Jab’s Builds! (Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef! Sweetums! Gonzo!)

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Todohs! Yuri Sakazaki! King! Eiji! Takuma!)

Post by Jabroniville »

And that's it for the Art of Fighting builds! Very few comments, but I guess it's the least-popular of SNK's "Big Games". What's funny is that it actually seems to have more respect among "serious" Fight fans (ie. the guys who study hit-boxes and discuss Character Tiers ad nauseum), owing to its smaller roster and more balanced gameplay, while the MUCH more popular Fatal Fury takes the "dump two dozens characters out there" approach to roster design.

Ultimately, I think it just comes down to Character Design, which is probably the most important part of any Fighting Game (even over the ENGINE- Mortal Kombat I & II were actually TERRIBLE games when you take them apart!). Fatal Fury had some AoF-level designs, but at least you had Terry, Mai, Geese, etc.- Art of Fighting seemed to pump out garbage upon garbage, with KoF improving most of the ones it took.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Fatal Fury

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

FATAL FURY:

-Fatal Fury came out in 1991 (wait, it PRE-DATES Art of Fighting? Really? That shocked me even re-reading this years later- it's so much more advanced, and has so many greater character designs), coming in as a true rival of sorts to Capcom's Street Fighter II. Much more well-received than AoF, it went on to spawn a huge number of sequels, and create many popular characters. The game series featured the Bogard brothers, Terry & Andy, in their fight against the evil Southtown crimeboss Geese Howard, who murdered their father. The first two games were based around a King of Fighters tournament, which eventually gave its name to the later successful SNK Fighting Game that combined ALL of their prior games into one big pile of guys.

The first game featured three selectable characters (the Bogards and their friend, a Muay Thai fighter named Joe Higashi), and used a "multi-plane" system that had characters moving up and down on-screen, but this didn't last. Terry, the "Lone Wolf", became the main character, and SNK's new mascot, replacing Athena from Psycho Soldiers- his bad-ass '90s look and ponytail made him an instant hit, and Geese became one of gaming's top villains, owing to his great style, character, and RIDICULOUS Boss Fights. You would initially fight the first four guys, picking your order, then face Hwa Jai, Raiden, Billy and then Geese, in order. The game looks hilariously primitive by today's standards, and noticeably looked worse than SF II, with even Terry looking more like some bland guy in jeans and a red jacket than the icon he later became. There's a reason Fatal Fury 2 scrapped all the graphical work and started over.

The success of the series saw various sequels, in a dramatic attempt to equal the amount of endless sequels Street Fighter had.

FATAL FURY:
Roster:
Terry Bogard- The Hero, a wandering warrior just like Ryu.
Andy Bogard- Terry's less-interesting brother.
Joe Higashi- Comic relief kickboxer and the Bogards' BFF. The three comprise the only playable characters in Story Mode.
Tung Fu Rue- An old man who can transform into a beefy monster.
Duck King- A fighting DJ.
Hwa Jai- A nasty kickboxer.
Michael Max- A boxer.
Richard Meyer- Boring Capoeira guy.
Raiden- A pro wrestler based off of Big Van Vader. Sometimes called "Big Bear" in later games.
Billy Kane- Geese's right-hand man, a Staff-based fighter.
Geese Howard- An Aikido-using Crimelord.

FATAL FURY 2 (1992):
* Coming out the following year, Fatal Fury 2 gave us all-new graphics (Capcom NEVER did this!) and revamped the roster a bit, making it more of a standard "vs." fighter with multiple characters to choose from. Duck King, Michael Max, Meyer, Geese, Hwa Jai & Tung Fu Rue were dropped, and popular characters Mai & Kim were added, among others- those two proved to have major staying power. Wolfgang Krauser was the new Final Boss, and we lost many of the first game's characters (Max, Hwa Jai and others were said to have been badly beaten by Krauser) in favour of seven new ones, in a tournament set throughout the world (not just Southtown). All of the characters were COMPLETELY redrawn, something Capcom didn't do until Street Fighter Alpha. The four Bosses (Axel, Billy, Laurence, Wolfgang) were unplayable at the time, similar to SF II. Stage Hazards were added, but didn't last. Super Moves, inspired by Art of Fighting, did.

New Characters:
Kim Kaphwan- A Korean Taekwondo fighter.
Mai Shiranui- The breastiest character in gaming.
Cheng Sinzan- A goofy-looking fat guy.
Jubei Yamada- A Wise Old Mentor type. Lasts only one more game.
Axel Hawk- Another boxer, replacing Max. Lasts only one more game.
Laurence Blood- A Spanish bullfighter.
Wolfgang Krauser- A giant nobleman powerhouse. The Final Boss.

FATAL FURY SPECIAL (1993):
* An enhanced version of Fatal Fury 2, using Playable Bosses (a la Champion Edition SF II) and some characters left out of the sequel- Duck King & Tung Fu Rue return to the roster, alongside Geese Howard! Even Ryo from Art of Fighting makes an appearance! His Secret Boss thing here led to such a great fan reaction that it led to the creation of The King of Fighters the following year!

New Characters:
Ryo Sakazaki- The main hero from Art of Fighting. A Secret Boss, only appearing here.

