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Zangief was born and raised in Moscow, during the height of the Cold War between his homeland and the United States. He grew up with a strong sense of pride in himself and in his country. To further the Communist cause, he began working at an oil refinery when he was young. Lifting heavy oil drums built up his strength and put muscle mass on his large body.
A visiting Russian politician, seeing Zangief hauling barrels that would break a normal man's back, asked young Zangief to consider entering sports in the name of the Motherland. Zangief agreed and began to learn Sanbo, a style of Russian wrestling, in his off-work hours. He found the sport entertaining and started to wrestle part-time, but no one could stand against him. After he accidentally snapped one opponent's spine, Zangief vowed to give up normal wrestling.
Instead, he started training against new opponents. Sponsored by his government, Zangief took field trips to Siberia to wrestle against the huge Siberian bears. This made him a better wrestler, but the sharp teeth and claws of the bears scarred him viciously. Yet, even these grueling ordeals of man versus beast on the Arctic plains did not satisfy Zangief -- after a while, the bears proved no match for him.
In search of a greater challenge, Zangief was sent by his Russian superiors to enter a Street Fighter competition held in the Middle East. Zangief crushed all opponents in the tournament, but he recognized some true competition among the opponents he bested. Nor did Zangief's success go unnoticed among his Russian sponsors or among the important Middle Eastern politicians secretly attending the tournament.
Zangief became a mainstay on the Street Fighter circuit, fighting to prove the superiority of his style and his country. The recent rupturing of the Soviet Union has disillusioned Zangief somewhat, but now he views his duty as even more important. He wants to raise his people's morale by showing that Russia is still a mighty force capable of producing the mightiest man in the world.
Playing Zangief: You are the strongest, and everyone should know it. You crush anyone foolish enough to step into the ring with you. You have little tolerance for whiners, but will quickly befriend anyone who lives up to your standards of ruggedness and integrity. Your humor is a bit coarse, especially after too much vodka, but your intentions are always good.
Appearance: Zangief is a staggering 7' tall and weighs 402 lbs. He dresses in his wrestling trunks and boots. Scars from training with bears cover his large body.
