Robert Garcia

Robert Garcia (ロバート・ガルシア, Robāto Garushia) debuted as the deuteragonist in the Art of Fighting series, forming the second half of the Japanese's series namesake as "The Raging Tiger" or "The Mightiest Tiger" (最強の虎, Saikyo no Tora). He is the first known foreign practitioner of Kyokugenryu Karate.

According to Neo Geo Freak, he is visually modeled on Andy García and Steven Seagal. His older appearance in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum was not originally intended to be tied with any continuity. It was made to match the older Mr.Karate II as an original form of Robert.

Story
Robert is the only son of Alberto Garcia, a wealthy Italian businessman and best friend of Takuma Sakazaki. During his early childhood, Robert lived a life free of responsibility and caring, being doted on by his loving parents for his every whim. Yet he would yearn for more in his life and would regularly sneak away from his home to go to the Kyokugenryu Dojo. He spied on Takuma and Ryo Sakazaki's training sessions and aspired to become like them.

Alberto wanted Robert to focus on his corporate teachings and someday inherit the Garcia Foundation from him. After his father pushed him too far, a young Robert rebelled and embraced his own ambitions to find success by himself. Running away from home, Robert rushed to Takuma's dojo and demanded to be taught Kyokugenryu Karate. Impressed by the boy's spirit, Takuma agreed and Robert became Ryo's sparring partner. The two boys soon became best friends.

Unlike Ryo, Robert is a natural ace in martial arts. Because Robert excelled so well in his studies, Takuma became harder on his son's training to keep up. Robert completed his training first and returned to Italy shortly before Ronnet's deadly car accident. In his home country, Robert continued his martial arts studies and matured into a respected martial artist. He was given his moniker overseas.

Robert eventually developed romantic feelings for his friend's sister, Yuri. He has held an infatuation with Yuri ever since he first met her and would likely wed her if not for Takuma and Ryo, who are overprotective of Yuri.

Art of Fighting
Several years later, Robert returns to America to pay the Sakazaki family a visit. While Ryo is away at a street fight, Robert arrives to the dojo too late to save Yuri from her kidnapping. He barges into the street fight and tells Ryo that Yuri has been taken to Southtown. He gladly assists the search, the duo eventually learning that Mr.Big allegedly masterminded the kidnapping. Thanks to King, they were able to find Yuri and save her from Mr. Big. In gratitude, he and Ryo later fund for Jan's operation.

After the conclusion of the first King of Fighters tournament, Robert visited Mexico to help Freia Lawrence, a childhood friend, save her friend Wyler. He acts as her bodyguard during their journey through Glasshill. Once he sees his friends reconcile, he follows his father's wishes to head back home and help run the family company. Before he boards the plane out of the city, Yuri surprises him by having her own ticket. They return to Italy together.

Robert's whereabouts after the series conclusion remains unclear. Ryo's backstory from Buriki One and the King of Fighters series seems to imply that Robert eventually takes over his father's company. Despite popular belief, he is still single years after Art of Fighting's conclusion.

The King of Fighters
As one of the successful examples of the Kyokugen style, Robert often partners himself with Takuma and Ryo. Like Ryo, he is often ordered around by their master to proudly represent the Kyokugen dojo. He is overjoyed when Yuri also joins their team and often tries to voice his opinion in her favor. When he learns that King was to be her replacement in The King of Fighters 2000, he is indignant about not having prior knowledge of Yuri's absence and thinks that this is a underhanded scheme for Ryo to get closer to King. He challenges her to prove her worth to the team and they engage in a fearsome kicking contest. Since their match ends in a stalemate, he agrees to let her in the team. The following year Robert and his family are faced with grievous financial problems so his friends and master agree to help him out by winning the tournament.

