The King of Fighters/Characters/The Rugal Saga: Difference between revisions

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).

 

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{{quote| '''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]]

* [[Ass Kicks You]] - One of her aerial command attacks.

* [[Attack Reflector]] - Her Psycho Reflector, which has two variations.

* [[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]]

* [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot]] - She is a [[Joshikousei|high school girl]]/[[Idol Singer]], who happens to be an incarnation of a goddess, has psychic powers, [[I Know Karate|and knows Kung-Fu!]]

* [[Odango Hair]] - Her hairstyle in ''2000'' and in ''Maximum Impact 2''.

* [[Flash Step]] - One of his '''98''-only specials as Omega Rugal. Notable in that Rugal ''[[Combat Pragmatist|actually hits you while dashing past you]]''.

* [[Flung Clothing]] - Tosses the top part of his tuxedo off in ''KOF '94'' in Round 2, and in ''2002'' his jacket falls off, along with the wires on his shoulders.

* [[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.

* [[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 [[Trope Codifier|ultimate end-boss]] and is so well-loved by fans, that Rugal became the [[Final Boss]] of every subsequent [[Dream Match Game]].

* [[Replacement Goldfish]] - When Mature and Vice became [[Ascended Extra|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''.

* [[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.

* [[Bash Brothers]] - Literally with Terry.

* [[Red Oni, Blue Oni|Blue Oni]] to Terry's Red.

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* [[Red Oni, Blue Oni]]: Blue to Terry's red.

** [[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.

* [[Badass]]

* [[Badass Long Hair]] - It's a staple of his trademark look.

* [[Badass Boast]] - His "Wolves never sleep. Never." line to Nightmare Geese in ''Maximum Impact 2''.

* [[Bash Brothers]] - Literally with Andy.

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* [[Meaningful Name]] - Koehan means "thug" in Korean. Guess what Chang is.

* [[Mighty Glacier]]

* [[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.

* [[Meaningful Name]] - Bounge (more appropriately spelled and pronounced as "Bungeh") means "lightning." It's fitting, considering that Choi is nimble and eccentric.

* [[Nice Hat]]

* [[Plucky Comic Relief]]

* [[Rolling Attack]] - one of his specials.

* [[Martial Arts Headband]]

* [[Mediator]] - Daimon was originally an unwitting one to Kyo and Benimaru.

* [[Mighty Glacier]]

* [[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.

* [[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 [[Badass|badassery]] remains constant.

* [[Big Brother Mentor]] - To Ryo and Yuri (moreso the former).

* [[Red Oni, Blue Oni|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).

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* [[Shipper On Deck]] - In regards to Ryo/King.

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** [[Kamehame Hadoken]] - his Ryuugekiken special and Haoh Shokouken DM.

** [[Shoryuken]] - his Ryuuga special.

* [[Tall, Dark and Handsome]] - Although the "tall" part is subjective (5'11"/180cm is actually average in ''KOF''), 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 Rival|friendly rivalry]].

* [[Suspiciously Similar Song]] - [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ovCp9HXn-o "Jungle Bouncer,"] the original theme of the Ikari Warriors Team in '''94'' (and reused for ''2002''), is pretty much a cover of [[Faith No More (Music)|Faith No More]]'s [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upWUuByQLxQ "Surprise, You're Dead!"]

* [[Tall, Dark and Handsome]] - For a 40-something-year-old guy who's missing an eye... Heidern's doing pretty good.

* [[Wolverine Claws]] - He uses bladed claws (that are hidden within his gloves) in battle. Complete with [[Audible Sharpness]] when performing Moon Slasher.

 

* [[Boisterous Bruiser]] - Oh, so much.

* [[Flung Clothing]] - One of his intros has him dispose of a robe.

* [[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''.

* [[Martial Arts Headband]]

** However, confronting Billy with Joe has Billy talk about [[Big Brother Instinct|keeping her away from Joe]], so Joe's relationship Lilly is perhaps underplayed in ''KOF'' moreso than non-existent.

* [[Playing With Fire]] - On occasion.

* [[Tiger Versus Dragon]] - The Tiger to Hwa Jai's Dragon.

* [[Walking Shirtless Scene]]

* [[Good Looking Privates]]

* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]] - With Clark. Also [[Red Oni, Blue Oni]] (where Ralf, pretty obviously, is Red).

* [[Megaton Punch]] - The Galactica Phantom.

** He usually belts out a "'''DO-KAAAAAAAAAN!!!'''" when doing this, [[Saying Sound Effects Out Loud|which is essentially Ralf screaming the word "kaboom."]]

* [[One-Man Army]] - As of ''Maximum Impact 2'' and ''XII'', this is ''literally'' [[In-Series Nickname|his official nickname]].

* [[Kick Them While They Are Down|Punch Them While They Are Down]] - Bareback Vulcan Punch. Jeez, is it painful to watch.

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* [[Glowing Eyes of Doom]] - Whenever he gets a [[Zany Scheme|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 ''KOF 2001'' victory render [[Off-Model|downright]] ''scary''. Thanks a freaking bunch, Nona and Eolith.

* [[Hot Dad]]

* [[Justice Will Prevail]] - Essentially, this is Kim's [[Catch Phrase]] (see "[[Detect Evil]]").

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* [[Suspiciously Similar Song]] - The beginning of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Lrlut8oXZ0 "Wild Party,"] his team's theme in ''2000'', sounds suspiciously like the opening riffs of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRbPWcLode0 "Crazy Train"] by none other than the Prince of Darkness himself, [[Ozzy Osbourne (Music)|Ozzy Osbourne]]. The following year, Team Korea receives [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZIcZNl9BcY "Nerichagi,"] which appears to have been lifted from the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cus-JJi48Fw "Name Entry"] BGM in ''[[Tekken (Video Game)|Tekken]] 3''.

