Spoilers before The King of Fighters XV are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!

The characters in The King of Fighters debuting in The King of Fighters '96.

open/close all folders

See the folder below for tropes on characters returning from past entries:

Returning Characters

For tropes on Athena
For tropes on Kensou
For tropes on Terry, Andy, and Joe
For tropes on Mai and Kim
For tropes on Yuri, Ryo, Robert, and King
For tropes on Kyo
For tropes on Iori
For tropes on Benimaru, Daimon, Ralf, Clark, Chang, and Choi

Ikari Warriors Team

Leona Heidern

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kof_xv_leona_render.png

Silent Soldier

^{Riot of the Blood}

^{Classic Outfit}

"I do not intend to forget the past. But I also do not intend to throw away the future."

Origin: Unknown

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/10c06342_71a7_425a_a1f4_b6d32940b6f7.png

Fighting style: Heidern-style assassination arts

Voiced by: ^note

Playable in: ^note

Young Leona's father, Gaidel, was one of the Orochi heralds, but when Goenitz visited his village to remind him of his role in Orochi's resurrection, Gaidel wanted no part of it. As punishment for his betrayal, Goenitz forced his pre-teen daughter into the Riot of the Blood state, causing her to go berserk and slaughter the entire village singlehandedly, including her family. When she woke up and saw what she had done, a traumatised and amnesiac Leona then wandered aimlessly until she was found by Heidern; he planned to drop off her at an orphanage, but found Leona had cut down a tree with her bare hands, and not to mention he had lost his own daughter some time ago. She was adopted by Heidern shortly afterwards, becoming his de facto daughter. Although she appears cold, she maintains this persona out of fear that being emotional will cause her to regress into the Riot once more.

Action Girl: She is a trained mercenary after all.
Alternate Company Equivalent: It could be argued that she’s one of Cammy from Capcom’s Street Fighter. Both are VERY stoic soldiers with a dark past where they were under the influence of dark forces and later on were afraid of succumbing to said forces again and hurt their loved ones. The only major difference is that Cammy is a bit “happier” than Leona and is seeing smiling a lot more.
Apocalypse Maiden: As Orochi Leona in '97.
Ascended Glitch: Her infamous salute to Chang in '98 was originally a bug. Word of God said this was intentional, but it led to a plethora of both fan and official art as well as a few fan theories back in the day.
- It's now Ascended Meme status as of XIV; playing as either Leona or Chang in Story Mode will result in a special cutscene in which they both salute each other.
Battle Intro: In XV:
"She executes her orders with chilling accuracy. The Silent Soldier in all her glory! Leona Heidern!
Leona: "Target acquired. Moving to eliminate."
Blood-Splattered Innocents: Horrible subversion: she was the one who killed the people whose blood she's splattered with. When under More than Mind Control, to be fair.
Break the Cutie: Her backstory. Goenitz induced the Riot of the Blood in her when she was a child and made her slaughter her whole village. Several Ikari Warriors endings involve Ralf and Clark trying to cheer her up.
Broken Bird: She unwittingly slaughtered her family and village when under the influence of Orochi, and feels a constant urge to keep all of her emotions suppressed out of fear of hurting anyone again, which just makes it difficult to forge bonds with others. By XIV, she appears to be slowly growing of this mindset, if her team's ending is any indication.
Cast from Hit Points: Exclusive to 2002, she has a move where she can turn into Orochi Leona mid-fight, but it drains her HP to 50% and she can't use it if she's already at below half health.
Character Development:
- Initially Leona did not salute Ralf like she did with Clark, even though Ralf is superior in rank to her and Clark, that might have to do with Ralf's brash and somewhat carefree personality which might not inspire authority on someone as serious as Leona; however after the Orochi Saga ends with Ralf telling Leona she is not a slave to fate (of being an Orochi pawn) a speech that mirrored her own father’s, she seemly warms up to him, the following games has Leona saluting Ralf as well in their Special Intro.
- In XIV, the Ikari Team ending contains many instances of Leona smiling and she flat out saying how fun it is being together with Ralf, Clark, Whip and Heidern; there was a time Leona smiling just once was the climax of any Ikari Team ending.
- Her EX DMs and Neo MAX in XIII seem to imply that Leona is learning how to better control her Orochi form, at least for short bursts of time.
Charge-Input Special: Many of her specials are performed with charge inputs. "Moon Slasher", "Grand Saber", and "Baltic Launcher" are the most prominent.
Child Soldiers: Became one of the "just plain tragic" type after being taken in by Heidern.
Dash Attack: Her Grand Saber special has her running towards her foe and then slicing them with her arm.
Deadly Upgrade: During her Riot of the Blood state she gets increased power and speed but she loses control of herself and vomits blood.
Death from Above: X-Caliber has her firing an X-shaped projectile at a downward angle.
Does This Remind You of Anything?: Listen to her breathing and notice her crazed, somewhat pleasured look in her Orochi intro.
Dramatic Wind: During her caped/hooded intro before she flings it off of her.
Driven to Suicide: In her '97 ending, she tries to kill herself out of guilt of her actions when her Blood Riot state be unleashed. Thankfully, Ralf is there to intervene, and he's able to coax her out of her depressed state and convince her to keep living.
Emotionless Girl: Of the "emotionally repressed" type. This is done out of fear of her Blood Riot state being triggered.
Enemy Within: Orochi Leona. Her Rebel Spark SDM and her transformation move in 2002 imply she has some control over it, but she comments in XIII that she must "resist what's in her blood".
Energy Ball: Her Baltic Launcher special deploys this in front of her.
Facepalm of Doom: Her Grateful Dead DM (NESTS Saga only) has her do this to her foe while damaging them with a white aura.
Fanservice Pack: From XII onward not only have her outfits gotten more revealing (trading in her more standard military jacket for a dark tank top), she appears to have gone up a couple bra sizes, complete with bouncing as of XIV. The result of this is best shown in XV where her classic costume's thick cropped jacket makes her chest look even larger than it ever was before XII.
Flash Step: One of her DMs in XIII can be summed up as a deadly game of pinball involving blades.
Flung Clothing: Her dress uniform in KOF '96/'98, a cape/hood in KOF '97/'99 (first turn only).
Gratuitous English: Aside from calling the latter half of her Earring Bomb Heart Attack, she also has the rather inexplicable battlecry of "Apple Juice!" when performing her forward throw from 99 onward.
Hair Color Dissonance: In sprites, her eyes used to be green with blue eyebrows. Everywhere else, they were always blue with black eyebrows.
Happily Adopted: Well, as happy as an emotionally repressed, self-orphaned, cursed girl can get, anyway. But she gets along quite well with Heidern.
Having a Blast: in several of her DMs (and higher-ups) such as Rebel Spark and V-Slasher (the latter only as its SDM version) she can make her foe explode.
Heroic BSoD: Had one after the horrendous incident with Goenitz, until she was found and adopted by Heidern.
The Lad-ette: Of the Ikari Warriors team.
Lightning Bruiser: Orochi Leona is stronger and faster than her regular self. At the cost of her sanity, however.
Mind-Control Eyes: As Orochi Leona. Crosses over with Glowing Eyes of Doom and Supernatural Gold Eyes Depending on the Artist.
Multi-Slot Character: Early on, her Orochi form was treated as her own character, while later games make incorporate her Orochi form into her regular forms' attacks.
Odd Friendship: Chang Koehan, of all people, is someone she respects to the point that in XIV, despite him openly going back to being a lowlife crook, she still offers a salute.
Perpetual Frowner: To the point that by the time of XIII, Leona is ordered by her superior officers to smile more often.
Power Dyes Your Hair: Her blue hair turns red when the Riot of the Blood takes her over. During her NEO MAX in XIII she's shown to have her hair briefly turn red, indicating that she can control the Riot's power for a short time. In XIV, her Climax super and the Max Level versions of her normal supers also have her hair turn briefly red meaning she's made quite a bit of progress in learning to control that power.
Primal Stance: As Orochi Leona, as she's hunched over and breathing heavily like a rabid beast. She even runs on all-fours.
Razor-Sharp Hand: Unlike her adoptive father, Leona's is apparently an inherited ability from Gaidel. Again, there's Audible Sharpness.
Rei Ayanami Expy: The Stoic Shy Blue Haired Apocalypse Maiden with a Sugar-and-Ice Personality and Dark and Troubled Past? Yup. Bonus points for debuting around the same time as well.
Replacement Goldfish: To a degree, for her boss and adoptive father.
Self-Made Orphan: Under Goenitz's control, in her defense. It's an immense source of guilt and angst for her.
Shared Signature Move: Moon Slasher, since Heidern can also perform it. Notably, in XIV, Heidern's version covers more space above him due to its circular shape whereas Leona's version has (slightly) better range due to its elliptical shape.
Shy Blue-Haired Girl: Although the "shy" is more like "emotionally withdrawn."
Signature Move: Her Grand Saber special and V-Slasher DM.
Skyward Scream: During her Orochi mode's intro.
Slipknot Ponytail: In one of her winposes.
SNK Boss: Orochi Leona. In this form she's twice as fast, twice as strong, and has new animations that give her priority over several moves (such as her new run animation, which now lets her go underneath fireballs). When you play as her, she has a weaker defense, and is much harder to control, but, yep, she's cheaper than Orochi Iori.
Statuesque Stunner: She stands at 176cm (5'9") tall.
The Stoic: Inherited from her stepfather, though no doubt helped by her tragic backstory.
Sugar-and-Ice Personality: So, so much. Despite her stoic and emotionless façade, she can actually be caring and compassionate. This is better displayed in her winquotes in XIV.
Superpowered Evil Side: When the Orochi power overwhelms her, her speed and attack power increase dramatically (to the point she can walk backwards far faster than any character can walk forwards). However she can't control her actions in this state and will kill whatever is in front of her, regardless of her relationship to them.
Throw Down the Bomblet: Her Earring Bomb special has her, well, throw her exploding earring forward. She seems to have an endless supply of earrings on her ears.
Token Female: She's the first female member of Team Ikari, usually paired with the masculine Ralf and Clark.
Tomboyish Ponytail: Downplayed as it's more about her being very serious and not too girly.
Too Many Belts: In Maximum Impact 2, courtesy of Falcoon.
Trauma-Induced Amnesia: After she slaughtered her village, she was so horrified that she couldn't remember what happened. She found out the truth in '97 and, after being briefly Driven to Suicide, got over it.
Turns Red: Her hair and her skin turn red in her Orochi form.
Unstoppable Rage: When her Orochi blood flares out of control, she becomes savage and insane, indiscriminately ripping everyone she can reach to shreds (including her own father).
When She Smiles: A staple of her team's endings. Learning of her past and horrified by her actions while having succumbed to The Riot of the Blood, Leona attempts to commit suicide after the '97 tournament. Ralf and Clark talk her out of it and cheer her up, prompting Leona to smile for the first time in years. The Ikari Team's ending in XIII takes this a step further. Having fallen unconscious after the tournament, Leona awakes to see Ralf, Clark, and Whip dotingly checking up on her. Touched by the concern of her teammates, Leona laughs.
Why Am I Ticking?: Her Earring Bomb 2: Heart Attack special (only around NESTS saga) has her attach her earring bomb to the opponent. A few seconds later, the earring explodes, harming the foe and allowing for further combos.