FATAL FURY 3 (1995):
* With the King of Fighters tournament now in its own game, the Fatally Furious now fight Yamazaki and the Jin Twins. Geese reappears, but Krauser is gone. Also gone are Duck King, Tung Fu Rue, Laurence, Jubei, Cheng, Billy Kane, Raiden, Kim, Ryo & Axel (Axel & Jubei would actually never return!). Of the newbies, only Blue Mary & Yamazaki had real staying power, continuing in all future games but Garou. The two-plane system is now related to three planes, and the graphics are redrawn AGAIN (second time in four years!), but the Jins were considered failures, and the huge swath of removed characters went over poorly, so the games were later restructured.

New Characters:
Blue Mary- A lady cop with a thing for Terry.
Bob Wilson- Another Capoeira guy.
Franco Bash- A huge, Mario-looking kickboxer.
Hon Fu-
Sokaku Mochizuki- Samurai Shodown-looking Priest.
Ryuji Yamazaki- A psychotic murderer with a knife.
Jin Chonrei & Chonshu- Nasty psychic twins.

REAL BOUT FATAL FURY (1995):
* Released the same year as Fatal Fury 3, this game renames the series, caps off the Terry/Geese feud, and adds some older characters. The game's prior cast returns, but Kim, Billy Kane & Duck King have returned from exile. The story here is that Geese has returned, stolen the Scrolls of Immortality from the Jin Twins, and is now our top-tier baddy again. Ring-Outs have been added, as well as a Power Gauge that builds up as you do moves- this gives you either Super Moves or a "Guard Cancel" to break through someone's defensive blocking.

REAL BOUT FATAL FURY SPECIAL (1997):
* A sequel to Real Bout FF, adding more old characters back in- Wolfgang Krauser, Cheng & Tung Fu Rue make their return, but Geese Howard is finally gone (save for a "Nightmare Match" at the end, and he's playable in home versions). It also adds two more newbies. Several sprites were redrawn, the Two-Plane system returns

New Characters:
Alfred Airhawk- Pilot-dressing new hero.
White- Based off of the Clockwork Orange villain. Exclusive to the PlayStation version, and originally from Dominated Mind, which was released around the same time.

REAL BOUT FATAL FURY SPECIAL 2- THE NEWCOMERS (1998):
* This game ends up out of continuity, and is largely an addition that adds two new names. The Two-Plane system is removed, altered into a single plane that has a "Sway Plane" used to avoid attacks temporarily. The two new characters were quite good, but only Xiangfei moved forward much.

New Characters:
Li Xiangfei- Generic Chinese girl.
Rick Strowd- White-haired Native American boxer.

REAL BOUT FATAL FURY SPECIAL- DOMINATED MIND (1998):
* This game is the PlayStation version of RBFFS, with a new Boss named White. Laurence Blood & Tung Fu Rue return, bolstering the roster, but newcomers Xiangfei & Rick are gone already.

FATAL FURY- WILD AMBITION (1999):
* Out of the old standards, this is an entirely new game- a 3-D Fighter in the era when most of the faltering 2D games attempted to grasp onto the hot new thing. Most weren't well-received. Returning are Terry, Andy, Joe, Mai, Billy Kane, Kim, Yamazaki, Raiden, Geese, Xiangfei & Duck King. New characters are Mr. Karate (a loan from Art of Fighting), Toji & Tsugumi. The game is considered pretty terrible, and was the last time this was tried in Fatal Fury- the graphics are horrible, the backgrounds worse, and the controls are bad.

New Characters:
Touji Sakata
Tsugumi Sendo
Mr. Karate- Takuma Sakazaki, the elder from Art of Fighting in his Tengu mask.

GAROU- MARK OF THE WOLVES (1999):
* A full sequel, set place years into the future, with Terry as the sole returning character. Beautiful graphics and some great character design, but it ultimately didn't do much- 2-D gaming was past its prime (sadly). This game follows the "Scrap the Roster" approach, dumping EVERYBODY save Terry Bogard, who gets a hot new redesign that is later completely ignored because it makes him look like an entirely different guy. Replacing the oldsters is an all-new cast, some of whom are actually quite good and memorable. It ultimately had a verrrrrrrrry short shelf-life, and was largely forgotten, though a few have showed up in King of Fighters games.

New Characters:
Rock Howard- Geese's son.
Bonne Jenet- Pirate Queen.
Gato- Blinded Kung-Fu Guy.
Hotaru Futaba-
Tizoc- A luchadore with the most rad mask ever.
Freeman-
Hokutomaru- Andy's student.
Kevin Rian-
Kim Dong Hwan & Kim Jae Hoon- Kim Kaphwan's sons.
Marco Rodriguez- The heir to the Sakazaki martial arts style.
Grant-
Kain R. Heinlein- Final Boss.

Overall, Fatal Fury was quite popular, and had a lot of versions on the SNES & Genesis, and it has more King of Fighters characters than any other SNK series- alas, it suffers from "Generic Character Syndrome" in a lot of its supporting cast- a great number of guys are just "Boxer" or "Capoeira Guy", and then they get replaced by other, ALSO generic characters! Many innovations used for the games ended up not mattering much- their Ring Outs went away, as did the whole "Multi-Plane" system. It is much, MUCH more successful than Art of Fighting, owing to its much larger cast of memorable characters- Terry & Geese are true icons, and Mai is arguably SNK's most popular female.

