Cammy

Cammy
'Street Fighter' character
Cammy in Super Street Fighter II, as illustrated by Bengus.
First game	Super Street Fighter II

Cammy White (キャミィ, Kyamī) is a video game character in the Street Fighter series. She first appeared in the fighting game Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers, which was released for the arcades in 1993, as one of the "New Challengers", the four new characters introduced in that title. She is the second female fighter in the Street Fighter series, following Chun-Li. Cammy has also appeared in the Street Fighter Alpha games, first as a hidden character and then as a playable character, in Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold and Street Fighter Alpha 3 respectively. Although Cammy did not appear in Street Fighter III as a playable character, she was reintroduced into the series as such in the PC and home console versions of Street Fighter IV, winning a poll put forth by Capcom asking the fans which characters from previous games should appear in the new game's home version.

History

Street Fighter series

File:Cammy Alpha3.jpg

Cammy in Street Fighter Alpha 3

Cammy was one of the four "New Challengers" introduced in the fourth Street Fighter II revision, Super Street Fighter II. In this game, Cammy is a teen-aged agent of the fictional Delta Red task force within Britain's MI6. In the Japanese version of her ending, she is revealed to have been an agent working for M. Bison in the past, but lost her memories during a past operation. Inexplicably, the American version instead reported her as a previous lover of M. Bison's, but likewise suffering from amnesia.

A younger version would be included in the crossover game X-Men vs. Street Fighter, which features Cammy as an assassin for Bison's Shadaloo organization, with her codename "Killer Bee" (and in later games described as one of the "Shadaloo Dolls"). The ending of the game alludes to Cammy's memory loss and her eventual joining of Delta Red.

This incarnation of Cammy would be integrated into the main series: first in Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold, where she appears as a hidden character available exclusively in the 2-Player and Training Modes (however, this would be rectified in Street Fighter Alpha Anthology where she would be fully playable in Arcade mode with a complete storyline and ending), and then in Street Fighter Alpha 3, where she is a full-fledged playable character. In Alpha 3, Cammy is revealed to be a clone created from M. Bison's DNA. The Game Boy Advance version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo: Revival and the Xbox Live and PSN remake Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix take into account this revelation in their versions of Cammy's ending.

Cammy is featured in the console and PC versions of Street Fighter IV. Set after the Street Fighter II subset of games (but before Street Fighter III), it depicts Cammy as having come to terms with her past as a brainwashed super soldier from Shadaloo and is now embarking a new mission with her Delta Red comrades (which include Commander Watson, Matthew Mcoy, Colonel Wolfman, 1st Lieutenant Luwanda, and George Ginzu). In the game, she encounters one of the new warriors, Crimson Viper. Cammy confronts Viper to inquire what organization has sent her, while Viper dismisses her and the two are drawn into battle. In her ending in this game, she destroys the BLECE data, thinking that this was what Bison used to brainwash her before. Crimson Viper appears and holds a gun to her head, demanding that she not delete the information. Cammy deletes the info anyway and Viper is forced to reason that the information is gone for good. Cammy thinks she's failed in her mission by destroying the data, but Colonel Wolfman offers her comfort, saying simply "Well done." This is the first time since the Street Fighter II era that Cammy has appeared in her Delta Red depiction as opposed to her Shadaloo depiction, and also the very first time in which she actually speaks with a British accent, though Cammy's actual birthplace is unknown due to her nature as a clone of Bison, despite her official birthplace being listed as Britain. This makes things regarding Cammy's nature more muddled, as Bison himself does not speak with a British accent and very little is known about him at all. The fact that Cammy speaks with a British accent in the film and the fact that her birthplace is listed as Britain is one of the few parts of her backstory that aren't yet fully explained. It is unknown if Cammy's birthplace is listed as Britain because that was where she was found after losing her memories and Delta Red simply assumed this to be the case, or if she always had a British accent, which may have also prompted the belief. In all the games up until Street Fighter IV and the included film, she spoke with either an American accent much like Bison or was voiced by a Japanese voice actress, further confusing the matter. In the update Super Street Fighter IV, Cammy still remembers her time as a "doll" and affectionately refers to the "Dolls" as her sisters, vowing to rescue them from Shadaloo. Her rivalry shifts to the newcomer, Juri. Cammy swears revenge on Juri for an unspecified ill action towards the "dolls", only for Juri to reverse the accusation when confronted. In her new ending, Cammy consoles a recovering former "doll" (similar in appearance to Juni from Street Fighter Alpha 3). This new ending contradicts all previous endings, as Cammy remembered nothing of her past in the Street Fighter II series, nor in any of the other media such as anime, comics, and manga that depicts her with or without her affiliation with Delta Red up until the UDON comic, which depicts her regaining some memory of her time as one of the Dolls, but there is nothing to indicate that her ending in Super Street Fighter IV was in any way influenced by the UDON comics.

