The King of Fighters/Characters/The Rugal Saga

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The characters in The King of Fighters introduced during King of Fighters '94 (the intro title also known as the "Rugal Saga").

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).

Trivia Trope entries go in the Trivia tab. Captain Ersatz, Continuity Nod, Expy, Mythology Gag, No Celebrities Were Harmed and Shout-Out entries go in the Shout Out page.

Athena Asamiya

"Sorry about that! Are you hurt? I guess I got a bit carried away!"

Voiced by: Reiko Fukai (‍'‍94), Moe Nagasaki (‍'‍95), Tamao Satou (‍'‍96), Yukina Kurisu (‍'‍97, The King of Fighters: KYO), Haruna Ikezawa (‍'‍98 onward), Robyn Gryphe (Maximum Impact, English), Lily Kong (Maximum Impact 2, English), Miwa Gardner (XII, English)

An Idol Singer with Psychic Powers and kung fu, taught to her by Old Master Chin Gentsai. She debuted in the arcade game Psycho Soldier along with Sie Kensou, but made the leap to fighting games in ‍'‍94. She, along with Kensou and Chin, make up the Psycho Soldiers team, who fight in the King of Fighter tournaments in order to preserve peace.

• Action Fashionista/Unlimited Wardrobe: Every single game gives Athena a completely different outfit. The only exception is XIII, which is justified because the game is reusing the sprites from XII.
  • XIII is something of an in-between. She's wearing her XII clothes, but bears the default color scheme of her XI attire. Not a new outfit in any one aspect, but together comes together to create something different.
  • Lampshaded in ‍'‍98, where her intro involves her changing between her previous four outfits before settling down on her current attire.
  • Lampshaded again with her Psychic 8 HSDM/LDM, where Athena changes her outfit (progressing from ‍'‍94 to the current costume, and sometimes adding her Princess Athena bikini) with each hit.
  • Overkilled in XIII with her Neo MAX version of the above attack, Psycho Medley 13 (also known as Psychic 12), where she uses all twelve of her previous outfits and is then aided by what appears to be Princess Athena's royal guard.
  • Almost averted in '95, where she wears a slightly modified version of her ‍'‍94 outfit.
  • Lampshaded in-game by Maxima in their single-player intro in XIII.

Maxima: "You're wearing something new every time I see you. Do you know what a pain is it to keep my data updated?"

• Action Girl/Barrier Maiden
• Animal Motifs: The phoenix. Most likely a Shout-Out to her ability to become one in Psycho Soldier.
• Ass Kicks You: One of her aerial command attacks.
• Attack Reflector: Her Psycho Reflector, which has two variations.
• Breakout Character: Had her own games back in the 80s, but only after debuting in the fight scene did Athena's popularity start to pick up again. A notable game is the 3-disc RPG game for the Playstation, Athena: Awakening from the Ordinary Life, with its gameplay sharing many similarities with Parasite Eve. The less known one is Athena On Stage, a mobile game centered around rising Athena's career as a successful pop idol, pretty much a simulation game.
• Crystal Ball: During her Shining Crystal Bit attack, she's surrounded by two circling crystal balls that guard her from enemy attacks. She can also add a followup by firing said balls forward.
• Cute but Cacophonic:
  • Her ‍'‍95 incarnation. It can be argued that she's this anytime she yells "Saikou Baaru!".
  • Also happened in King of Fighters '98 when Haruna Ikezawa took over her voice for the rest of the series.
• Distracted by the Sexy: In-universe: she's the only character who does distract people. Ironically, she's one of the most clothed characters in the cast.
• Divergent Character Evolution: It happened when SNK started to use the Goddess Athena again in their merchandise in modern times; prior to that, many people assumed Idol Singer Athena and Goddess Athena had the same personality, or even were the same person, which isn't entirely unfounded since the original Athena had little to no characterization all. Now both Athenas are polar opposites to each other:
  • Goddess Athena is a proud warrior amazon who isn't quite a nice person to boot: she openly belittles some of her foes for daring to fight against a goddess.
    • Composite Character: That said, when SNK feels the need to use Goddess Athena in some of their fan-pandering merchandise, their infamous Dating Sim games for mobiles in particular, she becomes a sweet girl just like Idol Singer Athena to the point of her actually being the Goddess version becoming an Informed Attribute, since the Idol Singer does use the iconic Chainmail Bikini to promote her image.
  • Idol Singer Athena is a nice Action Girl with Psychic Powers, very charismatic, friendly and is respectful to her opponents and never underestimates them.
• Energy Ball: Her Psycho Ball attack.
• Everything's Better with Sparkles: Her stance in XIII has her start out surrounded by sparkles. Her win pose also produces some as she winks.
• Expository Hairstyle Change: Athena's hair was cut for King of Fighters '99, apparently as a reaction to Kensou's loss of powers. It lasted until (and including) 2001.
• Fingerless Gloves: A staple of her outfits. No matter how much it changes, she always wear fingerless gloves.
• Flung Clothing: She changed/disposed of almost complete attires. Was often used to dispose of her school uniform and reveal her fighting outfit.
• Genki Girl: Always cheerful and optimistic.
• Hair Decorations: Her headband, which is the only really consistent element in all her looks.
• Idol Singer
• Image Song:
  • "Psycho Soldier". So popular, it's had multiple renditions (with and without vocals) over the years.
  • She also has "Present Holiday", "Kizudarake no Blue Moon" ("Wounded Blue Moon"/"Banged-Up Blue Moon"; also carried over from Psycho Soldier) and "My Love ~Athena Vs Kensou~".
• Joshikousei: At first, only in her intro animations, for fear of making her too risqué; fully embraced by XI.
  • Cynically lampshaded by Kyo (of all people) on XIII: "No one wears sailor uniforms at your actual age anymore." Athena isn't happy when he points it out.
• Kawaisa
• Magical Girl/Magical Girl Warrior: It's really not that big of a stretch to say that Athena could have her own anime.
• Magic Skirt: Averted up until XII (except for 2003). Athena typically wore loose fitting clothes, but it wasn't hiding anything indecent (even in her school uniform during XI, Athena still wore bike shorts under her skirt, and SNK had no problem with it fluttering about as she fought). However, following her redesign in XII (and by extension, XIII for using the same sprite pool), it's played straight (and Athena definitely has some high kicks that would normally cause some looky-loos to occur).
• Mascot: An early one for SNK. It was even believed that she had a grudge against Terry Bogard when he seemingly took the title from her. XIII demonstrates otherwise, as dialogue between the two shows that they have nothing but respect for each other.
• Mini-Dress of Power: As part of her Magical Girl figure, she wore those in some of her appearances.
• Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: She is a high school girl/Idol Singer, who happens to be an incarnation of a goddess, has psychic powers, and knows Kung-Fu!
• Odango Hair: Her hairstyle in 2000 and in Maximum Impact 2.
• Older Than They Look: She looks younger than the 14-year-old Kula in XII and XIII.
• Onee-Sama: To Momoko.
• Plucky Girl: She's always feisty, determined and cheerful.
• Psychic Powers
• Reincarnation: Of the Goddess Athena. It's the reason that Athena is the only person in her family to have Psychic Powers.
• Rolling Attack: Her Phoenix Arrow special and Phoenix Fang Arrow DM.
• Rose-Haired Girl: In XII and XIII, as a throwback to her origins in Psycho Soldier.
• Shoryuken: Her Psycho Sword.
• Spider Sense: As seen in Another Day.
• Teleporters and Transporters: Her Psychic Teleport.
• They Fight Crime
• You Gotta Have Purple Hair: And it becomes pink starting in XII.
• Zettai Ryouiki: A couple of her outfits in King of Fighters: Maximum Impact 2.

Brian Battler

"Your defense means nothing. Nothing to my tackling, that is!"

Voiced by: Eiji Yano

An MVP-rated football player who was invited by Heavy D! to join the USA Sports Team in ‍'‍94. After their loss, he left to return to his football career. Despite being invited back to various tournaments, he and his teammates always get beaten up and their invitations stolen by others, such as the New Faces Team in ‍'‍97.

• Gratuitous English: Beaten out only by Terry and Geese in this department.

Brian: "I AM NUMBAH GWON!" Brian: "I AM SUPERSTAR!"

• I Know Madden Kombat: American Football, specifically.
• The Juggernaut: During one of his desperation moves, he becomes pretty much unstoppable (he still takes damage when hit though).
• Mighty Glacier: Pretty slow-moving and hits the hardest out of his team.
• Put on a Bus: Like all of his teammates.
• Running Gag: The fact that he and the rest of the team have been invited to later tournaments, only to be trounced by other characters and have their invites stolen. It's been Played for Laughs, much to the disdain of many fans.
• Shoulders of Doom: One huge shoulder pad of doom.
• Wrestler in All of Us: When he's not basing his moves off of football, he takes a few pages from professional wrestling.

Rugal Bernstein

"Another luscious symphony of bone crushing sounds!"

Voiced by: Toshimitsu Arai, Norio Wakamoto (2002), Banjo Ginga (‍'‍94 Dengeki Bunko drama CD)

The series' most infamous Big Bad. Rugal was one of the most feared people in the criminal underworld, not only with his silver tongue, but with his fighting abilities as well. Not one single person had been able to defeat him, and those he deemed as Worthy Opponents were bathed in liquid metal and showcased as his "trophies". He decided to revive the original King of Fighters tournament held by Geese Howard previously. Before the tournament began, he faced Saisyu Kusanagi, the father of Kyo, and brutally maimed him, leaving him for dead. When he fought Kyo in the finals, Rugal was defeated. Unwilling to accept defeat, he blows up his aircraft carrier. He was believed dead, but resurfaced in ‍'‍95 under the pseudonym of "R". During this time, he brainwashes Saisyu (with Saisyu earning some... displeasure from Vice), and in the finals forces him to fight Kyo. After Saisyu is defeated and brought back to his senses, Rugal reveals a secret to the finalists: he has awakened his Orochi power, and promptly transforms into Omega Rugal, turning his hair silvery-white and his skin deathly grey, but even with this new power he is still defeated. He tries to use the full extent of his power, but cannot control it because he is not of Orochi blood. The power consumes him, and he dies. Chizuru reveals in ‍'‍96 that Rugal received his Orochi power from Goenitz, who gouged his right eye out. Outside of the official storyline, he appears in every Dream Match game. In canon, he is succeeded by his son Adel and his daughter Rose.

• Arms Dealer: To the extremity that he actually lived on a Nimitz-class supercarrier, and his kids have their own armored fortress airship.
• Artificial Limbs: His right hand from King of Fighters '95 onward, and his glowing red eye.
• Attack Reflector
• Audible Sharpness: The Genocide Cutter. And it comes from his legs.
• Awesomeness By Analysis: A talent he apparently has. Initially this was meant to be a part of his fighting style, as using any special move on him in ‍'‍94 would have granted him the ability to do the same move to you. However, this turned out to be far too infeasible for the game to handle and thus was only given some moves from Geese and Krauser along with a few unique moves.
• The Backwards R: His normal theme in ‍'‍98, "The ЯR".
• Badass in a Nice Suit: That elegant red tuxedo he wears when you first face him in ‍'‍94. He loses it in all subsequent installments (the only exception is if Omega Rugal is waiting on the sidelines in ‍'‍95), but always wears it in the Capcom vs. SNK series, even as God/Ultimate Rugal.
• Badass Longcoat: His suit evolves into this in Capcom vs. SNK.
• Badass Long Hair: Starting in ‍'‍95, although it's a bit hard to notice.
• Badass Mustache: It fits his wealthy, yet villainous appearance.
• Battle Aura: Omega Rugal gains one in his ‍'‍98 Victory Pose.
• Blond Guys Are Evil: His Omega Rugal form has silver hair though.
• Blood Knight: His original motivation for reviving the tournament.
• Cool Ship: The BlackNoah.
• Dark-Skinned Blond: As Omega Rugal and as God/Ultimate Rugal from Capcom vs. SNK 2.
• Deadly Upgrade: Using the Orochi power without being of the Orochi bloodline was apparently the ultimate cause of his death.
• Disappeared Dad: To his children Adel and Rose. Adel idolizes his father enough to mimic his fighting style, and both copy his fashion sense, but Adel remarked about never being able to do things with him. On the other hand, Rugal granted them access to his vast wealth, and they live quite lavishly.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Perhaps one of the most unholy examples ever and bleeds over with Kick the Dog. Heidern was apparently annoying him with his probes into his operation (not even talking thorn-in-the-side bad, simply getting Rugal's attention) and his response is to kill his entire family and mercenary squadron of fifty men. From Rugal's view, it was meant as mockery and provocation. Unconventionally, also counts as his Moral Event Horizon (as this is the first genuinely heinous thing he does in the series).
• Eucatastrophe: In ‍'‍94. If Kyo didn't assume the worst when he saw his unconscious father, he would have never gone into an Unstoppable Rage-induced Heroic Second Wind, and Rugal would have won. Kyo gets lucky for a second time in the next game.
• Everything's Better with Spinning: His "Dead End Screamer" DM (King of Fighters '98 move only).
• Evil Laugh: The prime example in King of Fighters. He even does it as he is about to die (again) in King of Fighters '98.
• Eye Scream: Goenitz sliced out Rugal's eye as they fought. Impressed that Rugal survived, Goenitz then gave him some of the Orochi power. Regardless... Rugal still died.
• Fingerless Gloves: He loses one glove (and the corresponding hand) after his incident with Goenitz, but later installments either restore it or simply give him regular gloves.
• Flash Step: One of his ‍'‍98-only specials as Omega Rugal. Notable in that Rugal actually hits you while dashing past you.
• Flung Clothing: Tosses the top part of his tuxedo off in King of Fighters '94 in Round 2, and in 2002, his jacket falls off, along with the wires on his shoulders.
• For the Evulz: The underlying theme of his actions, sadistic humor and snark. At least some of the other villains had more (relatively) altruistic goals.
• Glowing Eyes of Doom: His cybernetic eye since King of Fighters '95 (back in ‍'‍94, the eye was pitch black) and as God Rugal. And both are Red Eyes, Take Warning.
• A God Am I:

"Repeat this after me: I will never take on a god again!"

