The King of Fighters/Characters/The Orochi Saga

The characters in The King of Fighters introduced during the Orochi Saga (95-98) will be listed here.

Characters are listed in alphabetical order of last names. It should be noted that all the Chinese and Korean character names are rendered in the Western style (given name-surname rather than surname-given name).

Billy Kane
""How doe's it feel to be well-done? But I bet you taste terrible.""

"Voiced by: Katsuhisa Namase (95), Atsushi Yamanishi (97-2002, Maximum Impact series), Seijirou (2003, XIII), Marc Donovan (Maximum Impact 2, English)"

"Geese's loyal right-hand man ever since the first Fatal Fury. A punk from England whose skill with a staff is second to none, he's nonetheless committed to his sister Lilly, and when Geese was killed, returned to England to support her. When Geese resurfaced, he went back to Southtown to carry out Geese's request to investigate the Orochi power in the '97 tournament. Loathes Iori Yagami, since he was on the receiving end of a beating dished out by him once. In the Maximum Impact series, he's trying to convince Rock to follow in his father's footsteps. Has been recently confirmed by Famitsu to be returning to the console version of XIII, sporting his original attire."


 * Ambition Is Evil: Averted. Billy serves Geese because he genuinely likes the guy and wants to provide for his sister, not due to any ulterior motives on his part. This is why he hangs up his coat and relocates to the English countryside after Geese's death in the Maximum Impact series (until, of course, he hears words of a new group leading Southtown).
 * Badass in a Nice Suit: His "Another" costume in the Maximum Impact series. It depicts how he dresses while serving Geese.
 * Best Served Cold: Towards Iori Yagami, whom both he and Eiji hate for beating them up for their failure.
 * Big Brother Instinct: Towards Lilly.
 * Blond Guys Are Evil
 * Boring but Practical: His Sansetukoncyuudanuchi special attack simply involves moving toward your opponent and pressing a button. Thanks to its ridiculous range and stun properties, it also makes Billy the most broken character in The King of Fighters-i 002, to the point where he can solo Team Battle Mode and get perfect victories on Ash Crimson.
 * British Accents: Dub only. Cockney.
 * The Dragon: To Geese Howard.
 * Evil Brit: He's of the British hooligan type.
 * Gratuitous English: Notable for this, especially his infamous "I'MMA GONNA BATCHES 'N BURN!" line from Real Bout (Translation: I'm gonna bust you so bad!).
 * Surprisingly Good English: Consider his intro against Iori in 97 and 98 which had him shouting "I wish I could tear him apart!" (complete with additional Eiji backing in '98), his eponymous "Hey-hey-hey!" intro and his "Who's turn is it?" quote.
 * All in all, which side of the English/Engrish fence Billy falls upon depends on two things: a) who's voicing him and b) which installment of the series this is.
 * Hammerspace: Maybe. In his 2002 HSDM, if Billy is attacked while he doesn't have his staff, he'll pull out a second staff from underneath his jacket.
 * Hitbox Dissonance: While his Weapon of Choice gives Billy great range (sometimes propelling him into Game Breaker status), he's also subject to this. One great example can be found here.
 * Morality Pet: Lilly.
 * My Sister Is Off-Limits: He doesn't like it one bit that Joe Higashi is seeing Lilly.
 * Nice Bandana
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: His outfit in King of Fighters '95 (carried over from the first Fatal Fury game) appears to be modeled after former English pro-wrestler, Dynamite Kid. Later games have Billy resembling Axl Rose.
 * No Smoking: It's one of his pet peeves. He even wears the sign on the back of his outfit and will assault anyone who blows cigarette smoke in his face. The only exception to this is when Geese smokes.
 * Odd Friendship: With Eiji and Blue Mary. The former is moreso due to their mutual hatred of Iori. He's even something of a Friendly Enemy to Terry and co. nowadays.
 * Playing with Fire/Incendiary Exponent: He has the ability to charge his staff with fire.
 * Ring of Fire: His Chou Kaen Senpuu Kon DM has him do this, twirling his staff first to build up the fire then whipping it forward and thrusting the flame as a rolling flame ring towards his foe
 * Precision F-Strike: He screams "Go to hell!" during his Great Windmill DM.
 * Punny Name: Subverted. His last name isn't pronounced "cane" (as in, the weapon he uses), but "kon" or "kaan".
 * Double subverted: "Kon" in Japanese roughly means "cane".
 * Simple Staff: One that separates and combines, to boot.
 * Super Strength: Relatively speaking, it would take a great deal of might to properly utilize a three-section staff held together by chains with great tensile strength.
 * Undying Loyalty: In the Maximum Impact series, even with Geese dead, Billy still serves no one other than Geese. This is why he's returned to Southtown: he believes that no one is more fitting to rule over the city than Geese.
 * Wearing a Flag on Your Head: Wore an Union Jack shirt in his Fatal Fury 2/Special appearance.

Eiji Kisaragi
""I'm a ninja! I have no pity for losers!""

"Voiced by: Yoshinori Shima"

"A ninja assigned by Mr. Big to assassinate the Sakazaki family. He has failed repeatedly to do this, but nonetheless still pursues his goal. He joined up with Billy and Iori in the '95 tournament to form the Rival Team, but the three failed to reach the finals. Iori beat the two ruthlessly for their failure, resulting in a lifelong grudge from them. He also joined up with Kasumi and Malin in the eleventh tournament to form the Anti-Kyokugen team. If the King of Fighters: Kyo manga is canon, he may have had a nasty run-in with Kyo's mother Shizuka at one point too."


 * Arch Enemy: To the Kyokugen school of karate. It's apparently a generational feud.
 * Attack Reflector: His Ryu Kagejin gains this property in XI. Timed properly, it can even deflect (L)DM-level fireballs.
 * Badass Long Hair:
 * Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Moreso in later appearances.
 * Best Served Cold: Towards Iori. See Billy's entry for the reason.
 * Butt Monkey: In XI.
 * Doppelganger Attack: The SDM version of his Zantetsu Tourouken, as well as his Yami Kari LDM in XI (which is directly lifted from Zantetsu's super).
 * Eighties Hair: Unlike Ryo, Eiji still has that mullet from Art of Fighting.
 * Flash Step: He's a bona-fide ninja. What did you expect?
 * Katanas Are Just Better: Wields two tanto Kage and Nagare. The weapons were presumably handed down from Zantetsu.
 * Ki Attacks
 * Ninja: Descended from Zantetsu, to boot.
 * Ninja Run
 * Punched Across the Room: His Kikou Hau in XI causes his opponent to slam against the wall on their side. A counter hit forces them to rebound off of it for a juggle.
 * The Quiet One: His special skill is his ability to not talk.
 * Wall Jumper

Saisyu Kusanagi
""Defeat is defeat. Fighting's no picnic, kid.""

"Voiced by: Toshimitsu Arai (95, The King of Fighters: Kyo), Keiichiro Sakagi (98, Neowave)"

"The father of Kyo Kusanagi, and the current head of the clan. After the events of the 94 and 95 tournaments, he handed off the responsibilities of the clan to Kyo, claiming it was Kyo's time to face his destiny. He hasn't done much since then, aside from training Shingo."


 * Brainwashed and Crazy: In '95, done by Rugal through his secretary Vice.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Lazy, eccentric, a slacker... and an extremely powerful fighter and mentor when he bothers to get serious. The King of Fighters: Kyo manga is really good at this.
 * Cannot Spit It Out: He was so moved by Shingo's courage and determination that he couldn't reveal the fact that the Kusanagi flames are hereditary powers, thus meaning that Shingo would never be able to use fire.
 * Cool Old Guy: He's essentially Kyo with more lifetime experience.
 * Old Master: Despite being somewhat younger than the standard.
 * Open-Minded Parent: Due to his status within the Kusanagi clan and the fact that his son can't avoid his destiny.
 * Playing with Fire: Just like his son, he is a member of the Kusanagi bloodline, so he gets to wield and control fire.
 * Retired Badass: After '95, he passes on the duties and responsabilities of the Kusanagi clan to Kyo. XIII reveals that he asked Takuma to train Kyo in his absence.
 * Spell My Name with an "S": Saishu?
 * This is when you consider that his name has been written on screen ever since as "Saisyu".
 * Both "shu" and "syu" are accepted Romanizations for the syllable しゅ, so either spelling is technically correct. SNK seems to prefer Saisyu for whatever reason. Then we have both the final part of his name in romaji: either with a single "u", double "u" ("uu") or with a circumflex ("ū").

Iori Yagami
""Remember me when you look at the moon.""

"Voiced by: Kunihiko Yasui, Eric Summerer (Maximum Impact series, English), Jack Merluzzi (XII, English)"

"Iori is the latest descendant of the Yagami clan, formerly the Yasakani. His family was a former ally of Kyo Kusanagi's, but they became jealous of the Kusanagi clan's power, and entered into a blood pact with Orochi, their former enemy. They were granted newer, blue-tinted flames, but at the cost of extreme pain when using these powers, and each mother of a newborn would die in childbirth. As a final side effect, they were now susceptible to the Riot of the Blood, a state in which the user is driven insane until they become nothing more than mindless zombies, killing and destroying everything in their path. When the Kusanagi clan found out about this, they waged war against the Yasakani clan, who changed their name to Yagami prior to the blood pact. Iori enters the 95 tournament to fight Kyo, but fails to do so, and ruthlessly beats his teammates into the ground. In 96, he finally faces Kyo, but is approached by Chizuru to ally with them. He fights Goenitz and kills him, but his flames turn crimson. Chizuru explains that this is the true power of the Yagami clan that has long been hidden inside him, and also warns him about the Riot of the Blood, but he brushes it off. While conversing with Vice and Mature, he is suddenly stricken with blindness and nausea, and starts to cough up blood. He is finally wracked with extreme pain, and he ends up killing both Vice and Mature as he enters the Riot of the Blood for the first time. In 97, he is about to face Kyo in the finals, but then he enters the Riot of the Blood along with Leona, who attacks her teammates while Iori attacks Kyo. Both are snapped back to their senses and Iori teams up with Kyo to fight Orochi. Orochi attempts to drive him back into the Riot, but the plan backfires when he attacks Orochi instead of Kyo. Iori holds Orochi in place long enough for him to be resealed. He resurfaces in 99, once again searching for Kyo, and overhears about the various Kyo clones around the world. He finds the real one and fights with him in the collapsing base. In 2000, he is also a single entry, again looking for Kyo. In 2001, he joins with Vanessa, Seth and Ramon, under the premise that he will fight Kyo again. He teams up with Kyo and Chizuru in 2003, and witnesses Ash's theft of Chizuru's powers. In XI, he teams up with Kyo and Shingo, but due to the increased presence of Orochi, he enters the Riot of the Blood once again and attacks Shingo. Ash intervenes and somehow defeats Iori, taking his powers. His fate afterward is unknown, but in Maximum Impact, he is searching for Ash Crimson to regain his powers. Apparently, he still has some control over his flames, and is returning for XIII.."

