From the book
“The Mysteries of Fatal Fury” (餓狼伝説の謎)
Published by Gamest in 1994.08.01
==============================
[Q009] Why does Mai like Andy? + Andy's feelings
[Q012] What kind of person is Lilly? + Lilly's introduction
[Q018] When did Jeff adopt Terry and Andy?
[Q034] The mystery of Billy’s most attractive feature, his bandanna
[Q038] The secret of Geese's mother + Rudolph Krauser + The medallion
[Q039] The scar on Krauser’s forehead… How and when did it happen?
[Q071] What kind of educational institution does Mai attend? + The statue in
the background
[Q078] The difficult relationship between emperor Krauser and supreme ruler Geese
==============================
[Q009] Why does Mai like Andy?
Do we really need a reason to like someone? Some people might say “I like
them because they're cool” or “because they’re cute”. And, yes, Andy might
be cool, but that’s not all there is to it.
We need to go a few years back in time. Andy had just arrived in Japan for
his Koppōken training, and he didn’t know Japanese. Mai volunteered to teach
him.
Hanzou taught him Koppō, while Mai taught him Japanese.
After six months, Andy was gradually able to have conversations in Japanese.
Then Mai started to ask him questions about himself, his family, his reason
for coming to Japan to study Koppō, and several other things.
Andy told her about his older brother Terry, and his adoptive father Jeff;
and how he wanted to become stronger to avenge Jeff’s death at Geese’s
hands.
After those conversations, while watching Andy train in earnest, Mai started
to be drawn to him.
In Fatal Fury, Andy participated in The King of Fighters without telling
Mai. He did this out of consideration, because he didn’t want her to become
involved in such matters. However, Mai was quite angry.
In Fatal Fury 2, she participates in the tournament despite Andy’s attempts
to dissuade her.
Mai and Andy are a good match for each other. But, while Mai is assertive,
Andy is shy. There’s no telling when they will get together.
---
Andy’s Feelings
We know that Mai likes Andy, but how does Andy feel about her?
Andy likes Mai a lot too. However, as a martial artist, he’s old-fashioned
and strict with himself, and he doesn’t want to be distracted by a woman
while he’s training.
He seems overwhelmed by Mai’s forceful approach (maybe because he’s so shy).
At one point they made a scene where Andy ran away from Mai as fast as his
Zan’eiken would allow it, and Mai chased after him at a full-speed Hissatsu
Shinobibachi.
It is not apparent, but Andy grew fond of Mai. There aren’t many girls like
her, after all.
[Q012] What kind of person is Lilly, Billy’s younger sister?
In Billy’s profile, we can see that his “most precious possession” is his
younger sister.
These words were used lightly, and several people imagined that the life of
the mysterious “Lilly” was probably hideous.
Lilly is a cute girl with braided hair, and she’s very popular among fans,
regardless of never having appeared in the games.
But, what kind of person is she?
Billy and Lilly lost their parents at a young age, and, having no other
blood relatives, they only had each other. Billy tried to ensure that Lilly
wouldn’t worry about anything, and he took care of the domestic chores, like
cooking or doing laundry. However, he also had to commit crimes to sustain
their livelihood. Life was full of hardships, but he was a caring brother to
Lilly.
It is for this reason that Lilly gives off the impression of being a
slightly spoiled girl, ignorant of the world. But she’s very kind, and she
cares deeply for her brother.
One day that Billy came home covered in injuries, a teary-eyed Lilly told
him “please, don’t put yourself in danger for my sake.” But, while looking
at her brother’s injuries, she thought to herself: “I’ll find a job too.”
And that she did. Billy was concerned, because he wasn’t sure if Lilly would
actually be able to endure and do well in a job, but this was unnecessary.
Lilly was more capable than he thought.
Billy currently works as Geese’s subordinate, but he told his sister that
he’s working as a guard. When Billy comes home injured, Lilly simply says:
“your work is really hard, please be careful.”
Lilly has realized that the job as a guard is just a front and that Billy is
involved in something more dangerous in secret. However, out of
consideration, she doesn’t bring this up because she doesn’t want to worry
him.
Really, there aren’t many sisters like her.
