History Characters / FatalFuryGeeseHoward

[[center:[[WMG:[-'''''VideoGame/FatalFury''''' | [[Characters/FatalFury Main Index]][[note]]Includes ''Real Bout'', ''Wild Ambition'', and the Anime[[/note]]\\
''Characters/FatalFuryKingOfFighters'' ([[Characters/FatalFuryTerryBogard Terry Bogard]] | '''Geese Howard''') | ''Characters/FatalFury2'' | ''Characters/FatalFury3'' | ''Characters/GarouMarkOfTheWolves''\\
'''Related Series'''\\
''Characters/ArtOfFighting'' | ''Characters/TheKingOfFighters''-]]]]]

!Geese Howard
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/character_geese.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:Charismatic Evil (''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXV KOF XV]]'')]]

[[quoteright:300:[[labelnote:Classic Design (''[=NeoGeo Battle Coliseum=]'')]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/geese_7.png\\
[[/labelnote]]]]

[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:The Commissioner of Southtown (''[=AOF2=]'')]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/geesehoward_young_copy_66.png\\
[[/labelnote]]]]

[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Nightmare Geese (''KOF XIV'')]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nightmare_geese_kof_14.png\\
''NIGHTMARE''[[/labelnote]]]]

->''You cannot escape from death!''

->'''Origin:''' USA
->[[quoteleft:75:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/usa_1961.png]]
->'''Fighting Style:''' Aiki-Jujutsu, Hakkyokuseiken
->'''Voiced by:''' [[note]]Creator/HidekatsuShibata (in the anime special and TheMovie), Creator/KongKuwata (from ''3'' onward), Creator/RichardEpcar (''VideoGame/Tekken7'', English)[[/note]]