"Iori (to Chun-Li): "If you wish not to die, Get Thee to a Nunnery.""
 * Anti-Hero: Type V.
 * Arrogant Kung Fu Guy: And a dick about it too. Iori isn't shy about letting his opponents know they're too weak for him, purple flames or not.
 * Badass Boast: His usual opening pose ("Sugu raku ni shite yaru.") translates to "I'll make it easy for you." or "I'll end your pain soon."
 * Badass Longcoat: Another Iori (Iori's striker from 2000, which represents how Iori dresses outside of King of Fighters) has one.
 * Badass Normal: He was Brought Down to Normal to this after Ash stole his flames.
 * Bare Your Midriff: His outfit from XII onwards.
 * Battle in the Center of the Mind: Quite a few drama CDs hint at an Orochi-like presence that resides inside him, irritating him to the point that Iori usually reacts violently. His XII profile seems to confirm this, as Iori seems to be suffering from a slight identity crisis. This is presumably the reason behind his refusal to associate with others and his solitary lifestyle.
 * The Berserker: For some reason, losing his flames causes Iori's bloodlust and violent tendencies to intensify up to the point where the cast of King of Fighters XIII can feel it just by being around him.
 * Bonus Boss: To the Japan Team in King of Fighters '97, but only if Kyo beats Orochi. He's also this in King of Fighters '99. Shares this status with Kyo, and you can only fight him if your battle points are over 190, and you fight Kyo if they are over 280.
 * He also gets a Crossover appearance in Netto Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special (a handheld port of Real Bout Fatal Fury Special) as a Bonus Boss alongside Geese. Win, and you unlock him as a playable character.
 * Breakout Character: Something of a meta example. While Iori was a main character from the beginning (being The Rival to Kyo), he was of such a different mold from other video game characters at the time (such as his trademark Evil Laugh) that he became an instant hit with fans (and not just the female ones). Thus, most subsequent games have shoehorned him to a role of at least some significance.
 * It is said Iori's design from the start sought this end, so he may have been an Invoked Trope example.
 * Clothes Make the Legend: Unlike Kyo, he didn't change his clothing until King of Fighters XII and even then, the change is rather slight.
 * Dark Is Not Evil: Very anti-heroic though.
 * Deadly Upgrade: The pact his clan made with Orochi to acquire power reduces his life span, hurts him when he summons flames, and subjects him to the Riot of the Blood, which causes him to lose control of himself and makes him vomit blood.
 * Downloadable Content: "Flame" Iori in XIII, his old moveset.
 * The Drifter: He doesn't seem to have any home to go to.
 * Easily Forgiven: ...
 * Emo: Again, the fans are mistaken. Let it be said that Iori's debut in 1995 predates the mainstream popularity (and common idea) of the word emo by a margin of five years. Also, it's quite clear that Iori does not match up to the emotional stereotypes.
 * Enemy Mine/Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Happens on no less than four occasions with Kyo (96, 97, 2003 and XI). Luckily, Chizuru or Shingo is there to keep the team from falling apart.
 * Enemy Within: Orochi Iori.
 * Evil Redhead: At least, that's how his debut portrayed him. '96 and beyond have shifted Iori towards an antagonistic, but more anti-heroic role.
 * Expy" People see him as this to Mark of the Wolves's Freeman due to his moveset in XII. Ironically, when Freeman first made his debut, he was called an Expy of Iori.
 * Fingerless Gloves: Again, not normally, but Another Iori has 'em.
 * Freudian Excuse: Besides the ancient Kusanagi-Yasakani feud, it's assumed by fans that Iori had a craptastic childhood, possibly killed/lost his girlfriend, and is pissed off by having to enter King of Fighters every year to kill Kyo because he explicitly hates violence.
 * Gory Discretion Shot: When he killed Vice and Mature in King of Fighters '96, only their silhouettes could be seen. Used again in SNK vs. Capcom: Chaos for his Exceed, which is a Riot of the Blood-induced attack.
 * And again in XIII with his Neo MAX.
 * Hidden Depths: If SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos is anything to go by, he's well-versed in the works of Shakespeare, particularly Much Ado About Nothing.
 * Hidden Depths: If SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos is anything to go by, he's well-versed in the works of Shakespeare, particularly Much Ado About Nothing.

""Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm... ha ha ha ha ha ha... HAAAAAA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!""
 * Image Song: Not counting the one he shares with Kyo, he has four: "Kaze no Allegory" ("Allegory of the Wind"), "Never Lose My Way", "Moon of Crazy Flame" and "Monochrome".
 * Impossibly Cool Clothes: At least, his initial clothes are. XII and XIV has him changing to plausibly cooler ones.
 * Improbable Hairstyle: To the point that it's mocked in the Maximum Impact series, with a few characters noting that his hair resembles that of a rooster.
 * I Was Just Passing Through: How Iori aids Kyo during the fight with Goenitz in 96. 'Cause, y'know, Iori's the only one that gets to kill Kyo. Arguably happens again in 97 when the Three Sacred Treasures Team faces Orochi.
 * Leitmotif: Subverted. While he's given new themes each game, they are usually jazz-themed with a sweet saxophone solo. Many of these tunes have the words "Arashi no Saxophone" ("Stormy Saxophone") in the title.
 * Maniacal Laugh: His famous victory pose, as well as one of his super desperation moves.
 * Laughing Mad:

""KYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!""
 * Meaningful Name: His family's previous name Yasakani comes from the Yasakani-no-Magatama, legendary prayer beads symbolizing benevolence that were used in tandem with the Yata-no-Kagami. Much like the other members of the Sacred Treasures Team, Iori plays a crucial role in the battle with Orochi, especially considering that he fights against Orochi's mind control and snares him just long enough for Kyo to finish the job. His Ya Otome DM (also known as the Maiden Masher/Rage of the 8 Maidens) refers to the part of the Orochi myth where Orochi had already devoured seven of a family's eight daughters and was coming to eat the final daughter.
 * While Yagami is usually written out as "eight god", if the kanji was different (like a certain other Yagami), it'd instead spell out "night god". The Yagami clan is represented by the moon.
 * His DM in older games Ya Sakazuki (meaning "Eight Sake Cups") is another reference to Orochi myth, where Orochi was dazed by having each of its heads drink sake. The move itself stuns his foe if they're hit, furthering the similarity.
 * Monochromatic Mind Control Eyes: As Orochi Iori. Crosses over with Glowing Eyes of Doom and Eyes of Gold Depending on the Artist.
 * Mr. Fanservice
 * The One Guy: In SNK Gal Fighters.
 * The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: How he views his rivalry with Kyo.
 * Paper-Thin Disguise: His "Miss X" alter ego in SNK Gals Fighters. Subverted, as the girls were not fooled.
 * Peek-a-Bangs: Given that he's somewhat of a tribute to Yasuhiro Nightow's character designs, Iori has them to an extent.
 * Pet the Dog: Both his interactions with Chizuru in XIII and his drama CD The Sun and The Moon ~ Prologue verge on the brink of painting Iori in this light. Also, this official art. Didn't think he had it in him, did you?
 * Playing with Fire: Bluish-violet fire.
 * Flip-Flop of God: Are the flames blue or purple? Make up your damn minds, SNK!
 * Primal Stance/Limp and Livid: As Orochi Iori.
 * Public Domain Artifact/Amplifier Artifact: Had the Yasakani-no-Magatama inside of his body until Ash pilfered it in XI.
 * The Rival: Was more or less the Arch Enemy to Kyo earlier on, but has regressed to this, especially in the wake of his and Kyo's mutual archenemy Ash.
 * Rule of Symbolism: Iori skirts the line. There are lots of references to the number eight in his moves and other areas. His signature super/Desperation Move, the Ya Otome, is frequently translated in English as "Rage of the 8 Maidens". The move also hits exactly 8 times in its base form. Iori's other super, the Ya Sakazuki, launches a fire spark that can explode into eight advancing columns of fire at its maximum. All of this is related to Orochi being an 8-headed demon and the legend that he sought out eight maidens to devour. As his family made a pact with the Orochi, this has some meaning but ultimately, does not contribute to his character in any significant way.
 * Sarcastic Confession: The fans are torn on whether or not Iori really hates violence.
 * In the King of Fighters 2000 manga, Kyo asks him this. Iori answers that even if he doesn't care about their family feud now, it started like this. Kid Iori would rather play piano and read than learn to fight. His own father was depressed because Saisyu was stronger than him, and he heard rumours that Kyo had even more potential than his father. This drove Iori to seek power. One night, Orochi's spirit came to Iori, and he asked if the boy want to grow strong; Iori says yes, and Orochi gives him power. Back in the present, Iori tells Kyo, "It's true that I hate violence, but I'd hate even more seeing my own family being disgraced, so if I have to use violence to destroy you, then so be it." But now, Iori just hates Kyo's guts. Thus, it became...
 * Screw Destiny: Like Kyo, Iori doesn't care about his family's history (although he is somewhat prideful about it): he just seems to instinctively hate Kyo. He also is uninterested in rectifying the mistakes of his ancestors.
 * He subverts this (and so does Kyo). Nothing he does in the Orochi saga is with the intent of preventing the release of Orochi yet everything that he actually gets involved with ends up working towards that end anyway. So ultimately, You Can't Fight Fate.
 * Sixth Ranger: Arguably.
 * Skyward Scream: Heard only in Orochi/Riot of the Blood mode.


 * Smoking Is Cool: According to his team's story in XIII, Iori smokes frequently.
 * SNK Boss: Orochi Iori. In this form, he's roughly twice as fast and twice as strong. With him moving around so quickly, it's easy to confuse players. When you play as him, his defense is severely weakened, and you'll be horribly surprised at exactly how hard it is to control him.
 * Sociopathic Hero
 * The Stoic: And if you do manage to set him off, God help you.
 * This Cannot Be!: His trademark K.O. quote ("Kono mama dewa owaranzo!") translates to "It can't end like this!".
 * Unstoppable Rage: Orochi Iori. Not even Mature and Vice, two heralds of the Orochi, could stop him when he entered Riot of the Blood.
 * Villain Override: Orochi Iori, again.
 * Wholesome Crossdresser/Villainous Crossdresser: In the handheld Spin-Off game SNK Gals Fighters, he is the final boss and enters the tournament disguised as a schoolgirl. He changes his name to "Miss X" and wears a mask to conceal his identity. The girls don't buy it.
 * With Great Power Comes Great Insanity/This Is Your Brain on Evil: When his Orochi blood awakens, Iori's strength and speed increase greatly, but he becomes violently unhinged and untamed, which is how Mature and Vice died in '96.
 * With My Legs Tied: The pants legs of his original outfit are tied together by a belt. His Impossibly Cool Clothes don't stop him from having swift, amazing footwork.
 * Wolverine Claws: What he got is natural claws, but still, his fighting style with is is pretty brutal. Especially when he loses his flames in XII and has to resort to more clawing.

Mr. Big
""The name's Mr. Big, That's B-I-G, BIG! Burn it into your memory!""

"Voiced by: Masaru Naka ('96), Nobuyuki Yuki (Neo Geo Battle Coliseum, XI)"

"The Big Bad of the first Art of Fighting game, he is invited by Geese Howard to join him and Wolfgang Krauser in the '96 tournament. He used to be the head of Southtown's underworld until Geese displaced him and made him second-in-command, and it was under Geese's orders that he kidnapped Yuri Sakazaki and kickstarted the events of Art of Fighting. His current status is unknown, but he is likely still serving Geese and biding his time until he can retake his claim on Southtown. Until that time, however, it's assumed he's currently living the good life with his ladies and henchmen."


 * Ambiguously Brown: Oddly enough, his sprites in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum and XI are lighter-skinned.
 * Badass in a Nice Suit: A pimp coat complete with Fur and Loathing and some pretty snazzy clothing underneath.
 * Bald of Evil
 * Beard of Evil
 * The Casanova: He's never without his ladies, although it's never stated if he's a pimp or not.
 * A Lady on Each Arm: Formerly provided the page image.
 * Catch Phrase: "Happy, guy?"
 * Cool Shades: Never takes 'em off.
 * Hidden Eyes: Ditto.
 * Sunglasses at Night: See what we mean?
 * In Art of Fighting, they can be knocked off.
 * Dual-Wielding: Uses a pair of sticks that happen to have hidden tazers.
 * Everything's Better with Spinning: Two of his moves have him spinning like mad.
 * Gratuitous Spanish: "Viva!"
 * Only Known by Their Nickname: We really don't need to spell this one out.
 * Simple Staff: One that separates and combines, to boot.

