Several major figures from The King of Fighters Orochi arc.Promotional The King of Fighters All Star image featuring major characters from the NESTS arc.
The King of Fightersfighting game series, produced by SNK, includes a wide cast of characters, some of which are taken from other SNK games. The story takes place in a fictional universe in which an annual series of 3-on-3 or 4-on-4 fighting tournaments are held.
The first game in the series introduces the initial main character of the series, Kyo Kusanagi, a young Japanese fighter who is the heir to a powerful group of martial artists having pyrokinetic abilities. Kyo fights against the Kusanagi clan's enemies, his rival Iori Yagami, and the snake entity Orochi and its human followers, among others. The first four games in the series revolve about these fights, while The King of Fighters '99 introduces a new story arc, revolving around K′, a young man who seeks to destroy the mysterious NESTS organization because they kidnapped him at an early age and stripped him of his past memories so that they could force him to be a fighter under their control. In The King of Fighters 2003, a new character named Ash Crimson enters the tournament, to steal the powers of the clans who sealed the Orochi in the past for unknown reasons. A new group of antagonists, known as Those From the Past, also appears in the series; they want to obtain Orochi's power for the purpose of giving it to their unknown master. The latest story arc involves a young Chinese fighter named Shun'ei who possesses unknown supernatural powers, as a result of and being connected with Ash's time-traveling paradox.
The plot and the characters came from the Yamata no Orochi legend. There are also several characters in the games that are parodies or homages. Merchandise based on the characters has also been released, including action figures and keychains. The characters have garnered praise from several video game publications for the quality of their designs and movesets. Comments focused on the lack of improvements in some of the characters, but added that the roster is greatly diverse.
Cast creation and influences
The developers of the series claim that their prototype version for King of Fighters was going to be a Double Dragon-style side-scrolling beat 'em up titled Survivor. It would have used only core characters from the Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury series, specifically allowing players to play Robert Garcia and Terry Bogard for location testing. However, the idea was quickly abandoned. Since the developers were attached to the idea of the two series cross-over, they eventually agreed to make their idea into a fighting game. Characters from the Ikari Warriors and Psycho Soldier games were also added in the spirit of other gaming genres considered for their final product. The concept of a three-man team was one of the ideas kept from the side-scrolling version.[1] Flagship director Toyohisa Tanabe asserts that the Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury fighters were added specifically for adults. The newer King of Fighters characters were aimed to appeal to younger and newer audiences. He adds that every original character for the series was added based on the developers' strong desire to make one. For example, he agreed to include characters such as Benimaru Nikaido and Chang Koehan to add an off-beat variety to the cast, which he had previously deemed to be too serious. Later in the series, their approach to creating their characters altered slightly, to also serve as a type of fan service, which he refers to as a collaborative effort between fans and the staff.[2]
Several characters that appear in the series are parodies or homages to either anime, manga, actors, films or television shows that held the creators' interest. Noticeable examples are K9999 and Zero.[2] Characters are sometimes added at the voice actors' convenience, or to fill in gaps that occur for each installment's story; this happens with Duck King in The King of Fighters XI and Ryuji Yamazaki in The King of Fighters '97.[3][4] Several characters were added to the roster by Eolith's desire when this company sponsored SNK, to attract fans from Eolith's region.[5]
When designing characters for the first King of Fighters game, developers wanted a new, "snazzy" hero who would easily fight against Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting characters. Initially, this character was called Syo Kirishima, but late in the production, his name was changed to Kyo Kusanagi. This was done in order to relate him with the Yamata no Orochi legend, which was used as the inspiration for the first arc (and specifically featured a majestic sword known as Kusanagi no Tsurugi).[6] To continue with the idea of the Orochi plot, the designers gave several other characters, such as Kyo's rival Iori Yagami, similar characteristics to Kyo.[7] In The King of Fighters '99, to contrast the previous protagonist of the series, K' was made to be the "dark hero".[8] K's introduction to the series was meant to remove popular characters Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami from the roster, though this idea was scrapped in the game's release.[9] Due to the large additions of teenager characters in the series, SNK decided to add several middle-age ones to balance them.[10][11]
Oda said while researching for the game's new characters, they avoided stereotypes like Japanese sumo wrestlers to produce more diversity in the cast which includes characters of various nationalities. Oda coined the term "Kyo-ify" based on the series' main character Kyo Kusanagi in regards to the stylishness presented in the cast. As a result, Oda wanted the fighters to look as appealing as Kyo.[12] Art director Nobuyuki Kuroki found it unfair that only a few designers were included on the staff.[13] Oda created Antonov by mixing traits SNK founding owner, Chairman Kawasaki, and Mr. T, an executive at the time, and divides it by the cosmological constant.[14]Eisuke Ogura created newcomers Shun'ei and Sylvie, distancing them from previous veterans. Kuroki regarded Shun'ei as important to the narrative, desiring his personality to contrast previous leads.[15] Main characters Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami underwent a major redesign to fit the series' new story arc while at the same time the development team tried to keep their appeal intact. Kuroki said he made this move despite fearing a negative response based on the rivals' popularity.[16][17]
Benimaru Nikaido (二階堂 紅丸, Nikaidō Benimaru), a professional shoot boxing fighter and model who can create electricity,[18] In The King of Fighters XI, Kyo, Iori, and Shingo enter the tournament together at the convalescent Chizuru's behest (Shingo's presence serving ostensibly to keep Kyo and Iori from being at each other's throats) to stop Ash as the '"Kusanagi & Yagami Team". In The King of Fighters 2003, Benimaru, Goro, and Shingo enters the tournament as the Benimaru Team. Benimaru and Duo Lon, a teammate of Ash's team from the previous tournament, are invited by Elisabeth Blanctorche to enter the tournament as the Rival Team to track down Ash. In The King of Fighters XIII, Kyo, Benimaru, and Goro enter the tournament to relive their old days as the Japan Team, while Shingo look after Chizuru until her Yata Mirror recovers. in The King of Fighters XV, Kyo had also insist for Benimaru to accompany Tung Fu Rue's last disciples from the previous tournament, Shun’ei and Meitenkun per the Hakkyokuseiken grandmaster's request.
Goro Daimon (大門 五郎 Daimon Gorō), a former gold medalist in Judo and mentor to his own dojo.[19] Goro retires from being a fighter and returns to the Judo circuit representing Japan in KOF '97.[20]
Chin Gentsai
Chin Gentsai, master of Athena and Sie and a master of various styles of Kung Fu, though he fights primarily with Drunken Boxing.
Heavy D! is a professional boxer who was banned from regular competition after severely injuring his opponent. While introduced in The King of Fighters '94, he only returns in The King of Fighters '98.
Lucky Glauber is a former professional basketball player and a Karate champion with a penchant for street fighting. While introduced in The King of Fighters '94, he only returns in The King of Fighters '98.
Brian Battler is an American football player who also makes use of wrestling. While introduced in The King of Fighters '94, he only returns in The King of Fighters '98.
Chang Koehan
Chang Koehan is a very large criminal who fights with a large metal ball attached to a chain.
Choi Bounge
Choi Bounge is a very small criminal who fights with Freddy Krueger-esque claw.