Other games

Cammy appears in her Alpha incarnation as a playable character in X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Capcom vs. SNK, and Capcom vs. SNK 2.

Cammy also appears as a playable character in the shoot-em-up Cannon Spike, where she appears in her Super Street Fighter II outfit for her default form and in her Street Fighter Alpha outfit as an alternate appearance. In Namco × Capcom, she appears as a brainwashed enemy character who later joins the player's side as a partner to Chun-Li.

In Final Fight: Streetwise, a redesigned Cammy appears as one of the underground pit fighters who challenges the player. She also has her own brand of lager, with advertising posters in the pool hall.

Character design

Cosplayers portraying Cammy and Dhalsim from Street Fighter, at FanimeCon 2010 in San Jose, California.

Cammy is very slight of body for a fighter, and she enlists firm muscles for the needed strength. She has long blonde hair she usually wears in two braided pigtails, blue eyes and a scar on her left cheek.

She first appeared in Super Street Fighter II, where she is presented wearing a green sleeveless thong leotard, red beret, red gloves, and black (sometimes green) boots. She also wears green camouflage stains on her legs. This incarnation is known as Delta Red Cammy and appears in the Street Fighter II series of games, in other games such as Cannon Spike, in the live action movie, in the American animated series, in several manga and comic adaptations, in the home versions of Street Fighter IV and in Super Street Fighter IV. Delta Red Cammy is approximately 19 years old. In an interview with Game On, Capcom Research and development head Noritaka Funamizu stated that her inclusion in Super Street Fighter II stemmed from his feeling the game needed another female character besides Chun-Li.

A different look was introduced in X-Men vs. Street Fighter. This time Cammy was presented wearing a light blue outfit which was part thong leotard and part turtleneck sweater, a matching garrison cap, red gloves and armbraces, brown leather boots, and a yellow necktie. The camouflage of her legs was replaced with blue stains in the shape of lightning bolts. This incarnation is known as Shadaloo Cammy and appears in the Street Fighter Alpha series of games, in the Marvel vs. Capcom series of games, in the Capcom vs. SNK series of games, in the Namco X Capcom series of games, and also in several manga and comic adaptations. Shadaloo Cammy is approximately 16 years old.

In Street Fighter IV, in addition to the Delta Red attire, her default, Cammy has an alternate appearance which is reminiscent of the Shadaloo version. This consists of her wearing a blue zipped-up fleece thong leotard with matching knee-high boots with woolen trim, a Delta Red garrison cap, midnight blue gloves and armbraces, and blue camouflage on her legs. In the consecutive Super Street Fighter IV, she gains an additional alternate costume based on M.Bison's, mostly by its color and the shape of the hat and accessories. However, she still wears a thong leotard and leg paint.

Cammy has a completely different look in the Japanese animated series Street Fighter II V. She is presented wearing black leather pants, a black body fit shirt, red gloves, red boots, and a black necklace with a silver cross. This incarnation of Cammy doesn’t have a scar on her cheek and wears her hair in a single ponytail.

