Ken Masters, also known as the Framed Champion, is the deuteragonist of the Street Fighter series, first appearing in the original Street Fighter. Similar to his longtime best friend and rival Ryu. Ken's goal is to test his power against many different fighters and strives to become stronger, but holds more restraint, due to not wanting to jeopardize his family life.
Born and raised in Japan, Ken lived a normal life with his Japanese father and ½ Japanese American mother. When he was in junior high school, Ken started dyeing his hair blonde and became a delinquent. The reason behind this is due to his parents being at odds with one another while neglecting their child. Both were on the verge of divorce until Ken started misbehaving, which resulted in his parents settling down and live in harmony. Ken however kept his hair blonde as a warning to his parents so they'll never forget the events that transpired.
When Ken was about 12 years old, his father sent his son to train under his best friend during the summer, the mysterious karate master Gouken. At first, Ken was very hesitant to learn from Gouken, even questioning his training methods, but later began to respect his master. Ryu and Ken would later become best friends and each other's principal rivals.
When Ryu was 23, Gouken decided that both of his pupils had grown up to be fine fighters and decided that their training was over and could now leave the dojo. After Ryu and Ken's training was complete, Ken casually asks Ryu which of the two will be the most famous martial artist first. While Ken goes to United States, Ryu travels to Thailand alone, in order to face Sagat, the Emperor of Muay Thai, which is said to be the strongest martial art. After arriving in the United States, Ken competed in many different Martial Arts tournaments, winning most of them.
Ken fought in (and won) the premiere U.S. Martial Arts tournament that had been previously won by Charlie Nash, as well as meeting a very attractive girl named Eliza, who became his girlfriend.
A few months later, the heroic story that Ryu defeated the Emperor of Muay Thai reached his ears. Ken put his physical and Qigong training to the side so he could fly back to Japan to fight his friend. When Ken finds Ryu, he asks Ken what it means to be a true fighter, he wonders if he should use the same fist he used to defeat Sagat or the one Akuma uses to murder people. Ken sees that Ryu's gone back to his usual bad habit of overthinking things and fights him as an attempt to wake him up. After defeating Ryu, Ken realizes he has been deeply troubled since his last victory over Sagat. He reminds Ryu to keep fighting in order to find the answer and gives him his red hairband and that whenever he feels lost, he should use it as a reminder of their fight and to keep fighting to find the answer. Ryu happily takes the headband and they both go their separate ways. Ken returns home and, with Eliza's support, begins training harder, knowing even with his recent feelings, that Ryu is always stronger than he looks.
Ken begins to wonder about his own life. Ryu seemed to be on the right track again, but what of him? Along the road to proving himself again, he encounters Karin, who tells him she has followed his career and is trying to best her rival Sakura to prove she is superior. Ken advises her it's good to have a rival, not for supremacy, but to keep on training harder and focusing. With this, Ken finds himself again and is focused once more.
Going off to meet up with Sakura, they have a friendly match and Ken finally realizes that Ryu has the right idea all along. Both he and Sakura begin to travel to find Ryu, but their path crosses with that of Shadaloo dictator M. Bison. Ken confronts him but is easily defeated and placed under Bison's hypnosis. Bison then uses brainwashed Ken to lure Ryu out of hiding. Once Ryu shows up, Bison makes Ken fight him. Ryu wins and manages to release Ken of Bison's mind control.
Ryu then proceeds to fight Bison but loses and, just like Ken before him, is turned into a slave of Bison's Psycho Power. Sagat appears and, enraged by Bison's actions, engages Ryu in an attempt to break Bison's mental grip on him. Ken, now free and aided by Sakura, attacks Bison. This intervention, along with Sagat's presence, makes Ryu come to his senses.
Recovered, Ryu takes on Bison once more. Bison senses Ryu's dark power (which Bison describes as "The ultimate form of Psycho Power") and attempts to manipulate Ryu's mind once again. At his friends urging, Ryu resists and defeats Bison with a powerful Hadoken. Ken is happy to see his old friend again. With a promise of a new duel, the two part their ways.
