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

* [[Bald of Evil]]: - heHe reforms in ''2003'', though.

* [[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.

* [[Fire-Forged Friends]] -: Eventually develops a friendship with Kim, which is why he's part of Kim's team in '''032003'', 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.

* [[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown]]: - oneOne of his DMs.

* [[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 ''2002UM2002 Unlimited Match'', this is his MAX 2. This happened in the original as well, but it was only for one powerful belly flop.

* [[Blinding Bangs]] -: [[The Faceless|His eyes]] [[Hidden 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.

* [[Exotic Weapon Supremacy]] -: A sake gourd.

* [[Gag Nose]] -: The extent of which [[Depending on the Artist|varies from artist to artist]] (although it's fairly consistent overall).

* [[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.

* [[Improbable Weapon User]] -: Again, the gourd.

* [[It's a Small World After All]] -: He's an old acquaintance of [[The King of Fighters/Characters/The Tales of Ash|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.

* [[Parental Substitute]] -: To both Kensou and Bao. Bao is actually his [[Happily Adopted|adopted son]].

* [[Awesome but Impractical]] -: His "Shakushi" MAX 2 in ''2002UM2002 Unlimited Maximum'', formerly his MAX 2 in ''2002'' and his Exceed in ''[[SNK vs. Capcom SVC Chaos|SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos]]''.

* [[Cool Shades]] -: He's never without his little round specs.

* [[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.

* [[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]] -: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXp5df7N2ao "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 [[Street Fighter|Vega]] in ''SVC: Chaos'' and tries to strike up a friendship, but [[Bishonen|Vega]] being [[The Fighting Narcissist|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.

* [[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown]] -: He can use Kim's Hou'ou Kyaku.

* [[Rolling Attack]]: - oneOne 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, [[Woolseyism|this is symbolized by]] Choi ending most of his sentences (at least, in cutscenes) with the words "buddy boy.".

{{quote|'''Voiced by:''' Masaki Usui, [[Ryuzaburo Ohtomo]] ('''94'' Dengeki Bunko drama CD) }}

{{quote|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 famaily.}}

* [[Badass Normal]] -: Kyo has [[Playing with Fire|fire]], Benimaru has [[Shock and Awe|electricity]]. He's got nothing but his size, his strength, and a handful of experience.

* [[Big Brother Mentor]] -: For Kyo, in story.

* [[Dishing Out Dirt]] -: He possesses enough strength to ''move the earth''.

* [[Eyes Always Shut]] -: ''Always''.

* [[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]]).

* [[Happily Married]] -: To [[Hot Teacher|Jokyojo]]. Then even have a son named Kogoro who appears to be [[Generation Xerox|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.

* [[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.

{{quote|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 ''KOFKing 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, {{spoiler|he planned on proposing to Yuri in the middle of a post-tournament interview. Too bad [[Overprotective Dad|Takuma]] kept him from doing so.}}.

* [[Alternate Company Equivalent]] -: To Ken Masters of ''[[Street Fighter]]''. Both are [[Rich Idiot With No Day Job|rich-out-their-ass playboys]] who are friendly rivals to their respective best friends, although Robert dresses like he's rich.

* [[Ambiguously Brown]] -: Subverted. In ''NGBCNeo Geo Battle Coliseum'' (and by proxy, ''XI''), Robert appears to be a bit darker than he usually is, [[Truth in Television|although it's not uncommon for an Italian to have a skin tone like that.]].

* [[Animal Motifs]] -: The tiger. His nickname is "[[Red Baron|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 [[badass]]ery remains constant.

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

* [[Red Oni, Blue Oni|Blue Oni]]: toTo 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 "[[Word of God|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 [[Cool Car|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''.

* [[Dynamic Entry]] -: If you can pull off his Hien Ryuujin Kyaku or its LDM/Neo MAX variant (Hien Shippu Ryuujin Kyaku) correctly.

* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]] -: With Ryo.

* [[Informed Flaw]] -: The Ryugeki principle of Kyokugen-ryuu is said to have severe imbalances as [[Extremity Extremist|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.

