Strider Hiryu: Difference between revisions

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The game naturally inspired a number of [[Follow the Leader|imitators and similar games]], such as ''[[Run Saber]]'' and ''Shadow of the Ninja''. One of these, ''[[Cannon Dancer|Osman]]'', was created by the same designer of the original and is considered its [[Spiritual Successor]]. In 1990, the European-based company U.S. Gold produced an officially-licensed sequel titled ''Strider II'', which was originally released for various home computer platforms in Europe (specifically the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum). The game was remade in 1992 for the [[Mega Drive]] with redesigned stages and play mechanics much closer to the original arcade game. This was that version that was released in North America under the title of ''Strider Returns: Journey From Darkness''. An 8-bit [[Master System]] version of ''Strider II'' was also released, with a corresponding American release for the [[Game Gear]] under the ''Strider Returns'' title.
The game naturally inspired a number of [[Follow the Leader|imitators and similar games]], such as ''[[Run Saber]]'' and ''Shadow of the Ninja''. One of these, ''[[Cannon Dancer|Osman]]'', was created by the same designer of the original and is considered its [[Spiritual Successor]]. In 1990, the European-based company U.S. Gold produced an officially-licensed sequel titled ''Strider II'', which was originally released for various home computer platforms in Europe (specifically the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum). The game was remade in 1992 for the [[Mega Drive]] with redesigned stages and play mechanics much closer to the original arcade game. This was that version that was released in North America under the title of ''Strider Returns: Journey From Darkness''. An 8-bit [[Master System]] version of ''Strider II'' was also released, with a corresponding American release for the [[Game Gear]] under the ''Strider Returns'' title.


The series remained silent until 1998, where Hiryu was included as a playable character in ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom Clash of the Superheroes (Video Game)|Marvel vs. Capcom Clash of the Superheroes]]''. Hiryu's speed, easily-chained combos, zone control, and full-screen [[Limit Break]] made him a favorite of [[Scrub|Scrubs]] and [[Stop Having Fun Guys]] alike. In 1999, Capcom [[Prince|partied]] with ''Strider 2'', a Playstation follow-up to the arcade game where Hiryu once again faces the Grandmaster as well as a new foe, the renegade Strider Hien. Since then, Hiryu and his enemies have appeared in ''[[Namco X Capcom (Video Game)|Namco X Capcom]]''; notably, the Grandmaster gets the honor of being the last [[Big Bad]] to be confronted before the Biggest Bad herself. While not present in ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (Video Game)|Marvel vs. Capcom 3]]'' due to copyright issues, Hiryu did join the line-up of its [[Updated Rerelease]], ''Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3''.
The series remained silent until 1998, where Hiryu was included as a playable character in ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom Clash of the Superheroes (Video Game)|Marvel vs. Capcom Clash of the Superheroes]]''. Hiryu's speed, easily-chained combos, zone control, and full-screen [[Limit Break]] made him a favorite of [[Scrub|Scrubs]] and [["Stop Having Fun!" Guys]] alike. In 1999, Capcom [[Prince|partied]] with ''Strider 2'', a Playstation follow-up to the arcade game where Hiryu once again faces the Grandmaster as well as a new foe, the renegade Strider Hien. Since then, Hiryu and his enemies have appeared in ''[[Namco X Capcom (Video Game)|Namco X Capcom]]''; notably, the Grandmaster gets the honor of being the last [[Big Bad]] to be confronted before the Biggest Bad herself. While not present in ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (Video Game)|Marvel vs. Capcom 3]]'' due to copyright issues, Hiryu did join the line-up of its [[Updated Rerelease]], ''Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3''.