->The BigBad and FinalBoss of the original ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' trilogy.\\
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Geese, along with [[DisappearedDad Jeff Bogard]], trained under [[OldMaster Tung Fu Rue]] in the art of Hakkyokuseiken. After learning that Jeff would inherit the style's secret arts, [[APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil Geese left the school embittered, and swore revenge]]. He eventually became the most well-known mastermind in the criminal underground with his enterprise, the [[TheSyndicate Howard Connection]]. He took control of Southtown after winning it over from [[Characters/ArtOfFightingI Mr. Big]] and making him his underling. Afterward, Geese finally got his revenge by killing Jeff Bogard in a vicious battle and causing Jeff's sons to train under Tung [[YouKilledMyFather for revenge]]. Over several years, he worked his way up to become the police commissioner of South Town.\\
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He decided to host the [[VideoGame/FatalFuryKingOfFighters first King of Fighters tournament]] out of boredom and faced Terry Bogard in the final battle after Terry defeated his right-hand man, Billy Kane. Geese lost and was given a swift boot out of the top floor of his tower, but somehow survived the fall.\\
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After his initial defeat, he goes into hiding in ''VideoGame/FatalFury2'', and is revealed to have been discreetly searching for the Jin Scrolls in that time. In ''Fatal Fury 3'', he is confronted once again by Terry in his search for the Scrolls, and is defeated and forced to retreat during the events of that game.\\
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In ''Real Bout: Fatal Fury'', Geese has managed to obtain the Jin Scrolls after the events of ''Fatal Fury 3''. and once again holds the King of Fighters tournament in Southtown. He faced Terry for the last time, and history repeated itself as Geese was once again sent out of his tower. Terry [[SaveTheVillain tried to save him]], but Geese refused and fell. [[NeverFoundTheBody His body was never found]], but in the ''KOF Maximum Impact'' and ''VideoGame/GarouMarkOfTheWolves'' storylines, he is KilledOffForReal, coming back as literal NightmareFuel.\\
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In the King of Fighters timeline, Geese is alive and well. In the Orochi Saga, interested in the new version of the King of Fighters tournament that Rugal is hosting, Geese sends Billy in ''[='95=]'' to form the Rival Team and enact revenge upon the Bogard Bros. Intrigued by the mysterious Orochi power used by Rugal and Iori, Geese decides to enter the King of Fighters tournament directly in ''[='96=]'', along with his half-brother Krauser and Mr. Big to learn more about it. Mr. Big, learning he was being used, attempted to assassinate Geese, but Billy arrived just in time to stop the sniper's bullet aimed at Geese's head. In ''[='97=]'' he chose Billy, Yamazaki, and Blue Mary to go and investigate the Orochi power further, albeit withholding his involvement from Blue Mary, knowing she wouldn't accept working with him.\\
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Geese take a leave of absence for the NESTS Saga, and only briefly makes an appearance in the Tales of Ash Saga in ''2003'' (outside a non-canonical appearace in the console port of XI), sponsoring the Outlaw Team consisting of Yamazaki and Billy again, as well as Gato, wishing to keep an eye on their fighting prowess.\\
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In the New Age Saga, Geese returns to directly participating in the King of Fighters Tournament, taking an interest in Verse through reading about it in the Jin Scrolls. In ''XIV'' participates in the King of Fighters tournament along with Billy and his newly-appointed butler Hein, while in ''XV'', Yamazaki substituted for Hein.\\
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Geese is also playable in several crossovers and [[GuestFighter guest appearances]]. He's appeared in the ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom'' games, ''VideoGame/Tekken7'', and many more.\\
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In most of his playable appearances, Geese is a defensive powerhouse; he has a strong projectile game, multiple close-ranged counters, and powerful melee pokes that reward good reads. And up close, he has a dangerous mix-up game thanks to his arsenal of versatile normals, making him a threat in the hands of players and AI alike.
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:A-J]]
* ArchEnemy:
** To Terry Bogard for the murder of his adopted father, Jeff Bogard. Whereas Geese has been out for revenge against Terry ever since his defeat.
** He's also made enemies with the entire Sakazaki Family and their friend, Robert Garcia, for ordering Yuri's abduction in ''Art Of Fighting I''. Then Geese used her [[IHaveYourWife as leverage]] to blackmail her father, Takuma, into working for him.
* ArchnemesisDad:
** Regarding his relationship to his son Rock, it depends on the continuity.
*** Averted in the original ''Fatal Fury'' continuity, although his influence casts a long shadow. Rock hates him for how callously he disregarded Marie but by the time he's old enough to do anything about it, Geese has already died so there's no rivalry to be had.
*** In ''The King of Fighters'' continuity, at least in ''XV'', Rock and Geese get an actual interaction and Destined Battle Theme if the two are up against each other. Before this, he and Rock also appeared together in the AlternateContinuity ''KOF: Maximum Impact 2''/''The King of Fighters 2006''. If Rock and Geese are pitted against each other, they have a special intro scene.
** Geese himself has a grudge against his own biological father, [[spoiler:Rudolph Krauser von Stolheim]], for a similar reason (leaving him and his mother to fend for themselves when he was just a boy). He attempted to kill him, but was halted by Wolfgang Krauser, [[spoiler:his half-brother]]. This left deep emotional scars and gave him his motivation to seek power at any expense.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. Geese will not hesitate to treat his opponents as less than dirt unless they've earned his respect. Consequently, he respects and recognizes Terry as a formidable adversary, looking forward to whenever they fight each other.
* AtomicFBomb: In ''KOF XV'', for some reason, he may curse out as he gets up after being knocked down.
--> '''''SHIT!'''''
* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: He's the head of the Howard Connection for a reason: because he has extensive underworld connections and influence among South Town's top politicians and law enforcement. ''And'' he's capable of singlehandedly wasting anyone that challenges his authority.
* AwesomeButImpractical: Triggering "Raging Dead End" in ''KOF '02'' is a task, as once you activate it you have to connect an Atemi Nage (any that you like). And against an opponent that fights back, it's difficult to predict it and act accordingly. Be thankful though that you have infinite time to do so here. Its spiritual predecessor via the original Raging Dead End in ''Fatal Fury Wild Ambition'' had a time limit that, after it ran out, thanks to that game's power bar mechanics, meant that the next hit connected on Geese would stun him, no questions asked.
* BadassArmFold: It's a common part of his VictoryPose.
%%* BadassBoast: ''The immortal Geese is about to show you to a very hot place, indeed.''
* BadassInANiceSuit: First seen during his cameo appearance in ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting 2'' and, later, in the opening animation for ''Fatal Fury 3'' which shows him in a different suit (a brown one with a red necktie). For his DLC appearance in ''XV'', he finally appears wearing a slightly different-colored variation of his iconic ''Fatal Fury'' suit.
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: In ''Real Bout Fatal Fury Special'' he begins fights against Mary by punching her dog Antonio offscreen.
* BattleAura: As Nightmare Geese, he has a perpetual purple aura coming off of him. This is further emphasized in ''KOF XIV'' where he emits a stronger aura performing super moves.
* BattleIntro: In ''KOF XV'':
-->''CEO of Howard Connection and Emperor of South Town, he's a martial arts nightmare! Geese Howard!''\\
'''Geese''': ''You cannot escape from death!''
* BenevolentBoss: Despite his reputation, Geese treats his subordinates fairly and with the utmost respect. This is part of why Billy [[VillainousFriendship actively enjoys working for Geese]].
-->''Whoa! Do I feel good! Billy, gather our thugs and let's have some fun!''
* BigBad: Throughout all the series, Geese is this. The only games he appears in where he's not a final boss or a TrueFinalBoss are ''Special'' (which reuses the engine from the second game, thus leaving Krauser as the final opponent, on top of being a non-canon DreamMatchGame) and ''3'' - and even in the latter, it's his plans for the Scrolls of Jin that drive the story.
* BigBadEnsemble: With the Jin Brothers in 3, they both seek the Jin scrolls.
* BigNo: [[https://youtu.be/Zt1a6EjWEZ0?t=19 As he falls off his tower in the first game of the series.]]
* BloodKnight: Geese takes Terry's love of fighting in a much darker direction. He takes a sadistic glee in personally crushing his opponents' spirits, and considers anyone not strong enough to last against them unworthy of his time. [[spoiler:He enjoys it enough that he personally tells his underlings not to bother with calling for backup when Hein and Yamazaki makes their attempt on his life in Team South Town's ''XV'' ending, considering it just an amusing little diversion.]]
-->''That wasn't enjoyable... Are all the people in this competition gonna be little runts like this?''
* BreakoutVillain: Geese's legacy has persisted well past the scope of ''Fatal Fury''. Not only is he in several other SNK titles like ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'', ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'' and ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom'', but he's also guest starred in ''VideoGame/Tekken7'', and had a significant cameo in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' as both an NPC and boss battle[[note]]Through the game's spirits mode[[/note]]. Even dying in the main ''Fatal Fury'' series hasn't stopped him from continuing to be an omnipresent force in that and the ''KOF'' universe as a whole.
* BringHimToMe: He has his men capture Terry mid-tournament so that he can personally fight him as the FinalBoss.
* BringIt: Easily his most iconic pose and taunt.
-->''Come on!''
* TheBusCameBack: While Geese's presence always permeated in the ''KOF'' continuity even after his only canon playable appearance ''[='96=]'', ''XIV'' marked the first time he actually returned to the tournament.
* CainAndAbel: [[spoiler:He and Krauser despise each other. The latter denied Geese his chance for revenge against their father, and the two maintained that animosity all the way to ''VideoGame/FatalFury2'']].
* TheCameo:
** He makes an appearance in Team Fatal Fury's ending in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters95'', as well Special Team's ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters97 '97]]'' ending.
** He appears in the background of KOF Stadium in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', and also has a spirit battle based on him that's [[SNKBoss way harder]] than the others from the DLC.
%%* CigarChomper
