The King of Fighters/Characters/The Tales of Ash

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Characters in The King of Fighters introduced during the Tales of Ash (King of Fighters 2003-the present, i.e. King of Fighters XIII) will be listed here. This includes the PS2-exclusive characters in King of Fighters XI.

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).

References, such as Mythology Gags, Continuity Nods, No Celebrities Were Harmed, Expy, Shout-Out, Captain Ersatz and the like, should go in this page.

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The King of Fighters 2003

Adelheid Bernstein

"So it's defeat for you, is it? Some day I must meet a similar fate."

Voiced by: Tetsuya Tanaka

As his last name suggests, he is Rugal Bernstein's son, and has inherited his father's wealth and fighting style. Unlike his evil father, he is a good person who exhibits sportsmanship and honor. At the behest of his sister Rose, he challenged the champions of the 2003 tournament in the SkyNoah, he and his younger sister's flying fortress. He entered the next tournament as a single entry, and was under investigation by Heidern until he assured him he was a different person from his father.

• Aloof Older Brother: The console version of XIII proves this is an act. When Adelheid discovers his sister acting out of character, he becomes emotionally distraught over not understanding the cause.
• Anti-Villain: Type IV.
• Attack Reflector
• Audible Sharpness: His Groß Kreis (Great Circle) DM, which is a slide leading into a toned-down version of the Genocide Cutter.
• Berserk Button: Endangering his sister.
• Better by a Different Name: Fans tend to call him Adel instead of his full name, due to Adelheid being a feminine name in German.
• Big Brother Instinct: Never harm Rose. He's vows to her and himself, that nothing is off limits when it comes to protecting her.
• Bishonen
• Bring It: His taunt.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Subverted: after being touted as the other protagonist of the saga, Adelheid is inexplicably absent from the arcade version of XIII. However, depending on how you play the console version's Story mode (which fills in gaps left in the core story), it is eventually revealed that he plays a key part behind the scenes. He's still not playable though.
• Cool Airship: The SkyNoah.
• Fingerless Gloves
• Generation Xerox: Subverted. As seen, he's way more noble than his old man.
• Gratuitous German: Not spoken though. All of his attacks are written in German, although it's clear what they're supposed to be.
• Hair of Gold: Maybe. He's certainly closer to this than Blond Guys Are Evil.
• Heroic Albino: Possibly. He has the look (pale skin, red eyes) and is the "other protagonist" of the "Tales of Ash" saga, yet he's done nothing noteworthy that would land him in this trope. Oh, and there's the whole "I'm Rugal's son" thing. Only time will tell...
  • Well, he does tip off Heidern and the Ikari Warriors about the plans of Those From the Past. Perhaps there's more evidence in support of this than we thought.
• Identical Son: He's a younger, slightly shorter Rugal who's missing a Badass Mustache.
  • Adel has a smaller frame, paler skin, and more feminine face than his father.
• Morality Chain: Rose is devoted to Adel, and he keeps her from being too much like their father.
• Noble Demon
• Out of Focus: Despite the fact his sister is being brainwashed into hosting the XIII tournament, Adelheid is oddly missing from action.
  • The story mode for the console version of XIII has scenes with Adelheid talking with his sister, so he's been brought back into the story, though as a playable character remains to be seen.
• The Protagonist: Said to be one by the creators.
• Public Domain Soundtrack: In 2003, you fight him while listening to Chopin's "Revolutionary Etude No. 12" (better known as Kakumei Revolution to Dance Dance Revolution and Beatmania players), but then about a minute in it turns into an unintelligible techno song called "R2".
• Rule of Cool: He fires Reppukens with his feet.
• SNK Boss: In 2003. Toned down somewhat in XI, where he was just a midboss. Still really good though.
• Spirited Competitor: Just loves a good challenge. Also takes defeat well and respects those who can beat him. Definitely not the same man as his father.
• The Stoic
• Sugar and Ice Personality: Adel always seemed to give Rose the cold shoulder or bored indifference to her dialog. However, XIII shows a lot of moments, direct and subtle, that Adel is very emotional about Rose.
• Take That: "To fight over and over until victory is meaningless."
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: Subverted. At first, it seems he's like his father, taking on opponents in the SkyNoah, until he reveals his true nature.
  • It is implied that Adel follows in his dad's footsteps because of the fact that he and Rose are Rugal's only living legacy. However, his XI backstory may be playing this trope straight, as Adel briefly muses about how dear ol' dad didn't do anything with him.

Ash Crimson

"Don't play your trump card until the end... The very end!"

Voiced by: Sōnosuke Nagashiro, Peter von Gomm (XII, English)

Current protagonist of the series, and the focus of the Tales of Ash saga. His past and motives are currently a mystery, save his connection to Elisabeth (whom he affectionately nicknames "Betty", much to her annoyance). Like Kyo and Iori, he wields flames, although his are green, and it's unknown how he obtained them. He entered the tournament in order to steal the Sacred Treasures (and powers) of Kyo, Iori and Chizuru.