• Kamehame Hadoken: The Kaiser Wave, taken from Krauser. Can be Charged Attack to become Unblockable Attack.
• Narcissist: The first clue was the portraits of himself adorning the command room of the BlackNoah.
• Neck Snap: His King of Fighters '98 (non-boss) incarnation has the "Dead End Screamer", which in its SDM/MAX version starts with Rugal doing this to the opponent neck (then he follows by spinning over him/her while laughing manically... ouch).
• Not Quite Dead: Survived detonating his ship in King of Fighters '94. Strongly hinted to have survived his apparent death in ‍'‍95.
• One-Winged Angel: Omega Rugal.
• Phlebotinum Overload: Leads to his Plotline Death. See Deadly Upgrade above and Superpower Meltdown below.
• Pillar of Light: At the end of his Gigantic Pressure DM.
• Poisoned Weapons: His hands. One of Omega Rugal's ‍'‍98-only DMs involves impaling the opponent and supercharging them with green, poisonous Orochi energy. This attack is made even cheaper in Capcom vs. SNK 2, where God Rugal receives this move as a normal special. And it involves flash stepping.
• Power Echoes: As God Rugal in Capcom vs. SNK 2.
• Recurring Boss: Pops up in two consecutive games in the series' canon. Afterwards, he was seen as the ultimate end-boss and is so well-loved by fans, that Rugal became the Final Boss of every subsequent Dream Match Game.
• Red Bionic Eye Take Warning: After Goenitz ripped off his eye, he replaced it with an artificial, glowing red one.
• Replacement Goldfish: When Mature and Vice became Ascended Extras in ‍'‍96, Rugal received two additional secretaries named Aya and Hermione in ‍'‍98.
• Right-Hand-Cat: His panther Rodem, who acts as Rugal's "partner" in ‍'‍94 and ‍'‍95.
• Running Gag: A meta example: his penchant for "dying" (although it only canonically happened once) has been Played for Laughs to the point that Rugal's hobby in his official bio is listed as "resurrection."
• Slasher Smile: Omega Rugal from King of Fighters '98 onwards.
• Slouch of Villainy: The end credits of 2002.
• SNK Boss: Trope Codifier.
• Sore Loser: See Villainous Breakdown below.
• Spell My Name with an "S": "Luger" popped up infrequently in the first two games. This is arguably Woolseyism, as a Luger is a German weapons brand while Rugal is a (presumably) German arms dealer.
• Status Quo Is God: He is always the end boss in every King of Fighters game he appears; only in King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match was he the default boss with Goenitz and Orochi being of higher levels.
• Superpower Meltdown: Omega Rugal, both in King of Fighters '95 and the original 2002.
• Take Over the World: Omega Rugal's hobby is "World conquest". This, combined with the lingering question of if Rugal is truly dead and his appearance alongside the members of NESTS in 2002, has the fans scratching their heads.
• Taking You with Me: As mentioned above, in King of Fighters '94; also used in ‍'‍98, R2 and 2002: Unlimited Match.
• This Cannot Be!: Gets one in ‍'‍94 when you beat him.

Rugal: "Ma... masaka..."

• True Final Boss: His second round in King of Fighters '94. Even more fittingly, him in 2002 Unlimited Match: you can only fight him by not losing more than 2 teammates against the "Final Boss", and you can't unlock your team's ending picture unless you beat him. Oh, and you can't continue if you lose against him.
• Useless Useful Spell: His Kaiser Phoenix HSDM in 2002, in which he spams Kaiser Waves over and over. It sounds good in theory, but if the first one hits, it can launch you into the air and the others tend to miss while you're airborne or on the ground, though its damage is comparable to other HSDMs. In 2002 Unlimited Match, it was given OTG properties... but its damage output was drastically lowered. He also tends to stop it prematurely.
• Villainous Breakdown: Happens twice. The first time, he blows up his own aircraft carrier with himself still on it. The second is his Superpower Meltdown, and proceeds as follows:

Omega Rugal: "Even with my new power I lost. What? My body.....????? NO! To meet such a fate! But I'll be back... YOU JERKS!"

• We Can Rebuild Him: Goenitz definitely thought so when he restores Rugal.
• Willfully Weak: When you first face him in ‍'‍94. Then, his Rubber Band AI kicks in... Oh god...

Andy Bogard

"If you want to be the best, it's practice every day, pal."

Voiced by: Jun Hashimoto (‍'‍94), Keiichi Nanba (‍'‍95 onwards), Jeff Manning (XII, English), Ryo Horikawa (‍'‍94 Dengeki Bunko drama CD)

Younger brother of Terry and a McNinja. He was taught a basic form of Shuranui ninjitsu by Mai's grandfather Hanzo. After hearing of his father Jeff's death at the hands of Geese Howard, he joins forces with Terry and Joe Higashi, and the three enter Geese's King of Fighters tournament. Although Andy fights Geese first, he loses badly, and Terry finishes the villain off... maybe. He's also the apple of Mai's eye, although he rejects her advances.

• Always Someone Better: It doesn't get in the way when the rubber meets the road (the duo will always have each others' back), but there is some definite yearning on Andy's part to become the kind of fighter his brother is seen as.
• Badass Long Hair: Unlike Terry, he keep his hair untied and flowing (except in Fatal Fury 3, where he has it in a ponytail), emphasizing the difference in their cultural philosophies and upbringings.
  • Long-Haired Pretty Boy
• Bash Brothers: Literally with Terry.
• Blue Oni: To Terry's Red.
• Chaste Hero: His reason for not shacking up with Mai, which makes people wonder if he's gay.
  • Spoofed with a couple of his special intros with Mai, where she shows him a (fake) baby that looks like him and he looks shocked.
  • His Ambiguously Gay status in the fandom was apparently also parodied in Mai's ending for Gals Fighters: Andy refuses to marry Mai arguing that he has secretly been a woman all this time; fortunately for Mai, it was All Just a Dream, and she immediately wakes up.
  • Alternately, Andy can easily be seen as a Celibate Hero. He is aware of Mai's interest, he just considers Mai to be more of a younger sister since he started training with Hanzou when he was very young. Mai's luck is surely bad.
  • The current storylines make it clear that they definitely are a couple, so it looks like that he's at the very least gotten over that.
• Disappeared Dad: Jeff.
• Flash Step: Finally gains one in the form of his Chou Kami Soku Zan'ei Neo MAX from XIII.
• Hair of Gold
• Highly-Visible Ninja: Yes, white is good for camouflage in the winter, but how many times have you seen snow in King of Fighters? No wonder Mai can easily find him... And what need is there for stealth in a fighting tournament anyway? At least alternate palettes are available... And they carry some questionable choices too.
• Ki Attacks
• McNinja: American, but lived in Japan for a good portion of his life.
• Show the Forehead
  • Forehead of Doom: Depending on the Artist.
• Technician Versus Performer: Andy (the technician) gruelingly trained for years under ninjas to learn the art of Ninjutsu and Koppoken. Terry (the performer) simply grew up in Southtown getting into random street fights and rarely trains. Andy's quote above also supports this.

Terry Bogard

"Say what? It's no fluke. This is why I'm here every year."

Voiced by: Satoshi Hashimoto, Tony Carrol (Maximum Impact series, English), Takeshi Kusao (‍'‍94 Dengeki Bunko drama CD)

The hero of the Fatal Fury series and SNK's mascot for all intents and purposes. His role in the overall plot of the King of Fighters series is minimal, as he's mostly here due to his popularity. He was raised by martial arts master Jeff Bogard along with his younger brother Andy, and developed his own unique fighting style based on Jeff's teachings. He witnessed the murder of his father at the hands of Geese Howard, and trained with Tung Fu Rue to take revenge. Terry defeated Geese and gave him a boot out of his tower, but after learning of his survival, Terry was none too pleased. He failed in stopping Geese from obtaining the Jin Scrolls, but in the next tournament, he defeats Geese once again and this time tries to save him from falling off the tower, again, but Geese rejects him, allowing himself to plummet to his "death", again. He adopts Geese's son Rock afterward, and trains him.

• Animal Motifs: The wolf. Everything about him, right down to his nickname.
• Badass Boast: His "Wolves never sleep. Never." line to Nightmare Geese in Maximum Impact 2.
• Badass Long Hair: It's a staple of his trademark look.
• Bash Brothers: Literally with Andy.
• Boisterous Bruiser
• Catch Phrase:

"OK!"

• Clothes Make the Legend: Had his Mark of the Wolves clothes for a couple of games, then returned to his classic attire.
• Cool Pet: His pet monkey Ukee, who served as the Mascot of SNK before Terry. He seems to have inherited Terry's fighting spirit and usually greets his owner by punching him. He pops up in one of Terry's win poses in ‍'‍99.
• Disappeared Dad: Jeff, again.
• Expository Hairstyle Change: In 2003 and XI, he sports his more rugged looks from Mark of the Wolves, including the much shorter hair.
• Fingerless Gloves
• Gratuitous English
• Ground Pound: His signature Power Wave special and High Angle Geyser and Power Geyser DMs, as well as its Neo MAX version, Trinity Geyser.
• Hair of Gold
• I Know Madden Kombat: His Power Dunk is a modified basketball dunk.
• Ki Attacks: Based off of sports moves, mostly. The ki often takes shape of fire, although they don't actually burn the opponent
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Not quite as bishie as Andy, but still very handsome.
• Male Gaze: His bio states that Terry has a knack for being able to accurately guess a woman's measurements by merely glancing at her.
• Mascot: He replaced Athena as SNK's mascot after he proved more popular, which is lampshaded in the series, as Athena isn't too fond of him.
• Mr. Fanservice
• Nice Hat: Said hat is a parting gift from his dying adopted father. Doesn't stop Terry from tossing it to the ground in two of his win poses.
• Parental Substitute: He becomes the legal guardian of Rock, Geese's erstwhile son, and is a better father for the kid than Geese could have ever hoped to be.
• Pillar of Light: His Power Stream LDM from King of Fighters 2003/XI.
• Red Baron: "The Legendary Hungry Wolf", which is a Stealth Pun for the Japanese Title Drop of his debut series.
• Red Oni: To Andy's Blue.
• Ship Tease: With Blue Mary, not as much as with Mai/Andy and Ryo/King, but it's there.
• Spirited Competitor
• Technician Versus Performer: See Andy's entry above.
• Vocal Evolution: Compare the Terry of yesteryear to his current incarnations.

Chang Koehan

"A crushing victory! Eh, heh, heh, heh!"

Voiced by: Yoshinori Shima (‍'‍94-‍'‍95), Hiroyuki Arita (‍'‍96 onward)

A Korean criminal who was busted by Kim following a bank robbery and strong-armed into Kim's reformatory program. He found a friend in Choi, and the two have vowed to go on a big crime spree once they can get away from Kim.

• Bald of Evil: He reforms in 2003 though.
• Chained by Fashion
• Counter Attack: One of his specials is him standing upright and picking his nose. When attacked, he sneezes and hits the enemy with his head.
• Death From Above: One of his DMs is him jumping high to deliver a powerful belly flop from above.
• Dumb Muscle: Chang's not all that bright. Some of it might be due to his tendency to bash his head against his giant iron ball. 2000 has an alternate form for him called "Smart Chang" (appearing only as a Striker), who's svelte and not quite as dumb looking.
• Exotic Weapon Supremacy: An Epic Flail, to be exact.
• Fat Bastard: Played for utter laughs.
• Fire-Forged Friends: Eventually develops a friendship with Kim, which is why he's part of Kim's team in 2003, even though he's considered reformed by that point.
• Meaningful Name: Koehan means "thug" in Korean. Guess what Chang is.
• Metronomic Man-Mashing: His command throw.
• Mighty Glacier: Very slow, but hits very hard with his iron ball. In XIV following the 2.0 update, he has a 1200 health rating unlike other characters who fit the trope until the 3.10 update that reduces it to 1100 along with the others of said trope.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: One of his DMs.
• Plucky Comic Relief
• Strong Flesh, Weak Steel: His strongest attack doesn't involve his iron ball (at least not directly), but his belly. He also bangs his head against his iron ball before a fight and in his current time out losing animation, breaks the chains that wrap his body.
• Time Stands Still: In 2002 Unlimited Match, this is his MAX 2. This happened in the original as well, but it was only for one powerful belly flop.

Chin Gentsai

"O-Ouch! Whew! I can beat you. But age is something different!"

Voiced by: Toshikazu Nishimura (‍'‍94-2002), Matsuo Matsuo (XII onward), Josh Keller (XII, English)

Chinese Drunken Boxing master and founder of the Psycho Soldiers team. He enters the tournaments primarily to investigate the circumstances around them and prevent any evil plots from going too far.

