strong as an Offensive Art, they can be used in tactical situations (for example, while guarding an attack or while lying prone on the ground) to stop an opponent's offense. An advanced technique that uses the Defense gauge is the Impact Break, which breaks a player's guard after successfully blocking an attack to allow a counter-offensive. When both the Offense and Defense gauges are full, they merge into a Critical gauge. The benefits of both meters are still available, but each characters' strongest skill is only available at the Critical point. A new graphics engine was used to animate the various limbs of each character separately, allowing for more fluid animation. This engine also allows the clothes of each character to rip from wear and tear as they take more damage throughout a match. Characters Zen - A stoic man fighting for himself. He is an all-rounded character who is beginner-friendly. Hikari - Kaya's sister, she is kind and gentle. She is an adept at defending and countering attacks. Typhon - A young fighter who is quick and agile and has a range of projectile attacks. Garnet - A playful woman who mainly attacks with her legs. She has a somewhat long reach and has a variety of attacks for different situations. Orville - A 6'11" tall, large-framed man who is an adept at grappling and rushing attacks. Boyd - A short, elderly man who can emit shots of energy from his fingertips. Viren - A mysterious, intimidating fighter who uses a wide array of weapons to fight, including a chain, a stungun, and Molotov cocktails. Kaya - Hikari's sister, she is somewhat cold, stoic, and serious. She has a versatile range of attacks and defensive maneuvers. Aran - A womanizing man, he is useful at almost any range, with projectile attacks and close-range rushing attacks. Greed - A large man with a white mane of hair. He is a merciless fighter who has taken the lives of many people. He has a rather long reach and has several rushing attacks. Sheryl (PlayStation 2 version only) - A bonus character from The Rumble Fish 2. She is an assassin whose fighting style is based upon wires and setting traps across the screen. Hazama (PlayStation 2 version only) - A bonus character from The Rumble Fish 2. He works under PROBE-NEXUS' CEO. He has strong attacks and a somewhat long range.