• All Your Powers Combined: After stealing Iori and Chizuru's powers, he actually reworked his fighting style to implement them. His Germinal LDM in XI briefly seals away his opponent's powers while his Fructidor Neo MAX in XIII is a direct lift of Iori's LDM from 2003 and XI.
  • After stealing Saiki's power, he turns into an SNK Boss from Hell that would make even Rugal want to piss his pants.
• Alternate Company Equivalent: For Remy of Street Fighter III. His moves are also almost identical to Guile's, although so are Remy's.
  • Also French, like Remy.
• Ambiguously Evil
• Ambiguously Gay: His hobbies and overall appearance don't help things. Also, listen to his voice.
  • Ash's alternate costume in Maximum Impact Regulation A says hello.
  • Queer As Tropes: Pretty much most of the gay tropes qualify for Ash.
• Anti-Hero: Type V, but only his facade, since he's actually a Type II or III.
• The Atoner: Magaki notes in his winning quote against Ash that he seems to be trying to repent for something. It is very well possible that this is linked to that of Saiki's ambitions.
• Batman Gambit: Possibly what he planned during the final events of XIII.
• Bishonen: Many mistook him for a girl initially.
  • It apparently runs in the family. ^{[dead link]}
• Blond Guys Are Evil: What we're lead to believe. Turns out that we were wrong.
• Char Clone: Maybe. Think about it. He's blond, skilled, wears red and is a Well-Intentioned Extremist.
• Cosmic Retcon: Because Ash decided to absorb his ancestor and then erase himself from history, the whole "Tales of Ash" saga never happened. Saiki wasn't there to form "Those From the Distant Land", Ash didn't steal the Three Sacred Treasures (Kyo, Iori and Chizuru's powers), nothing. Let's just say nothing special happened in the King of Fighters Tournament these past four years...
• Dark Is Evil: As Evil Ash.
• Dude Looks Like a Lady: All too much.
• Enigmatic Minion: Before the climax of 2003.
• Evil Albino: As Evil Ash.
• Evil Laugh: During his Fructidor Neo MAX in XIII, he goes into a manic, if not somewhat feminine bout of laughter.
• Expy: Moveset-wise, he takes more than a few cues from Kain R. Heinlein.
• Fake Defector: In XI, Elisabeth warns him about their mission to stop Those From The Past, and he seems to be aiding them, though XIII reveals he was indeed fighting them the whole time.
• The Fighting Narcissist: His fighting style employs some graceful and showy moves, and he is very concerned with his appearance, with some of his win quotes berating his opponent for making him break a nail.
• Final Exam Boss: With a twist. You had better get Ash's strengths and weaknesses down to a science because you're essentially facing him twice at endgame.
• Fingerless Gloves: Part of his outfit.
• Flash Step: His Germinal LDM. It also leaves a trail of green flames.
• French Jerk: Starts that way. Ends in subversion.
• Good All Along: Although his actions and demeanor teeter on the edge of Necessarily Evil.
• Go Out with a Smile: He smiles sadly at his "big sister" Elisabeth as he's written away from history.
• Gorgeous George: According to his haters.
• Guile Hero: XIII ultimately reveals him as this. Compared to the previous heroes Kyo and K', he didn't win any King of Fighters tournaments yet saved the day by sheer manipulation and cleverness.
• Hair Decorations
• Hair Flip: During one of his taunts.
• Hero Antagonist: A clever inversion in that Ash is deliberately set up as an Obviously Evil Villain Protagonist, which would make the likes of Kyo, Iori, and Chizuru his Hero Antagonists until XIII turns this on its head and fleshes out Ash's backstory and motivation, essentially meaning that Ash was on the same side as the heroes from the beginning.
• The Hero Dies: In a series where only the villains die, you weren't expecting them to actually KILL him off, right? Right?
• Heroic Sacrifice: In XIII.
• Identical Grandson: Saiki is his ancestor.
• Intergenerational Friendship: Had this with Elisabeth.
• I Will Protect Her: For his only friend Elisabeth.
• Jerkass Facade: XIII reveals his entire trollish and obnoxious personality has been a front for his true intentions to end the bloodline of Those From The Past.
• Kill It with Fire: Green fire.
• Kiss of Death: Taking a page from Orochi Shermie, Ash gains an attack in XII called Genee where he blows a fiery kiss.
• The Law of Diminishing Defensive Effort: Although in his case, it's more like The Law of Diminishing Anything Effort. His new stance in XII seems to support this.
• Manipulative Bastard: He tends to pick his teammates knowing how to manipulate them to his own ends.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Took down Orochi Iori and stole his power, all apparently without much effort.
• Peek-a-Bangs: The right side of his face is usually obscured by his hair.
• Playing with Fire: His own flames at first, but as of XIII, he also utilizes Iori's flames.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: In the intro of 2003, Ash's eyes turn red before he punches the screen. That should have been a very big visual cue...
  • His eyes also briefly flash red in gameplay when he's charging up some of his more powerful moves, but it's hard to notice.
• Ret-Gone: Does this with himself in XIII.
• Sailor Earth: Long before he was introduced, fans liked to make fanfics about a new King of Fighters character that would have an alternate flame color, sometimes green.
• Smug Snake: Very fond of acting like this for his own purposes.
• Stepford Smiler: Could easily be seen as this in light of XIII.
• Super-Powered Evil Side/Split Personality Takeover/Villain Override: After fully absorbing Saiki's power, Ash undergoes some sort of transformation where his eyes are permanently red, and his body is covered in black flames. Fittingly known as Evil Ash.
  • Battle in the Center of the Mind: What results from the above, between Ash and Saiki. The latter is initially (and firmly) in control of Evil Ash's body, but Ash regains control after they lose.
• Theme Naming: Many of his moves are named after months of the French Republican Calendar. One notable exception is his Sans-culottes LDM, which may be referring to the Sansculottides (the last days of the year in that particular calendar). Most, if not all, of the moves, including Sans-culottes, refer to the French Revolution.
  • His theme in XI is titled "Joker", whereas his theme in XIII is "The Second Joker".
• Trickster Archetype
• True Final Boss: Again as Evil Ash.
  • Climax Boss
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Really. ^{[dead link]}
• Voice of the Legion: Evil Ash.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: XIII has him as a hero, defeating Those From the Past at the cost of his own life, though he had no qualms about manipulating and backstabbing to reach this goal.
• White-Haired Pretty Boy: And guess what? Ash isn't what he appears to be.
• Youthful Freckles: Seen in a close-up of his face in the 2003 intro and through cutscenes in XIII. Fitting for a character stated to be between 16 and 18 years old.
• Zipperiffic: It's a bit hard to notice, but he has zippers places in several odd places in addition to his shirt and collar, including the tip of his sleeves. At least he only wears one belt, or you might have mistaken him for one of Tetsuya Nomura Nomura's characters.

Gato

"Crushed your spine, and your silly pride I hope!"

Voiced by: Kouji Ishii

A practitioner of an assassination fighting style. Gato is searching for a mysterious man who is connected to his past. In Mark of the Wolves, he enters the tournament believing that Kain knows about the man he's after, and sure enough, that man appears and saves Kain from the collapsing mansion. The man is revealed to be Gato's father, who drove his mother to death and vanished without a trace, but not before brutally maiming Gato and leaving him for dead. He encounters Hotaru Futaba, who believes him to be her older brother, but Gato continually denies this for some reason. In 2003, he is hired by Geese Howard to investigate the events going on in the tournament, and in XI, forms a new Garou team along with B. Jenet and Tizoc.

• Aloof Ally: Although in Gato's mind, he has no friends or enemies.
• Aloof Big Brother
• Arrogant Kung Fu Guy
• Blood Knight
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: Courtesy of his father, he's got three neat scars on his back.
• Jerkass: Especially to his little sister Hotaru.
• Kouji Ishii: His seiyuu.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy
• Murderous Thighs: He'll break your neck in midair.
• The Stoic
• Tall, Dark and Snarky
• Trash Talk
• Trauma-Induced Amnesia: After being beaten to near death.

Maki Kagura

"This is the power of... the Watcher!"

Voiced by: Kazuyo Inosako

The late elder twin sister of Chizuru, and one of the two heiresses of the Yata Clan alongside her sister. Of the two, Maki is actually the more skilled combatant. Years before the King of Fighters tournaments, Maki was killed by Goenitz, the leader of the Orochi Hakkesshu, to weaken the seal of Orochi. The Maki who appears in 2003 is nothing more than an illusionary product of Chizuru's memories created while Chizuru was under the influence of Botan. While serious about their duty to protect the seal, she and Chizuru only serve to do just the opposite.

• Annoying Laugh: And you'll hear it a lot as she's dodging.
• Barrier Maiden
• Combat Stilettos
• Dance Battler
• Dead Older Sister
• Death by Origin Story: She's the reason Chizuru became a Lady of War adamant on finding skilled fighters to help her combat Goenitz and the rest of the Orochi Hakkesshu in the first place.
• Doppelganger Attack
• Everything's Better with Sparkles
• Hair Decorations
• Heroic Sacrifice/You Shall Not Pass: Knowing that the Yata clan could not defeat one of the Heavenly Kings of Orochi without aid from the other legendary clans, Maki died in a valiant struggle to protect the seal of Orochi and allow Chizuru to contact her brethren.
• Lady of War: Lady of Black Magic.
• Master of Illusion: Despite being a mere illusion in 2003, Maki was actually the stronger of the two sisters, thus allowing her to create multiple illusions or have them perform extra followup attacks. And she can do this in rapid succession. We're talking about a sane version of Confusion Fu.
• Meaningful Name
• Miko: Presumably.
• Ojou
• Power Nullifier
• Raven Hair, Ivory Skin
• Secret Character: In the Game Boy port of ‍'‍96, Maki (as "Kagura") is selectable as a fill-in for her sister. This version also included Orochi Iori, Orochi Leona and Mr. Karate as Secret Characters, while the Game Boy port of ‍'‍95 had Nakoruru guest star.
• Shiny Midnight Black
• SNK Boss: Word of God says that Maki is the litmus test for players: you might be able to beat Chizuru, but Maki is another story.
• Tall, Dark and Bishoujo
• Wrench Wench: Chizuru is a Biker Babe, while Maki enjoyed fixing up her motorcycle.