Ken traveled to the United States after promising Ryu to reunite for a match after they mutually became stronger, but during his warrior’s pilgrimage he fell in love with Eliza. This resulted in Ken giving up on martial arts and losing his fighting spirit. One day, Ken receives a letter at his beach house from Ryu where he describes his consistent immersion in daily training which rekindled Ken’s fighting spirit. Realizing that he’s been slacking on his own training, Ken goes back into the world of fighting.
At some point during the tournament, Ken battled Chun-Li and Vega.
After the events of Street Fighter II, Ken is married to Eliza, something he had apparently vowed only to do after winning a decisive victory against Ryu. However, it is unknown if the two fought during the tournament or if Ken actually won if they even did. No details have been stated. Ken's promise to Eliza doesn't exist in Japanese text, only in the English translation of Street Fighter: Eternal Challenge. In Street Fighter II: Complete File it states that he lost to Ryu and continued his training. And in Gamest 255 it mentions Ryu avoiding M. Bison's flaming remnants after his body was destroyed by Akuma hinting that Ryu made to the finals.
In Street Fighter IV: Aftermath it shows Ken helping Guile, Ryu, Chun-Li and Cammy defeat Bison. However, Bison refused Guile's offer to surrender himself to the military before unleashing all of his Psycho Power to commit suicide. The animation being canon is unknown as Capcom hasn't mentioned it in other media. Capcom reprinted the All About Street Fighter books for the 30th Anniversary Collection that mentions Akuma defeating M. Bison. Capcom revisits Akuma killing M. Bison in SFV where Akuma's SFII ending is the only one that shows M. Bison being killed, along with SFV April Fools 2019. Currently there's no official winner of the tournament and what happens during and after the tournament is unknown.
After the opening credits, it shifts to the Masters Foundation headquarters, where Ken refuses to be interviewed by a woman named Maya. Later, he talks about his last fight with Ryu, the Satsui no Hado and his personal life, now thinking he is no longer a fighter. After hearing news from Sakura that fighters have been disappearing and that they were possibly going after Ryu, he joined the fight. After learning that Eliza was pregnant, this renewed Ken's passion for fighting as this gave him a new reason.
When a new tournament is announced, Ken is unsure whether to compete, as Eliza is now far along in pregnancy and he doesn't want to leave her. Sensing his inner conflict, Eliza assures him that she'll be fine and that the baby isn't due for a while yet, so he should go meet up with Ryu and tell him she says hi. Ken enters, and in the absence of gas stations near the location for the final, he parks his SUV in a convenient spot, calls Eliza to check on her, and continues the rest of the way on foot. Over the course of the tournament, he encounters his self-appointed rival, Rufus, although the results of that match are unknown. It is later implied that Ken may have defeated M. Bison in the tournament.
After the tournament, it is discovered that Gouken is still alive, and Ken and Ryu pursue him as he leaves. Ken is upset that Gouken has not said anything to them, but Gouken counters that they no longer need a master. Ken and Ryu head home on foot, and Rufus passes them by on his motorbike, calling them losers. Soon however, Rufus' bike runs out of gas, and Ken and Ryu reach the SUV; Ken offers Rufus and his girlfriend Candy a lift, but Rufus refuses.
Upon arriving home afterwards, he tells Eliza that although he did indeed get to fight Ryu, they had been so busy with the rest of the unfolding events that they hadn't been able to give it their all. Soon afterwards their son is born and they name him Mel.
As expected, Ken returned in Street Fighter V as of July 9, 2015. In the game, he has a different outfit and hairstyle, and his moves have been altered to further distance him from Ryu.