Rugal Bernstein
Rugal Bernstein is an arms dealer and the organizer of The King of Fighters tournament. He is capable of copying any technique after seeing it performed once and he makes heavy use of Geese Howard's Reppuuken and Wolfgang Krauser's Kaiser Wave ki-attacks. He also has techniques of his own, such as a slashing kick named Genocide Cutter. While in The King of Fighters '95, he only appears in his superpowered form, his regular form can be selected in The King of Fighters '98. Omega Rugal returns in The King of Fighters 2002 and its remake as well as in The King of Fighters XV.
Introduced in The King of Fighters '95
Iori Yagami
Iori Yagami is a descendant of Yasakani, gifting him blue flames that he uses to fight. However, the curse of the Orochi gives him a berserker form in KOF '97 called Orochi Iori which appears as a boss. Iori also often appears as Kyo's rivals not because of their clans' past but because of a personal crudge.
Saisyu Kusanagi (草薙 柴舟, Kusanagi Saishū) debuted in The King of Fighters '94 as a victim in Rugal's gallery of defeated fighters. He appears as a mid-boss in The King of Fighters '95, and becomes playable for the first time on the screen in The King of Fighters '98, although he was selectable in the console versions of The King of Fighters '95 as a secret character. He was originally meant to have died in The King of Fighters '94, but was added in at the last minute of development for The King of Fighters '95.[21]
Saisyu Kusanagi is the previous head of the Kusanagi clan, who left his family to face worthy opponents across the globe. After his defeat by Rugal, he is brainwashed by his secretary Vice to fight his son, Kyo. Upon his defeat, he regains his senses and escapes from Rugal's missile silo base.[22] Although Saisyu is missing,[23] in The King of Fighters 2001, he appears before Shingo Yabuki and spends a year properly teaching him the Kusanagi fighting style. He is still playable in The King of Fighters '98 and Neowave. He returns in the story during the prologue from The King of Fighters XIV asking Kyo to meet Tung Fu Rue in the upcoming competition. In the 2010 live-action film adaptation of The King of Fighters, Saisyu is played by Japanese actor Hiro Kanagawa.
Introduced in The King of Fighters '96
Leona Heidern
Leona Heidern (レオナ, Reona), Heidern's adopted daughter introduced in The King of Fighters '96, replaces him as he takes on a more active role behind the scenes, investigating occurrences parallel to the tournament. Although she tends to be very quiet, Leona was conceived to be an Orochi descendant at the time of her debut, and her designers took special care to let their interests at the time reflect in her actions.[24] Her official nickname is The Silent Soldier. Although she recovers from her childhood trauma at the end of King of Fighters '97, she leaves the team after attacking her friends in the Riot of the Blood state at the conclusion of King of Fighters 2003 and tries to regain her focus from within her personal time.
Vice (バイス, Baisu) and Mature (マチュア, Machua) appear as members of Iori's Team in The King of Fighters '96. The designers at the time created both Vice and Mature with the image of a "cruel woman" and a "ruthless woman", respectively. Their origin story is mostly based on the notion of Rugal employing secretaries prior to The King of Fighters '96. Both women were unavailable during location testing and were likely finished near the end of the game's production schedule.[25] Aside from serving Rugal, both women were also spies and wielders of Orochi.[26] They form a team with Iori in order to keep an eye on him, but both of them are killed by Iori.[27]
With Vice's return in The King of Fighters XIII, Iori's 1996 team is reunited for the first time since The King of Fighters 2002.[29] In The King of Fighters XIII, both women are spirits, reflecting their fates at the end of the 1996 tournament. With the rise of a new Orochi crisis brought on by Ash Crimson's meddling, they convince Iori to enter the new tournament to settle matters and stop whatever it is Ash has in mind.
The duo returns in The King of Fighters XIV to team up with Iori once more since The King of Fighters XIII. After witnessing the possible return of Orochi, they quietly return to the shadows from once they came.
In The King of Fighters XV, the two are briefly mentioned in Iori's background story telling him that they would stand back and watch him from the audience this time. They are set to return as downloadable content.[30]
Chizuru Kagura (神楽 ちづる, Kagura Chizuru) is a member of the Yata clan who holds one of the three sacred artifacts, the Yata Mirror, that originally sealed the serpent monster Orochi eighteen hundred years ago. As the younger heiress of the Yata clan, the other being her older twin sister Maki Kagura, Chizuru was raised as a priestess who maintains the duty of keeping the diligent seal on Orochi intact. One night, Goenitz visited their home and destroyed the seal after killing Maki since the Yata Mirror cannot fight Orochi nor Goenitz's strength alone without the aid of the other two clans. Though in a weaken state, Orochi was released from its seal and Goenitz leaves satisfied. Before her death, Maki passes on the responsibilities of the seal to Chizuru, begging her to bring the three clans together to defeat Orochi. Ten years afterwards, Chizuru becomes a very successful and prestigious businesswoman and the owner of Kagura Enterprises. During this time, she secretly kept track with the King of Fighters tournaments since it began with Geese Howard and comes up with an idea to bringing the clans together. She is playable in The King of Fighters '96, The King of Fighters '97, The King of Fighters 2003 and The King of Fighters XV. In the 2010 live-action film adaptation of The King of Fighters, Chizuru is portrayed by Chinese-Canadian actress Françoise Yip.
Goenitz (ゲーニッツ, Gēnittsu) is one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi, with the power to command the element of wind. Goenitz has a very polite personality which is reflected in his winning poses and his elegant, somewhat flowery speech. Even though influenced by Orochi, he sports the same messianistic attitude that aspires to bring about "salvation" expected from people of religious occupations. During the 1996 tournament, Goenitz discovers that Chizuru Kagura plans to gather warriors to seal the Orochi and heads there to stop her. In addition to this, Goenitz is the one who took Rugal's right eye, who in turn Rugal took Heidern's own right eye. Depending on the playable characters, Goenitz is either killed by Iori Yagami and Kyo Kusanagi, sealed by Chizuru, or commits suicide at the end of KOF '96.[32]
According to the manga adaption of KOF XIV titled The King of Fighters: A New Beginning, it is confirmed that Goenitz is one of the souls inside Verse. Following his revival after KOF XIV, Goenitz is dismayed about his fellow Heavenly Kings/New Faces/Orochi Team members being split into two halves, but despite this, both the normal and awakened forms of the Orochi Team are still determined to carry out Orochi's mission while also trying to avoid the Ikari Warriors' current surveillance towards them.
Introduced in The King of Fighters '97
Orochi Team
Voiced by: Rio Ogata (KOF '97–NGH:US), Shiki Aoki (KOFAS), Yuki Sakakibara (KOF for Girls), Rui Yamasaki (KOF XV) (Chris)
The original New Faces Team, also known as the Orochi Team is a group from The King of Fighters '97. Using the Orochi power, they are stated as the Japan Team's counterparts, since they have their same abilities: Chris is able create flames like Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami, Shermie creates lightning like Benimaru Nikaido, and Yashiro has enormous strength enough to shatter the earth like Goro Daimon.
Having been dead for years after the events of KOF '97, Ash Crimson's suicidal action at the end of the XIII tournament had caused their souls to reside within a creature known as Verse during the XIV tournament. When Verse is defeated, the New Faces/Orochi Team's souls are released from it, leading to both their resurrection as of the canonical spin-off crossover SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy and return in KOF XV. However, their revival causes their awakened Orochi personalities to split from them into separate entities unlike Goenitz and much to their own dismay. Despite this, both the normal and awakened forms of the Orochi Team still vow to carry out Orochi's mission while also trying to avoid the Ikari Warriors' current surveillance towards them. They are three of the Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi. The group is composed of a
Chris
Ayoung Swedish boy named Chris (クリス, Kurisu) who utilizes a swift fighting style that relies on quick movements.