But in terms of longevity, the game is hard to beat- Terry, Andy & Joe make up the "Fatal Fury Team" in every single King of Fighters game save a few, which drop Andy & Joe. Mai Shiranui ends up on every game, usually on the "Woman Fighters Team" with AoF's King & Yuri. Kim Kap Hwan of all people is in every tournament, usually leading a team of oddball criminals that he's desperate to reform- it comes off very much like an excuse to keep the popular-in-Korean TKD fighter around. Billy Kane would be an off-and-on fighter for years, lacking plot importance (he's basically Geese's big goon, and Geese should be DEAD), but is popular enough to always be brought back. Blue Mary & Yamazaki are a constant presence in most of the middle KoF games, oddly placed on the same team because she's forced to work with the villain- Yamazaki's also the only pre-established SNK character to be included in the "Orochi Bloodline" plot thread!

Other characters were borderline successful- B.Jenet appears in a few KoF games, and you'll occasionally see Gato & Tizoc as well- Garou is thus a bigger success story than AoF 3 was. Geese Howard & Wolfgang Krauser popped up a few times, but as both were dead in-continuity, it messed things up and so it's a begrudging inclusion, despite Geese's overwhelming popularity. Hwa Jai & Tung Fu Rue were shocking "deep cuts" in the most recent games, too. Rock Howard, the most well-received of the newbies, had some dues to pay, but he got into Capcom vs. SNK and a later KoF game finally. The other characters? None have reappeared in 20 years.
User avatar
Ares
Site Admin
Posts: 4963
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:40 am

Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Todohs! Yuri Sakazaki! King! Eiji! Takuma!)

Post by Ares »

Now here's something I'll be able to comment on. The Fatal Fury games were something I got into, given I was a big lover of Fighting Games and Side Scrolling Beat'em Ups in my younger years. It was helped that Fatal Fury was one of the few video games that received an anime adaptation that also hit the west fairly early, and proved popular enough to have 3 films made in a fairly short period of time. I've got say, as far as video game adaptations go, they're pretty good. Not fantastic or groundbreaking, but the action is solid, the story is decent enough for what it is and the voice acting is fun. The only downside was if you weren't a fan of Terry Bogard, since the anime made him the big hero of the games and his allies would, at best, get to take out some of the higher ranking minions without being able to face the big bad themselves. I tend to prefer shows with large casts to be more ensemble pieces, but you tend to wind up with a single hero being able to resolve everything.

Fortunately for me, Terry was my favorite character, which is kind of an oddity in my usual martial artist types. I tend to go for polite, kind and disciplined martial artists who focus on mastery of traditional styles like Ryu, Shang Chi and Wuji Zhang. Terry meanwhile is a cocky jokester who is most definitely not a traditional martial artist. Rather he's a street fighter and brawler who picked up chi techniques less out of meditation and inner peace and more out of sheer stubbornness and determination. Yet the fact that he's also a good-hearted hero and a fun guy made him an easy character to latch onto. He's basically the embodiment of the Japanese idea of the American hero.

Interestingly, my favorite American comics martial artist, Iron Fist, is sort of a half-way point between guys like Terry and Ryu. Danny can be calm, serene and disciplined, but he's also not adverse to making wisecracks and indulging in some fun. Best of both worlds as far as I'm concerned. Plus he's one of the only American heroes who can actually do chi techniques.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

Want to support me and Echoes of the Multiverse? Follow this link to subscribe or donate.
User avatar
catsi563
Posts: 4130
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:29 pm
Location: Dark Side of the Moon
Contact:

Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Todohs! Yuri Sakazaki! King! Eiji! Takuma!)

Post by catsi563 »

Interestingly, my favorite American comics martial artist, Iron Fist, is sort of a half-way point between guys like Terry and Ryu. Danny can be calm, serene and disciplined, but he's also not adverse to making wisecracks and indulging in some fun. Best of both worlds as far as I'm concerned. Plus he's one of the only American heroes who can actually do chi techniques.
yeah ive always liked Danny for the same reasons. Contemplative and Serene but with a sense of humor.
Dr. Silverback has wryly observed that this is like trying to teach lolcats about Shakespeare

Showdown at the Litterbox

Catsi stories
User avatar
Woodclaw
Posts: 1462
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 8:05 pm
Location: Como, Italy

Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Todohs! Yuri Sakazaki! King! Eiji! Takuma!)

Post by Woodclaw »

catsi563 wrote: Thu Nov 07, 2019 6:56 pm
Interestingly, my favorite American comics martial artist, Iron Fist, is sort of a half-way point between guys like Terry and Ryu. Danny can be calm, serene and disciplined, but he's also not adverse to making wisecracks and indulging in some fun. Best of both worlds as far as I'm concerned. Plus he's one of the only American heroes who can actually do chi techniques.
yeah ive always liked Danny for the same reasons. Contemplative and Serene but with a sense of humor.
My personal guess is that in a realm of inscrutable mystics, over-competitive douches and stone-cold killers, Danny is pretty much the blue collar of super-martial artists.
"You're right. Sorry. Holy shit," I breathed, "heckhounds.”

WareHouse W (main build thread for M&M)
User avatar
M4C8
Posts: 759
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2016 10:17 pm
Location: South-East England

Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Todohs! Yuri Sakazaki! King! Eiji! Takuma!)

Post by M4C8 »

Yep, I've always been a fan of Danny Rand, he's a great character.
'A shared universe, like any fictional construct, hinges on suspension of disbelief. When continuity is tossed away, it tatters the construct. Undermines it'
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Terry Bogard

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

“Hey- C’MON C’MON!”

