Characters / Fatal Fury 2

Fatal Fury | Main Index^note Includes Real Bout, Wild Ambition, and the Anime
Fatal Fury: King of Fighters | Fatal Fury 2 | Fatal Fury 3 | Garou: Mark of the Wolves
Related Series
Art of Fighting | The King of Fighters

Characters first appearing in Fatal Fury 2.

For tropes on Terry, Andy, Joe, Duck King, Tung, Raiden/Big Bear, Billy, and Geese

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Mai Shiranui

Fascinating Kuniochi (From KOF XV)

^{First Design (FF2/Special)}

Give into Shiranui immolation!

Origin: Japan

Fighting Style: Shiranui-ryuu Ninjutsu

Voiced by: ^note Kotono Mitsuishi (in the anime specials) (Japanese), Lisa Ann Beley (for The Movie, taking over from Sarah Sawatsky in the second anime special) (English), Akoya Sogi ('94-XI), Ami Koshimizu (Sky Stage-present, The King of Fighters: Destiny), Sheryl Stanley (Maximum Impact series, English), Megumi Hayashibara ('94 Dengeki Bunko drama CD)

Portrayed by: Maggie Q (live-action movie)

Mai is a very happy girl with the dream of several other girls: get married with her prince charming. She found that same Prince Charming in Andy, her childhood friend as well as her grandfather's disciple, and self-proclaimed herself his fiancé. Although her preppy fighting persona suggests otherwise, Mai is a traditional Japanese beauty and very proud of it. However, her pride as a Shiranui ninja and infatuation with Andy usually keep her from fitting the mold 100% of the time.

In XIV, Mai is pissed that Terry and Andy are teaming up with Joe, and is getting short of candidates for the Women Fighters team aside of King because she turned down other invitations (like Kasumi and Hinako) thinking that she'd be able to team up with Andy (she was too late), while the other candidates (Yuri, Mary and Vanessa) are busy with their own activities and jobs. Luckily for her, she quickly came across Alice Garnet Nakata, who proved her skills (even if it's a modified attacks of the Bogard brothers) and the Women Fighters Team rises again.

