Fortress Guard (unused variants)

This article describes scrapped enemy concepts related to the Fortress Guard enemy set from Strider 2. All these enemies were intended to appear in the "fortress stage", Fortress Wahnen.

Codename "Younger Brother"

The soldier codenamed "Younger Brother"

Codename "Younger Brother" (コードネーム'弟') is a scrapped soldier enemy designed by Masanori Kondo and part of the "Kondo Troops", a term the staff used to refer to a number of enemies he created that were rejected because their outlandish designs didn't mesh well with the game's world view. This character sports a higher-ranking officer uniform, hair styled in a bowl cut and what appears to be a riding crop held in his hand. He has also a prominent belly and either a missing eye or a monocle, similar to Herzog Schlange.

It is unknown what role or behavior this enemy would have performed.

Engineers

Engineers concept sketch

The Engineers (工兵) is a set of scrapped unique enemies. Only one concept sketch is known of them, showing two different Engineer enemies: the first is a skinny, tall man holding a large cannon shell, and the second is a short, stout man wielding a long wrench. The two lack guard uniforms, wearing tank tops, pants with suspenders and a helmet.

It is unknown where they'd have appeared and how they'd have attacked Hiryu. The idea of an enemy duo with one skinny and tall and the other short and large was used in the final game for the Researchers.

Flying Guard

Flying Guard concept sketch

The Flying Guard (飛行兵) is an unused fortress enemy easily identified by his hovering platform. This soldier enemy wears the same uniform of the Fortress Guards and has his head covered by a helmet, goggles and a mask. They were planned to float around in hovering platforms similarly to Herzog Schlange, and would have attacked Hiryu with the rifles they are seen holding.

This enemy can be very briefly seen during the trailer in the Capcom Friendly Club Video volume 10, appearing in Fortress Wahnen's 5th scene. In the released game this area instead features a crosshair marking where fireballs shot from off-screen will fall. It appears that while the enemy itself was a sprite, its platform was actually a 3D model.

The Flying Guard's brief appearance during the CFC video