Duo Lon

"Those who live in darkness are not ruled by it. Those drawn by the shadow do not live by it."

Voiced by: Tsunehito Maruo, Josh Keller (XII, English)

Duo Lon is also a member of the Hizoku clan, and one of Ron's sons. He is also searching for his father for his betrayal of the clan. He teams up with Ash Crimson for a time, but later joins Elisabeth Blanctorche's team, along with Benimaru Nikaido, after noticing that Ash was manipulating his teammates.

• Anti-Hero: Type II.
• Badass Back: During his Genmu Hishou Keikou and his Hiden Genmu Onryou Heki DM.
• Badass Long Hair
• Big Brother Instinct: To Xiao Lon, his half-sister and the bastard child of Ron. It should be noted that he was the only sibling to show her kindness.
• Braids of Action: Rare male example.
• Career Killers: Comes from an entire clan of assassins.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Seemed to be averted at first, but as XI, played straight: Duo Lon is a noble soul and is in direct opposition to Anti-Hero Ash.
• Death From Above: His Genmu Hishou Keikou technique. Duo Lon turns his back to his opponent, and then sinks into the ground, dissipating into a skeleton in a manner not unlike that of his father. He then dives in from the top of the screen with a flying kick.
• Disappeared Dad: Ron.
• Doppelganger Attack: His Ouji Tajiuu Genmu Aneki LDM in XI.
• Dysfunction Junction: His relationship with Luan, his childhood friend and one of the Four Devas of Hizoku (she's the sole female who cameos in some of Lin and Duo Lon's appearances), would seem to be this, as their relationship is strained due to Ron's meddling (notably, killing her mother and grandmother). It also doesn't help that Luan hates women that she perceives to be weak, such as Xiao Lon.
• Easily Forgiven: Despite Ash using him for his own ends in their first meeting, Duo Lon still considers Ash to be a genuine friend and doesn't take too kindly to Saiki controlling him as Evil Ash in the final battle of XIII.
• Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: No worries though: Duo Lon's a good guy.
• Flash Step
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy
• Ninja
• The Quiet One: Not so much as Lin, but Duo Lon is described as "laconic".
• Rapunzel Hair
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: Subverted: even with his alliance with Ash, he's still a Nice Guy. When he learns of Ash's machinations, he immediately jumps ship to stop him.
• Rubber Man: A few of his specials.
• The Stoic
• Summon Magic: Can summon spirits from the netherrealms.
• Tall, Dark and Handsome: And Mai refers to him as such in XIII, word by word. In a sort-of amusing nod to what she told Hauer in Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture.

Malin

"And the winner is... the mighty babe, Malin!"

Voiced by: Kazuyo Inosako

An adversary to the Kyokugen school of Karate (specifically Yuri). Aside from that, no one knows much about her. She may not be what she seems...

• Airplane Arms: While running.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Possibly.
  • Hair of Gold: If the above does not hold true, although she's a bit more mean-spirited than the norm.
• Cute Bruiser
• Cute but Cacophonic
• Fingerless Gloves
• Flash Step: This is how she impressed Athena and Hinako enough to convince them to let her join the High School Girls Team, stealing their King of Fighters invitations and Hair Decorations before either girl could even blink.
• Fragile Speedster: As Choi's replacement, she is one of the fastest King of Fighters characters.
• Hammerspace: Literally. She hides a very large hammer to use as a weapon. She also has knives, swords, deadly yo-yos, concealed claws and blades, electric batons, throwing darts...
• Hidden Weapons: The basis of her style.
• Idiot Hair
• Killer Yoyo
• Name's the Same: An ambiguous, in-universe example. The name Malin was previously used in the series, belonging to a female member of Athena's fan club who was on good terms with the White Tiger (a.k.a. Jhun Hoon). It's unknown if these two women are one in the same, but it does possibly explain why Malin teamed up with Athena in 2003.
• Nice Bandana
• Panty Shot: During her Kagerou DM.
• The Rival: To Yuri, who called her style "cowardly".
• Spell My Name with an "S": According to Word of God, her name is supposed to be spelled "Malin". Since the Japanese language lacks an "L" sound, the "Marin" spelling tends to pop up often in media.
• Terrible Trio: The Anti-Kyokugen Team in XI—consisting of herself (as the leader), Eiji and Kasumi—is presented as this to the Kyokugen Dojo, although their main shtick seems to be comic relief.
• Theme Naming: Many of her specials reference bugs. Included in her repertoire are Hornet, Yellowjacket, Mayfly, Scorpion, Spider and Queen Bee. Curiously, these moves all involve Malin's blades in some way, possibly evoking the stingers and movements of these insects.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Respectively Malin and Yuri.

Mukai

"How does it feel, becoming a living statue?"

Voiced by: Toshihiro Shigetsuka

An earth elemental, and one of the members of Those From The Distant Land. Mukai, unlike Magaki, is more cautious when fighting humans. After his defeat, he vanishes.

• Anti-Villain: Type I. Easily the most venerable member of his group. He's usually civil and polite and is the only one to understand the potential that humanity holds (Shion, to a lesser degree, also holds this sentiment, leading to some friction between him and Magaki). Sadly, his death is one of the most cruel, made even worse by the fact that Saiki kills him after Mukai outright states that he intends to face the competitors instead of Saiki to ensure that his master's plan could progress forward.
• Dishing Out Dirt: His earth-based powers have many fans wondering about a connection between him and Yashiro.
• The Dragon: To Saiki in XIII.
• Golem: Fits the physical description, but is actually quite intelligent.
• Power Glows: His tattoos partially glow in a way that resembles a flow.
• Slasher Smile: Oddly enough.
• Taken for Granite: One of his grabs and his Leader DM turn his opponent into rock for a moment.
• True Final Boss: Unless you met certain conditions (which basically amounts to "kill Kusanagi with a DM or LDM"), you could not fight him, and therefore won't get an actual ending.
• Walking Shirtless Scene

Shen Woo

"Who's truly tough? Now you know, huh?"

Voiced by: Kōji Suidzu, Jeff Manning (XII, English)

A brawler from Shanghai who joins Ash Crimson solely to fight strong opponents. After Duo Lon leaves the team in 2003, Shen sticks around for XI, teaming with Oswald. However, Ash pits the two men against each other, tricking Oswald into believing Shen was someone standing in his way. After this, he grows sick of being jerked around by Ash, joining up with Elisabeth and Duo Lon for the XIII tournament.

• Arrogant Kung Fu Guy
• Badass Normal: Only has two moves. Still kicks so much ass.
  • He can bat away projectiles with a mere swing of his fists. There's an entire mission in XI devoted to this.
• The Berserker
• Blood Knight: So, so much.
• Dark-Skinned Blond: Not quite as dark as some of the other examples, but yeah.
• Glass Cannon: He can dish it out marvelously, he's not someone who's kin on being able to fight defensively despite his HP amount.
• Good Old Fisticuffs
• Hot-Blooded: Which contrasts Duo Lon's cool-headed demeanor.
• Let's You and Him Fight: The main reason he gets sick of Ash in XIII.
• Megaton Punch: His primary DM is simply a massive, lunging haymaker.
• Mr. Fanservice: Dark-Skinned Blond? Check. Walking Shirtless Scene? Check. Handsome features? Check. Plenty of bad boy attitude? Check. Quite a share of Ho Yay and Foe Yay with Shen and Ash? Check.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Shen Woo is the name he picked up while brawling in Shanghai. It means "Divine Warrior". How fitting.
• Pet the Dog: In his team's ending from XIII, neither he nor Duo Lon stop checking on Elisabeth as she mourns over Ash's death. They stay in close proximity for what appears to be an entire day.
• Real Men Wear Pink: Not to the extent of Yashiro, although Shen's jacket is actually pink. He doesn't even have to make up for it either.
• Spell My Name with an "S": Syen?
• Stock Foreign Name: Subverted: Shen Woo was only raised in Shanghai. His real name is also unknown, suggesting that Shen actually isn't Chinese.
• Unskilled but Strong: Unlike the other characters, Shen's modus operandi is pretty much punching the shit out of everything with little finesse behind his moves. You'll notice that this does not deter him in the slightest.
• Unstoppable Rage: One of his Desperation Moves is an explosion of fury that powers him up for a while.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Despite him and Duo Lon having suspicions about Ash's true agenda, Shen sticks around, eager to face new opponents, an experience that could be attained if he stayed with Ash. There's a subversion here, as Shen Woo might not have even played a role in the depowering of Chizuru and Iori. On top of this, Shen Woo is quite popular with fans, to the point that developers have commented that he would appear to be the protagonist of this arc due to his looks and personality.
  • In XIII, Shen finally breaks away from Ash and decides to team up with Elisabeth and Duo Lon, not too pleased by the fact that he's being used by a person he really doesn't know.

Tizoc/The Griffon Mask

"Tizoc, this wall of muscle, is invincible to the fists of evil!"

Voiced by: Hikaru Hanada

A professional luchador wrestler who fights for charity. After a while, however, he starts thinking about retirement. He recovers, and enters the King of Fighters 2003 tournament with Terry and Joe to promote his entrance into the American wrestling circuit. In XI, he joins Jenet and Gato's team.

• Animal Motifs: Here's a hint: his name in Japan is "Griffon Mask". Griffon Mask.
• Boisterous Bruiser: He's very loud, and proud of his power.
• Fingerless Gloves
• Friend to All Children: His theatrics are well-loved by children and he's got a lot of young fans.
• In a Single Bound: He's got some mad ups. Just check out Big Fall.
• Justice Will Prevail: A Face wrestler who's big on justice. Lampshaded in XI where you can put him with Kim and Athena to make the "Justice Team".
• Large Ham: BIIIIIIIIIIG! FAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!
• Love Freak
• Masked Luchador: Explicitly called "The Griffon Mask" in Japan.
  • Cool Mask
• Mighty Glacier: As opposed to someone like Ramon, who is nimble and lithe as one would expect of a typical luchador, Tizoc is a hulking giant of a man.
• Professional Wrestling
  • Pro Wrestling Is Real
• Spinning Piledriver: The LDM version of Big Fall ends with one. He also has a special called Justice Hurricane.
• Spirited Competitor: Whereas B. Jenet requests that he joins her team in her ploy to earn the tournament's prize money, Tizoc is unconcerned with this, merely tagging along for the "heart" of the fight.
• Walking Shirtless Scene

The King of Fighters XI

Elisabeth Blanctorche

"Showing calm in the eye of the storm. That's the mark of a true fighter, no?"

Voiced by: Kayoko Ōshima, Sally Koshinaka (XII, English)

A former associate of Ash Crimson who is out to prevent whatever he's planning, and the heir to the Blanctorche family. She uses light-based attacks and fights with a riding crop. Hates to be called "Betty", a trait which Ash loves to exploit.

• Anti-Hero: Type III.
• Attack Reflector: Her Etancher can do this if timed properly.
• Boobs of Steel: 90 cm bust, and one of the more useful characters in XI.
• Broken Bird: She's extremely cynical and with a sharp wit, and whenever she has to fight younger girls in XIII, Elisabeth will always remark on how innocent and gentle they are, unlike herself.
• Combat Stilettos
• Cry Cute: In her team's ending in XIII.
• Everything's Better with Sparkles: Between Athena's Psycho Powers and Elizabeth's ictokinesis, XIII is guaranteed to give you a seizure.
• Flash Step
• Foreign Fanservice: 1. Everyone Looks Sexier If French. 2. Her XI outfit (complete with a boob window that was put on full display in her XI ending). 3. The kinky implications of being whipped by her riding crop.
• Heartbroken Badass: A rare platonic example regarding Ash.
• Intergenerational Friendship: Has this with Ash.
• Iron Lady
• Lady of War: Fights like one, especially with that riding crop.
• Last Of Her Kind: Thanks to a fire burning down her mansion to the ground (and many of her clansmen along with it), she is now the sole remaining Blanctorche. She currently lives with her butler Jacques near the remains of her family's home.
• Light'Em Up: Overkilled by her Noble Brass LDM and Étoile Filanto Neo MAX. It's a good thing for you that she's a heroine.
  • Light Is Not Good: For her opponents, anyway.
• Morality Pet: For Ash. All of his plotting was done to keep her safe.
• My Name Is Not Betty: Of course, Ash just won't listen.
• My Significance Sense Is Tingling: She can sometimes sense Ash's presence and uses it to keep tabs on him.
• No, I Am Behind You: Platinum Mirage, depending on the button used when Elisabeth is attacked.
• Ojou: She's something of a Type 2.
• Onee-Sama: She once fondly played this role to Ash until her house burned down, separating the two for a long period of time. She's now wholly devoted to defeating him.
  • Most likely, she still thinks of him as a brother, which is why she cries when he vanishes into nothingness.
• Spell My Name with an "S": XII and XIII spell her last name as "Branctorche".
  • This applies to her first name as well, which started out as "Elizabeth" but then became "Elisabeth" in her other appearances.
• Sphere of Destruction
• Statuesque Stunner
• The Stoic:
  • Break the Cutie
• Sugar and Ice Personality: Her true colors, as seen in flashbacks and her team's ending in XIII.
• Tall, Dark and Bishoujo
• Tragic Keepsake: Ash's headband.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: XIII sheds a lot of light on her and Ash's childhood.
• Whip It Good: Uses a riding crop. Close enough.
• You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Duck King

"Yes! I am the Duck King!"

Voiced by: Kong Kuwata

A friend of Terry Bogard who's been around since the first installment of Fatal Fury, but only made his playable appearance in King of Fighters in The King of Fighters XI. He's a notable DJ in Southtown.

• Anime Hair:
  • Multicolored Hair: It's usually blond and blue, but some of his alternate colors have even crazier combinations.
• But Not Too Black
• Cheshire Cat Grin: If he and Dee Jay met, it would be a smiling contest for the ages.
• Cool Shades:
  • Sunglasses at Night: However, you do get a glimpse of his sunglasses partially popping off of his face if his Flying Spin Attack misses, and Duck King crashes into the ground on his back.
• Dance Battler
• Dark-Skinned Blond
• Fingerless Gloves
• Fun Personified
• Improvised Parachute/Jump Physics: Duck King is able to brake midair using his pants.
• Perpetual Smiler
• Spin Attack
• Team Pet: His adorable pet baby duck P-Chan. She even mimics his moves in battle!
  • Cool Pet

Hotaru Futaba

"I won't lose! I've got someone to protect too!"