Not to be confused with the [[Beverly Cleary]] book with the same name, the alias of Aragorn from ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', or [[Homestuck (Webcomic)|Dave]].
Not to be confused with the [[Beverly Cleary]] book with the same name, the alias of Aragorn from ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', or [[Homestuck (Webcomic)|Dave]].
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* [[Bishonen]]: In ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom]]'' and beyond.
* [[Bishonen]]: In ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom]]'' and beyond.
* [[Brought to You By The Letter S]]: The kanji on Hiryu's outfit is the head character on his name (飛 or ''Hi'').
* [[Brought to You By The Letter S]]: The kanji on Hiryu's outfit is the head character on his name (飛 or ''Hi'').
** Strider Kain has a "C" (implying that his name is meant to be "[[Spell My Name With an S|Cain]]") and Matic has an "M."
** Strider Kain has a "C" (implying that his name is meant to be "[[Spell My Name With an "S"|Cain]]") and Matic has an "M."
* [[Cool Sword]]: The cypher, specially in the manga and ''Strider 2''.
* [[Cool Sword]]: The cypher, specially in the manga and ''Strider 2''.
** [[Dual Tonfas]]: The weapon is tonfa-shaped. Hien can actually dual-wield his double-edged Cypher as two separate weapons.
** [[Dual Tonfas]]: The weapon is tonfa-shaped. Hien can actually dual-wield his double-edged Cypher as two separate weapons.
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* [[Heroic Mime]]: In the arcade game, Hiryu says only one or two phrases: "Take me to your boss!", and calling the aerial battleship a toy.
* [[Heroic Mime]]: In the arcade game, Hiryu says only one or two phrases: "Take me to your boss!", and calling the aerial battleship a toy.
** Hiryu is more or less [[The Quiet One]] elsewhere, ''[[Namco X Capcom (Video Game)|Namco X Capcom]]'' and ''UMvC3'' being perhaps the best exceptions.
** Hiryu is more or less [[The Quiet One]] elsewhere, ''[[Namco X Capcom (Video Game)|Namco X Capcom]]'' and ''UMvC3'' being perhaps the best exceptions.
* [[Job Title]]: [[Market Based Title|English title]].
* [[Job Title]]: [[Market-Based Title|English title]].
** [[Character Title]]: Japanese title. Could also be taken as a [[Role Called]].
** [[Character Title]]: Japanese title. Could also be taken as a [[Role Called]].
* [[Ninja]]: The Striders aren't ninja per se, but they're pretty damn close.
* [[Ninja]]: The Striders aren't ninja per se, but they're pretty damn close.
** [[Highly Visible Ninja]]: Well, ''look at him''. The action is great, but doesn't involve a lot of stealth.
** [[Highly-Visible Ninja]]: Well, ''look at him''. The action is great, but doesn't involve a lot of stealth.
** [[Rank Inflation]]: The Striders go from C to A, and then Special (or Super) A.
** [[Rank Inflation]]: The Striders go from C to A, and then Special (or Super) A.
* [[Ninja Run]]: Hiryu's dashing animation in the NES game, ''Strider 2'' and all crossover appearences.
* [[Ninja Run]]: Hiryu's dashing animation in the NES game, ''Strider 2'' and all crossover appearences.
* [[Nintendo Hard]]: Both the NES and the original arcade games are really hard due to Hiryu's [[Hitbox Dissonance|funky hitboxes]]. The arcade has a extra whammy of not [[Jump Physics|being able to control Hiryu mid-jump]]. The final stage in the original arcade game is almost impossible to complete without excessive credit munching.
