Characters / The King of Fighters 2003

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Main Series
Protagonists | Deuteragonists
The King Of Fighters: The Rugal Saga
The King of Fighters: The Orochi Saga: KOF '95 | KOF '96 | KOF '97
The King of Fighters: The NESTS Chronicles: KOF '99 | KOF 2000 | KOF 2001
The King of Fighters: The Tales of Ash: KOF 2003 | KOF XI
The King of Fighters: The New Age: KOF XIV | KOF XV
Spin Offs
The King of Fighters EX | Maximum Impact
Related Series
Athena | Psycho Soldier | Fatal Fury | Art of Fighting | Samurai Shodown | Metal Slug | Fu'un Series | Buriki One

Characters in The King of Fighters debuting in The King of Fighters 2003.

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Ash Team

Ash Crimson

See the Protagonists page for tropes on him.

Duo Lon

Silent Assassin

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

Origin: China

Fighting style: Piercing Pugilism of the Wailing Underworld, Preternatural Curse Combat

Voiced by: ^note Tsunehito Maruo (2003-XIII), Josh Keller (XII, English), Keisuke Komoto (XV)

Playable in: ^note 2003, XI, XII, XIII, XV (as DLC)

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. Later he and Elisabeth team up with his and Ash's ex teammate Shen Woo, and they get ready to confront Ash again.

After being absent from the series for some time, Duo Lon is set to return in XV as a part of its 2nd season of DLC.

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• Antagonistic Offspring: His goal in life is to kill his father who's a much eviler assassin than Duo Lon.
• Badass Back: Frequently seen in his moveset, particularly during/after his DMs.
• Badass in a Nice Suit: As seen in "Assassin Night"◊ (a promotional short story set before 2003), where Duo Lon infiltrates a formal party in Shanghai, wearing his hair down and donning a snazzy suit.
• 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.
• The Cameo: While not playable in XV's base roster, he appears in Team Ash's ending.
• Creepy Good: Quiet, cynical, with a ghastly Battle Aura that creeps many people out, very somber and solemn, raised as an assassin, very creepy fighting stance... but he's actually a kindhearted Nice Guy and very firmly on the side of good.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Despite his creepily dark appearance and powers, 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, who may or may not become his Archnemesis Dad in the upcoming years.
• Dissonant Serenity: At times. For example, he expresses some sort of happiness from the prospect that dying would free him from his heavy burdens in life (presumably his standing as a Hizoku assassin and Ron's son).
• Doppelgänger 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.
• Emo: Called this by Joe.
• Good Is Not Soft: A Nice Guy through and through, as well as one of the most unambiguously heroic characters in the series. In spite of his aversion to killing, as an assassin, Duo Lon is very capable of doing so if need be, as seen in a promotional comic for 2003 set before the events of the game. His winquotes in XIII can also be pretty blunt if he takes issue with someone, especially Iori.
• Nuclear Family: Is the eldest of nine children, all male. Also has a half-sister in the form of Xiao Lon. Backstory dictates that the family as a whole dabbles in Big, Screwed-Up Family and (by technicalities) Royally Screwed Up.
• Painfully Slow Projectile: His Ju-on Shi Katamari in XIII. Its DM equivalent in previous titles, Hiden Genmu Ju-on Shikon, was launched at faster speeds, but dealt full damage if used at close range. In theory, the projectile's slow crawl could be used to bait the opponent or create a cross-up in conjunction with Duo Lon's Hike Kyaku.
• Professional Killer: Comes from an entire clan of assassins.
• The Quiet One: Not so much as Lin, but Duo Lon is described as "laconic."
• 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, naming the Genmu Ken and Genmu Kyaku.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He seemingly only joined Ash and Shen because he enjoyed their company but immediately jumped shipped once he caught wind of Ash's dubious intentions.
• Spell My Name With An S: The actual pinyin of his name is "Duo Long".
• Summon Magic: Can summon spirits from the netherrealm.
• The Stoic: Pretty much the only time he raises his voice is when he's in pain.
• 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.
• Technical Pacifist: An assassin who actually dislikes the prospect of fighting and gets no enjoyment out of it (unless he's facing Shen). Yes, it is as ironic as it sounds. Duo Lon even admits that he can't change who he is or his upbringing so easily, equating himself to a tree rooted in the abyss while chatting with Kim in XIII.
• The Wise Prince: Kind and noble? Check. Melancholic disposition? Check. Skilled warrior who detests fighting? Check. He even has the "aristocratic" angle somewhat covered; as he's the son of Hizoku's former Xi Du deva and leader, Duo Lon and his eight brothers were sometimes referred to as princes.