• Alcohol Hic: Carries a sake gourd all the time because he's a Drunken Master. His special intro against Kensou in ‍'‍98 consists of him trying to outperform his eating with his own drinking.
• Badass Beard: Typical for a chinese old master in a fighting game.
• Badass Grandpa: At 89, he's the oldest character in the series. Doesn't stop him from putting up a good fight against the younger ones. His gameplay somewhat reflects it: though short and thin, he's rather slow and can't jump too high.
• Badass Mustache: It goes along with his Badass Beard.
• Blinding Bangs: His eyes are always hidden by his hair.
  • Peek-a-Bangs: In ‍'‍98 through 2000, we actually get to see one of his eyes in character portraits.
• Breath Weapon: Booze Flamethrower, to be exact. Sometimes he can just spit the booze itself.
• Comes Great Responsibility: His reasoning behind preventing Athena and Kensou from competing in the ‍'‍97 tournament. When they later return with the resolve to compete for the sake of Kaoru Watanabe, an ill fan of Athena's, Chin relents, impressed at his disciples' maturity.
• Confusion Fu: More or less.
• Cool Old Guy: He can fight, boast and trash talk like most of the younger fighters.
• Detect Evil: Not to Kim Kaphwan's level, but some of his win quotes comments about how much evil he can feel from his opponet's spirits.
• Exotic Weapon Supremacy: A sake gourd.
• Gag Nose: The extent of which varies from artist to artist (although it's fairly consistent overall).
• Gonk: His face is drawn in a slighty more cartoony and unflattering style, particularly his nose.
• Happily Married: He's said to have a wife. Although he doesn't have any biological children, Bao is his adopted son, and he serves as a father figure to both Kensou and Athena (more so to the former). He only has a granddaughter named Lei-len. This raises some interesting questions as to HOW he has a granddaughter, unless she's a step-granddaughter.
• Hidden Eyes
• Improbable Weapon User: Again, the gourd.
• It's a Small World After All: He's an old acquaintance of Tung Fu Rue.
• May–December Romance: Humorously mistaken by Kensou to be attempting this with Kula, since the two became cell phone and e-mail buddies before the XIII tournament.
• Mentors: Primarily to Athena And Kensou, but also has been acting like this toward K' since 2003.
• Nice Hat: Always a part of his outfit.
• Old Master: For the Psycho Soldiers.
• Parental Substitute: To both Kensou and Bao. Bao is actually his adopted son.
• Playing with Fire: Not only his Gou Ran Enpou DM is a massive Booze Flamethrower, his Gou En Shourai DM also has him on fire.

Choi Bounge

"A quick win. A quick victory. This time, I'm really free!"

Voiced by: Atsushi "Monster" Maezuka

A former serial killer who picked a fight with Kim Kaphwan, and subsequently got his ass handed to him. Instead of handing him over to the police, Kim decided to use him in an experimental "reformatory" program of his own, along with Chang Koehan. The two crooks became the best of friends, and they both anticipate the day they can escape Kim's watchful eye.

• Awesome but Impractical: His "Shakushi" MAX 2 in 2002 Unlimited Maximum, formerly his MAX 2 in 2002 and his Exceed in SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos.
• Bald of Evil: Though it tends to be concealed by his hat.
• Cool Shades: He's never without his little round specs.
  • Hidden Eyes
  • Sunglasses at Night
• Everything's Better with Spinning: Many of his moves involve it. He can even summon a big tornado while spinning very fast in one of his DMs.
• Fragile Speedster
• Heterosexual Life Partners: With Chang. He does have a wife and family, he's just never been able to get back to them after he was press-ganged by Kim.
• Image Song: "Choi Bounge Ondo". An abridged version pops up as Choi's intro in ‍'‍98 if he's the first one to fight.
• Improbable Weapon User: A pair of gloves with knives on the fingers, just like Freddy Krueger. He meets Vega in SVC: Chaos and tries to strike up a friendship, but Vega being Vega, this does not go well.
• Knife Nut: Maybe a little too fond of those claws...
• Licking the Blade: Fond of licking his metal claws.
• Meaningful Name: Bounge (more appropriately spelled and pronounced as "Bungeh") means "lightning". It's fitting, considering that Choi is nimble and eccentric.
• Nice Hat
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: He can use Kim's Hou'ou Kyaku.
• Plucky Comic Relief
• Rolling Attack: One of his specials.
• Set Swords to Stun: His claws never seem to cause lasting damage despite the fact that they clearly draw blood.
• This Is a Drill: One of his specials and one DM has him doing a powerful drilling attack.
• Verbal Tic: Most of his sentences end in "de yansu".
  • In the English translations, this is symbolized by Choi ending most of his sentences (at least, in cutscenes) with the words "buddy boy".
• Wolverine Claws

Goro Daimon

"Lightweight!"

Voiced by: Masaki Usui, Ryuzaburo Ohtomo (‍'‍94 Dengeki Bunko drama CD)

Japanese judo master who was invited by Benimaru to join the Japan team for the ‍'‍94 tournament. He, Kyo and Benimaru have been good friends since then, although Daimon occasionally declines joining tournaments to focus on his family.

• Badass Normal: Kyo has fire, Benimaru has electricity. He's got nothing but his size, his strength and a handful of experience.
• Big Brother Mentor: For Kyo, in story.
• The Big Guy
• Dishing Out Dirt: He possesses enough strength to move the earth.
• Eyes Always Shut: Always.
• Flung Clothing: In some of his intro poses, he may throw the top part of his gi away.
• Gentle Giant: The guy is peaceful by nature, usually fighting only to help out Kyo, Benimaru and Shingo if they require his aid. He also finds time to immerse himself in nature and teach younglings the secrets of Judo. His warm heart was probably why Jokyojo fell in love with him.
• Ground Pound: His Jirashin special which damages the standing enemy no matter the range. His Neo MAX, Kyouten Douchi, is also this (as well as being a Counter Attack).
• Hachimaki
• Happily Married: To Jokyojo. Then even have a son named Kogoro who appears to be passionately following his dad's footsteps. See Daimon's intro pose in 2001 for a good example.
• Heroic Mime: Kind of. While he talks during his win quotes, he has no dialogue while fighting.
• Mediator: Daimon was originally an unwitting one to Kyo and Benimaru.
• Metronomic Man-Mashing: His Jigoku Gokuraku Otoshi DM.
• Mighty Glacier: His movement tend to be slower than other's, but boy those throws are strong.
• Unnecessary Combat Roll: His Super Ukemi special subverts this, as Daimon can use it to avoid projectiles and other attacks, placing him in the ideal position to unleash one of his deadly judo throws.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: He never wears anything for his top in all games. All the better to show his well-toned body.

Robert Garcia

"Underestimate my strength, huh? You're dumber than you look!"

Voiced by: Kay Inage (94-‍'‍95, XI onward), Mantarō Koichi (‍'‍96-2003), Greg Irwin (XII, English), Hideo Ishikawa (‍'‍94 Dengeki Bunko drama CD)

Italian playboy who is also the heir to the Garcia Foundation, one of the largest companies in the world. He was sent to train with the Sakazakis by his father, who wanted him to apprieciate the value of hard work. He became good friends with Ryo, and when Yuri was kidnapped by Mr. Big, he and Ryo hit the streets of Southtown to get her back. While Ryo's style of Kyokugen is more balanced, Robert's focuses mostly on kicks. He and Yuri have a relationship, but they have yet to make any serious commitment.

• Action Fashionista: So much that he's the one providing the picture in the page.
• All Love Is Unrequited: If his ending with the Unrequited Love Team (him, Kensou and Ramon) in XI is any indication. Oddly enough, his relationship with Yuri was never one-sided and seems to downplayed in King of Fighters. Back in the Art of Fighting series, hints of Robert/Yuri were dropped in Art of Fighting 2, and they even (technically) became an Official Couple in Robert and Ryo's endings in Art of Fighting 3. Huh.
  • Heck, in his team's XIII ending, he planned on proposing to Yuri in the middle of a post-tournament interview. Too bad Takuma kept him from doing so.
• Alternate Company Equivalent: To Ken Masters of Street Fighter. Both are rich-out-their-ass playboys who are friendly rivals to their respective best friends, although Robert dresses like he's rich.
  • And both of their styles emphasize stylish kicking. Of note is that Robert was introduced that way whereas Ken had developed this after Art of Fighting came out.
• Ambiguously Brown: Subverted. In Neo Geo Battle Coliseum (and by proxy, XI), Robert appears to be a bit darker than he usually is, although it's not uncommon for an Italian to have a skin tone like that.
• Animal Motifs: The tiger. His nickname is "The Raging/Mightiest Tiger" and the last hit of his EX version's HSDM in 2002: Unlimited Match is shaped in the form of one. Oddly enough, Robert uses the Ryugeki ("Dragon Strike") principle of Kyokugen-ryuu Karate.
• Badass Beard: His Neo Geo Battle Coliseum incarnation sports one, although his depiction in artwork from XI omits it.
• Badass Long Hair: The length might be variable, but the badassery remains constant.
  • Long-Haired Pretty Boy
• Big Brother Mentor: To Ryo and Yuri (moreso the former).
• Blue Oni: To Ryo's Red. Frequently, this puts him in the position of playing the peacemaker when things start to go south between Ryo and Yuri (though he tries to side with Yuri where he can).
• Brilliant but Lazy: Loves to party and live a carefree life, but has been described as a "natural genius" when it comes to martial arts.
• Bring It: His taunt, complete with "Donai shitaiya?" ("What's the matter?").
• Cultured Badass: He's a wealthy playboy who dresses fancy and drives around in a Ferrari F40, but can and will hand you your ass on a silver platter if you fight him.
• Dance Battler: Borderline example: while he doesn't use dance as a part of his style, he sure does like to groove in his combat stance.
• Did Not Do the Research: Although Robert is Italian, his surname Garcia is Spanish.
  • Oddly enough, this seems to have propelled Robert to Badass Spaniard status within some circles.
• Dynamic Entry: If you can pull off his Hien Ryuujin Kyaku or its LDM/Neo MAX variant (Hien Shippu Ryuujin Kyaku) correctly.
• Fingerless Gloves
• Heterosexual Life Partners: With Ryo.
• Informed Flaw: The Ryugeki principle of Kyokugen-ryuu is said to have severe imbalances as it relies mainly on kicks (a drawback Robert himself notes in XIII), placing it between the Raiou and Kou'ou principles (Raiou is the lowest principle and is used by Yuri; it revolves around user instinct and creativity), but closer to the former. It doesn't seem to slow Robert down in the midst of a battle.
• Kansai Regional Accent: According to Word of God, his Kansai accent is supposed to substitute for the fact that in English, Robert would be speaking in English with an Italian accent despite him being Italian.
• Ki Attacks
• Latin Lover: Seems to fit this pretty well, with him being Italian and all.
• Memento MacGuffin: The coin he flips in a few of his win poses was a gift from his father Alberto. It was meant to remind Robert of his roots so that he could one day come back to it. Its significance is much greater in the Art of Fighting series, specifically in the third game.
• Millionaire Playboy: See directly below.
  • Rich Idiot With No Day Job: He may not be a superhero, but is still a formidible opponent. The Sakazakis find this attribute of his personality to be off-putting sometimes, as they work their hands to the bone to support their dojo and keep it afloat.
  • He lampshades this in his and Kyo's pre-fight talk in XIII: Kyo makes sarcastic comments about how Robert is fighting when he should be taking care of the Garcia conglomerate, but he handwaves it saying that he knows clearly about his responsibilities, but he just doesn't want to take them now when he can still join King of Fighters.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: The Ryuuko Ranbu DM, shared between him, Ryo and Takuma.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: Both in and outside of battle.
• Shipper on Deck: In regards to Ryo/King.
• Shotoclone: Depending of the game though.
  • Hurricane Kick: His Hien Shippu Kyaku.
  • Kamehame Hadoken: His Ryuugekiken special and Haoh Shokouken DM.
  • Shoryuken: His Ryuuga special.
• Spam Attack: Geneikyaku/Zanretsukyaku (depending on the game), his kick-based counterpart to Ryo's Zanretsuken.
• Tall, Dark and Handsome: Although the "tall" part is subjective (5'11"/180 cm is actually average in King of Fighters), you can't deny the rest.
• Tiger Versus Dragon: He's the Dragon to Ryu's Tiger (this is more evident in Art of Fighting, where its Japanese name is Ryuuko no Ken, or "Fist of the Dragon and Tiger"). Their stances occasionally reflect their animal motifs and their disciplines are named for their respective animals, but they share a DM, the Ryuuko Ranbu (another reference to this rivalry). Much like Ryu and Ken, however, their's is a friendly rivalry.

Lucky Glauber

"Wake up! It's too early for bedtime!"

Voiced by: Kay Inage

Best friend of Heavy D! who uses basketballs in his own style of kung fu. Appears to be a L.A. Lakers fan, based on his colors (except if you pick him in another color scheme...).

• Butt Monkey: See Running Gag below.
• Exotic Weapon Supremacy: Basketballs, and this was before Sean of Street Fighter III.
• Flash Step: His Lucky Vision special works almost like Athena's Psychic Teleport.
• Gentle Giant: Despite being quite as impressive as his teammates, in terms of height anyway, he is by far the most easygoing and fun-loving.
• I Know Madden Kombat
• Nice Hat
• Put on a Bus: Hasn't made a canon appearance since ‍'‍94, but still shows up alongside his teammates in cameos.
• Running Gag: Lucky actually has it worse than his teammates, as he was defeated by Shermie and Makoto (in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum and Maximum Impact Regulation A, respectively) and had his invite stolen in addition to his team-affiliated loses. Ouch...
• Spirited Competitor

Heavy D!

"Slow. Your attack's too slow. I read you like a storybook."

Voiced by: Toshikazu Nishimura

A bare-knuckle boxer who formed the USA Sports Team.