* [[Nintendo Hard]]: Both the NES and the original arcade games are really hard due to Hiryu's [[Hitbox Dissonance|funky hitboxes]]. The arcade has a extra whammy of not [[Jump Physics|being able to control Hiryu mid-jump]]. The final stage in the original arcade game is almost impossible to complete without excessive credit munching.
* [[One Man Army]]: The Striders are billed as being as such. The lowest ranked guys in the group can fight on par with ''entire special force units''.
* [[One-Man Army]]: The Striders are billed as being as such. The lowest ranked guys in the group can fight on par with ''entire special force units''.
* [[Reformulated Game]]
* [[Reformulated Game]]
** The arcade and Famicom versions were developed in tandem. Strangely, the Famicom version was canceled despite the fact that it was heavily promoted by Moto Kikaku's tie-in manga, although it eventually saw a U.S.-exclusive release on the NES.
** The arcade and Famicom versions were developed in tandem. Strangely, the Famicom version was canceled despite the fact that it was heavily promoted by Moto Kikaku's tie-in manga, although it eventually saw a U.S.-exclusive release on the NES.
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* [[Scarf of Asskicking]]: Conspicuously absent in the original arcade game.
* [[Scarf of Asskicking]]: Conspicuously absent in the original arcade game.
* [[Sleeves Are for Wimps]]: Hiryu displays his well-toned arms proudly.
* [[Sleeves Are for Wimps]]: Hiryu displays his well-toned arms proudly.
* [[Spell My Name With an S]]:
* [[Spell My Name With an "S"]]:
** The name of the flying airship in Stage 3 of the arcade, "Ballog", is an obvious mistranslation of "Balrog" (this was corrected in ''Strider 2'').
** The name of the flying airship in Stage 3 of the arcade, "Ballog", is an obvious mistranslation of "Balrog" (this was corrected in ''Strider 2'').
** Strider Kain has an uppercase "C" on his ninja outfit (matching the "飛" (''Hi'') in Hiryu's and the "M" on Matic's), which seems to suggest that his name is supposed to be "Cain", not "Kain".
** Strider Kain has an uppercase "C" on his ninja outfit (matching the "飛" (''Hi'') in Hiryu's and the "M" on Matic's), which seems to suggest that his name is supposed to be "Cain", not "Kain".
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* [[Dynamic Difficulty]], which tries to make some features less [[Nintendo Hard]] (but there's too many [[Classic Video Game Screw Yous|fun units]] to throw away).
* [[Dynamic Difficulty]], which tries to make some features less [[Nintendo Hard]] (but there's too many [[Classic Video Game Screw Yous|fun units]] to throw away).
* [[Dude Looks Like a Lady]]: Hien.
* [[Dude Looks Like a Lady]]: Hien.
* [[Everythings Better With Dinosaurs]]: Seen in the 4th stage, courtesy of the Grandmaster.
* [[Everything's Better With Dinosaurs]]: Seen in the 4th stage, courtesy of the Grandmaster.
** [[Stock Dinosaurs]]: T-Rex, Triceratops, Brontosaurus and [[Stock Dinosaurs Non Dinosaurs|Pteranodon]].
** [[Stock Dinosaurs]]: T-Rex, Triceratops, Brontosaurus and [[Stock Dinosaurs Non Dinosaurs|Pteranodon]].
* [[Everythings Better With Monkeys]]: 2nd stage boss Mecha Pon, a ''mechanical'' gorilla.
* [[Everything's Better With Monkeys]]: 2nd stage boss Mecha Pon, a ''mechanical'' gorilla.
* [[Evil Counterpart]]: Hien to Hiryu.
* [[Evil Counterpart]]: Hien to Hiryu.
* [[Evil Laugh]]: The Grandmaster starts the arcade game off with one of these.
* [[Evil Laugh]]: The Grandmaster starts the arcade game off with one of these.
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* [[Pirate]]: The Balrog's captain, Beard Jr. Comes with peg leg and hook hand included!
* [[Pirate]]: The Balrog's captain, Beard Jr. Comes with peg leg and hook hand included!