Shen Woo

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

Origin: Unknown (raised in China)

Fighting style: Boxing

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

Playable in: ^note 2003, XI, XII, XIII

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.

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• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: He's one heck of a street brawler, and he's pretty proud of that.
• Badass Normal: A majority of his moves are just "Punch REALLY REALLY HARD". 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 irony here is that that said move is literally named "Tamaken" (Bullet Fist).
• The Cameo: He appears in Team Ash's ending in XV.
• Easily Forgiven: Similar to Duo Lon, he doesn't really stop thinking of Ash as a friend, even after the incident with Oswald rubs him the wrong way. His XIII winquote against Ash has him offering to go get something to eat with Ash after he settles the issue with him in their fight.
• 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: He doesn't concern himself with anything too fancy, just preferring to smash in the face of whatever's in his way with his fists.
• Has a Type: If his interactions with Mature and Vice in XIII are any indication, he seems to have a thing for sadists.
  Shen: I have a thing for crazy women like you. Give me your best shot!
• Hot-Blooded: Which contrasts Duo Lon's cool-headed demeanor.
• It's a Small World, After All: XIII all but states that he and Chin met each other in the past. Shen never refers to Chin by name and gets pissed off whenever he shows up, and Chin tries to troll him when this happens. And it's really funny.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He may be wild and reckless, but deep down inside, he values friendship and loyalty more than anyone else.
• Let's You and Him Fight: The main reason he gets sick of Ash in XIII is because he was set up to fight Oswald in XI.
• Megaton Punch: His signature move, Gekiken (Raging Fist) (can also be charged up), and his primary DM version of it, Zetsu! Gekiken (Suppress! Raging Fist).
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Shen Woo is the name he picked up while brawling in Shanghai. It means "Divine Martial"; 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.
• Pretty Boy: Groomed hair? Check. Walking Shirtless Scene? Check. Handsome features? Check. Plenty of bad boy attitude? Check.
• 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? Though in pinyin, his name is actually meant to be "Shen Wu".
• Stay in the Kitchen: It only really shows up in XIII, but he somewhat sees women as inferior in combat and will usually express disgust or boredom if he has to fight one.
  (to Athena): "This is not a place for little girls! Go home and sleep before you get hurt!"
  (to Elisabeth): "I'm a nice guy, so let me give you some advice. Women should stay the heck away!"
  (to Leona): "Women never put up enough of a fight. But I'll admit, you weren't bad."
  • That said, his dialogues with Mature and Vice seem to suggest he really enjoys women who will come at him with the intent to kill or put a lot of force into their attacks like he does. His dialogues with King also have him admit he doesn't believe women inherently can't fight, praising her for giving him a fun battle if he wins.
• Stock Foreign Name: Subverted, Shen Woo was only raised in Shanghai. His real name is also unknown, suggesting that Shen actually isn't Chinese.
• Tattooed Crook: Well, more so "extremely violent brawler" than outright crook, but still.
• Tattoo as Character Type: The main one, depicting (among other things) what appears to be twin seahorses and a pair of bat wings, is on his back, fitting his status as an unruly brawler. The armband-like markings on his forearms seem more like badges of honor as opposed to having any deeper, more personal reasons.
• Tall, Dark, and Snarky: 6'2" and brash as hell.
  Shen Woo: "You really are one tiring opponent. You are one big gestalt of boredom!"
• Trademark Favorite Food: Shanghai Crabs. One story image in XIII shows him scarfing his mouth full of them.
• Turns Red: His original LDM-turned-normal DM, Bakushin (Bursting Truth); an explosion of fury that powers him up for a while.
• 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.
• 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.
  • 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.
• Use Your Head: Depending on the game, he does this three times in succession for his throws.
• Would Hit a Girl: Makes it quite clear in his win quote against Mature.
  (to Mature) "You wanna know one of my strong points? I have no problem hitting women!"

