Why Is the Legendary Geese Howard in Tekken 7?

Since his shocking reveal at EVO 2017, SNK icon Geese Howard quickly established himself as one of the most popular and competitively impactful DLC additions to Tekken 7‘s star-studded roster. As a lifelong fighting game fan and content creator, I was thrilled to see one of my favorite bosses make the crossover! So why did Bandai Namco decide to include the notorious King of Fighters villain in their flagship 3D fighter? After following both series closely over the years, I‘ve gathered insights into the key factors that made Geese‘s Tekken 7 appearance a reality.

Katsuhiro Harada‘s Personal Choice

Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada has dreamed of adding Geese to his series since their failed crossover with Street Fighter. With Tekken X Street Fighter stalled, choosing Geese for Tekken 7 was Harada‘s top preference:

"If it was up to me, I‘d put Geese Howard [in Tekken 7]…I‘ve been saying that for a long time now."

Harada clearly recognized Geese‘s potential to be an engaging and aggressive newcomer to Tekken‘s distinctive 3D gameplay systems.

Unique Gamplay Mechanics

Integrating 2D fighting game mechanics into Tekken‘s engine has been a major initiative since Akuma‘s success in Tekken 7: Fated Retribution. As SNK‘s notorious boss villain, Geese builds on this crossover gameplay with:

• Cancellable attacks for new juggle routes
• Raging Storm counterhit install for monstrous damage
• Reppuken fireballs and associated special moves

Geese‘s cancellable normals enable combos impossible for the native roster to perform. And his Raging Storm counterhit state alters momentum with Tekken‘s largest single health swing!

Competitive Impact

Since his launch in late 2017, tournament pros have developed Geese into one of Tekken 7‘s strongest competitors. Why has Howard achieved such competitive success?

• Dominant Strike Throw Game – His left-right mixup is among the deadliest in the game.
• Polarizing Matchups – Counters many top tiers, but has bad matchups versus bears & evasive characters.
• Rage Drive CH Launcher – This vital tool makes opponents afraid to press buttons.

I analyzed Geese‘s usage rates across major Tekken 7 tournaments in 2022:

While his representation fluctuates, Geese remains a common pillar of high-level play.

Shared History Between Franchises

Tekken and Fatal Fury‘s lineages have crossed since the early 90‘s, making Geese‘s inclusion a symbolic bridging of fighting game history. Fatal Fury director Takashi Nishiyama created the series as an spiritual successor to his work on Tekken 1 & 2. As Nishiyama reflected:

"I even said to the staff, ‘Let‘s make this game as if it was Tekken 3!‘"

So Geese‘s Tekken 7 debut helps complete a cycle started by cross-pollinated visionaries of both iconic fighting franchises!

Conclusion

For devoted fans like myself, Geese Howard in Tekken 7 represents a dream collaboration decades in the making. Driven by Harada‘s enduring affinity for SNK‘s fearsome bosses, Geese unleashes his oppressive hop attacks and cancellable specials to torment yet another roster of renowned fighting game legends. Tekken‘s depth and balance has allowed tournament players to push Geese‘s toolkit to its limits across different metas. And his presence connects two landmark series born from creative synergy in the 1990s Japanese arcade scene. Geese Howard solidifies his status as The Ultimate Fighting Game Boss!