SNK’S STARS
SNK has produced some iconic characters over the years. How many of these do you recognise?
TERRY BOGARD
Whether he’s wearing his iconic red jacket or his stylish Mark Of The Wolves outfit, the ‘hungry wolf’ is SNK’S most noteworthy hero. He originally pursues revenge against Geese Howard, and later becomes an adoptive father to Rock Howard.
MAI SHIRANUI
Introduced in Fatal Fury 2, Mai is one of SNK’S most popular fighters. She’s smitten with Andy Bogard, who trained with her family, and she’s recently cameoed in Dead Or Alive 5: Last Round.
GEESE HOWARD
The most recognisable villain in the SNK universe is emblematic of difficult fighting game bosses. Despite his propensity for falling off of tall buildings, he’s a constant thorn in Terry’s side and even makes a cameo appearance in Tekken 7.
HAOHMARU
This swordsman is the most recognisable character of the Samurai Shodown series, and is a lover of food and sake. He has a deadly rivalry with his former training partner Genjuro Kibagami.
NAKORURU
A reluctant fighter who is dedicated to her mission of protecting nature. Though her weapon has a short range, Nakoruru is fast and has the assistance of her hawk Mamahaha or her wolf Shikuru.
AMAKUSA
A vengeful spirit resurrected by the malevolent god Ambrosia. Amakusa’s goal is to bring Ambrosia into the mortal realm.
MARCO ROSSI
The combat leader of PF Squad, the heroic faction of the Metal Slug games. His resignation was denied after the events of the first game, and surprisingly he’s also a talented programmer.
TARMA ROVING
A member of the PF Squad and a friend of Marco’s, Tarma is less serious than his comrade. He had intended to set up a motorbike shop after Morden was defeated, but his superiors coaxed him back into service.
GENERAL DONALD MORDEN
The main antagonist of the Metal Slug series, he was driven to insanity after his son was killed in a bombing, and joined the rebel army. Morden has been known to make odd alliances, including teaming up with Martians.
G-MANTLE
This masked fellow is an oddity – though he’s never been the star of his own game, he was frequently seen in early Neo-geo advertising and has cameos in games such as The King Of Fighters 2000 and Card Fighters Clash.
NEO POKE-KUN
A Neo-geo Pocket mascot and the star of Ganbare Neo Poke-kun!, a game in which Neo Poke-kun lives in your console and makes minigames. He also cameos with Yuki in Neogeo Battle Coliseum.
ATHENA
A princess who lands in the Fantasy World as a result of boredom and curiosity. Her descendant Athena Asamiya is in Psycho Soldier, and she’s a secret boss in SNK vs Capcom: SVC Chaos.
KYO KUSANAGI
Introduced as the face of The King Of Fighters ’94, Kyo is a student who has the ability to create flames, which makes him a devastating fighter – and a target for organisations which wish to clone or kill him.
IORI YAGAMI
Introduced in The King Of Fighters ’95 and quickly became popular. He bears a personal grudge against Kyo, and his purple flames are caused by the curse of the evil Orochi. RUGAL BERNSTEIN A ruthless arms dealer and the organiser of the King Of Fighters tournaments in 1994 and 1995, this villain likes to preserve the bodies of foes in liquid metal as statues. He was created to be the ultimate boss, and he’s tough as nails.
RYO SAKAZAKI
Art Of Fighting introduced us to this serious karate practitioner, as he searched for his kidnapped sister Yuri. His dojo is always looking for recruits, and he’s got a bit of an eye for his former foe King.
ROBERT GARCIA
Another Kyokugen karate user, Robert joins his best friend Ryo in the search for Yuri. He’s hot-headed and wealthy, unlike Ryo, and despite being from Italy he speaks Japanese with the Kansai dialect, which is commonly associated with comedians.
MR KARATE
A fearsome fighter wearing a Tengu mask, and the final boss of Art Of Fighting. He’s later revealed as Takuma Sakazaki, a karate dojo owner working for Geese Howard because of threats against his children Ryo and Yuri.