Women Fighters Team

Kasumi Todoh

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kasumi_2.png

"The honor of the Todoh school is in my hands. Me, the daughter of Ryuhaku!"

Origin: Japan

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japan_4602.png

Fighting style: Todoh-style Aikijutsu

Voiced by: ^note

Playable in: ^note

Kasumi is the daughter of Ryuhaku Todoh, the first enemy in the original Art of Fighting. She grew up learning the Todoh school of Aikido and Kobujutsu, taught to her by her father. As her family's sole heir, she does all she can to stand up for the Todoh way. When Ryuhaku stayed at Southtown to settle an old score with a man named Takuma Sakazaki, Kasumi remained in her house, waiting for her father's return. A couple of months later, she got some bad news: Ryuhaku had been defeated by Ryo Sakazaki, Takuma's son and hasn't been seen since. She decided to fight Ryo and anybody else in order to avenge her father. Unfortunately enough, her mother Mizuho did not like that idea. But she eventually makes peace with him and returns to Japan with her mother.

See Art of Fighting for tropes on her

Yagami Team

Mature

"Good night. Forever. Have a million sweet dreams."

Origin: Unknown

Fighting style: Speed attacks

Voiced by: ^note

Portrayed by: ^note

Playable in: ^note

One of the servants of Orochi. She, along with Vice, were assigned by Goenitz to watch over Rugal in case he overused his Orochi power, but he did, and both of them were reassigned to watch Iori Yagami. Both of them joined him for the '96 tournament, but they were suddenly and viciously assaulted by Iori when he entered the Riot of the Blood state. Their mortal forms were killed, but their spirits survived. After regaining their forms, they appeared before Iori after his powers were stolen by Ash in XIII and assisted him in getting them back. Still, their true mission was to ensure that Those from the Distant Land did not get their hands on Orochi's power. Mature returned once again in XIV, likely involved with the supernatural air surrounding the new KOF tournament held by Antonov the cause of which is Verse. Her Orochi power is the ability to create illusions.

