SNK has been updating fans on the upcoming King of Fighters XV with plenty of character reveals. Most recently, SNK revealed the trailer announcing Andy Bogard would be returning. Andy is no stranger to these games, and his appearance was expected sooner or later, so now is a great time to look at the Shiranui Arts using Bogard's history.
Andy Bogard got his start right where his brother Terry and friend Joe Higashi did, in SNK's Fatal Fury: King of Fighters in 1991. The trio set out to defeat crime lord Geese Howard, who had murdered Andy and Terry's father Jeff ten years prior. Andy joined his brother and friend to get revenge on Geese in the tournament he sponsored, The King of Fighters, a tournament Terry actually won with his sound defeat of Geese. Many other games in the series, such as the Real Bout: Fatal Fury titles, would retell this tale, but Andy had other fights after Geese's demise.
Over the next few games, Andy would come face to face with other villains like Krauser and Mr. Big while balancing a rather humorous relationship. By the time of Fatal Fury 2, Andy met Mai Shiranui while training under her grandfather in Japan shortly after his father's death, and she fell in love with him. Though Andy frequently protests and tries to keep up the idea that nothing is going on between them, it's clear throughout the games that he does indeed care for her, even confronting his brother after Terry beat her in a fight. Mai would become Andy's shadow, constantly looking for him or at his side, much to Andy's chagrin.
Andy learned two different fighting styles during the ten years between Jeff's death and Terry's defeat of Geese, Koppouken and Shiranui-Style Ninjutsu. This blend of martial arts and ninja skills would define his fighting style. This training also gave Andy a way to potentially realize his biggest goal: besting his brother. Though Andy has a lot of respect for his older brother, the fact that Terry had always beaten him in fights bothers him, and he does have a bit of an inferiority complex that drives him forward.
The King of Fighters gives players a better look at Andy's outlook on his relationships with Mai and his brother. Andy sees Mai as a younger sister, which would explain why her romantic interest unnerves him. He definitely cares for her but based on his comments both to her and when interviewed about KoF, his priorities lie where they always have since Jeff's death: training and surpassing Terry someday. Andy has always been at the forefront of these stories, fighting alongside his friends against foes like Rugal and Zero, but Terry has usually been the one to take the spotlight when it came to ending these fights.
The three Fatal Fury characters have traditionally been on a team together. Regardless of rivalries, Andy works well with Terry and Joe; his stoic and calm demeanor certainly clashes with Terry's brash and outgoing one and Joe's over-the-top personality, but there's no denying they're a force to be reckoned with when together. It's unknown if the three will end up together again in the new entry, but he may give in and team up with Mai this time.
However, we do have some hints as to what the future could hold. Andy himself isn't present in Garou: Mark of the Wolves, a sequel set 10 years after the defeat of Geese Howard. One of the game's characters, Hokutomaru, is Andy's disciple and apprentice, who decided to pass on his skills the say way he learned from Mai's grandfather. This once again had him mirror his brother since they both ended up as mentors to younger fighters, with Terry mentoring a young Rock Howard. Andy has clearly become a master of his style by this point, though he's never seen.
Andy is a character who's always there but is always sharing the spotlight. Andy's history has always focused on what mattered to him, which usually meant training, his brother and Mai. Andy is a character who consistently stands in the shadow of Terry, and that's a big part of what has made the character who he is. Andy's history is one of both brotherhood and rivalry, and there's no telling where that story could go as fans gear up for King of Fighters XV.
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