Terry Bogard, the central figure of the classic Fatal Fury franchise, makes his way to Street Fighter 6 as the newest DLC fighter to hit Metro City. Terry wastes no time establishing why he is worthy to take to the ring with the best the World Warriors have to offer. With dynamic power and a way to counter any angle of approach, Terry can punish any foe who lets their guard down. Plus, SNK’s start fighter brings a special trick from his home series that will keep players on their toes: Passing Sway.
In SNK fighting games, characters can step directly away from the camera, moving one plane further away. this gives these fighting games a mild 3D effect as some moves will miss characters that have stepped onto the further plane. In Street Fighter 6 Terry gets to access this plane when he lands his Passing Sway combo. On hit, the fighter steps into the plane, allowing him to follow up with either a medium or heavy strike.
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Meanwhile, a medium sees him come back onto the normal plane in front of his opponent. Heavy will take Terry Bogard behind his foe, allowing him to catch his foe off guard. And, of course, if you suspect your foe has a means of blocking your follow-up attack, you can just let Terry step back normally and go for a grab.
While Terry’s most recognizable move, Burning Knuckle, speaks of aggressive action, the character’s greatest strength lies in his ability to control the mid-game and counter his opponents. Once he lands a punish, he can go in with his aggressive power to take down his opponents.
First, there’s his Power Wave. This ground fireball hits low, taking unwary opponents off guard, and can easily stop ground-based aggression at any level of power. The mid and up versions project flames up into the mid-level, allowing these versions to stop most mid-level projectiles. The overdrive version also gets to hit multiple times.
The next great tool in Terry Bogard’s kit is his Rising Tackle. A straight-up spinning attack, it has immunity to the opponent’s aerial attacks, making it a great way to catch enemies jumping in. Extending its ability to drive off aggressive foes, Rising Tackle gains immunity to all attacks when the overdrive version is used. It’s a great way to gain some breathing room.
The last big piece of Terry’s punishment kit is his Crack Shot. A jumping axe kick, the light version is a quick move that punishes foes in the air and dodges most low attacks. It’s also short frames on block, so even if your opponent stops it, they’ll be hard-pressed to punish. The medium increases the distance and elevates Terry’s flight path, allowing him to sail over medium-height projectiles. The overdrive version also knocks opponents down when it lands on a grounded foe. Landing it against an opponent in mid-air can give Terry a chance to hit again, though the timing can be tricky.
The first of Terry’s purely aggressive specials is his Power Charge. A forward-moving body check, this move can be canceled into other attacks in combos, with the heavy version being able to cancel into another special on hit. The overdrive launches your opponent into the wall, bouncing them back to you. With good timing, you can combo this return into big damage.
The last of Terry Bogard’s special is the previously mentioned Burning Knuckle. A dashing attack, this move can catch opponents off guard, especially since the medium and heavy versions travel different distances. This move also rewards players who mind their screen placement. If the move is stopped in the first half of its animation, the opponent will have the advantage. However, if Terry flies half his distance, he will get to move first on block. So, while using it up close can catch a foe off guard, using it from further out can be safer for Terry. The overdrive version amps up both distance and power.
This combination of his specials’ damage and approach punishment gives Terry great potential to control the screen against his foes. Along with these specials are some great standard attacks that further reinforce his screen control. His medium-standing kicks have great range, and his mid-low kick combos into a second medium kick that knocks opponents back, giving Terry a great tool to reset the board if his challenger does manage to get in on him.
Now, let’s talk about Terry Bogard with the modern control scheme. The special that he loses easy access to is his Burning Knuckle. While this feels bad due to the move’s iconic standing, it’s the best choice for his kit. It’s the only one that is largely a pure damage attack. Letting that one go unassigned takes the least away from him. The only other thing missing from Terry’s kit that players are likely to notice is his standing mid-kicks. His standing mids are punches, so you lose a bit of reach in the neutral game. While not as perfect a fit for the control scheme as Cammy is, Terry still slots wonderfully into the scheme for players who prefer that control style.
Unlike Bison and Akuma, Terry’s visual design is largely untouched. Given he’s visiting from SNK, this makes sense. Despite not updating his wardrobe, Street Fighter 6 still manages to build on the character through his arcade-mode story.
Rather than have him fight JD like other fighters, Terry has a run-in with Ken. He recognizes the fighter, stating that it’s been 20 years since they’ve seen each other before challenging him to another fighter. Twenty years lines up with the era of crossover fighters, serving as a callback to those memorable games. Establishing a relationship with Ken is a fun way to give Terry’s presence in the game more meaning than a simple cameo. It also leaves space to wonder if upcoming DLC fighter Mai will get a similar moment.
Terry Bogard delivers a great kit that is fun to play and rewards mastering. If a player has a strong sense of how the opponent intends to approach them, Terry provides all the tools to make them wish they’d never crossed paths with this fighting legend.
Terry Bogard is available now for download in Street Fighter 6.