TERRY BOGARD
First Appearance:
Fatal Fury (1991)
Game Appearances: All Fatal Fury Games, All King of Fighters Games, Capcom (vs) SNK 1 & 2, SNK (vs) Capcom SVC Chaos, Neo-Geo Battle Coliseum
Role: The Hero, Shotoclone
PL 10 (154)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 12 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 8 (+13)
Athletics 11 (+12)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 4 (+16)
Expertise (Martial Arts) 11 (+12)
Expertise (Streetwise) 5 (+6)
Insight 2 (+5)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 2 (+5)
Ranged Combat (Power Wave) 6 (+13)
Vehicles 2 (+5)

Advantages:
Assessment, Defensive Attack, Diehard, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Unarmed) 3, Improved Critical (Power Wave) 2, Improved Critical (Burning Knuckle), Improved Critical (Rising Tackle), Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 3, Taunt

SNK Fighting Style: Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Defensive Roll, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Improved Defense, Improved Hold, Improved Trip (Throw), Power Attack, Takedown, Withstand Damage (Block)

Powers:
Leaping 1 (15 feet) [1]

"Energy Geyser" Damage 5 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Cylinder) (Reduced Defenses -2) (6) -- [9]
  • AE: "Power Wave!" Blast 5 (Reduced Defenses -2, Diminished Range -1) (5)
  • AE: "Rising Tackle!" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: +2 to Hit Jumping Opponents) (Inaccurate -1) (2)
  • AE: "Burning Knuckle!" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) (1)
Offense:
Unarmed +16 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Burning Knuckle +14 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Power Wave +13 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Energy Geyser +5 Area (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +14 (DC 24), Parry +15 (DC 25), Toughness +4 (+5 D.Roll), Fortitude +6, Will +9

Complications:
Motivation (Revenge)- A 10-year old Terry watched as Geese Howard murdered his father- he was then consumed with revenge. Even so, he offered to save his foe's life in the end.
Enemy (Geese Howard)
Relationship (Andy- Brother)
Relationship (Joe Higashi- Friend)
Relationship (Blue Mary)- Mary seems to chase Terry, who prefers his freedom.
Weakness (Predictability)- SNK Characters cannot simply "spam" out the same attack over and over again, as the opponent will expect the attacks, and be ready for them (and a counterattack). The third time they try the same technique (or same combo of techniques) in a short span, they will be at -2 to Accuracy, AND to his Active Defenses in that round. All will decrease by 2 every successive round the same move is done.

Total: Abilities: 68 / Skills: 54--27 / Advantages: 17 + 11 / Powers: 10 / Defenses: 21 (154)

-Terry was the runaway success of the Fatal Fury series, easily becoming SNK's mascot as soon as he appeared. His offense was ludicrously Ryu-esque, just like the Art of Fighting guys, containing a Chi Blast, Across-The-Screen Move, and a Rising Attack (Kicking instead of Uppercutting, but still), but that's probably part of why people gravitated towards him- he was a familiar fighter in an all-new package. And that DESIGN- the big ponytail, the torn sleeves and the baseball cap- this guy was created by a committee of twelve-year old boys trying to add all of the things they thought was bad-ass into one guy!

-Terry was the face of Fatal Fury, being the central person in every game, and even making it to the "Everyone's Replaced" game of Garou, albeit with a whole new, almost-modern design (a BOMBER JACKET? It was like 1999!). He is the canonical winner of both the first and second games, having defeated Geese Howard & Wolfgang Krauser, then beats Geese AGAIN in the Real Bout series, preventing him from gaining the Macguffin Scrolls. In the final game, he promises to adopt and train Geese's son Rock, in order to prevent the rise of another monster.

-Terry's also in every single King of Fighters game, as the central "Fatal Fury Team" guy, along with brother Andy and comic relief Joe Higashi, although he's sadly portrayed as a bit of a hard-luck act there: See, since SNK created a whole NEW set of Hero Characters for the series (Kyo and his "Hero Team"), it meant that all the other characters now had to take a back seat. Poor Terry was thus supplanted as the SNK Mascot by Kyo Kusanagi, ANOTHER Shotoclone (with the exact same types of moves as Terry! Often with the same movements and everything!), and the Fatal Fury Team never won a single tournament, always "doing well" (one wonders who the bottom-tier teams are). And so, like the "Art of Fighting" Team, this trio (sometimes joined by Mai) is in a permanent stasis, never moving their plots forward.

-Terry more-or-less equals Ryu in most ways- it makes sense, given that they're the two mascots of their respective franchises, and both are clearly more awesome than Ryo Sakazaki. Even being replaced by Kyo doesn't diminish Terry- it's not HIS fault he can't carry his whole team through the King of Fighters tournaments! Terry has more of a rough and tumble, street-fighting edge than his brother does, befitting someone who learned there way more through experience and bareknuckle brawling than by learning from wizened old masters in studios.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Fri Nov 08, 2019 2:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Ares
Site Admin
Posts: 4963
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:40 am

Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Todohs! Yuri Sakazaki! King! Eiji! Takuma!)

