He first appeared as a boss character in Street Fighter II.

Balrog is self-centered, hot-tempered, arrogant, flippant and sadistic. He is a belligerent pugilist who possesses an insatiable urge for money, and a vicious, bullying mean streak, often refusing to take responsibility for his actions towards other fighters. His main reasons and motivation for joining Shadaloo and M. Bison throughout the Street Fighter series have always been to attain massive wealth, fame and glory so he can be on easy street for life. For that motivation alone, Balrog would cheat, steal, and even murder to accomplish this goal.