Fatal Fury Team

Tizoc / The Griffon Mask

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

Origin: Mexico

Fighting style: Pro Wrestling

Voiced by: ^note Hikaru Hanada

Playable in: 2003, XI

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

In XIV, he has given up his way of justice and pulled a Face–Heel Turn due to unknown circumstances he keeps to himself, becoming the King of Dinosaurs.

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See The King of Fighters XIV for tropes about him in the Dinosaur persona

See Garou: Mark of the Wolves for tropes on him

Outlaw Team

Gato

"Amateurs pretending to be martial artists have no place here!"

Origin: Unknown

Fighting style: Bajiquan + Xinyiliuhequan

Voiced by: ^note  Kouji Ishii (2003-XI), Yuma Yamaguchi (XV)

Playable in: ^note 2003, XI, XV (as DLC)

A practitioner of Chinese martial arts. Gato is searching for a mysterious man connected to his past who he has sworn vengeance against and embarked upon a dark path in order to find. Cold, ruthless, and deadly serious, Gato has fully subsumed himself into perfecting his style, believing all others to be weak and insignificant before him in the face of his goal. In the Fatal Fury timeline he enters the tournament held by Kain, believing that he 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 the KOF timeline, 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. He returns in XV as part of the Garou team along with Rock and B. Jenet, having been enticed with information on his father.

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See Garou: Mark of the Wolves for tropes on him

High School Girls Team

Malin

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

Origin: Japan

Fighting style: Various weaponary

Voiced by: ^note Kazuyo Inosako

Playable in: ^note 2003, XI

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...

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• Aborted Arc: Her bio in the 2003 game seemed to indicate she was going to be involved in the larger scheme of the plot. Turns out that wasn't case and she's quickly relegated to comedy relief in the 11th game.
• Airplane Arms: While running.
• Cute, but Cacophonic: She's a pretty young girl but has a childish, high-pitched voice.
• 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 KOF invitations and hair decorations before either girl could even blink.
• 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.
• Inconsistent Spelling: According to Word of God, her name is supposed to be spelled "Malin", which is the Swedish version of the name 'Magdalene'. Since the Japanese language lacks an "L" sound, the "Marin" spelling tends to pop up often in media.
• Killer Yoyo: Her yo-yo is bladed and very dangerous.
• Put on a Bus: Has yet to be playble after XI and mostly appears in cameos and other team's endings instead.
• The Rival: To Yuri, who called her style "cowardly."
• 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, which doubles as Irony since one of Malin's dislikes from within her official profile is bugs themselves. 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: The Tomboy to Yuri's Girly Girl.
• Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Her profile notes that Malin's forte in sports is swimming and badminton and that she prizes her made-to-order hammer. It also mentions her dislike of bugs and frogs, her love of J-pop (perhaps lending further credence to the possibility that Malin belongs to the same Athena fan club Jhun Hoon is part of), and her musical expertise when it comes to the clarinet and koto.

Bosses

Adelheid Bernstein

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

Origin: Unknown

Fighting style: A composite style mastering all fighting styles

Voiced by: ^note Tetsuya Tanaka

Playable in: ^note 2003, XI

Boss character in: ^note 2003

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 little 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. In XIII he becomes a key player in regards to investigating Those from the Past, who have brainwashed Rose into assisting them.

