Terry has gotten quite the satisfying conclusion, provided that it ends here

Just let my GOAT ride off into the sunset. Terry’s history has seen him avenge his foster father, compete and win in tournaments and raise one of the best “pupil” characters in Fighting Game history. Passing the torch is all that remains for him to do heading into City of the Wolves, so naturally, after putting down the spectre of Geese Howard and reassuring Rock, he tosses Rock his iconic hat and just.. leaves. Terry is off to seek great adventures, ready to face whatever may come next. I personally like to think this leads to his appearance in Street Fighter VI.


Now, it is not unlike Terry to travel the world in search of strong opponents. He did it before, in order to gain experience and adapt his fighting style in preparation to fight Geese. That being said, his motivations have always been more complex than Ryu’s for instance. The eternal wanderer needs no reason to wander, for he has devoted his life to his craft. The legendary hungry wolf, on the other hand, is more defined by specific goals and companions. His world consists of more than just fighting whoever challenges him. His allies are more than sparring partners; they are family, be it by blood or circumstance. His opponents are more than roadblocks; they are the result of personal feuds or threats to his family, friends or town. Terry has always fought for more than just the sake of it.


Keeping all that in mind, I think Terry’s story is best concluded as it is in Episodes of Southtown. Him being set free after making sure there are people to take over for him is fine, but his continued journey on his own is not as meaningful as the one he has had with Rock and the others and, despite him being my favorite fighting game character of all time, I hope he does not return in any future installment’s narrative. Rock can handle it from here; him receiving Terry’s hat is an ending too perfect to be undermined later on.


Of course, I don’t think Terry is going anywhere in actuality. SNK is in a rough spot and he is their most famous character, so they are likely never letting go of him. Which is a shame, because in terms of satisfying conclusions to the stories of Fighting Game protagonists, I don’t think it gets better than this. 



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