Shermie
A beautiful but shady Frenchwoman named Shermie (シェルミー, Sherumī) who specializes in Joshi puroresu.
Yashiro Nanakase
Yashiro Nanakase (七枷 社, Nanakase Yashiro) is a tall Japanese guitar player who utilizes a fighting style that combines powerful strikes with a few aspects of capoeira. They initially enter due to Yashiro's grudge against Iori and his own band (which had overshadowed a performance of theirs before the tournament), but as the tournament progresses, the Orochi blood inside their bodies soon awakens, causing them to remember their status as three of the Four Heavenly Kings. As loyal members of Orochi, they continue to gather power for the awakening until they are forced to kill themselves in order to resurrect Orochi through Chris' body, a concept that began early in the game's production.[33]
Shingo Yabuki (矢吹 真吾 Yabuki Shingo?), a high school student who idolizes Kyo and dreams of being able to wield flames, becomes a friend of the team and appears as an edit entry character.[34] During the NESTS saga which began in The King of Fighters '99, Benimaru and Shingo are invited to participate in the tournament. In The King of Fighters 2000, Benimaru forms his own team, the Benimaru Team with Shingo, and two newcomers: Seth, an old friend of Benimaru and a mercenary, and Lin, a Hizoku clan assassin seeking to find a man named Ron. In 2001, Shingo is scouted by Kyo's father Saisyu and becoming the elder Kusanagi's student instead.
Orochi (オロチ, Orochi) is the final boss of The King of Fighters '97, and can be considered the main antagonist of the series as most villains either serve it or wants to use its powers for their own ends. Its character origin is another interpretation of the mythical eight-headed serpent demon, Yamata no Orochi. In The King of Fighters series, it is a chthonic supernatural being that is the will of Gaia. It has no distinct gender. It does not regard humanity as trustworthy with regard to coexisting with the planet without ravaging it, and so seeks to extinguish humanity. It was sealed 1,800 years ago by the three sacred treasures of Japan. The three clans' descendants are charged with protecting the seal. In The King of Fighters '97, it incarnates in Chris (a herald of Orochi) to save the Gaia.[35]
It is sealed again at the end of the '97 tournament by the three descendants of the users of the three sacred treasures (Kyo, Chizuru and Iori), but the seal is later broken (though not to the point of actually releasing it) by the demon Mukai at the end of The King of Fighters 2003.[36][37] A clone of Orochi appears as a boss in NeoGeo Battle Coliseum named Mizuchi.
In The King of Fighters XIV, Orochi is one of the many souls inside Verse as shown through Verse's win quote against Kyo and in the ending of Team Yagami, as it lands in Aggtelek-Karst in Hungary, it is sealed away once again due to being in its still weakened state.
Yuki
Yuki is Kyo Kusanagi's girlfriend and appears in The King of Fighters '97 as a cameo. Revealed as the Kushinada's descendant, the New Faces Team try to sacrifice her to revive Orochi just like in the ancient times. Yuki manages to survive but is not seen in the main titles until The King of Fighters 2000 where it is revealed Kyo hides from her so that the NESTS cartel would use her. She would eventually return in Kyo's ending in The King of Fighters XV While Kyo's girlfriend Yuki was also created by Morioka out of jealousy,[38] Kuwasashi was against using her in a romantic scene, believing it would not fit the narrative.[39] Yuki would become a more active character in spin-offs including The King of Fighters: Kyo and SNK Gals' Fighters.
Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi,[citation needed] Yui Shimodaya (New Maxima; KOFAS)(Japanese); Michael Jarmus (KOF: MI2, KOF: AD) (English)
Maxima (マキシマ, Makishima) debuts as a member of the Hero Team in The King of Fighters '99. He was added to the cast with the desire to add a "somber and reliable middle-aged character" to counteract the introduction of multiple teenage characters.[11] Both he and his former deceased partner Rocky are inspired by two characters of the same names from the 1991 SNK beat 'em up arcade game Robo Army.
Maxima was a Canadian soldier who led a normal life until he found out that his comrade-in-arms Rocky was killed in an incident involving NESTS.[40] To avenge Rocky's death, he abandons his ordinary life. In order to infiltrate the NESTS cartel without being recognized, Maxima was transformed into a cyborg, with his strength and reaction time increased to superhuman levels, built-in weapons, and the ability to conduct instant data analysis. He also has some degree of cyberpathy. He infiltrates NESTS and is assigned to be the partner of K′. They both defect from the cartel after K' encounters his clone, Krizalid, and grows sickened by the organization. Since then, he has become K's steadfast companion and he is often the one who enters both of them into the following tournaments.
Whip
Whip (ウィップ, Wippu) appears in The King of Fighters '99 as the new member to the Ikari Team. She is a clone of K′s sister[41] and once worked for NESTS as an assassin. She is eventually assigned to Heidern's mercenary unit for The King of Fighters tournament to investigate NESTS and the mysterious fighter known only as K'.[42] Once she realizes who K' is, she reveals their relation to him and joins him in his objective to destroy the NESTS cartel. After NESTS' downfall, she returns to her duties under Heidern's command. One of her moves depicts her shooting her opponents with a Desert Eagle-like handgun. The firearm is edited from the American release of the games in arcades, but is uncensored in the home release versions.[43]
Bao
A Chinese boy named Bao (包; ch: Bāo; ja: Pao) trains with the Psycho Soldier Team since King of Fighters '99.[44]
Jhun Hoon
Jhun Hoon (Korean: 전훈Jeon Hoon, Japanese: ジョン・フーンJon Fūn) is a childhood friend of Kim and rival, took noticed of Kim's rehabilitation project and after seeing the ethics and methods of training towards Chang and Choi, he decides that he would show Kim a more efficient way of management for the criminals and joins the team as the fourth member for the '99 and 2000 tournaments.[45]
Kyo 1 and Kyo 2
The two Kyo Kusanagi clones are taken from an army created by NESTS following multiple experiments with the kidnapped Kyo. They were given school uniform due to the original's iconic popularity as well as different fighting style with Kyo-1 acting like classic one from The King of Fighters '94 who relied on projectiles while Kyo-2 instead used mixed kenpo arts alongside his flame like the original did starting The King of Fighters 96 . Both of these characters return in The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match.[46][47] Despite being able to create fire like Kyo, their bodies are unable to properly imitate Kyo's fighting style in The King of Fighters '99 due to their lack of training.[48]
Krizalid (クリザリッド, Kurizariddo) acts as the mid and final boss of The King of Fighters '99. He was designed to be a stylish and earnestly strong boss, though the supervising designer at the time admits, "I think I overdid it a little."[49]
He is made to be the ultimate Kyo clone, outfitted with a special suit to feed the data of fighters into his body during battle. He also happens to be a clone of K′. As a side effect, he gained some of K's memories and believed that Whip was his sister. He is ordered to activate the thousands of Kyo clones around the world so that they can attack in a simultaneous strike. After his defeat against K', his superior, Zero, neutralizes the Kyo clones and kills Krizalid by throwing a boulder to crush him. He is later revived by the original Zero and fights alongside him in the 2001 tournament.
