Kim Dong Hwan may not have listened to his father, the legendary Kim Kaphwan, and has decided to join the cast of fighters called up for battle in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. Along with his brother, Kim Jae-Hoon, he was present in Garou: Mark of the Wolves, so it was logical that he would also end up having a presence in this installment. In addition, the game follows the policy of generational change that was already in place and that helps the franchise continue to look forward. It should be ruled out, barring a surprise, that Kim Kaphwan will have a presence in the game. After all, it is likely that his other son will also end up becoming one of the characters on the main roster. And three kick fighters would already be too many.
For now, even if Kim Dong Hwan is in the game alone, it would be the best fit for the tone of this fighting game. Dong Hwan’s cocky style helps him fit in perfectly with the rest of the fighters in this installment. From the trailer that SNK has released, we can see that his leg fighting style remains intact and that he incorporates new techniques and movements. He is a character that is especially difficult to transition to the new game format, since his animations were much better in 2D. However, it is probably something that players will get used to over time.
It’s also easy to see how Kim Dong Hwan combines some of the most classic fighting game kickwork. The fact that he’ll be able to face off against Ken and Chun-Li from Street Fighter thanks to the Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves DLC will help make the kicking duel more interesting. As for the main characters included on the disc, 12 of 17 have been announced so far. It’s safe to imagine that more fighters from Mark of the Wolves will return, although SNK may want to continue innovating with new faces or even bring back classics from the Fatal Fury series. So far, the confirmed fighters are: Terry Bogard, Rock Howard, Mai Shiranui, Billy Kane, Hotaru Futaba, B. Jenet, Marco Rodrigues, Tizoc, Kevin Rian, Preecha, Vox Reaper and, of course, Kim Dong Hwan.
Of the Garou fighters, Gato, Freeman, Grant, Hokutomaru and Kim Jae-Hoon are all missing, while it was previously reported that Kain R. Heinlein would appear again in his role as a villain. Grant is likely to be absent due to the presence of Vox, while if SNK is thinking of freeing up space, it wouldn’t be surprising if they got rid of the other Kim brother. Hokutomaru does seem like an expected presence, possibly as a young adult, since he would be the link with Andy, just as Joe has with Preecha. The other gaps are likely to be filled by new fighters and perhaps some old acquaintances from the franchise. For example, one of the Jin brothers, who had powers, such as telekinesis, and who, plot-wise, went on to train under the guidance of Kim Kaphwan himself.