• Badass Beard
• Bald Black Leader Guy: Almost. He's black. He's the leader of the American Sports Team. But he still has hair: a mohawk. Otherwise, he'd be a perfect fit.
• Cool Shades: Most promotional artwork and cameos have D! with his shades. The only time he seems to take 'em off is during a battle (see The Glasses Come Off below).
• Extremity Extremist: Being a boxer, he only uses his fists.
• Flung Clothing: One of his victory poses.
• The Glasses Come Off: In his intro pose. Unfortunately, given that his team has had their asses handed to them on at least three separate ocassions (Rival Team in ‍'‍95, New Faces Team in ‍'‍97, and Vannessa, Seth and Ramon in 2000), the glasses probably didn't help.
• Megaton Punch: His D! Magnum is his most devastating attack, and it consists of a sole punch lit up with an awesome explosion.
• Put on a Bus: As a part of a cruel Running Gag that many fans don't enjoy.
• Rocket Punch: One of his DMs is a energy blast fired from his hand. Functionally, it has the same application.
• Scary Black Man: Subverted. D! is only serious in the midst of battle, as he doesn't want to come off as disrespectful to his opponents. Otherwise, he's a pretty chipper guy.
• Spirited Competitor
• Surprisingly Good English: He yells out a perfectly clear "That's not bad!" (in both his ‍'‍94 debut and in ‍'‍98) during his Soul Flower special.
• Walking the Earth: Their ending from ‍'‍94 has D! and Lucky deciding to broaden their horizons and continue street fighting. This may have actually happened, given their cameo-esque Put on a Bus status throughout the series.
• Wearing a Flag on Your Head: An eagle surrounded by the American flag is tattooed on his back.

Heidern

"You say you let your guard down? I think you're just a weenie!"

Voiced by: Toshimitsu Arai

Founder and leader of the Ikari Warriors mercenary squad, and Leona's adoptive father. A stoic man who fights using his own brutally efficient style of martial arts, his daughter Clara and his wife Sandra were kidnapped and later killed by his Arch Enemy Rugal in front of him, as he was investigating Rugal's operations too much for Rugal's own tastes. Heidern's own squad of fifty men were also killed in the same attack. He has dedicated himself to Rugal's defeat, and eventually, his efforts paid off. His eyepatch was stolen by Mukai's group following Magaki's defeat, and its current status is unknown.

• Badass Normal: There is no magical justification for his abilities. He just uses a few gadgets and some crazy fighting style that he devised himself. Imagine the Badass lovechild of Batman and Guile, and the end result isn't too far from Heidern.
• Colonel Badass:
  • Commanding Coolness
• Dude in Distress: In 2000, where "Ling"/Clone Zero holds him at gunpoint, but Heidern manages to turn the tides (depending on the ending) and kick some serious ass. He even pulls a Big Damn Heroes moment!
• Energy Absorption: His Stormbringer and Killing Bringer specials, as well as his Final Bringer DM.
• Everything's Better with Spinning: See Neck Rolling, where he gyrates around an opponent's neck like a merry-go-round from hell.
• Eyepatch of Power
• Flung Clothing: An odd inversion. In one of Heidern's win poses, a longcoat falls from the sky. In a quick change, Heidern drapes himself in the cloak and somehow loses his hat in the process.
• Good-Looking Privates
• Glowing Eye Of Doom: Has this in his ‍'‍98-and-onward intro pose as well as his Striker pose.
• Handicapped Badass: The loss of his eye should mean that he lacks peripheral version and depth perception. Much like Sagat, he still manages to kick so much ass.
• Hired Guns: Commands an elite squadron of 'em.
• His Heart Will Go On: A rare male version. With Rugal dead, Heidern finds no more reason to lament the life of Sandra and Clara, his wife and daughter. In his ‍'‍94 ending, he chooses to rip up their family photo, finally able to move on with his life.
• It's Personal: Read the excerpt above and then put yourself in his shoes. How could you not want Revenge? Fortunately, the hostility does not carry over to Adel and Rose.
• Last-Name Basis: His title of "Commander" aside, Heidern (which is his surname; Leona's full name via adoption is Leona Heidern) is only referred to as... you guessed it.
• Mangst: Go ahead and click that link. The description is basically Heidern's backstory word for word.
• Mentors: To the Ikari team (most obviously Leona). Might overlap with A Father to His Men.
• Precision F-Strike: "Go... to... HELL!"
• Spell My Name with an "S": A few versions of ‍'‍94 and ‍'‍95 have his named spelled as Jeidern. Maybe it's the Spanish localization?
• The Stoic: Always calm and composed.
• Tall, Dark and Handsome: For a 40-something-year-old guy who's missing an eye... Heidern's doing pretty good.
• Why Am I Ticking?: His Heidern End DM inflicts this on foes.
• Wolverine Claws: He uses bladed claws (that are hidden within his gloves) in battle. Complete with Audible Sharpness when performing Moon Slasher.

Joe Higashi

"How's that? I'm the Satan of martial arts."

Voiced by: Katsuhisa Namase (‍'‍94), Nobuyuki Hiyama (‍'‍95 onward), Greg Irwin (XII, English), Kazuki Yao (‍'‍94 Dengeki Bunko drama CD)

A Japanese man who is well versed in the art of Muay Thai, he is the best friend of both Bogard brothers, and is a constant in nearly every King of Fighters tournament. He is currently dating Billy Kane's sister Lilly, something her overprotective older brother Billy is not happy about, given his connection to the Bogards, that's for the Fatal Fury continuity; in The King of Fighters, he remains single, later being chased around by his unamed loyal fan. Quite possibly the strongest Muay Thai practioner in the SNK 'verse, much to credit for his many team ending sequences consisting of him winning other fighting tournaments by himself.

• Anime Hair
• Arrogant Muay Thai Guy
• Blow You Away: In the form of a myriad of Tornado Moves. Hurricane Upper and Screw Upper DM being examples.
  • In XIII, he gets the Screw Straight as his Neo MAX. It's a horizontal tornado.
  • Games such as 2002 and Capcom vs. SNK 2 give Joe the even more destructive Double Cyclone, which creates two Screw Uppers that surround Joe on both sides and utterly rips anyone who's foolish enough to approach a new one.
• Boisterous Bruiser: Oh, so much.
• Flung Clothing: One of his intros has him dispose of a robe.
• Hachimaki
• Hot-Blooded: One of the earliest fighting game examples, although given his seiyuu, how could he be anything but?
• I Shall Taunt You: Used to taunt King for her not having a single title in Muay Thai, therefore assuming she isn't all that compared to him, by either sporting his champion belt before a match or just the disrespectful Bring It; from 2002 onwards, he became more respectful towards King as their special intros have become quite friendly, there is even a occasional polite bow before they fight. However, Joe seems to have moved back in the opposite direction, given his snide remarks to her in XIII.
• Megaton Punch: He received one as his LDM in King of Fighters 2003.
• Out of Focus: His relationship with Lilly Kane, and his beef with Billy because of it, simply does not carry over to King of Fighters, quite jarring in comparison with his friends Terry and Andy whose Love Interests, Mary and Mai, are still on their tail.
  • Made all too frustrating for Joe in his team's ending for XIII, both Terry and Andy get their women, Mary and Mai, embraced in their arms contratulating them for winning the tournament, the logical course of action would be Lilly appearing to congratulate Joe as well, but no, what happens is Joe being chased by the fan he saved in 2003 (named Okama), which appears to be turning into a Running Gag.
  • However, confronting Billy with Joe has Billy talk about keeping her away from Joe, so Joe's relationship Lilly is perhaps underplayed in King of Fighters moreso than non-existent.
• Playing with Fire: On occasion.
• Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs/Spam Attack: One of his oldest moves is of this kind.
• Tiger Versus Dragon: The Tiger to Hwa Jai's Dragon.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: A staple for a traditional Muay Thai fighter.

Ralf Jones

"That's enough for now. I can only be forgiving so much."

Voiced by: Atsushi "Monster" Maezuka (‍'‍94-XI), Bunsyu Shinoya (XII onward), Scott Casey (Maximum Impact series, English), Jeff Manning (XII, English)

The other half of the Ikari Warriors team, originally from the game TNK III, skilled in heavy hits and survival techniques. He's also known to associate with the Peregrine Falcon team from Metal Slug, assisting them at Heidern's behest several times (starting with Metal Slug 6). His knife collection is partly responsible for Clark's sunglasses: he was fooling around and sliced Clark in the forehead, leading to the sunglasses to cover the injury.

• Ambiguously Brown: From XII onwards. All of those missions must have given him and Clark one hell of a tan.
• Awesome but Impractical/Death or Glory Attack: The Galactica Phantom. An unblockable Megaton Punch with an absurd damage output. It does even more damage if it's used as a counter (in fact, in this case, it can sometimes be a OHKO). Even better, it's lethal on bosses, too! However, it has an ungodly long charge period; a fully-powered one requires lots of charging. And even if your opponent gives you ample time to store up your energy, the attack is easily telegraphed; with good timing, a player can just jump over it or roll behind you. Should you be able to pull this off (especially on a human opponent), give yourself a pat on the back. You deserve it.
  • A good example of how this attack can be extremely impractical can be found here. The combos only work in King of Fighters '98, as in that game, the move doesn't really have true autoguard, only stun immunity to most attacks, which still deal damage to Ralf.
  • The only times Galactica Phantom really managed to avoid this were in EX2, 2001 and 2002, where it became a normal special with reduced charge time. The damage it dished out took a bit of a dive, but it didn't matter since you could actually hit someone with it, particularly in EX2.
  • The King of Fighters XIV removed the requirement to charge Galactica Phantom, making it a far more practical attack.
• Badass Normal: He has no magical powers of any kind, barring maybe his explosive fists that burn his enemies. But even that has nothing supernatural behind it.
• Bash Brothers: Again, with Clark.
• Boisterous Bruiser: He is the more agressive and confident of his team, and he actually hits like hell!
• Charles Atlas Superpower: There's no supernatural power behind his insane Galactica Phantom. His Metal Slug incarnation takes it up even further by having him as the only character who must be hit twice to die (this being the series where everyone else is a One-Hit-Point Wonder). Most of all, he is the only one who can destroy tanks with his bare fists.
• Colonel Badass: Even if only by a technicality.
• Dub Name Change: You might remember him as Paul.
• Fingerless Gloves: He wears them since ‍'‍99. Before, he had the unique fashion of wearing a single military glove on his left hand.
• Good-Looking Privates
• Heterosexual Life Partners: With Clark. Also Red Oni, Blue Oni (where Ralf, pretty obviously, is Red).
• Hot-Blooded: About as much as Joe, if not more.
• Megaton Punch: The Galactica Phantom.
  • He usually belts out a "DO-KAAAAAAAAAN!!!" when doing this, which is essentially Ralf screaming the word "kaboom".
  • And his new addition to the Bareback Galactica Phantom, Galactica Vanguard, in 2002 Unlimited Match. So powerful, it's an instant kill!
• Nice Bandana: He sometimes wears a headband under it.
• Older Than They Look: Ralf is supposedly about 40 years old. Many assume Clark is older due to his looks but he's actually younger than Ralf, at only 34.
• One-Man Army: As of Maximum Impact 2 and XII, this is literally his official nickname.
• Punch Them While They Are Down: Bareback Vulcan Punch. Jeez, is it painful to watch.
• Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs/Spam Attack: Vulcan Punch special, as well as (in some games) Super Vulcan Punch and his Neo MAX (see Turns Red below). Ralf is one of the best at doing this kind of attack.
• Strong Flesh, Weak Steel: His Galactica Phantom SDM is one of the most damaging attacks in the same game where Chang wields a huge iron ball as a weapon.
• Tall, Dark and Handsome: It's better seen in later games, where he actually is darker-skinned and snarkier as ever.
• Turns Red: Literally during his Jet Vulcan Punch Neo MAX in XIII, which is quickly followed up by the Spam Attack to end all Spam Attacks. Imagine the Gum-Gum Jet Gattling, MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA and ATATATATATATATA doing a Fusion Dance. Then set it on fire and give it a range covering half the screen in front of him.
• Wrestler in All of Us: Less than Clark, but still counts.
• You Don't Look Like You" Ralf and Clark switched to a completely different, Zangief-esque silhouette literally from one game to another. To the fandom's credit, "intense training" does not alter bone structure...

Kim Kaphwan

"Hey guys, how about it? Let's do the Tae Kwan Do thang!"

Voiced by: Satoshi Hashimoto (‍'‍94-XI), Kazuhiko Nagata (XII onward), Brett Beyer (Maximum Impact series, English), Hiroshi Isobe (‍'‍94 Dengeki Bunko drama CD)

Korean Taekwando master and arbiter of justice. He first showed up in Fatal Fury 2, and upon hearing that Terry Bogard was also invited to Krauser's tournament, declared Terry to be his rival and set out to beat him. Terry won, but the two have remained good friends since then. Kim is also a proud family man and has trained his sons Jae Hoon and Dong Hwan to be fine martial artists in their own right. Oh, and he Can't Hold His Liquor. At all. In XI, Choi and Chang convince Kim to enjoy himself, prompting him to take up Terry on his offer for joining that year's Fatal Fury Team. Impressed with his disciples' maturity, Kim believes that his first "rehabilitation" efforts have paid off and set his sights on two other villains from the past, Raiden and Hwa Jai.