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• Aloof Older Brother: Subverted, as the console version of XIII proves this is an act. When Adelheid discovers his sister Rose acting out of character and fails to confront her, he becomes emotionally distraught over not understanding the cause. See Big Brother Instinct for his reaction when Rose is released from Botan's control.
• Attack Reflector: One of the attacks he inherits from his father is his reflector.
• Audible Sharpness: His Groß Kreis (Great Circle) DM, which is a slide leading into a toned-down version of the Genocide Cutter.
• Anti-Villain: Subverted, because he's not a villain at all. His battle in 2003 ended up being less life-threatening than it seemed at first.
• Berserk Button: Endangering his sister breaks his stoicism and has him call for help from people he normally wouldn't ask.
• The Berserker: Adelheid is a rushdown character and plays very aggressively. In 2003 his AI often neglects blocking in favor of trying to attack.
• Better by a Different Name: "Adel" was the nameplate used for his lifebar in 2003. Fans preferred to use that in general 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. This quote from XIII's Story Mode exemplifies it perfectly, especially since it's paired with a CG of Rose collapsing into a distressed Adel's arms as she's released from Botan's control and Ash rewrites time to eliminate Saiki and himself.
  "To protect Rose as her brother — that is his role. It would never change, come hell and high water... In the end his memory was completely gone, but a strong sense of fulfillment remained. Adelheid succeeded in protecting Rose."
• 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 where he is fought and also apparently where he lives, is an advanced airship with a piano in the middle (that Rose likes to play).
• Dark Is Not Evil: Wears an all-black (with some gold) ensemble, but is far more heroic and kinder than his father.
• Declaration of Protection: Ties in with Big Brother Instinct, as mentioned above.
• Demoted to Extra: Despite being the supposed deuteragonist of the Tales of Ash, his role seems to diminish with each passing game: He goes from being a Final Boss in 2003 to a mid-boss in XI to an NPC in XIII to finally devolving into a complete Sequel Non-Entity from XIV onward.
• Form-Fitting Wardrobe: In case he couldn't look enough like Rugal, he also wears a form-fitting sleeveless top, too. Albeit without the suit jacket that Rugal wore back in '94.
• Gender-Blender Name: "Adelheid" is a feminine name in German so the shortened form from 2003, "Adel", is commonly used instead.
• Glass Cannon: In XI, at least. His attacks hit hard and stun fairly easily, especially his DMs, which are among the best in the game. However, he has the worst defense modifier in the game^note Each character has around 110 health, but takes more or less damage based on a hidden multiplier. Adelheid's is the highest in the game, at x1.11, and his only defensive tools are the aforementioned DMs.
• Graceful Loser: Adelheid takes defeat pretty well, accepting defeat with dignity and not allowing Rose to be a Sore Loser on his behalf, very much unlike his father.
• Gratuitous German: Not spoken, though. All of his attacks are written in German, although it's clear what they're supposed to be.
• Kamehame Hadoken: The G. Kronprinz from XI, which is his take on his father's (which is cribbed from Krauser) Kaiser Wave.
• Lightning Bruiser: He is noticeably faster than his father at the cost of some of the power. In 2003, Adel can zip across the screen instantly and hit like a mule, especially with his Grosse Sklaves LDM, which does 60 percent damage and starts up instantaneously. Also unlike Rugal, he has some ability to do combos, while Rugal famously had few combo options in most of his appearances.
• Like Father, Unlike Son: Rugal is a sadistic, power hungry, and murderous monster. Adelheid is a Spirited Competitor who is also a Graceful Loser and is never shown doing anything evil ^note even fighting the winning team in 2003 on the SkyNoah did not involve kidnapping, since a mind-controlled Chizuru teleported the team there.
• Morality Chain: Rose is almost completely devoted to Adel, and he keeps her from being too much like their father.
