Geese Howard is a major antagonist of the Fatal Fury series, and appears in SNK’s King of Fighters series. Debuting in Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, he is the arch nemesis of Terry Bogard, as the local crime boss of the fictional city of South Town, USA. Geese is also the creator of the King of Fighters tournament.
Character description[]
Geese is a proud and haughty man, whose motivations can be seen to stem from his tragic and storied life. Motivated to seek power, strongly believing its possession brings results, this powerhungry aspect of his predictably brings upon him trouble as temptation compels him to commit many heinous crimes and actions to achieve his intentions no matter the cost and their consequences, and causes him to view the world a but a place "where the strong live and the weak are left for dead". Despite this ruthless and terrifying side of himself, he holds respect and high esteem to those who are able to meet with him face to face in terms of strength, and does not underestimate his challengers, especially after his first defeat from Terry.
Bearing a carried demeanor and flair of affluence, from high class culture evocative of 1980's American yuppie and rich lifestyles, and being the overseer of the excesses of society for its gains, Geese shares examples of power from just about all of its manifested forms at his discretion and expression. His expertise in the martial arts helps to reinforce this, displaying styles that effortlessly thrash about foes in disgrace with grace rooted from war time era borne styles such as samurai developed Aikijujutsu and Koryu schools of fighting, to utilizing his tutelage in Hakkyokuseiken to unleash his ki in flowing yet overwhelming forms like the wind. Outside of fighting, he is constantly in search of hobbies, being shiftless by gradual boredom, playing billiards, freely doing as he will as Southtown's criminal kingpin, and managing Howard Connection, his personal enterprise.
Origins[]
Born in South Town post-World War II to Rudolph, an Austrian martial artist and terrorist, and Maria, an American woman, Rudolph left his family behind and disappeared upon winning a martial arts tournament in Germany by mysterious circumstances. With Maria forced to raise Geese on her own, a young Geese would soon take it upon himself to work odd jobs to help his mother, but Maria eventually died of poor health and malnutrition. Unable to overcome his grief for his mother's death, Geese soon tracked down his father's whereabouts, eventually to the influential Krauser estate in Germany. Aiming to assassinate his father for his neglect, Geese was then intercepted and brutally beaten by a boy nearly half his age, that boy being Wolfgang Krauser, his half-brother. With Rudolph pulling Krauser off of him before the boy potentially killed Geese, Geese revealed himself as the son of the mother who died waiting for Rudolph in America. Geese then ran off in failure, believing that Rudolph married into the Krausers for their wealth.
Geese then turned to religion immediately after, to forgive his father and the cruel world he came from, but he could not be rid of his pride, including the humiliation of defeat and the fear of those more powerful than him. Taking from his downtrodden life the belief that power brings results, Geese then sought such power in turn.
Geese's interests into the martial arts would soon take him to study under Tung Fu Rue in his martial art of Hakkyoseiken, and with two fellow students, fellow South Town expiate Jeff Bogard and Hong Konger Cheng Sinzan, while his interest in Japanese martial arts would have him train under Aikido prodigy Touji Sakata and the grandfather of Mary Ryan. Growing together as friends and students in Tung's tutelage, the three would soon be then renowned throughout the martial arts world as "The Three Brothers of Godly Battle". But as time would pass, Cheng would be expelled for taking bets in street fights, and Geese would be revealed to have started making entry into criminal enterprises in South Town's underworld. When the day would come that Tung would choose his successor, Jeff was chosen over Geese. Furious, Geese deserted the school immediately, before even Tung could even mediate Geese from his foreboding path he was about to take.
With Geese's fighting skills and well founded connections, Geese would soon become South Town's police commissioner, and found Howard Connection, a private security company and front for his criminal enterprises. Able to take over from crime lord Mr. Big, Geese kept around him as a lackey, and soon sought other powerful individuals to join him by any means necessary. Having caught word of Takuma Sakazaki of the then rising and flourishing local Kyokugenryu Karate school, and planning out the King of Fighters tournament event for his plans to attract individuals of similar power for his ranks, Geese successfully coerced Takuma to be his muscle by threatening his family as the tengu faced goon Mr. Karate, until the affair snowballed into failure with Takuma's son Ryo and best student Robert Garcia having thwarted Geese's plans at every turn.
Still in control of South Town's underworld however, having retreated to Japan for several years, and having heard word that Jeff Bogard was working with community representatives and figures to nail Geese legally with evidence of his crimes, Geese returned to South Town, now stronger and took out Jeff by surprise, killing him in an abrupt assassination attempt. With little witnesses there were, including a young boy who took attention to the dying Jeff, Geese continued to flourish his criminal empire uninterrupted in time. Over the course of several years, during this period, he becomes acquainted with a young woman by the name of Marie Heinlein, marries her and has a son, Rock Howard, and upon a business trip to London, takes in orphans Billy and Lilly Kane, upon seeing Billy fight for his survival and saw familiarity in him with the boy.
Fatal Fury[]
Geese manages to host several King of Fighters tournaments in South Town annually, until one King of Fighters gains word of three powerful newcomers managing to fight through the local veterans of the tournament. Learning of the three new participants, Geese eventually learns the three are Terry and Andy Bogard, and their friend Joe Higashi, who aim to win the tournament to defeat Geese and avenge Jeff. Hiring in big names disgraced in the fighting world like wrestling heel Raiden, Joe's rival Hwa Jai, and even bringing out Billy with his rules excluded pole, the three manage to take them out too, and Geese then confronts Terry himself. After a long and fearsome battle, Terry knocks Geese out from the top of the penthouse suite atop Geese Tower, his personal skyscraper, and which kills him upon landing after the fall.