Leopold Goenitz of the Wildly-Blowing Wind
""Now the world burns in hate's flames, and chaos reigns!""

"Voiced by: Yoshinori Shima"

"One of the Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi, Goenitz possesses the ability to control the wind. He is the one who killed Chizuru's twin sister Maki and awakened Leona's Orochi blood, causing her to completely obliterate her entire village. He also gave Rugal a portion of Orochi's power after Rugal withstood the pain of having his right eye gouged out. He tries to kill Kyo, Iori and Chizuru in the '96 tournament, but fails and ends up being dealt a fatal blow by Iori. It's implied that his spirit escapes though."


 * Affably Evil: Very polite and courteous to his rivals.
 * Baddie Flattery
 * Purple Prose: Borderline example.
 * Badass Bookworm: It's a possibility. His sideline waiting animation involves him reading a book (it might be some sort of holy scripture) while wearing Scary Shiny Glasses. The next thing you know, KOKO DESU KA?
 * Badass Preacher: You can't deny it. Of course, when we say God, we mean Orochi.
 * Beard of Evil: A quite impressive goatee.
 * Blow You Away: His elemental power among the Heavenly Kings is wind. He is (in)famous for his Yonokaze move as well as his Yamidoukoku DM. His arrival in the final moments of '96 is heralded by a gust of wind destroying the stadium around him.
 * Catch Phrase: "KOKO DESU KA?"
 * The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: In King of Fighters '96, he could do desperation moves without having to fill his power gauge.
 * Also, if his AI entered a loop, he would continually use his Tornado Summon move over and over, making him completely unbeatable and forcing you to forfeit the round.
 * Crystal Dragon Jesus: He is pretty much a Catholic priest, except that he serves Orochi and not the Abrahammic God. He does, however, refer to his deity as "God" in his winquotes.
 * Dramatic Wind: Subverted. Although his elemental affinity is wind, none of his poses invoke the trope.
 * Gender Flip: The infamous Goeniko fad, which stemmed from his Midnight Bliss form in SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos. Notable in that she actually showed up as an official character in the pachinko games.
 * Ghost Amnesia: In a non-canonical story, his ghost meets up with Ninon Beart from Maximum Impact 2. Goenitz can't remember anything, but seems to recognize the mention of his title: the wildly-blowing wind.
 * Finger Wag: He nonchalantly does this and snickers while performing a back roll.
 * Flash Step: Using the wind, of course.
 * Gratuitous Foreign Language: Sorta. The movesets for him and the other Heavenly Kings (Yashiro, Shermie and Chris) are written in cyrillic.
 * Hellish Pupils: Before fighting him, his pupils turn into slits in the cutscene.
 * Herald: When he showed up, things would never be the same in the King of Fighters world. One could argue that he's the catalyst of everything that's gone wrong in this series.
 * It Is Pronounced "Tro-PAY": Based on the Japanese spelling of his name, it's pronounced "gay-nits". Based on the spelling and German pronunciation, it should be somewhere between "gurnits" and "guhnits", similar to Karl Doenitz from World War II. That is, unless he's friends with John Boehner.
 * Multicolored Hair: His theme song, "Trash Head" lampshades this.
 * Person of Mass Destruction: Just take a look at his stage. That was a perfectly good stadium before his arrival.
 * Razor Wind: His His Yonozake has the "slash" sound effect when connecting with the enemy. Also his Wanpyou Tobokuze and Wanpyou Mametzu moves.
 * Sexy Priest: Overlaps with Evil Is Sexy and Stupid Sexy Flanders.
 * Sinister Minister: Looks suspiciously like a Catholic priest. He's quite sane, fortunately, and detests demonic entities such as Demitri Maximov and Red Arremer.
 * SNK Boss: Even in King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match, where he's said to be arguably worse.
 * Subverted in King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match: before people started unlocking him, many players expected him to be of boss level, but he lost the SNK Boss traits in this incarnation, and plays more like he did in SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos.
 * This is actually part of a strange Double Subversion of sorts. Goenitz was a midboss in SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos, and was originally ported to the PS2 and Xbox versions of the original 2002. In SNK vs. Capcom: SVC, he was less cheaper than his original form, but still overpowered. These issues were, unfortunately, left intact in his original 2002 appearance, but 2002 Unlimited Match corrected these errors, and made him a high-tier secret character instead.
 * Spam Attack
 * Villainous Breakdown: The Three Sacred Treasure's ending (which is the canonical ending) has Goenitz screaming about why the wind isn't blowing after Kyo and Iori deliver the coup de grace on him.
 * Wolverine Claws: Like Iori's case, his own hands do the job.

Leona Heidern
""Had enough? Then beat it, fool.""

"Voiced by: Masae Yumi, Lisa Leonard (Maximum Impact series, English), Rachel Waltzer (XII, English)"

"Her father Gaidel was one of the Orochi heralds, but when Goenitz visited his village to remind him of his role in Orochi's resurrection, Gaidel wanted no part of it. As punishment for his betrayal, Goenitz forced Leona into the Riot of the Blood state, causing her to go berserk and slaughter the entire village singlehandedly, including her family. When she woke up and saw what she had done, a traumatised and amnesiac Leona then wandered aimlessly until she was found by Heidern. Heidern planned to drop off her at an orphanage, but found Leona had cut down a tree with her bare hands, and not to mention he had lost his own daughter some time ago. She was adopted by Heidern shortly afterwards, becoming his de facto daughter. Although she appears cold, she maintains this persona out of fear that being emotional will cause her to regress into the Riot once more."


 * Action Girl: She is a trained mercenary after all.
 * Ascended Glitch: Her infamous salute to Chang in '98 was originally a bug. Word of God said this was intentional, but it led to a plethora of both Fan Art and official art as well as a few fan theories back in the day.
 * Bare Your Midriff: Even more so with her XII outfit.
 * Child Soldiers: Became one of the "just plain tragic" type after being taken in by Heidern.
 * Deadly Upgrade: During her Riot of the Blood state, she loses control of herself and vomits blood.
 * Dramatic Wind: During her caped/hooded intro mentioned below.
 * Emotionless Girl: Of the "emotionally repressed" type.
 * Enemy Within: Orochi Leona.
 * Eye/Hair Color Dissonance: In sprites, her eyes used to be green with blue eyebrows. Everywhere else, they were always blue with black eyebrows.
 * Flash Step: One of her DMs in XIII can be summed up as a deadly game of pinball involving blades.
 * Flung Clothing: Her dress uniform in King of Fighters '96/98, a cape/hood in King of Fighters '97/99 (first turn only).
 * Good-Looking Privates: For the most part. It depends on how she's drawn. Some artists tend to give her slight man-face and a somewhat stocky build, while others draw her with prettier features and a more slender build.
 * Happily Adopted: Well, as happy as an emotionally repressed, self-orphaned, cursed girl can get, anyway.
 * Heroic BSOD: Had one after the horrendous incident with Goenitz, until she was found and adopted by Heidern.
 * Hotblooded Sideburns: Ayup, those aren't actually locks.
 * Limp and Livid/Primal Stance: Orochi Leona.
 * Monochromatic Mind Control Eyes: As Orochi Leona. Crosses over with Glowing Eyes of Doom and Eyes of Gold Depending on the Artist.
 * Replacement Goldfish: To a degree, for her boss and adoptive father.
 * Self-Made Orphan: Under Goenitz's control, in her defense.
 * Self Fanservice: Muscle fetishists are all over her for some reason.
 * She's Got Legs: More noticeable in her original outfit.
 * Shy Blue-Haired Girl: Although the "shy" is more like "emotionally withdrawn".
 * Skyward Scream: During her Orochi mode's intro.
 * Does This Remind You of Anything?: Listen to her breathing and notice her crazed, somewhat pleasured look in the aforementioned intro.
 * Slipknot Ponytail: In one of her winposes.
 * SNK Boss: Orochi Leona. In this form, she's twice as fast, twice as strong, and has new animations that give her priority over several moves (such as her new run animation, which now lets her go underneath fireballs). When you play as her, she has a weaker defense, and is much harder to control, but yep, she's cheaper than Orochi Iori.
 * Statuesque Stunner: She stands at 176 cm tall.
 * The Stoic: Inherited from her stepfather.
 * Sugar and Ice Personality: So, so much.
 * Too Many Belts: In Maximum Impact 2, courtesy of Falcoon.
 * Trauma-Induced Amnesia: After she slaughtered her village, she was so horrified that she couldn't remember what happened. She found out the truth in '97 and, after being briefly Driven to Suicide, got over it.
 * Turns Red: Her hair turns red in her Orochi form.
 * When She Smiles: A staple of her team's endings. Learning of her past and horrified by her actions while having succumbed to The Riot of the Blood, Leona attempts to commit suicide after the '97 tournament. Ralf and Clark talk her out of it and cheer her up, prompting Leona to smile for the first time in years. The Ikari Team's ending in XIII takes this a step further..
 * Why Am I Ticking?: She really takes after her adopted father.
 * With Great Power Comes Great Insanity/This Is Your Brain on Evil: Again, listen to her pleasured Skyward Scream.
 * On the other hand, her Neo MAX in XIII seems to imply that Leona is learning how to better control her Orochi form, at least for short bursts of time.
 * Wolverine Claws: Unlike her adoptive father, Leona's is apparently an inherited ability from Gaidel. Again, there's Audible Sharpness.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Or red, if it's Orochi Leona.
 * Or pink in her "Another" outfit from Maximum Impact.

Geese Howard
""You really think you can beat me? That is so unfunny.""

"Voiced by: Kong Kuwata, Tom Bitler (Maximum Impact series, English)"

"The Big Bad and Final Boss of pretty much every Fatal Fury game. Geese, along with Jeff Bogard, trained under Tung Fu Rue in the art of Hakkyokuseiken. After learning that Jeff would inherit the style's secret arts, Geese left the school embittered, and swore revenge. He eventually became the most known mastermind in the criminal underground. He took control of Southtown after winning it over from Mr. Big and making him his underling. Afterwards, Geese finally got his revenge by killing Jeff Bogard in a vicious battle, and causing his sons to train under Tung for revenge. Over the course of several years, he worked his way from police commissioner to mayor of Southtown. He decided to host the first King of Fighters tournament out of boredom, and faced Terry Bogard in the final battle after Terry defeated his right hand man Billy Kane. Geese lost and was given a swift boot out of the top floor of his tower, but somehow survived the fall. Geese sends Billy in 95 to form the Rival Team and enact revenge upon the Bogard Bros. He resurfaced in 96, entering the King of Fighters tournament along with his half-brother Krauser and Mr. Big to learn more about the Orochi's power. Mr. Big, learning he was being used, attempted to assassinate Geese, but Billy arrived just in time to stop the sniper's bullet aimed at Geese's head. In '97, he chose Billy, Yamazaki and Blue Mary to go and investigate the Orochi power further. Later that same year, he obtained the Jin Scrolls and once again held the King of Fighters tournament in Southtown. He faced Terry for the last time, and history repeated itself as Geese was once again sent out of his tower. Terry tried to save him, but Geese refused and fell. His body was never found, but in the Maximum Impact and Mark of the Wolves storylines, he is Killed Off for Real, coming back as literal Nightmare Fuel. In 2003, he sponsors the Outlaw Team consisting of Yamazaki and Billy once again, as well as Gato."

