Rock Howard (Fatal Fury)

==Summary==
Rock Howard is the protagonist of Garou: Mark of the Wolves and the son of Geese Howard. Rock's mother, Marie Heinlein, always forbid him to meet his father, which caused him to develop a strong desire to know more about his parent. When Marie got gravely ill, the seven-years-old Rock fled their house and sought out his father at the Geese Tower. His excitement vanished when Geese coldly turned him down, refusing to provide any help as if he was a stranger. That same night Marie passed away and Rock held a terrible grudge against his father ever since.
After Geese's death in Real Bout Fatal Fury, Rock went living with Terry Bogard, who raised him as his own son. Despite knowing the truth and being incredibly fond of Terry, Rock always had mixed feelings. Ten years went by, and one day the two received an invitation for the fifth "The King of Fighters" tournament, the first since Geese's death. Moreover, Kain Heinlein, host of the event and Rock's uncle, promised more than just a money prize... he allegedly knew what had actually happened to Rock's mother. The only way to know it, was winning the tournament.
Rock showed all of his talent in the subsequent battles and defeated all his opponents, including his mentor Terry and the appointed champions, Grant and Kain. The latter revealed that Marie was still alive and that there is still more to unfold about Geese's legacy. Rock reluctantly joined his uncle, but promised Terry to return once all his accounts are settled. 
Rock is 178 cm tall, weighs 77 kg, likes touring, street basketball, playing the bass, jambalaya and hard rock, while he dislikes those who brag away.Fatal Fury 15th Anniversary Website
==Powers and Stats==
Tier: 
Name: Rock Howard
Origin: Garou: Mark of the Wolves
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Classification: Human, Fighter
Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Genius Intelligence, Mimicry, Martial Arts Prodigy, Chi Manipulation and Projection, Damage Boost (Can perform super attacks that deal much more damage than normal), Acrobatics (Can perform several acrobatics techniques, recovery rolls, keep his balance when hit in mid-air and spring back on his feet after being knocked down)
Attack Potency: Wall level (At the age of 8, he was already strong enoughNeo Geo Complete Box Website - Garou Back Story 02 to defeat Terry Bogard after a long battle. Won the fifth "King of Fighters", triumphing over the likes of Terry, Grant and Kain)
Speed: Superhuman (Comparable to Terry and able to react to attacks such as B. Jenet's Many Many Torpedoes)
Lifting Strength: Class 50 (Comparable to Terry)
Striking Strength: Wall level
Durability: Wall level (Withstood blows from Terry and comparable characters)
Stamina: Superhuman (All the Fatal Fury characters have consistently demonstrated to be able to fight for hours and even entire days. Battled Terry for an entire day and night)
Range: Standard Melee Range physically; Several Meters with Projectiles
Standard Equipment: Nothing notable
Intelligence: Genius (Rock has an innate talent for martial arts and has inherited his father's natural fighting senses. He was an unmatched combatantant as a child and he eventually took street fighting as a living. Living with Terry taught him much, from martial arts to the ways of life. The two traveled together for years, a time during which Rock honed his skills at various fighting tournaments and has grown to the point of being rumored to be on par with his foster father. Rock eventually won the fifth "The King of Fighters", triumphing over many valiant fighters, including Terry, Grant and Kain Heinlein. He is quite good at playing the bass, and can perfectly copy a song after hearing it once. Moreover, Rock is a capable cook with the skill of a professional) 
Weaknesses: None notable.
Fighting Style: Rock combines the best of Geese and Terry's styles, to which he has added his own innovations. His techniques are rooted in kobudō and hakkyokuseiken ("Eight Extremes Holy Fist"), arts that he has apparently inherited from his father through genetics alone, as hinted by the frequent references to his "evil blood". As the genius child that he was, his abilities improved even more after eleven years of training with Terry, who taught him his mixed freestyle of martial arts.
Notable Attacks/Techniques:
<tabber>
|-|Unique Attacks=
*Parabola Kick: Rock performs an axe kick.