Post by Ares »

Terry was kind of interesting in that while he's technically a Shoto-Clone, he mixes things up nicely. His screen clearing move is a dashing punch instead of a Hurricane Kick, his rising attack is a physics defying kick instead of a Dragon Punch, and his projectile attack travels across the ground. He was like this perfect counter to Ryu, the pair could not be more different despite having similar positions as "The Hero". Ryu was stoic, calm and dedicated to self improvement, having learned from an ancient master in a temple before wandering the world. Terry is a confident, flashy American who is dedicated to fighting various flavors of evil, having learned from a lifetime of wandering the world and getting into street fights before mostly settling in Southtown. Basically, if Ryu was the idealized Japanese man,then Terry was what Japan thinks the ideal American would be. And honestly, we could do a LOT worse than Terry here.

One thing I always thought was cool was Terry's super move. Something about planting his fist on the ground and making this huge geyser of energy shoot out was awesome. The movies made it look even better by by having it basically be this massive tidal wave of energy.

Overall, it really doesn't matter who SNK decided to make the hero of the day, Terry will always be #1 there. And he cemented that position in my mind by being the SNK representative over in Smash Bros.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

Want to support me and Echoes of the Multiverse? Follow this link to subscribe or donate.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Andy Bogard

Post by Jabroniville »

ImageImage
Image

Andy looks like he’s going Super Saiyan 3 in some pics.

ANDY BOGARD
First Appearance:
Fatal Fury (1991)
Game Appearances: All Fatal Fury Games (minus Garou), King of Fighters '94-2002, KoF XII-XV (87% of KoF games since introduction)
Role: Tagalong Brother, The Generic Brother, White-Guy Ninja
PL 9 (148)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 11 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 10 (+15)
Athletics 10 (+13)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 4 (+15)
Expertise (Martial Arts) 6 (+8)
Expertise (Ninja) 6 (+8)
Insight 2 (+5)
Perception 3 (+6)
Ranged Combat (Chi) 4 (+11)
Sleight of Hand 4 (+7)
Stealth 5 (+10)

Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Evasion, Hide In Plain Sight, Improved Critical (Unarmed) 2, Improved Critical (Flying Kick), Improved Critical (Arcing Kick), Improved Critical (Hishouken), Improved Initiative, Move-By Action, Ranged Attack 4, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge

SNK Fighting Style: Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Defensive Roll, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Improved Defense, Improved Hold, Improved Trip (Throw), Power Attack, Takedown, Withstand Damage (Block)

Powers:
"Flaming Hands" Features 1: All Unarmed Attacks Can Become Fire Damage [1]

"Hishouken" Blast 5 (Reduced Defenses -2, Diminished Range -1) (5) -- [9]
  • AE: "Kuuha Dan- Arcing Kick" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) (1)
  • AE: "Zan-ei Ken- Dashing Elbow" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) & Speed 2 (Flaws: Limited to Short Bursts) (2)
  • AE: "Shoryuu Dan- Spinning-Arm Leap" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: +2 to Hit Jumping Opponents) (Inaccurate -1) (2)
  • AE: "Illusion Shiranui" Teleport 2 (Feats: Change Direction) (5)
Offense:
Unarmed +15 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Special Moves +13 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Hishouken Fireball +11 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +13 (DC 23), Parry +14 (DC 24), Toughness +3 (+4 D.Roll), Fortitude +6, Will +7

Complications:
Relationship (Terry- Brother)- Andy feels a bit of an inferiority complex towards his skilled older brother.
Motivation (Self-Improvement)- Andy is obsessed with perfecting himself, feeling diminished by Terry's achievements.
Relationship (Mai Shiranui)- The two love each other, but he refuses to get with her, demanding to improve himself first. So this lady with boobs that could sink the Titanic is all "DO ME NOW!" and he's all "Nah, not yet".
Relationship (Hokutomaru- Student)- Andy's student is featured in a later tournament, and he misses out on two KoF tourneys to care for him, and then to train him further.
Weakness (Predictability)- SNK Characters cannot simply "spam" out the same attack over and over again, as the opponent will expect the attacks, and be ready for them (and a counterattack). The third time they try the same technique (or same combo of techniques) in a short span, they will be at -2 to Accuracy, AND to his Active Defenses in that round. All will decrease by 2 every successive round the same move is done.

Total: Abilities: 66 / Skills: 54--27 / Advantages: 16 + 11 / Powers: 10 / Defenses: 18 (148)

-Andy has had a rough go of it, despite appearing in nearly every Fatal Fury game, and all but one or two KoF ones. The problem is, he's just so utterly GENERIC in design and concept, complete with plain old white clothes with simple designs on them, especially compared with Mr. Ball Cap & Cool Jacket. With Terry commanding so much attention, Andy should have done something to stand out. Instead he got a pretty boring, goofy character (never trying to hook up with Mai, despite actually liking her; he acted generally withdrawn and obsessive the rest of the time) and a weird "White Guy Ninja" thing going on, using more athletic moves instead of Shotoclone stuff like Terry did. Terry was so clearly the main character that he got to defeat Geese Howard every time.

-In King of Fighters, Andy naturally joined "Fatal Fury Team" with Terry & Joe, appearing reluctantly according to the story. He was in nearly every game, yet his lack of popularity led to him being dropped from a couple, and he's arguably the biggest SNK character NOT to be placed into Capcom (vs) SNK, which saddened my Fatal Fury-loving friend, who dug Andy. Hell, Andy doesn't even end up in the final FF game- Garou! Instead, he sends a student named Hokutomaru in his place- Hokutomaru's illness prevents Andy from appearing in KoF XI and its successor.

