personality
Q is generally the quiet type, as he only speaks (or rather, grunts) when being hit, and he also mumbles an unintelligible line of dialogue after defeating his opponent. His win quotes consist of ellipses and short, vague phrases (e.g. "I am... abomination."); the latter are shown in parenthesis, perhaps indicating his thoughts or translating mumbling.
Q's mannerisms sit somewhat on the line between man and machine. His movements are simple and robotic, and verge on stilted and awkward at times; he even "shuts" down when he is beaten by chip damage. Despite many of his simple, robotic movements, some of his other mannerisms and features could be considered human; for example, after parrying a move, he will brush off his trench-coat. Much of his moveset seems to support this theory.
It is not known how Q handles human contact; in his intro animations, people are often seen running in fear from him, followed by him simply walking onto the stage, or else performing a dashing punch. However, one artwork depicts him apparently being interviewed by a woman, while a man removes his coat, with no apparent discomfort on Q's part. Q also shows similarly contradictory acts of self-restraint and cruelty; when he defeats his opponent, he will either simply look over them, shed a tear and walk away, or else start crushing their face underneath his shoe.
The requirements to fight Q as a CPU opponent may indicate that Q may be after the world's most dangerous or powerful fighters, also similar to Akuma.
Story
Q has been sighted in crime scene photographs of unsolved murders all over the world, partially hidden each time. The context of the pictures are shrouded in mystery: his appearance in them may make him the murderer, or perhaps he could be investigating it, as hinted by his stereotypical detective attire, though nothing regarding a potential role in the killings or the nature of the victims has been revealed.
In his ending, Julianna and David, along with other CIA agents, discuss Q's appearances at case sites worldwide over the last 10 days, believing him to be the common link between the cases (though they are unsure if it is the same person). While they cannot identify him, they at least manage to decipher his appearance based on the photos they have. As they set out to begin the investigation on him, a familiar silhouette can be seen on the projector screen, apparently leaving the room as well.
Cameos and other appearances
Street Fighter II
It was rumored that Q (or someone resembling him) can be seen in Ken's stage background in the original Street Fighter II series. However, the man was removed from the redrawn and redesigned stage in Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix.
Card Fighters Clash
Q has also appeared as a card in the SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash games.
Capcom Fighting Evolution
Q made a cameo appearance in Capcom Fighting Evolution, he can be seen on the rooftop in the New York stage.
Gameplay and fighting style
Q's techniques are those of a brute-force brawler, though one appearing physically contained, as opposed to a refined martial artist; one of his normal moves in particular has him kick at the opponent's head and fall over immediately after. Most of his special attack names are descriptions of his actions, rather than proper nouns referring to a move name. Q's most signature special moves include his Dashing Straight, a fast and useful attack that can easily be canceled into Super Arts, his Dashing Leg Attack, and the Capture & Deadly Blow, a command grab which sends the opponent into the air for a juggle.
His Super Arts include the Critical Combo Attack, a series of quick punches while he moves forward, as well as the Deadly Double Combination, a gut punch followed by an overhead blow with both arms. His third Super Art is Total Destruction: When activated, Q can choose to either punch or grab his opponent, depending on the situation, which emits a small explosion that damages the opponent; interestingly, a female robotic voice can be heard saying "Danger!" when the throw is activated.
Q is noted as a defensive character due to his large stamina and low speed. With three taunts, his stamina can be "increased" up to a maximum of over twice the stamina of Akuma, which is also the highest possible stamina of any character in 3rd Strike. However, because of his slow speed and the lack of high-priority moves, he is considered to be a low-tier character in competitive play.
Quotes
- For a full list of quotes, see Q/Quotes.
Stage Theme
Trivia
- He is one of only two characters lacking any mid-boss or final boss conversation dialogue (the other being Akuma).
- The names of the two CIA agents, Juliana and David (who are searching for Q) are most likely references to David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, actors who play the roles of the main characters of the X Files series.
- Interestingly enough, Q's remixed theme in Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition sounds very similar to the theme of the X Files series.
- One of the people who flee from Q in one of his introductions (seen below) bears a resemblance to Yun.
- Being 7' 5'', Q is the third-tallest character in the Street Fighter franchise, being only behind T. Hawk and Hugo.
Gallery
See: Q/Gallery
 Q from Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike  Q artwork  "Cameo" in Street Fighter II' Champion Edition  Q being interviewed?     Q Portrait  SF Tribute Art  CapcomCards  SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters Clash          Color Pack 2 from Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition |
Sprites
See also
| Street Fighter III Characters | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Generation | Alex · Dudley · Elena · Ibuki · Ken · Necro · Oro · Ryu · Sean · Yang · Yun | |||
| 2nd Impact | Akuma · Gill · Hugo · Shin Akuma · Urien | |||
| 3rd Strike | Chun-Li · Makoto · Q · Remy · Twelve | |||