• Moveset Clone: Downplayed. Adel, on the surface might seem like a clone of his father (down to a similar appearance) and can be a SNK Boss like him (especially in 2003), but plays much differently than Rugal. For a start, his moveset is much smaller than Rugal's, only having three Special Moves at his disposal (Reppuken, Dark Barrier, and God Press - or G. Kicken, Wand, and Drucken, respectively), while what are normal Special Moves to Rugal (such as Genocide Cutter and Kaiser Wave) are Super Special Moves to Adel, and his normals are vastly different than those of his father's. Furthermore, whereas Rugal prefers the mid-range and a pretty strong zoning game, Adel is the inverse, boasting amazing mobility and fantastic pressure, especially with the threat of G. Drucken.
• Noble Demon: This is what he appears to be in 2003 when he honorably releases the team. Then fully subverted in future games because it turns out he was never a villain.
• Out of Focus: Despite the fact that 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 and playing a very important role backstage. He's not playable, but according to Word of God, he was planned to be.
  • A trading card◊ from The King of Fighters-i (an iOS port of XIII) shows what appears to be an XIII-styled Adel sprite standing in the XIII SkyNoah stage. Character art concepts also exist for his XIII profile◊ and winquote screen◊.
• The Protagonist: Said to be one by the creators in the Ash Saga, shared with Ash. This does not match with the relative lack of screentime and importance he has in the arc.
• Public Domain Soundtrack: In 2003, you fight him while listening to Chopin's "Revolutionary Etude No. 12" (better known as Kakumei ["Revolution"] to DanceDanceRevolution and beatmania players), but then about a minute in it turns into an unintelligible techno song called "R2."
• Put on a Bus: All-Star aside, Adel hasn't been playable in a mainline entry since KOF XI, which was released in 2005.
• Redeeming Replacement: Rugal is one of the evilest characters in KOF canon, responsible for several atrocities before the events of '94 (the likes of which include murdering Heidern's entire battalion, his family, and taking his eye - all for a very petty reason). Adel, by contrast, is far nicer and more sociable, even taking his loss in '03 in stride, unlike Rose. On top of that, he's also working directly with his father's Arch-Enemy if XIII is anything to go by.
• Rule of Cool: He fires Reppukens with his feet, something that no other character does.
• Sibling Yin-Yang: He and Rose are opposite of each other: He inherits his father's fighting style but is a noble fighter, while she inherits her father's pride and ego but is a noncombatant.
• Slide Attack: G. Kreis, but only if performed with D (HK); inputting the command with B (LK) will have Adel perform the original version of Rugal's Genocide Cutter from a stationary position. The standing version is straightforward but has more power behind it, while the sliding version is better suited for combo purposes.
• SNK Boss: In 2003, where he has high damage output and strong supers, though he is not as frustrating to defeat as his father. Toned down somewhat in XI, where he was just a mid-boss and is competitively high-tier, but not banned.
• 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.
• Strong Family Resemblance: He's a younger, shorter haired, slightly shorter heighted Rugal who's missing a mustache.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Adel always seems 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.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Oddly enough, he has quite a bit in common with Rock Howard. Notably, both characters are descended from their respective series' most iconic Big Bads, they carry over some of their signature moves but with their own respective twists on them (i.e., Adel does a slide before using his own take on Genocide Cutter), are fairly simple and easy-to-learn characters (though Adel is a SNK Boss unlike Rock), and just for fun, they're both blond-haired, red-eyed Bishōnen.
• Take That!: When Adel loses in 2003 and Rose wants to force him to fight the team again, he says "To fight over and over until victory is meaningless". This is a jab at Arcade players, who are known for sinking dozens of tokens/coins to defeat very difficult bosses made by SNK.
• The Stoic: He doesn't really get worked up very much. It's rather notable with Rose, but don't take that to mean he doesn't care.
• "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.