-Andy is a great fighter, but weak enough that Terry is clearly better- Terry DID defeat Geese, after all, while Andy lost. He's portrayed as a much faster, more athletic fighter than Terry, doing a lot of Flippy/Spinny stuff that involves jumping and covering his body with flames. Altogether, Andy's good, but only as good as your average World Warrior from Street Fighter II, not a true Elite like Ryu, Chun-Li, or his brother Terry. In the games, he specializes in quick movements, controlling the field of battle by being wherever he needs to be- this is called "Zoning". His regular moves are typically weak, but he can leap about, and control things with his large projectile attack, which can also move at variable speeds.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Mon Jul 24, 2023 8:10 am, edited 4 times in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Todohs! Yuri Sakazaki! King! Eiji! Takuma!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Ares wrote: Thu Nov 07, 2019 3:43 pm Now here's something I'll be able to comment on. The Fatal Fury games were something I got into, given I was a big lover of Fighting Games and Side Scrolling Beat'em Ups in my younger years. It was helped that Fatal Fury was one of the few video games that received an anime adaptation that also hit the west fairly early, and proved popular enough to have 3 films made in a fairly short period of time. I've got say, as far as video game adaptations go, they're pretty good. Not fantastic or groundbreaking, but the action is solid, the story is decent enough for what it is and the voice acting is fun. The only downside was if you weren't a fan of Terry Bogard, since the anime made him the big hero of the games and his allies would, at best, get to take out some of the higher ranking minions without being able to face the big bad themselves. I tend to prefer shows with large casts to be more ensemble pieces, but you tend to wind up with a single hero being able to resolve everything.
See, I never watched the anime for this, so I've little context. A few YouTube clips show it having some... well, solid for the early '90s animation, but leagues below Street Fighter II, which was a real watermark in terms of animation. I see Mai was a damsel in distress, and Andy had to rescue her from Laurence Blood (which marks this as a Fatal Fury 2-inspired movie).

It's actually kind of curious that though Terry was the Main Character, Andy was the one with the love interest. Though Andy's pretty virginal about it, which makes him come off as a bit of a dolt. Terry KIND OF had this thing with Blue Mary, but I don't think it ever moved forward at all.
Rather he's a street fighter and brawler who picked up chi techniques less out of meditation and inner peace and more out of sheer stubbornness and determination. Yet the fact that he's also a good-hearted hero and a fun guy made him an easy character to latch onto. He's basically the embodiment of the Japanese idea of the American hero.
I hadn't really thought of that, but I think you're right- the brash, blond-haired street fighter is probably the Japanese version of the ideal American hero.
User avatar
Ares
Site Admin
Posts: 4963
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:40 am

Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Todohs! Yuri Sakazaki! King! Eiji! Takuma!)

Post by Ares »

Jabroniville wrote: Fri Nov 08, 2019 7:26 am See, I never watched the anime for this, so I've little context. A few YouTube clips show it having some... well, solid for the early '90s animation, but leagues below Street Fighter II, which was a real watermark in terms of animation. I see Mai was a damsel in distress, and Andy had to rescue her from Laurence Blood (which marks this as a Fatal Fury 2-inspired movie).

It's actually kind of curious that though Terry was the Main Character, Andy was the one with the love interest. Though Andy's pretty virginal about it, which makes him come off as a bit of a dolt. Terry KIND OF had this thing with Blue Mary, but I don't think it ever moved forward at all.
There were actually three movies created for the Fatal Fury franchise, which is kind of impressive. The first one basically retold the story of the first game, actually showing Geese kill Terry and Andy's dad. It had a very "80s Kung Fu Movie" feel to it, where Terry and Andy entered the King of Fighters tournament to figure out who was best suited to learn a final technique from Tung Fu Rue, Terry gets a love interest who is killed by the film's end, learns the final technique, and is ultimately the one to defeat Geese.

The second one had kind of an 80s Sports Film theme to it, where Krauser fights Terry at the start of the film and kicks Terry's ass. Terry spends a lot of the film in a depression, until he gets his motivation back, retrains and gets a rematch with Krauser. This one also started Andy and Mai's relationship.

The third film was an original story, which had the familiar trope of "Bad guys traveling world to get different pieces of a MacGuffin, heroes travel the world trying to stop them, bad guys get MacGuffin, heroes defeat them anyway". Terry gets a new doomed love interest, has his most Shonen Protagonist Moment ever where he basically takes on a god, but Andy and Mai get to kind of contribute by dealing with the Quirky Mini-Boss Squad, and the entire team gets to contribute to a boss fight, which was nice.

Overall the animation was not as top notch as the Street Fighter II movie, but it wasn't bad for its time, and I give it points for actually having a story.

I'd say check them out if you can find them anywhere.
I hadn't really thought of that, but I think you're right- the brash, blond-haired street fighter is probably the Japanese version of the ideal American hero.
Yeah, Terry is basically a combo of traits that seem to be what the Japanese consider distinctly American, but at the very least they're positive traits. Like I said, if Ryu is what the Japanese consider the ideal protagonist, Terry seems like what they think the ideal American protagonist would be. And hey, we could do worse.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

Want to support me and Echoes of the Multiverse? Follow this link to subscribe or donate.
User avatar
Ares
Site Admin
Posts: 4963
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:40 am

Re: Andy Bogard

Post by Ares »

Jabroniville wrote: Fri Nov 08, 2019 6:38 am
ANDY BOGARD

-Andy has had a rough go of it, despite appearing in nearly every Fatal Fury game, and all but one or two KoF ones. The problem is, he's just so utterly GENERIC in design and concept, complete with plain old white clothes with simple designs on them, especially compared with Mr. Ball Cap & Cool Jacket. With Terry commanding so much attention, Andy should have done something to stand out. Instead he got a pretty boring, goofy character (never trying to hook up with Mai, despite actually liking her; he acted generally withdrawn and obsessive the rest of the time) and a weird "White Guy Ninja" thing going on, using more athletic moves instead of Shotoclone stuff like Terry did. Terry was so clearly the main character that he got to defeat Geese Howard every time.

