River City Girls spoilers. and also lore about the entire Nekketsu main series too
So I only just found out what the deal is with RCG where your main characters seem to NOT actually be the girlfriends of Riki and Kunio.
Because... they actually aren't?? The only game in which they previously appeared AS their girlfriends, was a single game on the superfamicom called Kunio Tachi no Banka (played an english translation, it's a pretty good beatemup game, but not VERY Nekketsuish, no stats etc)
River City Girls spoilers. and also lore about the entire Nekketsu main series too
Granted, you could play (briefly) both Misako and Kyoko up until a certain point (I did not realise this!) and they have their own special moves etc.
HOWEVER
In the original Nekketsu game (localised as Renegade in the west), and RCR/Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari, Mami and Hasebe are the love interests of Riki and Kunio respectively, and also in various other games throughout the series!
River City Girls spoilers. and also lore about the entire Nekketsu main series too
That said, Misako and Kyoko DO appear in a couple other games, but never as Kunio and Riki's girlfriends. They both appear in Misuzu's team for one of the more recent sports games in the series too.
So... the whole plot could be seen as like, a massive case of Unreliable Narrator. Hence why the otherwise stated to be gentle, bubbly Mami and the shrewd, kind-hearted Hasebe are written as snobby and divaish in RCG.