In the ever-complex narrative tapestry of Street Fighter lore, the enigmatic Rose has consistently been a figure shrouded in mystery and imbued with profound purpose. My previous explorations delved into Rose’s story mode, interpreting her actions as a desperate attempt to preempt G’s grand design. Her strategy, as I theorized, hinged on a daring temporal maneuver: reaching back into the annals of the past to safeguard the future from an impending cataclysm. However, a critical question lingered: what precise moment in time held the key to averting this disaster? It seemed that unless Rose aimed to intervene when Bison first grasped the formidable Psycho Power, the logic behind her “return to zero” strategy remained elusive. This scenario presupposed G’s presence at Bison’s power acquisition – a confluence of events that felt speculative and didn’t fully illuminate Rose’s conviction that resetting history was the singular path to salvation for the world, and perhaps the cosmos itself.
But a breakthrough emerged, an epiphany that began to coalesce the disparate threads surrounding G and the cryptic Q. The narratives lurking beneath the surface of the Street Fighter saga started to illuminate, hinting that certain elements unearthed in my research might have been meticulously woven into Capcom’s overarching design all along. Notably, neither G nor Q graced the rosters of the Alpha series, at least not in any explicitly recognized form. Speculation swirls around whether a pre-existing Alpha character, perhaps Nash, underwent a transformation into Q. Regardless, their current iterations were absent from that era. This begs the question: what is the latent connection binding G and Q to the Alpha narrative? The answer, ironically, is the same shadowy organization that permeates the Alpha series and beyond: Shadaloo.
Intriguingly, current research suggests no direct affiliation between G or Q and Shadaloo. They aren’t creations of the sinister syndicate, nor have they ever been in their employ. Even seasoned Shadaloo operatives like Cammy, F.A.N.G, Birdie, and Balrog appear utterly unaware of G’s identity or Q’s existence. Their ignorance underscores a crucial point: they are oblivious to G’s machinations because he is a novel entity, previously unseen in their sphere of influence. Thus, the pivotal question shifts: “What is G’s indirect, yet significant, connection to Shadaloo?”
The linkage isn’t about direct involvement but rather, crucially, who facilitates it. I’ve previously posited that a specific individual could serve as the missing link in G’s network – someone with mercenary inclinations, driven by personal motives, and capable of navigating the treacherous landscape of dual allegiances.
This figure is none other than Vega.
My “Fallen Claw” theory meticulously detailed the research leading me to conclude that Vega operates as a clandestine double agent. The trench coat he donned in his Street Fighter V arcade ending, far from being a mere fashion statement, serves as a potent symbol of his duplicitous nature. It strongly suggests he was simultaneously serving both G and Shadaloo. The temporal scope of Vega’s betrayal, however, remained undefined. Rose’s desire to transmit a message back to the Alpha timeline strongly implies Vega’s treachery against Bison has been a long-standing deception, potentially dating back to the very inception of Shadaloo’s operations.
Rose’s apocalyptic premonition is conveyed in cryptic terms, “as if a gigantic glacier fell into the ocean.” This imagery evokes a catastrophic deluge, reminiscent of biblical floods. Yet, her narrative is repeatedly punctuated with references to Shadaloo, as if this now-defunct organization was inadvertently acting as a bulwark against G’s encroaching power.
Does this imply Rose intends to dispatch a message to her past self, urging the continuation of Shadaloo’s malevolent operations as a means to contain an even greater impending threat? Decidedly not. Examining Rose’s introspective moment in her bathtub reveals her true intent:
Rose’s resolute desire to “stop the seed of evil from ever taking root” unequivocally signals her unwavering commitment to Bison’s ultimate demise. Her objective remains his complete elimination. The paradigm shift lies in when she aims to enact this destruction – earlier in the timeline, at a more formative stage of his power.