""Yuur naat wurf mah deescass!!""
 * Arrogant Kung Fu Guy: Somewhat of a subversion. Geese actually does have discipline, but unless you earn his respect, you're worthless scum to him, and he'll gladly beat the shit out of you to demonstrate how much you suck compared to him.
 * Badass: Don't let his name fool you. This guy has fallen off the same 50-story building twice and lived to tell the tale. He practically rivals Akuma in terms of badassery when it comes to King of Fighters.
 * Badass Arm-Fold: He does this pose as his Victory Pose.
 * Battle Aura: He has a constant blue/purple aura surrounding him in his "Nightmare Geese" form.
 * From Real Bout Fatal Fary 2 onward, he briefly gains one while performing his Rashomon.
 * Blond Guys Are Evil
 * Bonus Boss: In 2002 Unlimited Match, Geese is the last Expert challenge of the Challenge Mode.
 * Bring It: His taunt.
 * Counter Attack: Roughly one-third of his moveset revolves around attack reversals and throws. Luckily for you, these moves have been toned down from their That One Attack status in the original Fatal Fury, where he'd counter everything, even you jumping towards him.
 * Disney Villain Death: The undisputed God of this trope.
 * Does Not Like Shoes: He instead prefers to wear tabi, symbolizing his fascination with Japanese culture.
 * Everything's Sparkly with Jewelry: Although he wears a rather modest dogi and hakama pants, Geese's battle attire also includes a blinged-out gold necklace.
 * Expy: Geese Howard seems to resemble King, the Final Boss of The Super Spy, something made a bit more obvious with the intro to Fatal Fury 3. He also looks like the Aussie from Jean-Claude Van Damme's Bloodsport.
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has a particularly nasty one on his back (from his fall in Fatal Fury) as well as another one going across his chest.
 * Gratuitous English: Terry's Evil Counterpart in terms of this.


 * Flung Clothing: Does this in Capcom vs. SNK 2.
 * Hot Dad: He's not quite the Bishonen that he was back in Art of Fighting 2, but you'd be kidding yourself if you said he didn't still qualify for this trope. Even better, his wife is (or was) a fox. Just don't expect to receive any sort of love or attention.
 * How to Cheat Death: The greatest authority on this trope.
 * Immortality: Sought this in Fatal Fury 3 by obtaining the Jin Scrolls. It's unknown if he truly gained it, but he seems to love stating that he's immortal whenever he returns.
 * I Was Quite a Looker: Although he isn't ugly nowadays nor does he seem to lament this, Geese's appearance in Art of Fighting 2 had Geese as a evil version of Andy Bogard who was a Badass in a Nice Suit.
 * Ki Attacks
 * Leitmotif/Bootstrapped Theme/Recurring Riff: Has had the same theme song in every game he appears in. It's become a very popular tune among fighting game fans.
 * Long Lost Sibling: He's Krauser's half-brother, as well as Kain R. Heinlein's brother-in-law.
 * Man of Wealth and Taste: Well, he is a Corrupt Corporate Executive with shades of Wicked Cultured.
 * Mundane Made Awesome/Rule of Cool: Nightmare Geese's Raging Dead End HSDM in 2002 Unlimited Match IS this trope. His hands glow, and if hit, Geese takes off his dogi and starts firing Reppukens like there's no tomorrow. Eventually, they form one XBOX HUEG Reppuken roughly four times the size of a regular one that encases his opponent. He then fires it.
 * Awesome but Impractical: Getting it to trigger is a task though as once you activate it, you have to connect an Atemi Nage (any that you like) and against an opponent that fights back, it's difficult to predict it and act accordingly. Be thankful though that you have infinite time to do so here. Its spiritual predecessor in Fatal Fury Wild Ambition (Raising Dead End) had a time limit that, after it ran out, thanks to that game's power bar mechanics, meant that the next hit connected on Geese would stun him, no questions asked.
 * Nigh Invulnerability: Let's face it: falling from a 50-story building and living to tell the tale is an automatic sign of badassery.
 * No One Could Survive That: Again, the tower schtick. Unless they Never Found the Body.
 * Occidental Otaku: Possibly, although the hints are stronger with his transition between Art of Fighting 2 and Fatal Fury in the other timeline.
 * Orcus on His Throne: Ever since '97, he's been this, sitting in his office giving Billy orders. Word of God states that they have no plans to put him in XIII as DLC because he wouldn't fit the system, although fandom speculates that it's actually for the same reason they won't let his son Rock be in a canon King of Fighters game: they want to respect the original Fatal Fury team, who were laid off from SNK when they went bankrupt.
 * Parental Abandonment: Towards Rock, but he also hates Geese for numerous other reasons. Also did Waifu abandonment towards his wife Marie, causing her "death", and his brother-in-law Kain hates him for that.
 * Ironically, Geese hated his father for the exact same reasons that Rock hates him: . Like Father, Like Son, eh, Geese?
 * Pillar of Light: While it's usually a Cage or Claw Of Light, the SDM variant of his Raging Storm actually took on this form in '96.
 * Punched Across the Room: His Rashomon. More accurately, it's "Thrown Into The Air And Then Double Palm Strike Ki Blasted Halfway Across The Screen With A Row Of Kanji In The Background."
 * Put on a Bus: Ever since '96, players have expected him to make a playable appearance. Yet aside from the home ports of 2002 and XI, 98: Ultimate Match, and 2002 Unlimited Match, SNK never put him in any of the other games.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: As Nightmare Geese. Coupled with Glowing Eyes of Doom in 2002 Unlimited Match's artwork.
 * Say My Name: Gets this a lot from Terry and Andy. And Rock.
 * Schrödinger's Cat: Has been dead in the Fatal Fury storyline since 1996, but in King of Fighters, he is still alive and well.
 * Unless it's the Maximum Impact series, where he's dead... again.
 * Self-Made Man: Even though his business practices are illegitimate, the ways in which he succeeds are.
 * Shock and Awe: His Raimei Gouha Nage special throw and his Thunder Break DM.
 * SNK Boss: The other Trope Codifier.
 * Status Quo Is God: Geese is always top tier in every game he appears in.
 * The Syndicate: Howard Connection is this, although Geese fools the people by using his seemingly benevolent actions and the police force as a front.
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Rare steak.

Chizuru Kagura
""Playtime's over. Winning is too easy. You can't lay a finger on me!""

"Voiced by: Akiko Saito (96-98), Yukiko Sagawa (2003)"

"Possessor of the Yata Mirror and guardian of Orochi's seal. A wealthy businesswoman and Shinto priestess who hosted the '96 tournament in order to test the abilities of Kyo and Iori, to ensure the would be able to defeat Orochi if he was revived. Her twin older sister Maki was killed by Goenitz in order to weaken Orochi's seal, and her fond memories of her sister were used to manipulate her in the 2003 tournament by Botan, who used her to weaken Orochi's seal further. Her powers were then stolen by Ash Crimson, taking her out of the fight. She asked Shingo to form a team with Kyo and Iori in her place for the next tournament."

"Chizuru: "NEE-SAMA!!"
 * Attack Reflector
 * Barrier Maiden: She and Maki.
 * Big Good: As she's the one who spurs Kyo and Iori into action against Orochi, she could be seen as this for the Orochi Saga.
 * Biker Babe: In her free time, she loves riding motorcycles. She also had Maki, her sister, as her Wrench Wench whose hobby was fixing Chizuru's motorbike, according to her profile.
 * Brainwashed and Crazy: During 2003. She recovers, only to have Ash swoop down and steal her powers.
 * Catch Phrase: "Sa hajimemasho?" ("Well, then, shall we begin?").
 * Chickification: Unlike Iori, once Ash took away her power, she couldn't fight anymore and had her confidence shaken by the ordeal. Isn't it sad, Chizuru?
 * Combat Stilettos: Years have gone by, and fans are still wondering how Chizuru can fight competely in heels like those.
 * Dance Battler: Her fighting style resembles traditional Japanese dancing, and Chizuru even breaks out into a funky jig in a few post-battle poses.
 * Does This Remind You of Anything?: In one of her win poses, Chizuru places her hands on her chest and then lets out a breathy, heaving sigh. It sounds a bit more sexual than it probably should be.
 * Doppelganger Attack: Many of her specials create a illusionary duplicate of her, either to attack or to confuse the opponent.
 * Everything's Better with Sparkles
 * Expy: Chizuru was made in the image of Yohko Shiraki from Ashita no Joe.
 * Hair Decorations: Her white headband.
 * Hair Flip
 * Lady of War: Fight stylishly with Japanese-style dancing and illusionary powers.
 * Leitmotif: For every appearance that she had a musical theme, Chizuru always received some rendition of "Fairy".
 * Light Is Good
 * Master of Illusion
 * Meaningful Name: Her surname Kagura is the same as a traditional Shinto theatrical dance performed during festivals, hence her fighting style. Her true last name Yata stems from the Yata-no-Kagami, one of Japan's Three Sacred Treasures which represents wisdom or honesty and was used to help lure the sun goddess Amaterasu out of a cave, thus bringing light back to the world. Guess what Chizuru does by helping seal Orochi.
 * Miko: In one of her special intros in King of Fighters '98, she magically changes into her priestess kimono when fighting anyone linked to Orochi, then changes back.
 * Also does this in her special intro in '97, but only against Orochi. She switches to her usual outfit and also says, "Well, then, let's end this."
 * She puts on a similar attire in 2003 (complete with an oni mask) before revealing herself to the players.
 * No Badass to His Valet: She's probably the closest thing Iori has to this trope. She easily convinces him to team up with her and Kyo in 2003 and is personally visited by him before XIII, promising to return her mirror in due time. Fans have picked up on this, and for this reason, Chizuru is one of the more popular het pairings for Iori.
 * Ojou: Starts as the Defrosting Ice Queen type, but quickly switches to the Proper Lady version.
 * Power Nullifier: One of her DMs actually seals her opponent's specials and supers for a brief period of time. Her 2003 LDM combines this with her illusionary dancing body doubles.
 * Public Domain Artifact/Amplifier Artifact: Holds the Yata-no-Kagami inside her body. Ash pretty much gropes and violates her to steal it.
 * Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Very pale, very dark-haired and very beautiful.
 * Shiny Midnight Black
 * SNK Boss: She was a lot more powerful (and cheap) in '96, but has since been depowered after being a selectable character.
 * She got her boss status back in 2003, where you must fight both her and an illusion of her sister Maki. Subverted because she's not the SNK Boss this time, Maki is.
 * Synchronization: For the Dual Boss fight against Chizuru and Maki, they share a three-tier healthbar. In other words, if one sister falls, the other goes down with her.
 * Her and Maki's illusions also share this trait: you can smack around one of their body doubles and damage the woman from across the screen.
 * Tall, Dark and Bishoujo: Although she does become less aloof over time (thanks to the likes of her fellow Sacred Treasures members, the Women Fighters Team, and King's younger brother Jean), Chizuru does adhere pretty closely to this trope. Oh, and being a Barrier Maiden for a human-hating quasi-deity, trouble is always close behind.
 * Team Mom: Chizuru can keep Iori and Kyo from killing each other and can get them to work together. 'Nuff said.
 * Telepathy
 * Twincest: Sure, Chizuru was Brainwashed and Crazy in 2003, but she and Maki seem to be a bit too attached to each other, as you can see in artwork, cutscenes, and their respective knockout cries.

Maki: "CHIZURU!!""


 * Yamato Nadeshiko: As if this wasn't an indication.

Wolfgang Krauser
""Opposed me with such low ability, you make me laugh.""

"Voiced by: B.J. Love"

"The current Earl of Strolheim, the latest in a line of bodyguards of European nobility. He is Geese's half-brother and hosted the second King of Fighters tournament after hearing of Geese's disappearance. Krauser took the tourney worldwide, wanting to face the best of the best. Although there were rumors of his demise following his defeat at Terry's hands, they were proven wrong when Geese invited him to join a team Geese had formed for the '96 tournment. Krauser is a cruel opponent in the ring, but is a kind soul outside of it, as he sees no justification for mercy in combat."