---
Lilly’s introduction
Hello, everyone, I’m Lilly Kane. I’m a 19 year old girl full of dreams. My
favorite pastime isn’t doing laundry, it’s cooking. My strong point is
making egg-based dishes, which are my brother’s favorites.
My brother is my only family, but he is so nice to me that I never feel
lonely.
He’s also a fighter, and he’s always covered in injuries. I wish he didn’t
push himself so hard.
It seems many of you thought that I wasn’t capable of taking care of house
chores, but I’m perfectly able to do so. My brother has been busy lately,
and I’m handling everything just fine.
However, no matter how busy he is, my brother always takes care of the
laundry. Ah, but I wash my own underwear. Don’t get the wrong idea.
I haven’t appeared in any game yet, but I hope that you’ll get along with my
brother!
==============================
[Q018] When did Jeff adopt Terry and Andy?
When did Jeff adopt Terry and Andy?
Jeff Bogard is Terry and Andy's adoptive father. It is no exaggeration to
say that, by raising these boys, he also raised the curtain of the
grand story of Fatal Fury.
There was an interesting article in the local newspaper around the time
Jeff adopted Terry and Andy. And, according to that article…
Young Terry and Andy lived together at a church that doubled as an
orphanage. The orphanage, which was humble yet peaceful, caught fire in
the middle of one night.
The priest rescued Terry and Andy from the burning building, but was badly
burned and died on the way to the hospital.
It was later discovered that the cause of the fire was arson, but the
culprit was never caught. Back then, the mafia was planning to build a
large entertainment facility on the land where the church’s orphanage was
located, and demanded its eviction. However, it is said that the
congregation didn’t leave because they wanted to provide shelter for the
children. Maybe this had something to do with it.
Jeff adopted the two boys the priest had rescued. He was also one of those
who opposed the aforementioned mafia and a close friend to the priest.
Jeff knew Terry and Andy, and also donated the money he earned as a street
fighter to the orphanage.
After that, it is well-known that Jeff taught the two of them martial arts
and was killed by Geese.
The Battle of Destiny
This is Fatal Fury 1’s subtitle. The game begins because of destiny.
Geese's evil deeds, Terry and Andy's adoption by Jeff, and Higashi's
encounter with the Bogard brothers are all part of destiny.
The most important event would be Tung making Geese his apprentice.
Without this, the story would have never happened.
Arm wrestling machine
The strongest enemies in Fatal Fury are the guys who appear in the bonus
stage (laughs). The person who beats the three opponents on their own is a
first-class button masher. The BGM of this bonus stage plays when setting
the difficulty level of Fatal Fury 2.
Let's start!
[Q034] The mystery of Billy’s most attractive feature, his bandanna
We will try to explain the secret of Billy’s charming bandanna and
abstain from reveling in wacky wordplay—because, in Japanese, both ‘it’s
my turn’ and ‘the next one is my bandanna’ sound like ‘tsugi wa ore no ban
da na’, and, ‘although I put it on in the morning, it’s still there at
night’ sounds like ‘asa tsuketetemo ban da na’.
Billy has worn it since Fatal Fury times. And [to the date of publication of
this book], the design has not changed much. The red and white stripes are
always present.
This doesn’t mean that it’s the same bandanna every time, however. Wearing
dirty clothes would be unbecoming for Billy Kane-sama, a character that many
girls would like to marry, and renowned clean freak. The simple truth is
that he owns several bandannas, all with the same design.
When his bandanna gets dirty, he changes it for a fresh one. And, of course,
he washes them all himself. Billy has clearly shown that he likes it when
things are clean.
Billy loves the bandanna’s design. He would have a hard time focusing during
fights if the bandanna wasn’t with him.
But, why does he wear it? There’s the popular theory that he uses it to hide
his baldness. But no, definitely, there’s hair underneath, much to the
relief of his fans. His hair is blond and it must be very short, because it
doesn’t stick out from under the cloth.
The truth is that Billy uses the bandanna because his sister bought it with
her first salary, and gave it to him as a birthday present. This made Billy
extremely happy and he has worn it ever since.
Laundry
Billy’s hobby is to do laundry. He never forgets to hang out the clothes
to dry, not even during a fight (just take a look at Billy’s stage during
the last round).
