Art of Fighting/Robert

Click here for more information about Robert's other fighting game appearances.


 * Name: Robert Garcia
 * First appearance: Art of Fighting
 * Other appearances: Art of Fighting series, The King of Fighters series, NeoGeo Battle Coliseum

Robert Garcia (ロバート・ガルシア) is the first foreign practitioner of Kyokuganryu Karate and the best friend of Ryo Sakazaki. He is the son of a wealthy Italian businessman.

Story (in the Art of Fighting Series)
Robert Garcia is the son of Alberto Garcia, a wealthy Italian businessman and best friend of Takuma Sakazaki, the master of Kyokugenryu Karate. Alberto persuaded Takuma to teach Robert discipline through Kyokugenryu. While living with his new sensei, Robert quickly befriended Takuma's children, Ryo and Yuri. Ryo became his best friend, and Robert eventually developed romantic feelings for Yuri. He has held a special relationship with Yuri ever since he first met her, and would likely wed her if not for Takuma and Ryo, who either overprotect Yuri out of habit or suspect that Robert might take her for granted.

In Art of Fighting, Geese Howard secretly blackmailed Takuma into working for him after he kidnapped Yuri. Meanwhile, Ryo and Robert began searching Southtown's dojos, dives, and nightclubs for clues about Yuri's disappearance. In the process, they fought Southtown's toughest criminals, bouncers, and martial artists. They eventually learned that Mr. Big allegedly masterminded the kidnapping.

One of Mr. Big's henchmen led Ryo and Robert to Mr. Big, and Robert defeated him. When he demanded that Mr. Big release Yuri, Mr. Big sent them to a dojo where his henchman Mr. Karate purportedly held Yuri. Exhausted from his fight with Mr. Big, Robert stepped aside to let Ryo fight Mr. Karate. Ryo nearly used a haoushoukouken to finish him off, but Yuri, having escaped her captors unharmed, sneaked in and told Ryo not to harm him since Mr. Karate was really their father, Takuma. Then they had a joyous reunion.

After the events from Art of Fighting and Art of Fighting 2, Robert visited Mexico in Art of Fighting 3 to help Freya Lawrence, a childhood friend, save her brother Wyler. Wyler is attempting to perfect a drug that will enhance one's physical characteristics to superhuman levels. Robert beats Wyler, but due to the usage of the drug his mind has been destroyed. Freya, concerned for Wyler's well being, decides to stay with him in order to take care of him, and the adventure comes to an end.

Robert benefits from his father's wealth. He always wears fancy clothes and drives expensive cars. Despite Ryo and Takuma's constant scrutiny, he sometimes gives luxurious gifts to Yuri. Robert also has an air of cockiness due to his constant wealth, which is seen by his friend Ryo as a sign of rudeness since Ryo's family lives in constant poverty due to having their finances run the Kyokugenryu dojo.

His Kyokugenryu movelist operates on the principle of Ryugeki, a class lower than the Kou-Ou principle but higher than the Raiou principle. Robert's style focuses upon lethal kicks, his signature move being the genei-kyaku or spirit kick.

Art of Fighting 2
If you pick Robert as your first opponent in Art of Fighting 2 (single player mode), you will fight the other contestants in the following order:

If you qualify for the 13. fight, you will fight against Geese Howard. See the secrets section for more information.