After getting caught in double Aegis Reflector juggles and being kept in the air for whole rounds, at one time I hated Urien. I couldn't stand it when other players would pick him to go against me. I got sick of seeing people picking him all the time for his juggle capabilities, and I started to hate Urien. In Street Fighter III - 2nd Impact, I had nothing against Urien (I just thought his loin cloth was funny), but in Street Fighter III - 3rd Strike he started to piss me off (through repetition). But then, something happened...

I had never really read about Urien until just recently, when I was looking through an SF plot guide and wondered about his story. So I found his bio, read it, and to my surprise it turned out to be interesting. Essentially, Urien an underdog, the one who doesn't fit in when compared to his brother, the Emperor Gill. The jealous, burning alter-ego of Gill, Urien is a human character; which is precisely what interested me. After reading Urien's story, he didn't seem so bad, after all. When it comes down to it, he's a hell of a lot more likable than his brother. Let's face it, Gill is a bastard, and a more villainous character, at that (even though Urien is considered "rebellious" by the "organization"). When you read Urien's story, it's easy to see why he has a vendetta against Gill. While his model brother Gill is bent on ruling the world and continuing the traditions of the organization, Urien doesn't give a shit about any of that; his own pride and honor mean more. Gill may be a God, but Urien is a deeper, more intricate, human character; more of us can relate with Urien than Gill. For these reasons, I have taken a liking to Urien (not because of his tier ranking). So, with that being said, lately I have started using Urien and he's not bad so bad, after all.

Some might be thinking, "Oh no, here's another Urien player that's gonna do the same shit as everyone else with the Aegis Reflector and EX Shoulder Tackle juggles." There is good reason to think this, though; most Urien players are lame, and use the same moves and do the same combos as the videos they see on the Internet, etc.; in short, there aren't many unique Urien players out there (in neither Japan or America). But I have made it a point to play Urien differently, and even without the continuous juggles he is a good character. It's amazing that Urien can be played in so many different ways, but is only played the same way, by almost everyone. Sure, some of the hard-hitting, long combos are nice, but that is not the only way he can be played. And it's not that he can't win if he's played differently; for example, he can still win with the Temporal Thunder Super Move in place of the Aegis Reflector Super Move, his "Freight Train Tackle" has good priority, the Violence Knee Drop is useful, and the Metallic Sphere is great for zoning. Since taking up Urien, I have seen the effectiveness of his moves in many different situations, and wonder why we only see the same stuff over and over again during matches. I will continue to play Urien, and things will change. Here's to Urien, the underdog...