Dead or Alive made its debut with just 8 characters (which was quite acceptable back in 1996), initially on the Japanese arcades and the SEGA Saturn in Japan, before getting localized for the western market and the PS1. While Bayman and Gen Fu have skipped one entry in the DOA series, all of the characters from the original game have been appearing on every single Dead or Alive game since!
Character Selection Screen, Dead or Alive 1
It's worth noting DOA1 offers a fair amount of female characters - most fighting games at the time barely had 1! But of course, female beauty ended up being one of the main selling points of the franchise from DOA2 and onwards.
8 Characters in Dead or Alive™
Bayman, Dead or Alive™ Character Artwork
| About |
|---|
| Fighting Style | Russian Commando
|
| Occupation | Assassin
|
| Nationality | Russian
|
| Date of Birth | Oct 10
|
| Height | 6'6"
|
| Weight | 231 LB
|
| Measurements | 47-38-40
|
| Hobby | Collecting fire arms, Chess
|
| Favorite Food | Beef Stew |
Bio (manual): Working as a professional assassin, the mercenary Bayman uses his code name, well known in the darker side of the world. As a child Bayman witnessed the assassination of his parents, carried out under martial order. He was later trained by the Russian military in commando-style fighting, and served as a special agent for many years. He is posing as a participant of the Dead or Alive® World Combat Tournament and his true assignment is to find and exterminate Fame Douglas, the notorious leader of DOATEC (Dead or Alive Tournament Executive Committee.)
Gen Fu, Dead or Alive™ Character Artwork
| About |
|---|
| Fighting Style | Xinyi Lihue Quan
|
| Occupation | Used bookstore Owner
|
| Nationality | Chinese
|
| Date of Birth | Jan 5
|
| Height | 5'5"
|
| Weight | 172 LB
|
| Measurements | 37-40-38
|
| Hobby | Chinese Painting
|
| Favorite Food | |
Bio (manual): Gen Fu may appear to be just a feeble shop owner, but this master of Xinyi Lihue Quan is no one to patronize.
No one knows the reason why Gen Fu recently came out of retirement to enter the Dead or Alive Tournament, nor would anyone guess about the dream that haunts Gen Fu nightly ...his granddaughter Mei Linn, lying in her bed in agony... the harsh reality forces him to fight again in order to save his granddaughter's life.
Hayabusa, Dead or Alive™ Character Artwork
| About |
|---|
| Fighting Style | Hayabusa Ninjutsu
|
| Occupation | Antique Shop Owner
|
| Nationality | Japanese
|
| Date of Birth | June 15
|
| Height | 5'9"
|
| Weight | 154 LB
|
| Measurements | 41-32-36
|
| Hobby | Mountain climbing, fishing
|
| Favorite Food | Sushi |
Bio (manual): Ryu bears the name "Hayabusa" an honor bestowed upon only the most distinguished of Ninja's from the Hayabusa School. His life was a continuous fight until he met his love, Aileen, and found satisfaction and peace. But his thirst for challenge returned when he learned that his best friend's sister, Kasumi, had disappeared.
Shortly thereafter, a dark figure approached and handed Ryu a piece of paper stained red. Then, without a word, the figure slipped away, "Welcome to Dead or Alive - from Fame Douglas" the letter read. Another seduction from the dark, the invitation in his hand beckoned like an old lover. Once again, Ryu slipped into the shadow of darkness.
Jann Lee, Dead or Alive™ Character Artwork
| About |
|---|
| Fighting Style | Jeet Kune Do
|
| Occupation | Body Guard
|
| Nationality | Chinese
|
| Date of Birth | Nov 27
|
| Height | 5'8"
|
| Weight | 165 LB
|
| Measurements | 38-31-36
|
| Hobby | Watching action movies
|
| Favorite Food | Hamburger, Grapefruits |
Bio (manual): Jann Lee has never seen the faces of his parents; they died when he was very young and left him an orphan, alone to fend for himself. Soon after, he absorbed himself in the study of Jeet Kune Do. At first he fought to replace the feelings of loss from when his parents died, but eventually Jann fought purely for the sake of fighting.