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• Action Girl: Zig-Zagged across the media. She's more competent in the games, whereas in the anime she suffers a bad case of Chickification, though it's implied that in the anime, Mai is taking the Deliberately Distressed Damsel route just to get Andy's attention.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: Has brown or black hair in the games; red in the anime. And then her hair in her Real Bout Special ending is purple.
• Affirmative Action Girl: Mai is the first playable female fighter in the Fatal Fury series.
• All Love Is Unrequited: While Andy does kiss her in the movie, in the Fatal Fury series, no in-game event ever shows him unambiguously returning her feelings in the same degree as hers. Their relationship isn't solidified until The King of Fighters XIV. However, this is an alternate continuity.
• And This Is for...:
  • Her win quote against Geese is her being mad at him for beating up Andy previously.
    "And that's for roughing up Andy!"
  • She gets annoyed at Team Fatal Fury for not leaving room for her in their team lineup.
    "And that's for ditching me!"
• Ass Kicks You: Her Wild Cherry attack.
• Battle Intro: In The King of Fighters XV:
  "She can charm any man on the planet! The Shiranui-style ninjutsu successor herself! Mai Shiranui!"
  Mai: "Drink in the Shiranui flame!"
• Berserk Button: While she's a genuinely nice person to be around with, it's best to avoid a couple of these that she has:
  • 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 (2 and Regulation A, specifically) and XIII give her a third one; do not imply that she's getting old. In her exchange with Athena in XIII, Mai even manages to get herself riled up by twisting her own fond memories of her days as a schoolgirl into Athena calling her old. Poor Athena barely understands what's going on! Similarly, in Regulation A, she's ticked off by Rock pressing this exact button, although it's moreso him trying to respectfully address her as his aunt.^note In Japanese, Rock calls her "oba-san", which can either refer to one's aunt or any middle-aged woman; Rock's dialogue clearly meant to refer to Mai as the former (as the self-proclaimed-turned-actual fiancé of Andy, she's technically Terry's sister-in-law, and as Rock is Terry's adopted son, this makes Mai and Rock by extension aunt and nephew) while she took the latter interpretation of the term. It's a joke that went Lost in Translation in the dub, as Mai seemingly loses her marbles at Rock calling her his aunt without any other connotations whatsoever.
  • The fourth one, and arguably the biggest? Never, ever, question her worth as an Action Girl and as the Number One Japanese Woman. All bets will be off, and Mai will NOT have any mercy on you.
  • In SVC Chaos, she also flips out when Dhalism implies that she may be overweight.
• Big Fancy House: We see the Shiranui dojo in The King Of Fighters Kyo. It's located in a gorgeous Japanese traditional complex.
• Brainless Beauty: By Flanderization. One particularly bad example occurs in the English translation of KOF '95, during her team's cutscenes: When Rugal uses somniferous gas to kidnap them the following dialogue occurs:
  Mai: "Hey, look! Beauty mist!"
  Yuri: "It's gas, you bimbo!"
• Breakout Character: She's gone on to become a mainstay not just in Fatal Fury, but also the KOF series and various SNK crossovers, being one of their most popular characters. She's also been a Guest Fighter in the Dead or Alive series.
• The Bus Came Back: Like Andy, Mai was completely absent in Garou: Mark of the Wolves where Hokutomaru has to take up the flag of the Shiranui ninja style for the game. As of City of the Wolves, Mai also returns to the active roster with Andy.
• Buxom Beauty Standard: Her large breasts are one of the main reasons she's considered such a beauty In-Universe and they're often used for fanservice and a constant focus of Male Gaze shots.
• Character Catchphrase: "Nippon Ichi!" ("Japan's No. 1!")
• 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; in fact, her most current outfit in KOF XIV and XV is based on the one from Real Bout Fatal Fury Special 2, which was in turn based on her original one. With exception of one homage to Andy Bogard in the Maximum Impact 2/Regulation A games, her "Another" models played safe and were heavily based on her classic outfit. XIV has her go back to her old outfit.
• Clothing Damage: A bit in the second anime special, much more in The Movie.
• Combat Hand Fan: She uses folding paper fans in combat. Aside from whacking her foes with one for her punch attacks, she can also throw them in the manner of an Energy Ball attack for her "Kachousen" special.
• Conveniently an Orphan: According to her conversation with Takuma Sakazaki in KOF XIII, Hanzou Shiranui’s death leaves the legacy of the Shiranui school of ninjitsu in the hands of Mai and Andy. This implies Mai is the only member of the Shiranui family left.
• Cool Big Sis: To Hokutomaru, apparently (he refers to her as "Mai-neechan" aka "sister Mai"). She also plays this role to Sulia in The Movie.
• Cute, but Cacophonic: Her voice was becoming increasingly more high pitched until reaching an extreme in KOF 2003 and SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos when it became ear-grating. Fortunately, later games restored her voice to a more reasonable pitch.
• Cutlass Between the Teeth: She'll sometimes hold her fan with her mouth.
• Dance Battler: At least nominally. Mai means "dance" in Japanese, and a lot of her moves are named as "dance of the x" ("x no mai")
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: Her Toki Tsubute air throw that she gained in KOF '99 has some animations that probably hint at a visual version of Orgasmic Combat.
  (2001 winquote) "I wanted to feel it more. I'm a little disappointed..."
  (2002 winquote) "Hey, don't touch the talent!" (Seems to be a reference to the Sailor Moon dub-based meme of talent = bust, of which Mai has quite a lot)
• Dogged Nice Girl: To Andy, with who she's infatuated. He's reluctant at best.
• Doppelgänger Attack: Fiery doppelgangers (KOF '98 Ultimate Match alternate version only).
• Fairytale Wedding Dress:
  • She imagines wearing one in her Real Bout 2 ending, where she dreams of finally marrying Andy.
  • In The King of Fighters 2002, Mai wears one in a finishing move (see here).
• Fanservice Pack: Surprisingly, yes. In the early Fatal Fury and KOF games, her chest was big but not too big and her clothes were better at covering it. As time went on, her chest got bigger and her top got even smaller.
• Fiery Sensuality: Mai is a ninja who specialises in fire attacks, sports a revealing red outfit, and has a very curvaceous figure.
• Flanderization:
  • She wasn't as obsessed with Andy in the early games as she was in later installments. SNK even jokes about this, as they say that as of Garou she's probably still looking for Andy.
  • She was gaga for Andy from the get-go, but it becomes absurd in certain KOF games. In XII, Terry's pre-battle dialogue with her has him furiously denying where Andy is before Mai uttered a single word.
• Guest Fighter
  • She has been a Downloadable Content character in both Dead or Alive 5: Last Round and its sequel, Dead or Alive 6. The latter game gives her the rare distinction of a guest fighter who appears across multiple installments of a single series (and quite possibly the only such example outside of Smash Bros.).
  • She is also a full blown hero in the Chinese MOBA game Honor of Kings as the only Fatal Fury representative (the rest of the SNK guests are from Samurai Shodown). Her moveset is inherited to the black fist-fighter Raz in Arena of Valor.
• Hammerspace: Where she keeps all of her fans. Seems to overlap with Victoria's Secret Compartment.
• Hand Seals: She sometimes performs this with her moves, particularly her Kagerou no Mai DM.
• Head-Turning Beauty: Gets lustful reactions from several male characters, especially in Fatal Fury 3.
• Hidden Depths: With her personality and love for presenting as a classic Yamato Nadeshiko in mind, who would think she's a fan of Heavy Metal music?
• Highly-Visible Ninja: It'd be near impossible for anyone to not notice her, given her flashy personality, the ample size of her boobs along with what little she's wearing^note Then again, this might be a distraction tactic.... To quote Ryu from SvC Chaos:
  Ryu: (incredulously) "Ninja style? People can see you coming miles away!"
• Hopeless Suitor:
  • In the Fatal Fury series, Andy maintained a platonic relationship with Mai out of respect for his ninja master, because she's his granddaughter and he sees her more like a sister than anything else. Mai persisted, despite her frustrations, in hopes that he'd eventually come around. Unfortunately for her, that day never comes as in Garou: Mark Of The Wolves, it’s implied Andy has been gone for a long time and Mai is hopelessly still looking for him according to SNK.
  • In The King of Fighters: Destiny, however, she becomes fed up with Andy and almost fell for Benimaru when he flirted with her during her and Andy’s argument. Though, nothing happens later in the series and that animation isn’t officially canon to The King Of Fighters' timeline.
• Hypocritical Humor:
  • She gets on Angel's case for having an impractical outfit. Have you looked in a mirror lately, Mai?
    "Get serious! You thought that costume would really work?"
  • In Neo Geo Battle Coliseum, her win quote against Shiki has her criticizing Shiki's lack of clothing.
• I Resemble That Remark!: In the Fatal Fury Team ending of XIV, when Joe calls her a praying mantis, Mai protests by lifting her arms into a mantis pose and hissing.