Voiced by: Yuki Horie

Originally making her debut in Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Hotaru is the daughter of a family of martial artists. Unfortunately, she isn't fond of violence. When her mother dies, both her father and older brother simultaneously disappear. Hotaru enters Kain R. Heinlen's King of Fighters: Maximum Mayhem tournament after hearing rumors that her brother might be there, fervently hoping to reconnect with her family. She appears in XI for a similar reason.

• Attack Reflector: Her Kobi Kyaku. Works like a charm on DM-level projectiles too.
• The Cameo: She first appears in the Mark of the Wolves Team's ending in XI looking for her brother. She's later made a Secret Character in the home port.
• Cute Bruiser
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: Her Tenshou Ranki LDM where she tackles her opponent from the skies, straddles them, and then lets out a loud scream as she arches back and releases several bursts of energy. She then pants for a bit afterwards. There's a reason it's called "The Fatal Orgasm". In another game, it's called "My First Time".
• Failure Is the Only Option: Played for Laughs in the Mark of the Wolves Team's XI ending, although you should feel sorry for the poor girl. It seems that Hotaru will never reunite the family that was torn asunder.
• Girlish Pigtails: With Hair Decorations.
• Ki Attacks
• Killer Rabbit: Seems harmless (and usually is), but gameplay-wise is almost as powerful as Gato.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: In the console port of XI, where Gato and Kula run rampart in the God Tier, Hotaru is only one rank behind them in A-Tier. In Neo Geo Battle Coliseum, she's S-Tier. Clearly (as said above), her pacifistic disposition means nothing if in the hands of a competent player.
• Martial Pacifist: She's nothing more than a kind, docile and overall sweet girl who simply wants to reunite her fragmented family. Unfortunately, fighting is the viable means of doing so.
• Meaningful Name: Her name means "firefly", which explains the animation behind a few of her attacks.
• Parental Abandonment: Her mom? Dead. Her father? Long gone. Her brother? Missing. Hotaru is currently searching for both her dad and Gato, who is heavily implied (but not outright stated) to be her older brother.
• Say My Name: Calls out "Onii-chan!" (as in Gato) as a KO cry.
• Stance System
• Weasel Mascot: Itokatsu, her adorable marten.
• You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Sho Hayate

"The name's Sho Hayate! People call me the Funky Fu'un Kid!"

Voiced by: Hiroyuki Inoue

The Hero of Savage Reign, Hayate is an old-fashioned warrior and the sole practitioner of his self-taught combat form Fu'un Ken. He trains non-stop, vigorously hoping to become a true master and show the world the power of his fighting style.

• Bare Your Midriff
• Battle Boomerang: His Weapon of Choice, which he uses in his self-made fighting style, Fu'un-ken.
  • Precision-Guided Boomerang
• Bicep-Polishing Gesture
• Bonus Boss: If the right conditions are met, you'll fight him instead of Adel as a midboss in XI.
• The Cameo/The Unexpected: Did you really expect a character from Savage Reign/Kizuna Encounter to make his way into King of Fighters?
• Does Not Like Shoes
• Hachimaki
• Hot-Blooded
• Kiai: His trademark "Uoooooooh!!!".
• Ki Attacks
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Just look at his artwork for XI, as seen to the right.
• No Indoor Voice: According to his bio, this is his speciality.
• Shiny Midnight Black
• Spell My Name with an "S": Much like the Saisyu/Saishu example, expect his name to be spelled as Syo from time to time.
• Tall, Dark and Handsome: At 6'1".
• To Be a Master

Bonne Jenet

"Beautiful victory!"

Voiced by: Rei Saitō, Gina Rose (Maximum Impact 2, English)

A Rich Bitch who was ported over from Mark of the Wolves, along with Gato and Tizoc, much to the delight of fans. B. Jenet is the captain of a group of pirates calling themselves the Lilien Knights. Although she's rich herself, Jenet doesn't like mooching off of her parents, so she pretty much founded the Knights out of boredom. She enters the King of Fighters tournament for the prize money.

• Anti-Hero: Type II.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Because if you're unlucky, she might pin you down and smack you with her shoe.
• Blow You Away: Has some degree of aerokinesis.
• Combat Stilettos: Which she whacks you with.
• Cool Boat: The Lillien Knights sail the seven seas in a boat bought by Jennie's money. It can also transform into a submarine and is armed to the teeth.
• English Rose
• Everything's Better with Sparkles: A few sparkles can be seen briefly at the beginning of her Harrier Bee special.
• Femme Fatale: Although she isn't evil. She doesn't, however, have a problem using her charms to get what she desires.
• Fingerless Gloves
• Foreign Fanservice: Borderline Ms. Fanservice, to the point that Mai is jealous of her in Maximum Impact 2.
• Fun Personified
• Good Bad Girl: Minus the part about actually having sex, she'd fit. This is possibly lampshaded with her Garou theme "Bad Girl".
• Hair of Gold
• Kick Chick: Her fighting style, the LK Arts, is similar to Savate (the French answer to kickboxing).
• Kiss of Death: Sort of. One of her super moves is finished off with a flying kiss.
• The Ladette: She has a bit of a Bottle Fairy in her too.
• Panty Shot: She avoids this in her 2D appearances, but alas... Maximum Impact 2.
• Pirate:
  • Pirate Girl: ...
  • The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Despite the Lillien Knights being modern-day equivalents of pirates, they aren't seen doing much other than partying.
• The Pollyanna
• Rich Bitch: Subverted. Her family is rich, but she prefers not to bother them for her financial troubles.
• Ruthless Modern Pirates/A Pirate 400 Years Too Late
• Sexy Backless Outfit
• Sexy Walk
• She's Got Legs
• Sideboob
• The Tease: Upon seeing a picture of pre-Garou Terry, she considers him to be her "first love". As of Maximum Impact 2, her affection seems to have switched to a new target: Rock Howard.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Sirloin steak.

Jyazu

"Does it hurt? Hoo hoo hoo..."

Voiced by: Enma Itō

Leader of the terrorist group known as Jaguar, Jyazu is the True Final Boss of Kizuna Encounter, the sequel to Savage Reign. An enigma, not much is known about his past or motives. To date, he is one of two people to have ever bested King Leo, the tyrannical host of the Battle of the Beast God Tournament.

• Animal Motifs: The crow. He actually can assume the form of one.
• Asian Rune Chant: Not quite, but he does something very similar in his intro.
  • Instant Runes: During his intro and his LDM.
• Battle Aura
• Blade Below the Shoulder: Complete with mini-cannons underneath.
  • Set Swords to Stun: Again, it's the only way to explain how his opponents aren't mincemeat.
• Bonus Boss: If the right conditions are met, you'll fight him instead of Adel as a midboss in XI.
• The Cameo
• Combo-Platter Powers: Uses both fire and ice to attack his opponents, in addition to his bladed talons.
• Cool Mask: Complete with a mane of white hair and Glowing Eyes of Doom Red Eyes, Take Warning.
• Everything's Better with Spinning: Is it ever!
• Ninja
• Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs/Spam Attack: Has two DMs that are a flurry of fire-based melee attacks: one is a series of punches, the other involves kicking.
• Smoke Out: One of his specials involves Jyazu outstretching his hands, creating an elliptical shape with the space between his arms. If he's attacked while in that pose, Jyazu will disappear in a puff of smoke and Counter Attack with a fiery claw from above.
• Spell My Name with an "S": Sometimes spelled as Jazu.
• Winged Humanoid: In one of his taunts.