Ambiguous Situation: Since CYS and Rugal have both been revived and brought back for XV, does that mean her and Vice are back for real after being ghosts since XIII? It seems likely since they're mentioned by Goenitz in passing in Team Awakened Orochi's prologue in XV, but it hasn't been officially confirmed.
- For that matter, whether or not they've pulled a Heel–Face Turn (see below in All Girls Want Bad Boys) or are simply loyal to Iori (who, at best, is an anti-heroic Wild Card) remains to be seen.
Ascended Extra: Remember the woman who escorted you to Rugal's lair in '94? That's Mature.
All Girls Want Bad Boys: She seems to have a crush on her former employer, Rugal (and it's presumably mutual since Rugal asks if she still wants to be his secretary in XIV through Verse). Likewise, she and Vice seem to be into Iori. In XIII, she says that she's looking forward to seeing Iori fight without his flames. Oh, and she doesn't seem to mind that he killed her. Goenitz even says that she and Vice have been "charmed" by Iori in Team Awakened Orochi's XV prologue, to the point they may apparently be becoming less willing to carry out Orochi's will.
Back from the Dead: Sorta. For one reason or another, she reappears in XII and XIV. Iori actually did kill them, but they can take the form of solid shadows in the living realm. As of XV, however, it's very likely she's back for real, but it remains to be confirmed for sure.
Badass in a Nice Suit: She starts in a simple three-piece suit with pants in '94, then her '96 appearance (which is retained until 2002) has her change into a slightly different getup with white Waistcoat of Style, longer coat and Proper Tights with a Skirt. After going back to her '94 appearance in XII (with an eyepatch), her outfit in XIV is a mix of the '94 one and the '96 one, but with exposed shoulders and upper arms.
The Baroness: Fits this to a T, especially the Sexpot type; sadistic, sexy and supports a malevolant cause.
Cleavage Window: Her suit doesn't do much to hide it. It's made even more apparent with her XIV design, where it's visibly lower than before.
Combat Sadomasochist: A much, much milder version compared to Vice. In XIII her lines sound very flirty... and then she switches to talking about violence with equaling pleasure, creeping out the other person.
Combat Stilettos: Some of her attacks involve some very precise strikes with her heels.
Cross-Cultural Kerfluffle: Her name — undoubtedly supposed to be implicitly sexy (as in 'mature content') but it just sounds ridiculous to a Western audience. At least 'Vice' faired a little better.
Dark Action Girl: She and Vice were the first evil female characters in the series. At least... until Shermie and Angel^note came along.
Dash Attack: Her Metal Massacre special is her running towards the foe and then slashing them once.
Double Entendre: Very, very fond of these, particularly in XIII. Vice may be more sexually aggressive from a physical standpoint, but Mature definitely has a way with words.
Evil Laugh: In a few of her desperation moves. Overlaps with Noblewoman's Laugh.
Evil Versus Evil: Mature reveals to Iori in XIII that she and Vice want to prevent the power of Orochi from falling into the hands of either Ash or Those from the Past. Well... Ash at least turns out to be good in the end, not so much TFTP.
Eye Scream: Subverted. You'd think that's why she's wearing the eyepatch in XIII (Iori and Yuri also come to this conclusion), but it's made clear that it's more of a Power Limiter, if anything.
Eyepatch of Power: After her comeback in XII and XIII, but it's gone by XIV.
Extendable Arms: Her Deicide, shared with Vice. Although Mature loses this move in XII forward.
Femme Fatale: She has a typical appearance and a seductive personality. And she is (or was as of XV) a servant of Orochi, making her one of the bad guys.
Femme Fatalons: She mainly weaponizes her sharp nails in combat.
Gory Discretion Shot: Used when Orochi Iori kills her and Vice.
Grapple Move: Her Heaven's Gate DM is a dashing grab where, if it connects, she'll drag the foe towards the wall before smashing them to said wall, akin to Rugal's Gigantic Pressure.
Kiss of Death: Her HSDM Ecstasy 816 from 2002 ends with this right before her foe is caught in an explosive bolt of energy. She also blows a kiss to Rugal in the same way in their intro pose together.
Lovely Angels: Has this dynamic with Vice, despite the two not necessarily being friends (although the Days of Memories Spin-Off series actually paints them in this light). They don't quite qualify for a full-on Evil Duo, as both women are actually sensible. In the same vein, they seem to straddle the line of being Heterosexual Life-Partners. Some◊ artwork◊ also plays up this aspect.
Marilyn Maneuver: Often done in her '96 outfit.
Mark of the Beast: Although it's hard to make out due to the sprites, her Neo MAX in XIII reveals that Mature has a snake-shaped birthmark on her right eye.
Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Possibly. Tying into Ambiguous Situation above with what became of them in '96, it stands to reason that she and Vice weren't exactly fond of being expendable to Orochi, considering Iori a better alternative to the former.
Ms. Fanservice: She and Vice have had their fair share of artworks throughout the series that show off varying degrees of skin. Heck, her normal suit is very form-fitting, showing off her curves nicely.
Our Ghosts Are Different: She and Vice are a mix of Type 2 and Type 15. In life, they were devoted acolytes of Orochi until Iori accidentally killed them upon entering Riot of the Blood. However, due to the weakening seal on Orochi because of Those from the Past and Ash's actions, they were brought back from the realm of the dead as "living shadows", as a sort of defense mechanism from Orochi, to make sure that their lord's will is done and that no one misuses or takes its power for their own. XIV also adds Type 16 to the mix. Despite Orochi technically being inside of Verse and released, they make no effort to stop Iori from re-sealing it, admitting in their own way that being around Iori is just too much fun. Whether or not they themselves were brought back from the dead for real remains to be seen.
Pillar of Light: Often appears in her desperation moves, as it's a very common occurrence in characters of the Orochi bloodline.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: She's the more demure and playful blue to Vice's red, who prefers toying with her foes until they die slowly. This is evidenced in XIV by the blue color of Mature's earrings and fingernails.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: In her Awakening Blood Neo MAX from XIII, Mature briefly takes off her eyepatch. Her eye turns red as she unleashes a crapload of Orochi power in a method similar to Sol Badguy's All Guns Blazing). It is dead sexy.
Rubber Woman: Her Deicide special in older games has her stretch her arm to grab a faraway opponent, then throws them behind her. It's gone as of XIV, being exclusive to Vice.
Sexy Secretary: For Rugal back in '94 and '95. Though it's revealed she was actually keeping tabs on him and his Orochi powers.
Shoryuken: Her Sacrilege special in older games.
Show Some Leg: In a few poses of hers. Clark obviously likes it a bit too much.
Signature Move: Many of her moves are rather unique for her, but especially her Despair, Death Row, Ebony Tears specials, and Nocturnal Lights DM.
The Starscream: In '96, she and Vice confess to Goenitz that they don’t give a damn about him, and they actually enjoyed the company of both Rugal and Iori. Too bad it got them killed and turned into ghosts... at least until KOF XV came around, anyway.
Statuesque Stunner: 177cm (5'9") tall. She's one of the tallest women in the series, only beaten out by the likes of Luong and Vanessa.
Sugary Malice: She'll first act soft-spoken and a little flirty... then she'll verbally lash you out.
Supermodel Strut: To illustrate her as The Vamp, her standard walking animation in all of her appearances is a classy and confident strut that has her swiveling her hips and legs.
Sword Beam: More like Claw Beam, but still, her Ebony Tears special is this.
Theme Naming: Her attacks are based on the names of heavy metal bands.
Those Two Girls: Her and Vice are pretty much inseparable. That is, until the home versions of XII, anyway.
Three-Strike Combo: Her Death Row special is a 3-hit (5-hit for the EX version in XIV) rekka consisting of clawing attacks.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: Mature is calm, collected, very feminine and classy. Vice is her opposite, see the entry.
The Vamp: Unlike the very straightforward and dirty-mouthed Vice, she relies on class and takes her time to break down her opponents.

Vice

"Well, I guess I'm through. There are no more bones to break."

Origin: Unknown

Fighting style: Power attacks

Voiced by: ^note

Portrayed by: ^note

Playable in: ^note

One of the servants of Orochi. She, along with Mature, was assigned by Goenitz to watch over Rugal in case he overused his Orochi power, but he did, and both of them were reassigned to watch Iori Yagami. They joined him for the '96 tournament, but Iori was suddenly and viciously assaulted by Iori when he entered the Riot of the Blood state. Their mortal forms were killed, but their spirits survived. After regaining their forms, they appeared before Iori after his powers were stolen by Ash in XIII and assisted him in getting them back. Still, their true mission was to ensure that Those from the Distant Land did not get their hands on Orochi's power. Vice returned once again in XIV, likely involved with the supernatural air surrounding the new KOF tournament held by Antonov, :the cause of which is Verse. Her Orochi power is mind control and hypnosis.