* [[Powered Armor]]: Solo.
* [[Powered Armor]]: Solo.
* [[Powerup Letdown]]: The robot panther looks awesome, but doesn't shoot and has serious problems keeping up with Hiryu and not falling off ledges. Most experienced players avoid further powerups once they have two droids.
* [[Power-Up Letdown]]: The robot panther looks awesome, but doesn't shoot and has serious problems keeping up with Hiryu and not falling off ledges. Most experienced players avoid further powerups once they have two droids.
* [[Promoted to Unlockable]]: Hien becomes playable in the PS port of ''Strider 2''.
* [[Promoted to Unlockable]]: Hien becomes playable in the PS port of ''Strider 2''.
* [[Recurring Boss]]: Solo is fought two or three times (depending if the player ignores the first encounter) in the first game, and twice in the second (the initial fight being now two phases). Hien is a recurring boss in the PS port of ''Strider 2'', since he's in the PS-only bonus stage.
* [[Recurring Boss]]: Solo is fought two or three times (depending if the player ignores the first encounter) in the first game, and twice in the second (the initial fight being now two phases). Hien is a recurring boss in the PS port of ''Strider 2'', since he's in the PS-only bonus stage.
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* [[This Is a Drill]]: The humongous drill machine used as a giant boss in ''Strider 2''.
* [[This Is a Drill]]: The humongous drill machine used as a giant boss in ''Strider 2''.
* [[Throwing Your Sword Always Works]]: Hien's main method of attack. It's also his [[Achilles Heel]], as he's vulnerable inbetween each throw.
* [[Throwing Your Sword Always Works]]: Hien's main method of attack. It's also his [[Achilles Heel]], as he's vulnerable inbetween each throw.
** [[Everythings Better With Spinning]]: Hien spins his [[Double Weapon|dual-bladed cypher]] to [[Spin to Deflect Stuff|parry your attacks]], [[Precision Guided Boomerang|throw his blades like boomerangs]], and fire a [[Shock and Awe|beam of concentrated lightning]] at you.
** [[Everything's Better With Spinning]]: Hien spins his [[Double Weapon|dual-bladed cypher]] to [[Spin to Deflect Stuff|parry your attacks]], [[Precision Guided Boomerang|throw his blades like boomerangs]], and fire a [[Shock and Awe|beam of concentrated lightning]] at you.
* [[Timed Mission]]: With all the slowly approaching hazards, you probably wouldn't see ''Time Over'' very often.
* [[Timed Mission]]: With all the slowly approaching hazards, you probably wouldn't see ''Time Over'' very often.
* [[Translation Convention]]: Averted in the original arcade game, where each character speaks in his or her own native language during voice clips (i.e. Japanese for Hiryu, English for Solo and the Grandmaster, Mandarin for Ton-Pooh). Played straight by the PC Engine version, where everyone speaks Japanese.
* [[Translation Convention]]: Averted in the original arcade game, where each character speaks in his or her own native language during voice clips (i.e. Japanese for Hiryu, English for Solo and the Grandmaster, Mandarin for Ton-Pooh). Played straight by the PC Engine version, where everyone speaks Japanese.
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== Manga and NES ==
== Manga and NES ==
* [[Brainwashed and Crazy]]: Kain. {{spoiler|Hiryu's sister is revealed to be one as well.}}
* [[Brainwashed and Crazy]]: Kain. {{spoiler|Hiryu's sister is revealed to be one as well.}}
* [[Badass Grandpa]]: Striders' director Kuramoto, in the manga. Not for nothing he's known as the "[[In Series Nickname|God of Death]]".