• Animal Motifs: The phoenix. Can sometimes inexplicably Summon Magic one at the end of his Hou'ou Kyaku DM.
• Ascended Glitch: His ability to perform the Hou'ou Kyaku in midair was retained from a bug that affected certain command moves in ‍'‍94 and ‍'‍95.
• Badass Creed: "Aku wa yurusan!" See below.
• Badass Normal: All he knows is Taekwondo. That, and JUSTICE! Kim still manages to be a fierce competitor and is revered as a national hero in Korea.
• Boxed Crook: Pretty much forces this on Chang and Choi.
• Brick Break: He does a pretty neat spin on the trope in Capcom vs. SNK 2 by throwing up several wooden boards into the air and breaking them away before they touch the ground. Not quite as impressive as him breaking a large column of ice in the Real Bout Fatal Fury series, but still.
• Can't Hold His Liquor: The whole reason this transpires.
• Detect Evil: "Aku wa yurusan! HA!!" ("Evil is unforgivable!"). Usually coupled with a finger point that rivals Phoenix Wright or a gleaming Death Glare.
  • Lampshaded in a group of bonus illustrations for King of Fighters '99: Kim sees Anti-Hero K' lurking in the background and wonders if he's evil.
• Extremity Extremist: He only uses punches with his normal weak punch moves—inputting a strong punch makes him kick, like the other two buttons.
• Fingerless Gloves
• Flash Step: Just when you thought the Hou'ou Kyaku couldn't be any more painful, his Neo MAX version of the attack (Rei Shiki Hou'ou Kyaku) involves Kim moving so fast that he's simultaneously wailing on his foe from both sides. He then jumps skyhigh and brings his heel crashing down upon the opponent. OUCH.
• Glowing Eyes of Doom: Whenever he gets a creepy idea for his rehabilitation program or does the Death Glare as seen above. The former instance usually gives him a Cheshire Cat Grin.
  • Which makes his King of Fighters 2001 victory render downright scary. Thanks a freaking bunch, Nona and Eolith.
• Hot-Blooded: He oozes a lot of passion, either during fights or when talking about justice.
• Hot Dad
• Justice Will Prevail: Essentially, this is Kim's Catch Phrase (see Detect Evil above).
  • Flanderization: Said upholding and love of justice. It seems to be the topic of choice in every conversation. Duck King does not let this trait of Kim's go unnoticed. Needless to say, Kim is not amused.

Duck: "Come on, guys. Can't we leave all this boring talk about training and justice for later?" Kim: "...Boring?" (Death Glare) Duck: "Did I say 'boring'? I meant brilliant. I'm enjoying every minute of it..." Kim: ".........." Duck: "I'd love to hear the rest. Please, go on." Kim: "In other words, I believe that true justice must be based on a foundation of--"

• • Let us note that Kim is completely hammered during that speech.
  • It should be noted that the International Taekwondo Federation's oath is "I shall be a champion of justice and freedom." and "I shall build a better and more peaceful world." Kim's demeanor (which extends to many of his cohorts) could be this philosophy taken to new heights.
• Kiai: Kim seems to unleash his inner Kenshiro during some of his moves.

Kim: "Hou'ou Kyaku! ATATATATATATATATA!! WATAAAA!!!"

• Kick Them While They Are Down: In one of his specials, he stomps the ground in front of them. If the opponent is standing, the attack hits their shin. If not...
• Legacy Character: Chronologically speaking, maybe. It's implied that Kim Sue II from Kizuna Encounter is his descendant and Kim Hae-Ryeong from Samurai Shodown: Edge of Destiny is his ancestor due to the fact that they all possess the same family name (Kim), have a similar fighting style, and share several moves, notably the Hienzan, Hishou Kyaku, Rangetsuzan and Hou'ou Kyaku. Hae-Ryeong even pulls an "Aku wa yurusan!" on The Dragon from his game. Given that Kim Kaphwan came first (gamewise), these two are probably expies.
• Love Freak
• Martial Pacifist
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: His signature Hou'ou Kyaku DM. His HSDM, LDM and Neo MAX tend to be a variant of this, Up to Eleven.
• Team Dad: To Chang, Choi, his kids, May Lee, Chae Lim and everyone in his TKD school.
• Theme Deck: A more notable example. Kim's Hienzan, Hishou Kyaku, Rangetsuzan and Hou'ou Kyaku have been a staple part of not only Kim's repertoire (effective and popular enough to be retained in every game), but have nudged itself into the movesets of his fellow taekwondokas and disciples as well as that of Kizuna Encounter's Kim Sue II and Kim Hae-Ryeong from Samurai Shodown: Edge of Destiny. In the case of the latter two, the inclusion of these techniques, their names (the surname of Kim) and their general similarities to Kim in appearance and methodology is a large factor for the belief that they are blood-linked to Kim's family tree.
• Twinkle Smile: One of his win poses. Complete with an Audible Gleam.
  • Eternally Pearly-White Teeth
• Vocal Evolution: Until King of Fighters '96, Hashimoto gave Kim a rather soft, youthful voice. Since then, he speaks in a much deeper tone... unless he goes all "ATATATATATATATATA!! WATAAAA!!!" on his rivals.

King

"In battle, one's sex means nothing. Who's left standing is what matters."

Voiced by: Harumi Ikoma, Yumi Touma (‍'‍94 Dengeki Bunko drama CD)

A bartender who used to work for Mr. Big, but opened up her own place after his downfall. Skilled in Muay Thai, she disguised herself as a man to enter tournaments, as women were not allowed. She fights in the King of Fighters tournaments to support her little brother Jean and to cover his medical expenses. Quite possibly the strongest Muay Thai practioner in the SNK 'verse next to Joe, he would later consider King a great rival to him.

• Bifauxnen: Of course, it's common knowledge here in King of Fighters. As seen below, King does break out of this on ocassion.
• Bouncer
• Clothing Damage: First two games and XIII.
• Cultured Badass: Being the owner of her own bar, King has a great affinity for fine wine and is skilled at mixing cocktails. She can also smash you eight ways from Sunday.
• Depending on the Artist: The level of King's Bifauxnen can vary greatly depending on who is in charge of the character designs: in the early 90s installments of the series, some people could actually mistake her for a man; from 2000 and on, new artists made her feminine traits more and more visible; finally, in her appearance for XIII, any ambiguosity her gender may have caused on people both in game design and sprites has been dropped, basically throwing out the concept she was supposed to surprise the players when they realize King is a woman.
• Fingerless Gloves: Mostly. She wears full-hand gloves between 2000 and XI.
• Flung Clothing: Kicks away her hat in the first Art of Fighting and Capcom vs. SNK. Also, borderline example with the handkerchief she throws to the ground in her win poses.
• Foreign Fanservice: Because Everyone Looks Sexier If French.
• Hair of Gold
• Hot Amazon
• Hot Chick in a Badass Suit
• Hurricane Kick: Her Tornado Kick.
• Ki Attacks: Her standard projectile attack Venom Strike.
• Kick Chick: So much in fact, that her Ki Attacks are performed via her legs.
• Let's Fight Like Gentlemen: After much taunting and selfish assumptions by Joe's part, mostly because King has too much going on in her life and can't be immersed with Muay Thai as much as him, Joe dropped his mockery in 2002, their battle intros have become quite friendly on occasion.
• Luminescent Blush: The Art of Fighting's team ending for XIII. When Yuri none too subtly drops hints that she wants her as a sister-in-law (with Ryo standing right next to her and everything), King's face eventually becomes beet red.
  • Also happens to both her and Ryo in their team's ending from XI when the two realize they're alone together in a restaurant. Cue Yuri, Robert and Takuma (poorly-disguised as a waitress, waiter and the restaurant manager) ruining the romantic mood.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: One of her DMs before XIII.
• Promotion to Parent: Towards Ill Boy Jean.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: May we direct you here and here.
  • It happens again in the Women Fighters Team's ending in XIII.
• Ship Tease: With Ryo. Several intro poses hint at an attraction between the pair. Additionally, this plot point has been stressed in 2000 and XI (the former having Takuma believing King was/would become pregnant with a Kyokugen heir, and the latter involving Takuma, Yuri and Robert spying on their awkward chemistry and trying to get the duo to go to a penthouse together). Neither her nor Ryo are amused by the latter one, to say the least.
  • Because You Were Nice to Me: This is hinted to be one of the reasons why King likes Ryo. In the Art of Fighting continuity, he apparently showed concern for her well-being after finding out she was a girl: having faced lots of misogyny in her whole life (see Sweet Polly Oliver below), King was touched by this.
• Something About a Rose: One of her winposes has her throwing a rose at the direction of her fallen opponent.
• Spam Attack: Her Trap Shot.
• Statuesque Stunner: Among the tallest women of the cast.
• Sweet Polly Oliver: Justified, unfortunately: until few years ago, among Muay Thai practicioners it was considered bad luck for a woman to compete in fights. Such attitudes ARE starting to change, but there's a long way to go to kick them off the ring.
• Team Mom: Often takes up this role in the Women Fighters Team. Mai picks on her about this during their ending in XIII.
• Tomboyish Name: A probable alias used to further disguise her gender.
• Vocal Evolution: Her voice gradually changed over the years from tomboyish in ‍'‍94 and ‍'‍95, to classy and ladylike from ‍'‍96 to 2001... to suddenly Ryona bait from 2003 onwards. Eeeep.

Kyo Kusanagi

"You just ain't got it. So stop whining and get lost."

Voiced by: Masahiro Nonaka, Andrew Roth (Maximum Impact series, English), Peter von Gomm (XII, English), Ryotaro Okiayu (‍'‍94 Dengeki Bunko drama CD)

The Protagonist of the series. Kyo is an Ordinary High School Student who enters the first tournament to find his missing father. After defeating Rugal for the first time, he encounters Iori Yagami who proclaims himself as Kyo's eternal enemy. Kyo makes it to the finals again and fights his Brainwashed father, and then Rugal once again. He learns of his destiny to seal away Orochi from Chizuru Kagura, and in ‍'‍96 defeats Goenitz along with Iori. In ‍'‍97, he, along with Iori and Chizuru, battle the last remaining forces of Orochi and reseal him, but he disappears afterward, and he is found by NESTS and cloned. A year later, he decides to find out about NESTS, and joins K' in combating the organization. In the Tales of Ash saga, he joins with Iori and Chizuru once again to stop a group of people trying to resurrect Orochi, but Iori and Chizuru have their powers stolen by Ash Crimson, leaving Kyo as the final target.

• Badass Biker: His motorcycle is listed as one of his likes, implying this trope.
• Because Destiny Says So/You Can't Fight Fate: Pretty much the underlying reason for why stuff happens to him. Kyo vehemently refuses to believe that fate plays an integral role in his life.
• Berserk Button: Ash Crimson. On a less serious note, being too nosy about the fact that he never graduated from high school is a sure-fire way to get smoked (Kim is particularly good about rising his hackles in regards to this; Hilarity Ensues every time they meet).
• Bonus Boss: Along with Iori in King of Fighters '99. You can fight him if your end points are over 280. Win, and he becomes playable.
• Bootstrapped Theme/Recurring Riff: "Esaka?" from ‍'‍96 is so popular a song that it's probably the song of the series. It has seen multiple renditions over the years, whether it's being used for the original Japan Team, Kyo's clones or even as a bridge in a completely different theme for Kyo.
• Bully Hunter: According to the King of Fighters: Kyo manga.
• Catch Phrase: "Heh heh, moetaro?" ("Heh heh, you burned?") and "Ore no... kachi da!" ("This is... my victory!").
• Cloning Blues
• Creepy Cool Crosses: His outfit during the NESTS saga had a black shirt with two pairs of perpendicular white lines forming a cross on his chest.
• Divergent Character Evolution: Although he's one of many examples (see Ryo/Robert, Ralf/Clark, Mature/Vice, etc), his is perhaps the most notable. In ‍'‍95, Kyo and Iori possessed similar movesets (this is justified: their ancestors worked together to perfect their respective fighting styles together before the Kusanagi/Yasakani schism), giving them a Ryu and Ken relationship. In the following game, Kyo discarded most of his moves for his now-trademark flame-lanced chain of punches (this is presumably due to the Curb Stomp Battle he experienced at the hands of Goenitz in the interim between games). Currently (read: "up until XII"), he and Iori share one move.
  • And now that Iori has lost his flames (and possesses a more physical moveset not unlike post-‍'‍95 Kyo), Kyo's back to his original moveset.
• Downloadable Content: In XIII, the "NESTS-style" Kyo, which is him in his more iconic Rekka-style combos.
• Even the Guys Want Him: Just watch his intro with Vega in the Capcom vs. SNK games. Kyo is not honored in the slightest.

Vega: "Hmm. Rather attractive. However you can't hold a candle to me." Kyo: "Shut yo' mouth! You silly narcissistic little fancy pants! I'm going to torch you to your bones!" Vega: "Heh, heh. Relax. You should take a break before I tear you to shreds, huh?" Kyo: "I've got stuff to do. I can't waste my time with freaks like you."