“But didn’t she already attempt that and fail?”, one might reasonably inquire. Indeed, she did. However, this time, her message to her past self would convey a crucial strategic refinement: the solution isn’t a direct assault on Bison himself, but a targeted strike against the technology underpinning his power. Shadaloo’s technological infrastructure, it transpires, is the linchpin to dismantling both Bison and the ascendant threat of G.
And where does Vega fit into this intricate scheme? The connection should now be strikingly apparent: Vega is the conduit, surreptitiously supplying Shadaloo’s cutting-edge technology to G.
The critical nuance is that while Vega is demonstrably in G’s service, he may be operating with a profound lack of comprehension regarding the true implications of his technological espionage. This is particularly telling considering the technology he is unwittingly relinquishing originates from projects under his direct supervision within Shadaloo.
Through Vega’s clandestine actions, G has acquired the invaluable technology of the Shadaloo Dolls.
Had Vega possessed even a rudimentary understanding of the profound value inherent in the Doll project, he would have undoubtedly hoarded it for his personal gain, a trait vividly illustrated in his prologue in Super Street Fighter IV.
Instead, Vega’s crippling obsession with aesthetics and beauty blinded him to the monumental strategic asset he was unknowingly handing over to G – the single most potent technological achievement within Shadaloo’s vast arsenal.
The Shadaloo Dolls represent Shadaloo’s most pivotal undertaking due to a crucial factor: their DNA encapsulates the very blueprints for the perfect super soldier. This explains S.I.N.’s relentless pursuit to retrieve them in Super Street Fighter IV and Bison’s desperate need for them in Street Fighter V.
Amongst this technological treasure trove, one particular artifact held immense allure for G, an item he has demonstrably utilized since its acquisition:
G coveted the mask that controlled Decapre. Prior analysis has indicated Decapre’s mask as the locus of her mind control. Securing this mask would have drastically accelerated G’s own ambitious schemes. https://manestreetblog.com/2019/05/26/g-is-not-the-fool/
While arguments can be raised regarding the disparity between Decapre’s mask and G’s, with Decapre’s bearing resemblance to Vega’s and G’s adopting a more skeletal aesthetic, this discrepancy can be readily reconciled. The masks likely share the same underlying technology, differing merely in superficial design – a stylistic divergence entirely consistent with G’s penchant for grandiose presentation. G’s acquisition of the mask also offers a plausible explanation for the visual evolution of Decapre’s mask between Alpha 3 and Ultra Street Fighter IV. With the original mask compromised, a replacement, albeit visually distinct, became necessary.
For those familiar with my ongoing blog analysis, it’s established that G possesses inherent hypnotic abilities, demonstrable through his watch and handshakes, rendering the mask seemingly redundant. However, a critical rationale likely underlies his pursuit of this technology: his individual influence is limited by scale and time. Directly hypnotizing or controlling vast populations is logistically impractical. Therefore, leveraging social media platforms for widespread energy absorption and distributing mind-control masks on a mass scale becomes a strategically sound approach. G likely operates his own clandestine online marketplace, and given the satirical naming conventions evident in “FooTube,” “Footsy” seems a fitting moniker for his nefarious Etsy-esque operation.
With the premise established that Vega is actively funneling Shadaloo technology to G, we can now deduce G’s intent: to cultivate his own army of mind-controlled soldiers. The masked cameramen in the Ring of Galaxy stage serve as tangible evidence, each adorned with an identical black mask. However, while these masks effectively induce mind control, they appear to lack the comprehensive capabilities of the Doll technology. This limitation likely prompted G, even after obtaining Decapre’s mask, to seek further augmentations for his “Qs.”
For reasons yet unclear, it seems G’s augmentation efforts encountered obstacles; any enhancements applied appear incomplete, falling short of replicating the full spectrum of Doll capabilities. A plausible explanation is that Bison’s suspicion began to mount, forcing Vega to curtail his illicit technology transfers, leaving G with a cadre of mind-controlled servants but lacking the crucial elements for Doll-equivalent super soldiers. While G can transfer his power to these “Qs,” as previously speculated, this presents a significant inherent risk.