Magaki

"You craved a strong opponent, right? You can die satisfied then."

Voiced by: Spicy Yagi

One of the members of Those From The Distant Land. Unlike Mukai, Magaki shows no caution when fighting humans, considering them to be insignificant trash. He traps Shion in another dimension for his failure, and fights the winning team. After his defeat, he tries to escape, but he ends up impaled by Shion's spear and dies. His body ends up in the jurisdiction of Heidern, but two children manage to take his body back.

• Ambiguously Gay: Listen to his voice.
• Bishonen: Horribly subverted when he appears. He's one in the beginning... then his skin turns pink, he has blue energy markings around his body, and his face looks more insectoid than human.
• Bring It: His taunt.
• Bullet Hell: Due to Beam Spam, this is essentially what your fight against him will digress into. It's like Touhou in fighting game form.
• Flash Step: Borderline example, as he also uses dimensional portals to teleport.
• Foregone Conclusion: He dies after you fight him.
• Glowing Eyes of Doom: His extremely creepy eyes, when he's fully powered up.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: He's killed by Shion via his spear after he tries to escape.
• Invisibility: By snapping his fingers, Magaki can disappear from sight, although he's still perfectly visible.
• Man in White: At first.
• Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: See the Bishonen description above.
• Puny Earthlings: Considers humans to be insignificant unlike Mukai.
• Shirtless Scene: Once he loses that elegant suit. Ick...
• Slasher Smile
• SNK Boss: The first to appear in a long time, but there's a little trick you can do to subvert this trope.
  • Achilles' Heel: He's completely helpless when trapped in the corner. If you keep him there, he has no choice but to block or take the punishment. So be patient...
  • There are also a few anti-A.I. moves that work surprisingly well if timed right (doubly so if you manage to trap him in the corner). For example, B. Jenet's The Hind and Harrier Bee and Tizoc's Active Turpon.
• Take That: Before facing the team, Magaki briefly emulates Mukai's refined manner of speech, mocking his fallen comrade (the two don't hold humans in the same regard).
• Villain Exit Stage Left: Subverted hard.
• White-Haired Pretty Boy: Only when he's not in his true form.
• You Have Failed Me...: Pulls Shion through a dimensional gap when he is unable to defeat the winning team.

Momoko

"Momoko's no kiddly-diddly-doo!"

Voiced by: Kazuyo Inosako

The newest addition to the Psycho Soldiers. She uses Capoeira as a fighting style.

• Ass Kicks You: Three times in a row.
• Bare Your Midriff
• Cute Bruiser
• Cute but Cacophonic
• Dance Battler: Her fighting style is part Capoeira, part Psychic Power.
• Does Not Like Shoes: Being a capoeira fighter, she can't exactly wear any...
• Everything's Better with Sparkles
• Hair Decorations: That fluffy pink bow of hers.
• Kamehame Hadoken: The first character in the series to use it.
• Kick Chick
• Older Than They Look: No official ages were included in any of the profiles for the cast of XI, but one of the cell phone date sims put out by the company (where the ages of the girls are already shuffled around between games as it is) claims 16... yeah, sure SNKP.
• Pettanko
• Psychic Powers
• Teens Are Short: She's roughly no taller than Bao, judging by the Psycho Soldiers' ending in XIII.

Oswald

"Karnoffel would be satisfied with me. Your hand, sir?"

Voiced by: Toshihiro Shigetsuka

Ash's newest partner in XI. Oswald is a suave Irish assassin who uses razor-sharp cards to attack his opponents. Likewise, he has an expertise in playing Karnoffel, a form of poker. Coincidentally, it's how he joined Ash's team: by a game of poker. He is searching for a rare drug known as the "Dragon Pill", suggesting that Oswald may have a terminal disease.

• Badass Grandpa: Arguably qualifies as one, even though he's only 53 years old, which is only slightly under the normal senior age.
• Badass in a Nice Suit: He wears just a regular old suit, but he makes it look real classy.
• Card-Carrying Villain: Literally.
  • Improbable Weapon User: His cards.
  • Death Dealer: His Joker LDM even inflicts fifty-two hits.
• Career Killers: He's said to be a professional hitman.
• Cool Old Guy: Though he is described as a "middle-aged gentleman". He is still an agile fighter who oozes class with his moves and outfit.
• Cool Shades: With a red tint. Was designed to be the "good-looking glasses" character in the series.
  • Sunglasses at Night: Best seen in his team ending, which takes place at night.
• Dark-Skinned Blond: This applies moreso to his sprites, which gives him a pretty noticeable tan. He's lighter-skinned in artwork and endings.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Allegedly. His past is listed as one of his dislikes, while he values trust.
• The Gambler: Why did it take so long for this trope to be added?
• Handicapped Badass: Is believed to be suffering from some sort of terminal disease, hence his search for the aforementioned Dragon Pills.
• It's a Small World After All: Ralf and Clark appear to recognize him. This may become an Aborted Arc. Silber also is somehow acquainted with Oswald, which results in one of the few times Silber will say more than one word in his win quote.
• Nice Hat: Which he throws off and cuts with one of his cards in his intro, thus subverting the trope... until it ends up as a double subversion when he magically produces another hat and puts it on in one of his winposes.
• Slasher Smile: Has one plastered on his face while running. It is freaking creepy, especially since his running animation is so odd to begin with.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Chocolate.
• You Remind Me of X: B. Jenet says that he reminds her of her father. Only Jennie and her mother truly know what Mr. Behrn is like.

Shion

"Warfare is deception. The decieved are at fault, dolt!"

Voiced by: Tokiyo Ogawa

Magaki's servant. He (we think it's a he) challenges the winning team, but gets thrown into another dimension by his master, and later kills him in revenge.

• Blade on a Stick
• Braids of Action: Not entirely: only a few locks of his in the front are tied into braids.
• The Dragon: To Magaki. Shion doesn't seem to enjoy his status.
• Dropped a Bridget On Him: Holy...
• Dude Looks Like a Lady: AND GODDAMNED HOW!
• Enigmatic Minion
• Flechette Storm: He can summon a barrage of throwing darts from offscreen.
• Gender Blender Name
• Hyperspace Arsenal: From Hammerspace, he can produce a Qiang spear, a rope dart and short staves. The spear is even stored in some sort of interdimensional portal.
• Ki Attacks: Notably, he's the only other character able to fire an invisible projectile at a high velocity (Takuma/Mr. Karate could also accomplish such a feat).
• Leitmotif: This usually plays when he's around, including in XIII's stinger.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Emphasis on "pretty".
• Multicolored Hair: Brown with blue braids. The braids are apparently a cherished feature of Shion's.
• Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs
• Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies: Two moves of his cause a chunk of the ceiling above (even if you're fighting outside) to drop upon his opponent's head. In the first, he throws his spear into the air; the second (his LDM) is a flying kick. In fact, with the right timing, you can followup the former with the latter For Massive Damage.
• SNK Boss: Shion is to Magaki as Saisyu and Chizuru were to Omega Rugal and Goenitz. Not quite as litigously cheap, but he will give you a run for your money if you do not constantly apply pressure on him.
  • Inverted when playable: Magaki's bastardy is mitigated by the complex button inputs required for his more dangerous attacks, while all of Shion's moves are easily accessible, meaning that you can be just as unfair with Shion as the A.I. is.
• Spin to Deflect Stuff: By twirling his shěng biāo (rope dart), Shion can deflect all but the most powerful of ranged attacks (anything at the strength of a DM or higher will do the trick).
• Stance System: By default, Shion starts the round with his spear, but will revert to using Wushu if he's either hit or discards of the spear manually. He can switch between the two styles throughout the battle.
• The Stinger: He returns in the last scene of the Story Mode in XIII.
• Turned Against Their Masters: He's the one who kills Magaki.
  • This arguably is an example of The Dog Bites Back, as Magaki was the one who imprisoned Shion (and presumably killed him) in another dimension for losing his fight. Retreating as he states that The Battle Didn't Count, Magaki is then speared by his own underling.