Ken, Eliza and Mel are invited to a party hosted by Karin. During the party, Ken reflects on the various sparring matches between him and Ryu. The family gets lost on the way to the party and encounter Birdie, who thinks they’re trespassing, resulting in a fight with Ken. Karin arrives and offers Ken a pre-meal fight as an apology for Birdie attacking him, which Ken accepts. Afterwards, he and Eliza wonder about why Ryu isn't at the party.
In the main story, Ken came to visit Ryu, who was in the middle of meditating. After getting defeated in a sparring match to Ken, Ryu tells him that he will join them when his training is complete. Later, Ken arrives with the rest of the fighters called by Karin to the Kanzuki Estate, where they plan their first infiltration of the Shadaloo base.
Ken, Chun-Li and Cammy travel to Brazil to search for the first missing chess piece, held by Laura Matsuda. While there, he saves Sean from F.A.N.G, but is then attacked by his older sister Laura, who mistakes him for an enemy. After the fight, Sean sorts out the misunderstanding by indicating the unconscious Shadaloo soldiers. Laura then decides to join them, but on the condition that Ken add Matsuda Jiu-Jitsu to his selection of online karate classes, which he agrees to. Chun-Li then leaves to assist Karin in the group's first infiltration. Ken remains with Laura and the duo fend off more Shadaloo soldiers, with Ken taking out three with a single Shinryuken.
Ken reunites with Ryu just before the group begins the final assault against Shadaloo.
After Bison's final defeat at Ryu's hands and Shadaloo's destruction, Ken finds Ryu alone and meditating, and decide to have another friendly sparring match to see if Ryu had found his 'true answer'. Ryu manages to defeat Ken, but drops his red headband; Ken hands it back to him, figuring he might still need it. The two are later seen sharing a friendly fist bump.
Ken and his family move to southern California from Washington State. By this time, a Brazilian teenager named Sean had been pestering him to become his student and Ken reluctantly accepted, beginning to train him. Maintaining a home and raising a child has strained his relationship with Ryu. Ken gets in touch with Ryu and invites him to Japanese hot spring inn, Ken also brings Sean along, but decides to do last minute shopping for Eliza before flying to Japan. In reality Ken purposefully left Sean alone to see how he'll do in a street fight. Ken, Ryu and Sean later spectate a WWCA title match between Zangief and Hogen. After being hit by Zangief's Double Lariat, Hogen went on a rampage while returning to the ring and picked up a chair and threw at a woman in the crowd, Ryu deflected the chair and Sean knocked him out to avoid injury to the audience. Ken reassures the woman's safety.
Ken then entered the World Warrior tournament. In his ending, Ken begins to train his son Mel in rudimentary fighting techniques. He also told Sean to go find Ryu and challenge him, giving him some free time with Eliza.
A year later, Ken hears about a mysterious organization and goes to investigate in order to alleviate his boredom, and he may have confronted Urien. He learned that Ryu had sought him out and traveled all the way to New York from Oakland for their long-awaited rematch. Tossing some friendly jabs at each other, the two fight, ultimately won by Ryu. Since then, Ken has continued to train Sean and Mel, handle his family and business, and keep up with his old friend Ryu.
Before the tournament, Ken tells Sean that his current ability is embarrassing, prompting Sean to developing his own style that'll impress Ken. In Sean's ending, Ken wakes up Sean who was beaten unconscious after being knocked down by his opponent in the first round. In Ken's ending, he wins his third straight U.S. Martial Arts tournament, which is a new record and offers the trophy to Sean who turns the offer down, wanting to earn it for himself.
Former US National Fighting Champ, and ex-VP of the Masters Foundation. Accusations of orchestrating a criminal plot have forced Ken to abandon his family and business and go into hiding.