Consider a scenario where a masked operative from the Ring of Galaxy stage, tasked with orchestrating a cataclysmic event, say a manufactured natural disaster, is solely reliant on the mask for mind control, absent any direct handshake or watch-based influence from G. G, operating in a hive-mind capacity, temporarily bestows his powers upon this operative. The operative executes the task but is subsequently apprehended, perhaps by Chun-Li. Upon removing the mask, the operative is severed from G’s direct control. However, the transferred powers might linger, and absent a mechanism for retrieval, G risks a diffusion of his own potent abilities.
This scenario poses a considerable vulnerability. Even if these transferred powers are mere echoes of G’s own, their potential for independent manifestation and unpredictable consequences is a risk G would meticulously avoid. This underscores G’s imperative to acquire more sophisticated technology, and ideally, a complete Doll specimen, to fully realize his grand designs.
The assault on Shadaloo’s fortified base presented the opportune moment. Circumstances converged, allowing G to make his decisive move. The raid not only yielded the final components necessary to complete his clandestine project but also delivered the invaluable asset of an individual uniquely positioned to optimize its utilization:
März, Shadaloo Doll’s intelligence officer, likely possesses the requisite knowledge to propel G’s project forward exponentially. Her technological acumen, coupled with her inherent Doll programming encompassing the blueprint for super soldier creation, renders März the quintessential Doll acquisition for G. Given prior assertions that März engineered the ubiquitous grey Q mask, the existence of G’s diverse masked servants, each potentially utilizing different mask iterations, becomes increasingly plausible, with the grey mask representing the latest iteration. This also resolves the enduring mystery of the masked figure on the boat in Ken’s Street Fighter II stage. He was indeed a Q, but not the Q, rather, an operative within G’s burgeoning network.
With these pieces meticulously assembled, the ultimate question resurfaces: what precisely does Rose intend to alter in the past to avert global annihilation? Her objective, it appears, is to prevent the genesis of the Shadaloo Dolls entirely. By preempting their creation, she not only thwarts G’s acquisition of Decapre’s mask and März but also curtails Shadaloo’s expansive and destructive reach. This intervention would ostensibly liberate Earth from all significant threats beyond Gill, yet Rose seemingly perceives Gill as a considerably lesser menace compared to Bison or G. Her victory quote to Gill, “I can see time flow within you. The history of your society perhaps?”, resonates as an observation, not a threat assessment. Indeed, she acknowledges the Illuminati’s existence but deems them inconsequential relative to Bison and G. To Kolin, she states, “I see you lying in the snow weeping… Nothing has changed since then,” and to Urien, “Your card, the King of Wands, is reversed. You undermine your own autonomy,” further suggesting a detached, almost dismissive view of the Illuminati’s machinations.
However, Rose’s temporal intervention to obliterate the Shadaloo Dolls carries a profound and unintended consequence, one that would fundamentally reshape the Street Fighter timeline: the erasure not only of the Dolls themselves but also of a character widely venerated as one of Street Fighter’s most iconic and beloved figures:
Cammy, and by extension Decapre, owes her very existence to her genesis as a former Doll and Bison’s clone. Rose’s temporal meddling would inexorably expunge her from the timeline, obliterating all the good she accomplished with Delta Red, her cherished friendships with fellow Street Fighters like Chun-Li, Ryu, Ken, Guile, and Sakura, and her entire personal history. Yet, if the salvation of the world and her sister Dolls hinged on her non-existence, Cammy, in her selfless nature, would likely accept this sacrifice without hesitation.
This narrative juncture compels us, as both spectators and players, to ponder the optimal outcome. Rose’s success promises a secured future but at the cost of irrevocably altering history. Her failure condemns the world to potential destruction, yet preserves the characters we have come to know and cherish. The pivotal question then becomes: will she choose to sacrifice the past to safeguard the future, or sacrifice the future to preserve the past?
That momentous choice, ultimately, rests with Capcom.