One day, he heard the rumour of a tournament to honor the strongest fighter in the world. He wondered if he could find what he had been searching for in the tournament. He smiled just for a moment and clenched his fist tightly.
Kasumi, Dead or Alive™ Character Artwork
| About |
|---|
| Fighting Style | Mugen Tenshin Ninjitsu
|
| Nationality | Japanese
|
| Date of Birth | Feb 23
|
| Height | 5'5"
|
| Weight | 106 LB
|
| Measurements | 34-20-35
|
| Hobby | Fortune telling
|
| Favorite Food | Strawberry Millefeuille |
Bio (manual): Kasumi is torn between her responsibilities and the urge to know the truth. Kasumi's brother, Hayate, was rightful heir to the Mugen Tenshin style and ready to succeed as the 18th leader of the clan ...until one fateful day when an assassin attacked and crippled him. Kasumi's father, Shiden was left bitter and refuses to discuss the details surrounding the attack on Hayate. He ordered Kasumi to succeed her brother's position as the leader of the Mugen Tenshin style.
However, Kasumi secretly left her village, without a[sic] leaving a trace, in order to avenge her brother an seek out the truth.
Leifang, Dead or Alive™ Character Artwork
| About |
|---|
| Fighting Style | T'ai Chi Quan
|
| Occupation | Student
|
| Nationality | Chinese
|
| Date of Birth | April 23
|
| Height | 5'5"
|
| Weight | 110 LB
|
| Measurements | 34-21-33
|
| Hobby | Karaoke
|
| Favorite Food | Almond Jelly |
Bio (manual): Lei Fang is an impulsive, yet determined prodigy of T'ai Chi Quan. Don't let her sweet smile fool you ...she may look like an angel, but she's got a devilish determination to prove her strength. Her confidence was shaken just once. Several years ago Lei Fang was challenged by a gang of street fighters, she was prepared to take them on single-handedly, but a boy wearing a dragon emblem suddenly jumped to her rescue.
If there's one thing she hates, it's someone assuming that she can't handle things on her own. The incident left her determined to find and defeat that boy... and anyone standing in her way. You'd better keep your eyes on her at all times.
Tina, Dead or Alive™ Character Artwork
| About |
|---|
| Fighting Style | Professional Wrestling
|
| Occupation | Wrestler
|
| Nationality | American
|
| Date of Birth | Dec 6
|
| Height | 5'5"
|
| Weight | 130 LB
|
| Measurements | 35-22-35
|
| Hobby | Video games, cycling
|
| Favorite Food | Seafood |
Bio (manual): Tina entered pro wrestling in High School and has worked her way up to become one of the world's most lethal and feared competitors. Bass Armstrong is Tina's father, trainer, and chief support ...whether Tina likes it or not! Tina almost "threw in the glove" last year until her father stepped in again and convinced her to take on the world. Bass thinks Tina is in the[sic] it for the glory of winning the DOA Tournament, but her real aim is to be discovered by Hollywood.
Zack, Dead or Alive™ Character Artwork
| About |
|---|
| Fighting Style | Muay Thai
|
| Occupation | DJ
|
| Nationality | America
|
| Date of Birth | April 3
|
| Height | 6'
|
| Weight | 172 LB
|
| Measurements | 41-33-37
|
| Hobby | Pool bar
|
| Favorite Food | Ice cream |
Bio (manual): Reporter: We're here with MR. ZACK who is about to participate in the DOA championship. MR ZACK...
Zack: Where's the camera? Are you sure you've got my best side?
Reporter: MR. ZACK, uh, that's a little too close to the camera. Great. So I understand that you studied the oriental martial art Muay Thai...
Zack: Hey man, sorry. You know what I mean? Gotta Go. Thanks for your support. It's gonna be a cool night. The prize is mine.
Reporter: Sir, I...
Zack: Sorry, man. Be cool. This tournament rocks!
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