Zangief

## How Zangief joined the Tourney

Zangief enters the Smash Bros. Tourney held by Master Hand to prove to his young fans (some of whom are beginning to claim that martial artists are better) that he's still got it. After the tournament, Zangief frantically realizes that he hasn't gotten a souvenir, and says "I didn't even understand what the last guy was saying before I beat him". He then has an idea and takes a photograph holding the beaten Seth (main boss and host of the tournament) in a headlock, which is then viewed by the admiring young fans who recognize Seth as the "*bad guy from the TV*".

## Character Select Screen Animation

Zangief does Heihachi's Soul Calibur II character select screen animation and says "Dooooryah!".

## Special Attacks

### Spinning Pile Driver (Neutral)

Zangief grabs his opponent and holds them upside down by the waist, then leaps into the air in a sitting position with the opponent's head between his legs. Spinning rapidly, Zangief slams the opponent headfirst into the ground for massive damage.

### Double Lariat (Side)

Zangief stretches his arms out horizontally and clenches his fists, and then simply spins in an effort to hit the opponent.

### Flying Powerbomb (Down)

Zangief performs one of two different grabs depending on his distance from the opponent, as seen below. Both inflict large amounts of damage, and are also unblockable grab attacks.

* If the move is executed from a distance, Zangief stretches his arms out like a bear, then rushes a short distance towards his opponent (informally known as a **Running Bear Grab**). If the pursuit is not evaded, Zangief performs a **Flying Powerbomb**: he grabs the opponent by the shoulders and jumps, then slams him/her head-first into the ground.
* If the move is executed while Zangief is already close to the opponent, he instead performs the Atomic Suplex, which is also known by the name **Siberian Bear Crusher**: stepping behind his opponent, he grabs them around the waist and lifts them up, falling backwards while he does in order to drive them head-first into the ground; still holding onto his opponent's waist, he then flips and jumps, performing the same maneuver again from mid-air.

### Final Atomic Buster (Hyper Smash)

Based on his Street Fighter IV Super Combo, Zangief attempts to grab the opponent; if successful, he performs two Atomic Suplexes, finishing with a Spinning Piledriver.

### Ultimate Atomic Final Buster (Final Smash)

Based on his Street Fighter IV Ultra Combo, the move starts with Zangief spreading out his arms ("For Mother Russia!") and attempting to grab the opponent. If successful, Zangief goes behind the opponent and lands a German Suplex ("Ultimate..."). He then lifts the opponent above his head and performs a reverse back breaker on them ("...Atomic..."). Zangief then flings the opponent in the air and jumps up to grab them and finish them with a devastating Spinning Piledriver ("...Buster!").

## Victory Animations

1. Zangief flexes his muscles and moves his arms, all the while saying "Bolshoy Pobyeda!".
2. Zangief points his fingers upward two times before stopping them in the air a third time saying "Russian wrestling is always #1!".
3. Zangief brushes a referee out of his path with "Move out of the way!", then rests his arms on his waist saying "URAAA!".

## On-Screen Appearance

Zangief flies in from a red cyclone saying "I am the Red Cyclone!".

## Trivia

* Zangief shares his Japanese voice actor with Thor and Z.W.E.I.
* The rival of Zangief is Raven of the Teen Titans, but in the sequel, his rival is Haggar.