* [[Badass Grandpa]]: Striders' director Kuramoto, in the manga. Not for nothing he's known as the "[[In-Series Nickname|God of Death]]".
* [[Big Bad]]: Faceas Clay, with {{spoiler|Matic as the true mastermind.}}
* [[Big Bad]]: Faceas Clay, with {{spoiler|Matic as the true mastermind.}}
** [[The Dragon]]: Manga-exclusive character Yuri.
** [[The Dragon]]: Manga-exclusive character Yuri.
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* [[Mega Corp]]: Enterprise in both.
* [[Mega Corp]]: Enterprise in both.
* [[Meaningful Name]]: One of the manga's enemies is Arana, which is Spanish for spider, and he uses [[Razor Floss|web-like threads to ensnare his targets]].
* [[Meaningful Name]]: One of the manga's enemies is Arana, which is Spanish for spider, and he uses [[Razor Floss|web-like threads to ensnare his targets]].
* [[My God What Have I Done]]: Kain ''really'' freaks out after {{spoiler|finding out he killed Sheena while under mind control}} in the manga.
* [[My God, What Have I Done?]]: Kain ''really'' freaks out after {{spoiler|finding out he killed Sheena while under mind control}} in the manga.
* [[No Export for You]]: The manga was never officially published in English.
* [[No Export for You]]: The manga was never officially published in English.
** Strangely inverted with the NES game. Its Famicom counterpart was canceled despite being heavily promoted in ads and previewed in several magazines and videos.
** Strangely inverted with the NES game. Its Famicom counterpart was canceled despite being heavily promoted in ads and previewed in several magazines and videos.
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* [[Posthumous Character]]: Hiryu's sister, Mariya.
* [[Posthumous Character]]: Hiryu's sister, Mariya.
* [[Secret Police]]: Kazakh has one, and its not [[Police Brutality|very nice]].
* [[Secret Police]]: Kazakh has one, and its not [[Police Brutality|very nice]].
** [[Judge Jury and Executioner]]: They kill off captured rebels just to save off court fees.
** [[Judge, Jury, and Executioner]]: They kill off captured rebels just to save off court fees.
* [[Retired Badass]]: Hiryu starts as one in both.
* [[Retired Badass]]: Hiryu starts as one in both.
* [[Razor Floss]]: The [[Weapon of Choice]] of Strider Arana in the manga.
* [[Razor Floss]]: The [[Weapon of Choice]] of Strider Arana in the manga.
* [[Samurai]]: One of the bosses in the NES game.
* [[Samurai]]: One of the bosses in the NES game.
* [[Schrodingers Cast]]: {{spoiler|Kain}} dies at the end of the NES game, but survives in the manga.
* [[Schrodinger's Cast]]: {{spoiler|Kain}} dies at the end of the NES game, but survives in the manga.
* [[Smug Snake]]: Matic in the manga, ''full stop''.
* [[Smug Snake]]: Matic in the manga, ''full stop''.
* [[Space Station]]: The Striders' main base, the Blue Dragon, in the game. Matic has a [[Space Base]] that's his personal copy of it, named the Red Dragon.
* [[Space Station]]: The Striders' main base, the Blue Dragon, in the game. Matic has a [[Space Base]] that's his personal copy of it, named the Red Dragon.
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* [[Wall Jump]]
* [[Wall Jump]]
* [[Warp Whistle]]: The game's apptly-named "Warp" ability.
* [[Warp Whistle]]: The game's apptly-named "Warp" ability.
* [[What Happened to The Mouse]]: Some of the early enemies in the manga, mostly secret police officers, pretty much vanish once the story starts focusing on Enterprise.
* [[What Happened to The Mouse?]]: Some of the early enemies in the manga, mostly secret police officers, pretty much vanish once the story starts focusing on Enterprise.