Maki Kagura

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

Origin: Japan

Fighting style: Kagura-style ancient martial arts

Voiced by: ^note Kazuyo Inosako

Boss character in: ^note 2003

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 KOF 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.

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• Animal Motifs: "If the younger sister Chizuru Kagura is the stork, the elder sister Maki Kagura's name comes from the tortoise (storks live a thousand years, but tortoises live 10,000)."
• Barrier Maiden: Like Chizuru, she was tasked with keeping Orochi sealed.
• Combat Stilettos: Since she wears the same outfit as her sister, she also fights in very high heels.
• Cynicism Catalyst: She's the reason Chizuru became a Lady of Black Magic adamant on finding skilled fighters to help her combat Goenitz and the rest of the Orochi Hakkesshu in the first place.
• Dance Battler: Most of her attacks look like dancing, moreso than Chizuru.
• Dead-Hand Shot: In KOF: KYO, we only see her tiny and blood-covered hand in the manga's rendition of her murder.
• Doppelgänger Attack: A major aspect of her fighting style, like Chizuru, though she also uses them for her Teleport Spam.
• Everything's Better with Sparkles: Her moves are very sparkly and magical, like a fairy (which is the name of her battle theme).
• Gameplay and Story Integration: If the player loses to Chizuru and Maki, the winquote UI will say the enemy team is just Chizuru, which is a subtle way to indicate that Maki does not exist. This is not present in console releases, where Maki actually will have winquotes.
• Glamour Failure: The Maki clone looks and fights like Chizuru, but her winpose has her face distort and her limbs elongate like a demon◊ while she dances, very much unlike the more natural dance Chizuru is known for◊ in her winpose.
• Heroic Sacrifice: 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.
• Identical Twin ID Tag: Though they look very similar, Maki's clothes are slightly bluer shade of white, versus Chizuru's slightly yellow shade.
• Lady of War: Her dancing fighting style makes her even more graceful than Chizuru.
• Long Hair Is Feminine: She has very long hair and presents in a very feminine manner. She was planned to have shorter hair than Chizuru originally, however, to make them more visibly different.
• 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: Maki's name comes from the tortoise, a long lived person. This is to indicate her long tradition and her life being cut short.
• Miko: Though Chizuru is the only one seen wearing these outfits, Maki presumably would have done it during her life.
• Posthumous Character: The real Maki was killed by Goenitz before the series started, and the one that appears in 2003 is an illusionary copy.
• Power Nullifier: One of Maki's supers can prevent you from using super or special moves, causing your character to glow blue until it ends.
• 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.
• 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. Maki's Doppelgänger Attack spam and Teleport Spam makes her a very disorienting foe to fight.
• Spirit Advisor: In the Alternate Universe manga KOF: G. Maki's spirit appears in the last volume to emotionally support Chizuru after she's beaten to almost death by Goenitz, and later she's also seen inside Iori's mind after he's barely defeated by the Japan Team, begging him to fight Goenitz with Kyo and Athena — and he does so.
  • Also present in canon. In the Women Fighters Team's ending in '97, Maki's voice calls out to a somber Chizuru to cheer her little sister up, telling Chizuru that she'll always be with her.
• Teleport Spam: A major reason for why she is challenging is her tendency to spam teleport and its often not clear which direction she is standing relative to the player character.
• Wrench Wench: Chizuru is a biker, while Maki enjoyed fixing up her motorcycle.

Mukai

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

Origin: Unknown

Fighting style: Unique form

Voiced by: ^note Toshihiro Shigetsuka

Boss character in: ^note 2003

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. He reappears in XIII, only to be ultimately double-crossed and killed by his own leader Saiki.