*Elbow Spike: Rock dashes forward and strikes high with his elbow.
*Overhead Kick: Rock turns around, does a backflip and kicks the opponent.
*Combination Attack: Rock does a frontal kick, then brings his leg down and hammers the opponent with his heel.
ParabolaKick.gif
RockElbowSpike.gif
RockOverheadKick.gif
RockComboATK.gif
|-|Throws=
*Kokusen: Rock grabs the opponent by the collar, pulls them over his shoulder and slams them down.
Kokusen.gif
Kokusen2.gif
|-|Special Attacks=
*Reppuken ("Gale Fist"): Rock releases a wave of ki energy that travels along the ground.
*Double Reppuken: Rock stacks two Reppukens to form a stronger one.
*Hard Edge: Rock dashes forward and attacks with both his elbow and shoulder. The alternate version has greater reach, is powered by ki energy and is followed by an open palm strike. 
*Crack Counter Joudan: After blocking either a high or low attack, Rock flips on himself and delivers an axe kick.
*Rage Run: Rock runs towards the enemy, jumps and delivers a flying punch empowered by ki energy. Alternatively, Rock dashes even faster and slips past the opponent.
*Rising Tackle: Rock assumes an upside-down position and leaps upward while spinning on himself with his arms outstretched and one of his legs pointed towards the sky.
*Shinkuu Nage ("Vacuum Throw"): Rock grabs the opponent and rotates his arm, tossing them away.
*Rasetsu: After performing a Shinkuu Nage, Rock charges his fist with ki energy and punches the opponent as they fall.
RockReppuken.gif|Reppuken
RockDR.gif|Double Reppuken
ShortHardEdge.gif|Hard Edge (Short)
LongHardEdge.gif|Hard Edge (Long)
HighCrackCounterJoudan.gif|Crack Counter Joudan (High)
LowCCJ.gif|Crack Counter Joudan (Low)
RageRunDunk.gif|Rage Run - Dunk
RageRunShift.gif|Rage Run - Shift
RockRisingTackle.gif|Rising Tackle
RockShinkuuNage.gif|Shinkuu Nage
RockRasetsu.gif|Rasetsu
|-|Super Attacks=
*Raging Storm: Rock brings his arms down and summons a cyclone of purple ki energy around himself. By spending more energy, he can perform a stronger and bigger version that is blue in color. The latter can also be charged to deal further damage. 
*Shine Knuckle: Rock covers himself in yellow ki energy and delivers a devastating dashing punch. Alternatively, Rock can perform a stronger version that combines an initial punch, an elbow strike and a powerful Rising Tackle.
*Deadly Rave Neo: A wild barrage of attacks followed by a burst of ki energy.
RockRagingStorm.gif|Raging Storm
RockSuperRagingStorm.gif|Raging Storm (Enhanced)
ShineKnuckle.gif|Shine Knuckle
SuperShineKnuckle.gif|Shine Knuckle (Enhanced)
DeadlyRaveNeo.gif|Deadly Rave Neo
</tabber>
==Gallery==
==Notable Matchups==
Victories:
Losses:
Inconclusive:
==References==
Category:Characters
Category:Fatal Fury
Category:Acrobats
Category:Adventurers
Category:Bikers
Category:Chefs
Category:Chi Users
Category:Damage Boost Users
Category:Energy Projection Users
Category:Energy Users
Category:Fighting Game Characters
Category:Game Characters
Category:Geniuses
Category:Glove Users
Category:Good Characters
Category:Heroes
Category:Humans
Category:Loyal Characters
Category:Male Characters
Category:Martial Artists
Category:Martial Arts Champions
Category:Musicians
Category:Orphans
Category:Power Mimicry Users
Category:Playable Characters
Category:Primary Protagonists
Category:Protagonists
Category:Teenagers
Category:Tragic Characters
Category:Vehicle Users
Category:Video Game Characters