All Girls Want Bad Boys: According to Goenitz in the XV's prologue story for Team Awakened Orochi, both Vice and Mature are "charmed" by Iori, to the point they can no longer be relied on to fully obey Orochi.
Ambiguously Brown: She has no specified ethnicity or nationality to explain her skin tone, although her artwork from 2002◊ and Neowave◊ give her a significantly darker skin tone compared to her earlier appearances where she showed a fairer complexion. And then there's the case of her sprites in XIII.
Ascended Extra: Remember that woman who talked to Rugal in '95? That's Vice.
Ax-Crazy: By far one of the more violent members of the cast. Makes you wonder how well she'd get along with Yamazaki, who also happens to be a fellow Hakkeshu.^note
Back from the Dead: Like Mature above, she reappears in XIII and XIV. Same deal as Mature, too.
Badass in a Nice Suit: Same case with Mature above, although substitute white with red.
The Baroness: When she isn't in hyper-violence mode, that is.
Berserk Button: Saisyu Kusanagi. She hates him due to all the trouble he caused for daring not to let himself be brainwashed by Vice. He is listed as her official dislike, and she has a special intro against him in '98, where she says that just looking at him makes her mad, complete with a Spiteful Spit. In XIII she gets angry at Takuma for mentioning his name. By XIII and XIV, her hate now extends to all middle-aged men.
Boyish Short Hair: Although how short and how it's styled (i.e. short but straight, unkempt and unruly bangs) depends on the artist, her hair sometimes appears bobbed.
Cleavage Window: Same deal as Mature.
Closet Geek: See Hidden Depths below.
Combat Sadomasochist: Funnily enough, she predates Capcom's own resident sadomasochist by almost 15 years. All the same, "provocative" is way too light a word to describe Vice.
Dark Action Girl: The first evil female fighter in the series, along with Mature.
Deadpan Snarker: More pronounced in XIV, where she's got quite a witty tongue in some of her win quotes.
(VS King of Dinosaurs) Were you reenacting the dinosaurs' extinction? You've got that fan service down.
(VS Mature) Ooh, I really overdid it. Sorry I'm so strong, Mature.
(VS Sylvie) Heheh... Isn't that a little flashy for a burial shroud?
Distaff Counterpart: To Yamazaki, given how they're the least sane members of the Hakkeshu, and they love to toss their opponents around like ragdolls while getting off to their screams of pain. Especially apparent since she debuted just a year before Yamazaki would join the tournament himself in '97, also making Vice a Suspiciously Similar Substitute to him at the time of her debut.
Dominatrix: She's very attractive but also very domineering.
Evil Laugh: Except hers is way scarier than that of Mature's, lacking the latter's restraint and sophistication.
Evil Sounds Deep: Her new voice actress in XIV gives her a deeper tone of voice, which fits well with her brutal and very physical fighting style.
Extendable Arms: Her Deicide move. Contrary to Mature who loses this move after XII, Vice keeps it since her first appearance and became one of her most well-known moves.
Femme Fatalons: Though she doesn't use it as often as Mature does, preferring grappling instead.
Foe-Tossing Charge: Her Mayhem special, which can be continued with her anti-air grabs.
Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: In a sense. Unlike Mature, who seems rather unfazed by her death at Iori's hands, Vice still holds it against Iori (as revealed by her exchanges with Flames Iori) and, while she realizes dealing with Ash and Those from the Past takes priority, she wants to get all of her pent-up hostilities out of the way before they can work together.
Gory Discretion Shot: Her HSDM/MAX2 in 2002UM. Also when Iori kills her, only her silhouette can be seen.
The Grappler: Her main bread and butter, as she also has a long-ranged grab (Deicide), anti-air grab (Splash), and an air-to-air grab (Overkill). It's also worth noting that she's one of the first female grapplers in all of fighting games since she predates R. Mika by two years.
Hair Color Dissonance: It's usually easy to tell that she's a brunette, but in XIII, her hair is a bit more of a chestnut color, while it's full-on red in XIV.
Hair-Trigger Temper: In some ways, she's even worse in this respect than Iori.
Hates Everyone Equally: The only possible exceptions are Mature and Iori.
Hidden Depths: One of Vice's listed likes is comic books. Falcoon (one of SNK's lead artists in the early 2000's, notably for 2003) even drew her◊ wearing a SpongeBob blouse of all things!
I'm a Humanitarian: Her 2002UM HSDM implies this. Heavily.
Large Ham: Being as Ax-Crazy as she is, it comes with the territory. XIV is an odd case in that while her voice is deeper, she's also more reserved in her battle cries than she was in previous entries. But still, expect her to scream her lungs out as she's scraping you across the floor.
Limp and Livid: Her Idle Animation in '98.
Lovely Angels: She and Mature are a rare evil variation of this trope, always paired on the same team and following the same goals as the other.
Mark of the Beast: If XIII is any indication, Vice sports an Orochi tattoo on the back of her left shoulder.
Meaningful Name: Her name refers to anything immoral. Given her lines in battle, it's safe to assume that this refers to sexual impurity.
Ms. Fanservice: Has no shortage of artworks that leave little to the imagination, often featuring her and Mature together. Even her usual suit is rather form-fitting, to say the least.
Murderous Thighs: Her Negative Gain DM is her doing a number of these.
Omnicidal Maniac: Whenever she enters her Orochi Blood Riot, she wants to kill everyone.
Pet the Dog: In her own way. Her interaction with Nakoruru in XIV indicates that she has a degree of respect for her as a guardian of nature. She outright gives her the option to let her walk, as opposed to her more hostile interactions with Gang-il and Meitenkun. She also tries to convince Nakoruru about Orochi's cause in her win quote.
Vice: You want to protect nature, right? Then you should kill all the humans!
Pillar of Light: Often appears in her desperation moves, like other members of the Hakkeshu.
Progressively Prettier: Weirdly subverted/inverted. While Vice was always attractive, her stances have become more bizarre and creepy over the years. She's off-kilter in '98 and zombie-like in 2002. As of XIV, her stance is more conventional, calling to mind Orochi Yashiro's, but with her arms tucked inward instead of outward. And who can forget her introduction pose? You know the one where she crouches to all-fours and starts stretching and howling like a rutting she-wolf... Also a case of Never Live It Down.
Red and Black and Evil All Over: Her default colour scheme, to go with her aggressive and violent persona.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: She's the more violent and sadistic red to Mature's blue, preferring to smash and destroy her foes to kill them quickly. This is evident in XIV by the color of her earrings and fingernails (aside from her obvious red vest).
Rubber Woman: Much like Mature, her Deicide special. The Capcom vs. SNK series expands on this by giving Vice an anti-air version of the move.
Sex Is Violence: In spades. She is much more overtly sexual in her poses and attitude than Mature.
Sexy Secretary: Like Mature, she was this when working for Rugal, as you can see in '95 intermissions.
She Cleans Up Nicely: In quite a few pieces of artwork such as this.◊
Ship Tease: Her XIV bio indicates that her interest in Iori is more than just professional.
Signature Move: Her Mayhem and Gorefest specials and Negative Gain and (to a lesser extent) Overkill DMs.
Some Dexterity Required: While Negative Gain is a manageable double half-circle back motion, Overkill is a cumbersome 1236982P^note motion that requires Vice to be close to the opponent in the air. If it sounds pretty hard to pull off that's because it is^note especially if you play on a controller (or even a Hitbox) instead of a traditional fightstick.
Spam Attack: Kick-based with her Outrage/Ravenous specials. They've been gone since XIII, unfortunately.
The Starscream: In '96, she and Mature confess to Goenitz that they don’t give a damn about him, and they actually enjoyed the company of both Rugal and Iori. As of XV, she and Mature are pretty much AFK from their duties as members of the Hakkeshu, leaving Goenitz and Awakened CYS to enact Orochi's will in the latter's Team Ending.
Statuesque Stunner: She stands at 5'10'', or 1.78 meters tall.
Super-Strength: Presumably due to her Orochi powers. Her hobby (lifting/bench pressing) is likely done to amplify the effect.
Theme Naming: Same deal with Mature for her specials.
Those Two Girls: She's rarely seen without Mature at her side. Not unless you count her appearances in SNK vs. Capcom where she shows up solo without Mature.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: The tomboy to Mature's girly girl with whom she forms a classic duo with. She is indeed physically stronger and wears her hair short in addition to being much more violent and sexually provocative than Mature.
Too Slow: Unlike Goenitz, her "Osoi!" is expectedly delivered with far less tact and delicacy, leaning towards insulting over mocking.
The Vamp: Unlike Mature who relies mainly on femininity and class to deceive her enemies, Vice mostly uses aggressive sexual provocations to distract her enemies... and then beat the shit out of them!
Wipe the Floor with You: Her Gorefest grab has her drag her foe along the ground before throwing them into the air.
Wrestler in All of Us: Powerbombs are a typical part of her arsenal. Becomes less pronounced in later entries, however.
You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Her (subtle) reaction to Meitenkun in XIV.
Meitenkun: Zzzzz...
Vice: (annoyed) Yo, brat. The match is starting. You gonna wake up soon?
Meitenkun: (finally wakes up) ...Oh.
Vice: Finally awake now? Alright, let's go ahead and start.
Meitenkun: (goes right back to sleep) Zzz... Zzz...
Vice: ...I think I'm gonna have to kill you.

