D.J. Tatsujin of GemuBaka

My favorite part of this win quote is that Geese Howard still refers to the old-style concept of catsup.

I’ve spent the past few years marking Geese Howard’s birthday on Twitter, usually highlighted by his Fatal Fury challenge quote that could only come from a 1990s U.S. SNK game translation. It’s a bizarrely-funny quote, but since I observed his birthday was approaching more in advance than normal, it gave me this time to reflect on the superb attract sequence and presentation of Art of Fighting 2 and the eventually discovery of a really cool variation of Geese Howard.

I always found it exciting that Geese had defensive counters with his atemi uchi throws, which allowed him to get into the opponent’s head if they became too “predictabo.”

Geese always had a stern demeanor, being around to be a thorn in the side of the Bogards from the Fatal Fury series, and since then making a number of other enemies as the universe of The King of Fighters expands. Geese has also served as a go-to boss character for SNK, presenting players with some memorable end-game challenges.

Years after having a brush with Art of Fighting 2, I was surprised to learn the game’s true final boss is Geese Howard. The real treat to this appearance, though, is that the game takes place before the events of Fatal Fury, so we are presented with a younger, more flamboyant Geese.

Art of Fighting 2 Geese Howard is decked out in a stylish suit and flowing long hair – a stark contrast to the slicked back hair and gi with hakama he adorns in nearly every other appearance. Despite the earlier time frame, Geese still has an assortment of his trademark moves that include the reppuken and the deadly rave combination, even if it doesn’t appear he has the stockier frame and stern demeanor he is widely known for.

Fighting against Geese Howard in Art of Fighting 2 requires the player to make their way through the entire default character roster without losing a single round. If the player is successful in that regard, a special cutscene activates where the player’s character is summoned to Geese Howard in an attempt to recruit them to his syndicate. Of course, nobody is keen to accept, so they then enter a fight to the death with Geese.

Geese again earns his keep as a boss character in Art of Fighting 2, boasting incredible agility and powerful attacks. Getting hit with the wrong move will result in the player getting dizzied, and then it is only a matter time before he executes the deadly rave combination to finish the job.

The real bonus of being able to defeat Geese, though, is in extra cutscenes that fill in the story leading up to the original Fatal Fury game. Perhaps it’s only a matter of the English translation, but Geese is presented like a jet-setting playboy, and perhaps this game serves him his first real setback in his bid to control South Town and leads him down the path of being a more serious fighter.

But the real lore tidbits presented in Art of Fighting 2 reveal Mr. Big works for Geese Howard, pinning the conflict of Art of Fighting on him. In the special ending Geese also learns of Jeff Bogard’s efforts to interfere with his plans, setting in motion one of the pivotal plot points of the entire Fatal Fury franchise.

The newest entry on GemuBaka is a full feature on Geese on Art of Fighting 2 and includes details on how I first discovered Art of Fighting 2 with its awesome attract mode, using MAME cheats to be able to play as Geese and a section on the 16-bit release that was exclusive to Japan's Super Famicom.

Also, here is a short video that summarizes a lot of these details: