Gill (Japanese: ギル, Hepburn: Giru) is a character in the Street Fighter series of video games by Capcom, first appearing in Street Fighter III: New Generation.
Conception and development When developing the cast for Street Fighter III: New Generation, producer Tomoshi Sadamoto wanted a character that could be seen as transcending humanity, both "visually and impactfully". Unlike the antagonist of the previous games, M. Bison, Gill was not supposed to be a villain despite wanting to control the world, but a multifaceted character that was not a hero either and act as a contrast to Bison. Gill was meant to be portrayed as not really a fighter but someone mysterious, able to control fire and ice, the latter of which was seen by Sadamoto as more unnatural and made Gill more of a science fiction character. A character that could manipulate both fire and ice was something he had wanted to do with a character since his work on Capcom's Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom, and while he considered adding other elemental attributes Sadamoto realized this may have been a bit excessive for one character. Though Sadamoto had something in mind akin to a Greek pankration sculpture, character designer Akira "Akiman" Yasuda turned in a rough draft of a character with a line drawn down the middle, and separated into two colors, which Sadamoto felt was influenced by the characters Android Kikaider and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's J. Geil. Yasuda wanted Gill to be seen as someone far from normal, leaving the player to question how he had become that way, and as a religious leader it had to be portrayed in a different manner than Bison. Early in development, several names were considered for the character before deciding on Gill, including Pantheon, Raios, Gemini, and Ajax.
Design Standing 6 feet 10 inches (208 cm) tall, Gill is a muscular man with long flowing blond hair. The right side of his body colored red, and the left side colored blue, while his standard outfit consists of a loincloth. In terms of personality, they wanted to portray him as someone naturally charismatic that enjoyed fighting. Despite wanting to conquer the world, Gill's intentions were meant to not be seen as prideful but something that came as a natural ambition. Gill is unique in Street Fighter III in that the sides of his body will be colored correctly regardless of which direction he is facing, and his abilities will also change according to the direction faced. When Gill returned for Street Fighter V, a prequel to the Street Fighter III games, an idea was considered to have his body be blue with red colorings diagonally across it, while his hands and feet were shackled. This idea was ultimately cut however, as the development team felt his design was too impactful to change and adding elements would make it less appealing, instead deciding to focus on refining his gameplay.
Appearances Gill is the main antagonist and final boss of the Street Fighter III series. At the start of the series he is the President of the Illuminati, a secret society that has controlled the underworld for thousands of years and seeks to turn the whole world into a utopia by causing an armageddon. His ultimate goal is to test the skills of several warriors and coerce them into his cause. 2nd Impact introduces Gill's younger brother Urien as a player character of similar build and attire but with short hair; in addition, Urien's body is the same color on both sides. In Urien's ending, Gill is revealed to have been promoted after Urien takes over Gill's former presidency, which he still holds by the time of 3rd Strike Gill is not playable in any of the arcade versions of the Street Fighter III games. However, he is selectable once he is unlocked from within the console versions of 2nd Impact and 3rd Strike. Gill makes his playable debut in Street Fighter V as a playable character in the Champion Edition update.
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