In Chapter 1, Ken is talking with some men working at the Masters Foundation, who aren't happy that the company is including projects like cryptocurrency and micro-insurance to the communication infrastructure business in Nayshall, while some other economic aid projects feel rushed, but Ken explains that being an isolated nation that's on the rise, it could be swallowed up instantly if one of the surrounding countries changes. However, they're still concerned with Ken spending one point five billion dollars, including additional funding, and they advise him to consult to his father about this. Ken refuses, telling the men that he's acting chairman of the board. The board members are confused that holding a fighting tournament within an ancient arena is an economic support project. Ken's advisor, Jackson, tries to reason with Ken, but he explains that this isn't about him and that this is a good chance of working and the members are simply stalling, however he's interrupted by his son, who calls him after he arrived at the airport. Ken talks to his son about Nayshall and says that he'll have an incredible experience, but Mel confesses that he's frustrated that his dad doesn't care about what he really wants, which angers Ken. Luke, who's escorting Mel, then interrupts, saying that he picked up Mel and the two should arrive soon, and offers to take him to the venue before the rehearsal starts. At the arena, a secretary named Kalima informs Ken that she has arranged for a special a special emergency passageway to the infirmary, even though it's still under construction. They then meet JP, and Ken compliments him for having an amazing venue, and for establishing an I.T. nation that integrates Nayshall's ancient tradition with modern technology. Ken notices that the drone is an AI referee, and Kalima explains that it can safely follow all of the fighters' quick movements during a match, but Ken quickly demonstrates that while the drone's fighting expertise isn't bad, its reaction speed needs improvement. The king of Nayshall, Shari, appears and gifts Ken with a sacred cerulean cloth for supporting the country, which, in ancient times, represents the successor to the throne. The king invites Ken to participate in the tournament and he tries to explain that he no longer fights, but the young king insists. Later, Ken asks Jackson what his father would do in a situation like this, and Jackson says that he would have been just as unsure as Ken is, and when he first met him, he knew he was a man he could trust. Ken tells Jackson that he has made his decision, however the two notice a roadblock filled with protestors, and Marvin, who's driving the car tries to back up and take a detour. Among the protestors, some individuals are wearing cloaks and masks. While backing up, both Jackson and Ken get shot and their car gets hit by a moving truck. Ken manages to escape and tries to help Jackson, but tells Ken to escape, and the car explodes, killing Jackson and Marvin. A woman and a man named Tsujimoto pick up Ken, who's unconscious, and the two drive off with the injured champion.
In Chapter 2, Ken wakes up in a apartment and sees Tsujimoto, who's watching him. Ken asks who he is and tries to get up, but he's still recovering from the gunshot wound. Chun-Li then shows up commenting that Ken shouldn't move yet. Ken asks what happened to Jackson, and she says that they couldn't get to him in time, and Ken is saddened to hear of his death. After Chun-Li explains to Ken about the video transmitted by Amnesia and that he's in custody of Interpol, Ken gets angry and shouts that he had nothing to do with this, but Chun-Li knocks him back and points a gun at him, telling him to calm down. She's aware that Ken is being framed and that they're currently looking for a way to prove his innocence, however because the whole world saw the video, he wouldn't be safe, and so he can't leave. Ken then asks what happened to Mel, and Chun-Li is shocked that his son is here. Ken begs that he needs to call his son, however she leaves the room and makes a call, making Ken frustrated. Ken asks Tsujimoto if he could help with the gunshot wound and he complies, only for Ken to knock him out and to find the culprits behind this and to clear his name.