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• Anti-Villain (Type I): Easily the most venerable member of his group. He's usually civil and polite and is among the few 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.
• Arc Villain: Of 2003, shared with Botan, though Mukai takes the spotlight since he's the actual fighter between them. He and Botan were sent by Those from the Past to control Chizuru Kagura to break the Orochi seal. After the team defeats Chizuru, the two taunt the team and Mukai challenges them to a battle to test if they will "survive the new age". Even though he survives, Mukai disappears and does not return in XI. And his return in XIII is very short lived.
• Back for the Dead: For a while he held the notable position of being the only Final Boss from this franchise to survive his debut game besides Rugal in '94.Unfortunately, after being absent in XI, Mukai gets offed during his quick cameo in XIII, by his own boss, no less.
• Black Eyes of Evil: His eye color tends to change between this and Monochromatic Eyes Depending on the Artist, but the most common depiction of his eyes is that his sclera are black, while his irises are white.
• Blood Knight: He is excited for his task to test the winning team's strength, and his profile has his likes and hobbies all related to combat and training.
• Breaking Old Trends: Mukai changed some of the existing trends in the series in his introduction.
  • Mukai is the first boss in the KOF series who is not human or possessing a human body (in the case of Orochi). Bosses since Mukai have mostly followed suit, leaning towards the inhuman and monstrous, rather than powerful human fighters that came before.
  • Mukai is also the first character associated with Earth-related powers that actually fights with those powers. Daimon's earth-shaking ability is treated as a Charles Atlas Superpower rather than an innate ability to manipulate Earth, and Orochi Yashiro's Earth powers border on Informed Ability since his fighting style never directly incorporates it. Later earth-based fighters like Kukri and Dolores continue this new trend that Mukai set.
• Creepy Circus Music: His theme, "Styx" sounds akin to evil circus music, which is very odd given that Mukai does not look at all clown-like. This is even more pronounced with the arranged version of the track.
• Dishing Out Dirt: He has earth-based powers that he incorporates extensively into his fighting style. He stomps to create giant stones and he throws rocks as his main projectile. His earth manipulation is most dangerous with its Taken for Granite properties, with his LDM being a full-screen petrifying wave.
• The Dragon: To Saiki in XIII. But Saiki decides he does not need a dragon for his plans at that point and kills Mukai.
• Evil Is Bigger: While bosses in this series tend to be taller and heavier than the average character, Mukai is the tallest and heaviest of them all, standing 231 cm (7'7) and weighting 168 kg (370 lbs). He is the tallest character in the series and 2nd heaviest behind Chang.
• Family-Unfriendly Death: Saiki first punches him through the chest, then drains him to a skeletal husk.
• Golem: Fits the physical description, but is actually quite intelligent.
• Hunk: As inhuman as he looks, he's still quite built and fairly handsome. Especially compared to how much of an eyesore Magaki is...
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: He demonstrates a pretty good track record in his limited screentime. He and Botan succeed in their goal of breaking the Orochi seal and both get away unharmed after fighting the team (something the duo in XI failed at). Then he gives sensible advice to his master in XIII. Unfortunately his master is far from sensible and kills him for giving that advice.
• Mighty Glacier: Along with Clone Zero from 2000, Mukai is one of the few KOF bosses that are slower than the average character (though his LDM is the fastest super in the series). He makes up for this by having a huge amount of invincibility frames and autoguard on his normal attacks for defense. For offense he has some of the highest damage output in the whole series between his projectiles and supers.
• Monochromatic Eyes: Some depictions of Mukai have him with eyes that are fully white or yellow.
• No-Sell: Normal attacks are not very useful against him because of his auto-guard mechanics (or sometimes complete invincibility) in his own normal attacks. It is very unwise to try to match blows with him, and it is also pretty common for attacks that look like they should hit him to completely whiff because he was invincible for that time.
• Power Glows: His tattoos partially glow in a way that resembles a flow.
• Slasher Smile: Default sprite expression, oddly enough. This gets creepier considering that the well-spoken, respectful Mukai is the Noble Demon of his group.
• Taken for Granite: One of his grabs and his Leader DM turn his opponent into rock for a moment. Mukai also does this to himself when he's blocking.
• The Battle Didn't Count: An odd variation. Mukai seems to be exhausted after being defeated, stands up, and then someone in the team says that he's suddenly unscathed. It's unknown if it was this trope or someone healed his wounds.
• Token Good Teammate: Downplayed, since he's still a villain for helping Saiki. Mukai is loyal, honorable, and respects his foes. This is unlike every other member of his organization, who are all very villainous and prone to backstabbing each other. Even Shion, who shares Mukai's respect for human potential, is sadistic and cruel compared to him.
• 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.
• Unskilled, but Strong: Mukai's close combat skills are not elegant at all and his fighting style is simplistic (shown most clearly by his standard projectile being him throwing a rock), but he does not need more than his strength and powers to defeat most of his enemies.
• Villain Respect: After he loses to the team, Mukai is completely impressed with them and the potential strength of humanity.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: Pretty much never wears a shirt in all of his appearances.
• The Worf Effect: Saiki brutally killing Mukai in one hit emphasizes the danger he poses.