Rock Howard

History

Rock is the son of Geese Howard, South Town’s most famous crime lord. Although he knew of his father’s existence, he grew up and lived a modest life with his mother in a small apartment. He usually wondered about his father and was excited at the prospect of someday meeting him. When Rock was seven, his mother contracted a mysterious disease and he did what he could to nurse her to health. As her illness became more severe, Rock went to Geese Tower and met his father for the first time in his life. Though the boy pleaded for medical assistance and told him that Marie desperately wanted to see him, Geese didn’t want to get involved in the matter and sent Rock away. Marie died the same night and Rock has had a grudge against his father ever since.

A year later, Rock meets Terry, who has settled his vendetta against Geese. Rather than hate his father’s enemy, he felt a complicated mix of loneliness and joy knowing that his father died. Since Terry left the scene soon after, the boy followed him and attended his street fights. Rock charged at him once out of anger after learning about his father’s death. After their scuffle, Terry quietly accepts him and they begin their travels together.

As the years go by, Rock becomes a formidable fighter, because of the training he received from Terry. Approximately ten years after Geese’s death, Second South Town was established. At this time, a new King of Fighters tournament arose dubbed Maximum Mayhem, which Rock decides to join to search for his purpose in life.

By the end of the tournament, Rock finds his final opponent is Kain R. Heinlein, who reveals himself to be both the host and Rock’s uncle. Upon winning, Rock discovered that the tournament was set up by Kain to bring Rock to him. Kain, being aware that Geese Howard’s will held presumably valuable secrets but unable to discover them without help, won Rock’s aid in working through the document by offering information in regards to Rock’s mother — whom Kain claimed was still alive. Terry accepts Rock’s decision to become Kain’s new partner, with Rock promising to return.

In his development blog for KOF: Maximum Impact 2, Ureshino points out that he doesn’t know about Rock’s mother or the true inheritor of Geese’s legacy but hints that it would most likely be involved with Terry. Rock’s scenario in this game explores his personal take on the character’s actions in the yet to be released Mark of the Wolves sequel. 

Personality

Rock is very shy boy with an inner struggle. Everyday, Rock fights off his evil side and tries to get out of his father’s shadow. He isn’t proud of his heritage and refuses to refer to Geese as his father, referring to him as “that man” or “that person”. He’s the middle term between Geese’s excessive evil and Terry’s excessive festive personality. Rock is also a very compassionate man, who offers help those in need (he one time offered to help Hotaru Futaba in search of her brother). He is also friends with Kim Kaphwan’s sons since childhood. 

Profile

Full name: Rock Howard
Date of Birth: June 24th
Birthplace: South Town, USA
Height: 178 cm  (5’10”)
Weight: 70 kg (154 lbs)
Blood Type: B
Family/Relatives:

• Geese Howard (father)
• Marie Heinlein (mother)
• Wolfgang Krauser (half-uncle)
• Kain R. Heinlein (uncle)
• Terry Bogard (legal guradian)

Job/Occupation: Student
Likes: Terry’s hat, his Honda bike that he bought with his earnings, driver gloves
Dislikes: People who boast all the time
Hobbies:  Touring, playing the bass
Favourite food:  Jambalaya (but he doesn’t like the sausages)
Forte in sports: Street Basket (3 on 3)
Special skill: Cooking
Favourite music: Hard Rock 

Powers

• Gather Chi – Rock can gather chi energy from Gaia, the mother-earth.
• Sense – Rock can sense the presence of people nearby.
• Energy Projectile – Rock can fire a projectile of energy called Repuuken, just like Geese’s. He can even use the Double Repuuken.
• Energy Attack – Rock can increase the damage of his normal attacks (punches, kicks etc) through the use of his chi energy. He uses this power in a similar fashion that Terry does and sometimes, the energy takes the form of wings.
• Energy Geyser – By touching the ground with his hands, Rock can make a geyser of energy come from below the ground. He called this attack Raging Storm. Rock’s Raging Storm differs from Geese due to Rock’s version being weaker.

Skills

Because of his training with Terry, Rock is proficient in acrobatics. His move Rising Tackle is an example of this. He is a very skillful bass player and can copy any song he hears only once, and because he likes to drive around Second South Town with his Honda, Rock is also good at riding Motorcycles.

Fighting Style

Hybrid Martial Arts and instinctual Kobujutsu 
 

Video game appearances

• Garou: Mark of the Wolves 
• Capcom vs SNK 2 
• The King of Fighters Maximum Impact 
• Neo Geo Battle Coliseum 
• The King of Fighters Maximum Impact 2 
• The King of Fighters Maximum Impact Regulation A