-In King of Fighters, Andy naturally joined "Fatal Fury Team" with Terry & Joe, appearing reluctantly according to the story. He was in nearly every game, yet his lack of popularity led to him being dropped from a couple, and he's arguably the biggest SNK character NOT to be placed into Capcom (vs) SNK, which saddened my Fatal Fury-loving friend, who dug Andy. Hell, Andy doesn't even end up in the final FF game- Garou! Instead, he sends a student named Hokutomaru in his place- Hokutomaru's illness prevents Andy from appearing in KoF XI and its successor.

-Andy is a great fighter, but weak enough that Terry is clearly better- Terry DID defeat Geese, after all, while Andy lost. He's portrayed as a much faster, more athletic fighter than Terry, doing a lot of Flippy/Spinny stuff that involves jumping and covering his body with flames. Altogether, Andy's good, but only as good as your average World Warrior from Street Fighter II, not a true Elite like Ryu, Chun-Li, or his brother Terry. In the games, he specializes in quick movements, controlling the field of battle by being wherever he needs to be- this is called "Zoning". His regular moves are typically weak, but he can leap about, and control things with his large projectile attack, which can also move at variable speeds.
Yeah, poor Andy suffers from a hard case of "always second best" syndrome. It doesn't help that he's got the personality of a typical Japanese fighter, being a stoic, serious fighter focused on self-improvement. With Ryu and Ken, Ryu is the series mascot and Ken makes up for it by having more of a personality, while Andy's personality makes him contrast less favorably with Terry. Though he does wind up with Mai, so he's got that going for him.

I think he deserves a higher Will Save given the amount of temptation he needs to resist there.

They also did try to give him something to work with outfit wise, with the second one actually looking pretty cool.

Image

Image
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

Want to support me and Echoes of the Multiverse? Follow this link to subscribe or donate.
User avatar
catsi563
Posts: 4130
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:29 pm
Location: Dark Side of the Moon
Contact:

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Yuri! King! Eiji! Takuma! Terry Bogard!)

Post by catsi563 »

to me that's a case of the boys wanted to be Terry the men wanted to be Andy.
Dr. Silverback has wryly observed that this is like trying to teach lolcats about Shakespeare

Showdown at the Litterbox

Catsi stories
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Mai Shiranui

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

MAI SHIRANUI
First Appearance:
Fatal Fury 2 (1992)
Game Appearances: Fatal Fury 2, Special & 3, Real Bout FF 1, Special, 2 & DM (all but FF1 & Garou), King of Fighters '94-'03, XI, XIII-XV (all but XII- 93% of series), KoF Maximum Impact 1 & 2, Neo-Geo Battle Coliseum, Capcom (vs) SNK 1 & 2, SNK (vs) Capcom SVC Chaos, SNK Gals Fighter, SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy, Dead Or Alive 5 & 6
Role: Miss Fanservice, Girl Ninja
PL 9 (152)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 6
FIGHTING 13 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 9 (+15)
Athletics 12 (+14)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+16)
Deception 2 (+5, +7 Attractive)
Expertise (Ninja) 10 (+11)
Expertise (Martial Arts) 4 (+5)
Investigation 2 (+4)
Perception 4 (+6)
Persuasion 2 (+5, +7 Attractive)
Ranged Combat (Fan Toss) 4 (+13)
Stealth 4 (+10)

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Attractive, Equipment 1 (War Fan, Throwing Stars), Evasion, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Critical (Kachosen), Improved Critical (Diving Attack), Improved Critical (Fan Slash) 2, Improved Initiative, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 4, Taunt

SNK Fighting Style: Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Defensive Roll, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Improved Trip (Throw), Power Attack, Takedown, Withstand Damage (Block)

Powers:
Features 2: Quick Change, Unarmed Attacks Can do Fire Damage [2]
Flight 1 (4 mph) (Flaws: Gliding) [1]
Leaping 1 (15 feet) [1]

"Flame Spiral" Damage 5 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Cylindar) (Reduced Defenses -2) (6) -- [9]
  • AE: "Kachosen- Fan Toss" Blast 3 (Reduced Defenses -1, Requires Fan -1, Diminished Range -1) (1)
  • AE: "Diving Attack" Strength-Damage +2 (Inaccurate -1) (1)
  • AE: "Fan Slash" Strength-Damage +3 (Requires Fan, Inaccurate -1) (1)
Offense:
Unarmed +16 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Special Moves +14 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Fan Slash +12 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Fan Toss +13 (+3 Ranged Damage, DC 18)
Flame Spiral +5 Area (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +10

Defenses:
Dodge +13 (DC 23), Parry +15 (DC 25), Toughness +2 (+3 D.Roll), Fortitude +5, Will +7

Complications:
Relationship (Andy Bogard)- They're going to be married. Andy just doesn't know it yet.
Weakness (Predictability)- SNK Characters cannot simply "spam" out the same attack over and over again, as the opponent will expect the attacks, and be ready for them (and a counterattack). The third time they try the same technique (or same combo of techniques) in a short span, they will be at -2 to Accuracy, AND to his Active Defenses in that round. All will decrease by 2 every successive round the same move is done.