 * Anti-Villain: Type I.
 * Armor Is Useless
 * Badass Cape: Has one to go with his armor.
 * Badass Long Hair
 * Badass Mustache
 * Blow You Away: His Gigatech Cyclone SDM.
 * Dramatic Wind: During his iconic "I'll chisel your gravestone! Sleep well!" intro in '98: Ultimate Match when put against any Fatal Fury original (or Ryo).
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has a "X" across his forehead, but in no way is he a hero.
 * Fingerless Gloves
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: A promotional artwork for King of Fighters '96 shows him walking in the countryside with a dog. That, and as already said, he's a rather pleasant and noble person unless you're his opponent.
 * Let's Fight Like Gentlemen: As already established, in the confines of a match, there is no room for restraint, and Krauser will call upon all of his strength to win. However, if this weren't a fight, he'd gladly sit down and share a glass of wine with you.
 * Lightning Bruiser: Very fast, even with the armor on.
 * Playing with Fire: His Blitz Ball attacks.
 * Public Domain Soundtrack: Dies Irae in Fatal Fury 2, Special, King of Fighters '96 and King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match. Lacrimosa in Real Bout Fatal Fury, Real Bout Special and Real Bout 2.
 * Shirtless Scene: When he breaks out of that armor.
 * SNK Boss: In the old Fatal Fury games.
 * Spirited Competitor: He's somewhere between this and a Blood Knight, albeit much closer to the former.
 * Surprisingly Good English: Has an actual English VA to portray him. His Dramatic Wind line is probably the best known example.
 * Wrestler in All of Us: Many of his throws, specials and this beta DM that was Dummied Out resemble basic pro-wrestling techniques such as dropkicks and powerbombs.
 * You Gotta Have Purple Hair: And mustache too.
 * You Gotta Have Purple Hair: And mustache too.

Mature
""Good night. Forever. Have a million sweet dreams.""

"Voiced by: Hiroko Tsuji, Donna Burke (XII, English)"

"One of the servants of Orochi. She, along with Vice, were assigned by Goenitz to watch over Rugal in case he overused his Orochi power, but he did, and both of them were reassigned to watch Iori Yagami. Both of them joined him for the '96 tournament, but they were killed by Iori after he entered the Riot of the Blood state. . Her Orochi power was the ability to create illusions."


 * All Girls Want Bad Boys: She clearly has a crush on Rugal.
 * There's also her quote after beating Iori in XII: "You're the best.".
 * Ascended Extra: Remember the woman who escorted you to Rugal's lair in '94? That's Mature.
 * Bandage Babe: Her grand reappearance in XII has her as one.
 * The Baroness: Fits this to a T.
 * Bi the Way: Apparently.
 * Blondes Are Evil
 * Christmas Cake: At 28, she was the oldest woman in the series (hence her name) until Vanessa came along. Of course, Vanessa was 30 four years later, so...
 * Combat Stilettos: Some of her attacks involve some very precise strikes with her heels.
 * Dark Action Girl: She and Vice were the first evil female characters in the series.
 * Eyepatch of Power: After her comeback in XII.
 * Femme Fatale: She has the typical appearance and seductive personality. And she is one of the bad guys.
 * Femme Fatalons: She mainly weaponizes her sharp nails.
 * Girly Girl: Mature is calm, collected, very feminine and classy. Vice is her opposite, see the entry.
 * Gory Discretion Shot: Used when Orochi Iori kills her and Vice.
 * Hot Chick in a Badass Suit: Her original design was this.
 * Kiss of Death: Her HSDM Eternal Illusion from 2002 ends with this right before her foe is caught in an explosive bolt of energy. She also blows a kiss to Rugal in the same way in their intro pose together.
 * Lovely Angels: Has this dynamic with Vice despite the two not necessarily being friends (although the Days of Memories Spin-Off series actually paints them in this light). They don't quite qualify for a full-on Evil Duo, as both women are actually sensible. In the same vein, they seem to straddle the line of being Heterosexual Life Partners. Some artwork also plays up this aspect.
 * Maniacal Laugh: In a few of her desperation moves. Overlaps with Noblewoman's Laugh.
 * Marilyn Maneuver: Often done in her '96 outfit.
 * Not Quite Dead
 * Pillar of Light: Often appears in her desperation moves, and is a very common in characters of the Orochi bloodline.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning:.
 * Rubber Woman: Her Deicide special.
 * Sexy Secretary: For Rugal back in 94 and 95.
 * Sexy Walk: Her standard walking animation in all of her appearances.
 * She's Got Legs: She values her own legs, and well, she does sport a pretty impressive pair.
 * Show Some Leg: In a few poses of hers. Clark obviously likes it a bit too much.
 * Statuesque Stunner: 177 cm tall. She is one of the tallest women in the series.
 * The Vamp: Unlike the very straightforward and dirty-mouthed Vice, she relies on class and...
 * Sugary Malice: She'll first act soft-spoken and a little flirty... then she'll verbally lash you out.
 * Wolverine Claws
 * The Vamp: Unlike the very straightforward and dirty-mouthed Vice, she relies on class and...
 * Sugary Malice: She'll first act soft-spoken and a little flirty... then she'll verbally lash you out.
 * Wolverine Claws

Kasumi Todoh
""The honor of the Todoh school is in my hands. Me, the daughter of Ryuhaku!""

"Voiced by: Masae Yumi"

"Kasumi is the daughter of Ryuhaku Todoh, the first enemy in the original Art of Fighting. She grew up learning the Todoh school of Aikido and Kobujutsu, taught to her by her father. As her family's sole heir, she does all she can to stand up for the Todoh way. When Ryuhaku stayed at Southtown to settle an old score with a man named Takuma Sakazaki, Kasumi remained in her house, waiting for her father's return. A couple of months later, she got some bad news: Ryuhaku had been defeated by Ryo Sakazaki, Takuma's son, and hasn't been seen since. She decided to fight Ryo and anybody else in order to avenge her father. Unfortunately enough, her mother Mizuho did not like that idea. But she eventually makes peace with him and returns to Japan with her mother."

""Slow down--don't understand meaning...""
 * Badass Adorable: A competent aikadoka who is young, cute and prone to silly manneirisms such as reading her translation book. Not to mention very focused on her martial art and devoted to her father and family.
 * Bokukko
 * Chainmail Bikini: Only in some iterations.
 * Cute Bruiser: She might be young and cute, but she has some noticeably powerful moves such as her counter DM.
 * Disappeared Dad: She's always looking for him, but little does she know he's right under her nose the whole time.
 * Including in the background of the Women's Team stage in King of Fighters '96.
 * Or as "Unknown", a striker from 2000 who also appears in her 2002 Unlimited Match HSDM.
 * Dramatic Wind: One of her King of Fighters '99 victory poses mimics that of Ryu in Street Fighter II. Said pose also includes Ryu's trademark Badass Arm-Fold.
 * Eloquent in My Native Tongue: See Gratuitous English below.
 * Fingerless Gloves: Always a part of her outfit.
 * Generation Xerox: Very much like her father.
 * Gratuitous English: "Come back when you grow up!"
 * Lampshaded by her looking it up from a translation dictionary first, due to her terrible English-speaking skills.


 * Hachimaki: Part of her outfit. She removes it in one of her winposes.
 * Ki Attacks: The Kasane Ate attacks, where she makes waves of blue slashing projectiles.
 * Lady of War: In the making.
 * Noblewoman's Laugh: One of her victory poses.
 * Parasol of Prettiness: She's sometimes seen with one in her intro poses.
 * Pettanko
 * The Rival: To the Kyokugen school of Karate (Art of Fighting Team). It's not something she really wants to do, it's a family obligation.
 * She's Got Legs: Not that we'd know, but being secretly envied in this department by Chun-Li of all people speaks volumes.
 * Translation Convention: During her Gratuitous English win pose she has to look through an Japanese-English dictionary.
 * Her Engrish might also be SNK prodding at their own long-standing habit of shoddy translations.
 * Wouldn't Counter-Hit A Girl: In some games, her attack reversal throws only work on males.
 * Yamato Nadeshiko: What Mizuho-san already is, and what Kasumi does not want to become.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Probably inherited from her mother, as Ryuhaku's hair is black.

Vice
""Well, I guess I'm through. There are no more bones to break.""

"Voiced by: Masae Yumi"

"One of the servants of Orochi. She, along with Mature, was assigned by Goenitz to watch over Rugal in case he overused his Orochi power, but he did, and both of them were reassigned to watch Iori Yagami. Both of them joined him for the '96 tournament, but they were killed by Iori after he entered the Riot of the Blood state. . Her Orochi power was the ability to hypnotize anyone to do her bidding."


 * Ambiguously Brown/But Not Too Black: She's one of the two. Most artwork seems to suggest the former, although her artwork from 2002 and Neowave imply the latter..
 * Ascended Extra: Remember that woman who talked to Rugal in '95? That's Vice.
 * Ax Crazy: Oh yeah! And by far the most violent female of the whole series, barring maybe Orochi Leona.
 * The Baroness: When she isn't in psycho-bitch mode, that is.
 * Bastard Girlfriend: She's extremely domineering and quite open about it.
 * Bi the Way: Can be seen in some of her quotes, such as her remark on King's "pretty face" in XIV.
 * Christmas Cake: She is canonically 27 years old and has no romantic relationship of any kind. She doesn't seem to mind this.
 * Combat Sadomasochist: So blatant, it's a wonder SNK didn't get called out for it.
 * Dark Action Girl: The first evil female fighter in the series, along with Mature.
 * Femme Fatalons: Though she doesn't use it as often as Mature does.
 * Gory Discretion Shot: Her new HSDM/MAX 2 in 2002 Unlimited Match. Also when Iori kills her, only their silouettes can be seen.
 * Hair Color Dissonance: It's usually easy to tell that she's a brunette, but.
 * Hates Everyone Equally: The only possible exceptions being Mature and Iori.
 * Hidden Depths: Pan-human Orochi minion, sadistic assassin, comic book nerd. Seriously.
 * Hot Chick in a Badass Suit: Her original design.
 * In Love with Your Carnage: Yes, she's a sadistic, Ax Crazy bitch, in case you hadn't figured out by now.
 * Limp and Livid: Her Idle Animation in '98.
 * Lovely Angels: She and Mature are rare evil variation of this trope (see Mature's entry above for more details).
 * Maniacal Laugh: Except hers is way scarier than that of Mature.
 * Mark of the Beast:.
 * Meaningful Name: Her name refers to anything that is immoral. Given her lines in battle, it's safe to assume that this refers to sexual impurity.
 * Murderous Thighs: Her Negative Gain DM is her doing a number of this.
 * Omnicidal Maniac: Whenever she enters her Orochi Blood Riot, she wants to kill everyone.
 * Pillar of Light: Often appears in her desperation moves.
 * Progressively Prettier: Subverted and inverted (is that even possible?). While Vice was always attractive, her stances have become more bizarre and creepy over the years. She's oft-kilter in '98 and zombielike in 2002.
 * And who can forget her introduction pose? You know the one where she crouches to all-fours and starts stretching and howling like a rutting she-wolf... Also a case of Never Live It Down.
 * Rubber Woman: Much like Mature, her Deicide special. The Capcom vs. SNK series expands on this by giving Vice an anti-air version of the move.
 * Sex Is Violence: In spades. She is much more overtly sexual in her poses and attitude than Mature.
 * Sexy Secretary: Like Mature, she was this when working for Rugal, as you can see in '95 intermissions.
 * She Cleans Up Nicely: In quite a few pieces of artwork such as this.
 * Spam Attack: Kick-based.
 * Statuesque Stunner: She stands at 5'10'', or 1.78 meters tall.
 * Tomboy: To Mature with which she forms a classic Tomboy and Girly Girl duo. She is indeed physically stronger, wears her hair short in additions to being much more violent and sexually provocative than Mature.
 * Unstoppable Rage
 * The Vamp: Unlike Mature who relies mainly on femininity and class to deceive her enemies, Vice mostly uses aggressive sexual provocations to distract her enemies... and then beat the shit out of them!
 * Wrestler in All of Us: Powerbombs are a part of her arsenal.
 * Wrestler in All of Us: Powerbombs are a part of her arsenal.