Kula Diamond (クーラ・ダイアモンド, Kūra Daiamondo) is a teenage girl who was experimented on by NESTS in order to exterminate the cartel's traitor, K'. Despite the fact their subject was a mindless puppet with no sign of emotions, the NESTS cartel created an android called Candy Diamond to monitor Kula's behavior and to ensure that she would accomplish her missions. During KOF 2000, Kula can be fought as a mid-boss during her debut.[50] In the following game, The King of Fighters 2001, Kula enters into the fighting tournament with fellow NESTS' agents Foxy, K9999 and Ángel to capture K'.[51] With the end of NESTS, Kula joins K' and Heidern's forces.
Lin (Chinese:麟; Pinyin: Lín; Japanese: 麟 Rin) is one of the new characters introduced in The King of Fighters 2000 as a member of the Benimaru Team. He, along with the Flying Brigands subplot, was created without the entire staff's knowledge, leading to some developers being surprised by his team's ending.[52]
Though he is no longer an active member in King of Fighters, his story and character have not been abandoned.[53] He is a member of the assassination group, The Flying Brigands—or Hizoku (飛賊, Hizoku) Clan in Japanese—which is apparently on the brink of ruin. The agent Seth entices him to enter the King of Fighters tournament in order to find their clan's missing leader, Ron.[54] After learning that Ron had defected to NESTS for his personal greed, Lin tracks the activities of NESTS' renegades, K′ and his teammates, in hopes of finding his traitorous leader. He joins up with K', Maxima, and Whip in the 2001 tournament. He continues to search for Ron even after NESTS' destruction.[55] For an unexplained reason, he appears next to Ron in the Psycho Soldier Team's ending in The King of Fighters XI.[citation needed] He is a master of the Poison Hand technique, which enables the user to turn their own blood into venom.
Ron
Ron (Chinese: 龍; Pinyin: Lóng; Japanese: 龍(ロン) Ron) is first introduced as a sub-plot character in The King of Fighters 2000. He later appears as a Striker for Zero in The King of Fighters 2001. Though he is not playable in the series, he serves as an important side-story character. According to his official profile, his main objective is to gain the ability to manipulate the dead. He is the former leader to an elite assassination group known as the Flying Brigands—Hizoku (飛賊, Hizoku) Clan in Japanese—and the father to a number of their members, including Duo Lon and Xiao Lon. He betrayed the Flying Brigands by joining NESTS for personal gain, labeling himself as a traitor by many of the group's members, including Lin, his former pupil. After NESTS' destruction, he reveals his great interest in a mysterious power shared by Sie Kensou and Bao known as the Dragon Spirit.
Ramón (ラモン) makes his first appearance in The King of Fighters 2000 as a member of the game's Hero Team. Ramón is the only character to speak Spanish in the game, and was created to appeal to the Latin American fanbase. He has a fighting style primarily based on lucha libre.[56]
Ramón is a famous luchador known as "El Diablo Amarillo" (The Yellow Devil), who is loved by his fans in the wrestling circle. He is approached by an agent named Vanessa, who requests in his cooperation in forming a team for The King of Fighters 2000 tournament. Since then, he has had a one-sided infatuation with Vanessa.[57] After King of Fighters 2000, he continues to team with Vanessa at her request, often along with Seth.
Ramón later becomes the leader of Team Mexico/Mexican Wrestler, the first Team Wrestler, consisting of himself, the former NESTS agent Ángel, and Tizoc (from Garou: Mark of the Wolves). He forms the team during a vacation, where he helps Ángel out in reforming her life and also helps Tizoc out in convincing and disguising him as a heel wrestler known as "King of Dinosaurs" due to Tizoc's humiliating loss at the hands of the Argentine boxer Nelson. In KOF XV, Antonov replaces Ángel in joining up with both Ramón and King of Dinosaurs, with Antonov himself leading a second wrestler team known as Team G.A.W. (Galaxy Anton Wrestling).
Seth (セス, Sesu) makes his first appearance in the series as a "Striker" in The King of Fighters '99 Evolution. He debuts as a playable character in The King of Fighters 2000 as a member of the Benimaru Team. He was created along with Vanessa, though Seth became the visual model for her. Developers wished to have a character with "the powerful image of a big, dark, middle-aged man with a Mohawk haircut".[58]
Seth was ordered by his superior Ling to enter the King of Fighters tournament in order to capture the Flying Brigands leader, Ron. To do this, he arranges to work with the Benimaru Team.[54] During the tournament, he learns that Ling is really Zero in disguise, and that Ron had joined with NESTS. He continues to investigate Ron's activities as the series progresses.[59]
Vanessa
Voiced by: Kaori Minami (KOF 2000–KOF XI), Mayumi Hata (KOF XIV onwards)
Vanessa (ヴァネッサ, Vanessa) first debuts as a Striker in The King of Fighters '99 Evolution, and becomes playable in The King of Fighters 2000. Like Maxima, she was created as a middle-aged female to contrast the multiple teenage characters in the roster.[10] Vanessa is a normal housewife who discreetly serves as a mercenary agent. Working under the orders of Commander Ling, Vanessa and fellow agent Seth are commissioned with the job of joining Ling's King of Fighters tournament to follow the footsteps of the NESTS cartel. The two agents part from one another, with Vanessa recruiting prime suspects K′, Maxima, and Ramón to complete their team. Her objective from then on is to observe the activities of the NESTS defectors, based on Ling's orders.[60] In The King of Fighters XI, Vanessa enters the tournament together with Blue Mary and Ramón under orders to receive information concerning the broken Orochi seal and the mysterious members of Those From the Past.[61]
Zero (ゼロ) is one of the higher-ranked agents of NESTS. The designer, C.A.C. Yamasaki, admits basing Zero off a certain character from the manga Fist of the North Star.[62] Zero begins to secretly build his own weapon from NESTS' technology called the "Zero Cannon". He sets his plans into motion in The King of Fighters 2000. There, he impersonates a military commander named Ling and uses his persona as a decoy to stop the military resistance against him. Depending on whether or not the player defeats Kula, his plans are foiled by either Heidern or Kula, who is sent to execute him for his treacherous acts. While dying, he tells Whip of who she really was, angering her to shoot him dead.
Introduced in The King of Fighters 2001
May Lee
In The King of Fighters 2001, the young May Lee joins the Korea Team replacing Jhun who broke his right arm while chasing an image of Athena Asamiya, of whom he is a fan of. May Lee is a perky teenager and a student of Kim who have always admired the team.[63]
K9999 (pronounced K Four-Nine), the 9999th clone of Kyo Kusanagi-based entirely on Tetsuo Shima from Akira, being able to transform his arm into a long deformed flesh tentacle much like Tetsuo's own. Due to copyright issues, for The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match remake, he was replaced with a similar character. The character is called "Nameless", a clone from both Kyo and K' (whose hair, reflecting this, is half brown like that of Kyo, and half white like that of K') who uses two types of flames to fight, while equipped with an Anti-K glove to keep his flame power in check, created from the DNA of his deceased lover who looks like Kula, Isolde.[64] K9999 would later be re-introduced in KOF XV as Krohnen McDougall (クローネン・マクドガル, Kurōnen Makudogaru).