In Chapter 3, Ken wakes up from a nightmare and starts to walk away so that no one spots him. While avoiding the military personnel, Ken notices a man running away and accidentally trips over a kid. Ken tries to help him, but the two are caught in an explosion. Ken asks the kid if he's alright, but he recognizes Ken from the news and runs away. Due to the explosion, two personnel spot Ken and he's forced to flee. Luke then meets up with the two and they start to chase Ken. Upon entering an abandoned building, Ken is greeted by JP. Ken asks him how he was able to find him, and he explains that he used the surveillance network system, which was developed by his funding. Ken then asks how he knew he would stumble upon the building, but JP interrupts him saying that Ken's chapter was always meant to end there. After revealing his plan, Ken tries to attack JP to no avail, and the businessman uses his drone to show Mel, tied up in a chair and blindfolded. Mel tells his father that he knows that he would never do anything bad no matter what, however the transmission gets cut. Ken threatens to kill JP if he hurts his son, but he points to Ken that under the chair that his son is sitting in, there's a drone, and gives Ken his phone that he dropped when he was attacked. The phone then shows a map of the old town with several drone icons and a button with the word detonation. JP explains that if Ken pushes the button, he will save Mel, but instead, another drone will explode elsewhere and could kill others. Ken thinks that he's bluffing, however, one of the drone icons is triggered and causes an explosion. JP tells him that he doesn't bluff and decides to give Ken a little motivation, showing Mel once again, but with a timer displaying 3 minutes. Ken begs JP to stop, but he uses his cane to decrease the timer, and tells Ken that he hopes that he'll make the right choice. Ken is able to save Mel but loses contact with his son. Luke then demands Ken to surrender but hears a noise and a woman grabs Ken and the two jump through a window and they land on a river.
In Chapter 4, Ken is with Kalima and admits to her that she was right about him not thinking about her, the people and the country. However, he asks why she helped him, and wonders if this is part of the setup and if the video clip was her idea. Kalima tells that it wasn't her, but Ken gets angry and calls her a liar, saying that everything was planned by JP and her people. She explains that she's not like JP and that the opposition had nothing to do with these recent events, since she's a part of the opposition. Ken once again accuses Kalima and the opposition for the attack and getting his friend Jackson killed but explains that they had nothing to do with the group in masks who attacked him, and that she was also tricked by JP. Kalima mentions that because of the video and the bombings, many of her comrades were arrested under false charges, and that they are only seeking the independence of Nayshall, and that JP is "a vampire who will suck their country dry". Kalima explains that while the projects to establish their nation and the infrastructure plans are legitimate, and that his NGO is well established, it was all a bait, and that his true interest is to broadcast the tournament worldwide, and that his top priority was to convince Ken to quickly fund the tournament. She adds that he's using the tournament as means to launder money and plans to move funds within the online betting system and steal everything. And Ken realizes that JP wanted to make sure that Ken was behind the whole operation. Kalima warns Ken that he will use Mel to draw him out, and that she wanted Ken to understand how the people of Nayshall feel, saying that if he didn't try to save his son, she wouldn't have risked saving Ken. She then tells Ken that only the citizens can solve the problems of their country and asks the champion what he will do next. Ken corrects her, saying that he's a retired champion, and that the Masters family never quit halfway, and that his son is waiting for him. At the arena, Ken, who's avoiding the officers, finds Mel's room, but he's no longer there. He then spots a fighter named Borris, who's with an officer, and steals his clothes. Ken confronts JP and Luke tries to stop the former champion. Luke advises Ken to stand down and JP mocks him, saying that he's disappointed in Ken and that they'll take good care of his son, and this angers Ken. Ken then attacks Luke and injures his right eye. Luke says to Ken that for a national champion, he likes to play dirty, and accuses him of teaming up with terrorists. Ken replies saying he doesn't know anything, and Luke agrees and the only thing he knows is that he doesn't show mercy to monsters like Ken. Luke says that his father was in the army and was killed by terrorists like Ken, and that Mel trusted him. Ken then starts thinking about his son and starts hearing his voice. Ken is able to get up, but opens the gunshot wound. Luke tells Ken that if he surrenders, he can see Mel again, but Ken denies saying that he needs to let him see his father fight until the end. He apologizes Luke for the injury and gives him a free shot. This triggers Luke and hits him with an uppercut. The two continue to fight, and Ken defeats Luke, but Ken surrenders and he's arrested. Some time later, Ken, who was released, is walking down the street, depressed. However, his fighting spirit remains unbroken when he raised his fist.
In the Legacy of Chris Thorndyke,
And he is reprised by Reuben Langdon in the English dub and Yuji Kishi in the Japanese dub.