{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

Revision as of 11:27, 8 January 2014

He slashes, springs, slides and climbs! Every single action he takes is superhuman! Here comes the super-A ranked strider called "Hiryu"!!
—Game description from the X68000 version.

Strider is a stylish 1989 action/platforming game by Capcom about a Ninja with an incredibly badass sword. The game features our hero Hiryu as he takes on the "Grandmaster", an entity from another galaxy that has decided to conquer the Earth. The arcade game was ported to many systems, including the Sega Genesis, where it was one of the system's first Killer Apps, and the first game to be released on an 8-megabit cartridge.

The arcade version of Strider was actually the product of a three-way collaboration between Capcom and manga studio Motomiya Kikaku, which also resulted in a separate NES game and a single-volume manga version. The manga and NES version follows Hiryu, as he is forced out of retirement to track down and eliminate Kain, a fellow Strider and friend who has been compromised by his capture. Hiryu must travel around the world, from enemy bases to a moving train and from New York to China. During his mission, he uncovers a conspiracy that involves the Strider organization. The NES version understandably has a much deeper story than the more-famous arcade version, but suffered from many programming and control errors. Notably, the NES version was never released for the Family Computer in Japan, in a bizarre reversal of No Export for You.

The game naturally inspired a number of imitators and similar games, such as Run Saber and Shadow of the Ninja. One of these, Osman, was created by the same designer of the original and is considered its Spiritual Successor. In 1990, the European-based company U.S. Gold produced an officially-licensed sequel titled Strider II, which was originally released for various home computer platforms in Europe (specifically the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum). The game was remade in 1992 for the Mega Drive with redesigned stages and play mechanics much closer to the original arcade game. This was that version that was released in North America under the title of Strider Returns: Journey From Darkness. An 8-bit Master System version of Strider II was also released, with a corresponding American release for the Game Gear under the Strider Returns title.

The series remained silent until 1998, where Hiryu was included as a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom Clash of the Superheroes. Hiryu's speed, easily-chained combos, zone control, and full-screen Limit Break made him a favorite of Scrubs and "Stop Having Fun!" Guys alike. In 1999, Capcom partied with Strider 2, a Playstation follow-up to the arcade game where Hiryu once again faces the Grandmaster as well as a new foe, the renegade Strider Hien. Since then, Hiryu and his enemies have appeared in Namco X Capcom; notably, the Grandmaster gets the honor of being the last Big Bad to be confronted before the Biggest Bad herself. While not present in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 due to copyright issues, Hiryu did join the line-up of its Updated Rerelease, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

Not to be confused with the Beverly Cleary book with the same name, the alias of Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings, or Dave.


The game series contains examples of:

General

  • A Protagonist Is Ryu
  • Audible Sharpness: SWHING!!
  • Bishonen: In Marvel vs. Capcom and beyond.
  • Brought to You By The Letter S: The kanji on Hiryu's outfit is the head character on his name (飛 or Hi).
    • Strider Kain has a "C" (implying that his name is meant to be "Cain") and Matic has an "M."
  • Cool Sword: The cypher, specially in the manga and Strider 2.
    • Dual Tonfas: The weapon is tonfa-shaped. Hien can actually dual-wield his double-edged Cypher as two separate weapons.
    • Laser Blade: The cypher uses plasma to cut through hard targets like tanks.
    • Named Weapons: Hiryu's personal cypher is named "Falchion".
  • Crossover: Hiryu appeared as a challenger in the game Adventure Quiz: Capcom World 2. He also appears as one of several guests in Ken's stage in Street Fighter Alpha 2.
    • Capcom vs. Whatever: As already said, Hiryu is a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom 1, 2 and (recently) Ultimate, as well as Namco X Capcom. Ton Pooh appears in the first MvC as an Assist Character, and she along with the Grandmaster, Solo, Hien and two Mooks are AI-only characters in NxC.
  • Evil Plan: The whole story of the manga is revealed to have been the work of Matic, who started it three years before its beginning as a way to get enough power and resources to Take Over the World.
  • The Great Politics Mess Up: The Soviet Union still exists in the 2040s and the country of Kazakhstan is referred by its former name of Kazakh SSR in both arcade and NES games, as well as the manga.
  • Heroic Mime: In the arcade game, Hiryu says only one or two phrases: "Take me to your boss!", and calling the aerial battleship a toy.
  • Job Title: English title.
  • Ninja: The Striders aren't ninja per se, but they're pretty damn close.
    • Highly-Visible Ninja: Well, look at him. The action is great, but doesn't involve a lot of stealth.
    • Rank Inflation: The Striders go from C to A, and then Special (or Super) A.
  • Ninja Run: Hiryu's dashing animation in the NES game, Strider 2 and all crossover appearences.
  • Nintendo Hard: Both the NES and the original arcade games are really hard due to Hiryu's funky hitboxes. The arcade has a extra whammy of not being able to control Hiryu mid-jump. The final stage in the original arcade game is almost impossible to complete without excessive credit munching.
  • One-Man Army: The Striders are billed as being as such. The lowest ranked guys in the group can fight on par with entire special force units.
  • Reformulated Game
    • The arcade and Famicom versions were developed in tandem. Strangely, the Famicom version was canceled despite the fact that it was heavily promoted by Moto Kikaku's tie-in manga, although it eventually saw a U.S.-exclusive release on the NES.
    • Strider II, the U.S. Gold-produced sequel, was remade completely when it was released for the Mega Drive and Master System.
  • Scarf of Asskicking: Conspicuously absent in the original arcade game.
  • Sleeves Are for Wimps: Hiryu displays his well-toned arms proudly.
  • Spell My Name With an "S":
    • The name of the flying airship in Stage 3 of the arcade, "Ballog", is an obvious mistranslation of "Balrog" (this was corrected in Strider 2).
    • Strider Kain has an uppercase "C" on his ninja outfit (matching the "飛" (Hi) in Hiryu's and the "M" on Matic's), which seems to suggest that his name is supposed to be "Cain", not "Kain".
    • Ouroboros is spelt "Urobolos" in the Genesis in-game sound test and manual.
    • In the NES game, there's "Yugdesiral", which should actually be Yggdrasil.
  • Spiritual Successor: Osman was directed by Isuke, the same director who worked on the arcade version of Strider. Isuke also worked on Moon Diver, essentially a remake for PS 3 and Xbox 360.
  • Theme Naming: In Marvel vs. Capcom, Hiryu's moveset is heavily influenced by legendary swords and items (Ame no Murakumo, Excalibur, Gram, Vajra) and mythology in general (Ragnarok, Ouroboros, Legion).
  • Wall Crawl/Ceiling Cling: One of the iconic elements of the series. In the main series and crossovers, Hiryu uses his Climb Sickle to climb to any surface and ceiling. In the NES game, he can move up specific glowing walls/ceilings with magnetic boots.
    • Wall Jump: An ability in both the NES game and Strider 2. Much loathed in the former due to funky controls.

The arcade game and sequel.

  • Adaptation Expansion
    • The Genesis port has some improvements from the arcade version, such as having a unique tune for the Stage 3 theme (some variants of the arcade version reused the Stage 1 theme) and a greatly expanded ending sequence.
    • The PC Engine port has an optional stage that was not in any other port of the coin-op version.
  • Advancing Wall of Doom: The third stage in the first game has a pretty frustrating one, where the slight lag in moving will end up with a crushed Strider.
  • A God Am I: The Grandmaster.
  • Always Someone Better: The main reason behind Hien's motivation to defeat Hiryu; he's jealous that someone so young could be talented enough to earn the highest honor bestowed to a Strider and the praise that came with it.
  • Anime Chinese Girl: The Kuniang trio: Ton Pooh, Bei Pooh and Sai Pooh.
  • Assist Character: The Options in the first game:
  • Badass Boast: The Grandmaster in the final level of the first game:

  "I shall raise the city up to the sky and rid the earth of all creatures! I will create a race to fill the new earth--all sons of old gods, die!!!"

  "Hmm... it is Strider Hiryu. He will never leave Eurasia alive!" "I got you."

  "You must be joking. You're sending a toy into battle?"

  • The Triads and The Tongs: Enemies belong to the Chinese mafia in the first stage of Strider 2.
  • Tsurime Eyes: Almost everyone except for Hien, who is a Tareme Eyes.
  • Wasted Song: Stage 3 of the first game was supposed to have its unique theme music, but some variants of the arcade version reuses the BGM from Stage 1 instead. Most of the home versions fix this however.
  • Whip It Good: Beard Jr. uses a whip.

Manga and NES