Boss Team

Geese Howard

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d2d172a2_c650_4064_b3c2_6872a5dd920c.png

Charismatic Evil

"You have two choices: submit... or die."

Origin: USA

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/usa_1961.png

Fighting style: Hakkyokuseiken + Aikijutsu

Voiced by: ^note

Playable in: ^note

The Big Bad and Final Boss of pretty much every Fatal Fury game. Geese, along with Jeff Bogard, trained under Tung Fu Rue in the art of Hakkyokuseiken. After learning that Jeff would inherit the style's secret arts, Geese left the school embittered, and swore revenge. He eventually became the most well-known mastermind in the criminal underground with his enterprise, the Howard Connection. He took control of Southtown after winning it over from Mr. Big and making him his underling. Afterwards, Geese finally got his revenge by killing Jeff Bogard in a vicious battle, and causing his sons to train under Tung for revenge. Over the course of several years he worked his way from police commissioner to mayor of Southtown. He decided to host the first King of Fighters tournament out of boredom, and faced Terry Bogard in the final battle after Terry defeated his right hand man Billy Kane. Geese lost and was given a swift boot out of the top floor of his tower, but somehow survived the fall, making his triumphant return in Fatal Fury 3 and being the one to obtain the Jin Scrolls, legendary Chinese tapestries said to hold the secrets of immortality. This is the point where the timelines diverge. In the Fatal Fury timeline, Geese reads the Scrolls and burns them not only out of apparent disinterest but also so that no one else can have access to them. In Real Bout Fatal Fury, he holds the King of Fighters tournament once more to settle the score with Terry Bogard once and for all. The two meet at the top of Geese Tower once again, and history repeats itself as Terry defeats Geese, once again sending him careening off of the tower. This time, however, Terry attempts to save his enemy and grabs his hand. But Geese, unable to accept that Terry would take pity on him and save him despite their mutual enmity towards each other, swiftly swipes his hand away and falls to his doom of his own volition, a final act of spite towards his enemy. Garou: Mark of the Wolves confirms that here, he died for real, and focuses on his legacy. The spin-off series Maximum Impact also follows a version of this narrative.

In the King of Fighters timeline Geese is alive and well. He was also interested in the new version of the King of Fighters tournament that Rugal is hosting, Geese sends Billy in '95 to form the Rival Team and enact revenge upon the Bogard Bros. He resurfaced in '96, entering the King of Fighters tournament along with his half-brother Krauser and Mr. Big to learn more about the Orochi's power. Mr. Big, learning he was being used, attempted to assassinate Geese, but Billy arrived just in time to stop the sniper's bullet aimed at Geese's head. In '97 he chose Billy, Yamazaki, and Blue Mary to go and investigate the Orochi power further. Later that same year, In 2003 he sponsors the Outlaw Team consisting of Yamazaki and Billy once again, as well as Gato. In XIV he once again participates in the King of Fighters tournament, along with Billy and his butler Hein. He appears once again appear in XV, once again fighting alongside Billy and now also joined by Yamazaki.

See Fatal Fury - Geese Howard for tropes on him

Wolfgang Krauser

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/krauser_5.png

"Opposed me with such low ability, you make me laugh."

Origin: Germany

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/germania_8332.png

Fighting style: Kampfringen

Voiced by: ^note

Playable in: ^note

The current Earl of Stroheim, the latest in a line of bodyguards of European nobility. He is Geese's half-brother and hosted the second King of Fighters tournament after hearing of Geese's disappearance. Krauser took the tourney worldwide, wanting to face the best of the best. In the king of fighters series Geese invited him to join a team Geese had formed for the '96 tournament. Krauser is a cruel opponent in the ring, but is a kind soul outside of it, as he sees no justification for mercy in combat.

See Fatal Fury 2 for tropes on him

Mr. Big

"That's the difference between you and me!! You're better off crawling around on all fours!"

Origin: Australia

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/australia_flag_png_5a2267853e3ed5969105531512204165255.jpg

Fighting style: Eskrima

Voiced by: ^note

Portrayed by: ^note

Playable in: ^note

The (appropriately) Big Bad of the first Art of Fighting game, he is invited by Geese Howard to join him and Wolfgang Krauser in the '96 tournament. He used to be the head of Southtown's underworld until Geese displaced him and made him second-in-command, and it was under Geese's orders that he kidnapped Yuri Sakazaki and kickstarted the events of AOF. As revealed in XIV, he still wants Geese's blood for being used by him in the '96 tournament. Until that time, however, it's assumed he's currently living the good life with his ladies and henchmen.

See Art Of Fighting I for tropes on him

Others

Chizuru Kagura

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kof_xv_chizuru_render.png

Swift Shamaness

"The weakness of your mind, your inner discord... The mirror reveals all."

Origin: Japan

Fighting style: Kagura-style ancient martial arts

Voiced by: ^note

Portrayed by: ^note

Playable in: ^note

Possessor of the Yata Mirror and guardian of Orochi's seal. A wealthy businesswoman and Shinto priestess who hosted the '96 tournament in order to test the abilities of Kyo and Iori, to ensure the would be able to defeat Orochi if he was revived. Her twin older sister Maki was killed by Goenitz in order to weaken Orochi's seal, and her fond memories of her sister were used to manipulate her in the 2003 tournament by Botan, who used her to weaken Orochi's seal further. Her powers were then stolen by Ash Crimson, taking her out of the fight. She asked Shingo to form a team with Kyo and Iori in her place for the next tournament.

After Ash's demise in XIII, Chizuru regains her powers and teams up with Kyo and Iori in XV and once again form the Sacred Treasures Team.

Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Although she does become less aloof over time (thanks to the likes of her fellow Sacred Treasures members, the Women Fighters Team, and King's younger brother, Jan), Chizuru does adhere pretty closely to this trope. Oh, and being a Barrier Maiden for a human-hating quasi-deity, trouble is always close behind.
Amplifier Artifact: Holds the Yata-no-Kagami inside her body. Ash pretty much gropes and violates her to steal it She regains it after Ash is wiped from existence in XIII.
Animal Motifs: Exclusive to the Days of Memories series, Chizuru is represented by a fox while having a spat with Mature◊ (who is, appropriately, represented by the snake). Chizuru, however, doesn't seem to embody the traits most fox-like characters are known for. Alternatively, Word of God refers to the younger Kagura twin as a stork (despite Chizuru meaning "a thousand cranes"); a stork's attachment to their nesting site could correlate to Chizuru's devotion towards maintaining the seal on Orochi.
Attack Reflector: By the power of her mirror, she can reflect projectiles.
Badass Biker: In her free time, she loves riding motorcycles. She also had Maki, her sister, as her Wrench Wench whose hobby was fixing Chizuru's motorbike, according to her profile.
Barrier Maiden: She's tasked with the sealing of Orochi alongside Kyo and Iori.
Battle Intro: In XV:
"Her reflection reveals all. She sees right through you, and will have you seeing double. Chizuru Kagura!
Chizuru: "I will show you the power of the protectors."
Big Fancy House: KOF XIII's backstory implies that she lives in a Japanese traditional home.
Big Good:
- As the one who spurs Kyo and Iori into action against Orochi, she could be seen as this for the Orochi Saga.
- Also in KOF: Sky Stage. She's the one who gives the player characters (Kyo, Iori, Kula, Athena, Mai and Terry) the ability to fly so they can close a temporal rift caused by Orochi and rescue the fighters who have been caught on it.
Brainwashed and Crazy: During 2003. She recovers, only to have Ash swoop down and steal her powers.
Broken Bird: Had some traits early in the story, but recovered thanks to Mai, King, and specially King's brother Jan.
The Bus Came Back: She sat out the whole NESTS saga (since it has nothing to do with Orochi), and only temporarily came back in the early Tales of Ash Saga as a Brainwashed and Crazy sub-boss only to be subdued and having to sit out of the whole saga again... but she came back full force in XV and from the look of how the plots go, she doesn't look like she will be sitting out in the sidelines again.
Catchphrase: "Sa, hajimemasho?" ("Well, then, shall we begin?")
Compressed Hair: In the KOF:KYO game. As a part of her Master of Disguise stunt, she wore a short wig. When she reveals herself to Kyo, Athena and Kensou, she takes it off and they're surprised to see how long her actual hair is.
Chickification:
- Unlike Iori, once Ash took away her power, she couldn't fight anymore and had her confidence shaken by the ordeal. Isn't it sad, Chizuru?
- In Ryo Takamisaki's KOF: G, she not only isn't seen as the sub-boss (thus only acting as the Big Good, and as much she forcibly keeps a belligerent Kensou under her thumb), but she's beaten to near death by Goenitz. To be fair Kensou also was horribly curb-stomped by him, but poor Chizuru's injuries were so bad that she almost got killed, and she can barely ask Athena to take her place.
Combat Stilettos: Years have gone by, and fans are still wondering how Chizuru can fight competently in heels like those.
Cynicism Catalyst: Maki's death was likely this judging by Chizuru's demeanor early on.
Dance Battler: Her fighting style resembles traditional Japanese dancing and Chizuru even breaks out into a funky jig in a few post-battle poses.
Doppelgänger Attack: Many of her specials create an illusionary duplicate of her, either to attack or to confuse the opponent.
Everything's Better with Sparkles: Her attacks are littered with sparkle effects, lending a feeling of magic to her moves.
Expy: Of Yoko Shiraki from Tomorrow's Joe.
Harmful to Minors: In KOF:KYO, Maki was killed in front of Chizuru when both twins were 10 years old. It was most likely disproved by 2003, but the flashback with a terrified young Chizuru in front of a teenaged Goenitz is still very well-done.
Hair Flip: Does this in her intros, victory poses, and movesets.
Hidden Buxom: While not as well-endowed as Mai, Angel, Blue Mary, or Shermie, Chizuru measures at 85 cm ^note. Who knew she was so stacked underneath all that shrine maiden clothing?
Lady of Black Magic: An elegant miko with the powers of the Yata Mirror, such as creating shadows, mirror images, or reflecting attacks.
Lady of War: Fight stylishly with Japanese-style dancing and illusionary powers.
Leitmotif: For every appearance that she had a musical theme, Chizuru always received some rendition of "Fairy."
Light Is Good: She wears white clothing and her powers as a priestess to come along with it.
Long Hair Is Feminine: Compared to other KOF ladies, she has a very classically feminine appearance and demeanor, reflected by her hairstyle.
Magic Mirror: She gives the Yata Mirror this use in KOF: KYO. Specifically, when she spies on Kyo and Orochi Iori's Battle in the Rain.
Master of Disguise: Attempted in the KOF: KYO manga, when Chizuru disguises herself as a reporter to approach Kyo without being identified. At first manages to fool Kyo's parents (though Saisyu still senses her Battle Aura), but in her second try both Saisyu and Eiji unmask her very easily as the protector of the Orochi Seal.
Master of Illusion: She can create copies of herself and the copies, when created, can only move, attack and disappear.
Meaningful Name: Her surname, Kagura, is the same as a traditional Shinto theatrical dance performed during festivals, hence her fighting style. Her true last name, Yata, stems from the Yata-no-Kagami, one of Japan's Three Sacred Treasures which represents wisdom or honesty and was used to help lure the sun goddess Amaterasu out of a cave, thus bringing light back to the world. Guess what Chizuru does by helping seal Orochi.
Miko:
- In one of her special intros in KOF '98, she magically changes into her priestess kimono when fighting anyone linked to Orochi, then changes back.
- Also does this in her special intro in '97, but only against Orochi. She switches to her usual outfit and also says, "Well, then, let's end this."
- She puts on a similar attire in 2003 (complete with an oni mask) before revealing herself to the players.
- She also wears robes in a scene◊ of KOF: KYO.
No Badass to His Valet: She's probably the closest thing Iori has to this trope. She easily convinces him to team up with her and Kyo in 2003 and is personally visited by him before XIII, promising to return her mirror in due time.
Non-Idle Rich: The woman's loaded, and she works as hard as she can in both maintaining her business and dealing with the KOF tournament.
Ojou: Starts as the Defrosting Ice Queen type, but quickly switches to the Proper Lady version.
Power Nullifier: One of her DMs actually seals her opponent's specials and supers for a brief period of time. Her 2003 LDM (Third of the Trinity) combines this with her illusory dancing body doubles.
Proper Lady: She is a well mannered individual, who speaks in a calm and collected tone.
Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Very pale, very dark-haired, and very beautiful.
Rule of Symbolism: Like the leader of the old Yata clan shown in 98, she has a twin; it's as if it's a requirement for the bearers of Yata Mirror to be mirror images of each other.
Self-Made Woman: She toiled for a decade to become a successful businesswoman and the owner of her own enterprise. For the record, she was no more than twelve when Maki was murdered.
Sensor Character: Thanks to her Yata mirror, she can speak into other peoples minds and can also temporarily possess people.
Shoryuken: Her 100-Katsu Tenjin no Kotowari.
SNK Boss:
- Naturally, Chizuru as a boss fight is a lot more powerful (and cheap) in '96 than when she's a regular playable character.
- Subverted. While she is a boss 2003, where you must fight both her and an illusion of her sister Maki, the latter is the more dangerous of the two.
Synchronization: For the Dual Boss fight against Chizuru and Maki, they share a three-tier healthbar. In other words, if one sister falls, the other goes down with her. As for making one fall...
- Her and Maki's illusions also share this trait; you can smack around one of their body doubles and damage the woman from across the screen.
Team Mom:
- Chizuru can keep Iori and Kyo from killing each other and can get them to work together. 'Nuff said. Not only that, but Iori's interactions with her are among the very few ones where he's somewhat less of an aloof jerk to others. And apparently Kyo can't deny her lots of things either, as proved in Sky Stage; if not for Chizuru asking him to join the rescue group, he'd likely not be there. He even lampshades it if he talks to Terry after the fight with a mid-boss Kusanagi (whom Chizuru sent as a test of character); Kyo says he feels she's looking after them a bit too much, and Terry replies that he believes "she's just worried." It's by Chizuru's own request that Kyo and Iori canonically team up over the course of the games, starting with XI where she asks Shingo to join them, and later in XV where Team Sacred Treasures makes their debut in the mainline games after years of being considered a special edit team.
- Lampshaded in the third back-cover of KOF: G, which features Kyo and Iori as Chibis in fighting stances... and an adorable Chibi!Chizuru is trying to stop them.
Telepathy: With the power of the Yata Mirror, Chizuru can speak into peoples minds and temporarily possess people.
When She Smiles: In the Women Fighters Team ending in '97, thanks to the encouraging words of her departed sister's spirit.
Yamato Nadeshiko: As if this lovely kimono wasn't an indication.◊

Goenitz

Terrifying Tempest

"You would be wise to refrain from interfering in our higher purpose."

Origin: Unknown

Fighting style: The power of Wind granted by Orochi

Voiced by: ^note

Playable in: ^note

Goenitz, the Wildly-Blowing Wind is one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi, and has power over the winds. A devout servant of the ancient deity, he is the one responsible for Chizuru's twin sister Maki and weakening Orochi's seal, awakening Leona's Orochi blood resulting in her violently murdering her father and her entire village in an uncontrollable rampage, and giving Rugal a portion of Orochi's power after Rugal withstood the pain of having his right eye gouged out. Having manipulated events from behind the scenes since before Rugal hosted the first tournament in 1994, he finally makes his presence known in 1996 when his plans for the revival of his lord are about to come to fruition, arriving to put an end to the Three Sacred Treasures. Their combined might, however, is enough to defeat and destroy Goenitz, with Iori fatally wounding him. Despite this, Goenitz's influence continues to linger long after his death.

