Hayato Kanzaki is a rebellious Japanese young man living on his own and caring about others - especially the children living in the orphanage in which he was raised, and his close friends June, Saturn and Gamof. This care for people is the driving force that prompts him to go against Bilstein. Hayato left his home of Japan and Earth to become a bounty hunter but was a miserable failure in his new profession. Broke, he had to join the Star Gladiator project led by Dr. Bilstein and bent on destroying the Fourth Empire.

In their final battle, Bilstein managed to implant a "genotype" microchip into Hayato. The microchip would take control of Hayato, transforming him into Black Hayato: a cruel and ruthless swordsman with a cold and emotionless demeanor.
  
                                                       
 

ORIGIN: Star Gladiator

                                            
 

Page Updated:  Dec. 7th, 2024
It does seem Hayato was inspired by that of a Jedi. He uses a light saber and somehow that's always cool. Capcom's take on Star Wars in the 90's was memorable, and Hayato was a pretty convincing hero for the series. He's definitely got the Capcom hero "look" and straight-forward moveset that fighting game lead protagonists are known for. Hayato's Star Gladiator debut and return in Plasma Sword were "quiet" since those games never took off. However, Hayato's reappearance in the smash hit Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 redefined his design. He looks so natural in 2D, you'd think he was a 2D character first! Hayato's animations and moveset in MVC2 are incredibly well done. I only wish he was more powerful in the game, because he's literally bottom tier. Even so, he's a fun character to use in MVC2 low-tier battles. Did I mention how great Hayato's animations are? This was truly amazing 2D spritework from Capcom at the time. Don't miss Hayato's animations page (below).
	Fighting  Style  /  Moveset
	Personality  /  Charisma
	Outfit(s)  /  Appearance
	Effectiveness  in  series
	Overall Score