• Iconic Sequel Character: Introduced in Fatal Fury 2 and probably just as important to the series as Geese or Terry.
• Impossible Hour Glass Figure: The anime specials and movies especially give her a dainty waist despite her large bust, and while she was subject to Leg Focus, they were still slender as well. Later installments with Adaptational Curves (such as Another Day) used the extra game details to give her thicker thighs and more of a belly to better complement her figure.
• Informed Attribute:
  • Her famous bust has a measurement much smaller than what you'd imagine from her sprites/models, which were so well endowed since the start that almost any female with a larger bust by measurement fell into Informed Attribute territory. In the official art, however, she varies from average to huge, not only Depending on the Artist, but also on said artist's mood apparently as well.
  • SNK states that her hips are 91cm, with a 55cm waist (in 2003 and XIII; 90/54 for previous games, i.e. largest hips and smallest waist of the series). Supposedly larger than Shermie's, but that would be hard to draw, so it's only apparent in a few of her sprites, like those for her Wild Cherry attack.
• Innocent Fanservice Girl: Downplayed, as Mai is very much aware of how Stripperiffic she dresses, but unlike how others characters perceive her, she doesn't inherently view her outfit as promiscuous, and takes offense to those who tell her otherwise.
• It Was a Gift: Wears an ornamental hairpin, a keepsake from her late grandmother.
• Jiggle Physics: She was the first video game character to ever have visibly animated breasts.
• Lady in Red: She usually wears red and she's pretty sultry.
• Leitmotif: "Flame Dragon God" in 2.
• Long Hair Is Feminine: Even when tied up, her hair extends to her hips, and she is one of the most feminine ladies in the series.
• Male Gaze: Her bust is the first thing that you see of her in the animated intros of KOF '94 Re-Bout and KOF '98: Dream Match 1999; also in Maximum Impact 2/Regulation A, the camera focuses on it very often. And if that wasn't enough, her sprite for KOF XIII shows her hunched over more than ever, making her cleavage even more pendulous and jiggly than in any previous iteration.
• Master of Disguise: Not often dwelt upon, but it's apparently part of her kunoichi skill set, as several of her intros and win poses depict her performing Instant Costume Changes. She even playfully disguises herself as Chun-Li during their shared pre-fight intro in Capcom vs. SNK 2.
• Ms. Fanservice:
  • She's always been alluringly beautiful from her first appearance, but in all subsequent games, she steadily increased her breast size and filled out her figure, while her outfit became progressively skimpier.
  • It was her depiction in the anime adaptations that solidified it, by further increasing her breast size, their bounciness, and by making her outfit even more revealing than it already was. All of which lead to several brief nipple slips, groping (by Jubei Yamada), and the third film gave her a Shower Scene, for good measure. In said movie, Mai gets to try on various revealing outfits based on the location she's at.
• More than Mind Control: Falls into this in Ryo Takamisaki's The King Of Fighters G. Mai had just fallen into a brief Heroic BSoD after the Fatal Fury Team loses badly (including Andy being totally curbstomped by Benimaru) and left the battlefield to try calming herself down. Goenitz showed up and confronted her: thanks to the combination of a Breaking Lecture, a Curb-Stomp Battle and some bits of his powers, poor Mai totally lost it and savagely attacked Kyo and Athena when they found her. It took Athena pulling a Diving Save to stop Kyo from burning Mai with an Orochinagi to bring her back.
• Murderous Thighs: Originally just "Murderous Ankles" for the way she sometimes throws her opponent; then in KOF '99 she gained a more appropriate move reminiscent of Shermie and Vice's styles.
• Navel-Deep Neckline: Depending on the installment, she can have a normal neckline or a deep one.
• Nice Girl: Mai is a friendly, kind hearted, and caring girl. Just don't get on her bad side. Though this trait is somewhat Zig-Zagged in the original Fatal Fury trilogy where she can be quite harsh in her victory quotes.
• Ninja: Specifically she's a kunoichi, a female ninja.
• Ninja Run: Well, justified since she is a Ninja...
• Noblewoman's Laugh: More often read (in the Japanese versions, anyway) than heard; used in the first two KOF games as part of her taunt.
• Not Distracted by the Sexy: No one in-universe seems to notice Mai for her Stripperiffic outfit and assets. If anything, nearly everyone is shocked at how brazen her outfit is, as well as wanting her to cover up more. And she doesn't like it.
• Playing with Fire: Her special ability is pyrokinesis. She can incorporate it into several melee attacks and super moves.
• Plucky Girl: Always cheerful and stubborn in the face of danger, loneliness, etc.
• Proud Beauty: She takes every moment she can to flaunt her good looks at others. She wouldn't call herself "Japan's number one woman" if she didn't believe it to be true.
  "A girl as pretty and tough as me just has to win!"
• Put on a Bus: To the shock and surprise of many; she returned in the home version of KOF XI, but not for KOF XII (though if some sources are to be believed, she was planned to be). Eventually she comes back for KOF XIII, finally.
• Raised by Grandparents: Her only mentioned relatives are her grandfather and trainer, Hanzou, and her dead grandmother, which implies that her parents died while she was a child and she was raised by her grandparents in their stead. The hairpin that she wears is hinted to be a Tragic Keepsake from said grandma, and according to Mai and Takuma's intro conversation in KOF XIII, Hanzou Shiranui recently passed away. Takuma straightforwardly asks Mai if she and Andy are up for the challenge of keeping up with the Shiranui school of ninjutsu now that Hanzou is gone, and Mai calmly tells him not to worry since they're ready for it.
• Red Is Heroic: She wears red and is one of SNK's good girls.
• Relationship Upgrade: She's finally together with Andy as of KOFXIV. However, this does not align with the Fatal Fury continuity or other games outside the KOF timelines, as it seems they never will be together and Andy in most of them only sees Mai as a younger sister since, they were both raised and trained by her grandfather.
• Say My Name: "ANDYYYYYYYY!!!" when she's defeated.
• Sexy Backless Outfit: KOF XIII redesigned her most iconic outfit to be even more daring than it already was by completely removing the back portion of it, leaving Mai’s bare back in full view. Though this new version of her uniform only stuck around for one game, as following games brought back or made variations to her more classic look.
• Shameless Fanservice Girl: KOF flanderized her character to the point that she literally fights half naked. In most games, no one comments on it. In XIII, the majority of the cast point out the indecency of what little she's wearing. Mai's reaction varies between trying to explain that it's the traditional garb worn by the women of the Shiranui Ninja Clan, to being insulted.
• She-Fu: Her fighting style is not only incredibly acrobatic, befitting for a trained ninja, but her skimpy outfit allows it to show off various parts of her figure while attacking, particularly the lack of pants or leggings under her loincloth.
• Sideboob: With breasts as big as hers, barely hidden behind strips of cloth, it's a wonder how they don't pop out entirely.
• Single-Target Sexuality: Everyone knows she only has eyes for Andy, as she won't shut up about it, much to the annoyance of her friends.
• 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). SVC Chaos added the Koshū no Mai (Dance of the Lone Eagle) to the mix.
• Stripperiffic: From the moment she joined the KOF roster, but the anime exaggerated it much further, and the spinoff games also ran with it. It ended up being the whole reason why she's the only major SNK fighting character not to have even a cameo in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
• Token Female: Of the playable cast in Fatal Fury 2 before Blue Mary joined in 3.
• 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 since she's arguably gotten a lot quirkier.
• Tsundere: Mostly a Type B. Though nice and loving overall, you won't like to see her angry. Terry is well aware of this.
• Vapor Wear: As shown in the picture above, she's not wearing underclothes of any kind, only adding to her Ms. Fanservice appeal.
• Wall Jump: she can jump off the wall normally; she also has it as (part of her) Musasabi no Mai (Dance of the Flying Squirrel) special, which she can then follow by varying attacks from above.
• Wedding Finale: In Real Bout Fatal Fury 2, her ending involves her finally getting married to her longtime crush Andy Bogard. It turns out to be All Just a Dream.
• What the Fu Are You Doing?: Some of Mai’s standard hits involve whapping her opponent with the tails of her kimono, which is outlandish in itself but her "Musasabi no Mai" special, in which she flies face-first at her opponent with her fan clenched between her teeth, takes the cake.
• Wreathed in Flames: Her Chou Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi DM has her doing a flying elbow thrust forward while covered in flames. Also in her Kagerou no Mai DM where she covers herself in a large flame aura that burns the nearby foe.
• Yamato Nadeshiko: Mai is supposed to be one (or at least believes to be), and to her credit, she tries hard. One of the official arts◊ has her wearing a kimono while apparently hosting a tea ceremony for Terry and Andy, and this is invoked again in The King Of Fighters: KYO◊ during one of Kyo and Yuki's dates.