He also owns Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh scarves, it seems, but no
one has ever seen them. Maybe those were presents from his sister too.
Orders
What Billy hates the most are orders. Strangely enough, he also seems to
be the kind of person that feels restless without a superior. To be more
precise: the only orders he follows are those that come from Geese.
He became Krauser’s subordinate under Geese’s orders. But Billy is in no
way a mere bootlicker who obeys those who are powerful.
If Geese’s father is Rudolph Krauser, why does Geese use “Howard” as his
surname? In order to find the answer, we need to look into his past.
Maria, Geese’s mother, traveled from West Germany to South Town, US, twenty
years ago (using this book’s publication date as reference). Maria never
told Geese about the events of her life in Germany, and a few years later,
she succumbed to sickness and passed away. Back then, all Geese knew was
that his father had died. This is why he had adopted his mother’s surname.
On her deathbed, Maria revealed that Rudolph, Geese’s father, was alive.
Maria had to part with him, so he would be accepted into the Stroheim
family. Maria had traveled to South Town escaping that family.
Upon hearing this, Geese decided to exact revenge on Rudolph and traveled to
Germany, but he suffered a bitter defeat at the hands of Krauser (for more
information, check Trivia No. 78, page 172).
In South Town, Maria had experienced great difficulties in order to raise
Geese. She worked from dawn to dusk, and the excessive fatigue made her ill.
At the time of her passing, every trace of her former beauty had faded away.
Maria’s love for Rudolph never wavered, not even in her final moments.
What’s more, she didn’t want Geese going on a quest for revenge prompted by
his resentment.
But, in the end, Geese’s revenge failed, and he started down a path of evil.
---
Rudolph Krauser
Geese’s father was the strongest fighter in Europe. Although he was already
married and had a son, he became a member of the Stroheim family. Wolfgang
Krauser was the child he had with the only daughter of that family.
---
The medallion
Geese wears a shiny medallion around his neck.
As he doesn’t take it off during fights, one might think that it must be a
memento from the only person in the world that knew his true feelings: his
mother. However, it seems the medallion is just an accessory that he likes.
After all, Geese’s path of evil has no room for sentimentality.
[Q039] The scar on Krauser’s forehead… How and when did it happen?
The noticeable scar on Krauser’s forehead comes from a wound suffered at the
hands of Jeff Bogard in his youth. During that fight, Jeff also got a taste
of Krauser’s power.
We need to go back a few years. Jeff was traveling through Europe, looking
to find out more about a mysterious martial art. During this journey, he met
Mai’s grandfather, Hanzou Shiranui.
As he and Hanzou shared the same goal, they continued to travel together. It
wasn’t long until they learned that a master of such martial art lived in
West Germany. Eventually, it would be revealed that the source of said
information was Rudolph Krauser (Wolgang Krauser’s father) himself, who
disclosed the location with the aim of dealing with Jeff and Hanzou.
However, the person who faced both Jeff and Hanzou was Rudolph’s son,
Wolfgang Krauser. The decision to make Wolfgang fight might have been
sudden, but it provided the perfect opportunity to test the young boy’s
fighting skills.
Jeff and Hanzou showed surprise when Krauser made his appearance. Hanzou
faced him first, but he suffered a wound to his right leg after looking down
on Krauser’s strength. Jeff took over and although he seemed to have the
upper hand for a while, he wasn’t able to deliver the decisive blow.
Little by little, their positions were reversed and Jeff was gradually
outmatched. Fifteen minutes had passed.
Despite being pushed to the brink of defeat by Krauser’s overwhelming power,
Jeff managed to recover and channeled all his strength into a Power Wave.
Impatient to put an end to the match, Young Krauser was careless in his next
attack. He wasn’t able to dodge his opponent’s blow and was struck with full
force on the forehead. That’s how he got his scar.
A mysterious martial art
Krauser’s fighting style was perfected during Rudolph’s generation (or
possibly earlier). Maybe this is why it has become something of a legend in
the criminal underworld.
The castle of the Krauser bloodline
Wolfgang Castle seems to be found somewhere in Mittelgebirge, in the former
West Germany. The exact location, however, has not been disclosed.
It was known as Stroheim Castle originally, but people refer to it by its
owner’s name during each generation, and thus, it is currently known as
Wolfgang Castle.
