The History of Mega Man Star Force 2's Kung-Foo Kid

We know the names attached to many of Mega Man's contest-winning bosses, but the stories behind those designs are much harder to come by. Unless the winner later becomes someone especially notable, like Yusuke Murata, that part of the character's history usually goes untold. 

Kentaro Fujii, the creator of Goat Kung-Fu, known in English as Kung Foo-Kid, from Mega Man Star Force 2, is not a name most fans would immediately recognize. But in a recent blog post, he offers a rare look at the story behind his winning design.

According to Fujii, Goat Kung-Fu began as "Me-Goat," a design shaped by his childhood in Okinawa's Yaeyama Islands, where goats were part of everyday life. A pet goat named Me-chan helped inspire the character, while the movie Kung Fu Hustle gave it its martial arts angle. Fujii also says he went as far as creating an FM-ian counterpart and transformation concept for the contest entry, which he believes may have helped it stand out.

Then there is one of the post's wildest details: Fujii says Me-Goat's motivation was revenge. Specifically, he wrote that the character trained in kung fu to avenge his parents, who had been turned into goat soup. Fujii admits that idea did not cleanly line up with Star Force's human and FM alien setup, but it came from a very real childhood fear.

The sound of goats being slaughtered behind his home left a lasting impression on him, and his fear that his own pet goat might suffer the same fate clearly shaped Me-Goat's backstory. Fujii adds that he had disliked goat soup since childhood, associating it with fear, disgust, and bitter memories. Star Force character designer Yuji Ishihara even brought up the setting in his commentary for Mega Man Star Force Official Complete Works:

Fujii also recalls learning he had won the grand prize while attending a mini-basketball tournament on Ishigaki Island in third grade. The news did not fully sink in until he and his mother checked CoroCoro Comic at a nearby convenience store and found his postcard in print. Seeing it there for the first time was so overwhelming that the two of them cried together on the spot.

The original post is well worth a read, and I'm especially grateful that after all these years, Fujii not only remembers these stories, but took the time to share them with us. Check it out here!