* CoatCape: He combines this with BadassArmfold before flinging it off in nearly all of his intros. In the ''Capcom vs. SNK'' games, while Geese wears the top of his gi properly, he wears his suit jacket as a cape instead.
* TheCoatsAreOff: Pushing your arms out of your gi top and letting it hang around your waist has the same effect of "lowering the straps" of a wrestling singlet, as it were.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Although it's hard to even say that considering the Howard Connection is itself merely a front for Geese's underworld dealings. The company only exists so Geese can be as corrupt behind the scenes as he pleases without drawing attention.
* CounterAttack:
** His Atemi series of counters. It was especially bad in the original ''Fatal Fury'', where he can counter someone ''jumping toward him''.
** ''XIV'' added Oni Hanmon to his novelist. It's a Frame One Counter that will counter ''any'' physical attack if they connect.
* DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster: A major lynchpin to his charisma and personality. Hate him or not, one can't help but feel respect for the fact that he essentially walked the dark road to power in the criminal underworld and became all the richer and more powerful for it, ruling the city of Southtown in all of its late 1980s glory, and became a powerhouse CEO, kingpin crime lord, AND master martial artist that makes the archetypical [[{{Yuppie}} yuppies]] of the era look like outright posers, and rules the city from high above on his name owned skyscraper penthouse suite like a god.
* DamnYouMuscleMemory:
** Raimei Gouha Nage went from a dragon punch motion in ''KOF XIV'' to a half-circle back then forward in ''KOF XV'', partly because while
** PlayedWith with Raging Storm as of ''XIV''. While the original "Pretzel" motion can still be used as an EasterEgg, its default the simpler Orochinagi motion (quarter-circle back, then half-circle forward).
* DashAttack: "Ja'ei Ken" (Dark Gale Fist) has him rush forward with a ki-charged shoulder attack and ends with a ThreeStrikeCombo.
* ADayInTheLimelight: He starred in a single-issue manga called ''The Geese Howard Story'' that chronicles his backstory and rise to power prior to both ''VideoGame/FatalFuryKingOfFighters'' and ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting 2''.
* DegradedBoss: A [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] example in ''[[VideoGame/FatalFury Fatal Fury 2: Special]]''. In that game, you fight Geese before Wolfgang Krauser [[spoiler: and Ryo Sakazaki]]. However, the downplayed part is that Geese is ''still'' a boss character and a reasonably ''tough'' opponent.
* DieLaughing: He laughs maniacally as he plummets to his death.
* DifficultButAwesome: His Raging Storm command has an unusual series of inputs consisting of going from down-back, then to a half-circle back (so from forward to back), and then finishing with a down-forward. The easiest way to do it is to go from down-back to up-forward before going to the half-circle back motion and then going one direction past (up-back) before finishing at down-forward, forming a pretzel-pattern. Despite this, Raging Storm as a move is a good all-purpose reversal and anti-air, so mastery of the motion is rewarded. Even in ''XIV'' and ''XV'', the original pretzel input can still be used for those who mastered it.
* DirtyCop: He used to be the police commissioner of Southtown, using his power to expand his massive crime network.
* DisappearedDad: His father ditched him and his mother when he was a child.
* DisneyVillainDeath: The first time he's knocked off of Geese Tower by Terry, he gets better. The second time, however, [[KilledOffForReal kills him for real]].
* TheDreaded:
** For most of South Town, Geese is a modern-day Capone. He can ruin lives through his various criminal connections, or take lives by ordering the hit. Worse, he might decide to do it himself and he's likely to get away with it since most of the city's police force is in his pocket.
* DyingSmirk: Maniacal grin, actually: Geese sees his death as the last slap in Terry's face, and he lets it show as he falls to his death laughing.
* EasterEgg: In ''KOF XV'', you can still do the classic "Pretzel" motion (1632143CD, to be exact) for his iconic Raging Storm in addition to the standard 2141236CD input.
* ElementalMotifs: Many of his attacks have wind and storm-themed names. There's Reppuken (Gale Fist), Shippuken (Swift Wind Fist), Shinku Nage (Vacuum Throw), and of course, Raging Storm.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: He did genuinely care for his late mother, having worked to help support the two of them and being devastated by her death. It was enough of a motivator to make him seek revenge on his father.
* EvilCounterpart: To Terry.
** Both fighters grew up in poverty on the streets of South Town, and then lost their only parental figure; Terry's adoptive father, Jeff, and Geese's mother, Maria. While Terry had a network of loved ones to keep him grounded, including his brother and his father's mentor, Geese became embittered and ruthless as the years went on, eventually turning to a life of crime.
** Both of them seek revenge for the death of their loved ones; Terry faced off against Geese for Jeff's murder, and Geese sought his own father to avenge his mother's death. Terry however was the only one who successfully defeated his targeted adversary, while Geese was never able to have that same closure and continued to live for years with internalized rage. Terry was at the very least able to move on from those feelings after years of reflection and love from those around him.
** Terry and his brother Andy were inseparable as children, and even as adults, they maintain a friendly SiblingRivalry as professional fighters. [[spoiler:Meanwhile, Geese and his brother Krauser hate each other; Krauser was the one to deny Geese's chance of revenge against their father, and the few times they interacted after that ended with one backstabbing the other.]]
** Geese ended up becoming a cruel deadbeat like his father, abandoning his wife and child to poverty so he could pursue his own ambitions. Terry ended up adopting Geese's son, Rock, and gave him a happier childhood, much like how Jeff was able to provide for Terry and Andy.
** Geese lives in a comfortable, wealthy environment thanks to a ruthless career in the criminal underworld. Terry is a working-class drifter content to live through odd jobs and tournament winnings.
** Even their designs have a lot of parallels; they're both blonde-haired, blue-eyed Americans with color palettes consisting of red, white, and blue. Terry though is a case of HairOfGoldHeartOfGold and InnocentBlueEyes, while Geese has a serious case of IcyBlueEyes. They both also happen to represent a West vs. East contrast; Terry wears casual American-styled street clothes, while Geese battle garb is usually a style of Japanese garments.
* EvilIsHammy: He's almost as boisterous as Terry. Some of his battle interactions go the extra mile:
--> ''Die like your father, you pin-headed son of an ice cream maker!''\\
''Coming up against me takes guts. I like guts--with catsup.''
* EverythingsSparklyWithJewelry: Although he wears a rather modest dogi and hakama pants, Geese's battle attire also includes [[GoldMakesEverythingShiny a blinged-out gold necklace]].
* EvilLaugh: And he goes [[LaughingMad plum crazy]] when you beat him as Nightmare Geese in ''Real Bout Special''.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Many of his voice actors give him a deep, gravelly tone, evoking a sense of strength and menace.
* EvilVsEvil: He and Mr. Big are pitted in a war for control over Southtown's criminal empire.
* ExecutiveSuiteFight: Most of his boss battles take place in his office atop the Howard Connection's tower.
* {{Expy}}: Of Thouzer, from ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar''. Much like the Holy Emperor, Geese shares avian AnimalMotif themes, and a backstory of a harsh world without love coming to shape a man into a person of great power but also great evil.
* FinalBoss:
** Of the original ''Fatal Fury''. He is also the TrueFinalBoss in ''Real Bout Fatal Fury Special'' as "Nightmare" Geese if the conditions are met.
** Of ''The King of Fighters: Neowave'', as his younger ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting 2'' self with his white WaistcoatOfStyle and long blonde hair.
* FluffyTheTerrible: Nobody is entirely sure why SNK chose to name a major crime boss and master martial artist after ''waterfowl'', but after a few fights with him you forget how odd it sounds.
* FlungClothing: In some of his intros, he'll be shown wearing an elaborate haori that gets taken off. In games where his in-game sprite or model is a WalkingShirtlessScene, he'll throw off his dogi top instead.
* FreudianExcuse: He and his mother were abandoned by his father to the dark slums of Southtown. Geese had to work to help support him and his mother, but she eventually passed away from illness.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: He has a nasty scar on his back from the survival of his first fall. He also has a massive scar across his chest, though the cause of it is uncertain. Initially, it was implied to have been inflicted by Krauser, when they were teenagers[[note]]Geese tried to attack Krauser's father for allegedly abandoning his mother, but Krauser blocked the attack then struck Geese back in retaliation[[/note]]. But during ''The Motion Picture'', Geese attributes the wound to his fight with Terry and implies that his Burn Knuckle left the wound in his chest.
* GrappleMove:
** His counter move will toss his opponent behind him, putting them in an incredibly disadvantageous state.
** His Rashomon DM has him fling his opponent upward, then gathers energy around his body and proceeds to unleash a ''mean'' punch as the foe falls down.
* GratuitousEnglish: Just as bad as his rival (most famous for "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeB-4s1Cho4 PREDICTABO!]]").
* GreaterScopeVillain: Of the first ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' game, being Mr. Big's boss who gave him the go to kidnap Yuri Sakazaki and force her father to follow his commands
* GroundWave: His "Reppuuken" special (when it's not a close-ranged clawing attack) sends a wave of RazorWind across the ground.
* GuestFighter: Appears as a first season [[DownloadableContent DLC]] character in ''VideoGame/Tekken7''.
* HiddenDepths: His bio mentions that he enjoys billiards and he's a fan of ''Film/TheGodfather'', as noted by how his favorite music is the "Love Theme" from its score. ''KOF XV'' also suggests through his first canonical interaction with his son Rock beyond their initial meeting (as Geese dies in the ''Fatal Fury'' timeline before the two ever meet again) that even though he threw her away in pursuit of his own ambitions, he still never forgot about his secret wife Marie after all this time.
%%* {{Hunk}}: Of the rare villainous variety.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Much of his formative years and his lust for power are driven by his father's abandonment and desire to prove himself in spite of it. Later on he marries a woman and fathers a son only to leave them with nothing as his criminal ambitions grew, cementing his son's own desire for revenge (thankfully, his apparent death combined with Terry trying to steer Rock away from becoming his father has managed to disrupt the CycleOfRevenge, if not outright break it).
