Hakan (Street Fighter)

Hakan (ハカン) is a character in the Street Fighter series. He made his debut as the tenth new fighter in Super Street Fighter IV. He was revealed by IGN on March 9, 2010.

Hakan is the first Turkish character introduced in the Street Fighter series.

Appearance
Hakan is a huge Turkish oil wrestler with deep red skin and a strong accent. He has strange turquoise hair worn in circular curls aligned rather symmetrically on his head and a large mustache. He wears a large belt that not only bears a golden lion's head as its buckle, but also cradles an enormous golden chain that links from belt to shoulderpad like a bandolier. He wears tight blue pants moderately similar to traditional Yağlı güreş garb, but they are adorned with golden ringlets and leather bands. He also wears wristbands and anklebands.

Though not used or visible during combat, he can also be seen toting around a massive barrel, with a golden lion's head similar to the one on his belt emblazoned upon one end. The barrel contains a large quantity of oil, as can be deduced when he hoists it above his head and drenches himself with it at the beginning of each match.

Personality
Hakan has a very strong belief that his own fighting style is the best in the world. He also has (according to his win quotes in arcade mode) mixed regard depending on what fighter he has fought. Some like Ryu, Gouken, Zangief and Dhalsim he holds in high regard, but others like Rufus, El Fuerte and Adon holds with low regard, and he also responds to evil characters quite harshly (he even considers Cody an evil person because of his prison uniform). Though he considers E. Honda a good friend, their beliefs in their own respective fighting styles make them more like rivals than friends. He loves his family above all else, even Turkish oil wrestling.

Concept
Hakan was created specifically to be "something that was never seen in a Street Fighter game before." The creators searched for an interesting new fighting style on websites such as YouTube to come up with a new off-the-wall character akin to Blanka or Dhalsim. Rumors pointed to the Karate Clown as the new character prior to Hakan's unveiling.

Super Street Fighter IV
Hakan is the president of one of the world's leading edible oil manufacturers and a leader in Turkey's national sport of Yağlı güreş. He enters the S.I.N. tournament to showcase his skills, while also travelling the world in search of inspiration for a new oil recipe (after beating up and interrogating a trespassing thug whom he accuses of being an industrial spy).

During the tournament, Hakan encounters E. Honda, who is revealed to be an old friend. Their meeting gets competitive when each claims that theirs is the best fighting style in the world, and a match ensues. Honda loses and acknowledges that it was a good fight, but warns Hakan not to expect him to lose next time as he leaves. Hakan then muses that Japan has a number of different oils, and tells his family that they are heading to Japan to expand their business.

UDON comics
Hakan appears in UDON's Super Street Fighter: New Generations comics.

Gameplay and fighting style
A practitioner of Yağlı güreş, better known as Turkish oil wrestling, Hakan's moves revolve around the application of oil to his body. The application of oil makes him "glow" for a short amount of time, acting as a timer of sorts for his current oiling. Since his playstyle is based heavily on "oiling up" to achieve additional range, many of his attacks are designed to provide him the space needed to do so.

When he is "dry", he still maintains a slippery body and the same moveset, but when he applies oil, he receives many advantages, such as increased defense, covering more distance during his slide attack, and having a longer range for his Oil Rocket command throw. The oil even allows him to slide during his Focus Attack, placing it among the more versatile Focus Attacks in the games. Hakan also possesses a lunging dive grab.

Other information

 * The appearance of Hakan's hair is a pun, as he is Turkish (the Japanese word for Turkey is "Toruko"), his hair resembles stone (the Japanese word for stone is "Ishi"), and his hair color is turquoise (the Japanese word for turquoise is "Toruko Ishi" and, worldwide, the color turquoise is associated with Turkish people).
 * Hakan is one of the few people in the Street Fighter series to state E. Honda's first name. In his rival cutscene, he calls him "his old friend, Mr. Honda", as well as "Edmond".
 * Hakan is one of the fourteen playable Street Fighter characters who are married or in a romantic relationship.
 * As mentioned above, early ideas for Hakan may have started with the concept of a Karate Clown.
 * His Super Combo and his Ultra Combos all end with the opponent hitting the stage's invisible "wall".
 * Oil wrestling is the regional sport of Turkish Thrace (Eastern Thrace). Greek occupation of Eastern Thrace (started with Tekirdağ) ended on November 13, 1922. Hakan's birthday is November 13.
 * Hakan is noticeably similar in appearance and moves to Street Fighter EX's Darun Mister.
 * In Super Street Fighter IV, if the player use Oil Shower, and then use Hakan's Focus Attack, they can actually slide forward and back while charging.