Chris
""You make me laugh, chump. And laugh. And laugh. And laugh.""

"Voiced by: Rio Ogata"

"The speed-based member of the New Faces Team, and Orochi's chosen vessel. A Cute Shotaro Boy who knows it and takes advantage of it. He uses the power of fire in his Awakened form."


 * Creepy Child: In his Orochi form. Only his teammates are safe from this.
 * Cute Shotaro Boy: Keep in mind that he's fourteen.
 * Demonic Possession/Involuntary Shapeshifting/Painful Transformation: His transformation into Orochi.
 * Do-It-Yourself Theme Tune Image Song: To a degree. The arranged version of "Rhythmic Hallucination" features vocals performed by none other than Rio Ogata herself.
 * Evil Counterpart: To Kyo as a member of the Orochi Team.
 * Expy:
 * He's a lot like Soujiro Seta, minus the sword.
 * Others believe Chris to be based off of a character from Armored Trooper VOTOMS.
 * Fragile Speedster: Most of his normal moveset revolves around Flash Steps.
 * Hellish Pupils: His "Flames of Destiny" version has slitted snake eyes in the first Neo-Geo pocket game.
 * Killed Off for Real: Possible subversion in that they Never Found the Body, which means Orochi could still be inhabiting it. Orochi being killed by Kyo and sealed in another dimension does make things more than a little difficult though.
 * Late Arrival Spoiler: Yashiro and Shermie give up their lifeforce to empower Chris, and he becomes the vessel in which Orochi is resurrected.
 * Not So Harmless
 * One-Winged Angel: He transforms into Orochi at the end of King of Fighters '97 and also in 2002, during his MAX 2/HSDM (Orochi Chris only).
 * Playing with Fire: His "Flames of Destiny" version.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: As Orochi Chris, go figure.
 * Seems to overlap with Eyes of Gold in 2002 Unlimited Match's artwork.
 * Stepford Smiler: Always with a smile in his face, even when killing random people. The fact that he's the Big Bad's host doesn't help either.
 * Word of God describes him as a character who can "kill with an innocent smile." Additionally, some of Orochi Chris's artwork (as well as his idle stance in 2002) shows him with a Slasher Smile instead.

Yashiro Nanakase
""You're not too bad. That is, you're second.""

"Voiced by: Makoto Awane"

"One of the Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi. Yashiro, Shermie and Chris entered the '97 tournament to get revenge on Iori for stealing their band's gig. In the finals, the three of them reveal their true agenda, and in the end, Yashiro and Shermie commit suicide, offering their energy to Orochi to resurrect him inside Chris. His Orochi power was the ability to control the earth."


 * Big Brother Instinct: Towards Chris, to a degree.
 * Big "What?": When knocked out.
 * Boisterous Bruiser: He is quite the arrogant fellow, judging by his quotes, but he actually is that strong.
 * Dance Battler: Some of his moves are reminiscent of Capoeira, and several of his animations involve him dancing about.
 * Dark-Skinned Blond: As Orochi Yashiro.
 * Dishing Out Dirt: His "Parched Earth" version.
 * Evil Counterpart: To Daimon as a member of the Orochi Team.
 * Expy: Yashiro was modeled after a character from Xabungle.
 * Friend to All Living Things: In one of his win poses, he whistles as if calling a dog... and summons an eagle.
 * Gaia's Vengeance
 * Hellish Pupils: His "Parched Earth" version has slitted snake eyes in the first Neo-Geo Pocket game.
 * Killed Off for Real
 * Lightning Bruiser: Has the same Super Speed that Chris possesses and hits like hell.
 * Megaton Punch: That can be charged For Massive Damage, much like the Galactica Phantom.
 * Actually, he has three: one as normal Yashiro, two for Orochi Yashiro (one doubles as a Rocket Punch and the other is his HSDM in 2002).
 * Metronomic Man-Mashing: Keeping with his parallelism to Daimon, Orochi Yashiro's Musebu Daichi (and its DM variant Ankoku Jigoku Gokuraku Otoshi) involves him chokeslaming his opponent several times in succession.
 * Not So Harmless: A mild subversion in his case (especially in comparison to his teammates): Yashiro actually has the physical constitution of a fighter.
 * Pillar of Light: At the end of his Araburu Daichi DM.
 * Real Men Wear Pink: Look at his jacket, people. And his earrings and choker. And he remains Badass.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: As Orochi Yashiro.
 * SNK Boss: The hardest to beat of the trio.
 * Unknown Rival: Of Iori, due to Iori's jazz-themed band cancelling his own rock band's performance at a local venue. Iori, true to form, doesn't even care for the guy. In '98, Yashiro's intro against Iori ribs on Iori's own intro pose (while quoting Chris' standard intro).
 * Violation of Common Sense: Remember the second Megaton Punch we talked about? If you're right next to him, it whiffs.
 * White-Haired Pretty Boy: Unless if it's Nona's artwork from 2002, where Yashiro looks rugged in his normal form and downright monstrous as Orochi Yashiro.
 * Wrestler in All of Us: Borderline example: after remembering his status as a Heavenly King of Orochi, Yashiro immediately discards his old fighting style in favor of several grappling and throwing techniques. Most of said attacks lack the finese of wrestling moves.

Orochi
""The butterfly emerges from its chrysalis...""

"Voiced by: Rio Ogata"

"The infamous creature of legend. Orochi is one of the servants of Gaia, but along the way, he became fanatical in his views, and believed that humans were a threat to Gaia. As such, he began putting a scheme into motion to eliminate humans from existence. He created a cult known as the Hakkesshu, or the 8 Heads of Orochi, to help him with his plans. He was stopped 1800 years ago by the Kusanagi, Yasakani and Yata clans, who sealed him away. However, he was still able to use some of his power through the seal, and began to spread his influence to others. Through Goenitz, he managed to open the seal partially upon the death of Maki Kagura. The seal was broken in '97, when Yashiro Nanakase and Shermie offered their powers to reawaken him inside Chris. He was resealed by Kyo, Iori and Chizuru after a fierce battle. Recently, there has been a plot to try and break his seal once again by Those From The Past, meaning he may return in the final chapter of the Tales of Ash.."


 * Achilles' Heel: His AI was poor, and most of his normal attacks were nothing special and repetitive.
 * Animal Motifs: The snake, it's even in his name. Orochi means "Great Snake". Still, the snake aspect is mostly in his eyes.
 * Attractive Bent Gender: In The King of Fighters: Kyo and [[media:Female Orochi 1895.jpg|a few pieces of bonus artwork]] for '98, Orochi is depicted as a total babe (probably because Orochi reincarnated itself into a female follower).
 * Audible Sharpness: His Ukei, which is pretty much a standing Genocide Cutter.
 * Bigger Bad: While he's--naturally—the Big Bad of his eponymous saga, making sure that Orochi stays sealed is pretty much the overlying focus of the series as a whole.
 * Catch and Return/Counter Attack: Both. His Utsushi Iwai special can counter moves of varying properties (ranging from overheads to physical attacks to projectiles) depending on the button pressed.
 * Deal with the Devil: His main interaction and connection with the Yagami (called "Yasakani" back then) family. The Yasakani clan swore subservience (and some other terms) in exchange for the power to overcome the Kusanagi family.
 * Flash Step
 * Gaia's Vengeance: To an insanely fanatical degree.
 * Hellish Pupils: Has slitted snake eyes.
 * Hoist by His Own Petard: In the Sacred Weapons ending of King of Fighters '97, a defeated Orochi tries to use Iori against Kyo and Chizuru by activating his Riot of the Blood, but Iori instead grabs Orochi and restrains him long enough for Kyo to give the final blow.
 * Humans Are the Real Monsters: And a threat to his beloved Gaia.
 * Humanity on Trial: The ending of '97, in a nutshell.
 * Kill All Humans: And he would have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for those meddling Three Sacred Clans that sealed him away eons ago and their meddling descendants!
 * Lawful Stupid: Hates humans because he sees them as a threat to his beloved Gaia. Gaia made humanity according to the storyline.
 * Light Is Not Good: His Bright Light/Fade to Nothingness/Marukare (Churning Chaos) DM, which fills the screen with an eerie greenish light.
 * Mark of the Beast/Power Tattoo: His "dark sun" tatoo that is over his chest. It's probable that Chris has the same tattoo, as his clothes cover the key areas where it would be.
 * Meaningful Name: His namesake is the eight-headed Yamata no Orochi of Japanese lore. While not canon, some sources depict his true form as the Orochi.
 * No Biological Sex: Despite "his" appearance as a fully-grown man, Orochi is a genderless deity whose appearance depends on its host (see "Attractive Bent Gender" above). Most refer to Orochi as a male due to the fact that "his" appearance in '97 is its most commonly known form.
 * Orochi: Well, DUH.
 * Power Floats: His original version never touched the ground on purpose.
 * Power Glows: Again, his original sprite had a glow that seems to be absent in King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match.
 * Religion of Evil: His cult engages in sacrifices and hijacking tournaments for the purposes of breaking his seal and reviving him.
 * Rule of Cool: Orochi's Supreme Divinity DM involves drawing you in with his godly powers. He then rips your soul out of its vessel and crushes it in the palm of his hands. Your soul.
 * Sealed Evil in a Can
 * SNK Boss: Was the first to use an absolute priority projectile, a full screen attack, and to fight without needing to crouch.
 * Voice of the Legion: Which still comes off as child-like.
 * Walking Shirtless Scene: Never wears a shirt.
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist: Seeing him as a Captain Planet and the Planeteers wannabe who wants to save the Earth by killing all of humanity seems to describe him well.
 * White-Haired Pretty Boy: It doesn't help that his physical form is just Chris's body remolded into a more suitable form.

"Blue" Mary Ryan
""This isn't about logic, it's about smashing your face in!""

"Voiced by: Harumi Ikoma"

"A freelance agent who was originally hired to investigate the theft of certain important scrolls. Her activities usually revolve around Geese's intentions: it's just as well, as her grandfather was Geese's mentor. In her King of Fighters debut, she was hired to team with and investigate Geese's right-hand-man Billy Kane and Psycho for Hire Ryuji Yamazaki, only to find that Geese was behind her employment. Since then, she has served as a semi-regular team member, usually alongside other Southtown representatives or female fighters. She gets along very well with Terry Bogard, though he wouldn't call her a girlfriend."