* IHaveYourWife: He kidnaps Takuma Sakazaki's daughter Yuri in ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' to blackmail him into becoming an enforcer.
* {{Immortality}}: Speculation rages over whether Geese received immortality from the Jin scrolls. [[spoiler:Ultimately subverted when it's revealed he sought the scrolls to keep them out of others' use rather than use them himself.]]
** It's unknown if he truly gained it by ''KOF'', but he seems to love stating that he's immortal whenever he returns in games where his appearance isn't canon. [[spoiler:His ending in ''XIV'' reveals the status of this sub-plot within the KOF timeline: he has not unlocked the secrets of the Jin scrolls yet, but he entered the tournament to learn more about the events they prophesized regarding Verse and, later on, Otoma=Raga.]]
* IWasQuiteALooker: Although he isn't ugly nowadays nor does he seem to lament this, Geese's [[CanonImmigrant appearance]] in ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting 2'' (also seen in ''Neowave'') had him as an evil version of [[LongHairedPrettyBoy Andy Bogard]] who was a BadassInANiceSuit.
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: He gets excited when fighting particularly bloodthirsty opponents like those who have succumbed to Orochi blood.
-->''That bloodlust, it feels nice... Show me more of that madness of yours.'' (vs. Iori)
* IncestSubtext: It's a bit... ''odd'', that both Geese's mother and his wife were waifish Caucasian women with almost identical names (Maria, Marie).
* IntergenerationalRivalry: With Terry. Geese murdered Terry's father when the latter was a child, and this instilled a longtime grudge against Geese in Terry. Geese actively looked forward to facing Terry when he saw that the latter was doing well in the [=KOF=] tournament, and was determined to defeat him for good after a humiliating loss. By ''3'' though, Terry has largely let go of his grudge against Geese and now only feels compelled to fight him to stop his evil plans than out of any personal malice. He was even willing to save Geese's life which the latter spitefully denied.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Most of his goals involve consolidating power and influence for himself, from running a massive crime empire to seeking out scrolls of immortality. [[AllThereInTheManual Even his bio states]] his favorite thing is "himself".
* {{Jerkass}}: Villainy aside, Geese wastes no effort in deriding his opponents, engaging in enough TrashTalk to make Terry's quips seem squeaky clean.
-->''You repulse me!''\\
''Pathetic!''\\
''You're not worth my disgust!''
* JokerImmunity: An odd example; in the continuity of ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'', he's alive and well, but in his home continuity of ''Fatal Fury'' and ''[=KOF=]''[='=]s own Alternate Continuity, the ''Maximum Impact'' series, he's dead. And even then, he's appeared in games where he's canonically dead in the form of "Nightmare Geese", a much more powerful "spirit" version of his normal self.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:K-Z]]
* KamehameHadoken: "Shippuken" is an airborne fireball that Geese fires downwards. [[GrappleMove Rashomon]] also ends with him firing a massive ki blast at his opponent.
* KiManipulation: Like Terry, Geese learned Hakkyokuseiken and can use ki as his attacks, such as his [[GroundWave Reppuken]] and air projectile, Shippuken. His Raging Storm's most common appearance is a rising cage of ki.
* KickTheDog: A literal example. If Blue Mary fights him as a boss in ''Real Bout Fatal Fury Special'' he will begin the match by attacking her dog Antonio.
* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: His Raimei Gouha Nage command throw only works on downed opponents. His new DM in XIV, Raigou Reppuuken also works like this.
* KilledOffForReal: At the end of ''Real Bout Fatal Fury''. Geese still shows up in the following sequels, ''Real Bout Special'' and ''Real Bout 2: The Newcomers'', but both of those titles are considered to being [[DreamMatchGame Dream Match Games]] which has no effect on the current ''Fatal Fury'' storyline. {{Averted}} in ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'', where he's alive and well.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Invoked after his match against Ryo Sakazaki, in ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting 2''. Geese was losing and fled before Ryo could claim his revenge,[[note]]for ordering his sister, Yuri's abduction to blackmail his father, Takuma into working for him[[/note]] by finishing him off with his Haoh Shoko Ken.
* LateArrivalSpoiler: [[spoiler:Him being Krauser's brother is treated as TheReveal of ''VideoGame/FatalFury2'', but by the time of their reappearance in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters96'', the fact is treated pretty casually by the game.]]
* {{Leitmotif}}: "...For Geese" is a series of themes that, from game to game, remains fairly consistent; a combination of hard rock guitar riffs and traditional Japanese instrumentation. The name changes every game, but the most well-known variant is "Soy Sauce for Geese".
* LightningBruiser: Some games have him designed as an absolute monster up close. If he can get in his opponent's space, he'll unleash an onslaught of devastating mixups. Deadly Rave also plays this up, with Geese striking faster than he can with any of his normals.
* LonghairedPrettyBoy: In his younger years as South Town's police commissioner ([=AOF2=]), which caused some gamers to mistake him for Andy Bogard.
* LongLostSibling:
** [[spoiler:He and Krauser are revealed to be half-brothers. And the two don ''not'' have a friendly relationship, given Krauser denied Geese his chance of revenged against their father.]]
** [[spoiler:He's Kain's brother-in-law, having married the latter's sister, Rock's mother.]]
* TheManBehindTheMan: Geese's connection to Mr. Big was first mentioned in the Takara version of ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' for the SNES, and revealed he was actually the one responsible for ordering Yuri Sakazaki's abduction. This wasn't shown in the arcade version, which ended on a cliff-hanger. But [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSkLpQSiQmo the intro of AOF2]] made it official by canonizing the Takara ending almost verbatim.
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Geese portrays the image of a corrupt politician: from neatly pressed corporate attire, lavish penthouse suites, to regularly being chauffeured around in black limousines. Even in his first appearance, despite coming to the fight dressed in his akijutsu garb, he reminds everyone who he really is by keeping his Rolex on.
* MundaneMadeAwesome: Nightmare Geese's Raging Dead End HSDM[=/=][=MAX2DM=] in ''2002: Unlimited Match'' '''IS''' this trope, via its Kokuu Reppuu Zan (Empty Air Gale Slash) followup (it was originally one of his normal Supers in ''Wild Ambition''). [[PowerGlows His hands glow]], [[CounterAttack and if hit]], [[ShirtlessScene Geese takes off his dogi]] and starts firing Reppukens like there's no tomorrow. Eventually, they form one '''[[MemeticMutation XBOX HUEG]]''' Reppuken roughly ''four times'' the size of a regular one that encases his opponent. [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill He then fires it.]]
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: It was first assumed that being named after a waterfowl doesn't exactly evoke a sense of fear, but geese are also known for [[FoulWaterfowl dickish behavior]]. As his name suggests, that doesn't stop him from being a notorious crime lord, and he ''will'' kick your ass.
* NeverFoundTheBody: Geese was never seen again after his last fall in ''3''. It's reported InUniverse that he died from that final encounter with Terry.
* NighInvulnerability: Let's face it: when you can survive a fall from a 50-story building (TWICE, depending on the continuity), you are most definitely this.
* NightmareFuelStationAttendant: '''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Nightmare Geese]]'''. Both the actual one (at least in ''Maximum Impact'') and the DLC skin you get for Geese when you digitally pre-order ''KOF XIV''. It's Geese as a zombie with glowing red eyes, decaying skin, a completely disheveled and tattered gi, and a VoiceOfTheLegion. The artwork released for the skin even has his facial expression as a SlasherSmile.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: His Deadly Rave LDM/HSDM is a Ranbu-style super move where he unleashes a brutal string of strikes on his opponent.
* NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow: Survived ''two'' falls from his tower before the third one that stuck. Or did it?
* NobleDemon: ZigZagged. Against many others, Geese is pretty much a textbook scumbag, using manipulation and any other means necessary to reach his goal, and is not above murder, not to mention that he's very much a CorruptCorporateExecutive. However, if someone earns his respect, then he damn well will show it genuinely. He also treats his subordinates very fairly and respectfully, and has a personal sense of honor when it comes to direct combat, the only time he'd ever dismiss that is when he killed Jeff.
* NotQuiteDead: His infamous defeat that sent him flying off a skyscraper wasn't enough to keep him down for good.
* OccidentalOtaku:
** It's heavily implied in almost all his stages and the way he dresses (with the only exception of ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting 2'' when he fights in an executive dress, and in his office) that Geese seems to love Japanese culture maybe ''too much''. In fact, in ''[=AOF2=]'', he escapes to Japan after he's defeated.
** The "Southtown" stage in ''KOF XIV'' clearly takes place at the top of Geese Tower and amidst all the Oriental-themed decorations you can spot some American flag banners too so this side of his personality still exists in the ''KOF'' timeline.
* OldShame: In-universe. It's a little-known fact that he once fought Ryo Sakazaki during the finals of the very first King of Fighters tournament. The embarrassing part was, Ryo thrashed him so soundly, that Geese turned tail and ran before Ryo could deliver the coup de grace.
* OptionalBoss: In ''2002: Unlimited Match'', Geese is the last Expert challenge of the Challenge Mode.
* OrcusOnHisThrone: From ''KOF '97'' to ''XIII'', he was relegated to this, being in his office giving Billy orders. It wouldn't be until ''XIV'' that Geese gets an actual playable appearance in a canonical game.
* ParentalAbandonment:
** His father, an Austrian terrorist, left him and his mother to fend for themselves in Southtown. This left his mother to die from health issues and instilled a deep hatred in Geese for the man that abandoned them.
** He did this to his own son as well. Rock ''loathes'' the man not only for abandoning him and his wife Marie, but for turning down his pleas to save his mom ''the very night that she died''. Ironically, Geese hates ''his'' father for [[spoiler:leaving him and his mother Maria to fend for themselves in Southtown while he went on to become the head of the Strolheim family. Geese even tried to kill his dad, but half-bro Krauser stopped him.]]
* PetTheDog:
** He helped out a young Billy and Lily Kane when the two were orphans on the streets of London. Billy later took a job with Geese [[IOweYouMyLife out of gratitude]], and the two have maintained a close professional relationship.
** The anime shows him tending fish.
* PillarOfLight: While it's usually a Cage or Claw of Light, the SDM variant of his Raging Storm actually took on this form in ''[='96=]''.
* PlayingWithFire: [[RuleOfCool For some odd reason]], Geese's Level 3 version of his Deadly Rave in the ''[=CvS=]'' titles has the final hit setting the opponent ablaze with [[TechnicolorFire purple flames]].
* PopCulturedBadass: [[Film/TheGodfather Speak Softly, Love]] Is his favorite piece of music according to his bio.
* APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil: He was one of Tung's most promising students along with Jeff Bogard. But Tung realized about Geese's thirst for power and criminal connections, so he decided to pass his most sacred techniques to Jeff which caused Geese to leave the school in anger. Years later, Geese would murder Jeff.
* PurpleIsPowerful: His specials are sometimes rendered with purple effects, but his Desperation Moves like ''Raigo Reppuken'' from ''KOF XIV'' stand out. Nightmare Geese takes the trope further by emitting a purple BattleAura. Averted in ''XV'', where they're a cool blue instead.
* PutOnABus: Had a lengthy absence starting with ''[=KOF '96=]''. Aside from the home ports of ''2002'' and ''XI'', ''98UM'', ''Neowave'' and ''2002UM'', SNK never put him in any of the other mainline ''KOF'' games. This changes when he comes back in ''XIV'' in the base roster and for ''XV'' as DLC.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: As Nightmare Geese. Coupled with GlowingEyesOfDoom in ''2002: Unlimited Match'''s artwork.
* TheRival
** With [[Characters/StreetFighterTheFourKings M. Bison]] in the ''[[VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom SVC]]'' games, being the resident {{Big Bad}}s of their respective series. The two enjoy some very hearty gloating with each other.
-->'''Geese''': ''Well, well. The leader of Shadaloo. So you're Bison?''\\
'''Bison''': ''...Geese Howard, is it? What brings you here?''\\
'''Geese''': ''You can't control the world, but I can. So... Now you can die happy.''\\
'''Bison''': ''Foo ha ha! How amusing.''
** His guest appearance in ''VideoGame/Tekken7'' sees him as a rival to Heihachi Mishima, as both of them are the respective villains of their franchises, as well as [=CEOs=] of major corporations who have a reputation for being terrible fathers.
-->''"Mishima...the world is too big for you to control. Leave it all to me. You can just die."''
* RunningGag: Falling to his death from the top of Geese Tower. For something that's only happened twice canonically, the second of which led to his actual death, the event gets referenced quite a bit. Best summed up by [[http://www.mmcafe.com/southtown_map/ a fanmade map of Southtown]]
--> '''Geese Tower Description:''' The owner of this skyscraper has been spotted falling from the penthouse on countless occasions. He eventually landed wrong.
* SayMyName: Gets this a lot from the [[YouKilledMyFather Bogard Bros.]]
* SchrodingersCast: Has been dead in the ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' storyline since 1996, but in ''KOF'' he is still alive and well.
* SelfMadeMan: Everything Geese earned, he used any means necessary to take it for himself, even if it meant staining his hands with blood and making countless enemies along the way.
* SelfDisposingVillain: Fighting at the top of a tower that doesn't even have proper guard rails isn't the wisest idea, since while he was lucky the first time he fell off, the second one ''killed'' him in the ''Fatal Fury'' continuity.
* ShockAndAwe: His other elemental motif besides wind. Raimei Gouha Nage, Thunder Break, and Raigou Reppuken have his ki come out in the form of a lightning strike.
* {{Shoryuken}}: His "Hisho Nichirin Zan" (Sun Cutter) special in older games is similar to Terry's Power Dunk in that he knocks his opponent up as he rises, then does a slicing arm attack that knocks the foe back down.
* ShoutOut: His Hidden Desperation Move from Fatal Fury 3 is a homage to [[Anime/GreatMazinger Great Mazinger's]] "Thunder Break", right down to the name and aesthetics.
* SignatureMove: Many of his moves are memorable, but special mention goes to [[GroundWave Reppuken]], his [[CounterAttack counter throws]] and Raging Storm.
* SlasherSmile: Although he's usually a SmugSmiler, his Nightmare incarnation has this as his default expression.
* SmugSmiler: Wielder of one of the most sinister grins in all of fighting game history. The one on ''Real Bout Fatal Fury'''s promotional art shows it off best.
* SNKBoss: One of the two main {{Trope Codifier}}s (alongside Rugal), though not a TropeMaker (that honor went to [[VideoGame/NAM1975 Dr. Muckly]]). Geese's battles are notoriously difficult thanks to an unforgiving AI and plethora of powerful attacks.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His GroundPound energy move (S)DM has been either called Rising Storm or Raging Storm.
* SpiritedCompetitor: Despite having ulterior motives for entering ''KOF'', it's no secret that Geese enjoys his time even if his opponents tend to not put up much of a fight against him.
* SpitefulSuicide: When Terry defeats Geese for the last time, he tries to save the latter from falling to his death, but Geese lets go of Terry's grip and [[DieLaughing laughs the whole way down]].
* StartOfDarkness: [[spoiler:In his youth, he managed to track down his father to Europe so that he could kill the latter to avenge the death of his mother. But he was intercepted by Wolfgang Krauser, starting a long feud between the two men.]] He then went to train under Tung Fu Rue in an effort to achieve greater power, but Tung later expelled him for this very motivation. Years later he would spitefully murder his fellow trainee, Jeff Bogard.
* SuperMobBoss: A crime boss who's controlled the city of Southtown since TheSeventies during the events of ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting''. But also, he's an incredibly dangerous martial artists who can pulverize enemies who challenge most fighters without help.
* TheSyndicate: The Howard Connection is this, controlling a massive network of illicit trading, assassinations, and so on. Although Geese [[VillainWithGoodPublicity fools the people]] by using his seemingly benevolent actions and the police force as a front.
* ThreeStrikeCombo: His Ja'ei Ken special in older games has him strike 3 times if the initial move hits. In ''XIV'' he replaces this move with the Fudou Ken which has three different followups depending on the second input entered.
* TooDumbToLive: While a very capable and cunning villain in every other respect, Geese's propensity for letting himself get knocked off his own tower is so well-known it reaches memetic status in [[WebAnimation/DeathBattle some circles]] (once could happen to anyone, but twice and you're just being careless).
* TornadoMove: In ''KOF XIV'' his Raging Storm is depicted as a tornado around him like his son's version. Geese's is ''much'' bigger and significantly more powerful.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Rare steak according to his bios.
* TrueFinalBoss: Of ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting 2'', provided the player won every fight without continuing, or losing any rounds.
* TurnToReligion: Darkly subverted and also counts as both a HeelFaithTurn and his StartOfDarkness. [[spoiler:When Geese couldn't fulfill his revenge against his father, he turned to religion for a while to ease his hatred and seek forgiveness to such a cruel world he was born into. However, he couldn't keep down the taste of humiliation of defeat and the fear of those who mercilessly reigned power over him violently, leading him to turn to martial arts and learning the meaning of power.]]
* UndeathlyPallor: The Nightmare Geese skin in ''XIV'' depicts him as a decaying zombie with pale blue skin.
* UsedToBeASweetKid: Geese was once a kind boy who lived a poor but modest life with his mother Maria. But a combination of Southtown's cruel and cold environment beating him down, the helplessness of his mother dying of malnutrition over his well-being, poverty, being beaten by his half-brother and developing a fear of him, and summing the dark conclusion that power ultimately brings results-regardless of doing good or evil-turned him into the man we all know, respect, and fear today.
* VariantPowerCopying: Deadly Rave was created after his battle with Ryo in ''[=AOF2=]''. It was a result of Geese taking interest in the Kyokugen style's [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown Ryuuko Ranbu]].
* VillainExitStageLeft: When you beat him in ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting 2'', he escapes when a blackout hits his office and hightails it to Japan.
* VillainOfAnotherStory: He's the ManBehindTheMan of ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting's'' Mr. Big, making him the GreaterScopeVillain of that series.
* VillainRespect: He likes challenging strong fighters, seeing people like Terry and Ryo as {{worthy opponent}}s for their continued growth and strength.
-->"Drawing out my power this much... I commend you."
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Geese's real machinations are generally unknown to the people of South Town because his company, the Howard Connection, creates a substantial firewall between what they appear as and what they actually do. By and large, he's seen as a benevolent and charitable man who uses his connections to better the city but it belies his various criminal ties (turning the company's real purpose into a protection racket that shakes down the locals just so he can step in and clean things up with the front-facing entity).
* VillainousFriendship: He and Billy share a genuine respect and comradery with each other, which explains why Billy continues taking jobs with Geese.
* VillainousLineage: His father was a terrorist who left Geese and his mother for dead. Geese would grow up to also be a ruthless criminal who left his wife and child for dead. His son Rock narrowly avoids repeating this cycle by actively suppressing Geese's villainous influence.
* VoiceOfTheLegion: All of Nightmare Geese's dialogue in ''XIV'' is filtered with a warping effect.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: From ''Special'' onwards, he never wears the top of his dogi, effectively becoming his IconicOutfit. This sticks in ''KOF XIV'' and is an alternate outfit in ''XV''.
* WaistcoatOfStyle: Worn by his younger version, the final boss of ''Neowave''.
* WouldHitAGirl: [[spoiler:He kills Lily in the first ''Fatal Fury'' movie.]]
* YouWillBeSpared: Occasionally he'll spare his opponents from death or more humiliating defeats if he thinks their skills are commendable.
-->"Very interesting. Fine, I'll let you live out of respect of your strength." (vs. [[TheHero Shun'ei]])
* YourMindMakesItReal: The fight against Nightmare Geese is heavily implied to be one big nightmare. Naturally, this version is usually an SNKBoss as well.
* WearingAFlagOnYourHead: For his first appearance only, the American flag was plastered onto the back of Geese's dogi.
[[/folder]]
----
->''"Die forever!!"''