Foxy (フォクシー, Fokushī), an expert fencer who works alongside Kula's second guardian and another expert fencer named Diana; Ángel, a ditzy yet deadly Mexican female fighter; and K9999 (pronounced K Four-Nine), the 9999th clone of Kyo Kusanagi-based entirely on Tetsuo Shima from Akira, being able to transform his arm into a long deformed flesh tentacle much like Tetsuo's own. Due to copyright issues, for The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match remake, he was replaced with a similar character. The character is called "Nameless", a clone from both Kyo and K' (whose hair, reflecting this, is half brown like that of Kyo, and half white like that of K') who uses two types of flames to fight, while equipped with an Anti-K glove to keep his flame power in check, created from the DNA of his deceased lover who looks like Kula, Isolde.[64] K9999 would later be re-introduced in KOF XV as Krohnen McDougall (クローネン・マクドガル, Kurōnen Makudogaru).
The Zero in The King of Fighters 2000 is revealed to be a clone from the Original Zero (ゼロ(オリジナル), Zero (Orijinaru)), who appears as a sub-boss in The King of Fighters 2001. He was created because the supervising designer of his character claimed to be dissatisfied with Zero's design in 2000.[65] Unlike his clone, Zero is extremely loyal to the NESTS syndicate, and was disgusted to learn of his clone's attempted coup d'état. Willing to clear the reputation of his clone's actions, Zero is commanded to destroy the winners of The King of Fighters tournament. He traps the winning team in a space ship that was disguised as a blimp. When he is defeated, he urges the team to escape the collapsing ship and dies honorably on board the vessel. His true loyalty is toward Igniz's father, Nests, with Zero himself not knowing of Igniz's later betrayal towards his own father.
Igniz (イグニス, Igunisu) is the final boss in The King of Fighters 2001. His handsome and youthful appearance was specifically created at the sponsors' request.[66] Although Igniz had served his father, the previous leader of NESTS also named Nests with utmost loyalty, he had secretly sought to overthrow him and become the new leader of NESTS, seizing the opportunity to do so near the end of the 2001 tournament, to which NESTS was hosting. Upon succeeding in murdering his own father and becoming the new leader of NESTS, Igniz decides to test his newly acquired power against the finalists in the hopes of crushing them and becoming a new god. His ambition is short-lived, however, as he is defeated by the K' Team. Cursing his failure and declaring himself a demon instead, Igniz attempts to destroy the planet by plummeting NESTS' main headquarters out of orbit; his attempt fails, and Igniz dies in the process.
Kusanagi is a clone of Kyo Kusanagi. The series' protagonist Kyo Kusanagi remained popular within fans after the NESTS arc which resulted in the team's decision to create a clone of him, Kusanagi, wearing his highschool uniform which the original Kyo dropped in The King of Fighters '99. While the game gives Kusanagi no narrative like the other characters, Kusanagi would be given a backstory in The King of Fighters 2003, where he is revealed to be a creation of Chizuru Kagura meant to test participants from the new tournament.[67]
Adelheid (アーデルハイド, Āderuhaido) (Adel for short), along with his younger sister, Rose (ローズ), are the only known children of Rugal Bernstein. They reside in an airship called "Sky Noah". Adel is a boss character from The King of Fighters 2003, as well as a secret and mid-boss for The King of Fighters XI.[68] They were added to the series to create an alternate story to the main plot.[69]
Despite sharing several physical and fighting traits with Rugal, Adelheid is an honorable fighter who exhibits good sportsmanship,[70] even having a friendly conversation with Heidern, Rugal's mortal enemy. Rose, however, was developed to be extremely prideful and selfish, possessing her father's negative traits.[71] At the end of The King of Fighters XI, Rose is manipulated by Botan, a member from the mysterious organization Those From the Past to use her in their plans, leading to the events of The King of Fighters XIII.
Duo Lon (Chinese:堕瓏; Pinyin: Duòlóng; Japanese: デュオロン Dyuoron) makes his first appearance in The King of Fighters 2003 as a member of the game's Hero Team. His overall look was based on anime title characterVampire Hunter D.[73] He is a member of the assassin group, the Flying Brigands—or Hizoku (飛賊, Hizoku)—and the half-brother of Xiao Lon. He is an acquaintance of Ash Crimson and Shen Woo.
Hoping to hunt down the clan's traitor, Ron, he agrees to enter the tournament with them. However, after discovering Ash's true objectives, he teams up with Elisabeth Blanctorche and Benimaru Nikaido. Information on Duo Lon's design graph revealed he is one of the nine children of Ron, an assassin who chased after his own father.[74]
Shen Woo (シェン・ウー, Shen Ū; Chinese:神武; pinyin:Shén Wǔ; Shanghainese: Wu Chinese pronunciation:[z̥əɲ˨˧v̥v̩ʷ˦], lit. "Divine Warrior") is one of the members of the Hero Team in The King of Fighters 2003, along with Ash Crimson and Duo Lon. He was first conceptualized to be a "wild and sexy man". Due to his fighting style revolving around punches, designers for his fighting style had to make his attacks distinctive enough to avoid confusion with Ralf and Yashiro.[75]
As "Shanghai's God of War", he was raised in the city of Shanghai in eastern China and given that nickname for developing his own, devastating street-fighting boxing style that is best described as "violent". He soon came to be very feared, and grew to enjoy the thrill of the fight. Eventually, he came to know and befriended both the enigmatic fighter Ash Crimson and the Chinese assassin Duo Lon, with the three of them becoming the "Hero Team" for The King of Fighters 2003 tournament.[76]
At the end of The King of Fighters XI, Ash decides to pit his two teammates against each other by convincing Oswald to defeat Shen Woo for the mention of the "Dragon Pills" made by anonymous pharmacists in Shanghai, telling Oswald that they will only give the Dragon Pills to someone who could defeat their mortal enemy, that is Shen himself.[77] As soon as he and Oswald are left to fight each other, the result is unknown, though they managed to survive the outcome. He is voiced by Kōji Suidzu. Shen Woo is one of the many examples of a sexualized male video game character of the aggressive type.[78]
Malin (まりん, Marin) is a character who debuts in The King of Fighters 2003 as a member of the High School Girls Team (alongside Athena Asamiya and Hinako Shijou). Her addition to the series was due to Choi's absence in the game where she debuted. The game producers state that her name should be spelled "Malin" and not "Marin", adding that "this is the humble preference of the supervising designer and a mystery to us all".[79]
She becomes a member of the Anti-Kyokugenryu Team in The King of Fighters XI due to her animosity towards one of the style's practitioners, Yuri Sakazaki.[80]
Mukai (ムカイ; also written as 無界) is the hidden final boss in The King of Fighters 2003. His appearance was designed with the concept of petrification in mind. Mukai's primary power is his control over many things related to stone. He can form stone, either in crude rocks to throw at foes, or as elaborate pillars to crush them. He speaks in very pious, grandiose declarations, but appears to have a cautious attitude toward the potential of humans. Mukai appears in The King of Fighters 2003 tournament, seeking strong opponents to test his strength against them. Mukai reveals that his group had organized the tournament so that they could break the Orochi seal and give its power to the group's unknown leader. Mukai wanted to battle against the winning team of the tournament, seeing if they had what it takes to survive in "the new age". Mukai is defeated, but manages to escape. He would later return in The King of Fighters XIII, but is killed by Saiki after disobeying his boss.