* [[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 [[Batman|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.

* [[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]]: - hisHis Hien Shippu Kyaku.

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

** [[Shoryuken]]: - hisHis Ryuuga special.

* [[Spam Attack]] -: Geneikyaku/Zanretsukyaku (depending on the game), his kick-based counterpart to Ryo's [[Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs|Zanretsuken]].

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

* [[Butt Monkey]] -: See "[[Running Gag]] below."

* [[Exotic Weapon Supremacy]] -: Basketballs, and this was before Sean of ''[[Street Fighter III]]''.

* [[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.

* [[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. [[Butt Monkey|Ouch...]]

* [[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. [[Butt Monkey|Unfortunately]], given that his team has had [[Curb Stomp Battle|their asses handed to them]] on [[Running Gag|at least]] ''[[Running Gag|three]]'' [[Running Gag|separate ocassions]] (Rival Team in '''95'', New Faces Team in '''97'', and Vannessa, Seth, and Ramon in ''2000''), [[Goggles Do Nothing|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 [[Dude, Not Funny|don't enjoy]].

* [[Rocket Punch]] -: One of his DMs is a [[Ki Attacks|energy blast]] fired from his [[Megaton Punch|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.

* [[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. [[Wild Mass Guessing|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.

{{quote|Founder and leader of the [[Ikari Warriors]] mercenary squad, and Leona's adoptive father. A [[The Stoic|stoic man]] who fights using his own brutally efficient style of martial arts, his daughter Clara and his wife Sandra were [[I Have Your Wife|kidnapped]] and later killed by his [[Arch Enemy]] Rugal in front of him, as [[He Knows Too Much|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 it'sits 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 [[Street Fighter II|Guile]], and the end result isn't too far from Heidern.

* [[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 [[Badass in Distress|kick some serious ass]]. He even pulls a [[Big Damn Heroes]] moment!

* [[Energy Absorption]] -: His Stormbringer and [[Counter Attack|Killing Bringer]] specials, as well as his Final Bringer DM.

* [[Everything's Better with Spinning]] -: See [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Neck Rolling]], [[Shaped Like Itself|where he gyrates around an opponent's neck]] [[Spin Attack|like a]] [[Mundane Made Awesome|merry-go-round from hell]].

* [[Flung Clothing]] -: An odd inversion. In one of Heidern's win poses, a [[Badass Longcoat|longcoat]] falls from the sky. In a quick change, Heidern drapes himself in the cloak and somehow loses his hat in the process.

* [[Glowing Eyes of Doom|Glowing Eye Of Doom]] -: Has this in his '''98''-and-onward intro pose as well as his Striker pose.

* [[Handicapped Badass]] -: The [[Eye Scream|loss of his eye]] should mean that he lacks peripheral version and depth perception. Much like [[Street Fighter|Sagat]], he still manages to kick ''so much ass''.

* [[Hired Guns]] -: Commands [[Badass Crew|an elite squadron of 'em]].

* [[Her Heart Will Go On|His Heart Will Go On]] -: A rare male version. With Rugal dead, Heidern finds no more reason to lament the life of [http://snk.wikia.com/wiki/File:Heidern-family.png 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?

* [[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.

{{quote|''"How's that? I'm the Satan of martial arts."'' }}

{{quote|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 [[Big Brother Instinct|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'' [[Camp Gay|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.}}

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

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

* [[Hot-Blooded]] -: One of the earliest fighting game examples, although given [[Nobuyuki Hiyama|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 ''KOFKing 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 ''KOFKing of Fighters'', quite jarring in comparison with his friends Terry and Andy whose [[Love Interests]], Mary and Mai, are still on their tail.

** 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 ''KOFKing 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.

{{quote|''"That's enough for now. I can only be forgiving so much."'' }}

{{quote|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 ''[[Up to Eleven|even more]]'' damage if it's used as a [[Counter Attack|counter]] (in fact, in this case, it can sometimes be a [[One-Hit Kill|OHKO]]). Even better, it's lethal on [[SNK Boss|bosses]], too! However, it has an ungodly long [[Charge Attack|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. [[Moment of Awesome (Sugar Wiki)|You deserve it.]].