Kim Kaphwan

Taekwando of Justice (From KOF XV)

Origin: South Korea

Fighting Style: Taekwondo

Voiced by: ^note Satoshi Hashimoto (FF2-RBFF2; KOF '94-XI), Kazuhiko Nagata (KOF XII-KOF XIV), Kunihiro Kawamoto (KOF:World-present), Daiki Nakamura (in the anime specials and in The Movie) (Japanese), David Kaye (for the above) (English)

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 KOF 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.

In XIV, Kim rewarded Chang and Choi with a week break, but they did not return. Instead, he received a visit from his master Gang-Il and the latter's newest lover Luong, the two brought news that both Chang and Choi are seen hanging around with the legendary criminal Xanadu. Kim resolved to enter the tournament with Gang-Il and Luong to find out what happened to Chang and Choi.

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• Action Dad: A loving father to two young boys, who later grow up to become playable Taekwondo fighters like him.
• And This Is for...: In XIV, if he beats Yamazaki, he'll remind him that the beating and 'eventual arrest' was for his good friend Hon-Fu, who often found himself on the wrong end of beating by Yamazaki.
• Animal Motifs: The Phoenix.
  • In the Real Bout series, Kim can even inexplicably summon one at the end of his Hou'ou Kyaku, which returns for his Climax Super in KOF XV.
  • Also, in SVC Chaos the Heaven Spell◊ will turn him into the national bird of Korea, the Korean magpie.
• Art Evolution: One of the things Kim lost from the transition between KOF XIII's sprite graphics and XIV's 3D graphics were his intricately animated pants. His pants in XIII have a lot of attention put into the billowing and weight of the cloth that gives extra momentum to his animation, which unfortunately can't be replicated in XIVs animation style. Come Kim's return in XV though and lo and behold, his key-framed pants animation has been recreated in 3D.
• Ascended Glitch: His ability to perform the Hou'ou Kyaku in midair was retained from a bug that affected certain command moves in KOF '94 and '95.
• Badass Creed: "Aku wa yurusan!" ("Evil is unforgivable!")
• Badass Normal: He has no abilities other than his insane adeptness when it comes to Taekwondo, and yet can still match people like Terry and Geese in combat.
• Battle Intro: In The King of Fighters XV:
  "Not even Heroes of Justice can stand before the Master! Show us the results of your hellish training! Kim Kaphwan"
  Kim: "I'll show you the fruits of my labor!"
• Boxed Crook: He has a pattern of forcing criminals into his brutal rehabilitation program, starting with Chang and Choi, and later Raiden and Hwa Jai.
• Breakout Character: He's gone on to become a mainstay not just in Fatal Fury, but also the KOF series and various SNK crossovers. He was present in every single mainline KOF entry up until XV, where he missed the launch roster but was eventually revealed as Downloadable Content.
• 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.
• The Cameo: He appears in the background of KOF Stadium in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and has a spirit battle based on him; the fight in question includes two fighters based on his teammates, Chang and Choi.
• Can't Hold His Liquor: This man is built to handle alcohol. It's the whole reason this transpires.
• Casting Gag: In XV, Kim is voiced by Kunihiro Kawamoto, who voiced Kenshiro in the Arc System Works fighting game.
• Charge-Input Special: A lot of his moves tend to be this (such as Hienzan and Ryuusei Raku), though Kim has an equal amount of Special Moves performed with regular motion inputs, making him a hybrid in the same vein as Chun-Li.
• Close-Range Combatant: Kim's preferred range, being a rushdown character first and foremost with an abundance of mix-ups and speedy attacks that allow him to overwhelm the opponent with his oppressive okizeme. Most games usually give him an abundance of Dash Attacks to make the task of approaching a zoning opponent easier, such as his airborne Hangetsuzan or the aforementioned Ryuusei Raku.
• Detect Evil: The signature of his character, complete with a Catchphrase.
  "Aku wa yurusan!" ("Evil is unforgivable!")
• Extremity Extremist: Only has one punch. The rest of his attacks are kicks, befitting a Taekwondo practitioner.
• Flanderization: His love of JUSTICE! His desire for reforming criminals was first hinted in Fatal Fury 2, where he manages to teach Krauser the wrong of his ways in his ending. This trait was then carried over to The King of Fighters '94 (which is non-canon to the Fatal Fury series) to explain why he's teamed up with prisoners, Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge. This developed into his running gag as the KOF series goes on, and with the discontinuation of the Fatal Fury franchise, it's become his most prominent characteristic.
• Flash Step: Just when you thought the Hou'ou Kyaku couldn't be any more painful, his Neo MAX version of the attack (Rei Shiki Hou'ou Kyaku) involves Kim moving so fast that he's simultaneously whaling on his foe from both sides. He then jumps sky-high and brings his heel crashing down upon the opponent. OUCH. This move reappears as his Climax move in XIV.
• For Great Justice: Extremely focused on justice and righting wrongs. He's so into this that to everyone else who travels in his circles, he descends into being The Comically Serious and they take jabs at him as a result.
• Friendly Rival: He and Terry became good friends after a fight between the two, with Kim acknowledging Terry as the stronger of the two. They'll enjoy sparring every now and then via tournaments.
• Glowing Eyes of Doom: Whenever he gets a creepy idea for his rehabilitation program or does the Death Glare as seen above. The former instance usually gives him a Cheshire Cat Grin.
• Hair Flip: His sprite◊ for the Real Bout series has Kim doing this.
• Happily Married: And with two children as well.
• Hot-Blooded: A very passionate fighter and self-proclaimed warrior of justice. Though in later installments, his fellow fighters can sometimes find his enthusiasm a little overbearing.
• Hurricane Kick: His Kuu Sajin special in older games is one; in a variant, he does it while jumping upwards.
• Iconic Sequel Character: He's been a regular in the Fatal Fury game series ever since his appearance in Fatal Fury 2, as well in The King of Fighters, and even in Garou: Mark of the Wolves, which does away with the usual cast, sans Terry, for a new generation of fighters, his presence is still felt in the roster in the form of his two sons Don Hwan and Jae Hoon.
• Justice Will Prevail: A defining part of his character, pretty exaggerated as of late (as you can see in The King of Fighters).
  • It now seems to be the topic of choice in every conversation. Duck King does not let this trait of Kim's go unnoticed. Needless to say, Kim is not amused.
    Duck: "Chill! We're drinking here. Teachings? Justice? Who needs to hear that crud now?"
    Kim: "...Crud?" (death glare)
    Duck: "No, it's a great theory on education. Let me stretch a bit, then I'll hear you out."
    Kim: ".........."
    Duck: "OK, let's hear it. Shoot."
    Kim: "In a nutshell! True jushtice... Itsh all in the hamana hamana teaching."
    (Let us note that Kim is completely hammered during that speech.)
  • It should be noted that the International Taekwondo Federation's oath is "I shall be a champion of justice and freedom." and "I shall build a better and more peaceful world." Kim's demeanor (which extends to many of his cohorts) could be this philosophy taken to new heights.
  • Mocked mercilessly by just about everyone in XIII. Kensou, in fact, states that the word "justice" no longer has a meaning thanks to Kim.
