SNK Explains Terry Bogard's Iconic Design

Fighting games have dozens of characters that have become iconic over the years. Ryu, Ken, Kazuya, Akira, Sol Badguy, Scorpion, Kyo, the list goes on and on. However, we rarely get a peek into the minds of the people who created these characters. How were these characters designed? What sort of decisions had to be made to create something that people would instantly connect with?

The newest video from EvoFGC answers some of these questions. They got to talk with Naoto Abe and Eisuke Ogura from SNK, and shed some light on what might just be their most legendary character.

What's really interesting here is that even though Terry might not seem all that special these days, that was not at all the case when he first appeared in the games. He was this easy going big brother figure from America, something that you didn't really see back then. Instead of adhering to any martial art, he was more wild, creative, and free form. A casual brawler wearing his street clothes and throwing out his English catchphrases, which was also basically unheard of.

As time went on, even though his outfit didn't change all that match, there was still a lot of through given to small details. His faded jeans tell you that he's not exactly putting too much thought into his clothes, and his iconic red jacket either had ripped off sleeves or swapped to a vest to showcase that he's quite a bulky, top-heavy guy.

This sort of simplicity was a defining element of his charm and even fighting style. Power is a word that will appear a few times in his movelist, and it's a word his style revolves around. Even though he comes up with some creative attacks, much of Terry's personality is about delivering straightforward. He's cracking the ground with his fists and leaping into the air to deliver devastating axe kicks. It's not subtle, but it works.

Even though his approach to fighting didn't change much, another curious note is that Terry's design in Mark of the Wolves and now City of the Wolves is meant to convey that the time has passed and how Terry has matured, at least a little. It's impressive that they nailed that so quickly. The flashy red was replaced with a more classy bomber jacket, and you can tell he's much more loose with his hairstyle, now that he presumably spends a lot less time getting into fights.

Going into the latest game, they didn't have any intentions of changing his looks, but the transition from 2D to 3D was still a major step. Instead of introducing something new and potentially breaking the feeling of continuity, they are focusing on expressing the little details that are only possible with 3D and the modern resolutions. Things like subtle facial expressions, tiny clothing details, and even effects animations.

If you love the design process behind fighting game characters, this is a very interesting video to watch, and I can only hope that they do more of these leading up to the release of the new Fatal Fury.