** A good example of how this attack can be extremely impractical can be found [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaxRP_shkIs here.]. The combos only work in ''KOFKing 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.

* [[Bash Brothers]] -: Again, with Clark.

* [[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.

* [[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, [[Saying Sound Effects Out Loud|which is essentially Ralf screaming the word "kaboom."]].

** And his new addition to the Bareback Galactica Phantom, Galactica Vanguard, in ''2002UM2002 Unlimited Match''. So powerful, it's an [[One-Hit Kill|instant kill]]!

* [[Nice Hat|Nice Bandana]] -: He sometimes wears a [[Hachimaki|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'' [[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.

* [[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.

* [[Turns Red]] -: ''Literally'' during his [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxNAlSeaolk Jet Vulcan Punch Neo MAX] in ''XIII'', which is quickly followed up by ''the'' [[Spam Attack]] to end ''all'' [[Spam AttacksAttack]]s. Imagine the [[One Piece|Gum-Gum Jet Gattling]], [[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure|MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA]], and [[Fist of the North Star|ATATATATATATATA]] doing a [[Fusion Dance]]. Then set it ''[[Incendiary Exponent|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, [[Street Fighter II|Zangief-esque]] silhouette [[Art Shift|literally from one game to another]]. To the fandom's credit, [[Hand Wave|"intense training"]] ''[[Artistic License: Biology|does not alter bone structure]]''...

{{quote|''"Hey guys, how about it? Let's do the Tae [[Spell My Name with an "S"|Kwan]] Do thang!"'' }}

{{quote|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]] [[Hot Wings|one]] at the end of his [[Spam Attack|Hou'ou Kyaku]] [[Limit Break|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 ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syewNvULmL0t this]'' transpires.

* [[Detect Evil]] -: "[[This Is Sparta|Aku wa yurusan! HA!!]]" ("[[This Is Unforgivable!|Evil is unforgivable]]!"). Usually coupled with a [[Giving Someone the Pointer Finger|finger point]] that rivals [[Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney|Phoenix Wright]] or a [[Glowing Eyes of Doom|gleaming]] [[Death Glare]].

** [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] in a group of bonus illustrations for ''KOFKing 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.

* [[Flash Step]] -: Just when you thought the Hou'ou Kyaku couldn't be any more painful, his Neo MAX version of the attack ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMr2rFeQ77o 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 [[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 ''KOFKing of Fighters 2001'' victory render [[Off-Model|downright]] ''scary''. Thanks a freaking bunch, Nona and Eolith.

* [[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 [[Lampshade Hanging|go unnoticed]]. Needless to say, Kim is ''not'' amused.

'''Kim''': "In other words, I believe that true justice must be based on a foundation of--" }}

* [[Kiai]] -: Kim seems to unleash his inner [[Fist of the North Star|Kenshiro]] during some of his moves.

* [[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 ''[[Fuun Series|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 [[This Is Unforgivable!|"Aku wa yurusan!"]] on [[The Dragon]] from his game. Given that Kim Kaphwan came first (gamewise), these two are probably [[Expy|expies]].

* [[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 [[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 ''KOFKing 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.

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

{{quote|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 KOFKing 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]] -: [[Late Arrival Spoiler|Of course]], [[Samus Is a Girl|it's common knowledge]] here in ''KOFKing of Fighters''. As seen below, King ''does'' break out of this on ocassion.

* [[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 ''[[SNK vs. Capcom|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]].

* [[Hurricane Kick]]: - herHer Tornado Kick.

* [[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''. {{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.]].

* [[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown]]: - oneOne of her DMs before ''XIII''.

* [[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.].

* [[Ship Tease]] -: [[All Amazons Want Hercules|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 [[Babies Ever After|King was/would become pregnant]] with a Kyokugen heir<ref>thoughThough it may have been his own way to tease the two.</ref>, and the latter involving Takuma, Yuri, and Robert [[Date Peepers|spying on]] [[Unresolved Sexual Tension|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.