Total: Abilities: 68 / Skills: 56--28 / Advantages: 15 + 11 / Powers: 13 / Defenses: 17 (152)

Mai: "Me BOUNCY!":
-Originally meant to be a male ninja, the creators wanted to create an "Idol" (translation: Fap Bait), and so set out to create THE iconic Fanservice Fighter- up to this point, most Fighting Game Girls had been sexy, but still sort of dressed like an actual person. Mai was basically PURE Fanservice, created to have giant super-boobs that bounced all over the place in her basic fighting stance- so over-the-top she was virtually a parody of something that games had only just STARTED to do in a mainstream sense (porno games were as old as the industry, practically, but most regular games were a bit absent as far as fanservice goes), though honestly seems rather tame given the past decade, which has gone so far over the top that it's hilarious. But there's a reason why her catchphrase was misinterpreted in the West as "Me BOUNCYYYYYY!".

-Mai is your standard Airheaded Anime Beauty, chasing after a mildly-disinterested Andy, and acts like a bit of a goof in the process. Honestly, I'm not that taken with her- even Boob-Worshipping Teen Jab found her only a little bit attractive- she's just TOO top-heavy (I mean, unbalancingly-so- chesty women should be BUILT to be chesty, not just be a small chick with head-sized mammaries) and too overly-crazy with the Fanservice, and her outfit doesn't even really WORK- it's just a cleavage-baring top ending in a thong, despite being a robe/kimono thing- who the hell makes a bikini out of a ROBE? If you're gonna go all-out, you gotta Emma Frost it and have some pride about it; not act like some kind of a dolt. Emma's JUST as overt about it, but does it out of EVIL and knows exactly what she's doing- Mai just seems like a clueless bimbo.

Mai's Popularity in SNK:
-Mai, obviously, became incredibly popular, making not only every Fatal Fury game since her introduction (save the ones most miss out on), but every King of Fighters game but one, typically appearing on the "Woman Fighters Team" with King & Yuri from Art of Fighting (a team combining the various "not really in an alliance" girls from two games together) until 4-person teams was the norm and she joined up with the "Fatal Fury Team". Her popularity is such that she hit all three Capcom/SNK games, is one of the few Neo*Geo Battle Coliseum characters to actually be popular, and even made TWO Dead Or Alive games, owing to that game series existing primarily for faps, too. I mean, Mai in DOA is pretty fitting, but it's still pretty amusing to see her so obviously trotted out for that kind of thing.

-After I built this, but before posting, Mai actually hit a level of mainstream video gaming recognition she hasn't had since I was barely old enough to jerk it- she was specifically mentioned by the Super Smash Bros. developer as someone who wasn't going to be showing up in the series. This was pretty reasonable- she's pretty much JUST a "Titty" character and lives for that purpose, and these games are primarily for young children- but the fans took this as an opportunity for gags about Mai's busty self crying for attention and demanding a position in the game.

Mai's Non-Boob-Themed Abilities:
-Another long-running SNK character, Mai earns PL 9 status, using a high-speed, low-impact style that has some crazy versatility with a bunch of Leaping, Gliding & Area Effect moves based around Fire. Her offense is actually very unique for a Fighting Game character, preventing her from being a Chun-Li knock-off or anything like that- her game is to play "keepaway" with a relatively-safe Blast, leaping moves, Wall Jumps, and other mobility-based stuff, along with a few diving attacks, dashing combos and that Flame Spiral thing.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Mon Jul 24, 2023 8:27 am, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
Ares
Site Admin
Posts: 4963
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:40 am

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Yuri! King! Eiji! Takuma! Terry Bogard!)

Post by Ares »

My perception of Mai comes largely from the OVAs, so I never really saw her as "ditzy", even though that's likely closer to her canon personality. She seemed decently smart, self-confident, had a bit of a temper, but was also somewhat thoughtful at times. She was . . . well, "fiery" is the word I'd use. Passionate and playful to the people she liked, and a bit frustrated by Andy even as she adored him. In part it seemed that she liked how he was stoic to everyone else and only she could get a rise out of him, and she got several moments where he clearly returned her affection, which was nice. The anime seems like it made everyone from the games actually come off better than in the source material.

It is kind of weird that Mai gets disallowed from Smash while frickin Bayonetta gets involved. I mean, Mai is obviously built for sex appeal, but she still tends to be a straightforward fighter. Meanwhile Bayonetta is basically using the scenery like a stripper pole and making rapid-fire innuendoes.

I have to agree with Jab that Mai is a bit too over the top . . . pun very much intended. It wasn't so bad when she was was more like a standard comic book heroine, athletic with a decently sized chest, but some art slims down everything but her boobs, which get a size increase. It says something when the Dead or Alive girls look more realistically proportioned than Mai does.

Though if they were going to put a female fighting game character in, Chun-Li should definitely get in long before Mai does.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

Want to support me and Echoes of the Multiverse? Follow this link to subscribe or donate.
Post Reply