  • However, to be fair, one of Kim's win quotes in XIII reconstructs this term. Kim is aware that people will call him a freak and he's a weirdo for his extremism. However, he'll stand by his philosophy that justice will prevail no matter what and he'll continue to fight to uphold it.
  • In XIV Najd of all the people calls Kim's concept of justice, twisted.
• Kiai:
  • Whenever he starts whipping out his specials, expect the sound barrier to be utterly broken.
    Kim: "Hou'ou Kyaku! ATATATATATATATAAAAA!! WATAAAAAA!!!"
  • In Real Bout, if you're playing with him, he will begin the battle by yelling "CHESTOOOO!!!" while demolishing blocks of ice with a single axe kick, and his Kiai basically overrode everything the opponent is saying.
• Kick Chick: Gender-Inverted. And one of the oldest examples, at that (since he debuted around the same time the Trope Codifier herself, Chun-Li, did).
• Kick Them While They Are Down: During his Haki Hyaku, he stomps the ground in front of him. If the opponent is standing, the attack hits their shin, momentarily stunning them.
• Last-Name Basis:
  • His name is usually rendered in Asian order, and as such, Kim is actually his family name. He's never been acknowledged by his given name and later games would drop the Kaphwan from his name, almost exclusively referring to him just as "Kim."
  • Rumors speculate that he was named after the president of Viccom (the Korean publisher of the SNK games), who had a similar pronunciation to Kim's name (金甲煥). Additionally, Kim's sons are also named after the real Kim's son (Jae Hoon) and younger brother (Dong Hwan). After the fallout of the first online game (KOF World), produced by Viccom, "Kaphwan" was removed from Kim's name. However, after the announcement of his return as DLC for Season 2 of KOF XV, his last name was brought back.
• Legacy Character: Chronologically speaking, maybe. It's implied that Kim Sue II from Kizuna Encounter is his descendant and Kim Hae-Ryeong from Samurai Shodown: Edge of Destiny is his ancestor due to the fact that they all possess the same family name (Kim), have a similar fighting style, and share several moves, notably the Hienzan, Hishou Kyaku, Hangetsuzan, and Hou'ou Kyaku. Hae-Ryeong even pulls an "Aku wa yurusan!" on The Dragon from his game. Given that Kim Kaphwan came first (game-wise), these two are probably expies.
• Leitmotif:
  • In 2 he has Let's Go to Seoul, an energetic rock number that's been rearranged throughout his other appearances like KOF (and a remix of it serves as his stand-alone theme in XV) and even his cameo Smash Ultimate (Listen here).
  • In Kim's appearances in both Fatal Fury: The New Battle and The Motion Picture, this song plays.
• Martial Pacifist: Although he occasionally shows flashes of being a Technical Pacifist when confronting villains.
• Nice Guy: While his overly zealous Justice Will Prevail attitude might overshadow this trait, Kim is also a genuinely nice person, a loving family man, and has compassion for everyone that is not evil. Even if he might go overboard on Chang and Choi considering they're criminals in the first place, Kim still offers them a chance to redeem themselves via rehabilitation instead of sending them straight to jail (though they may think jail is a better place).
• 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.
• Put on a Bus: After being playable in every main series King of Fighters game since the beginning, Kim does not appear in XV as he is busy training with Gang-il during the tournament. However, in a The Bus Came Back situation, he has been announced as a DLC character for Season 2, with a new outfit as well.
• Slide Attack: His Ryuusei Kyaku (Meteor Kick) in some games; he may decide to follow it up with a jumping axe kick.
• Spam Attack: His Shakka Shuu (Miraculous/Scorching Fire Assault) attack in past Fatal Fury games (which makes a return in the Maximum Impact games).
• Stance System: He compared to other characters doesn't have much in the way of this, but some games give him stances where he faces the background much like his old stance in Fatal Fury (like in Capcom vs. SNK) or even have him turn his back (in the Maximum Impact games).
• Shoryuken: A Flash Kick-style one with Hienzan, which is typically a charge down-to-up motion. It also has a follow-up for the Heavy version that is usually performed with down plus Heavy Kick. Some games also give him the Kuu Sajin (which his son Dong Hwan inherited in Mark of the Wolves), his equivalent of Chun-Li's Tenshokyaku.
• Shout-Out: The aforementioned Kiai? Kenshiro did it first.
• Super Gullible: Kim tends to take things at face value, which Chang and Choi often exploited in order to stay on his good side (pretending that the reforming is taking effect) while plotting how to escape Kim while complaining about how terrible he is to them in terms of their training regiment. And Kim usually catches on to their true nature whenever they slipped off and said it loud enough within his earshot (which is... every time). And unfortunately for Chang and Choi; Kim's teammates at XIII, Raiden, and Hwa Jai, were much more Genre Savvy in this; never letting their 'good students' charade down in front of Kim until it's truly safe.
• Team Dad: To Chang, Choi, his kids, May Lee, Chae Lim, and everyone in his Taekwondo school.
• This Is Unforgivable!: "Aku wa yurusan! HA!" Usually done with a dramatic finger point and Death Glare.
• Three-Strike Combo: His Sanren Geki special in older games is a 3-hit rekka-style special with 2 possible endings.
• Training from Hell: His master Gang-Il subjected him to this in between XIV and XV, involving numerous traps, harsh conditions and repeated bear attacks among others. The moment he received the invitation letter, Kim rushed his butt off the mountain and away from his master immediately.
• Twinkle Smile: Used as one of his victory poses along with a thumbs up.
• Vocal Evolution: In his debut, Kim was given a relatively youthful voice. Around Special, Hashimoto switched to a much deeper tone. Though he still retains his high-pitch Kiai sounds.
• Wearing a Flag on Your Head: He's usually got the Korean flag or elements of it on his Taekwondo uniform.
• The Worf Effect: It's implied that when the Garou timeline comes in, his burning desire for justice was not yet dead so when he heard of a very dangerous criminal named Freeman wandering around, Kim took it upon himself to bring him to JUSTICE. Unfortunately, he's aged and was instead beaten by the younger Serial Killer, but survived the attack. His more responsible son, Jae Hoon, is not amused at this and if he defeats Freeman, he claims that his father('s honor) has been avenged.
• Wrong Genre Savvy: If Kim is so much into justice, then he should know that some of the characters he deems as evil are... well, not necessarily villainous (case in point, Ash). Seems Kim tends to take MANY things at face value when he shouldn't! In fact, Hwa and Raiden tried to use Kim's WGS nature to their own benefit in XIII via letting him think they were still under Geese's thumb, thus getting a chance to revive their careers through Kim's "rehabilitation" project.
  • Seems to be slightly growing out of the former aspect by XV, since some characters who previously got the "Aku wa yurusan!" battle intro (meaning he deemed them as evil) no longer do, including Iori Yagami, Ash^note though the events of XIII and Ash's fully non-villainous attitude in XV might have more to do with it and Gato. Notably, his win quote against Iori shows that he now sees good in him... though he still does it in his own way.
    Kim: I understand now. Justice resides within you. Let that feeling free!

