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Pinch me if I’m dreaming because Terry Bogard just went live and joined the Street Fighter 6 roster and he’s just as good as Fatal Fury fans remember him. This is the first time a fighter from a different fighting game (other than Capcom’s own) has joined a mainline Street Fighter cast.
Capcom did the character justice by arming him with every special imaginable, and then other options that add a ton of utility on top. But they didn’t stop there, at every turn, you will notice nods, Easter eggs, and hints that will make you go “They really put that in the game?.”
Like how Terry’s buddies from Fatal Fury cheer him on before and during his matches or how his character select animation shows him playing on a Neo Geo arcade cabinet. Even in terms of gameplay, one of Terry’s supers, his Level 2, can be done using his traditional Fatal Fury input of Quarter Circle Back > Half Circle Forward > Medium Punch + Heavy Kick. He is brimming with charm and if you like Terry and know his history, you will have a lot of hints to discover.
What Makes Terry Bogard Different From Other Street Fighter 6 Characters?
Terry is strong and extremely fun to play, his wide moveset fits nearly every situation. He has more neutral skips than anyone in the game. That’s not all, Capcom cleverly fits in a lot of specials into a single motion by letting the button strength dictate which one will come out. Usually, this would only change the strength of the move, but in Terry’s case, it gives him entirely different specials depending on what button you press.
Then come his target combos, and boy does he have a lot of target combos. These seemingly banal normal strings are deceptively strong and hide secrets only true fans will notice. Terry’s Medium Punch > Heavy Kick > Heavy Kick target combo sees him do a Power Dunk from Fatal Fury. The move wasn’t added as a typical special because he already has a plethora of moves, many of which cover a lot of distance anyway.
His second, more intriguing target combo, is his Lane Change, which, at first glance, seems like a gimmick, but it has real-world potential other than just mixing up your opponent. This allows you to switch lanes and hit in front, or switch lanes and hit as a cross-up. What makes it even better is that it can provide a great opportunity to escape from the corner if you find yourself with your back against the wall. And if your opponent tries to get smart and punch it with a Reversal, you can simply do nothing and block it.
That isn’t everything he’s importing from Fatal Fury, not even close. Terry Bogard can cancel his Heavy Tackle into any other special without using any meter, something no one else in Street Fighter 6 can do. If you thought that was powerful, his Level 2 has three different stages. It can either hit once, or twice by using 3 Drive Gauge bars, or if you’re really itching to cash out, you can use one extra Super Bar and get to the third stage which does even more damage than his Level 3 Super and in some cases even his Critical Art.
Terry Bogard Is Strong, But He Isn’t Unstoppable
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows for Terry fans. Although the trailers made it seem he could throw his slow Power Wave and easily Drive Rush behind it for cheap pressure, that isn’t exactly true. He can do it, but not from the full screen like most expected, that’s not because the fireball doesn’t travel that far, because it does, the problem is the small amount of distance his Drive Rush covers.
The second shortcoming is the relatively slow walk speed that, while not too weak by any means, leaves a lot to be desired, especially if you’re coming hot off the heels of playing Akuma, in that case, Terry will feel like an overweight tank in warm molasses. And this is a good thing because he can’t have it all, and can’t spam his fireball without consideration, unlike a certain Dictator who can delete you from the game if you even consider doing anything risky on wakeup like an Overdrive Reversal. There is one scenario in which Terry can spam Power Wave Drive Rush, and that’s when he opts for his Overdrive Fireball, but he’ll have to spend 3 Drive Bars just to get in, which is extremely expensive and puts you at risk of burnout.
Terry has a million different combo routes like Akuma and Ken, which makes him perfect for people who like situational combos and optimizing the heck out of their character. But where he struggles a bit is with his whiff-punishing normals, which aren’t exactly the best in the game. Don’t get me wrong, his Stand Medium Punch, Stand Heavy Punch, and Stand Medium Kick are great for conversions and hit-confirms, but their startup isn’t quick enough to make them great for whiff-punishing quick pokes from your opponent. It may be early to say this, but his corner escape options either don’t do enough damage, or cost far too much in terms of meter. This could change once players find more optimal routes.
Other Additions With the Terry Update For Street Fighter 6
Usually, character updates just come with the character, his combo trials, guides, and World Tour storylines, but this update brings all of that for Terry and then some.
The biggest addition in this patch for players of all levels has to be replay takeover, which, as the name suggests, lets you put yourself in the shoes of any replay character and find out the best ways to get out of certain situations. If you play the game, you know this is an absolute Godsend and some credit goes to Bandai Namco for putting this in Tekken 8 so it inspired Capcom to do the same.
Another major addition is the V-Rival simulation available in the Battle Lounge. It allows you to train against AI-powered characters that can be set at any rank. You can also train against your own AI avatar that plays a lot like you. This is possible after it watches your online matches and learns how you like to play the game.
But V-Rivals needs a lot more before it can be considered a complete package. For one, V-Rivals need to go beyond Master rank, yes, I’m talking about Legend rank. This will be an actual challenge for most players since just Master Rank is far too easy for anyone who has reached it. Secondly, while you can fight your own V-Rival, you can’t fight the Virtual Simulation of other professional or famous players. This addition will make gaining experience a lot easier for beginners without having the anxiety of the ruthless MR system.
Street Fighter 6 Has More Crossovers Planned
Terry Bogard is just the second character of season 2 right after M. Bison, and up next is the bane of existence for all Street Fighter 4 players, Elena. But knowing Capcom, Elena will be reinvented like many others have been and will end up being another exciting addition to the roster. Even more importantly for Fatal Fury fans, Mai will also join the roster in Season 2. Once she does, fans can officially start speculating what other crossover characters will make it to Street Fighter 6. Since Fatal Fury City of the Wolves is getting Ronaldo, perhaps Capcom needs to consider a real-life addition like Michael Jordan, Adam Ondra, or just to throw them off the scent, Magnus Carlson.
