Short answers, pulled from the story.
Akira Nishitani requested fighters from Spain and Thailand to complete the roster for Street Fighter II. Akiman stared at the request with doubt before Mizuho Kageyama received the assignment to design him. The team settled on a clawed fighter inspired by Geki from the original game.
Capcom executives in North America feared legal trouble over Mike Tyson's name similarity during late development phases. The Japanese version called the Spanish fighter Balrog while the American branch demanded a shuffle of three names to avoid lawsuits. The boxer became Balrog while the villain took the name M. Bison so the Spanish ninja received the new moniker Vega.
Street Fighter II: Champion Edition made him playable starting in 1992 after fans requested his inclusion heavily before Alpha 3 arrived. Early versions featured him as an enemy only until this release date. Critics noted how well the character's unique style functioned once players could control him.
A snake tattoo wound up the right arm of the final design and long hair flowed down the back in a ponytail style. The left hand held a three-pronged retractable claw weapon that replaced the traditional sword used by matadors. The mask covered the face to protect it from harm based on Shakespeare's Don Adriano de Armado influence about vanity.
Jay Tavare played the role in the 1994 live-action film adaptation while Taboo portrayed Vega in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. Orville Peck will play the character in Kitao Sakurai's upcoming project. Animated versions included Street Fighter II V and Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation.