Joe Higashi is Japanese but made Thailand his home, training extensively in Muay Thai. His grandmother gave him a headband before he left Japan—a keepsake to remember where he came from no matter how far he traveled. He earned the nickname "Hurricane Upper" Joe through his string of victories, and there's a running joke in his character endings where he keeps saying his legend is "just beginning."
After becoming the Muay Thai champion, Joe headed to South Town to test himself in the King of Fighters tournament. That's where he ran into Andy and Terry Bogard, who were tracking down their father's killer, Geese Howard. When Joe tipped them off that Geese was running the tournament, the three became tight. In the competition itself, he faced off against a bitter Hwa Jai, beat him, and the two eventually became friends and rivals back in Thailand.
Early on, Joe was all business—fighting and training consumed him. Over time he loosened up considerably, becoming goofy and prone to calling himself a genius at pretty much everything, which he'll attribute to how hard he's worked. He doesn't approach fights with the same intensity as the Bogards, but he genuinely loves to fight. Given the chance, he'd challenge every strong fighter he meets, drawn to the thrill and the spotlight.
Despite his rowdy personality, he's genuinely close with both Bogard brothers and people in his circle. That said, he's managed to earn Billy's personal hatred over his interest in Billy's sister, Lilly.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