Fatal Fury 2[]
Despite the publication of his death, Geese managed to survive the fall, and recuperated in a private location, thanks to both immediate medical attention and the use of the Phoenix Scroll, an ancient qigong scroll of the more esoteric arts that advanced his recovery. Learning that Wolfgang has brought the King of Fighters Tournament to the worldwide stage to meet the man who defeated Geese and has set up an impostor to financially sabotage Howard Connection, he sends out Billy to investigate and keep watch of Krauser's actions as a double agent. When Terry wins Wolfgang's King of Fighters tournament, Geese then sets out for his return into the world.
Fatal Fury 3[]
Making his return to his criminal empire, Geese's return to South Town coincidentally coincides with the appearance of the Jin Twins and their personally hired muscle, Ryuji Yamazaki, to seek out the three ancient Secret Scrolls of Qin. Hearing that the scrolls combined will reveal the secrets to immortality, Geese's forces manage to obtain the scroll held within the possession of the Krauser family, but is forcibly taken from them by a surprise attack by Yamazaki. Hoping to even out this little crime war, Geese then hears word of newly retired famed kickboxer Franco Bash settling in South Town as a mechanic. With little efforts to persuade him into his ranks, he then kidnaps his son to make Bash reconsider, which then leads Bash to rampage throughout South Town in pursuit. His return also sparks interest with P.I. "Blue" Mary Ryan, knowing well of her grandfather's ties to him before his rise to infamy, and investigates him to know what he is planning to do next.
When Terry fights his way through South Town to understand what is going on, he eventually faces Geese again. However, this is a ruse, as Geese sets his penthouse garden on fire as a trap to be rid of Terry once and for all. Foiled by Cheng Sinzan, who offers escape in his helicopter, Terry flies off to face off against Yamazaki, while Geese escapes to plot out a way to be rid of his nemesis and obtain ultimate power in one fell swoop.
Real Bout Fatal Fury[]
Planning another King of Fighters tournament to finish things once and for all with Terry, during this, Rock, now a young boy, immediately makes his way into Geese Tower, and lets him know of Marie's severe illness. Begging him to help his mother, Geese dismisses the boy and orders him out of his office. Knowing anyone has a price, he pays off Yamazaki to betray the Jin Twins, the two having been defeated by Terry and snapped back into their normal selves from their possessive evil ancestors, to steal both the Krauser and Jin scroll to eventually match together with the Hakkyokuseiken school scroll in possession with Tung Fu Rue, and to work for him in the upcoming tournament.
With Terry facing off against all of South Town's finest who either have a score to settle with Geese, and earning their trust, or keeping them off his trail as enemies by association, Terry and Geese clash in their last battle. As Geese loses to Terry again and is sent crashing through the railings of his garden, Terry instead tries to save Geese this time, than to send him plummeting to his death. Unwilling to be spared by his enemies, in an act of egotism, Geese knocks away Terry's hand, choosing his ultimate fate.
In this continuity, he is survived by his son, Rock Howard, and his beneficiary, Billy Kane. His dark legacy lives on through his brother in law, Kain R. Heinlein, and the Maximum Mayhem tournaments in Second South Town.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
As a background character[]
Geese Howard appears in the background of King of Fighters Stadium, where he stands with his arms crossed, frequently laughing. His design is primarily based on his outfit from Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, however his white shirt is folded down to his waist with his hakama, much like Fatal Fury Special and The King of Fighters from '96 onwards. Although he appears at random, he will always appear when either Soy Sauce for Geese - FATAL FURY SPECIAL or Soy Sauce for Geese - KOF XIV is playing.
Geese Howard at King of Fighters Stadium.
As a spirit[]
Geese also appears as a Legend-class support spirit which can be battled via the SNK Spirit Board. It can also be purchased from the Vault Shop for 15,000G, even if the appropriate DLC isn’t purchased.
His spirit battle is a Stamina Battle against a Mii Brawler with 200 HP at Fourside’s Omega Form. The Mii Brawler wears a Princess Zelda Wig and a Business Suit, resembling Geese’s younger self in Art of Fighting 2. The aforementioned Fourside stage and the music playing (Soy Sauce for Geese - FATAL FURY SPECIAL) both reference Geese Tower, Geese’s home stage in the Fatal Fury games. Also, the puppet fighter’s grapple-based special moves and the edict that the enemy’s throws have increased power references Geese’s various grapple and throw-based moves, with the Counter Throw being very similar to the Atemi Nage, a move Geese uses in the Fatal Fury games.
 Fatal Fury universe
| ||
|---|---|---|
| Characters | Terry Bogard (Ultimate) | |
| Side Characters | Background characters | Andy Bogard · Billy Kane · Blue Mary · Geese Howard · Joe Higashi · Kim Kaphwan · Rock Howard · Ryuji Yamazaki · Tung Fu Rue |
| Related characters | Athena Asamiya · Chang Koehan & Choi Bounge · Goro Daimon · Iori Yagami · King · Kyo Kusanagi · Nakoruru · Ralf Jones & Clark Still · Ryo Sakazaki · Yuri Sakazaki | |
| Stage | King of Fighters Stadium | |
| Music | List of Music (Fatal Fury series) | |
| Spirits | List of spirits (Fatal Fury series) | |
| Related universe | The King of Fighters | |