Elisabeth Blanctorche (エリザベート・ブラントルシュ, Erizabēto Burantorushu) (spelled "Elisabeth Branctorche" in The King of Fighters XII) is one of three original characters debuting in The King of Fighters XI. Her initial character concept was to be the rival to Ash, though developers decided to change her into a "leading lady" character. The developers also describe her fighting style as "orthodox with subtle tricks [to it]" despite her minimal moveset.[81]
She initially invites Benimaru Nikaido and Duo Lon to France to form the Rival Team. She eventually reveals her acquaintance with Ash Crimson, whom she scolds for seeming to forsake their mission. Elisabeth did not appear in the arcade version of The King of Fighters XII, but was added as one of two characters exclusive to the home release of the game. Like the rest of the cast, she does not have a team for The King of Fighters XII (though the two other members of her team from King of Fighters XI are present in the game). For The King of Fighters XIII, she now appears on a team with Ash's former team members from the 2003 tournament (Shen Woo and Duo Lon), effectively forming what seems to be the new Hero Team.
Though she does not participate in The King of Fighters XIV, she enlists Kukri's help in finding Ash following Verse's defeat, with the two of them succeeding in their mission as Ash's body is soon located in Ukraine's Carpathian Mountains with his soul burning inside it, thus confirming Ash's return to the living world much to Elisabeth's rejoice. In order to help investigate and solve the unknown crisis which seems to revolve around KOF newcomers Shun'ei and Isla, Elisabeth and Kukri join forces with a fully recovered Ash for KOF XV.
Oswald
Voiced by: Toshihiro Shigetsuka
Oswald (オズワルド, Ozuwarudo) appears in The King of Fighters XI as a member of the game's Hero Team, along with Ash Crimson and Shen Woo. An Irish professional assassin who utilizes a card-based fighting style in attacking his opponents with razor-sharp cards, he was created as an older gentleman, and is an enigma to even the creators. Developers consider his moves to be comical compared to the seriousness of his image, especially when the move "Joker" is blocked or misses. They chose to leave the result of his fight with Shen ambiguous, implying that fans would have been disappointed with the outcome.[82] He was originally intended to be the "good-looking glasses" character for the series.[83]
It is revealed at the end of the tournament that Oswald joins Ash and Shen Woo to obtain money and drugs named Dragon Pills. Ash agrees to give information regarding the drug to Oswald, explaining that it can only be given to him if he defeats the provider's enemy, Shen Woo.[77] Oswald would later make his return as a DLC character in The King of Fighters XIV.[84]
Shion
Voiced by: Jidai 'Tokiyo' Ogawa
Shion (紫苑, Shion) makes his first appearance in The King of Fighters XI as the sub-boss. The character was conceptually designed to be one of Ron's daughters,[85] though developers decided to change his gender to startle and appeal to fans with his androgynous appearance.[86] Shion is an enigmatic character whose past is unknown. He works as an underling for the demon Magaki, and seems knowledgeable about the workings of Orochi. After being defeated at the ruins of the tournament finals, he is dragged through an extradimensional gate. However, after Magaki is defeated at the end of the tournament, Shion kills him and his whereabouts remain unknown. In King of Fighters XIII, as the last cutscene, the head of Shion's spear appears. The cutscene is named The Crimson Spear. It is shown that he's still alive as he appeared before Shroom and Rimelo.
Magaki
Voiced by: Spicy Yagi
Magaki (禍忌) is the final boss of The King of Fighters XI. Not much is known about Magaki and his past history. Like his partner Mukai, Magaki wants to awake Orochi and give Orochi's powers to his own master. He also shows even less respect for humans in general, believing them to have little-to-no potential, and being weak overall. He also seems to have very little tolerance for not getting what he wants from others. Like Mukai before him, after he was defeated he stood up, apparently unscathed, and made his exit into another realm after commenting that perhaps it was more than spirit that was needed to awaken Orochi. However, as he finally realizes the error in his plan, he is killed by Shion's spear, hurled from the dimensional rift he was escaping from.
Saiki (斎祀) is the main antagonist of The King of Fighters XIII, being revealed as the leader of Those From the Past while serving as the sub-boss of the game. He is able to control the flow of time due to a gate that can halt the timeline so long as it is open. During the game's cutscenes, he takes the appearance of a human, very similar to Ash Crimson. Before taking on the player's team, Saiki drains Mukai of his power after the latter disobeys a direct order, killing him in the process while transforming into a red demonic being. After the battle, Ash takes his power, seemingly killing him. This plan backfires as Ash ends up being possessed by Saiki and turns into a shadowed version of himself called Evil Ash (known by fans as Dark Ash) to act as the game's final boss. During the ending, Saiki is defeated, but tries to use the gate to rewind time again in an attempt to restart his plot once more; Ash stands in his way and prevents his passage. When the gate closes, Saiki is finally killed, but it is revealed that he is Ash's ancestor, thus by denying Saiki passage into the past, Ash forces his own existence to cease. Despite this, Ash's soul would later reside within Verse during The King of Fighters XIV and after the latter's defeat, Ash would eventually be revived in the living world.
First appearing in The King of Fighters XIV, the team consists of Shun'ei, a fighter who wields hydrokinesis in a form of a claw on his right side of his body and pyrokinesis in a form of a fist on his left side of his body, Tung Fu Rue, the legendary master of Hakkyokuseiken who had debuted in Fatal Fury. During the tournament finals, Shun'ei learns that he possesses a fragment of Verse's power, which causes Verse to go after Shun'ei. After Verse is defeated, the team returns to the Wudang Mountains where Shun'ei tells his teammates that Kyo advised him to continue his training to keep his powers under control to which Shun'ei vows to train harder.
It is revealed that Shun'ei's special abilities had originated from a result of Ash Crimson's act of erasing the latter's ancestor Saiki (and consequentially, his own self) from existence by orchestrating a temporal paradox (via trapping Saiki in the present time), leading to the current events taking place in the KOF universe, with Shun'ei himself wielding a multiversal power known as Amplified Specters, which are the crucible of souls that connects all universes and converging all possibilities in the multiverse. However, these can only be perceived as illusions, and only a limited few are capable of controlling them.
Ever since Shun'ei had inherited two halves of the Amplified Specters from Verse, he has been suffering from recurring nightmares of being ordered to destroy everything in sight until Tung gave him a pair of headphones to help silence the malevolent voice inside Shun'ei's head while also keeping his powers in check. While Tung retires from fighting, Shun'ei and Meitenkun are enlisted to be accompanied by Benimaru Nikaido at Kyo's behest due to Kyo himself having an important mission in teaming up with Iori Yagami and Chizuru Kagura to help investigate the current situation during the events of KOF XV. Once the source behind the awry of Amplified Specters, Otoma=Raga has been defeated, Shun'ei's power is fully under control, allowing Shun'ei to take off his headphones safely.
The 'Official Invitation Team is composed of characters that Antonov personally invited to participate in his tournament. First appearing in The King of Fighters XIV, the team consists of Sylvie Paula Paula, a remnant of NESTS who wields electromagnetic powers, Kukri, a mysterious fighter from North Africa (presumably Mali) who utilizes sand-based fighting techniques while hiding his face with a hood at all times, and Mian, a Sichuan opera dancer and fighter. Prior to the tournament, each member lives in the underground society with Mian and Sylvie often taking part in underground tournaments together. During the end of the final match, Kukri reveals that he is familiar with Verse, especially since half its power lies within Shun'ei. When the tournament ends, Kukri leaves his teammates and Antonov behind and travels to the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine where he finds Ash Crimson. Kukri is soon joined by Elisabeth Blanctorche, revealing that she had hired Kukri to enter the tournament to find and rescue Ash whose soul resided inside Verse.