Silber

"Idiots..."

Voiced by: Hiroyuki Arita

The main antagonist of Buriki One, Silber is a powerful martial artist who constantly travels in search of new challenges. He enters Buriki One tournament, intrigued by the gathering of numerous martial artists and their various disciplines.

• Above Good and Evil: He doesn't care about good and evil: he's only focused on obtaining more power.
• Badass Back: His taunt.
• Blood Knight
• Bonus Boss: If the right conditions are met, you'll fight him instead of Adel as a midboss in XI.
• The Cameo: In addition, his mid-boss intro involves him taking Payak Sitpitak (a nak muay from Buriki One) OUT.
• Counter Attack: One of his specials (and its DM version) requires this.
• Dark-Skinned Blond
• Death From Above: One DM of his is little more than an aerial curbstomp.
• Dishing Out Dirt: When he stomps, he creates mini tremors.
• Does Not Like Shoes
• Fur and Loathing
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: Sports 'em on his face and chest.
• In a Single Bound
• Mighty Glacier: Slow as hell, but once he gets going, he gets going.
• Mismatched Eyes: One Red Eyes, Take Warning, one blue.
• The Quiet One: Silber is not a man of many words.
• Spell My Name with an "S": His name is spelled as Silver in XI.
• Spirited Competitor: In contrast to his looks, victory and defeat, doesn't matter to him. Only the fight itself matters.
• Walking the Earth: He wanders the world in search of strong opponents.

Gai Tendo

"The reason for victory doesn't matter. The strong win, and that's it!"

Voiced by: Nobuyuki Hiyama

The very brash and noisy protagonist of Buriki One, Gai utilizes a free-form style known as Total Combat. Deciding to test his skills, Gai enters the Buriki One tournament and becomes a rival to the American boxing champion and protegé of Silber, Rob Python.

• Badass Normal: He was essentially Shen Woo before Shen Woo existed. Here's a guy who only uses his fists to lethal effect.
• Boisterous Bruiser
• Bonus Boss: If the right conditions are met, you'll fight him instead of Adel as a midboss in XI.
• The Cameo/The Unexpected: As The KOF 10th Anniversary Website puts it best: "A Buriki character in King of Fighters? You can't be serious!"
• Does Not Like Shoes
• Fiery Redhead
• Fingerless Gloves
• Hot-Blooded: Just look at who's voicing him.
• Spirited Competitor
• Walking Shirtless Scene

Tung Fu Rue

"I may be old, but I'll never lose to an inexperienced brat like you!"

Voiced by: Shigefumi Nakai

Master of the legendary fighting art known as Hakkyokuseiken, Tung was the former sensei of Jeff Bogard and Geese Howard who made a vow not to train any more disciples after the latter killed Jeff out of jealousy. He competed in the first King of Fighters tournament held by Geese, but lost. Living his current days in retirement, Tung occasionally enters a competition to keep his body and mind in shape.

• Badass Beard
• Bald of Awesome: How awesome? It shines.
• The Cameo: He has appeared in the backgrounds of many stages, and his only playable appearance in the series (XI) is non-canonical as he and several other characters were simply ported over from Neo Geo Battle Coliseum. However...
• Kamehame Hadoken: His Chou Shou Nami LDM.
• Ki Attacks: Most notably, a more liberal use of muscular inner spirit from the first Fatal Fury. There, it was a Temporary Bulk Change. Now, it's more along the lines of being a Battle Aura/Fighting Spirit.
• Old Master: Overlaps with Badass Grandpa. The geezer is 72-freakin'-years-old.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Tung Fu Rue is actually an alias. It also happens to be the namesake of the egg dish listed in his profile, cha-tamago.
• Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: As a throw.

The King of Fighters XII

Raiden/Big Bear

"I AM RAIDEN!"

Voiced by: Daisuke Gouri (XII), Iain Gibb (XIII)

A professional wrestler who appeared in the first Fatal Fury game. Originally, he was bribed by Geese Howard into serving him, but after Geese's defeat went straight and narrow, reverting to his kindly Big Bear persona. He doesn't make an appearance in King of Fighters until XII (although he was originally considered to represent England in ‍'‍94). His Face persona is still Big Bear, but Word of God says that Raiden was chosen over him due to a lack of villains in XII. He eventually leaves Geese's employ to return to his homeland, passing up King of Fighters for many years due to his satisfaction with his Face and Heel personas. While there's a slight misunderstanding about his current allegiance, Raiden decides to join Kim and Hwa Jai, believing that it will help boost his reputation as a fighter.

• Ascended Extra: C'mon, you weren't expecting him to make it into either Capcom vs. SNK 2 or The King of Fighters XII.
• Badass Beard: His Big Bear alt.
• Bald of Awesome: His Big Bear alt.
• Boisterous Bruiser
• Breath Weapon
• Canon Immigrant
• Cool Mask
• Fat Bastard
• Fingerless Gloves
• Fire-Breathing Diner
• Hair of Gold: See Mean Character, Nice Actor below.
• Land Down Under
• Leotard of Power
• Mean Character, Nice Actor: As of now, Raiden has cut his ties with Geese and his Face Heel Revolving Door status is a merely an in-the-ring gimmick. In reality, he's a Face.
• Megaton Punch: His Raiden Bomber Neo MAX in XIII, although a more accurate description would be Megaton Clothesline.
• Mighty Glacier
• Professional Wrestling
  • Pro Wrestling Is Real
• Stout Strength
• Underwear of Power: One of his XIII color schemes. He's fighting in little more than a speedo.

The King of Fighters XIII

Hwa Jai

Voiced by: Sōnosuke Nagashiro

Yet another fighter who debuted in the original Fatal Fury, Hwa Jai is an arrogant Muay Thai fighter and early rival of Joe, he becomes a more formidable fighter after getting a little tipsy. He was defeated by Joe and became his friend and sparing partner. Now he teams up with Kim Kaphwan and Raiden in King of Fighters XIII, seeing the tournament as a chance to revitilize his career and get another shot at besting Joe.