By the time of The King of Fighters 2003, he is somehow joyfully wealthy again and is confident enough to enter without the demands of his master. The reason for his absence in The King of Fighters XI was due to a simultaneous disaster in his father's company that needed to be solved with Robert's presence. He has enough free time from his family business to participate in the KOF XIII tournament. In the ending, Robert shows a wedding ring to Takuma that Robert want to propose marriage to Yuri, but Takuma disagrees. Both of them end up hitting each other without Ryo, Yuri or King noticing them.

Personality
Art of Fighting Robert is first portrayed as the fiery smartmouth to contrast the level-headed, serious Ryo. After the first game, his character softens to be a stylish, charismatic and extraverted showman who seemingly overcomes any obstacle flawlessly. Though he may act cocky and self-assured, Robert is a passionate and righteous man at heart. If there is a serious threat to his loved ones, he won't hesitate to provide his aid. In every incarnation, he is fiercely devoted to the Sakazaki family, his family, and his friends. This series hints that his attraction to Yuri is mutual and accepted by her family.

The King of Fighters series plays the melodrama of the Art of Fighting series for laughs, which often shoves Robert into a comedic role as a result. One example is that despite his family's wealthiness, Robert doesn't use it to help his poorer Sakazaki friends. In the Art of Fighting series, this is because the Sakazakis are strong believers in self-reliance and would have been gravely insulted by the financial assistance; the King of Fighters series jokes that it's really because the Sakazakis are finally realizing and complaining about the realities of poverty or that the Garcias are too greedy to help. He is often bumbling about at Takuma or Yuri's eccentric whims. In fights, his flashiness and showmanship are emphasized. Robert's infatuations with Yuri also aren't as strongly recuperated as they are in Art of Fighting.

Powers

 * Gather chi: Robert can gather ki from Gaia, the mother-earth.
 * Energy Projectile: Robert can fire the Ryugekiken and Haoh Shou Kouken blast normally.
 * Multiple Attacks: Robert can channel his ki energy into his legs to deliver multiple kicks at a very fast ratio.

Fighting Style
To counter Ryo, Robert was taught to be the "dragon" of Kyokugenryu Karate, ironic since his nickname calls him a "tiger", especially with his frequently-reworked Ryuugeki Ken (Dragon Attack Fist) technique as staple of the motif. Robert's style focuses upon lethal kicks, his signature move being the Gen'ei Kyaku (Phantom Leg), along with his Mahha Geri (Mach Kick) from Neo Geo Battle Coliseum and KOF XI being a possible feint attack. He of course, also tends to sport some of the same techniques as Ryo, like the Haou Shoukou Ken.

His fighting style has been reworked through the history of his game appearances, having his first drastic change in KOF '96 with a stationary Ryuugeki Ken and a completely different Hien Shippuu Kyaku (Flying Swallow Hurricane Leg; later reworked into the Hien Senpuu Kyaku lit. Flying Swallow Whirlwind Leg which puts more emphasis on multiple rapid-spinning kicks). In KOF '99 and KOF 2000, all his movesets where changed into charging motions (holding back or down then release into the opposite direction along an attack button), losing several of his traditional moves like his Gen'ei Kyaku or his Ryuuga (this "charge" version of himself would return in KOF 2002UM as EX Robert. Because of these constant reworks on his style, Robert, unlike most fighters, has several different fighting stances differing from game to game.

His aforementioned Ryuugeki Ken has also been one of his most reworked moves, ranging from a simple wave launched from a hand movement (via several different animations for the attack) to being a wave launched from a kick (Ryuugeki Sen lit. Dragon Attack Flash).

In KOF XII and XIII, he along with Yuri in KOF XI has now a backwards kick command normal called Ushiro Geri (Behind Kick), which functions just like Iori's Yuri Ori. Like Iori in the series, Robert was also one of the few characters to be able to pull of an aerial attack during his backdash.

Game Appearances

 * Capcom vs SNK 3: Fighters' Spirit - Playable character
 * KOF: Maximum Impact 3 - Playable character
 * Neo Geo Battle Coliseum 2 - Playable character
 * Neo Geo 2: Match of the Century - Playable character

Similar Characters

 * Another Robert