• Every Year They Fizzle Out: Although he and the original Team Japan won throughout the entire Orochi Saga (‍'‍94-‍'‍97), with Kyo usually getting the credit for single-handedly beating Orochi, Kyo doesn't seem to have quite the same luck in either the NESTS or Tales of Ash sagas (especially the latter) despite being one of the most powerful fighters in The Verse.
• Fingerless Gloves: Always a part of his outfits.
• Finger Wag: His taunt. Originally, he'd only dental click while doing it ("Tsk tsk tsk"), although Kyo later says "Mou, oyasumi ka?" ("Oh, is it bedtime already?").
• Fun with Acronyms: His 707 Shiki: Doku Gaku Tori is alternatively known as the R.E.D (Rainbow Explosive Dynamite) Kick.
• Hachimaki: Wore one until the start of the NESTS saga (not counting his Another Kyo striker in King of Fighters '99). He burns his headband in a few King of Fighters '99 opening poses in order to distinguish himself from his clones.
  • He kept on wearing it (along with his "classic" school uniform) in several spinoff games until Neo Geo Battle Coliseum, in which he appears with his NESTS Saga outfit, thereby ditching it for good (also because the outfit went to his alternate version Kusanagi).
• Image Song: Several. The main ones fans request for Masahiro Nonaka to sing are "Burning Devotion!" and "Pieces". God forbid that you get him and Kunihiko Yasui (Iori) in the same room or less the fans will clamor that they sing their dual image song "The Sun & The Moon".
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: See the King of Fighters: Kyo spinoff manga and games for a good example.
• Meaningful Name: The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi is a sword that the sea and storm god Susano'o found inside of the Yamata no Orochi's body after slaying the great beast. Guess what Kyo Kusanagi does to Orochi at the climax of ‍'‍97.
  • His Neo MAX in XIII is named the Ura Hyaku Ni Juu Ichi Shiki Ame-no-Murakumo, the "Ame no Murakumo" being the former name of the Kusanagi sword.
• Megaton Punch: Gains one from ‍'‍99 onwards in the form of his 182 Shiki. This is presumably a Continuity Nod to the killing blow Kyo landed on Orochi.
  • You could also argue that the end of his Mu Shiki DM (not the SDM version though) ends with one also. At the very least, they're sent flying.
  • XIII gives him (to be exact, NESTS!Kyo) another one as his Neo MAX named Totsuka, a punch so powerful, it causes a screen-filling fiery explosion.
• Not So Different: Although semi-canon at best, other media adaptations (most notably the ‍'‍98 drama CD, King of Fighters: Kyo and the Hong Kong manhua) insinuate that should the Kusanagi lose themselves to their darker side, they'll end up just like the followers of Orochi.
• Playing with Fire: Comes from his Heroic Lineage.
• Power Echoes: Most versions of his Mu Shiki DM have an echo effect. Canonically, the Mu Shiki is believed to be Kyo's strongest skill (Clone Zero even used its data in the Zero Cannon).
• Public Domain Artifact/Amplifier Artifact: Wields the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, which is implied to reside inside of his body.
• School Uniforms Are the New Black: He's entered several tournaments while in uniform. When Kyo stopped wearing his school clothes in ‍'‍99, his clones picked up the slack.
  • Clothes Make the Legend: Arguably. Kyo is more recognizable as the schoolboy from the Orochi Saga. Most of his appearances outside of King of Fighters have Kyo in his uniform as well. In fact, the creation of Kyo's clones were fueled by a desire among some of the developers to include Kyo's older and more iconic look.
• Screw Destiny: While Kyo does go on to defeat Orochi just as his ancestor did, Kyo himself refuses to believe that his feud with Iori is influenced by the ancient war between the Kusanagi and Yasakani. Basically, he wants to just live his life as a fighter, but if others seek him out, he just will fight back so they'll leave him the heck alone.
• Send in the Clones: Used as Self-Deprecation in regards to the NESTS Chronicles. XI has Kyo making a jab at the ludicrous number of clones he's picked up over the years, almost to a Never Live It Down degree.

Kyo: "Another clone? There's enough of me to start a baseball team!"

• Shoryuken: His Oniyaki special.
• Shotoclone: Somewhat, during his first appearances (and by proxy, him in XIII).
• The Slacker: Never graduated from high school. Lampshaded more than once in the games.
• Theme Naming: More often than not, his theme will have the word "Esaka" in it. This is also symbolic to fans of the series, as Esaka refers to the locale of the old SNK headquarters.
• This Is Something I've Got To Do Myself: XIII in a nutshell. Kyo is very fervent about making sure that he's the one who'll give Ash his just desserts, leading to him butting heads with several other competitors, including Athena (who calls him out on trying to shoulder all of the burden when he has friends who are willing to help) and Elisabeth (who has the same mindset when it comes to deal with Ash).
• Unusual Euphemism: 2002 has Kyo prattling on about "the pepper" in his win quote. The Japanese equivalent is more along the lines of his trademark "Moetaro" ("You [got] burned") line.
• Vocal Evolution: Kyo sounds more laid-back and relaxed in later games (as compared to his almost Hot-Blooded characterization at the beginning of the Orochi Saga), perhaps to show his maturity over the years. Nonaka has said he feels slightly detached and disappointed by this, as he saw his younger days in Kyo's more cocksure personality.
• Warrior Poet: Literally. Poetry is a hobby of Kyo's.
• A Worldwide Punomenon: Quite fond of making all sorts of quips pertaining to his natural element.

Benimaru Nikaido

"My reason for winning? I'm just cool. Real cool."

Voiced by: Atsushi "Monster" Maezuka, Eric Kelso (XII, English), Hikaru Midorikawa (‍'‍94 Dengeki Bunko drama CD)

Kyo's and Daimon's partner. A lightning user who's also quite the ladies' man. Practices an unconventional fighting style called "Shooting" (shoot boxing).

• Anime Hair: Which he styles with his powers in one intro.
  • When his hair isn't defying gravity, he's a Long-Haired Pretty Boy.
• Bare Your Midriff: Yup.
• Bishonen: One of the bishiest. He even models in his spare time.
• But Not Too Foreign: Half American, half Japanese.
• Camp Straight: Most fans at first thought he was gay (because of the voice and the poses); so much that in the King of Fighters 10th anniversary webpage, the staff felt the need to deny it, complete with Not That There's Anything Wrong with That.
• Chivalrous Pervert: Loves to flirt with female opponents, but is not a lech. The best examples of this comes from Benimaru scolding Kyo on his (understandably neglectful) relationship with Yuki.
• Fingerless Gloves
• Hair of Gold
• Image Song: "Show Time!"
• The Lancer: If the Japan Team's original configuration has Kyo as The Hero and Daimon as The Big Guy, then Benimaru is definitely this.
• Shock and Awe: His exaggerated case of electrostatics is the reason his hair rivals Paul Phoenix and Guile.
• Sphere of Destruction: His Raidouken DM was originally this. Whether or not it's this or a cluster of Energy Balls depends on the game.
  • His new Rolling Thunder DM is definitely this.
• Super Speed: Via electricity. He can even move fast enough to produce after-images.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Kyo, at first. As the two came to respect each other over time, the snarky banter died down a lot.

Ryo Sakazaki

"Absolute karate, that's Kyokugen. And don't you forget it, dweebenheimer!"

Voiced by: Masaki Usui (‍'‍94-XI, XIII), Masayoshi Kozaki (XII), Curt Gebhart (Maximum Impact series, Enlgish), Akira Kamiya (‍'‍94 Dengeki Bunko drama CD)

The heir of the Kyokugen School of Karate. Ryo is Takuma's son and Yuri's brother, and is best friends with Robert Garcia. He rescued Yuri with Robert, who was kidnapped by Mr. Big and Geese Howard to get Takuma to do their bidding. Now he promotes the fighting style by competing in the tournaments. He later takes up his father's title of "Mr. Karate".

• Alternate Company Equivalent: To Ryu and Ken, at least at first.
• Animal Motifs: The dragon. His nickname is "The Invincible Dragon", and his HSDM in 2002: Unlimited Match even summons one at the end of his Ryuuko Ranbu. However, Ryo trained under the Kou'ou ("Tiger King") principle of Kyokugenryuu.
• Badass Arm-Fold: One of his win poses in later games.
• Badass Biker: Moreso in Art of Fighting.
• Becoming the Mask: Played with. He (eventually) becomes Mr. Karate II, but does not wear the infamous tengu mask.
• Big Brother Instinct: To Yuri. She does NOT appreciate it.
  • However, it's implied in Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Buriki One and Neo Geo Battle Coliseum that the two mellow out in later years and don't squabble as much. They're close to the point that it is apparently Yuri who tells Ryo to shave off his beard as Mr. Karate II.
• But Not Too Foreign: His father is Japanese, but his mother is American. He's still a blond.
• Catch Phrase: "OSU!"
• Fingerless Gloves: Later on, at least.
• Hair Color Dissonance: His hair has always been blond, even though a few early games made it reddish-orange or yellowish-orange. By the time ‍'‍96 rolled in, it definitely obvious that Ryo was a blond. However, in XII (which reverts some characters to their original or pre-King of Fighters designs), Ryo's hair is back to being reddish-orange. And let's not even start on the Art of Fighting anime.
• Heir to the Dojo: Takuma has been training Ryo to be this since he was a child. Later titles have Takuma trying to get a new heir: the child of Ryo and his Love Interests King. Ryo himself does eventually become the second Mr. Karate.
• Heroic Neutral: A good-natured man at heart, but according to XIII, he cares more about training himself and exceeding his limits than the whole good vs. evil thing.
• Heterosexual Life Partners: With Robert.
• Idiot Hero: A trait which shines the brightest in SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos.
• Ki Attacks
• Megaton Punch: Tenchi Haou Ken. ICHIGEKI HISSATSU! The SDM version has the added benefit of stunning the opponent.
  • His Neo MAX is an upgraded version known as the Shin Tenchi Ha'ou Ken, complete with slow-mo.
• Mr. Vice Guy: A tad old-fashioned.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: His Ryuuko Ranbu DM.
• Perpetual Poverty
• Red Oni: To Robert's Blue.
• Ship Tease: See King's entry above.
• Shotoclone: A straight example.
  • Hurricane Kick: His Hien Shippu Kyaku special.
  • Kamehame Hadoken: His Kou'ou Ken special and Haoh Shikouken DM.
  • Shoryuken: His Koho.
• Spam Attack/Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: His Zanretsuken.

Takuma Sakazaki/Mr. Karate

"Wow, you're a disgrace! You'd better hang it up, kid."

Voiced by: Eiji Tsuda, Hochu Otsuka (‍'‍94 Dengeki Bunko drama CD)

The current master of the Kyokugen Karate style. He is sometimes seen as a doddering old man, but he can be very serious when he wants to be. He was forced into serving Mr. Big when his daughter Yuri was kidnapped. To conceal his identity, he wore a tengu mask and dubbed himself "Mr. Karate". After he was defeated by Ryo, he was almost killed by him until Yuri revealed the truth. Nowadays, he enters the tournaments to promote his school. He sometimes likes to put the old mask back on just for kicks and giggles.

• Animal Motifs: If his EX-version's HSDM in 2002: Unlimited Match is anything to go by, the lion.
• Badass Boast: "Mijuku mono mega." ("A beginner before me.")
• Badass Grandpa: Not that old, but still.
• Bring It: His taunt, accompanied by the words "Kakatte konu ka?" ("You gonna fight me?").
• Bunny Ears Lawyer: Mr. Karate.
• Cool Mask: As Mr. Karate. Nowadays, it's Played for Laughs.
• Counter Attack: One is a punch that sends his foe flying. Another is his particularly nasty HSDM in 2002: Unlimited Match.
• Demonic Possession: Implied throughout XIII's beginning-of-fight dialogues when using the Mr. Karate DLC character: several characters, including Athena, remark that Mr. Karate's aura feels completely different from Takuma's, and Kensou (who is a very powerful psychic) even outright claims he feels like a demon and attempts an exorcism. Moreover, Saiki claims he's not unlike himself. It all seems to suggest that the Tengu mask is cursed or possessed, and donning it causes Takuma to become possessed as well. It does explain a few things, like his changes in personality at times and the fact he's outright bloodthirsty in some games...
• Glowing Eyes of Doom: Honki ni Natta Mr. Karate ("Now Serious Mr. Karate") in SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos has 'em. Of course, he's a SNK Boss.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has a X-shaped scar on his right pectoral, gained from a sparring match with Lee Gakusuo, the adoptive father of Lee Pai Long.
• Ground Pound: As Mr. Karate, his Kishin Sanga Geki Neo MAX.
• Hot Dad
• Insistent Terminology: "Who is this "Takuma" of which you speak? My name is Mr. Karate!"
  • The Not-Secret: Pulls the above during ‍'‍96 and ‍'‍97, as well as his intro pose with his students in ‍'‍98. By this time, Ryo, Robert and Yuri are fed up with the fact that Takuma won't drop the "Mr. Karate" act because his grand reveal isn't so grand anymore. Mr. Karate, in fact, is listed as one of Yuri's "dislikes" in ‍'‍98.
• It's a Small World After All: According to ‍'‍95, Takuma has some undisclosed history with Saisyu. He was also an acquaintance of Jeff Bogard and Lee Pai Long.
• Ki Attacks
• Knuckle-Cracking: One of his intros (although it's moreso his neck and shoulders).
• Large Ham: Particularly as Mr. Karate, although Takuma also has his moments.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Again, the Ryuuko Ranbu.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: And prepare for a world of pain when he does decide to get serious...
  • Some speculate that Takuma may actually be the most powerful human in the King of Fighters universe on the basis of his team's 2000 ending (singlehandedly negating a Kill Sat's attack with a fireball at the last second) and the sheer SNK-ness of his Serious form in SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos (equal in power to Shin Akuma). Then XIII came around: his Neo MAX consists of him carrying the opponent several dozens of stories up in a massive jumping uppercut before smashing them into the ground with a colossal chop. It's as awesome as it sounds: that is, AWESOME.
• Pec Flex: One of his other opening poses.
• Shipper on Deck: For his son and King, mainly due to his desire to see a new heir for the Kyokugen dojo. Oddly enough, he's not like this towards Robert and Yuri, mainly because he's convinced that Robert will try to woo her with material gifts and take advantage of her.
• Shirtless Scene: One of his winposes has him removing his dogi, complete with a yell of "YAH!".
• Shotoclone: Off and on again, like Robert.
  • Hurricane Kick: His Hien Shippu Kyaku.
  • Kamehame Hadoken: His Kou'ou Ken (when it isn't a short invisible fireball) special and Haoh Shikouken DM.
  • Shoryuken: His Koho special and (as Mr. Karate) Kyokugen Koho DM.
• SNK Boss: In SNK vs. Capcom SVC Chaos.
• Spam Attack/Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: Same as his son's Zanretsuken. Not always part of his moveset though.
  • He also sometimes have an attack named Shouran Kyaku where he runs to grab the opponent and then barrages them with his knee.
• Stern Teacher: To a degree, considering that most of the Art of Fighting Team's endings involve him dragging Ryo and Robert into grueling training (almost to the extent of Training from Hell) immediately after the close of a tourney. Still, he garners a great deal of love and respect from his children and students. Well, the ones who can endure his training...