** With [[Characters/StreetFighterMBison M. Bison]] in the ''[[VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom SVC]]'' games, being the resident {{Big Bad}}s of their respective series. The two enjoy some very hearty gloating with each other.

* ShoutOut: His Hidden Desperation Move from Fatal Fury 3 is called [[Anime/GreatMazinger "Thunder Break"]].

* ShoutOut: His Hidden Desperation Move from Fatal Fury 3 is called [[Anime/Great Mazinger "Thunder Break"]].

After his initial defeat, he goes into hiding in ''VideoGame/FatalFury2'', and is revealed to have been discreetly searching for the Jin Scrolls in that time.\\

In ''Fatal Fury 3'', he obtained the Jin Scrolls and once again held the King of Fighters tournament in Southtown. He faced Terry for the last time, and history repeated itself as Geese was once again sent out of his tower. Terry [[SaveTheVillain tried to save him]], but Geese refused and fell. [[NeverFoundTheBody His body was never found]], but in the ''KOF Maximum Impact'' and ''VideoGame/GarouMarkOfTheWolves'' storylines, he is KilledOffForReal, coming back as literal NightmareFuel.\\

Geese take a leave of absence for the NESTS Saga, and only briefly makes an appearance in the Tales of Ash Saga in ''2003'', sponsoring the Outlaw Team consisting of Yamazaki and Billy again, as well as Gato, wishing to keep an eye on their fighting prowess. In the Shun'ei Saga, Geese returns to directly participating in the King of Fighters Tournament, taking an interest in Verse through reading about it in the Jin Scrolls. In ''XIV'' he again participates in the King of Fighters tournament, along with Billy and his newly-appointed butler Hein. In ''XV'', Yamazaki substituted for Hein.\\

*** Averted in the original ''Fatal Fury'' continuity, although his influence casts a long shadow. Rock hates him for how callously he disregarded Marie, but by the time he's old enough to do anything about it, Geese is already dead, so there's no rivalry to be had.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Much of his formative years and his lust for power is driven by his father's abandonment and desire to prove himself. Later on he marries a woman and fathers a son only to leave them with nothing as his criminal ambitions grew, cementing his son's own desire for revenge (thankfully, his apparent death combined with Terry trying to steer Rock away from becoming his father has managed to disrupt the CycleOfRevenge, if not outright break it).

** Geese himself has a grudge against his own biological father, [[spoiler:Rudolph Krauser von Stolheim]], for a similar reason (leaving him and his mother to fend for themselves when he was just a boy). He attempted to kill him, but was halted by Wolfgang Krauser, [[spoiler:his half-brother]]. This left deep emotional scars and gave him his motivation to seek power at any expense.

*** Averted in the original ''Fatal Fury'' continuity, although the shadow hangs. Rock hates him for how callously he disregarded Marie, but by the time he's old enough to do anything about it, Geese is already dead, so there's no rivalry to be had.

** With [[Characters/StreetFighterMBison M. Bison]] in the ''[[VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom SVC]]'' games, being the resident BigBad{{s}} of their respective series. The two enjoy some very hearty gloating with each other.

* TheRival: With [[Characters/StreetFighterMBison M. Bison]] in the ''[[VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom SVC]]'' games, being the resident BigBad{{s}} of their respective series. The two enjoy some very hearty gloating with each other.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: {{Downplayed}}. He does wear shoes when he's in a formal suit. He wears tabi when he's in his gi, [[OccidentalOtaku symbolizing his fascination with Japanese culture]]. His Nightmare Geese skin has him barefoot.

->''"You cannot escape from death!"''

%%* BadassBoast: "The immortal Geese is about to show you to a very hot place, indeed."

-->"CEO of Howard Connection and Emperor of South Town, he's a martial arts nightmare! Geese Howard!"\\
'''Geese''': "You cannot escape from death!"

-->"Whoa! Do I feel good! Billy, gather our thugs and let's have some fun!"

-->"That wasn't enjoyable... Are all the people in this competition gonna be little runts like this?"

--> "Die like your father, you pin-headed son of an ice cream maker!"\\
"Coming up against me takes guts. I like guts--with catsup."

-->"That bloodlust, it feels nice... Show me more of that madness of yours." (vs. Iori)

-->"You repulse me!"\\
"Pathetic!"\\
"You're not worth my disgust!"

-->'''Geese''': "Well, well. The leader of Shadaloo. So you're Bison?"\\
'''Bison''': "...Geese Howard, is it? What brings you here?"\\
'''Geese''': "You can't control the world, but I can. So... Now you can die happy."\\
'''Bison''': "Foo ha ha! How amusing."

* SayMyName: Gets this a lot from the [[YouKilledMyFather Bogard Bros.]] Luckily, [[ParentalAbandonment Rock]] and [[spoiler:Kain]] don't get a chance to join in.

* SelfMadeMan: Everything Geese earned, he used any means necessary to take it for himself, even if it meant staining his hands with blood and making many enemies along the way.

