Rock Howard/Move List

Overview


Rock is an "All-Rounder Character" who can apply pressure, mix-ups, and mind games all at once. Gameplay-wise, he's one of the easier characters to play in most of his appearances, being something of a "Shotoclone".

He has access to a fireball that he can zone with (Reppuken/Double Reppuken), an uppercut-style move that he can use as an anti-air (Rising Tackle), and a "tatsu"-like move that lets him move through some projectiles and close the gap between his opponent (Hard Edge). Additionally, he also has the Crack Counter, a move that allows him to punish predictable opponents (hint hint) that rush in sloppily and the Shinkuu Nage, a damaging command grab that he can break out of for faster recovery and - in some games - a juggle opportunity.

Additionally, his normals allow him to play the footsies game quite well - standing is a low poke that, as of KOF XIV, is special cancelable and can be used to discourage a carless approach on the opponent's part while crouching  can be used as a safer alternative to Rising Tackle. Standing is a quick and dirty punch that reaches very far and is excellent for whiff punishing. His most useful normal in XIV, however, is his crouching, which comes out very quick and is also advantageous on block, making it a great move to throw out in the neutral. The same goes for crouching, which is also useful for block strings.

Overall, Rock - alongside his adoptive father - is an excellent character for both beginners and novices alike to play if you want a well-rounded character that can do what you need him to do reliably. Especially as of his most recent appearance in The King of Fighters XIV.

He returns as part of Team Garou in The King of Fighters XV's first DLC Team pack, and has seen plenty of buffs compared to his previous outing. Notably his Elbow Spike can now be canceled into from his standing, which was already Special Cancelable in XIV. Additionally, all of Rock's far standing normals barring f. are in themselves Special Cancelable, giving Rock much more combo potential as well as improved block and whiff punishment as a consequence. Lastly, Rising Tackle, which has always been a charge input in most of his and Terry's appearances, is now performed with +, just like Terry's is. And sealing the deal is the return of his T.O.P. Attack from Garou, the Overhead Kick, the EX version of which grants Rock some of the most flexible and damaging combos in the entire game, making him a lightning bruiser of a character that can delete your health bar quicker than you can blink.

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