* [[Spam Attack]] -: Her Trap Shot.

* [[Sweet Polly Oliver]] -: Justified, unfortunately: Untiluntil few years ago, among Muay Thai practicioners it was considered bad luck for a woman to compete in fights. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120315073529/http://www.horizonmuaythai.com/women_boxing.html 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''.

* [[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.

{{quote|''"You just ain't got it. So stop whining and get lost."'' }}

{{quote|[[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. }}

* [[Because Destiny Says So]]/[[You Can't Fight Fate]] -: Pretty much the underlying reason for why stuff happens to him. [[Screw Destiny|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 ''KOFKing of Fighters '99''. You can fight him if your end points are over 280. Win, and he becomes playable.

* [[Bootstrapped Theme]]/[[Recurring Riff]] -: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifG376LtUiM "Esaka?"] from '''96'' is [[SNK/Awesome Music|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 [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BSCSmji7OE in a completely different theme for Kyo.].

* [[Bully Hunter]] -: According to the ''KOFKing of Fighters: KYOKyo'' manga.

* [[Catch Phrase]] -: "Heh heh, moetaro?" ("Heh heh, you burned?") and "Ore no... kachi da!" ("This is... my victory!").

* [[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 [[Elemental Punch|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.

* [[Downloadable Content]]: - inIn ''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 ''[[SNK vs. Capcom|Capcom vs. SNK]]'' games. Kyo is not honored in the slightest.

'''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 [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?|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]].

* [[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 ('''R'''ainbow '''E'''xplosive '''D'''ynamite) Kick.

* [[Hachimaki]] -: Wore one until the start of the NESTS saga (not counting his Another Kyo striker in ''KOFKing of Fighters '99''). He burns his headband in a few ''KOFKing 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 [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUEgKetLS3U "Burning Devotion!"] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zZSg6EKgD0 "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, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvEf6CbB4bw "The Sun & The Moon."].

* [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]] -: See the ''KOFKing of Fighters: Kyo'' spinoff manga and games for a good example.

* [[Meaningful Name]] -: The [[wikipedia:Kusanagi|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''.

* [[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.

* [[Not So Different]] -: Although semi-canon at best, other media adaptations (most notably the '''98'' drama CD, ''KOFKing 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.

* [[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 ''KOFKing 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 [[You Can't Fight Fate|his ancestor did]], Kyo himself refuses to believe that his feud with Iori is influenced by the [[Kill'Em All|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.

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

* [[Shoryuken]]: - hisHis 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 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.

* [[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.

{{quote|''"My reason for winning? I'm just cool. Real cool."'' }}

* [[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 ''KOFKing 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 [[Handsome Lech|lech]]. The best examples of this comes from Benimaru scolding ''Kyo'' on his ([[It's Not You, It's My Enemies|understandably neglectful]]) relationship with Yuki.

* [[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 [[Anime Hair|hair]] rivals [[Tekken|Paul Phoenix]] and [[Street Fighter II|Guile]].

* [[Sphere of Destruction]] -: His Raidouken DM was originally this. Whether or not it's this or a cluster of [[Energy Ball]]s depends on the game.

* [[Super Speed]] -: Via electricity. [[Doppelganger Attack|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.

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

{{quote|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 [[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 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 [[Legacy Character|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 [[Perma-Stubble|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 [[Hair of Gold|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-''KOFKing of Fighters'' designs), Ryo's hair is back to being reddish-orange. [[Adaptation Dye Job|And let's not even start on]] the ''AOFArt 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]] -: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3MgPCm8a-g A trait which shines the brightest in] ''SvCSNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos''.

* [[Megaton Punch]] -: Tenchi Haou Ken. [[Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner|ICHIGEKI HISSATSU!]] The SDM version has the [[But Wait! There's More!|added benefit]] of ''stunning the opponent''.

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

* [[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown]] -: His Ryuuko Ranbu DM.