Jubei Yamada

From Special

Origin: Japan

Fighting Style: Judo

Voiced by: ^note Joji Yanami (in the anime)

An ancient judo master and longtime friend of Mai's father. In the anime films, he pervs on Mai every chance he gets.

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• Adaptational Badass: He isn't said to be noteworthy in the game series. But in the second anime film, he was able to match Andy in an extended sparring session and nearly succeeded in defeating him. Andy wins by pretending to be unconscious, in order to catch Jubei off guard with a surprise attack.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: In the game series, Andy's master is said to be Mai Shiranui's grandfather. The second and third anime films cast Jubei as Andy's master instead.
• Dirty Old Man: If he's not perving directly on Mai, he's involving himself with young women of her age.
  • There's official art depicting him grabbing Mai's butt.
  • Also, the second film had a scene where he leers at Mai before groping her.
  • But in The Motion Picture, Jubei makes a cameo appearance at Duck King's new nightclub, where he's accompanied by a group of younger women Mai's age.
  • Yamada can be seen perving on Mai in her ending for Real Bout Fatal Fury.
  • Another piece of official art features Yamada flirting with Lawyer Friendly Cameos of the Sailor Scouts.
• Edible Bludgeon: His standard "sonic boom" style projectile has him tossing a rice cracker at his opponent like a shuriken.
• Improbable Weapon User: One of his signature attacks is to throw giant rice crackers at you.
• Leitmotif: His stage music in Fatal Fury 2 actually has him saying his own name at certain points.
• Miniature Senior Citizens: He's barely half the size of most of his opponents.
• Old Master: He was an infamous judo master in his youth, and retains much of his strength even as an old man. The anime adaptations has Jubei serve as Andy's mentor figure, so long as there aren't any pretty girls around to divert Jubei's attention that is.
• The Peeping Tom: Some official artwork shows this to be a habit of his.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: He's 5'1, one of the shortest characters in Fatal Fury''. This doesn't mitigate any of his impressive fighting prowess though.
• Put on a Bus: Fatal Fury Special marked his second and final appearance as a playable character in the series. Since then, he's been reduced to being a background character in the KOF series.
• Red Baron: This perverted, dimunitive old man used to be call the "demon" in his youth.
• Trademark Favorite Food: "Japanese cookies", or rather rice crackers. He eats one in his taunt and even throws them as projectiles!

Cheng Sinzan

From Special

Origin: Taiwan

Fighting Style: Tai Chi Chuan

Voiced by: ^note Jun Hashimoto (Fatal Fury 2-Special), Shigefumi Nakai (Real Bout Fatal Fury Special) Chafurin (The New Battle), Brent Mukai ("Joe vs Big Bear" scene, 2021 English dub), Robert O. Smith (The Motion Picture)

A Taiwanese Tai Chi expert whose strong power is as big as his own greed. Seeks to make himself even more rich from within his participation in the King of Fighters tournament.

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• Acrofatic: And how. This guy was Rufus before Rufus existed. He has no problems flipping about like any of the thinner fighters in the series. It's the most evident in the Real Bout series where one of his supers has him floating in the air like a blimp.
• All Asians Know Martial Arts: He fights using Tai Chi, a very methodical martial art that emphasizes a relaxed mindset and flowy movements. He also learned Hakkyokuseiken in his youth.
• Art Evolution: His sprite looked different in Fatal Fury 2 and Fatal Fury Special; later games made him look a lot more like in the official art.
• Balloon Belly: That is used to attack.
• Beware the Silly Ones: He's short, fat and not even remotely intimidating. He's also canonically one of the strongest characters in the entire franchise, considered by Tung to be one of his most skilled students.
• Big Damn Heroes: He saves the player character in 3 after the latter is trapped in Geese's burning tower.
• Connected All Along:
  • He's actually a former student of Tung Fu Rue along with Geese Howard and Jeff Bogard. He was even one of Tung's greatest students along with those two, all three being considered the "Three Brothers of Godly Battle".
  • He's apparently friends with Robert Garcia, with the two meeting up for golf in Cheng's FF2 story.
• Greed: The main theme of his character. He got expelled by Tung for participating in illegal betting and street fighting. His motivation for fighting in tournaments is generally to make a profit, and he's actually a fairly accomplished businessman on the side.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's very money-centric and even has ties to various criminals and shady businessmen. But he's very caring to his friends and makes an effort to impede Geese's evil plans when he realizes the latter is planning on gathering the Sacred Scrolls
• Ki Manipulation: He can channel his ki into projectiles and empowered melee attacks. It makes sense given he was originally a Hakkyokuseiken student under Tung.
• Leitmotif: "Pangyago Houho".
• Opaque Nerd Glasses: Which evolve into Cool Shades.
• Put on a Bus: He hasn't been playable in any SNK title ever since Real Bout Fatal Fury 2.
• Rags to Riches: He worked his way out of poverty at a young age.
• Spell My Name With An S: Sometimes his name is given in-game as "Chin."

Axel Hawk

From Special

Origin: USA

Fighting Style: Boxing

A cruel, abrasive, rotund pro boxer with a mean streak a mile wide and a soft spot for his mother that's even bigger.

