History VideoGame / GarouMarkOfTheWolves

''Garou: Mark of the Wolves'' is the 8th overall installment of the ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' series (5th canonically), and the final installment to appear on the Neo Geo system. [[Main/DistantFinale It's been a decade since]] [[Characters/FatalFuryGeeseHoward Geese Howard's]] death at the end of ''Real Bout Fatal Fury'', and the once WretchedHive of Southtown is thriving without his influence. But just down the coast at Second Southtown, however, some things never change. Without someone running the show, [[EvilPowerVacuum the criminal underworld is scrambling to take over what Geese left behind.]] In the meantime, Southtown's heroes of yesteryear have moved on; most have retired, but others are training a whole new generation of fighters. Despite being a LivingLegend, [[Characters/FatalFuryKingOfFighters Terry Bogard]] has spent the last ten years [[Main/RaisedByRival raising Rock Howard - Geese's son - as his own protégé.]] Rock is now old and strong enough to forge his own path, but he's still haunted by his lineage... [[Main/MissingMom And mystery of what happened to his mother.]] With the start of the brand-new King of Fighters: Maximum Mayhem tournament, it seems like old wounds won't heal just yet.

* ManlyMan: In a game with a ruggedly handsome aged mentor, a huge and hammy luchador, and hulking monster of a man possessed by a demon, the most manly character is Khushnood Butt. He's Ryo's disciple, and the years of Kyokugenryu Karate training have given him a body so well cut, his rippling muscles literally ''burst out of his gi'' when he flexes in his win pose. His training grounds are deep in the woods, where he can focus and be alone in nature. He uses a wrecking ball as part of his equipment. There's a massive tree laying broken in the background, which he likely chopped barehanded. He trains with ''karate bears'', and looks as gruff and grizzled as they do. [[RealMenWearPink He also cries when he reads Disney picture books.]]

* BloodBrothers: Grant swears allegiance with Kain to help fulfill their ideals, complete with a special intro animation.

On August 7th 2022 at EVO, after 23 years, it was announced that a sequel, titled ''Fatal Fury / Garou Densetsu: City of the Wolves'' as of August 2023, is in production.

On August 7th 2022 at EVO, after 23 years, it was announced that a sequel, titled ''Fatal Fury / Garou Densetsu : City of the Wolves'' as of August 2023, is in production.

Originally released in 1999, ''Garou'' was a drastic departure from the previous ''Fatal Fury'' games. Aside from Terry Bogard, the entire cast was replaced by newcomers, many of which were children and/or students of their predecessors. The two-plane dodging system and stage hazards were removed entirely. The combo mechanics were brought more in line with the ABCD layout of ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters,'' and the brand-new T.O.P. System allowed characters to perform specific attacks depending on how much health meter they had. Most importantly, this game introduces the Just Defense System, which lets players parry oncoming attacks if they block with precise timing.

** Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami from ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' can be seen talking in the crowd, standing behind the red and green cars near the center of the stage. Benimaru will join them in Round 2. Leona, Mature, and Clark will join them in Round 3.

Many fans have long considered it to be the pinnacle of Creator/{{SNK}}'s fighting game library. Until the last few years, however, ''Garou'' was widely regarded as a CultClassic due to its release being limited to the arcades, UsefulNotes/NeoGeo, UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast and UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, with only the Dreamcast port released in North America in 2001. This all changed in 2016, when it was announced the game would be ported to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and UsefulNotes/PlaystationVita. Since then, this has been expanded to Windows (via UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} and Website/GOGDotCom), UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/XboxOne and the Neo Geo Mini. On January 22, 2020, it was announced that the GOG, Steam, Playstation 4 and Vita versions would receive an updated rollback netcode. As a result, ''Garou'' is making quite a comeback.

** Cheng Sinzan from ''Fatal Fury 2'' is among the crowd in the background of the casino stage. This is a nod to his success as a businessman - [[TotallyNotACriminalFront legitimate or otherwise]] - as well as his greed and penchant for gambling. He's also the last living member of Tung Fu Rue's three students, the Three Brothers of Godly Battle.

** Cheng Sinzan from ''Fatal Fury 2'' is among the crowd in the background of the casino stage. This is a nod to his success as a businessman - [[LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub legitimate or otherwise]] - as well as his greed and penchant for gambling. He's also the last living member of Tung Fu Rue's three students, the Three Brothers of Godly Battle.

* OedipusComplex: Rock absolutely ''hates'' Geese and all he stood for, and wants to find out what happened to Marie. Even [[LampshadedTrope lampshaded]] once in dialogue, where Rock tries to [[DefiedTrope defy]] this.

''Garou: Mark of the Wolves'' is currently the final installment of the ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' series. [[Main/DistantFinale It's been a decade since]] [[Characters/FatalFuryGeeseHoward Geese Howard's]] death at the end of ''Real Bout Fatal Fury'', and the once WretchedHive of Southtown is thriving without his influence. But just down the coast at Second Southtown, however, some things never change. Without someone running the show, [[EvilPowerVacuum the criminal underworld is scrambling to take over what Geese left behind.]] In the meantime, Southtown's heroes of yesteryear have moved on; most have retired, but others are training a whole new generation of fighters. Despite being a LivingLegend, [[Characters/FatalFuryKingOfFighters Terry Bogard]] has spent the last ten years [[Main/RaisedByRival raising Rock Howard - Geese's son - as his own protégé.]] Rock is now old and strong enough to forge his own path, but he's still haunted by his lineage... [[Main/MissingMom And mystery of what happened to his mother.]] With the start of the brand-new King of Fighters: Maximum Mayhem tournament, it seems like old wounds won't heal just yet.

On August 7th 2022 at EVO, after 23 years, it was announced that a sequel, titled ''Fatal Fury / Garou Densetsu : City of the Wolves'' as of August 2023, is in production. In 2023, [[https://youtu.be/ed65K9MnidQ?t=132 it's revealed by SNK]] that [[TheBusCameBack Andy Bogard and Joe Higashi will return to join Terry in this continuity.]]