* ShockAndAwe: His other elemental motif. Raimei Gouha Nage, Thunder Break, and Raigou Reppuken have his ki come in the form of a lightning visual effect.
* {{Shoryuken}}: His Hisho Nichirin Zan (Sun Cutter) special in older games is similar to Terry's Power Dunk in that he knocks his opponent up as he rises, then does a slicing arm attack that knocks the foe back down.
* SignatureMove: Many of his moves are memorable, but special mention goes to Reppuken, his counter throws and Raging Storm.

* SpitefulSuicide: When Terry defeats Geese for the last time, he tries to save him from falling to his death, but Geese lets go of Terry's grip and [[DieLaughing laughs the whole way down]].

* TheSyndicate: Howard Connection is this, controlling a massive network of illicit trading, assassinations, and so on. Although Geese [[VillainWithGoodPublicity fools the people]] by using his seemingly benevolent actions and the police force as a front.

* TornadoMove: In ''XIV'' his Raging Storm is depicted as a tornado around him like his son's version. Geese's is ''much'' bigger and significantly more powerful.

* UndeathlyPallor: The Nightmare Geese skin in ''XIV'' depicts Geese as a decaying zombie with pale blue skin.
* UsedToBeASweetKid: Geese was once a kind boy who lived a poor but modest life with his mother Maria until a combination of Southtown's cruel and cold social environment ruthlessly beating into him tenets of cutthroat survival, the helplessness of his mother dying of malnutrition over his well being and their poverty, being beaten by his half brother and fearing him for the rest of his days, and summing a dark conclusion from all of this that power ultimately brings results, regardless of doing good or evil, turned him into the man we all know, respect, and fear today.
* VariantPowerCopying: Deadly Rave was created after his battle with Ryo in ''[=AOF2=]''. It was a result of Geese taking interest in Kyokugen style's [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown Ryuuko Ranbu]].

* VillainRespect: He likes challenging strong fighters, seeing people like Terry and Ryo as WorthyOpponent{{s}} for their continued growth and strength.

* WalkingShirtlessScene: From ''Special'' onwards has him never wear the top of his dogi, effectively becoming his IconicOutfit. This sticks in ''XIV'' and the outfit is an alternate outfit in ''XV''.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: He's the head of the Howard Connection for a reason: because he has extensive underworld connections and influence among South Town's top politicians and law enforcement. ''And'' he's capable of channeling vast amounts of Ki to supplement his mastery of both Hyakyoku Seiken and Kubojutsu.
* AwesomeButImpractical: Triggering "Raging Dead End" in ''KOF '02'' is a task, though as once you activate it you have to connect an Atemi Nage (any that you like) and against an opponent that fights back, it's difficult to predict it and act accordingly. Be thankful though that you have infinite time to do so here. Its spiritual predecessor via the original Raging Dead End in ''Fatal Fury Wild Ambition'' had a time limit that, after it ran out, thanks to that game's power bar mechanics, meant that the next hit connected on Geese would stun him, no questions asked.

* EvilSoundsDeep: * BadassBaritone: Many of his voice actors give him a deep, gravelly tone, evoking a sense of strength and menace.

** His Rashomon DM has him fling his opponent upward, then gathers energy around his body and then does a mean straight punch at the foe as they're falling down.

* GroundWave: His Reppuuken special (when it's not a close-ranged clawing attack) is him sending a wave of RazorWind across the ground.

* JokerImmunity: An odd example; in the continuity of ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'', he's alive and well, but in his home continuity of ''Fatal Fury'' and KOF's own Alternate Continuity, the ''Maximum Impact'' series, he's dead. And even then, he's appeared in games where he's canonically dead in the form of "Nightmare Geese", a much more powerful "spirit" version of his normal self.

* KamehameHadoken: Shippuken is an airborne fireball that Geese fires downwards. Rashomon also ends with him firing a massive ki blast at his opponent.
* KiManipulation: Like Terry, Geese learned Hakkyokuseiken and can use ki as his attacks, such as his ground-wave Reppuken, and air projectile Shippuken. His Raging Storm's most common appearance is a rising cage of ki.

* BadassBaritone: Many of his voice actors give him a deep, gravelly tone, evoking a sense of strength and menace.

-->"That wasn't enjoyable... Are all the people in this competition gonna be little runts like this?"* BreakoutVillain: Geese's legacy has persisted well past the scope of ''Fatal Fury''. Not only is he in several other SNK titles like ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'', ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'' and ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom'', but he's also guest starred in ''VideoGame/Tekken7'', and had a significant cameo in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' as both an NPC and boss battle[[note]]Through the game's spirits mode[[/note]]. Even dying in the main ''Fatal Fury'' series hasn't stopped him from continuing to be an omnipresent force in that and the ''KOF'' universe as a whole.

* ArrogantKungFuGuy: {{Downplayed}}. Geese will not hesitate to treat his opponents as less than dirt unless they've earned his respect. Consequently, he respects and recognizes Terry as a formidable adversary, looking forward to whenever they fight each other.

* BloodKnight: Geese takes Terry's love of fighting in a much darker direction. He takes a sadistic glee in personally crushing his opponents' spirits, and considers anyone not strong enough to last against them unworthy of his time. [[spoiler: He enjoys it enough that he personally tells his underlings not to bother with calling for backup when Hein and Yamazaki makes their attempt on his life in Team South Town's ''XV'' ending, considering it just an amusing little diversion.]]
-->"That wasn't enjoyable... Are all the people in this competition gonna be little runts like this?"
* BonusBoss: In ''2002: Unlimited Match'', Geese is the last Expert challenge of the Challenge Mode.
* BreakoutVillain: Geese's legacy has persisted well past the scope of ''Fatal Fury''. Not only is he in several other SNK titles like ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'', ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'' and ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom'', but he's also guest starred in ''VideoGame/Tekken7'', and had a significant cameo in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' as both an NPC and boss battle[[note]]Through the game's spirits mode[[/note]]. Even dying in the main ''Fatal Fury'' series hasn't stopped him from continuing to be an omnipresent force in that and the ''KOF'' universe as a whole.

* ADayInTheLimelight: He starred in a single-issue manga called ''Manga/TheGeeseHowardStory'' that chronicles his backstory and rise to power prior to both ''VideoGame/FatalFuryKingOfFighters'' and ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting 2''.

** It's unknown if he truly gained it by ''KOF'', but he seems to love stating that he's immortal whenever he returns in games where his appearance isn't canon. [[spoiler: His ending in ''XIV'' reveals the status of this sub-plot within the KOF timeline: he has not unlocked the secrets of the Jin scrolls yet, but he entered the tournament to learn more about the events they prophesized regarding Verse and, later on, Otoma=Raga.]]

** He did this to his own son as well. Rock ''loathes'' the man not only for abandoning him and his wife Marie, but for turning down his pleas to save his mom ''[[TearJerker the very night that she died]]''. Ironically, Geese hates ''his'' father for [[spoiler:leaving him and his mother Maria to fend for themselves in Southtown while he went on to become the head of the Strolheim family. Geese even tried to kill his dad, but half-bro Krauser stopped him.]]

* SayMyName: Gets this a lot from the [[YouKilledMyFather Bogard Bros.]] Luckily, [[ParentalAbandonment Rock]] and [[spoiler: Kain]] don't get a chance to join in.