Gameplay

Cammy is a quick, close range fighter. She lacks any projectile or long-reaching attacks, and therefore hurls herself at the enemy relying on speed and priority. For example, her standing hard punch can often cancel an opponent's attack outright, if it connects. Priority such as this makes her one of the easiest characters to use in Capcom vs. SNK 2. Her original incarnation in Super Street Fighter II had trouble evading projectile attacks, so later incarnations involved reworked and additional special moves like the Axle Spin Knuckle/Quick Spin Knuckle to evade projectiles with ease.

Techniques

Cammy's anti-air move, the Cannon Spike (or Thrust Kick in the English versions of SSF2) causes her to quickly kick one leg upward into the air, twisting her body and flipping backward, putting her at a safe range from the opponent when the move concludes. It has very high priority for such a safe move.

Cammy's forward offensive attack, the Spiral Arrow (or Cannon Drill in the English versions of SSF2) causes her to lunge forward, feet first, while spinning. Used as a distance-clearing attack, its original versions were still vulnerable to being struck by projectiles. However, her Spiral Arrow in Capcom vs. SNK travels under most projectiles, and also must be blocked in a crouching position, enhancing the move's usefulness.

The Hooligan Combination is Cammy's flying variable attack: while spinning though the air, she can opt to cancel the move for a surprise attack, land with a sliding tackle, or execute a powerful frankensteiner throw or its aerial variant. This advancing air throw special move was the first of its kind in the Street Fighter series, and is useful for confusing an opponent, throwing if blocked, or striking if counterattacked. The relative difficulty of the command motion for the Hooligan Combination prevents it from being over-powered, though. In many games she can also cancel the Hooligan Combination into the Cannon Strike, a downward angled version of the Cannon Spike. In some games, such as Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Capcom vs. SNK 2, and Street Fighter IV, this attack could also be used on its own.

In her Axle Spin Knuckle/Quick Spin Knuckle, Cammy approaches her opponent by hopping into the air and spinning her back around to the opponent before whipping her fist a full 360° around. If she connects with this move up close, she can hit twice; first with her elbow, and next with her fist. When performing this move, Cammy is invulnerable to attacks save for ones that connect with her head.

Cammy's Super Combos are the Spin Drive Smasher, which is a powerful, multi-hitting Spiral Arrow followed by a similarly powered Cannon Spike; the Reverse Shaft Breaker, a vertically executed Spiral Arrow; and the Killer Bee Assault, which has Cammy literally bouncing off the walls of the screen, attacking the opponent with four jump kicks, grabbing the opponent in mid air then slamming them into the ground with a stomp delivered with both feet, afterwards flipping away to a safe distance (this attack is very similar to Spider-Man's Maximum Spider from the Marvel vs. Capcom series). Her Ultra Combo in Street Fighter IV is the Gyro Drive Smasher, an extended Spin Drive Smasher that kicks her opponent into the air, Cammy following them up, and then pulling them back down to earth with a backflip neckbreaker. In Super Street Fighter IV, Cammy gains a new Ultra Combo called CQC (Cammy Quick Combination). Once a player tries to hit Cammy, she jumps onto them and rolls them around on the ground following up with a series of a neckbreakers.

In the Marvel vs. Capcom series, many of Cammy's special and super moves are endowed with blue flames characteristic of Psycho Power. She also receives the Cannon Revenge, which is a counter move that has her automatically retaliating against physical attacks with a floating punch or a Cannon Spike (this technique was later available to Cammy in Street Fighter Alpha 3 when using her V-Ism incarnation). In these games, she can also double jump.

Cultural impact

In other media

File:Kylie-Cammy.jpg

Kylie Minogue as Cammy White

Cammy appears as one of the main heroes in the 1994 film Street Fighter. She is portrayed by Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue. In the film, Cammy is a British intelligence agent that is serving as Colonel Guile's intel officer and aide de camp in the Allied Nations Army.