* [[Red Oni, Blue Oni|Red Oni]]: toTo 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.

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

{{quote|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 [[Kamehame Hadoken|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 [[Punched Across the Room|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 ''SvCSNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos'' has 'em. Of course, he's a [[SNK Boss]].

* [[Good Scars, Evil Scars]] -: Has a [[X Marks the Hero|X-shaped scar]] on his right pectoral, gained from a sparring match with Lee Gakusuo, the adoptive father of [[Art of Fighting|Lee Pai Long]].

* [[Ground Pound]]: - asAs Mr. Karate, his Kishin Sanga Geki Neo MAX.

* [[Insistent Terminology]] -: [[Secret Identity|"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.

* [[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...

** [[Wild Mass Guessing|Some speculate]] that Takuma may actually be [[Willfully Weak|the most powerful human in the]] ''[[Willfully Weak|KOFKing of Fighters]]'' [[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 ''SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos'' (equal in power to [[Street Fighter|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.]'''''.

* [[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.

* [[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...

{{quote|'''Voiced by:''' Kaori Horie, Amy Walls (''Maximum Impact'' series, English), [[Sakura Tange]] ('''94'' Dengeki Bunko drama CD) }}

{{quote|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. }}

* [[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.

* [[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.

* [[Everything Makes a Mushroom]] -: Simply put, her [[Death From Above|Haoh Raiouken Neo MAX]] in ''XIII'' is a portable [[Nuke'Em]].

* [[Hair Decorations]] -: Ties up her braids with a ribbon.

* [[Overshadowed by Awesome]] -: Ryo and Takuma fear that her rudimentary knowledge of Kyokugen-ryuu will lead to this. Yuri, [[Spirited Competitor|optimistic in her pursuit to improve herself]], simply ignores them and joins King and Mai in ''XIII''.

* [[Rapunzel Hair]] in [[Braids of Action]] -: Depending both on the sprites and [[Depending on the Artist|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 [[Shotoclone]]s:

** ''KOFKing of Fighters '97'': Herher Yuri Chou Reppa parodies Ken's Shoryu Reppa. This is made more obvious in ''Capcom vs. SNK''.

** ''KOFKing of Fighters '98'': Herher Yuri Shin Chou Upper parodies Ryu's Shin [[Shoryuken]].

** ''KOFKing of Fighters 2001'': Herher Yuri Chou Enbu parodies Akuma's Shun Goku Satsu;: she even poses like him randomly after finishing the attack.

** ''KOFKing 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 ''2002UM2002 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.

** ''XIII'': Herher 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. [[Throw It In|It stuck.]].

* [[Your Size May Vary]] -: She has a tendency to be drawn so that she looks shorter than Mai (sometimes when they're together), despite [[All There in the Manual|the manual stating]] that Yuri is taller than her.

{{quote|''"With a body and strength like this, you thought you had a chance?"'' }}

{{quote|'''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) }}

{{quote|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 [[Yamato Nadeshiko|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, [[Heavy Metal|the musical style]]) usually keeps her from fitting the mold 100% of the time.}}

* [[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 [[Up to Eleven|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'', [[Twisting the Words|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 [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnVGniej59Y 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 [[Catch Phrase|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 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).

* [[Brainless Beauty]] -: By [[Flanderization]]. One particular bad example occurs in the English translation of ''KOFKing of Fighters '95'', during her team's cutscenes: Whenwhen Rugal uses somniferous gas to kidnap them the following dialogue occurs:

'''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 [[Sexy Backless Outfit|losing some fabric on the back]]); in fact, her most current outfit is based on the one from ''[[Fatal Fury|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 ''KOFKing 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.

* [[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").

** Her [[Murderous Thighs|Toki Tsubute]] air throw that she gained in ''KOFKing of Fighters '99'' has some animations that probably hint at a visual version of [[Orgasmic Combat]].

(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 Guy|Dogged Nice Girl]] -: To Andy, so much.

* [[Doppelganger Attack]] -: ''Fiery'' doppelgangers (''KOFKing of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match'' alternate version only).