Yuri Sakazaki

"I'm Kyokugen! Face it, Ryo! You're not fit to sweep for me!"

Voiced by: Kaori Horie, Amy Walls (Maximum Impact series, English), Sakura Tange (‍'‍94 Dengeki Bunko drama CD)

Takuma's daughter and Ryo's sister. She was kidnapped in order for Mr. Big to use Takuma, but after she was rescued by Ryo and Robert, she started entering The King of Fighters tournaments.

• Action Girl: Though her family didn't have much faith in her at first, she has always proven herself a capable fighter, like all of the others.
• Adult Child: She's 20, but doesn't act (or look, as of XIII) anything like it.
• Armor-Piercing Slap: She has two throws revolving around this. The second one is an entire series of slaps.
• Ass Kicks You: Her En'yoku (Swallow Wing) command normal.
• Attack Reflector: Her Saiha, in some games.
• Badass Adorable: Would you expect someone this cute to deliver a world of hurt? Didn't think so.
• But Not Too Foreign: Much like Ryo, she's 1/2 Japanese, 1/2 American.
• Braids of Action: Loses them in XIII. And then gets them back, as an alternate outfit in the console version.
• Bring It: Yuri's particular variant involves her making silly, mocking faces at her opponents before slapping her behind.
• Clothing Damage: Like King, first two games only. This feature appears to be making a triumphant return in XIII.
• Cute but Cacophonic: It somehow got worse as the series progressed.
• Damsel in Distress --> Cute Bruiser
• Everything Makes a Mushroom: Simply put, her Haoh Raiouken Neo MAX in XIII is a portable Nuke'Em.
• Fingerless Gloves: Always a part of her outfits.
• Genki Girl: Yuri has always been portrayed as cheerful and optimistic, but it gets dialed up in the King of Fighter series... to the point of bodering on outright childish behavior, at times. She's even gotten snarky, albeit in playful fashion with her friends.
• Hachimaki
• Hair Decorations: Ties up her braids with a ribbon.
• Ki Attacks: The same as her dad and her brother. Unique to her is the Saifa move: a small ki shield she projects upwards.
• Older Than They Look: Taken Up to Eleven. She's supposed to be 20 years old, about the same age as Kyo, but you'd never know it from the way she looks, acts or sounds. You'd swear she was only 15.
• Overshadowed by Awesome: Ryo and Takuma fear that her rudimentary knowledge of Kyokugen-ryuu will lead to this. Yuri, optimistic in her pursuit to improve herself, simply ignores them and joins King and Mai in XIII.
• Plucky Girl
• Rapunzel Hair in Braids of Action: Depending both on the sprites and the artist. Usually, her hair is long, but falls just shy of making the cut.
  • Important Haircut: Subverted. In XIII, Yuri cuts her hair short, but she doesn't seem to have a reason behind it. Takuma's reaction is overblown, as usual.
• Shipper on Deck: Much like Robert and her father, she supports Ryo/King, going along with Takuma's odd ploy at the end of XI. As you've probably noticed by now, Everyone Can See It.
• Take That: To Street Fighter, specifically the Shotoclones:
  • King of Fighters '97: her Yuri Chou Reppa parodies Ken's Shoryu Reppa. This is made more obvious in Capcom vs. SNK.
  • King of Fighters '98: her Yuri Shin Chou Upper parodies Ryu's Shin Shoryuken.
  • King of Fighters 2001: her Yuri Chou Enbu parodies Akuma's Shun Goku Satsu: she even poses like him randomly after finishing the attack.
  • King of Fighters 2003 gave her a desperation attack that parodies Ryu's Denjin Hadouken.
  • Since around ‍'‍97, she also gained a spinning kick attack like the Hurricane Kick all three characters use.
  • And in 2002 Unlimited Match, she did a Take That to her own family members by finally getting her own version of the Ryuko Ranbu technique... which eventually parodies Ryu's Shin Shoryuken.
  • In the Capcom vs. SNK games, she copies Felicia's intro pose (when fighting against Sakura) and Makoto's intro pose (when fighting against everyone else).
  • Yuri also possesses an attack similar to Chun-Li's Flip Kick.
  • XIII: her Houyoku parodies that of Akuma's Hyakki Shuu (Demon Flip). Her EX Yuri Chou Upper also parodies that of Sakura's Shououken.
• Verbal Tic: Most of her sentences end in "-tchi" (for example, her trademark "Yoyuchi!" ["Piece of cake!"]).
  • That was actually something her seiyuu came up with. It stuck.
  • "Oodley doodley cool!"
• Your Size May Vary: She has a tendency to be drawn so that she looks shorter than Mai (sometimes when they're together) despite the manual stating that Yuri is taller than her.

Mai Shiranui

"With a body and strength like this, you thought you had a chance?"

Voiced by: Akoya Sogi (‍'‍94-XI), Ami Koshimizu (Sky Stage, XII onward), Sheryl Stanley (Maximum Impact series, English), Megumi Hayashibara (‍'‍94 Dengeki Bunko drama CD)

Mai is a very happy girl with every girl's dream: get married with her prince charming. She found that same Prince Charming in Andy and self-proclaimed herself his fiancé. Although her preppy fighting persona suggests otherwise, Mai is actually a traditional and ideal Japanese beauty and very proud of it. However, her pride as a Shiranui ninja and infatuation with Andy (and her taste for metal... yep, the musical style) usually keeps her from fitting the mold 100% of the time.

• Action Girl: Like all of the female fighters of the series.
• Ass Kicks You: Her Wild Cherry attack.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: XIII brought her back as a response to the infamous "NO MAI = NO BUY!" chants (although she, like K', was intended to be in XII), but her notorious Gainaxing was cranked up to the point of Fetish Retardant. It's unknown whether or not it was intentional.
• Berserk Button: One: if she asks you about Andy, don't refuse to reply her question. Two: don't you ever comment negatively on her Stripperiffic clothes.
  • Later titles such as the Maximum Impact series (Maximum Impact 2 and Regulation A, specifically) and XIII give her a third one: do not imply that she's old. In her exchange with Athena in XIII, Mai even manages to get herself riled up by twisting her own fond memories of her days as a schoolgirl into Athena calling her old.
• Bilingual Bonus/Visual Pun: While her Shiranui-ryuu Kunoichi no Mai Neo MAX from XIII isn't exactly a new technique (it involves Mai flying through her opponent multiple times and then striking a pose and chanting her trademark "Nippon ichi!" as they're engulfed in flames), the attack spells out both the kanji for the Japanese words onna and kunoichi. Mai is both a woman and a female ninja.
• Boobs of Steel: She can both play this stright and avert it at the same time (also read Informed Attribute below):
  • In the first two games, she was probably the strongest female gameplay-wise, and had looks to match, but no Word of God behind (King measured larger).
  • In the rest of the games, she still looks as big as ever, but has become weakened: females with larger busts by Word of God tend to be higher tiers or at least have stronger moves (by being grapplers), even if their sprites give them chests that are equal or smaller than Mai's (Angel, Elisabeth, Blue Mary, Shermie, Vice, etc).
  • Back to playing this straight gameplay wise in XIV.
• Brainless Beauty: By Flanderization. One particular bad example occurs in the English translation of King of Fighters '95, during her team's cutscenes: when Rugal uses somniferous gas to kidnap them the following dialogue occurs:

Mai: "Hey, look! Beauty mist!" Yuri: It's gas, you bimbo!

• Catch Phrase: "Nippon Ichi!"
• Changing Clothes Is a Free Action: Can go from a kimono or wedding dress into her Stripperiffic outfit in a blink, and then back into a flashy kimono for her Victory Pose, just as fast.
• Clothes Make the Legend: Except for some very subtle changes, her outfit has remained the same since her debut, and now that she's back we can see that it has not changed much (save for losing some fabric on the back); in fact, her most current outfit is based on the one from Real Bout Fatal Fury Special/2, which was in turn based on her original one. With exception of one homage to Andy Bogard in the Maximum Impact 2/Regulation A games, her "Another" models played safe and were heavily based on her classic outfit.
• Cute but Cacophonic: Her voice was becoming increasingly more high pitched until reaching an extreme in King of Fighters 2003 and SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos when it became ear-grating. Fortunately, later games restored her voice to a more reasonable pitch.
  • Averted with her new seiyuu, whose pitch seems to fall into a much more bearable range.
• Dance Battler: At least nominally. Mai means "dance" in Japanese, and a lot of her moves are named as "dance of the x" ("x no mai").
• Does This Remind You of Anything?:
  • Her Toki Tsubute air throw that she gained in King of Fighters '99 has some animations that probably hint at a visual version of Orgasmic Combat.

(2001 winquote) "I wanted to feel it more. I'm a little disapointed..." (2002 winquote) "Hey, don't touch the talent!" (Seems to be a reference to the Sailor Moon dub-based meme of talent = bust, of which Mai has quite a lot)

• Dogged Nice Girl: To Andy, so much.
• Doppelganger Attack: Fiery doppelgangers (King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match alternate version only).
• Fairytale Wedding Dress: In The King of Fighters 2002, Mai wears one in a finishing move (see here).
• Gainaxing/Jiggle Physics: Lost in the American home versions of ‍'‍94 and ‍'‍95, as well as reduced (even in the arcade) American versions of 2000 and beyond (at least for the Neo-Geo versions).
• Hair Decorations: Wears an ornamental hairpin, a keepsake from her late aunt.
• Hammerspace: Where does she keep all those fans? And that's not even touching the umbrella, the kimono, the wedding dress, etc. This seems to overlap with Victoria's Secret Compartment for the paper fans.
• Highly-Visible Ninja: Lampshaded heavily in her intros for the SNK vs. Capcom games.

Ryu: "People can see you coming miles away!"

• Hypocritical Humor: In Neo Geo Battle Coliseum, her win quote against Shiki has her criticizing Shiki's lack of clothing.
• Informed Attribute:
  • Her famous bust has a measurement much smaller than what you'd imagine from her sprites/models, which were so well endowed since the start that almost any female with a larger bust by Word of God fell themselves into Informed Attribute because of her. In the official art, however, she varies from average to huge, not only Depending on the Artist, but also on said artist's mood apparently as well.
  • Word of God states that her hips are 91 cm with a 55 cm waist (in 2003 and XIII; 90/54 for previous games, i.e. largest hips and smallest waist of the series). Supposedly larger than Shermie's, but that would be hard to draw, so it's only apparent in a few of her sprites, like those for her Wild Cherry attack mentioned above.
• Lady in Red: A lighter version, but a Lady in Red nonetheless.
• Male Gaze: Her bust is the first thing that you see of her in the animated intros of King of Fighters '94 Re-Bout and King of Fighters '98: Dream Match 1999; also in Maximum Impact 2/Regulation A, the camera focuses very often on it. And if that wasn't enough, her new sprite for King of Fighters XIII shows her hunched towards the screen, making her cleavage even more noticeable than before, in an apparent effort to Enforced Trope this trope.
• Ms. Fanservice: You don't say?! She knows it and flaunts it!
• Murderous Thighs: Originally just "Murderous Ankles" for the way she sometimes throws her opponent; then in King of Fighters '99 gained a more appropiate move that seemed to be more a Fetish Fuel apology for removing Shermie and Vice than anything.
• Ninja Run: Well, she is a Ninja...
• Noblewoman's Laugh: More often read (in the Japanese versions, anyway) than heard; used in the first two games as part of her taunt.
• Not Distracted by the Sexy: No one in-universe seems to notice Mai for her Stripperiffic outfit and assets. If anything, nearly everyone is shocked at how brazen her outfit is, as well as wanting her to cover up more.
• Paper Fan of Doom
• Playing with Fire: Her Ryuuen Bu and several of her DM's are fire based attacks that set her opponent ablaze, when she connects with them.
• Put on a Bus: To the shock and surprise of her fans: she returned in the home version of King of Fighters XI, but not for King of Fighters XII (though if some sources are to be believed, she was planned to be). Has come back for King of Fighters XIII, finally.
• Say My Name: "ANDYYYYYYYY!!!"
• Sexy Backless Outfit: As if her outfit weren't Stripperiffic enough, she now has her whole back naked for her return for King of Fighters XIII.
• She Fu: Massive backflips and acrobatics are a key part of her fighting style.
• She's Got Legs: Usually, although it sometimes depends on who's drawing her.
• Shout-Out Theme Naming: Some of Mai's special moves are named after different branch styles of the Nanto Seiken martial art from Fist of the North Star. Specifically she has the Kōkaku no Mai (Dance of the Crimson Crane), Hakuro no Mai (Dance of the White Heron), Suichō no Mai (Dance of the Waterfowl) and Hō-ō no Mai (Dance of the Phoenix). SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos added the Koshū no Mai (Dance of the Lone Eagle) to the mix.
• Sideboob: Moreso with every Fan Service Pack: as of King of Fighters XIII, her bust is practically begging to spill out of her top from all directions.
• Single-Target Sexuality: Oh, Andy...
  • Flanderization: She was gaga for Andy from the get-go, but it's become absurd in later games.
• Stripperiffic: Somewhat more than in the Fatal Fury games. She is topped by the alternate costumes of several Maximum Impact characters though.
  • During XIII, quite a few characters call her out on it.
• Took a Level In Dumbass: In the Fatal Fury series, she's pretty smart and snarky against opponents. In later games... well, not so much.
• Vocal Evolution: Read Cute but Cacophonic above.
• Yamato Nadeshiko: She takes huge pride in her YN qualities, and acts quite like one when Andy's not around and/or outside the ring. The King of Fighters: Kyo RPG game has her wearing a furisode (the most ornate and expensive kimono for unmarried women) as she gladly hosts a tea ceremony for Kyo and his girlfriend Yuki.