Kukri is the main antagonist of a spin-off sequel between The King of Fighters XIV and The King of Fighters XV titled SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy, in which Kukri himself kidnaps and sends most of the female participants from the XIV tournament into his personal pocket dimension, alongside Jeanne d'Arc from the World Heroes series, Thief Arthur from Million Arthur, and a recently resurrected Shermie, as well as swapping genders of male fighters Terry Bogard, Iori Yagami (going under his previous alias Miss X from SNK Gals' Fighters), and Skullomania from Fighting EX Layer.
It is revealed in The King of Fighters XV that Kukri’s cynical attitude had been originating from the death of his master and adopted mother Dolores, who had sacrificed her life to save him after the former had suddenly awakened his sand power while being unable to initially control it at first. Although he did find Ash for Elisabeth, he still wasn't able to find Dolores elsewhere until he became relieved to learn of his master’s revival while watching her interview for the next KOF tournament on television. Back when Kukri was adopted by Dolores, he had learned the existence of Amplified Specters, the same multiversal-based power that Shun'ei inherited from Verse, which Kukri initially disbelieved at first.
The South America Team is composed of characters originating from South America. First appearing in The King of Fighters XIV, the team consists of Nelson, a boxer with a robotic prosthetic left arm after losing his arm in a terrible accident, Zarina, a Samba dancer whose fighting style resembles capoeira, and Bandeiras Hattori, an obsessed fanboy of ninjas who trained himself to become one, and the founder of the “BrazilianNinja Arts Dojo.” Prior to the tournament, Nelson defeated Tizoc in a contest that left him in disgrace, with the latter adopting a heel persona called “King of Dinosaurs.”
Each member had their own reason for entering the tournament. Nelson wants to seize victory in the tournament while hoping that his fiancée Liccia will awake from her coma, Zarina wants to win the prize money to procure land as a nesting place for her pet Coco, a toucan and its species, and Bandeiras hopes that his participation and fighting style will bring in students to his dojo. While the South America Team didn't win, they saw good fortune coming out of the tournament when Liccia awakes from her coma, Zarina convinces Antonov to help procure land for Coco after he already purchased much of the land for one of his businesses (she gleefully admits that she simply kicked him in the crotch instead for his aid), and Bandeiras travels to Japan to advertise his dojo. However, he ends up getting arrested by police for causing a scene. Before seeing Liccia in the hospital, Nelson stops by at his arm's manufacturer for a checkup, completely unaware that the scientists who gave him the cybernetic left arm were responsible for his accident, and are attempting to use him as a test subject for an unknown purpose.
Verse
Voiced by: Yusaku
Verse (バース, Bāsu) is the main antagonist and final boss in The King of Fighters XIV. An evil presence who embodies one of the Amplified Specters that is sensed across reality, time, and space, various fighters from the tournament join to stop him. Within his being, he holds the souls of deceased fighters from the past tournaments such as Goenitz, Yashiro Nanakase, Shermie, Chris, Orochi, and Ash Crimson along with Gaidel, Krizalid, Original Zero, Igniz, and Rugal Bernstein, as well as Mizuki Rashojin from Samurai Shodown II, Kukri's adoptive mother Dolores and many more. The existence of Verse was the result of Ash changing his timeline to erase himself from being Saiki's descendant and killing his ancestor in the process, this being the reason of why Nakoruru travels to the present in order to help fix the timeline. Not only that, one of Verse's fragments is also implanted inside the young Shun'ei, leaving his parents to abandon him secretly due to this, though he was later rescued by Tung Fu Rue, who had decided to raise him as his last disciple. According to Geese Howard, the appearance of Verse was foretold in the Sacred Scrolls of Jin.
In a manga adaption of XIV titled The King of Fighters: A New Beginning, once Verse gathers enough essences from the previous matches, including one which were outside the ring, he is confronted and defeated by Geese, who interrupts the recent official matches, using its power to assume his Nightmare form in order to fight alongside Billy and Hein against the China and Fatal Fury Teams while also summoning the deceased Four Heavenly Kings and NESTS executives to dispose of the other teams, including Nakoruru’s summoned Samurai Shodown warriors.
Antonov
Voiced by: Moriyuki Hishida
Antonov (アントノフ, Antonofu; Антонов) is a Russian billionaire and the president of his own company, the Antonov Corporation. After being reinvigorated for his love of fighting, he purchases the rights to the King of Fighters brand despite objections from the board members of his company, and announces a new King of Fighters tournament. Proclaiming himself as the “first champion”, he sends out invitations across the world, challenging old and new teams to take his "KOF" championship belt away from him. After the incident caused by Verse at the climax of KOF XIV, the resulting lawsuits had cost Antonov nearly all of his money and damaged his reputation, causing him to briefly disappear from the public. In order to help restore his reputation, Antonov decides to form his own wrestling team named Galaxy Anton Wrestling and is prepared to take part in KOF XV as the leader of Team G.A.W. alongside Mexican wrestlers Ramón and King of Dinosaurs.
Meitenkun is a young fighter who is always holding a pillow and is very sleepy. Despite having little knowledge of the King of Fighters, Tung convinces Shun'ei and Meitenkun to enter the tournament as a means for them to face off against renowned martial artists from around the world. In addition, Tung saw the tournament as an opportunity to reunite with the Bogardbrothers and meet Kyo Kusanagi, the latter after his father Saisyu requested the Japan Team to help Tung's students with their training.
Reception
The characters from The King of Fighters series were said to be a varied cast by Eurogamer magazine, since the cast includes characters from other SNK games.[87]IGN agreed, commenting that every character has their own unique moves and praising their visuals, even though the magazine mentioned that the characters have old two-dimensional designs. IGN criticized that learning the characters' special moves was difficult.[88] In reviews for the first game, IGN praised the main character Kyo Kusanagi as one of the most enjoyable characters to play, remarking on his dynamism and movesets.[89]GameSpot also praised the characters designs, saying they "shine through, resulting in a cast of characters that's diverse and not plentiful".[90] In other reviews, they complained about the lack of improvements in the character's movesets in some games, and also mentioned that some techniques were simply removed. They noted that, while new characters introduced in some games are interesting, they do not have the same impact as other ones.[91]
1UP.com labelled the characters from the series as one of SNK's best creations, claiming that their appearances and quotations are all "cool"—although they commented some of the storylines are "nonsense".[92] The boss characters were criticized by multiple reviewers for being too difficult to defeat,[93] with Krizalid from The King of Fighters '99 being singled out as too powerful.[91]
Although Kyo's story arc ends with The King of Fighters '97, he has remained a more popular hero. With the introduction of a new lead character, K', SNK had originally planned to remove main characters Kyo and Iori. Instead, they ended up as unlockable hidden characters after fans responded negatively to their removal at location tests.[94] The same issue would happen in the third story arc, where Kyo and Iori are major characters opposing The King of Fighters 2003 lead Ash Crimson but more due to narrative intended reasons rather than fan demand.[95] than his successors like Ash Crimson in Western regions, which led to Ignition Entertainment promoting KOF XII using him.[96][97] Similarly, Anime UK News preferred Kyo and Iori more than the next lead, Shun'ei.[98]
The character designs in Maximum Impact were praised by IGN, which noted that the conversion to three-dimensional modeling had "extremely vibrant" characters with "a decent amount of detail." However, they disliked the lack of blood, especially during violent attacks, saying the super moves and combos were "just not as spectacular here" as they were in previous installments. IGN sharply criticized the "terribly bad voice acting", calling it "truly piss-poor American dub work."[99] Gamezone added that some characters still remain their unique fighting style, but complained about the lack of individualized endings, and commented that some of the attacks have less style in 3D.[100]GameSpot also added that the English voices weren't distinctive, but commented that their new outfits were "pretty wild". The characters, however, were "just not done with the same pixel-perfect flair" as the 2D versions, they said, noting that "you'll recognize [the characters] because of their clothes and special moves, not because of their faces."[101]
References
↑ Akihiko Ureshino, ed. (2005). The King of Fighters Perfect Reader (in Japanese). Nikkei Business Publications. pp.136–137. ISBN4-8222-1711-6.