• Ambiguously Brown: He had a much lighter skin color before.
• Arrogant Muay Thai Guy: Even moreso than Joe.
• Ascended Extra:
• Ax Crazy: He's definitely unhinged this time around. Point in case, his Final Dragon Kick Neo MAX, where he drags his opponent into the air with a lunging knee and kicks them, leading to a Black Screen of Death. When the player sees him again, he's howling insanely and wagging his tongue.
  • Even more so when he drinks. Even in his idle animation, you can see him drooling and looking crazier than usual, if it was even possible.
• Bald of Awesome
• Blow You Away
• Combat Pragmatist: Shades of it, considering that his DM involves kneeing a guy into the air and then breaking their back on said knee.
• Drunken Master: As said above, one of his Super has him drinking the contents from a bottle and becoming much physically stronger, though also quite more savage.
• Hachimaki: If you want to be technical, it's called a Mongkhon/Mon kon.
• Palette Swap: The main complaint about him. See Ryu and Ken below.
• The Rival: To Joe, although King of Fighters seems to be underplaying or completely dropped the fact that the two became friends. Also, Joe is the Tiger and Hwa is the Dragon.
• Ryu and Ken: His and Joe's movesets are practically identical, but have radically different functionality.
• Super Mode
• Walking Shirtless Scene

Saiki

Voiced by: Sōnosuke Nagashiro

The leader of Those From The Distant Land and the mastermind behind the events of the most recent tournaments. Looks suspiciously like Ash Crimson.

• Ambiguously Gay: Though not to the extent of Ash.
• And I Must Scream/Villainous Breakdown: Saiki screams for his life after Ash used his remaining willpower to stop Saiki from controlling his body.
  • Fate Worse Than Death: He even said this word by word.
• Bad Boss: Mukai found out first hand that Saiki does not appreciate someone taking care of business he deems his own...
• Big Bad
• Bishonen: Basically Ash wearing white and without the hairband.
• Blond Guys Are Evil
• Combat Pragmatist: Despite his supernatural powers, Saiki will still pick up rocks off the ground and throw them at you.
• Full-Frontal Assault: When his boss form faces the participants (or when he uses his NeoMax), he turns into a completely naked muscular guy (who still somehow moves effeminately) with only his face, hands and feet covered in black, tar-like stuff. It's like SNK wanted to mock Gill and Seth's... erm, "fashion" sense.
  • Yes, his genital area isn't covered, but he doesn't seem to have any balls showing anyway.
• Fusion Dance/Grand Theft Me: He first pulls this on Mukai. When Ash absorbs his powers, Saiki's influence overwhelms him, transforming Ash into Evil Ash.
• Hannibal Lecture: Very fond of dishing these out.
• Jerkass
• Kick the Dog: Kills Mukai for disobeying his orders, even though Mukai loyally offered to fight in his place.
• Kick Them While They Are Down: One of his specials in his regular form is literally this. Repeatedly.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy
• Man in White
• One-Winged Angel
• Power Echoes/Power Makes Your Voice Deep/Evil Sounds Deep: His transformed state has an eerily deep, booming voice.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: Unlike Ash, he always has them.
• Ret-Gone: Along with Ash.
• SNK Boss
• Spell My Name with an "S": Before his name was officially revealed to be Saiki, sites spelt his name as "Psyche".
• Surrounded by Incompetent Fools: Mentions this in one of the story mode scenes.
• Technicolor Fire: Black fire, which behaves more like ink. Evil Ash's black fire is actual fire, being a tainted version of Ash's.
• Teleport Spam: His playable version in the console and Updated Rerelease can do this.
• Temporal Paradox: The cause of his ultimate demise.
• Time Stands Still: This appears to be one of his powers or at the very least, connected to the time gate that allowed him to travel to the present day as seen in his pre-fight intro, although he seldom uses it in battle.
• Uncanny Family Resemblance: He bears a striking resemblance to Ash Crimson.
• Voluntary Shapeshifting: Saiki outside his true form is playable in the console version of XIII. His Neo MAX allows him to turn into his true form to deal some damage.
• White-Haired Pretty Boy

NPC

Botan

The fourth member of Those From the Distant Land, she has the ability to control the actions of anyone she chooses through invisible puppet strings. Botan established herself as quite the Magnificent Bitch as early as 2003, when it turns out she was controlling Chizuru the entire time. After Mukai's failure, she sets her sights on Rugal Bernstein's daughter Rose.

• Bare Your Midriff
• Bob Haircut
• Fur and Loathing/Pretty in Mink
• Karma Houdini: Her fate in XIII is infinitely less harsh than that of the honourable Mukai.
  • She actually makes it out of XIII completely unscathed. In one of the closing scenes of the story, Botan is seen alive and well, walking in the middle of a crowd.
• Manipulative Bitch
• Marionette Master
• People Puppets
• She's Got Legs
• Who Wears Short Shorts?
• You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Rose Bernstein

Voiced by: Kazuyo Inosako

Adel's little sister and a Rich Bitch to the hilt. While Adel got Rugal's fighting skill, Rose got his sense of unfair play. She's a noncombatant (although skilled at fencing, according to supplementary materials), but very fond of her brother.

• Annoying Younger Sibling: And HOW. All she does is yap, yap, yap all day long.
• Arms Dealer: Though never directly stated, it's strongly implied the Bernstein family continues to maintain their source of income. The only reason Botan mind controlled Rose was because she possessed the influence, power and wealth to host the King of Fighters tournament on such short notice: up to and including the quiet construction of a lavish colosseum with secret magic relics underneath.
• Big Brother Worship: Gets too extreme at times, and sometimes Adel himself has to put his foot down. Her devotion for Adel (as well as her possible Berserk Button when Adel is defeated in 2003) seems to border on Big Brother Attraction.
• Brainwashed: How she spends the entirety of XIII. She is freed in the end.
• Cute but Cacophonic
• Hair of Gold: Really, really stretching it though...
• Japanese Sibling Terminology: Calls Adel "onii-sama".
• Mix and Match: Her usual dress (seen to the right) is half-red, half-black. Possibly symbolic.
  • These are the two dominant colors of her father's tuxedo attire.
• Narcissist: Loves herself, absolutely loathes ugly and weak people.
• Neutral Female: Despite her haughty nature, Rose doesn't do much other than sit on the sidelines and play the piano. XI even pokes fun at this with one of Adel's moves: Rose is summoned, but only so that she can taunt Adel.
• Not Herself: When Rose begins doing things without telling her brother and ignores whatever he tells her, Adel instantly knows something is wrong. She always does what he says and always tells him what's on her mind.
• Ojou: Type 2. Oh yes.
• Pimped-Out Dress: To up the ante, Rose is seen sporting even more extravagant clothing in XIII.
• Princess Curls
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: She's not "evil" per se, but she's definitely more of a selfish brat than Adel, that's for sure.
• Requisite Royal Regalia: For some strange reason, she wears a tiara despite not being of noble blood.
  • The Atlus translation for XIII called her bloodline the Bernstein Family. However, the original Japanese text could also be translated as House of Bernstein. Given their influence and wealth, it's possible the Bernstein are fictional German nobility.
• Rich Bitch: Hoo boy.
• Right-Hand-Cat: Is seen playing with a baby panther, which is apparently Rodem's offspring.
• Screw the Rules, I Make Them
• Sore Loser: Like father, like daughter, even though it's her brother that does all of the fighting.
• Symbol Motif Clothing: Nearly all her outfits have roses or feature decorative rose flower patterns.
• Tagalong Kid: To a degree (see Annoying Younger Sibling above).
• Yandere: Adel's ending in XI reveals that Botan, a member of Mukai's group, is trying to use this side of her against Adel. And she's already under Botan's influence.

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