I’ve been previewing Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves characters since the Chun-Li days, and it is always bittersweet to see a season wrap up. Yet, this time feels a bit sweeter because Kenshiro really surpassed my expectations. While I was expecting him to be a tank-like character with slow movements and a somewhat straightforward kit, he ended up embracing that anime protagonist energy into what might be one of the best fighters we saw in season 2.
As Fast as Lightning
The truth is that, when I saw Kenshiro would make his appearance in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, I was a bit skeptical as to how SNK would translate his iconic anime/manga series into this fighting title. Yet, the studio nailed it in all aspects and without making Kenshiro feel unbalanced.
In terms of gameplay, Kenshiro feels almost like an all-rounder, albeit with the lack of some long-range options, which we’ve seen in several fighters in this season. Still, I never found that as an issue, as some of his gap closers make up for it.
In any case, Kenshiro is all about close combat and delivering fast strikes both on the ground and in the air. Most of his combos will have him wrapping up the chain of attacks with fast kicks or punching the ever-living pixels out of an opponent in the air in the most epic way possible. When it comes to his supers, I was surprised to see just how versatile they felt, like the Hokuto Fist of Penitence, applying a brief stun or the Finger Snap of Emptiness, allowing him to pass almost unscathed between enemy hits to approach them. You can even electrify enemies in a way to pull off some devastating moves, which I think will be key in some battles, especially when Kenshiro arrives in the game’s live version.
Yet, I do think that Kenshiro is among the most challenging fighters to use this season. While previous ones felt easy to grab and hard to master, I’d say the hero of the Fist of the North Star leans toward a bit higher entry barrier than others, but I think that is okay. Also, I did try him against several other season 2 characters, such as Krauser, and Kenshiro would’ve benefited from long-range options or a way to counter some projectiles, as some opponents can counter the hero easily.
On top of that, his supers and gears, while destructive, are also a bit challenging to pull off due to how close you need to be to the opponent. Still, it is always gratifying to perform that one hidden gear that will eventually lead you to the iconic “Omae wa mou shindeiru” moment.
The one thing I absolutely praise, however, is how well SNK adapted everything from the character, from his moves to his voice lines (both in English and Japanese). The studio nailed it and raised the bar for anime/manga crossovers in fighting titles.
A Lineup for the Ages
Overall, I’m pleased with what Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves did with Kenshiro, because besides Blue Mary, he has easily become one of my favorite post-launch characters. Yet, I can’t help but feel a bit sad because the lineup is now complete, which leads me to my next point: the overall feel of season 2. The truth is, I think SNK did a superb job with this season pass, easily surpassing the many characters we saw in the first post-launch pass. We got so many fighters with unique playstyles that, most of the time, they felt like improvements over the ones who came before them.
Right now, there isn’t an official confirmation about a new pass, but I really hope SNK continues to deliver new characters. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves has proven with each update just how much it can improve in terms of new additions to the roster, and I can’t help but feel excited about who might arrive next in South Town.