* [[Fairytale Wedding Dress]] -: In ''The King of Fighters 2002'', Mai wears one in a finishing move ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEaUIjVjKXE see here]).

* [[Gainaxing]]/[[Jiggle Physics]] -: [[Bowdlerise|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, [[It Was a Gift|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.

* [[Hypocritical Humor]] -: In ''Neo Geo Battle Coliseum'', her win quote against [[Samurai Shodown|Shiki]] has her criticizing Shiki's lack of clothing.

* [[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 ''KOFKing of Fighters '94 Re-Bout'' and ''KOFKing 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 ''KOFKing 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.

* [[Murderous Thighs]] -: Originally just "Murderous Ankles" for the way she sometimes throws her opponent; then in ''KOFKing 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 [[Stealth Pun|assets]]. If anything, nearly everyone is shocked at how brazen her outfit is, as well as [[Please Put Some Clothes On|wanting her to cover up more]].

* [[Put on a Bus]] -: To the shock and surprise of her fans;: she returned in the home version of ''KOFKing of Fighters XI'', but not for ''KOFKing of Fighters XII'' (though if some sources are to be believed, she was planned to be). Has come back for ''KOFKing of Fighters XIII'', [[And the Fandom Rejoiced|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 ''KOFKing of Fighters XIII''.

* [[She's Got Legs]] -: Usually, although [[Depending on the Artist|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 ''KOFKing 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.

* [[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 ''KOFKing of Fighters: Kyo'' RPG game has her wearing a furisode (the most ornate and expensive kimono for unmarried women) as she [[media:000s8dcq.png|gladly hosts a tea ceremony for Kyo and his girlfriend Yuki.]].

{{quote|''"New threads. New attitude. The new Kensou's coming at you!"'' }}

* [[All Love Is Unrequited]] -: He likes Athena. If ''KOFKing of Fighters: 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.

* [[Animal Motifs]] -: The dragon. A likely [[Shout-Out]] the fact that he [[Voluntary Shapeshifting|could transform into one]] in ''Psycho Soldier''.

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

* [[Big Brother Instinct]] -L 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 ''KOFKing 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.

** In the end, [[The Power of Love|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 ''KOFKing 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 ''KOFKing 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 dropeddropped the [[Idiot Ball]] when he had to awaken his Dragon Spirit powers to save Athena in ''KOFKing 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 ''KOFKing of Fighters: Kyo'' related media. It's taken to [[Flanderization]] [[Stalker with a Crush|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 ''KOFKing 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]]. [[Gameplay and Story Segregation|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 ''KOFKing 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 ''KOFKing 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.

** 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.

** 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 Boss]]es that NESTS created look like ''nothing'' in comparison; by ''XI'' and beyond, Kensou should at least be refered as [[Psychic Powers]] [[Physical God|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 Girl|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,<ref>''The King of Fighters '99'', Psycho Soldiers special ending by defeating Krizalid with Kensou.</ref> 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-Fire Fisticuffs|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 [[Street Fighter II|Chun-Li's]] Kikoushou.

* [[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.

* [[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 (''[[wikipedia:Seito Shokun!|Seito Shokun!]]'' in particular), and his beloved autographed ball from [[wikipedia:Alessandro Del Piero|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.

{{quote|''"Losers have no rights. That's what history's all about."'' }}

{{quote|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 '''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFZkXuSqjwg 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.

* [[Kick Them While They Are Down|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.

** [[Scars Are Forever]] -: The reason he wears his sunglasses in the first place.

* [[In a Single Bound]] -: Later games give Clark [[Street Fighter II|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, [[Breaking the Fourth Wall|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 [[Incendiary Exponent|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).

* [[Tragic Keepsake]] -: He wears two dogtags;: one belongs to him, the other to a dead friend.

* [[You Don't Look Like You]] -: Same as Ralf. [[They Changed It, Now It Sucks|Many fans have not taken well to]] the roided-up Ralf and Clark that came from the [[Art Shift]] introduced in ''XII''.