T.J. Combo

  
                           
 

BIO:

A former heavyweight boxing champion for 5 years. He was stripped of his title and kicked out of the circuit when it was discovered that his arms had cybernetic implants which greatly helped his boxing ability. Ultratech promises him his title will be returned if he wins the tournament. Now broke, he enters the Killer Instinct tournament for the love of money.
    
                           
     

ORIGIN:
Killer Instinct

  
                                   


                 
   

OTHER APPEARANCES:
Killer Instinct 2, Killer Instinct Gold, Killer Instinct (2013)

   
           
 

Page Updated:  Oct. 29th, 2023

For me, Combo was an immediately likeable character in the first Killer Instinct. I usually identify with "martial artists" in fighting games... and pugilists count as well. In every way, he seemed like a "legit" fighter and reminded me of Mike Tyson (who I was a fan of). Even though some 90's arcade noobs would call T.J. a "Balrog rip-off"  (notably because of how he uses charge up moves), Combo still has a uniquely cool, "dirty boxing" fighting style of his own. He's also got a tough guy personality, which is comical at times. In KI2, he also became the first fighting game character to pull out a machine gun and bust some caps... lmao. What a jerk.

Combo was actually my original main in Killer Instinct... I put many tokens into that arcade machine and Ultra-combo'd many opponents (or went with the Ultimate if I was feeling lazy). Combo was no doubt a memorable character in KI / KI2 / KI Gold and had a cool aura about him... but honestly, I didn't like his KI 2013 incarnation, at all. The "spirit" of the design seems lost, IMO. He doesn't seem as cool (or as thick) anymore. The dude in KI2013 looks like a TJ Combo cosplayer, or just seems like a washed up version. Not a fan of the mustache / goatee either (he ain't Dudley). Needless to say, TJ's best appearances were in the earlier games.

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