 * Action Girl: Perhaps the most out of all the females (barring Action Mom Vanessa and mercenaries Leona and Whip), since she's actually a capable agent.
 * Amazonian Beauty: More evident in her sprites than artwork.
 * Bare Your Midriff: She is always wearing a short sports bra that leaves her belly exposed.
 * Belly Dancer: As a part of one of her taunts.
 * Bob Haircut
 * But Not Too Foreign: Mary is actually part-Asian, given that her grandfather was a Japanese kobujutsu master named Tatsumi Suo who once taught Geese Howard.
 * Canine Companion: Her dog Anton (short for Antonio), who appears in some of Mary's intros and win poses.
 * Dark-Skinned Blond: Her Stripperiffic "Another" outfit from the Maximum Impact series.
 * Expy: Visually inspired by Android 18. She even had the Forehead of Doom in her debut: her head was shifted to more reasonable proportions by the time she entered King of Fighters.
 * Fingerless Gloves: Always wears them in her outfits.
 * Flung Clothing: In some games, she will thow away her jacket, which her dog Anton catches.
 * Foreign Fanservice: She is an American woman in a Japanese fighting game series.
 * Gainaxing/Jiggle Physics: Oddly enough, her top is, essentially, a bra.
 * Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: In one of her win poses, Mary makes a gun gesture with her index finger and then "fires" it as she says "Bakyuun!" ("Bang!").
 * Gratuitous English: "Are you ready?" and "I shall return!".
 * Hair of Gold
 * Hot Amazon
 * Image Song: "Blue Mary's Blues". Made it into 97 and 98 as her theme song (sans vocals).
 * In the PlayStation 2 version of Ultimate Match, the vocal version is present if you go into Practice Mode against her with the Arrange soundtrack on or if you have EX Mary face EX Terry.
 * Murderous Thighs: Her "Mary's Splash Rose" DM.
 * Perpetual Frowner: In her backstory, the loss of her lover has left her unable to smile. She's still pretty lively though.
 * Ship Tease: With Terry, so much. Seriously, if it wasn't for their lack of comittment to actually becoming a couple, she'd definitely be his Action Girlfriend.
 * Standard Female Grab Area: Inverted: a large portion of Mary's repertoire involves her doing the arm-breaking (and all other kinds of breaking), not being on the receiving end.
 * Static Stun Gun: Whips one out on her foes every once in a while in her Stun Fang special.
 * Token Good Teammate: For the '97 Special Team. She jumped ship the very moment she found out Geese was her employer.
 * Too Many Belts: Only one, yes, but it doesn't serve any practical purpose.
 * Tragic Keepsake: Her jacket was presented to her by her dead lover Butch.
 * Wrestler in All of Us: Another hazy example, considering that Mary's fighting style is labeled as some variation of Combat Sambo.

Shermie
""Game over, pal! Don't forget to save. Sweet dreams!""

"Voiced by: Hazuki Nishikawa"

"One of the Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi. Shermie, along with her bandmates Yashiro and Chris, entered the tournament to get back at Iori Yagami, stealing the American Sports Team's invitations. After the tournament, they reveal their true indentities and fight the Japan Team. They then ripped their own throats out as offerings to revive Orochi inside Chris. She's normally very ditzy and somewhat clumsy, but when she reveals her true intentions, she becomes extremely serious and devoted to Orochi's goal. Her element was lightning."


 * Awesome but Impractical: Her Orochi Shermie MAX 2/HSDM from 2002 and 2002 Unlimited Match has got to be one of the worst examples: she makes lightning come down, but has no control of where it lands, and because it requires low health, she can even get killed without even damaging her opponent! Sure, she can make a last minute evasion (the move is unblockable), but so can the opponent.
 * Blinding Bangs: Her eyes have slitted pupils and are probably red like her fellow teammates in Orochi mode.
 * Breaking the Fourth Wall: Her '98 winquote, reproduced above.
 * Cell Phone: In one of her taunts, she takes a call in the middle of the match.
 * Cleavage Window: Coupled with the fact that she has the largest bust size of all female characters (tied with Angel).
 * Combat Stilettos: She wears high heels and seems to fight well despite that.
 * Cool Big Sis: Plays this role to Chris, apparently.
 * Dark-Skinned Redhead: As Orochi Shermie in 2002.
 * Dark Action Girl/Femme Fatale: Detably, as she has little screentime, but her personality while in Orochi mode fits.
 * The Ditz: Sings and dances nonchalantly in her victory poses.
 * Subverted in her Orochi form, where she's much more serious and bloodthirsty. Only Yashiro and Chris are safe from this though.
 * Also notable for this trope is her SNK Gals Fighters ending: after she wins the tournament, she gets to make a wish, and wishes for a larger cage for her pet hamster, since she (the hamster) is having babies. Later, Yashiro points out that she could've used said wish... to ressurrect Orochi.
 * Does This Remind You of Anything?:
 * Her intro quote translates to "Since this is my first time, please be gentle."
 * She also presses her crotch into your face during her Shermie Spiral grapple, and jiggles her breasts as a command counter.
 * Everyone Wants Redheads: Yashiro, a fellow bandmate and servant of Orochi, is clearly attracted to Shermie (if 2002 is anything to go by). She appears to at least reciprocate his feelings to some degree. As for the credits reel of 2002? That speaks volumes.
 * Evil Counterpart: To Benimaru as a member of the Orochi Team. Funnily enough, while this avoids a Designated Girl Fight, her opponent is Benimaru.
 * Evil Redhead: In her normal form. When she first revealed herself as one of Orochi's, she had the purple hair of her Orochi persona though.
 * Evil Sounds Deep: As normal Shermie, Hazuki Nishikawa gives her a chipper, high-pitched voice. But as Orochi Shermie, she uses an angrier and deeper tone.
 * Expy: She's based off of Fujiko Mine from Lupin III. Given her flirtatious tendencies and her "assets", it's not hard to see the similarities.
 * The Faceless: It's said that her eyes have a malevolent glare about them.
 * Foreign Fanservice: She's French.
 * Girlish Pigtails: To a degree. It's more like a Girlish Split Ponytail.
 * Hidden Eyes: Unlike other examples of characters with their eyes covered by hair (like Chin), her eyes were never shown.
 * Kiss of Death: One of her attacks in Orochi mode has her sending electric projectiles as if she were blowing kisses. Her MAX 2 also starts out this way.
 * Leotard of Power: Wears one underneath her vest.
 * Mark of the Beast: In one of the ending pictures for King of Fighters '98, Shermie is revealed to have Orochi's tattoo on her back.
 * Murderous Thighs: Emphasized to the point of her sprite receiving larger hips than Mai Shiranui, whom officially has the largest hip measurement of the series.
 * Not So Harmless
 * Rapunzel Hair: It already looks long even when tied up.
 * Sexy Walk: Her standing walking animation has her struting like she is in a catwalk.
 * She's Got Legs: She's got 'em all right.
 * Shock and Awe: The "Insanely Violent Lightning" version. Her Lightning Leg Lariat HSDM in 2002 for regular Shermie also counts, but it loses the lightning aspect in 2002 Unlimited Match.
 * Psycho Electro: She gets electric powers when she is in her Super-Powered Evil Side mode.
 * Show Some Leg: Some of her moves were redesigned in 2002 to show off more of her leotard. Her taunt in said game also invokes this trope.
 * SNK Boss: A cruel subversion: Her "Insanely Violent Lighting" version was originally a boss and hidden to play as, but was and has always been, a low tier, if not a true Joke Character.
 * Statuesque Stunner: She is 173 cm tall, making her taller than many male characters around her age.
 * Stomp Them While They Are Down: Like Clark, she's able to add on an additional attack to certain throws of hers. Shermie's particular variant involves her stomping on her foe's downed body.
 * The Tease: She flirts with any male she finds attractive, strikes several suggestive poses and makes a few lewd comments.
 * Wrestler in All of Us: Her fighting style revolves mainly about grapples. Both of her desperation moves involve throws.
 * You Gotta Have Purple Hair: As Orochi Shermie in 97 and 98. Oddly enough, in 2002, her hair became auburn in color.
 * Wrestler in All of Us: Her fighting style revolves mainly about grapples. Both of her desperation moves involve throws.
 * You Gotta Have Purple Hair: As Orochi Shermie in 97 and 98. Oddly enough, in 2002, her hair became auburn in color.

Shingo Yabuki
""Did you see me, Mom?! I... I won! King of the World!""

"Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu"

"Kyo Kusanagi's biggest fan. He enters the tournament to fight his idol, and in '99 goes looking for him with Benimaru, K' and Maxima. Afterwards, Saisyu takes him in as an apprentice. He re-enters the XI tournament to replace Chizuru, but though he sorta manages to keep Iori and Kyo from killing each other, he's beaten senseless by a reawakened Orochi Iori."


 * Ascended Fanboy: From merely watching the 96 tournament on TV, to actually participating in it in 97, to being part of the Hero Team in '99 to finally teaming up with his idol Kyo in 2001 and XI.
 * Badass Normal: Believe it or not, he's more powerful than any normal human being, in fact, his chiseled body and strength are a force to reckon with, it's just nobody takes him seriously.
 * Critical Hit: His status as a Lethal Joke Character revolved around this.
 * Determinator: His techniques are low-grade imitations of Kyo. He can't shoot flame, no matter how much training he receives from Kyo or Saisyu or the fact that he has Kyo's old gloves. But every single fighter be damned if Shingo will ever give up. Proof? He survives a beatdown from Orochi Iori in XI.
 * Dojikko: Sometimes trips after performing some special moves.
 * Fingerless Gloves: Presented to him by Kyo as a sign of Shingo's progress as a martial artist in '97.
 * Flung Clothing: Sometimes wears a track jacket over his uniform.
 * The Heart: The other one aside of Chizuru who can keep Kyo and Iori from being at each other's throats.
 * Heroic Wannabe: Idolizes Kyo Kusanagi, to the point of mimicking his moves and speech. He's training to be as good as Kyo, and is convince that he too can "shoot fire".
 * Hero Worshipper: The parallels between him and Sakura Kasugano (who made her debut around the same time) are so staggering that you might wonder if they're Distaff Counterparts.
 * Hachimaki: Ditto, although it isn't quite the same as Kyo's.
 * Iconic Item: The Kusanagi gloves Kyo gave to him in '97. Shingo has worn them ever since.
 * School Uniforms Are the New Black: Mainly due to Shingo wanting to emulate Kusanagi-san as much as possible.
 * I Gave My Word: To Chizuru.
 * Lethal Joke Character: Thanks to his hard-earned Super Strength.
 * Ordinary High School Student: Though one with the power of Critical Hit attacks. And that random flame from his attacks in 2003 and XI...
 * Painting the Fourth Wall: During his HSDM in 2002 Unlimited Match, Shingo tries to copy one of Kyo's moves... and forgets about halfway through. He then takes advantage of the fact that he's in a video game to read through his notebook and finishes the chain of attacks.
 * Ryu and Ken: In regards to Kyo and Iori, he's akin to a Dan/Sakura-hybrid, although his spins on Kyo's teachings make him a formidable fighter.
 * The Team Normal: No matter what team he is in, he is only one without any special powers.
 * Use Your Head: His Shingo's Own Red-Hot Chariot DM/LDM ends with Shingo flubbing the move and divebombing into the ground. Said divebombing does a tremendous amount of damage, nearly equaling the rest of the move's damage output.
 * The Worf Effect
 * Your Mind Makes It Real: There is the belief that 98s "Dream Match Never Ends" comes from Shingo's dream. Every character in this dream match is Shingo's impression of them, based on either personal experience or his notes in his notebook.
 * There's also the spark of flame that randomly appears during his 115 Shiki: Dokugami Mikansei in 2003 and XI. It seems that only Shingo notices it, most likely due to his goal to shoot flames (as evident in the Japan Team's ending for 2003).

Ryuji Yamazaki
""Annoying. Annoying! Annoying! You're just so bleeding annoying!""

"Voiced by: Kouji Ishii"

"The Psycho for Hire when it comes to psychos for hire. Yamazaki has been in the crime business for as long as he can remember. One day, when he and his former boss were on their way to make a deal, they were set up and ambushed, and his boss was killed. This drove him completely insane, and he killed everyone who was there without a scratch. He became something of a criminal mercenary, offering his services to the highest bidder no matter how dirty the job was. He was approached by the Jin brothers, who hired him to obtain the Jin Scrolls, but was defeated by Terry. He also kidnapped Franco Bash's son for some reason, but Franco rescued him eventually. In '97, he decides to bust up dojos for pleasure, and Billy Kane approaches him with a substantial offer of money courtesy of Geese. At first, he doesn't feel like it, but after being infuriated by a surviving student and killing him, Yamazaki agrees. It is revealed that he is a part of the Orochi bloodline, but he doesn't care about that. After the tournament, he confronts Geese regarding his money and is paid. In 2003, he teams up with Billy yet again on the behest of Geese, along with Gato, but after a scuffle with Billy, he has not been heard from since."


