LogFAQs > #882108981

and then the thing on durability is yeah, that's all gameplay. canonically, why should anyone believe he got hit in the first place?

The main points in favor are these:

-Most important one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHVgNC9_uPU (First thirty seconds or so. The first jailer, The Chain, says 'I will keep on killing you, again and again' - the implication being The Stranger can self-resurrect in-character, without gameplay mechanics. This is corroborated by how the third boss, The Line, who's the timestopper, says 'I can't kill you but I can stop you until the next cycle', implying he can get up and keep trying over and over again until he gets past him. He doesn't have this here because it's super overpowered and would make the event very unfun, but I suspect it's the same place his regenerative abilities and general beef come from.)
-He's a robot/alien (not wholly clear whether he's all robot, all alien, or a mix of both besides the fact he's 'mass-produced'). Definitely tankier than a normal human.
-When he was captured by one of the bosses, The Hand, The Stranger fought hundreds of warriors before going down and getting taken into custody. It's kinda implied in that bossfight that the reason The Stranger wins the mano a mano is that this time there isn't an army to perform war of attrition on him.

I think The Stranger isn't the missing link between Strider and Ryu H but mostly because both are really solid 5s/maybe a 6 for Ryu H after their latest games. But I do think he's a good link between say, Yuffie/Ikaruga and those two. I'd take him cleanly over the two ninja girls but think he'd probably lose fairly to Ryu H and Strider.
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Shine on, you crazy diamond.