Cammy also appears in two Japanese animated Street Fighter productions by Group TAC. In Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, Cammy, portrayed here as an American (although this may be because all of the characters have American accents, including the Japanese and Chinese characters), appears in a scene early in the movie, where she assassinates British minister Albert Sellers after being brainwashed by Shadaloo. She is later seen being interrogated by Chun-Li. Her status after that is unclear, with Bison's last orders to Sagat being the elimination of Vega and Cammy. In the Street Fighter II V series, Cammy, again seemingly American, is a former special forces operative-turned-assassin who is hired by Balrog to assassinate Chun-Li's father, but is stopped by Fei-Long. After her fight, she realizes that Balrog fooled her and nearly kills him. In both productions, Cammy was voiced by Yoko Sasaki in the original Japanese versions and Debra Jean Rogers in the English dubs.

In the American Street Fighter animated series, Cammy appears in several episodes during the first season and is the central focus of a sub-plot in the second season. She was voiced by Lisa Ann Beley. During the first season, she is an ally of Guile who has a flirtatious relationship with him, and is eventually made part of his team. However, she is brainwashed by Bison and becomes one of his underlings, fighting her former allies (both Street Fighters and Delta Red) during the remainder of the series. However, she then turned on Bison when she learned that Bison killed her parents, and switched sides back to her original allies.

In addition to appearing in the manga adaptations of the Street Fighter games and anime, Cammy was also the central character in Masahiko Nakahira's 1994 manga Super Street Fighter II: Cammy which was adapted into English by Viz Communications. Cammy would appear in Nakahira's subsequent 1996 manga adaptation of Street Fighter Alpha (predating her appearance in X-Men vs. Street Fighter and Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold), where she appears as a brainwashed test subject named "Killer Bee", a codename that was adapted in the video game storyline. The X-Men vs. Street Fighter depiction of Cammy also appeared in the 1997 manga Sakura Ganbaru! (again by Nakahira), centering around the character Sakura. English adaptations of both Street Fighter Alpha and Sakura Ganbaru!, were published in 2007 by UDON.

In UDON's own comic book series documenting the Street Fighter story, Cammy's own story is not much different than the official version. Cammy starts off as a mysterious girl only going by the codename "Killer Bee". She is the one responsible for the death of Chun-Li's father. She tracks Ryu in San Francisco under orders from Shadaloo until she is confronted and captured by Rose. Rose undoes Shadaloo's brainwashing and leaves her in front of the British embassy in Italy (it is here when she is given the name "Cammy" to identify herself by). She has no memory of anything leading up to that moment but a terrorist attack on the embassy suddenly triggers her latent fighting ability and she defeats the entire squadron by herself. She is confronted by Delta Red, who almost immediately sign her on as a member. She completes missions with Delta Red, which invariably draw her closer to Shadaloo once more. She pieces together remnants of her memory during this time and does her best to repent for any sins she believes she might have committed in Shadaloo's name. During the second series (entitled Street Fighter II), Cammy takes a leave from Delta Red to find out more about her past. She travels to Mexico with Chun-Li to meet T. Hawk and together they attempt to investigate a chemical company that is supposedly operating for Shadaloo's purposes. However, they are intercepted by M. Bison, who recaptures Cammy and demands he represent Shadaloo in the upcoming tournament he is hosting or her squadron will be killed. She is brought back to Shadaloo where her brainwashing is resumed during the third series (Street Fighter II Turbo). However, before the tournament finishes, Vega frees her from the brainwashing. Deciding that she needs to protect the safety of Delta Red, she acts as though she is still under Bison's command but enlists the help of Chun-Li and Guile, who are present for the tournament. The comic series closes with the successful rescue and evacuation of Delta Red. In the aftermath she has rejoined her squadron and continues to take new missions with them.

A two-volume light novel featuring Cammy as the main character, titled Cammy History, authored Yuka Minakawa that was published in 1995 by Wani Books.