 * Animal Motifs: Snakes. Particularly their various poisons.
 * Ax Crazy: Moreso than any other character. Don't catch him in a bad mood.
 * 2003 takes it to absurd levels. Yamazaki is at his absolute zaniest here.
 * XIV dials it back to believable levels, but he still has plenty of moments, like sticking his tongue out during Level 3 Drill.
 * Badass in a Nice Suit: Yamazaki (with the exception of 2003) wears slacks and a vest. In his intro, he even wears a pimp coat.
 * Blood Knight: Takes refuge in absolute carnage.
 * Bloody Murder: In his Real Bout 2 incarnation and, by proxy, his EX form in '98: Ultimate Match, he has a secret 5th level of his Drill super move where he fires his own blood at his opponent several times.
 * Chekhov's Gunman: In addition to his Dark and Troubled Past from Fatal Fury, '97 also reveals that some of his insanity is caused by his Orochi blood. Not that he cares or anything...
 * Combat Sadomasochist: Not quite. While he doesn't seem to enjoy being hit, one of his specials goes by the name of SadoMaso, and it involves him goading on his opponent, and then countering their attack with a Drill.
 * Demoted to Extra: He's the only surviving member of the Hakkesshu, not that he gives a shit or anything about it.
 * Evil Laugh: So much that in his Drill DM, he starts foaming at the mouth. Many of his winquotes have him laughing as well.
 * Flanderization: Believe it or not, there was a time when (as early as his first appearence in Fatal Fury 3, in fact) while we won't say he was wholly sane, he had a lot less screws loose, his in-game mannerisms then being a good deal more calmer, with the occasional Maniacal Laugh (hell, in Fatal Fury 3 and Real Bout Fatal Fury, it used to be a darkly sly little chuckle), to the point where his psychopathy would be considered more an Informed Flaw. Later games (King of Fighters series notwithstanding) put the psychopathy front and center, making Yamazaki into the nutter we all know and love. Which would be a rare example of this trope not being a negative thing.
 * Fingerless Gloves: Usually a part of his outfits, but they're absent in XIV.
 * Knife Nut: He loves collecting knives.
 * Laughing Mad: See directly above.
 * Multicolored Hair: He's perhaps the only character in the series to rival Goenitz, Mr. "Trash Head" himself, in this department.
 * Played for Laughs: His Snake Arm move has another interpretation: a super-fast pimp slap.
 * Psycho for Hire: THE psycho-for-hire in the King of Fighters world.
 * Screw Destiny: Doesn't give a rat's ass about his Orochi heritage.
 * Slasher Smile: All the time. Never loses it, not even for a moment.
 * Smug Snake
 * Trying to Catch Me Fighting Dirty: Not only the aforementioned knives, but he also kicks dirt in his opponents' faces and stomps on their crotches in one of his supers.
 * One word: Drill. Brutal does not even begin to describe it.
 * Use Your Head: His knockback attack is a headbutt. He also has a supped-up version of the move as a special called Bombshell Badda-Bing. It causes an explosion.
 * Whip It Good: His arms can strike so fast it looks like they turn into whips or snakes.
 * Wild Card: In regards to his fellow Hakkesshu. The remaining Heavenly Kings were hoping to enlist his aid during The Reveal in '97. It didn't go quite as planned.
 * With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Or maybe it's the other way around with Yamazaki.
 * With My Hands Tied: Always keeps his right hand in his pocket out of respect for the gangster he idolized as a child. He still manages to kick copious amounts of ass. The only time you'll ever see his right hand is when he's carving you to shreds with his knife.
 * Yakuza: Minus the tattoos, it's all there.
 * Years Too Early: 100, to be exact, in one of his win poses.

Gaidel
"The biological father of Leona and a member of the Orochi Hakkesshu, Gaidel was an avatar of water. Distancing himself from the rest of his clan, Gaidel moved to a remote village with his wife and young daughter. When Goenitz visited him and asked for help with Orochi's revival, Gaidel refused, prompting Goenitz to activate the Riot of Blood in Leona. Gaidel, his wife and the entire village was slain by Orochi Leona."


 * The Call Knows Where You Live: He managed to hide for several years from the other Orochi, but Goenitz managed to find him. It Got Worse.
 * Death by Origin Story: Thanks to Goenitz's Moral Event Horizon, Leona was deprived of her parents... by her own hands. Granted, it was More Than Mind Control, but still.
 * Defector From Decadence: He simply wanted to live a peaceful life in seclusion with his family, with no care for the other followers of Orochi. Goenitz would have none of that, especially when Gaidel refused to help resurrect Orochi.
 * The Faceless: His appearance has never been fully revealed. The best we've received was this silhouette to the right, in '97.
 * Making a Splash
 * Spell My Name with an "S": Expect his name to also be spelled as Guidel.
 * Wolverine Claws: Leona inherited them from him.

Yuki
"Voiced by: Tomoko Kojima"

"An Ordinary High School Student and Kyo's girlfriend. She also has the bad luck of being the last descendant of Princess Kushinada, the famous Barrier Maiden of the Orochi legend, so during King of Fighters '97, she's kidnapped by the New Faces Team so she can be sacrificed in the ritual to bring Orochi back. Luckily, she's rescued by Kyo and his team. She only had cameos in the proper games, but had her role expanded in the King of Fighters: Kyo RPG and manga, as well as the CD dramas."


 * Ascended Extra: First, she was a mere mention in Kyo's profile. The designers started playing around and imagining how Kyo's "girl" would be like, then one thing led to another...
 * Barrier Maiden
 * Damsel in Distress: Not necessarily her fault, since that's what happens when you're a Girl Next Door in this fucked-up environment.
 * Improbable Weapon User: Her schoolbag.
 * I Will Wait for You: Her sole quote from '97 ("Matteru kara ne, Kyo!") translates to this.
 * Joshikousei: Almost always shows up wearing her sailor uniform.
 * Lethal Joke Character: In SNK Gals Fighter.
 * Lightning Bruiser: Again in SNK Gals Fighter.
 * Locked Out of the Loop: In King of Fighters: Kyo, Yuki had no idea about the Kusanagi myth and the King of Fighters Tournament. She was very unhappy when she found out and resented Kyo for not trusting her.
 * Additionally, when rescued after King of Fighters '97, Chizuru lied to Yuki about why she was kidnapped and kept her from finding out about her heritage. So while she now knows about the myth, poor Yuki has no idea of what is her role in it.
 * Love Triangle: She, Kyo and Athena (and Kensou), in King of Fighters: Kyo. Luckily, Athena and Yuki actually become friends and much drama is avoided.
 * Meaningful Name: Fanon usually gives Yuki the surname Kushinada due to her ancestry. If this is true, it hearkens to Kushinada-hime, the eighth maiden Orochi was planning on eating. Either way, her role in the story correlates to the Orochi legend.
 * Naive Everygirl
 * NPC: Unless we talk of SNK Gals Fighter.
 * Plucky Girl: Even when she's no fighter, Yuki still wants to do her best and live life as much as she can. Double in the King of Fighters: Kyo manga, where she stands up to Iori motheruckin' Yagami of all people.
 * Revenge: Has some kind of gruge against Iori in SNK Gals Fighter for some reason.
 * She Cleans Up Nicely: If not in uniform, she dresses up quite sexily.
 * Shorttank
 * SNK Boss: In SNK Gals Fighters, where she has the longest combo string of the entire game.
 * Take That: Her entire creation is one to the rabid fangirls of Kyo. Yes, that includes yaoi fangirls too.
 * Tsundere: In the King of Fighters: Kyo games and manga. She's a Type B aka Type Dere: sweet, gentle, polite and friendly, unless she's with Kyo.

Jokyojo Daimon
"An instructor at the University of Osaka, she is the wife of Goro Daimon. It takes some unlikely matchmaking from the likes of Kyo and Shingo in The King of Fighters: Kyo to get these two together."


 * Birds of a Feather: She's quite serious and straight-to-the-point, just like Daimon. Surely enough, they clicked.
 * Date Peepers: Inverted. Kyo and Shingo spy on what they believe to be a private moment between the two (in reality, it was only academic matters). Shingo asks if Daimon already asked her out, which angers Daimon. Jokyoko merely replies, "Why couldn't we go out?", leaving Goro speechless. The two then go out on a date. The rest is history.
 * Happily Married: To Daimon, obviously.
 * Hot Mom: Their son Kogoro shows up in a few games with his father.
 * Hot Teacher: She was a director at the University of Osaka.
 * Meganekko
 * Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Subverted. She is eye-candy, but Goro isn't ugly, just plain and conventional.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Shizuka Kusanagi
"Voiced by: Miho Kaneta"

"Kyo's beautiful, young looking, always calm mother."


 * Action Mom: No frontline fighter, but is more than capable of handling a naginata and giving any intruders quite the verbal beatdowns.
 * Hot Mom
 * Open-Minded Parent: For the same reasons as Saisyu.
 * Plucky Girl: Older version.
 * Raven Hair, Ivory Skin
 * Shiny Midnight Black
 * Yamato Nadeshiko: To the core.
 * You Can't Fight Fate: Shizuka married Saisyu fully knowing about his destiny as the Kusanagi leader, and similarly supports Kyo in his mission.

Souji and Aoi Kusanagi
"Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi (Aoi)"

"Kyo's cousins, introduced in The King of Fighters: Kyo. Souji was chosen to represent and lead the Kusanagi clan for his generation, but unceremoniously resigned from his duties for an unknown cause and moved to Tokyo. His sister Aoi is something of a rebel, although both siblings dearly love their family and clan."


 * The Ace: Souji, although by pushing himself to become the best Kusanagi, he gives in to his dark side and becomes a Broken Ace. You can see the results of that in Kyo.
 * Big Brother Instinct: Naturally, Souji is like this towards Aoi. The two squabble a lot.
 * Big Brother Mentor: Souji is this to Kyo. Kyo highly respects Souji and even addresses him as "Souji-sama".
 * Biker Babe: Aoi. Includes Hell-Bent for Leather.
 * Deal with the Devil: Aoi makes the same pact with Shermie that the Yasakani made with Orochi, thus she could be susceptible to the Riot of the Blood.
 * NPC
 * Playing with Fire
 * Sharp-Dressed Man: Souji, when he's not in his dogi.
 * You Are Not Ready: When Souji loses himself to his darker side and begins to fear that he'll end up like the Yasakani/Yagami, he passes up the succession of the leadership of the Kusanagi clan (which is why Kyo is chosen in Saisyu's stead).

The Sendo Siblings


"Voiced by: Hirotaka Hayashi (Kyoji, credited as Konomanma Hayashi), Yumiko Kikuchi (Junko), Taison Ohya (Syota), Miho Kaneta (Keisuke)"

"A trio of siblings (Kyoji, Junko and Syota) who constantly pester Kyo throughout The King of Fighters: Kyo and try to defeat him so that they can steal his invitation and compete in the '97 tournament. It's revealed that the three wanted their younger brother Keisuke to see them fight in the tournament."


 * Bare Your Midriff: Junko.
 * Brother-Sister Team
 * Failure Is the Only Option/Genre Blindness: Being Ordinary High School Students, they'll never be able to defeat a trained martial artist who has pyrokinetic powers and is The Hero of this story.
 * Goldfish Poop Gang
 * Gonk: Syota.
 * Hair Color Dissonance: Kyoji has dark hair (as evidenced by his sprites), but artwork gives it more of a cobalt sheen.
 * Morality Pet: Their younger brother Ill Boy Keisuke. Ironically, he happens to be a big fan of Kyo.
 * Peek-a-Bangs: Junko.
 * Quirky Miniboss Squad
 * School Uniforms Are the New Black: Junko and Syota. The long skirt she wears is also a trait of female Delinquents.
 * Terrible Trio
 * Two Guys and a Girl
 * Unusual Eyebrows: Syota.