If you’ve spent more than five minutes in the neon-soaked, pixel-art streets of River City, you already know her. You probably hate her. Honestly, you’re supposed to. Hasebe is the ultimate "mean girl" archetype, a character who manages to be both a nostalgic callback to the 1980s Kunio-kun classics and a modern subversion of everything we expect from a video game rival. She isn’t just some background NPC. She is a persistent, smug roadblock that defines the tone of the entire River City Girls experience.
Most people coming into the franchise through WayForward’s 2019 revival expected a simple story about saving boyfriends. What they got instead was a chaotic, meta-narrative mess where the "heroes" might actually be the villains, and the villains—specifically Hasebe and her twin-in-spirit, Mami—might actually be the ones with the legitimate claim to the throne.
The Hasebe River City Girls Dynamic: More Than Just a Rivalry
Let’s be real. In the original Renegade or River City Ransom days, Hasebe (often localized as Roxy in the West) was basically the "damsel" or the sweet high school girl. She was the Vice President of the Student Council at Hidetaka Academy. She was respectable.
Then River City Girls happened.
WayForward took that template and threw it out the window, replacing the polite student leader with a character who exudes "I’m better than you" in every frame of her animation. When you encounter Hasebe in River City Girls, she isn't there to give you a quest or offer a heartfelt warning. She’s there to mock your outfit, your fighting style, and your very existence. She and Mami act as the primary psychological antagonists to Misako and Kyoko. While the girls are out there literally punching their way through an entire city to find Kunio and Riki, Hasebe is just... standing there. Judging.
It’s a brilliant bit of writing because it taps into that specific high school trauma of the "cool girl" who doesn't even have to lift a finger to ruin your day. Her presence is a constant reminder that no matter how many thugs Misako and Kyoko beat up, they still aren't at the top of the social food chain.
That Infamous Ending and the "True" Girlfriend Status
We have to talk about the controversy. If you finished the first game, you know the twist. You spent hours grinding levels, buying expensive gyoza, and perfecting your combos only to find out that Kunio and Riki... don't really seem to know who Misako and Kyoko are. Or at least, they aren't their boyfriends in the way the girls thought.
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Hasebe and Mami swoop in and claim they are the actual canon girlfriends.
This sent the fanbase into a tailspin. Was it a joke? Was it a commentary on the shifting continuity of the Kunio-kun series? It’s actually a deep-cut reference to the 1994 Super Famicom game Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka. In that game, Misako and Kyoko were the protagonists, but in almost every other piece of media in the franchise’s 35-year history, Hasebe has been the one linked to Kunio.
By making Hasebe in River City Girls so unlikable, the developers forced players to root for the "delusional" protagonists. You want Misako to win not just because you’re playing as her, but because Hasebe is just so incredibly smug about her status as the "official" love interest. It’s a meta-commentary on retcons and fandom that you rarely see in a beat-'em-up.
How to Beat the Hasebe and Mami Boss Fight
If you're playing the first game, the showdown at the Sanrio-esque amusement park is a massive spike in difficulty. You aren't just fighting one person; you're fighting a synchronized unit.
- Watch the Shadows. The twins love to jump off-screen and rain down overhead attacks. If you aren't looking at the floor indicators, you're going to get flattened.
- Don't get sandwiched. The AI for Hasebe is designed to get behind you while Mami keeps you busy. Use your wall jumps. Keep them both on one side of the screen.
- The Aura Blast. When they start glowing, stop hitting them. Just stop. They have frame-one counters that will eat half your health bar if you're button-mashing.
In River City Girls 2, the dynamic shifts slightly because Hasebe becomes part of a much larger narrative involving the Sabu crime family, but that core boss energy remains the same. She’s fast. She’s flashy. She uses a lot of magical-girl inspired VFX that contrast sharply with the gritty brawling of the main cast.
Why the Design Works (The Visual Storytelling)
Visually, Hasebe is a masterpiece of character design. Her long, flowing hair and perfectly maintained school uniform stand in stark contrast to Misako’s disheveled look and Kyoko’s bubbly, chaotic energy. Everything about her scream "effortless."
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When you see her idle animation, she isn't bouncing around ready for a fight. She’s bored.
That boredom is her primary weapon. It’s a psychological tactic. In a genre defined by high energy and "Go!" prompts, having a character who refuses to be impressed by the player is a bold move. It’s why the fan art community loves her. People love a "villain" who has a point. If we look at the lore objectively, Misako and Kyoko did basically hallucinate an entire relationship and go on a city-wide rampage based on a misunderstanding. From Hasebe’s perspective, she’s just a popular girl dealing with two obsessed weirdos who won’t stop stalking her boyfriend.
The Evolution in River City Girls 2
In the sequel, things get even weirder. Without spoiling too much for the three people who haven't played it yet, the boundaries between rival and ally start to blur—mostly because there’s a bigger threat in the form of Sabu Jr. and the Yakuza takeover of the city.
However, Hasebe never loses that edge. Even when the world is ending, she still has time to make a snide comment about your shoes. This consistency is why she has stayed relevant while other rival characters in fighting games fade into the background. She isn't just a "boss" you beat; she’s a personality you have to endure.
Acknowledging the Canon: Is She Actually the Hero?
There is a vocal segment of the Kunio-kun hardcore fanbase—the ones who have played the Japanese imports from the PC Engine and Famicom eras—who view Hasebe as the true heroine. To them, River City Girls is a "What If" story.
In the broader Technōs Japan canon, Hasebe is often the one helping Kunio from the sidelines. She’s been a shopkeeper, a support character, and a legitimate love interest. The River City Girls version of her is essentially an "Evil AU" (Alternate Universe) take. This creates a fascinating tension for long-time fans. You love her because you remember her being the "good girl" for thirty years, but you hate her because she’s being such a jerk to Kyoko.
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It's a rare example of a developer using decades of brand history to create emotional resonance in a 2D brawler. You don't need a 40-hour RPG to have complex character dynamics. Sometimes, you just need a girl in a blue skirt to tell you that you're "mid."
Actionable Tips for Navigating the River City Lore
If you're trying to get the full Hasebe experience, you can't just play the first game and stop. You need to see the full arc.
- Play the "True Ending" in RCG1. You need to collect both of the twins' charms (Hasebe's Charm and Mami's Charm) by destroying all the hidden Sabu statues. Only then can you fight the actual secret final boss. It changes everything about how you view Hasebe.
- Check out River City Girls Zero. This is a localized port of Kunio-tachi no Banka. It shows the "original" versions of these characters. It’s jarring to see Hasebe being helpful, but it provides the necessary context for why she’s so bitter in the modern games.
- Pay attention to the background cameos. Hasebe appears in the background of several stages in the sequel before she becomes a major plot point. It shows she's always watching, always judging.
The brilliance of the character lies in her simplicity. She is the shadow of the protagonists. She represents the "perfect" life that Misako and Kyoko are trying to punch their way into. Whether she’s a misunderstood girlfriend or a mean-spirited socialite, one thing is certain: River City wouldn't be nearly as interesting without her looking down her nose at us.
If you want to truly master the game, stop trying to like her. Accept that she's the obstacle. Once you stop seeking her approval, the boss fights become a lot easier to handle.
Next Steps for Players
To see the "other side" of the story, your next move should be unlocking the secret boss in the first River City Girls. You’ll need to find and break all 25 Sabu statues scattered across the city. This unlocks the Mami and Hasebe charms, which are required to trigger the "real" final encounter in the school. Beating them on a second playthrough—especially on "Hard" or "Loathing" difficulty—provides a much more satisfying (and punishing) conclusion to their rivalry than the standard ending.