A Look at Smash Ultimate’s Newest Fighter: Terry Bogard

Fatal Fury’s Terry Bogard joined the Smash Ultimate roster on Nov 6.

As an import from another fighting game, many were skeptical of how well the character would flow within Super Smash Bros. However, in the weeks since his release players have already recognized Terry as something promising.

Image via rozanapress

Terry Bogard feels very different from the rest of the roster. Much of this different ‘feel’ is due to his kit.

Bogard has a low skill floor and a high skill ceiling. Right off the bat his move set immediately feels very encouraging and easy to pick up. The most striking feature is his ability to use 5 special moves instead of 4.

Becoming familiar with this kit opens the character up to a whole host of different move cancels and devastating combos. In addition to his extra special move, Bogard also has two different super moves available for use only after the player sustains 100% of damage. Both moves can be canceled into and deal large amounts of damage.

Bogard Addition shows Promise among Pros

The community reaction to Terry Bogard has been on the positive side, with many touting him as the best of the DLC characters. Most players are happy he is enjoyable to play and does not feel overpowered to play against.

The jury’s still out on Bogard’s competitive viability, however early speculation from professional players mark him as potentially top-tier. Whether or not he makes the cut will come down to how effectively players can utilize his super moves.

After a little grinding, Smash All-Star Adam “Armada” Lindgren posted his insight on the character to Youtube.

“He can on-occasion kill really early. His damage output seems like it has a lot of potential, and ‘Go’ is a strong comeback mechanic,” said Armada. “His weaknesses are similar to Ken and Ryu, he has poor range and will probably have a hard time getting out of disadvantage.”

Terry’s release also saw the addition of the King of Fighters Stadium. The unique map sports a flat surface surrounded by walls. Hurling highly damaged players through the wall can result in an instant K.O.

This design choice effectively changes the way off-map gameplay works. Hits and juggles that offer more vertical range are greatly favored, traits which are unsurprisingly emphasized in Bogard’s kit.

Bogard’s approval among players and pros is directly tied to his performance in the mix with other characters. Time will tell if this earl optimism is well-placed.

Written by Jash Rai