Power Wave
The reason why the Power Wave causes wounds on the forehead (and, as if it
weren’t enough, in the shape of an “X”) is still a mystery.
[Q071] What kind of educational institution does Mai attend?
Mai is 19 years old. At that age, people go to university. It would be a big
mistake to assume that Mai is an exception just because she’s a shinobi. She
is a student, there’s no doubt about it.
What does she do when she’s not training in the ninja arts?
We asked her about this and other topics.
Gamest: Mai-san, what do you do, normally?
Mai: Eh? Normally? I’m a student.
Gamest: Do you mean that you go to university?
Mai: That’s right. I’m a second year at ***** University.
Gamest: Did you pass the entrance exam on the first try? That’s impressive.
Mai: Grandpa wouldn't stop going on about it. He kept saying things like:
“Being skilled at martial arts is not enough. You need to acquire knowledge.
If you don’t use your brain, ninjutsu becomes mere acrobatics!”
Gamest: Hahah, he probably wanted to ensure that you would become a splendid
person, like a super girl, maybe.
Mai: Ohoho, but of course. Words like “cultured”, “athletic”, “beautiful”
and “intelligent” describe me perfectly.
Gamest: Certainly. And, tell us, do you go on dates with Andy in your free
time?
Mai: Every time I invite him to hang out, he says that he’s training, and he
doesn’t want to go out with me. Maybe he doesn’t like me…? *sniff*
Ahh, don’t cry, Mai-chan! And you, Andy, no matter how much you love
training, you should go out with Mai-chan every once in a while!
---
The statue in the background
During fights, a stone statue similar to Asura can be seen in the stage’s
background.
Yes, we’re talking about the statue that has faces on both sides of its
head.
On the statue’s left shoulder (or right shoulder from the player’s point of
view), there’s a small engraving with the word “OK”.
“OK” makes us think of Terry, but, does this mean that, just like kids do
during their school trips, Terry wanted to leave a mark to commemorate his
visit to Japan? If he swam against the strong current just to carve that
word, it would be an impressive feat.
However, Terry says “I didn’t do such a thing”.
Certainly, fortuitous circumstances led the violent currents to leave that
mark. Right?
==============================
[Q078] The difficult relationship between emperor Krauser and supreme ruler Geese
Geese and Krauser are half-brothers born from different mothers, and as
such, they are connected by a deep bond. The events described below
occurred when Geese was fifteen years old, and Krauser nine.
On her deathbed, Geese’s mother revealed that Rudolph, Geese’s father, had
abandoned them (or that’s how Geese interpreted her words). Geese traveled
to Germany to find out why his father did this.
The intention to kill Rudolph was reflected clearly in Geese’s eyes but,
when he finally faced his father, there was another boy smiling defiantly
during the meeting.
The boy was Wolfgang Krauser, who back then didn’t display the same
composure he shows today and radiated a bone-chilling desire to fight.
When Geese launched to strike Rudolph, Krauser intervened; Geese wasn’t
able to overcome his overwhelming strength and was defeated. If he didn’t
die, it was probably thanks to Rudolph’s intervention.
This is the reason why Geese feels a mix of apprehension and hate towards
Krauser.
It is already widely-known that Krauser continued reigning as the emperor
of darkness, while Geese rose to become the ruler of South Town.
In fact, immediately after learning of Geese’s demise, Krauser started to
outline a plan to expand his domain to the world at large. This might mean
that both were aware of the other’s pursuits and kept each other in check.
Now, after 25 years, the conflict between Wolfgang Krauser and Geese
Howard flares up once again.
Countless attackers
Those interested in Krauser, and the spies that tried to get a hold
of the true nature of the Stroheim family, they all had the tables
turned on them.
Jeff Bogard also faced Krauser in battle (see Trivia No. 39, page 88).
The ruler of South Town
Geese became the ruler of South Town, studied the Hakkyokuseiken Style
under Tung, trained in kobujutsu, and gathered skilled subordinates to
work for him. We can arrive at the conclusion that these were preparations
to eventually face Krauser.
==============================
Source: “The Mysteries of Fatal Fury” (餓狼伝説の謎)
Published by Gamest in 1994.08.01 | Translated by @miauneko
