Rock Howard is a video game character who was introduced in SNK Playmore's fighting game Garou: Mark of the Wolves.

According to his official biography, Rock was born in the United States on June 24, 1989. He stands 1.78 m (5'8") and weighs 70 kg (154 lb). His hobbies are touring and playing the bass (although he can copy any song he hears once), he likes jambalaya without sausages. He likes three-on-three street basketball, and he cherishes Terry Bogard's cap and his Honda bike. He dislikes people who boast all the time. His distinguishing feature is a short blond mop-top. He may be kind and friendly, but has a troubled past and cannot seem to make amends with it entirely, neither he can endeavor to live by his own ideals.

Rock is the son of the most noteworthy crime lord and most feared fighter in all of Southtown, Geese Howard. But since Geese never recognized him as his own child, Rock had to be raised solely by his mother, Marie Heinlein.

But when Rock was barely eight years old, Marie fell prey to a mortal disease, and during her agony lying in her bed, he kept calling out for Geese. During the next few days after he met Geese, Rock took care of his ill mother, but time was running out sooner than expected. One morning, when Rock came like every morning to watch how his mother was doing, she was motionless.

Ten years later, Rock was aboard a train car heading for the rebuilt Second Southtown. He had grown up to be a formidable fighter during the last decade. After Terry had decided to take him in as his disciple after what had happened that night at Geese Tower (as a way of emulating what Jeff Bogard, Terry's father, did with Terry years ago), Rock had been travelling with Terry, and watching him fight in several tournaments.

As Rock gazed on a very big picture of his mother, a sinister laugh approached him from behind. Rock turned around, and a man with long blond hair and elegant clothes stood in front of him. That man was Kain R. Heinlein, the tournament host. Rock wanted to know what Kain was up to. Rock then asked about Kain's fascination for his mother. Kain said that the woman was his sister, making him Rock's uncle.

Kain politely asked Rock to join him, but Rock refused to do so, and a fight between uncle and nephew erupted. Kain held the upper hand earlier on with his majestic purple "Schwarze" flames, but at the end of the fight, Rock pounded Kain into nothing with a deadlier version of Geese's Deadly Rave, crumpling the mansion into nothing. Kain admits defeat, leaving Rock as the winner.

Rock demanded real answers from Kain, but as Kain bubbled out the reason why Rock was summoned to the tournament, Kain managed to brainwash Rock well, as Rock sided with Kain as Terry was looking for Rock. Terry decided to let Rock go after Kain declared that Rock will be OK with him (Kain), forcing Terry to live a life of a lonely wolf once again.

Guilty-stricken, Rock knows that he now must find a direction in which he will help Kain out since his coronation as his uncle's partner.

Through realizing that Geese Howard is his father, Kain R. Heinlein his uncle, and the shadow of Terry Bogard, Rock has to dwell with cursed blood veins forever, no matter what.

Rock also appears as a playable character in Capcom vs. SNK 2 and The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact. Rock Howard has been voiced by Eiji Takemoto.

Related Characters

• Terry Bogard
• Kain R. Heinlein
• Geese Howard
• Grant
• Marie Heinlein