Sie Kensou

"New threads. New attitude. The new Kensou's coming at you!"

Voiced by: Eiji Yano, Yuki Ishii (Athena: Awakening from the Ordinary Life), Josh Keller (XII, English)

A student of Chin's who's skilled in kung fu and possesses the mysterious "Dragon Spirit". He's also hopelessly in love with Athena, although she views him as just a friend. Ron of the Hizoku clan is interested in him thanks to the Dragon Spirit, and hopes to take it for himself.

• All Love Is Unrequited: He likes Athena. If King of Fighters: Kyo is canon, Athena has a crush on series protagonist Kyo, who in turn is already in a relationship with Yuki. A slight twist: Athena is well aware of his feelings for her (as evidenced in 2000 and 2001: the former has Kensou blatantly proclaim his love; the latter has Kensou fuming at the fact that Athena didn't give him an answer the last year and then crying when he defeats her; her profile in Maximum Impact 2 also notes that she knows of Kensou's feelings), but she seems to either be embarrassed by his advances (as seen in XIII's Story Mode) or outright ignores them.
• Animal Motifs: The dragon. A likely Shout-Out the fact that he could transform into one in Psycho Soldier.
• Battle Aura: Extreme usage of the Dragon Spirit gives one to Kensou. As shown in King of Fighters '99, it also doubles as a force field.
• Big Brother InstinctL Towards Bao, who more or less is his adoptive brother.
• Big Eater: To the point that one of his DM techniques has him eating pork buns to recover health (and sometimes choke on them).
• Brought Down to Normal: Lost his powers temporarily, after Bao was taken in by the Psycho Soldiers. It's later revealed that they share said powers.
• Butt Monkey: If something bad and/or embarrassing happened to the Psycho Soldiers, Kensou was the most usual target.
• Call Back: The fact Kensou has a fandom in-universe for King of Fighters doesn't sound that weird when one takes in consideration his Psycho Soldier incarnation: there, Kensou actually acted as a guitarist for Athena's concerts and shows. With him being on stage from time to time performing along with Athena, this would eventually help the guy gather some devoted fans.
• The Cameo: He appears in the Action RPG game Crystalis for the NES under the name Kensu: he is one of the four wise sages who must guide the protagonist into gathering four elemental swords to forge the Crystalis sword. In the Game Boy Color remake, he is the one who forged the Thunder Sword.
  • Kensou will throw himself in front of Athena in SNK Gals' Fighters, acting as a human shield for her, capable of being hit by any move against Athena when said unique block is performed.
  • In the end, expect to see him in any game Athena has a major role or is The Protagonist herself: with very few exceptions.
• Characterization Marches On: Originally in Psycho Soldier, Kensou was just an Arrogant Kung Fu Guy, a Perpetual Frowner in contrast to Athena's Cry Cute, a generic attempt to cement his bad dude status to tag along her girly character. Come the King of Fighters series, Kensou became a laid-back, funny guy, dropping his angry look from his early days.
• Comic Relief: Ever since his debut in Psycho Soldier, Kensou has fallen into this role. In King of Fighters, it usually pops up in the form of wardrobe malfunctions and hijinks involving baozi (the meat dumplings he's seen chowing down on before a match).
  • Let's Get Dangerous: His design starting with XII ventures over here, though he still has some silliness in him (use his Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs attack for too long and Kensou becomes exhausted).
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Athena's independent and strong character is what makes Kensou look foolish in comparison, but when Athena does need help is where Kensou shows he is someone she can rely on. Kensou dropped the Idiot Ball when he had to awaken his Dragon Spirit powers to save Athena in King of Fighters '99. Other situations can be found in Athena's exclusive game for PlayStation, Awakening from the Ordinary Life, where Athena is being constantly haunted due being quite a dark RPG. Kensou proves to be a great ally and support for Athena as he cheers her up in crucial events during the adventure.
• Demoted to Extra: Happens to Kensou in some of Athena's games, specially the Dating Sim ones where the player character assumes the role of her manager or just an average guy seeking for love: Kensou is mercilessly thrown in the background, serving only as a cameo, in a continuity where apparently his love for Athena isn't that strong to try and compete with the given player character, or actually such affections didn't exist at all. Exception goes Awakening from the Ordinary Life, as mentioned in this page before, Kensou is a great support to Athena.
• Dogged Nice Guy: To Athena, though it happens more in the King of Fighters: Kyo related media. It's taken to Flanderization heights in fanfiction.
  • In XIII, he's this close to confessing in his intro with her. Too bad Athena is way more concerned with their fight. In the Story Mode, he also attempts to confess his feelings to Athena, causing an understandably embarrassed Athena to promptly cut him off. Cue the Women Fighters Team expressing their sympathies to him... which in turn leads to the ladies getting catty with each other over their love lives.
• Eleventh-Hour Superpower: In the Psycho Soldier Team's special ending for King of Fighters '99. Kensou triggers his Dragon Spirit after Athena is in danger of being left for dead at the crumbling site, he saves her with a dose of Power of Love and Undying Loyalty. This doesn't actually do much for Kensou, gamewise, until he trains to control the Dragon Spirit's power several games later.
• Fingerless Gloves: In XI.
• Gameplay and Story Segregation: His use of the Dragon Spirit: in story, it can make Kensou fly, generate impregnable force fields, boost his powers to atonishing levels if Ron is to be believed, and when Bao used it could stop a Kill Sat instantly; now it is said that Kensou has total control over the Dragon Spirit. In gameplay, however, the Dragon Spirit has no significance whatsoever compared to how godly it is portrayed in cutscenes.
• Glowing Eyes of Doom: Basked in the power of the Dragon Spirit to save Athena in King of Fighters '99, Kensou gets nice glowing eyes of blue energy.
• Hachimaki: From XII onwards as a nod to his Psycho Solider incarnation.
• Holding Back the Phlebotinum: Kensou's Dragon Spirit powers by the time he mastered it in King of Fighters XI, as by Kensou's own explanation for this in With Great Power Comes Great Insanity below (if we go by Ron's words in the NESTS Saga that the Dragon Spirit at full power can make SNK Boss Igniz and all of NESTS look like nothing in comparison), then Kensou does have a good reason not to show off his powers recklessly.
• Inconsistent Dub: Although Kensou's ultimate energy attack is called Senki Hakkei, he will sometimes call it Chouryuudan, which isn't that strange since the Senki Hakkei is just a more powerful and close ranged Chouryuudan. It might the reason why in XII both attacks were merged and became the Shinryuu Chouryuudan, Kensou says Chouryuudan but it's executed as a more flashy Senki Hakkei; in XIII Kensou's new and improved DM is the Seigan: Senki Hakkei, but still he says Chouryuudan in the end.
• Informed Ability:
  • His forte in sports, the fact he has fans, and—of course—the Dragon Spirit:
  • Kensou is very good at sports in general, great at soccer in particular. This of course comes from All There in the Manual and related goodies: in the main games, this is never brought up at all.
  • The fact he hangs around Athena much of the time, even when she's on tour (which might be a Mythology Gag to him being a guitarist in Psycho Soldier), helped Kensou gather his own fandom. He even has a collection of plushies and stuffed animals alike recieved from his fans.
  • Kensou did show off some of his Dragon Spirit powers in ending sequences twice (once in ‍'‍99 and again in 2002), but the way Ron says the Dragon Spirit can make Igniz and all other SNK Bosses that NESTS created look like nothing in comparison; by XI and beyond, Kensou should at least be refered as Psychic Powers Master status even if he is holding his powers back.
• Kamehame Hadoken: Kensou's Choukyuudan. Originally, the attack was a projectile Hadoken type (‍'‍94 to ‍'‍98, XI and XIII): Kensou performed a crouching stance and fired the ball of energy from above. After losing his powers and later training to get them back, Kensou changed his to way to fire the Choukyuudan. From XII and on, the attack evolved and was promoted to a Desperation Move, becoming bigger as normal projectile (XIII) and becoming the Shinryuu Choukyuudan (XII and on) which changes from a projectile to a close range Sphere of Destruction.
• Kansai Regional Accent: Despite being Chinese.
• MacGuffin Boy: Has the Dragon Spirit sealed in him.
• Older Than They Look: It's less noted than Athena and Yuri because changed they drastically, but Kensou has also been hit by this with the new character designs, or arguably he was always this. Kensou is 19 years old, and yet looks much younger than Kyo who is only one year older than him (20 years old); also there's Leona, who at 18 years old, in comparison to Kensou, looks like mature woman in her early tweenties whereas he seems more like a teenager.
• Power Floats: In his most extreme usage of the Dragon Spirit yet, Kensou could float around.
• Psychic Powers: Shared with Bao. When he has them, Bao doesn't, and when Bao can use them, Kensou can't (which partially explains why Kensou is only able to use projectile attacks in certain games).
• Real Men Wear Pink: Kensou is proud and not afraid of showing his plushie collection which was mounted from the stuffed animals he recieved from his fans, and of course he is always open for more items to add to the collection. Additionally, his favorite manga Seito Shokun! is a classic Shoujo Genre romance comedy.
• Spam Attack: A few of his attacks. It's Played for Laughs in XIII, where the rapid firing of his fists in one of his DMs actually tires him out.
• Spell My Name with an "S": Due to his name being Chinese, but being often rendered to fit the Japanese spelling, Kensou is the most used one to avoid confusion for the Japanese, but Kensu is arguably the closest romanized spelling to his Chinese name: it even appeared that way in his cameo for Crystalis.
• Sphere of Destruction: The Senki Hakkei Kensou fires at the end of his Seigan Senki Hakkei Neo MAX in XIII, which is very similar to Chun-Li's Kikoushou.
  • Earlier in the series, Kensou had a DM (Senki Hakkei) of the same type that needed to be activated up close. The force of the SDM version was so great, that the recoil sends him flying into the corner.
• They Fight Crime
• Took a Level in Badass: After sitting out the 2003 tournament, Kensou returns in XI, having improved drastically by mastering his control over the Dragon Spirit. Ron seems to be very pleased by this. Many fans see his new look in XII as another level.
  • XIII is the next logical step in his badassery progression. Holy...
• Trademark Favorite Food: Meat buns. Has a tendency to choke on them occasionally though.
• Trophy Room: Where Kensou keeps his collection of plushies and stuffed animals recieved from his fans, comic books (Seito Shokun! in particular), and his beloved autographed ball from Alessandro Del Piero.
• With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: The only explanation so far why Kensou didn't become, canonically, one of the most powerful members of the cast after supposedly mastering the Dragon Spirit. Kensou himself, albeit comically and even suspiciously, said that he is conciously holding back his powers because of what happened to other powerful beings in the cast who tapped into their great powers too much, mostly final bosses like Rugal who all turned insane and/or died.

Clark Still

"Losers have no rights. That's what history's all about."

Voiced by: Yoshinori Shima, Sean Michaels (Maximum Impact series, English), Eric Kelso (XII, English)

The other member of the Ikari Warriors. He is Ralf's best friend and specializes in grappling.

• Ambiguously Brown: Same deal as Ralf.
• Badass Normal: Almost every character in this cast has some sort of supernatural power or hidden ability they can utilize. Clark? He simply runs up to you, grapples with you, slams you into the pavement with a Ultra Clark Buster, and then pursues your flailing body with an elbow drop. And he does all of this without even saying a word. Grunts are accepted though.
• Bash Brothers: With Ralf.
• Cool Shades: Wears them to cover up an injury that Ralf accidentally inflicted on him while being careless with a knife.
• Dub Name Change: You might remember him as Vince.
• Eye Scream: Almost happened to him thanks to Ralf, but barely avoided it. Uses his Cool Shades to cover the scar.
• Flashing Elbow Them While They Are Down: Most of his special grapples allow Clark to add on an extra hit with his Flashing Elbow. The Maximum Impact series gives him a few additional followups to the Flashing Elbow.
• Fingerless Gloves: Unlike Ralf, he wears them only in XIII. Otherwise, he wears a single military glove, like Ralf.
• Good-Looking Privates
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: Good. It's one close to his eyes.
  • Every Scar Has a Story
  • Scars Are Forever: The reason he wears his sunglasses in the first place.
• Hair of Gold
• In a Single Bound: Later games give Clark Zangief-like jumping skills. Just check out the aforementioned Ultra Clark Buster.
• Murderous Thighs: A male example, and it's a subversion! After performing a Frankensteiner, Clark will turn to the screen, hold out his hands exasperatedly, and yell, "HEY!". Apparently, he doesn't like the idea of being using for Fan Service, although his female and homosexual male fans might disagree...
• Nice Hat: Nice Navy Blue Cap!
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue to Ralf's Red.
• Rule of Three: Guess how many times Clark slams you to the ground during his Running Three DM.
• Spam Attack/Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: Shares the Gattling Punch move with Ralf, minus the mini explosions.
• Spell My Name with an "S": His surname (スティル) has been misromanized by fans as "Steel" (which is actually スティール).
• The Stoic: Like everyone else in the Ikari Warriors (except for Ralf), he is focused and straight-laced. Still not as much as Leona or Heidern.
• Tragic Keepsake: He wears two dogtags: one belongs to him, the other to a dead friend.
• Wrestler in All of Us: He's even one who actually is notable for tons of followups on his signature throws. His HSDM/MAX2DM in 2002 Unlimited Match is by far one of the most variable grapples he's had in his kit.
• You Don't Look Like You: Same as Ralf. Many fans have not taken well to the roided-up Ralf and Clark that came from the Art Shift introduced in XII.

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