However, this would prove to not be the end for him, as Goenitz was one of the many souls trapped inside of the strange entity known as Verse that were released upon its destruction in XIV. Sure enough, XV confirms that he is alive and well, having established contact with his fellow acolyte Yashiro and going over the status of all the other Hakkesshu before setting new plans into motion. He appears in Season 2 of XV, playable and legally usable in official competitive settings, as part of a free update much like Omega Rugal.

The Ace: He is an immensely powerful fighter, and the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi. At the age of eighteen, he easily defeated Rugal, who was one of the strongest fighters in the series, with a single blow.
Arch-Enemy:
- To Chizuru. Goenitz was responsible for her twin sister's death, and so Chizuru has an especially personal grudge.
- He's also one to Kyo after nearly killing him. Kyo ended up developing new techniques because of his near-death encounter.
- Subverted with Leona. Even though Goenitz had her murder her family and village as a child and she would probably be the best candidate to be his Arch-Enemy besides Chizuru, Leona is too much of a Broken Bird from the incident to hate Goenitz in that manner, and blames her own cursed blood more than him.
Arc Villain: Of '96. He appears to be a priest doing some good all over the world, but he’s actually the leader of the Hakkesshu and the leader of the four heavenly kings, as he was looking for a way to revive the god-like being, Orochi.
Badass Bookworm: His sideline waiting animation involves him reading a book (it might be some sort of holy scripture) while wearing Scary Shiny Glasses. And, of course, he's an SNK Boss.
Badass Fingersnap: During both of his Razor Wind specials. Bonus points for turning away from his opponent before letting his winds rip them to shreds.
Badass Preacher: As one of the Four Heavenly Kings, he basically is this for Orochi.
Back from the Dead: In XIV, it's implied that Goenitz is one of the many souls that was released from verse after his defeat. The Awakened Orochi team's story in XV finally confirms that he is indeed alive and well, just in time to come back as DLC.
Beard of Evil: A quite impressive goatee paired with a patently ominous visage.
Blow You Away: His elemental power among the Heavenly Kings is wind. He is infamous for his Yonokaze move as well as his Yamidoukoku DM. His arrival in the final moments of '96 is heralded by a gust of wind destroying the stadium around him.
Blue Is Heroic: Inverted. The final boss of '96 is clad in blue, and is very much a villain of the series.
The Bus Came Back: After a full 27 years since his last canonical appearance in KOF '96 and his one and only playable and tournament-legal appearance as a secret character in 2003 with SVC Chaos, Goenitz makes his triumphant return to the mainline KOF games in XV as part of a free update for the game's 2nd DLC season.
Catchphrase: Whenever he uses Yonokaze, it's always followed by "Koko desu ka?" ("How about here?")
Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: To Rugal. Rugal has a very physical fighting style, acts brashly evil, has long hair, is extremely muscular, shouts many of his lines, and is associated with the color red. Goenitz relies more on his powers to fight, acts polite while being similarly evil, has short hair, a lean build, speaks more softly while still being very theatrical, and is associated with the color blue. Goenitz also leads a large organization, whereas Rugal's organization seems to only consist of himself and his secretaries.
Clothing Combat: One of his normals sees Goenitz doing little more than whacking you with his robes.
Cold Ham: He rarely shouts, but his dialogue is very theatrical and fittingly preacher-like.
The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard:
- In KOF '96 he could do desperation moves without having to fill his power gauge. Also, if his AI entered a loop, he would continually use his Tornado Summon move over and over, making him completely unbeatable and forcing you to forfeit the round.
- His Boss Challenge in KOF XV retains this meterless gimmick as a callback. The only mercy is that Ibuki Nagayo is the only super that requires it.
Crystal Dragon Jesus: He is pretty much a Catholic priest, except that he serves Orochi and not the Abrahamic God. He does however, refer to his deity as "God" in his win quotes.
The Dragon: To Orochi, as he's the strongest of the Hakkeshu and they all defer to him for leadership.
Dragon-in-Chief: He leads the Hakkeshu in Orochi's absence. Goenitz travels the world to try and find a way to revive his master and carry out his plan to wipe out humanity.
Dramatic Wind: This can be seen subtly in his standing animation, where the wind breezes through his cloak.
Evil Counterpart: Similar to the other three Heavenly Kings, he has a "dark" version of one of the main characters' fighting styles and one or two of their signature techniques. In Goenitz's case, he's well-known for his "true" versions of several of Iori's techniques, mainly being the Aoihana (Hollyhock Flower; Goenitz's version is named Seiran/Holy Riot), Kototsuki (Harp Moon) and Ya Otome (Eight Maidens). It's never elaborated upon, but it's implied many of the Yagami Clan techniques originated from Goenitz's predecessor at the time following their betrayal. This comparison is furthered when he returns in XV, as he gains access to a new move that is a "true" version of Iori's Tsumakushi.
Evil Laugh: Surprisingly, he's somewhat averse to these in the older games, but starting from All-Star and continuing into XV, he starts really cutting loose. He also has a silent one when he uses his Yamidoukoku command grab super, where his face becomes◊ a disturbing Slasher Smile, though this face does not carry into his appearance in XV.
Facepalm of Doom: His Yami Doukouku DM (Darkness Lamentation), wherein Goenitz picks up his opponent by the head and, bearing a Slasher Smile and laughing, traps them inside a tornado at point-blank range as he bids them farewell.
Faux Affably Evil: He acts polite and courteous to his opponents, though his pre-battle quotes in '96 and most of his series winquotes don't hide his true intentions and contempt for his foes. His profile in XV even states verbatim that his polite air is a facade that hides his sadism and malice.
Final Boss: Of The King of Fighters '96. He also serves as a sub-boss in SVC Chaos.
Finger Wag: He nonchalantly does this and snickers while performing a back roll.
Flash Step: Using the wind, of course.
"Osoi desu ne."
Formal Characters Use Keigo: He's a priest of Orochi who speaks in keigo, yet his mannerisms are anything but formal.
Gender Flip: He has one named Goeniko, which stemmed from his Midnight Bliss form in SVC Chaos. Notable in that she actually showed up as an official character in the pachinko games. He would later get a newer official "Lady" version in All-Star like many other popular characters.
Ghost Amnesia: In a non-canonical story, his ghost meets up with Ninon Beart from Maximum Impact 2. Goenitz can't remember anything but seems to recognize the mention of his title: the wildly-blowing wind.
Graceful Loser: Most endings depict him as impressed that Chizuru brought a team that could defeat him, and then he kills himself, saying he is being "called away to heaven".
Gratuitous Foreign Language: Sorta. The movesets for him and the other Heavenly Kings (Yashiro, Shermie, and Chris) are written in Cyrillic.
- His Shin Ya Otome techniques subvert the writing style; only the "Shin Ya Otome" parts are written clearly in kanji.
Greater-Scope Villain: He is this of the first two King of Fighters games as Goenitz is responsible for many things, such as killing Leona’s parents, murdering Chizuru’s older twin sister, giving Rugal a piece of Orochi’s power and setting Rugal up as a candidate for Orochi’s return.
- On a larger scale, Goenitz might be this for the whole series, since many important character backstories and events happened because of him and had repercussions in the future. If not for Goenitz'actions during and before the Orochi Saga, none of the events in the NESTS Chronicles, the Tales of Ash and the New Age Saga would have happened at all. Due to this, many consider him the central antagonist of the KOF lore.