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• Alternate Company Equivalent: He could be seen as this to Capcom's Balrog/M. Bison since both are bosses who both happen to be boxers as well as being part of a four-man Boss Rush that the player must deal with until the end, the difference being that Balrog is fought first, whereas Axel is fought second.
• Ambiguously Brown: He's consistently drawn with a darker skin tone than the other characters, but his ethnicity is unclear. Given that he's based off of George Foreman, it's likely that he's African-American, but this isn't confirmed otherwise.
• Artistic License – Martial Arts: In conventional boxing, both opponents keep their guard up to protect their faces and upper bodies. Axel apparently disregards safety regulations by leaving his arms at his sides.
• Boxing Battler: A heavyweight boxer with some devastating punch attacks.
• Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Even if he is a jerk, this bit of art◊ shows that he dearly loves his mother, even going as far as to quit crime after Krauser's defeat to look after her.
• Extremity Extremist: Axel is true to his profession, being unable to kick even if a kick button is used.
• Leitmotif: "Kinkukonku".
• Long Bus Trip: He hasn't been playable, or even mentioned, since Fatal Fury Special which was released all the way back in '93. He does, however, cameos in Fatal Fury 3, The King of Fighters 2003, and the manhua adaptation of The King of Fighters XII.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Axel's design is a homage to George Foreman, another prolific Heavyweight Boxing champion. He also takes a page from Eric "Butterbean" Esch.
• Playing with Fire: All of his specials result in flame enhanced punches, including his projectile which looks like a bigger version of Guile's Sonic Boom.
• Put on a Bus: He hasn't been playable in any SNK title ever since his debut.
• Stout Strength: Like Foreman, he's big and hits HARD. It only takes a few hits for him to put the player on the canvas.

Laurence Blood

From Special

Origin: Spain

Fighting Style: Matador Assassination Techniques

Voiced by: ^note Kōji Totani (for the anime)

An aristocratic Spanish matador who serves as Wolfgang Krauser's perennial right hand man.

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• Alternate Company Equivalent: To Street Fighter II's Vega, being that they're both Spanish matadors. However, Laurence's design is a closer representation of an actual matador's; complete with a sword and cape. And, unlike Vega, he actually fights in the bullring.
• Beard of Evil: Sports the exact same style as Mirror Spock, in fact.
• Catchphrase: "Strong... too strong!" Said both times in anime film two, after being floored by Andy Bogard, and during The Motion Picture where he gets defeated by Panni.
• Clothing Combat: Being a matador, it's only natural that Blood hides his sword in his muleta. That very same cape double as a spinning instrument of murder in its own right.
• The Dragon: To Krauser, being one of his closest confidants and being the penultimate opponent before you fight Krauser himself.
• Leitmotif: "The Hard-Working Bullfighter" in 2.
• Put on a Bus: He hasn't been playable in any SNK title ever since Real Bout Fatal Fury 2.
• Something about a Rose: In his intro pose, he slashes it with his rapier.
• Spectacular Spinning: His Bloody Spin special is essentially the Psycho Crusher.
• Tempting Fate: You'd think he'd realize he was outmatched after seeing Panni summon a massive column of water. Laurence dismisses it as mere spectacle, right before Panni flattens him with it.
• The Worf Effect: The anime adaptations builds him up as Krauser's right-hand, only to have him get effortlessly curbstomped twice by Andy and Panni in the second and third films respectively.
  • Andy shuts him up in mid sentence with a surprise Zan Ei Gan, before flooring him with his Cho Reppadan HDM - ending the "match" in all of 2-3 seconds. By the time Andy walks away with Mai, Laurence's body had only just hit the ground.
  • Panni evades Laurence's sword flurry and counters his "Bloody Spin" by shielding herself behind a pressurized column of water. Then uses it to slam him into the wall at high speed, dropping like a rag doll.
  Laurence: (wheezing) "Strong... too strong." (faints)

Wolfgang Krauser

From KOF '98

I'll chisel your gravestone. Sleep well!

Origin: Germany

Fighting Style: Kampfringen

Voiced by: ^note Michael Beard (Fatal Fury 2), BJ Love (Real Bout Fatal Fury Special, The King of Fighters '96), Hirotaka Suzuoki (OVA; Japanese), Paul Dobson (OVA; English)

The well-known and respected Earl of Stolheim in Germany who happens to be the half-brother of Geese Howard. A cultured gentleman outside of the ring, he shows no compunction in a fight and will always commit the full extent of his ability in any battle. After hearing of Geese's apparent death, he hosts the 2nd King of Fighters tournament, bringing it worldwide in order to challenge the strongest opponents.

In the Fatal Fury series, Krauser commits suicide some time after being defeated by Terry. In the KOF series, however, Krauser is invited by Geese to join a team he had formed for the '96 tournament, retconning his fate in the timeline of his home series.

