Crimson Viper (クリムゾン・ヴァイパー Kurimuzon Vaipaa?), also known as either C. Viper or by her true name Maya (マヤ?), is a video game character from the Street Fighter series, first appearing in Street Fighter IV. She is an undercover CIA agent who fights using an assortment of gadgets hidden within her battle suit. She is the first female fighter to have a daughter.
Biography[]
Appearance[]
C. Viper wears a specially designed Battle Suit for the tournament, developed and manufactured by S.I.N.. When inquired by an Executive as to the reason for her participation in the tournament, she states that she's the only test subject to fully utilize the suit's capabilities effectively, and thus is the prime candidate for the field test.
The suit is remarkable in the sense that it resembles an ordinary business suit, though two weapons lurk within the accompanying gloves and boots. The Battle Suit presumably does not protect the wearer from damage, as it was designed for stealth and ease of concealment.
One of her alternate costumes in the Street Fighter IV games is a white science coat, black dress with a revealing top and black high-heeled shoes.[3] In her original Street Fighter IV ending, she wears what appears to be a long black dress and black open-toed shoes.[4]
In her profile artwork from the Street Fighter V website, C. Viper wears a gray revealing catsuit with a green shoulder holster and a black arm band with a pouch on her shoulder and black boots. She also wears a matching black choker on her neck.
Personality[]
C. Viper's working personality is superior and condescending, as seen in her interactions with Chun-Li, Cammy, and Hakan. However, she is also genuinely interested in the inner workings and problems of the other fighters, as shown in her various win-quotes, but when it comes to her missions, C.Viper will not let anyone stop her from completing her goals.
As mentioned in her win quotes, her current personality is a far cry from her younger years. It is implied that she was something of a wildcat and a thrill seeking delinquent as a teenager, before the events that got her to be a responsible and focused adult.
When C. Viper is not doing missions, she is shown to be a loving mother for her daughter Lauren, as shown in her Super Street Fighter IV ending.
Gameplay[]
Fighting style[]
While her fighting style is simply officially referred as "using secret spy gadgets", C. Viper, as a CIA agent, likely went through the same training regiment as all other CIA operatives, which can be surmised to mirror that of the real-life organization; included among the styles utilized in training are judo and Krav Maga.[6]
Abilities[]
C. Viper's techniques in particular are centered around augmenting her natural speed and agility with her special Battle Suit. The gloves have metal knuckles that can be electrically charged, creating visual arcs of electricity when enough power is supplied; these can stun or damage an opponent quite heavily based on the limiter's settings, often via sending powerful shockwaves through the ground. Crimson Viper can also feint these moves to confuse her opponent, or cancel the moves themselves for a combo.
The boots hold jets inside the arc between the heel and sole, with a switch on the side of the boot activating the temporary jet propulsion. The boots are capable of granting the wearer a much greater jumping ability, though Viper frequently fires them up and uses them for a defensive, burning kick.
In Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Crimson Viper gains the Optic Laser, a red laser beam fired from her sunglasses. Mega Man also unlocks the Optic Laser after defeating C.Viper in Street Fighter X Mega Man, though despite it's name, he fires it from the Mega Buster like most attacks.
Viper's use of high-tech weaponry is commented on frequently by the other characters, and is usually looked down upon due to their 'unorthodox' nature.
Moveset[]
Gameplay-wise, C. Viper is useful as a rushdown character, and can keep foes off-balance with her speed and variable attacks.
Super and Ultra Combos[]
Crimson Viper's Super Combo, the Emergency Combination, has her charging her gloves, then delivering a punch to the gut, then a Thunder Knuckle to the face and finishing with a burning backflip kick. The punch button pressed determines the speed and range that the super combo covers (the Light version covers half the screen but has a very long gap inbetween the moves, the Medium version covers a bit further and has a lower gap and the Heavy version covers a very short range but there is no gap between the moves).
C. Viper's first Ultra Combo, Burst Time, has her overcharging her gloves and punching the ground to create an electrical explosion. Crimson Viper then performs four backflip kicks that juggle the opponent in the air. The Burst Time comes with a lot of startup and recovery, so comboing into it from a juggle or crumpling the opponent beforehand is the best method of insuring that it will hit.
C. Viper's second Ultra Combo, the Burning Dance, has her crashing into her opponent foot first from the air and then surfing them to the edge of the screen. She then cartwheels and catches her opponent with her crossed wrists while soaring upwards with her boots. At the peak of the jump, C. Viper electrocutes her opponent and backflips to land on her feet. As it can only be performed in the air, the Burning Dance is a very hard move to combo into. On the other hand, it has a tiny amount of startup and there are ways to combo into it if timed right.
In Marvel vs. Capcom 3, C. Viper uses the Emergency Combination and Burst Time as her two level 1 Hyper Combos, and her level 3 Hyper Combo Viper Full Throttle resembles the Burning Dance's electrocution part, though ending with Viper smashing the opponent back into the ground for extra damage.
TMNT X Pokemon[]
As an undercover agent, she always find ways to steal some information from the enemy. She was actually recruited by Michel James in Season 2 to investigate the Kraang's activity.
Trivia[]
- C. Viper is notable for having these distinctions in the series.
- The first playable female character from the United States.
- The only character whose fighting potential doesn't come from a spiritual energy, martial art, combat sport or physical training.
- The only known playable single parent and also mother so far.
- C. Viper's fighting stance has a minor resemblance to Sharon's fighting stance.
- C. Viper's physical appearance could be inspired by famous actor Angelina Jolie, specifically by her roles in Tomb Raider (live-action film) and Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
- The Super Street Fighter IV website lists her birth date as July 18 and the official Marvel vs. Capcom 3website lists her age as 30.
- C. Viper's second alternate costume features a logo around the chest area incredibly similar to that of the real-life CIA.
- She has a mobile phone very similar to the Nokia N76, as seen in Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind.
- C. Viper's gloves and boots are fully visible if she is wearing either her Street Fighter IV or Super Street Fighter IV alternate costumes.
- In Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind, her boots allow sustained flight, though in-game they can only provide quick bursts of height (since no character is able to fly in-game).
- Her suit and moves closely resemble those of fellow Capcom character Captain Commando.
- C. Viper shares some few similarities with The King of Fighters characters Mature, Vice and Vanessa.
- C. Viper is the only playable character from SFIV not to make a direct and/or cameo appearance in Street Fighter X Tekken. However, Tekken character Jin Kazama dons a battlesuit similar to Viper's as one of his swap costumes, and Viper herself is referenced in the descriptions (and the Japanese website).
- C. Viper might have worked with Colonel Wolfman (Cammy's boss in Delta Red) in the past, according to her post-round win quote against Cammy.
- An unlockable title for C. Viper in Super Street Fighter IV, captioned "Gotta Quit Smoking" suggests (though not confirmed) that Viper is a smoker.
- C. Viper made a cameo in Dead Rising 4. She is seen as a chibi version of herself in an electronic panel during the final battle.