The Heavy: Rugal may have kickstarted the plot of the Orochi saga through becoming Omega Rugal, but Goenitz is the one who actually set it in motion long before Rugal became prominent, and is responsible for the vast majority of events in KOF history. He killed Chizuru's sister Maki in order to weaken Orochi's seal, awakened Leona to her Riot of Blood state and caused her to kill her family in a berserk frenzy, gouged out Rugal's eye and gave him Orochi's power, sent Mature and Vice to monitor both Rugal and later Iori, nearly beat Kyo to death which forced him to change his fighting style, and counted on Chizuru to host KOF in order to lure him out. Upon his revival, he also leads the Awakened Orochi team behind the scenes in a new plot to resurrect Orochi.
Hellish Pupils: Before fighting him, his pupils turn into slits in the cutscene.
Herald: When he showed up, things would never be the same in the KOF world. One could argue that he's the catalyst of most things that's gone wrong in this series.
Hidden Depths: According to his interview in the KOF 96: Neo Geo Collection CD, he has a hobby of rock climbing, a forte in windsurfing and prefers foods that have mushrooms.
High Priest: Presumably this for Orochi's Religion of Evil. At any rate, he's been the most active in reviving his master, working from the shadows for at least ten years.
Hostage Situation: Stages one in the KOF:KYO manga's last volume. He first captures Iori and gets him in a Crucified Hero Shot in the middle of the teen cast's School Festival, then tells Kyo to fight him. When Chizuru intervenes and says that Kyo will be ready in two days, he accepts the truce but takes both Iori and Yuki with him...
Icy Blue Eyes: Before the battle with him in '96, there's a close-up of menacing blue eyes as his pupils turn into slits.
Karmic Death: In the past he has activated Leona's Riot of the Blood to kill her village after her father refused to carry on his plans. Years later, he tries this again in Iori to kill Kyo and Chizuru and it winds up getting him killed when Iori attacks him instead and gives Kyo enough time to finish him.
Knight Templar: Nothing dissuades him from his belief on Orochi's righteousness. One of his winquotes in 2002 UM even has him telling his opponent that God (or Orochi) is not on his/her side.
Misanthrope Supreme: A standout example even among the Hakkeshu. His official profile lists his dislikes as "Humans".
Neck Lift: During one of his throws (complete with strangulation followed by a chokeslam), as well as his Yami Doukoku (Darkness Lamentation), his Shin Ya Otome: Mizuchi DM (True Eight Maidens: Water Blood) and its SDM equivalent, Shin Ya Otome: Jissoukoku (True Eight Maidens: Cruelties of True Reality).
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: At the end of the day, Goenitz and Goenitz alone is responsible for his own defeat. Although he succeeded in breaking Orochi's seal by taking Maki's life, by not killing Chizuru (the weaker of the Kagura twins, may we add), he gave Chizuru a decade's worth of time to devise countermeasures and regroup the splintered descendants of the Three Sacred Treasures. While he easily made an example out of Kyo (whose ego had overinflated thanks to his two victories over Rugal), by not finishing what he started, Goenitz allowed Kyo to undergo introspection, causing him to mellow out a bit and develop a variety of powerful new moves to add to his style. Part of this, however, stems from what seems to be Goenitz's attempt at Pragmatic Villainy in regards to accomplishing his goal to resurrect his master. His Graceful Loser status in all but the canonical ending could also be viewed as an implicit understanding that the remaining Heavenly Kings will pick up where he left off; as long as Orochi is again amongst the living, the individual steps are mere technicalities.
Person of Mass Destruction: Take a look at his stage.◊ That was a perfectly good stadium◊ before his arrival.
Razor-Sharp Hand: Much like Iori, he can use his hands as claws, as shown in the Shin Ya Otome-Mizuchi DM.
Razor Wind: His His Yonozake has the "slash" sound effect when connecting with the enemy. Also his Wanpyou Tobokuze and Wanpyou Mametzu moves.
Religion of Evil: As the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings and the head of the Hakkesshu, he leads one revolving around enacting the will of Orochi, which involves killing every human on the Earth so that nature can reclaim it.
Sexy Priest: Quite a fair-looking priest, even with graying hair.
Sinister Minister: Looks suspiciously like a Catholic priest. He's quite sane, fortunately, and detests demonic entities such as Demitri Maximov and Red Arremer. That is to say, he's as sane as a priest for a Religion of Evil can be.
SNK Boss: To even touch him you need to get past a veritable wall of tornadoes that the AI can seemingly place flawlessly in your path. And once you're there you need to watch out for the Razor Wind blades he can summon under his arm (which can absolutely shred your health bar if he can pin you against a wall) and his uber-powerful Desperation Moves the Yamidoukoku (command grab) and Shin Yaotome (vicious slashing beatdown).
- Subverted in KOF 2002: UM; before people started unlocking him, many players expected him to be of boss level, but he lost the SNK Boss traits in this incarnation, and plays more like he did in SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos.
- This is actually part of a strange Double Subversion of sorts. Goenitz was a mid-boss in SVC Chaos, and was originally ported to the PS2 and Xbox versions of the original 2002. In SVC he was less cheap than his original form, but still overpowered. These issues were, unfortunately, left intact in his original 2002 appearance, but 2002 UM corrected these errors, and made him a high-tier secret character instead.
- With Goenitz's return in XV, he also gets a special Boss Challenge version of himself much like Omega Rugal before him. This version of Goenitz has the lovely ability to summon two consecutive Yonokazes one after the other, the ability to cancel his rekka string into his teleport special move, a buffed EX version of his teleport that allows him to instantly warp right behind the opponent's head, and a CPU-only SDM in the form of his Ibuki Nagayo MAX2 from 2002UM, complete with its ability to vacuum you in close to him. If you're anywhere midscreen when he does this move, you can't do anything except watch as your character is helplessly sucked into Goenitz's gigantic wind vortex and their lifebar is ripped in half. Also as a downright evil Call-Back to KOF 96, while the player has to use meter for their DM attacks, he doesn't.The only times he can't cheat are when he has to use an SDM or a Climax. Unfortunately he has a workaround for this, after landing either a combo or a command grab super, he will taunt the player, which gives him meter.
Too Slow: His "Osoi desu ne" is expectedly delivered with more tact and delicacy in contrast to Vice.
Tornado Move: His ever-popular Yonokaze has him summoning a tornado at a point on the stage that blows the opponent up. His Yami Doukoku special and his DMs also create mini tornadoes.
Undying Loyalty: He is extremely loyal to his master Orochi.
Visionary Villain: Goenitz is a lot more motivated than his fellow Hakkushu and Heavenly Kings about reviving Orochi, while the others occasionally border on Punch-Clock Villain. Also unlike them, Goenitz is never shown to be engaged in any hobbies or doing anything besides fanatically trying to revive his master.
Verbal Tic: Most of his in-game quotes feature the word "desu" in them (this was long before Rozen Maiden), highlighting some degree of affability.
Villainous Breakdown: The canonical Three Sacred Treasure's ending has Goenitz screaming about why the wind isn't blowing after Kyo and Iori deliver the coup de grace on him.
Vocal Evolution: When played by Yoshinori Shima, Goenitz's original voice is smooth, affable, and relatively youthful, but in 2002 and SVC Chaos, Shima changes the voice to be raspy, more sinister, and older sounding (this is partially because he also speaks slower than in '96). Susumu Akagi plays him more outwardly villainous in All Star akin to Shima's SVC Chaos takes, while for the character's canonical return in KOF XV his portrayal is more similar to Shima's original from '96.

Characters / The King of Fighters '96

Spoilers before The King of Fighters XV are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!

See the folder below for tropes on characters returning from past entries:

Ikari Warriors Team

Women Fighters Team

Yagami Team

Boss Team

Others

Alternative Title(s): The King Of Fighters The Orochi Saga 96

Previous

Index

Next

Characters / The King of Fighters '96

Edit Locked

Spoilers before The King of Fighters XV are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!

See the folder below for tropes on characters returning from past entries:

Ikari Warriors Team

Women Fighters Team

Yagami Team

Boss Team

Others

Alternative Title(s): The King Of Fighters The Orochi Saga 96

Previous

Index

Next