Reppuken

Reppuken (lit. "Gale Fist") is a Special Move that is shared with several characters in both the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters series.

Description
The user swipes their hand forward and upwards, and creates a wind projectile that travels across the floor. In games such as The King of Fighters '96 through '98, it becomes a wind slash attack instead which can negate projectiles (save for in SNK vs. Capcom: SvC Chaos, where only if Geese combos into a Reppuken does it become the slash version, but cannot negate projectiles). Some versions of the slash-style however, are able to knock the foe down.

A second variant of the Reppuken exists, known as the Double Reppuken (lit. "Double Gale Fist"). This version creates a stationary Reppuken in front of the user, then creates a second Reppuken on top of the first one to combine them into a larger projectile. This has more start up, but makes up for it with more damage and a larger projectile size and/or stronger projectile level. Yet in several games outside of Maximum Impact 2 and Regulation A, the projectile level of the increased projectile itself tends to still be at the base along with weaker damage on its own, banking on the initial Reppuuken to add to it in close quarters.

Strategy
Reppuken works as a decent ranged-attack tool, either for full-on zoning to bait an aerial approach right into one of his counter throws, or to end combos in for pushing them back a safe distance. So far however in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum the Reppuken used by Geese uniquely has the highest amount of hitstun and pushback compared to other incarnations, which allows him to loop a short combo into a Double Reppuken on an opponent in the corner until the hitstun decay kicks in if fast enough each time.

Double Reppuken, depending on the game, can have the initial Reppuken thrown can dissipate other projectiles but at the cost of being negated and having the second Reppuken thrown be a normal one only in the Fatal Fury games (which can help Geese block a projectile and retaliate with his own right after); some games however (mainly in The King of Fighters games onwards) instead still allow the second projectile to form into a larger one regards if the first stationary one has made contact with an opposing projectile or the opponent (as it can no longer be negated).

For the slash variation of Double Reppuken however, Geese may nudge slightly forward on the second slash, mainly if the first one inflicts a knockdown so that the second one can juggle the foe afterwards (save for in KOF XI where the first part of the slashing-style Double Reppuken does not knockdown so the second one can connect more cleanly). Even then on block, there's often a big-enough gap in between the two attacks to allow the defender to escape or retaliate, making it not as foolproof for blockstrings.

While normal Geese's Reppuken is rather average for a grounded projectile (and by proxy, his son Rock), his Nightmare Geese variation is infamous for having the projectile be taller by up to his own chest level via a crescent-esque shape, with the Double Reppuken having a more distinct throwing animation at the second portion while being a more noticeably bulkier and taller projectile. While these are somewhat average at best to deal with short hops, they rear more of an uglier head with Nightmare Geese's incarnation in The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match, where they travel faster and have the highest basic projectile durability which makes them hard to contest against with one's own projectiles.

Rock's Reppuken while being the same as Geese's projectile versions, is known for being not only slower traveling by a slight bit, but also having more recovery in its throwing animation which forces Rock to exercise more caution when using it to zone in most games.

Rugal's version however, only has the single-thrown-variation, and most of the time his Reppuken starts somewhat closer to his own body or has extra startup, which makes it more difficult to use as an on-demand zoning tool without being prepared; the only exception so far is with his Omega Rugal variations via 2002, Neowave and 2002 UM (where the Reppuken is thrown out further ahead of himself and has plenty of hitstun and recovery to be fairly safe on a close-ranged hit).

Trivia

 * This move was originally translated in English as Gale Strike, and in the KOF: Maximum Impact series (though also has been translated correctly as Gale Fist), was dubbed in English as either Slipstream Punch or Wind River via quotes, or translated in-game as Cyclone Punch.


 * Various incarnations of Geese often have him vary which initial hand he often uses to throw the Reppuken with for the lighter-punch versions (as well as the first part of his Double Reppuken):
 * Most of the projectile-based variations started with his following hand for the lighter-punch-versions (as of Real Bout Fatal Fury Special), and the slash-based variations as of 96 using his leading hand instead (based on both the animations from Fatal Fury 3 and Real Bout Fatal Fury).
 * This also applies to which version in question between normal Geese or Nightmare Geese. However, Geese's incarnation in SvC Chaos (and rehashed for the console versions of 2002) uses his 96 throwing animations but with the projectile style of Nightmare Geese. Though in 2002 Unlimited Match however, normal Geese uses completely new graphics for both his Reppuken variations.
 * His son Rock however, has stayed consistent with always using his following hand for an initial/lighter Reppuken in all of his appearances unlike his father.


 * Young Geese in The King of Fighters Neowave however, has his Neo Geo A Button.gif and Neo Geo C Button.gif Reppuken respectively be rehashed from Nightmare Geese's taller variations (with the Neo Geo C Button.gif being only a delayed single projectile instead of a Double version; CPU's version starts up much faster). This is likely a result of Young Geese's assets being rehashed somewhat from his present-self's SvC Chaos and 2002 versions, including having the voice clips from those said versions being sped-up/pitched.