* [[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 [[Expy|their general similarities to Kim in appearance and methodology]] is a large factor for the [[Epileptic Trees|belief that they are blood-linked to Kim's family tree]].

* [[Twinkle Smile]] - One of his win poses. Complete with an [[Audible Gleam]].

* [[Vocal Evolution]] - Until ''KOF '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.

 

* [[Luminescent Blush]] - The ''Art of Fighting'''s team ending for ''XIII''. {{spoiler|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 [[Date Peepers|Yuri, Robert, and Takuma]] ([[Paper-Thin Disguise|poorly-disguised as a waitress, waiter, and the restaurant manager]]) [[Moment Killer|ruining the romantic mood.]]

* [[Promotion to Parent]] - Towards [[Ill Boy]] Jean.

* [[She Cleans Up Nicely]] - May we direct you [http://snk.wikia.com/wiki/File:Kof98.jpg here] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V8Ta2KILHs here.]

* [[Martial Arts Headband]] - Wore one until the start of the NESTS saga (not counting his Another Kyo striker in ''KOF '99''). He burns his headband in a few ''KOF '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).

** His [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVI1M1VlhS8 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.

* [[This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself|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.

* [[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.

* [[Actor Allusion]] - Coincidentally, his English VA in ''XII'' is known for voicing [[Tekken (Video Game)|Paul Phoenix]], another tall-haired blond guy in another fighting game.

* [[Anime Hair]] - Which he styles ''with his powers'' in one intro.

* [[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 ''KOF'' 10th anniversary webpage the staff felt the need to deny it, complete with [[Not That There's Anything Wrong With That]].

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* [[Fingerless Gloves]]

* [[Alternate Company Equivalent]] - To [[Ryu and Ken]], at least [[Character Development|at first]].

* [[Animal Motifs]] - The dragon. His nickname is "[[Red Baron|The Invincible Dragon]]" and his HSDM in ''2002: Unlimited Match'' [[Summon Magic|even summons one at the end of his Ryuuko Ranbu]]. However, Ryo trained under the Kou'ou ("Tiger King") principle of Kyokugenryuu.

* [[Badass Biker]] - Moreso in ''Art of Fighting''.

* [[Big Brother Instinct]] - To Yuri. She does NOT appreciate it.

** His [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cub--0zXs1s Neo MAX] is an upgraded version known as the Shin Tenchi Ha'ou Ken, [[Mundane Made Awesome|complete with]] [[Bullet Time|slow-mo]].

* [[Mr. Vice Guy]] - A tad [[Stay in The Kitchen|old-fashioned]].

* [[Perpetual Poverty]]

* [[Red Oni, Blue Oni]] to Robert's Blue.

** [[Kamehame Hadoken]] - His Kou'ou Ken special and Haoh Shikouken DM.

** [[Shoryuken]] - His Koho.

 

 

* [[Hot Dad]]

* [[Insistent Terminology]] - [[Secret Identity|"Who is this "Takuma" of which you speak? My name is Mr. Karate!"]]

* [[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]]

* [[Large Ham]] - Particularly as Mr. Karate, although Takuma also has his moments.

* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]] - And prepare for a world of pain when he ''does'' decide to get serious...

** [[Wild Mass Guessing|Some speculate]] that Takuma may actually be [[Willfully Weak|the most powerful human in the]] ''[[Willfully Weak|KOF]]'' [[Willfully Weak|universe]] on the basis of his team's ''2000'' ending ([[Moment of Awesome (Sugar Wiki)|singlehandedly negating a]] [[Kill Sat]]'s [[Frickin' Laser Beams|attack]] [[Ki Attacks|with a fireball]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAzlVHVov1E at the last second]) and the sheer [[SNK Boss|SNK-ness]] of his Serious form in ''SVC Chaos'' (equal in power to [[Street Fighter (Franchise)|Shin Akuma]]). Then ''XIII'' came around; his [[Limit Break|Neo MAX]] consists of him [[Meteor Move|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, '''''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuCkKcVE74o AWESOME.]'''''

** [[Shoryuken]] - His Koho special and (as Mr. Karate) Kyokugen Koho DM.

* [[SNK Boss]] - In ''[[SNK vs. Capcom SVC Chaos (Video Game)|SNK vs. Capcom SVC Chaos]]''.

** 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...

* [[She Fu]]

* [[She's Got Legs]] - Usually, although [[Depending On the Artist|it sometimes depends on who's drawing her]].

** [[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.

 

* [[All Love Is Unrequited]] - He likes Athena. If ''KOF: Kyo'' is canon, Athena has a crush on series protagonist Kyo, who in turn [[Official Couple|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.

* [[Battle Aura]] - Extreme usage of the Dragon Spirit gives one to Kensou. As shown in ''KOF '99'', it also doubles as a force field.

* [[Big Brother Instinct]] - Towards Bao, who more or less is his adoptive brother.

* [[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 ''KOF'' 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 ''KOF'' 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).

* [[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 droped the [[Idiot Ball]] when he had to awaken his Dragon Spirit powers to save Athena in ''KOF '99''. Other situations can be found in Athena's exclusive game for [[Play Station]], ''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.

** In ''XIII'', he's ''this'' close to confessing in his intro with her. Too bad Athena is ''way'' more concerned with their fight.

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* [[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.

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* [[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 [[Street Fighter II (Video Game)|Chun-Li's]] Kikoushou.

** ''XIII'' is the next logical step in his [[Badass|badassery]] progression. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n0CE8rEBxY Holy...]

* [[Trademark Favorite Food]] - Meat buns. Has a tendency to choke on them occasionally, though.

* [[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.

 

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* [[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]]