Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves doesn't stop at familiar faces—it reimagines the battle from the ground up. The S.P.G. bar (Selective Potential Gear) sits at the heart of the updated combat system.
It could appear as just another flashy power-up term, but it's definitely more than that. The S.P.G. system allows players to manage their momentum, whether they go all-out early or play their trump card for a last-minute win.
When it hits, things can take off fast—in the best possible way. Here's what it actually does and why it matters.
What Is S.P.G Bar?
One of the standout mechanics in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is the S.P.G. Bar, which cleverly reworks Garou: Mark of the Wolves' old T.O.P. system.
Instead of just being a timed power-up, it's a fully customizable mechanic that changes your whole strategy before the match even starts.
The boost can be activated at the beginning, middle, or end of the health bar, giving players control over their approach to pressure or comebacks.
When the match begins, your S.P.G. activates as soon as your health enters the chosen zone. This is when you unlock REV Blows, armored moves that break through attacks and can be canceled from other specials.
You can only access these in the S.P.G. zone, meaning where you place it determines your access to some of the game's most powerful tools. In this state, your character deals more damage, and actions like REV Cancels (EX cancels) cost less meter.
The lower your S.P.G. is placed on your health bar, the bigger your discounts get. For example, performing a series of EX moves from low health might only burn around half of your meter, while doing the same combo with a top-placed S.P.G. could nearly drain it.
The S.P.G. zone unlocks new moves and boosts the meter, but it also gives a nice bump to regen and recovery. When you're standing idle, the zone at the start of the bar lasts slightly longer than if it's set near the end, but the regen effects are only active while your health sits inside that chosen S.P.G. portion.
So placing it at the start gives you early health regen and offensive potential. Choose the end instead, and you're betting it all on one last surge when things get dicey.
This all ties back into the game's broader meter system, especially the REV Meter, which governs how often you can perform EX specials and other cancel-heavy maneuvers. The S.P.G. works to delay this by cutting down on your meter usage, especially in low-health situations.
On the other hand, when you're overheated, your defenses take a hit and blocking will slowly drain your guard gauge. If that breaks, you're wide open for punishment. Where you place, the S.P.G. can dramatically change your match flow.
If you're the type to rush down right out the gate, putting it at the start gives you access to REV Blows and buffs before your opponent can even react. If you prefer mid-match aggression, placing it in the center is a solid middle ground—you'll have some meter built up and can start layering in high-damage combos.
Meanwhile, players who enjoy dramatic comebacks tend to save it for the end of their bar. It's a gamble, but that late-game boost can make all the difference, especially when combined with a maxed-out meter for powerful supers like Redline Gear or the exclusive Hidden Gear, which only unlocks in the S.P.G. state with both meters at full capacity.
It also works differently from the REV system, which focuses more on how you manage your meter than where your health is. If you want to know how the REV system works, here's our guide to check out.