1 2 Akihiko Ureshino, ed. (2005). The King of Fighters Perfect Reader (in Japanese). Nikkei Business Publications. pp.140–144. ISBN4-8222-1711-6.
↑ SNK Playmore. "Duck King's Official Character Bio". King of Fighters 10th Anniversary Official Website (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved March 27, 2008.
↑ Akihiko Ureshino, ed. (September 20, 2005). The King of Fighters Perfect Reader (in Japanese). Nikkei Business Publications. p.139. ISBN4-8222-1711-6.
↑ SNK Playmore (1997-07-28). The King of Fighters '97 (Neo Geo). SNK Playmore. Scene: Hero Team ending. Narrative Goro Daimon[.] Quitting the fighter's league, Goro made his Judo comeback. As the leader for Japan's team, he received world renown!
↑ SNK (1995-07-25). The King of Fighters '95 (Neo Geo). SNK. Kyo: I knew he wasn't dead. He'll find his way home./Benimaru: Yeah, I guess you're right./Kyo: Well, let's go back to Japan./Benimaru & Daimon: Yeah!/Saisyu: Kyo, you can't escape the Kusanagi fate. We face a greater battle, soon to begin. Strengthen yourself, Kyo. Good luck.
↑ SNK (1996-07-30). The King of Fighters '96 (Neo Geo). SNK. Mature: Are you shaking?/Vice: Yeah, he ain't normal. But, that guy... I mean... He's really tough./Iori: W, what? I can't see! Yaaah! Unnhhh! Gya... GWAAAAH!/Vice: Hey, Yagami, take it easy!/Mature: Oh, my God.../Iori: I, it's the... Riot of the Blood!/Vice: Gah. You mean there's nothing we can do?/Mature: Ooowaaaaah! Ya, Yagami!/Iori: GOOOWAAAAH!
↑ SNK (1996-07-30). The King of Fighters '96 (Neo Geo). SNK. Goenitz: I guess I underestimated you. I never thought... but this isn't the end for you./Iori: Hah! "ONE-FOR-THE-ROAD" BLAST!/Goenitz: AHHHHH!/Kyo: Hah! Eat this, pal! SERPENT WAVE!/Goenitz:GYAAAH! Why? Why is there no wind? GYAAAAAH!
↑ SNK (1997-07-28). The King of Fighters '97 (Neo Geo). SNK. Kyo: Finish it Kagura! Can you do it? /Chizuru: As a mirror keeper... I must do it! /Orochi: Fools! A waste of time! If I release my remaining power.../Iori: Waahh!/Chizuru: His power... too strong! Kusanagi! Quickly... /Kyo: Heeaahhh! Woooohh!
↑ SNK Plamn it... Orochi still hasn't awakened!. The King of Fighters XI.
↑ "Yuki Official Profile". King of Fighters 10th Anniversary Official Website. Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved March 24, 2008.
↑ All About The King of Fighters '95 (in Japanese). Vol.12. Studio Bent Stuff. October 1995. pp.134, 329.
↑ BrezzaSoft (2001-11-15). The King of Fighters 2001 (Neo Geo). Eolith & Sun Amusement. Scene: Hero Team ending. Maxima: I must go to report to a friend that I have taken revenge. /K': A visit to the grave, eh? I guess you can't turn back time.
↑ BrezzaSoft (2001-11-15). The King of Fighters 2001 (Neo Geo). Eolith & Sun Amusement. Scene: Hero Team ending. Whip: An innocent from a petrie dish, ignorant of existence's joys.
↑ Studio BentStuff, ed. (2000). A.A. Game History Series Vol. 2 All About SNK Head-To-Head Fighting Game 1991-2000 (in Japanese). Studio BentStuff. p.288. ISBN4-88554-677-X.
↑ "Krizalid Official Profile". King of Fighters 10th Anniversary Official Website. Archived from the original on June 18, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2008.
↑ SNK. The King of Fighters 2000. SNK. Zero: So that's the anti-K'?
↑ BrezzaSoft (2001-11-15). The King of Fighters 2001 (Neo Geo). Eolith & Sun Amusement. Scene: Hero Team ending. Lin: I can't believe he's dead. It's not over yet, Ron.
↑ SNK (2000-04-26). The King of Fighters 2000 (Neo Geo). SNK. Scene: Hero Team ending. Vanessa: The Zero Cannon's falling. How're you? Are you hurt?/Ramon: It's like I'm in heaven! I'm hot! I'm loose!/Vanessa: ...Give me a break.
↑ SNK (2000-04-26). The King of Fighters 2000 (Neo Geo). SNK. Scene: Benimaru Team ending. Shingo: ...Hey, what's wrong? You don't look so hot. Are you hurt?.../Seth: S...So quick! Developing faster than we planned...!!! If we don't hurry, we're all done for.
↑ SNK-Playmore (2003-12-12). The King of Fighters 2003 (Neo Geo). SNK-Playmore. Scene: Adelheid ending. Rose: ...My brother...you lost! It cannot be! ...I will not release you! you will not go back alive!/Adelheid: Stop! Rose! Return them to the Earth... and land Sky-Noah./Rose: Brother, you're mistaken again! You must fight again!/Adelheid: Rose, defeat is defeat. To fight over and over until victory is meaningless...
↑ "Falcoon's Room ~ Episode 3". KOF Maximum Impact - Regulation A Official Website (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 12, 2007. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
1 2 SNK Playmore (2007-11-13). The King of Fighters XI (PlayStation 2). SNK Playmore. Scene: Hero Team ending. Ash: You see, the drug known as 'Dragon Pills' is only made by a pharmacist in Shanghai. They won't sell it, but they will give it to anyone who defeats their mortal enemy, Shen Woo.
↑ SNK Playmore (2007-11-13). The King of Fighters XI (PlayStation 2). SNK Playmore. Malin: I can't stand her! She acts like she's barely even trying when she fights. Hmph! ... That Yuri had the nerve to say that my fighting style was cowardly! She's the weak one, right?
↑ "Shion's Official Character Bio". King of Fighters 10th Anniversary Official Website (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 10, 2008. Retrieved May 31, 2008.
↑ Arcadia Extra, ed. (2007). The King of Fighters XI Conqueror's Guide (in Japanese). Vol.28. Enterbrain. p.234.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