Reception

Cammy won Capcom's official "Which Character do fans most want in SFIV?" poll, gathering almost as many votes as all the other characters combined. She came 2nd in Capcom's previous poll of 85 characters for the 15th anniversary of Street Fighter. Cammy was awarded Hottest Game Babe of 1993 in Super Street Fighter II Turbo by Electronic Gaming Monthly. IGN ranked Cammy at #9 in their "Top 25 Street Fighter Characters" article, noting her sex appeal and unique gameplay, adding "of the four new fighters in Super Turbo, she's the only one who made a return appearance in future games." GameSpy listed her alongside Chun-Li as one of the Top Ten Babes in Games at #6, stating "With leg revealing outfits she showed the world that pixelated Brit girls are sexy." GameDaily listed her at #7 on their "Top 20 Street Fighter Characters of All Time" article, stating "Cammy makes the list for two reasons. First, her assassin skills are incredible...Second, just look at her military motif that showcases some of the best legs in video games." Spike featured Cammy on their "Top 10 Video Game Vixens" list at #10, heavily praising her attractiveness and attire. UGO.com ranked her fifth in their "Top 50 Videogame Hotties" article, stating a preference for her legs and high speed. News.com.au named Cammy one of the sexiest characters in video games, placing her fifth in their "Top 10" article and describing her as "a kickass character with good looks to boot". She was listed on GameDaily's list of hottest video game blonds, who state that she has "looks that kill, with the moves to match." They also include her in a list of "Ten Babes Who Should and 10 Babes Who Shouldn't Meet Your Mom", citing her status as an assassin and her outfit.

Along with Metroid's Samus Aran, Cammy was negatively regarded in a The Washington Post article by Heidi Dangelmaier, a computer science graduate from Princeton University. Dangelmaier conducted research on developing interactive titles for game manufacturers before pursuing a business in which she works with manufacturers to expand video games to target girls more. She remarks that she was unhappy with what she considered a halfhearted attempt to include girls in the audience for video games. Dangelmaier said of the two characters: "That's not a woman, that's a drag queen. [...] Does she have the right contours? Sensibilities? Sense? Probably she's quite brutal. I don't think this is a role model for women or something we would aspire to be. [...] You're going to find some girls who like these games, but generally they know they're being left out."

Bibliography

• Nakahira, Masahiko. Super Street Fighter II - Cammy Gaiden (in Japanese). ISBN 4091238017.
• Nakahira, Masahiko. Street Fighter ZERO (in Japanese). Vol. 1. ISBN 4881992201.
• Nakahira, Masahiko. Street Fighter ZERO (in Japanese). Vol. 2. ISBN 4881992732.
• Nakahira, Masahiko. Sakura Ganbaru! (in Japanese). Vol. 1. ISBN 4881993267.
• Nakahira, Masahiko. Sakura Ganbaru! (in Japanese). Vol. 2. ISBN 4881993666.
• Nakahira, Masahiko. Super Street Fighter II: Cammy. ISBN 1569312125.
• Nakahira, Masahiko. Street Fighter Alpha. Vol. 1. ISBN 1897376502.
• Nakahira, Masahiko. Street Fighter Alpha. Vol. 2. ISBN 1897376510.
• Nakahira, Masahiko. Sakura Ganbaru!. Vol. 1. ISBN 1897376529.
• Nakahira, Masahiko. Sakura Ganbaru!. Vol. 2. ISBN 1897376537.
• Minakawa, Yuka. Cammy History (in Japanese). Vol. 1. ISBN 4847031423.
• Minakawa, Yuka. Cammy History (in Japanese). Vol. 2. ISBN 4847031458.

External links

• Cammy's Street Fighter II, Street Fighter Alpha, Marvel vs. Capcom, and Street Fighter IV entries at StrategyWiki.org
• Cammy's entry at the Street Fighter Wiki
• CammyFan Large Fansite dedicated to Cammy
• Street Fighter RPG Brasil Cammy em Street Fighter RPG