* WouldHitAGirl: [[spoiler: He kills Lily in Fatal Fury 1 movie]]

Geese is also playable in several crossovers and [[GuestFighter guest appearances]]. He's appeared in the ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom'' games, ''VideoGame/Tekken7'', ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersAllStar, and many more.\\

** Regarding his relationship to his son Rock, it depends on the continutity.
*** Ultimately averted in the original ''Fatal Fury'' continuity, although the shadow hangs. Rock really hates him for how callously he disregarded Marie, but by the time he's old enough to do anything about it, Geese is already dead, so there's no rivalry to be had.
*** In ''The King of Fighters'' continuity, at least in ''XV'', Rock and Geese get an actual interaction and Destined Battle Theme if the two are up against each other. Prior to this, he and Rock also appeared together in the AlternateContinuity ''KOF: Maximum Impact 2''/''The King of Fighters 2006''. In both instances if Rock and Geese are pitted against each other they will exchange words in a special intro scene.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: {{Downplayed}}. Geese will not hesitate to treat his opponents as anything less than dirt unless they've earned his respect. Consequently, he respects and recognizes Terry as a formidable adversary, looking forward to whenever they fight each other.

* BadassBoast: "The immortal Geese is about to show you to a very hot place, indeed."

* BenevolentBoss: Despite his reputation, Geese treats his subordinates fairly and with the utmost respect. This is part of the reason why Billy [[VillainousFriendship actively enjoys working for Geese]].

* TheBusCameBack: ''KOF XIV'' is Geese's first canon appearance in the series since ''[='96=]''.
* CainAndAbel: [[spoiler:He and Krause despise each other. The latter denied Geese his chance for revenge against their father, and the two maintained that animosity all the way to ''VideoGame/FatalFury2'']].

* TheCoatsAreOff: Overlaps with above, as the practice of pushing your arms out of your gi top and letting it hang around your waist has about the same effect of "lowering the straps" of a wrestling singlet, as it were.
* ConfusionFu: He gains a new move in ''XIV'' called Fudou Ken which has followups that can hit either low or overhead.

** His Atemi series of counters. It's especially bad in the original ''Fatal Fury'', where he can counter someone ''jumping towards him''.

* DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster: A major lynchpin to his charisma and personality. Hate him or not, one can't help but feel respect for the fact that he essentially walked the dark road to power in the criminal underworld, and became all the more richer and powerful for it, ruling the city of Southtown in all of its late 1980s glory, and became a powerhouse CEO, kingpin crime lord, AND master martial artist that makes the archtypical [[{{Yuppie}} yuppies]] of the era look like outright posers, and rules the city from high above on his name owned skyscraper penthouse suite like a god.
* DamnYouMuscleMemory: Happens to him quite a bit in between games. Just an example, Raimei Gouha Nage went from a dragon punch motion (623P) in ''KOF XIV'' to a command grab motion (632146P) in ''KOF XV'' while his Raging Storm went from the classic "Pretzel" motion (1632143P) to the "Orochinagi" motion (2141236AC in ''XIV'', CD in ''XV'').

* DifficultButAwesome: His Raging Storm command has an unusual series of inputs consisting of going from down-back then to a half-circle back (so from forward to back) and then finishing with a down-forward. The easiest way to do it is to go from down-back then to up-forward before going to the half-circle back motion and then going one direction past (up-back) before finishing at down-forward, which forms a pretzel-pattern. Despite this, Raging Storm as a move is a good all-purpose reversal and anti-air, so mastery of the motion is rewarded. Even in ''XIV'' and ''XV'', the original pretzel input can still be used for those who mastered it.

* DisneyVillainDeath: The first time he's knocked off of Geese Tower by Terry, he gets better. The second? Er, [[KilledOffForReal not so much]].
* DoesNotLikeShoes: He instead prefers to wear tabi, [[OccidentalOtaku symbolizing his fascination with Japanese culture.]] The DLC Nightmare Geese skin has him barefoot. He does put on shoes when he wears a suit, though.

* EvilCounterpart: He and Terry have a shocking amount in common:
** Both fighters grew up in poverty on the streets of Southtown, and then lost their only parental figure; Terry's adoptive father, Jeff Bogard, and Geese's mother, Maria Howard. While Terry had a network of loved ones to keep him grounded including his brother and his father's mentor, Geese became embittered and ruthless as the years went on, eventually turning to a life of crime.

* GoodScarsEvilScars: Has a nasty scar on his back from the survival of his first fall. He also has a gaping wound across his chest, though the cause of it is uncertain. Initially, it was implied to have been inflicted by Krauser, when they were teenagers[[note]]Geese tried to attack Krauser's father for allegedly abandoning his mother, but Krauser blocked the attack then struck Geese back in retaliation[[/note]]. But during ''The Motion Picture'', Geese attributes the wound to his fight with Terry and implies that it was his Burn Knuckle that left the wound in his chest.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Much of his formative years and his lust for power is driven by his father's abandonment and desire to prove himself. Later on he marries a woman and fathers a son only to leave them with nothing as his criminal ambitions grew, cementing his son's own desire for revenge (thankfully his apparent death combined with Terry trying to steer Rock away from becoming his father has managed to at least disrupt the CycleOfRevenge, if not outright break it).

* KamehameHadoken: Shippuken is an airborne fireball that Geese fires downwards, twice if you use the right input. Rashomon also ends with him firing a massive ki blast at his opponent.
* KiManipulation: Something he learned by studying Hakkyokuseiken under Tung Fu Rue. Like Terry he can send waves of ki across the ground (the Reppuken, which he can also enhance by charging it twice before firing) but he also has an airborne projectile (the Shippuken, which he can also double up) and his SignatureMove is the ability to encase himself in a "cage" of ki on all sides he calls the "Raging Storm".
* KickTheDog: An almost literal example. If Blue Mary fights him as a boss in ''Real Bout Fatal Fury Special'' he will begin the match by attacking her dog Antonio.

* KilledOffForReal: At the end of ''Real Bout Fatal Fury''. Geese still shows up in the following sequels, ''Real Bout Special'' and ''Real Bout 2: The Newcomers'', but both of those titles are considered to being [[DreamMatchGame Dream Match Games]] which has no effect on the current ''Fatal Fury'' storyline. Averted in ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters''[='=] timeline, where he's alive and well.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Invoked at the conclusion of his match against Ryo Sakazaki, in ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting 2''. Geese was losing and fled before Ryo could claim his revenge,[[note]]for ordering his sister, Yuri's abduction to blackmail his father, Takuma into working for him[[/note]] by finishing him off with his Haoh Shoko Ken.

* LightningBruiser: Some games have him designed as an absolute monster up close. If he can get in his opponent's space, he'll unleash an onslaught of devastating mixups. Deadly Rave plays this up as well, with Geese striking faster than he can with any of his normals.

* OldShame: In-universe. It's a little-known fact that he once fought Ryo Sakazaki, during the finals of the very first King of Fighters tournament. The embarrassing part was, Ryo thrashed him so soundly, that Geese turned tail and ran before Ryo could deliver the coup de grace.

* RunningGag: Falling to his death from the top of Geese Tower. Even though it's only happened twice, what with the different updates and flashbacks you'd swear the man goes plummeting off the top of that tower every other game. Best summed up by [[http://www.mmcafe.com/southtown_map/ a fanmade map of Southtown]]

* SelfDisposingVillain: Would it really ''kill'' Geese to just fight Terry in a fancy ground-level dojo instead of constantly challenging him at the top of a tower that doesn't even have guard rails? Because the latter habit ultimately '''does''' kill him, at least in the Fatal Fury continuity.
* ShockAndAwe: His Raimei Gouha Nage special throw and his Thunder Break super have summoning ''lighting bolts''.

* SNKBoss: TropeNamer and one of the two main {{Trope Codifier}}s (alongside Rugal, fittingly enough), though not a TropeMaker (that honor went to [[VideoGame/NAM1975 Dr. Muckly]]). Geese's battles are notoriously difficult thanks to an unforgiving AI and plethora of powerful attacks.

* TornadoMove: In ''XIV'' his Raging Storm is depicted as a tornado around him like his son's version. Unlike Rock's Raging Storm, however, Geese's is ''much'' bigger and significantly more powerful.