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• Adaptational Attractiveness: Played With. While he's not particularly ugly in the source game, and actually looks rather distinguished and sophisticated, his appearance in the Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle OVA has him portrayed as appearing to be a handsome, clean-faced man in his late 20's, rather than the regal looking middle-aged mustachioed man he is in the games.
• Anti-Villain: A Noble Anti-Villain, to be specific. He may seem evil-natured in battle, but he actually has a more gentle side. Heck, he'll even complement his opponents if they lose to him, saying that "(they) fought well", which is basically the opposite of most other villains in other media.
• Armor Is Useless: He comes to the fight wearing some impressive armor, only to break it off his body in one movement during his intro.
• Badass Back: When winning by time over in Real Bout 2, Krauser will turn his back to the camera while donning his cape.
• Badass Cape: Has one to go with his armor.
• Big Fancy Castle: Mittelbirge Castle. More of its confines are shown in Fatal Fury 2 and Fatal Fury Special, although the canalside stadium that serves as the backdrop for the Boss Team in '96 presumably is situated in/near the Stroheim family's palace.
• Blood Knight: Big time. Krauser hosts the King of Fighters tournament in 2 (and its Dream Match version Special) so he can prove his might against strong opponents. The thrill of battling powerful foes defines Krauser's motivations throughout the series.
• Blow You Away: The "Senpu Ken" move from the OVAs was given to Krauser in the Real Bout games as his P. Power attack, and named "Gigatech Cyclone." It's a multi-hit move that utterly thrashes anyone caught up in it.
• Blue Blood: Noted as the ‘Earl of Stolheim’ in supplementary materials. ‘Earl’ is a British title, and the equivalent rank in Germany would be ‘Count’.
• Bullet-Proof Fashion Plate: Used as a visual cue in the second anime special; whereas Geese has visibly aged and has been scarred, Krauser has retained his youthful looks, showing who is the better and more fearsome fighter of the two.
• Canon Immigrant: Many details about Krauser's backstory (such as him killing his father or being related to Geese) became canon after the movie. There was an attempt to have him commit suicide as well, but that was abandoned. Likewise, in later games, Krauser gained the Gigatech Cyclone move, which was identical to the tornado spin attack he and Terry used in the anime.
  • According to Memories of Stray Wolves, Krauser did kill himself after losing to Terry.
  • This contradicts Krauser's honorable depiction in Fatal Fury 2 and Fatal Fury Special as well as his appearance in the Real Bout games, where he appears as a normal character while the deceased Geese appears as a "nightmare" one. Furthermore, Memories of Stray Wolves was released only in Japan as a DVD in a limited soundtrack collection without the involvement of either Takashi Nishiyama or Hiroshi Matsumoto, the creators of the series, who had long gone from SNK at the time of release, so his supposed suicide has not been established within a proper game. This only applies to the Fatal Fury continuity since Krauser was depicted alive and well in The King of Fighters '94 and even participated in The King of Fighters '96.
• Card-Carrying Villain: Downplayed on the "villain" part, as he's not really evil per se. That being said, when Krauser introduces himself to the player before his boss fight in Fatal Fury 2, he refers to himself as "The Sovereign of Darkness".
• Clothing Damage: Self-inflicted, no less! Poked at with his Real Bout 2 ending, where his butlers become more and more PO'ed at having to refit Krauser's armor just for him to break out of it. Eventually, they uppercut him into the stratosphere.
• Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: Geese's general aesthetic is based heavily on traditional Japanese imagery, while Krauser's is classical European. This is most exemplified in their stages, Geese fights atop a skyscraper adorned with Japanese architecture and statues, while Krauser's is a sprawling castle in Germany.
• Deathly Dies Irae: The use of the song as Krauser's stage theme in 2 and Special is meant to convey that, in addition to Cultured Badass, he is The Dreaded.
• Disappeared Dad: Fought and killed his (and Geese's) own father for the rights to become Earl. He honors his father one day a year by playing Mozart on his organ.
• Dramatic Wind: During his iconic "I'll chisel your gravestone! Sleep well!" intro in '98UM when put up against any Fatal Fury original (or Ryo).
• The Dreaded: Even Geese was afraid of him, who at 15, experienced a total Curb-Stomp Battle by a nine years old Krauser who would have killed him if it wasn't for Rudolph stopping him. And when Krauser was 15, he killed Rudolph in one punch during a duel to the death for the right of succession to the Krauser name. Since then, the mere idea of facing him in the world of martial arts was widely considered worldwide to be a death wish.
• Driven to Suicide: According to Memories of Stray Wolves, Krauser committed suicide sometime after his loss at the hands of Terry.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: His head has a "X" going across it, but Krauser is not a hero.
• Graceful Loser: Krauser has no hard feelings towards anyone capable of besting him in battle. When you beat him in Fatal Fury 2/Special, he gets back up just to shout "You were perfect! I met...my maaaaatch!" before falling back down, in honor of your skills.
• Gratuitous English: KOF All Star gives him a Japanese voice actor, and his English becomes more broken.
• Hunk: In a graceful, yet rugged way.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: A promotional artwork◊ for KOF '96 shows him walking in the countryside with two Dobermann dogs. That, and as already said, he's a rather pleasant and noble person unless you're his opponent.
• Let's Fight Like Gentlemen: As already established, in the confines of a match, there is no room for restraint and Krauser will call upon all of his strength to win, which he sees as a form of honor. However, if this weren't a fight he'd gladly sit down and share a glass of wine with you.
• Leitmotif: A Neo Geo arrangement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's rendition of Die Irae
• Lightning Bruiser: Even with his armour on, this guy is way faster than he looks.
• Luke, I Am Your Father: Apparently, Geese is his half-brother.
• Named After Somebody Famous: Shares the given name of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. His stage music is also taken from Mozart's Requiem in D Minor.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Krauser bears a very strong resemblance to Jake Roberts, one of the most legendary wrestling heels of all time.
• Noble Demon: To a degree. He's not evil per se, just a major Combat Pragmatist who doesn't have any mercy on his opponents, yet is more or less pleasant while not fighting. His character bio implies that he respects honest, well intended warriors and despises people with unwarranted egos.
• Playing with Fire: Blitz Ball (no, not that Blitzball), anyone?
• Public Domain Soundtrack: Dies Irae in Fatal Fury 2 and Special. Lacrimosa in the Real Bout series.
• Ret-Canon: Originally, Krauser was simply a rival crimelord whom Geese was afraid to take on. The anime specials established Krauser and Geese's relationship as that of half-brothers and SNK went with this scenario for the games from Fatal Fury Special and onward.
• Self-Made Orphan: Killed his father to become the Earl of Strolheim.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Manly man to Laurence's sensitive guy.
• Shirtless Scene: When he breaks out of that armor, that is. It becomes a Running Gag in his Real Bout 2 ending, as mentioned above.
• Shout-Out: His name, taken from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (who's compositions serve as Krauser's stage themes) and one of the ring names from former pro wrestler Karl Istaz.
• SNK Boss: Albeit only in 2. For instance, he can use his Desperation Attack anytime he wants, even when he isn't low on health.
• Spirited Competitor: Krauser craves competition, in fact his character bio even lists weak opponents as one of his dislikes.
• Standard Power Up Pose: Performed in both his intro pose as he discards his armor, and his Real Bout victory animation where he even dons a Battle Aura to go with it.
• Token Good Teammate: Calling him "good" might be a stretch, but he's this for the Boss Team in KOF 96. While all three are ruthless crime lords, Geese and Mr. Big are callous and greedy, meanwhile Krauser tags along just to fight strong opponents.
• Tornado Move: His Gigantic Cyclone SDM, a command grab that sees him pull his opponents in and drag them up into the air while performing a wind powered spinning lariat.
• Wicked Cultured: As the Best Friends Zaibatsu puts it, he hires a full orchestra to play Mozart's Requiem while he whoops your ass. Krauser himself is also a skilled organ player.
• Wrestler in All of Us: Utilizes several wrestling moves in his moveset such as suplexes, power bombs and drop kicks.
• Your Size May Vary: Krauser is always a tall and imposing fighter, but his build changes heavily between games. In Fatal Fury 2 and the King of Fighters series, he's lean but muscular, while in the Real Bout games he's much wider and bulkier.

Ryo Sakazaki/Mr. Karate

From KOF XIII

Origin: Japan

Fighting Style: Kyokugenryu Karate

Guest Fighter from the Art of Fighting series, where he serves as the main protagonist. The son of Takuma Sakazaki, older brother of Yuri Sakazaki, and best friend/rival of Robert Garcia. Practices Kyokugenryu karate, which was created by his father. Originally appeared in Fatal Fury Special as a hidden boss character. Canonically, he is considerably older than the main cast of Fatal Fury, which is reflected in his second appearance during Wild Ambition (where he uses the moniker "Mr. Karate II", which is taken from his father's on-again, off-again persona).

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See Art Of Fighting I for tropes on him

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