Characters / The King of Fighters '97

The King of Fighters | Main Index
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

The characters in The King of Fighters debuting in The King of Fighters '97.

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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, Joe, and Billy
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
For tropes on Leona and Chizuru

New Faces Team / Orochi Team

Team Orochi in general

• Affably Evil: When not in their Awakened forms, the three are generally quite pleasant, on the surface at least. Even Yashiro mostly comes off as more of a spirited competitor than the Orochi herald he actually is, provided he's not talking to Iori. In Chris's case, however, it's much less genuine.
• Alas, Poor Villain: Their deaths in the New Faces Team ending in '97 are shown in a tragic manner. In order to give Orochi enough power to come back into the world, Yashiro regretfully kills Chris and Shermie and promises he will join them shortly. He goes through with it.
• Awesome, but Impractical: All three of their Orochi selves in 2002 suffer from this with their MAX2s. Orochi Yashiro's Harmageddon is a Megaton Punch of comparable power - and impracticality - to Ralf's Galactica Phantom, being far too slow and telegraphed to be useful on a decent opponent. Orochi Chris's Sanagi wo Yaburi, Chou wa Mao sounds amazing on paper: transforming into Orochi itself and performing a powerful, screen wide attack that does decent chip, but its overly long start up makes it easily punished and impossible to combo into. Orochi Shermie's Unmei no Ya is the most infamous of the 3 - a bolt of lightning who's target is completely random, and can even include herself.
• Back from the Dead: They ultimately come back due to Verse's defeat XIV. As he had their souls, they were released.
• Backup from Otherworld: in 2000, where they were the alternative strikers for three of the four Ikari Warriors. They even vanish like ghosts after performing their attacks.
• The Bad Guy Wins: Their Awakened forms' ending in XV have them use the shard obtained from Otoma=Raga with Goenitz, succeed in breaking the seal on Orochi, and bring about the end of days for humanity. Unfortunately, Shermie and Yashiro soon discover that their victory wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
• Badass Preacher: Yashiro, Shermie, and Chris, when actually dressed as members of the Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi, also appear like priests in the same way Goenitz presented himself, the ending artwork in their winning screen for '98 is where the player can see the trio dressed like the top brass of Orochi's servants. It wouldn't be until XV that these outfits would become part of their Awakened Orochi forms.
• Bootstrapped Leitmotif: Zig-zagged with "Rhythmic Hallucination", originally debuted as their Awakened team's theme in 97 before Chris and Shermie got personal themes in '98. Their subsequent appearances would use a medley of all three themes until XV brought not only brought back "Rhythmic Hallucination" as the team's theme but with two extra variations that incorporate Chris and Shermie's themes when they're placed first on a team. Additionally, their standalone themes from '98 return as special battle tracks for when Shermie and Chris face their Awakened selves.
• The Bus Came Back: After a 24-year long absence (which involved being dead), all three return in XV.
• Co-Dragons: The team is this to Orochi, tasked with the latter's resurrection.
• Double Consciousness: XV implies that all of them suffer this to a certain degree. Yashiro may throw himself headlong into fulfilling Orochi's will whenever he is called upon, but outside of that he's a decent guy who enjoys the luxuries of human existence. Shermie takes her duties to the clan with the utmost seriousness, but deep down really likes interacting with people as well as her hobbies as a member of a band and a fashionista. Chris is psychotically into the "Kill All Humans" part of Orochi's plan, but this mainly stems from him seemingly getting little to no enjoyment out of anything in life.
• Dragon Their Feet: The three show up after their leader, Goenitz, was killed in the last game and continue his plan to revive their master.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Yashiro and Shermie have ample ship teasing, and even Chris offers to cook for Shermie as an apology for beating her in one of his win quotes, suggesting all three genuinely do care about one another. Even when Yashiro has to sacrifice all three of them for Orochi's revival in their 97 ending, he takes no pleasure in it and offs himself just as quickly as Shermie and Chris.
• Evil Counterpart:
  • To Team Japan:
    • Orochi Yashiro is this to Daimon. While both may be grapplers, it's quite clear that Yashiro lacks the finesse that Daimon possesses. He gets the powerful grapple moves plus his own version of Daimon's Jigoku Gokuraku Otoshi DM.
    • Orochi Shermie is this to Benimaru. They're both the designated flirts of their teams, one being the attractive tease and the other the Camp Straight ladies' man. She gets electrical moves plus her version of Benimaru's Raikouken.
    • Orochi Chris is this to Kyo. While Kyo's designated rival Iori has his fair share of anti-social behavior, Chris exaggerates it into outright nihilism. He gets fire powers plus his own version of Kyo's Orochinagi.
  • To Team Ikari:
    • Normal Yashiro, like Ralf, is the cocky guy who takes the lead and is known for his punches, even including a charge-up punch that's unblockable (only if charged all the way). Even their playstyles have some parallels here and there, too.
    • Normal Shermie is this to Clark, being the second in command who's all about wrestling moves and has a follow-up attack after they grab you.
    • Normal Chris is this to Leona, being the youngest of the group based around high speed, dashing around, and aerial flip attacks that's got a hidden power within them that makes them very dangerous.
• Evil Laugh: All three of them will either cackle hysterically (Yashiro^note During MAX Ankoku Jigoku Gokuraku Otoshi., Chris^note Most of his attacks with his Climax as a prime example.) or chuckle slyly (Shermie^note She lets out a brief cackle whenever she goes into MAX Mode.) while in their Awakened forms in XV. Shermie gets surprisingly maniacal as she disappears after assisting in 2000.
• Foil: To the Sacred Treasures as a whole. While Kyo and Iori had to be pressed by Chizuru to fullfill their duties as the guardians of Orochi's seal, Team Orochi is entirely subservient to their master's will. Whereas Iori and Kyo are a prime example of Teeth-Clenched Teamwork, Yashiro, Shermie and Chris are True Companions that enjoy hanging out together whenever they're not performing their duties.
• Gameplay and Story Segregation: In-story, and in all previous games, barring a handful of non-competitive modes where you can pick multiples of the same character otherwise, the standard and awakened selves of the Orochi team are mutually exclusive: pick Orochi Yashiro, for example, and his normal self cannot be part of the same team. XV does away with this and lets you double up to your heart's content in all modes.
• Hades Shaded: Notably, 2002 (and Ultimate Match) have their awakened selves noticeably tanner than their regular versions. This is dropped in KOF XV.
• Hellish Pupils: Like Orochi, Yashiro and Chris have slitted snake eyes in the KOF R-1 for the Neo Geo Pocket.
• Killed Offscreen: After being defeated, Yashiro and Shermie die after feeding the last of their energy to Orochi. The player does not see them die, but it is confirmed.
• Last Episode, New Character: The three of them debuted in the final game of the original (Orochi) saga. Three sagas and 25 years later, they return alive and well for KOF XV, which is likewise the final entry in the Shun'ei/New Age Saga.
• Late-Arrival Spoiler: KOF XV does not hide that they are Team Orochi, rather than the "New Faces Team" as they were known up until that point.
• Leitmotif: "Bloody" for their base versions. In XV, their new theme for their return is "Resonant Objects". However, "Bloody" is also returns in the form of a Destined Battle between Yashiro and Iori.
• Literal Split Personality: Their storyline in '97 elaborates that their Awakened versions, their true selves, can do this. The Heavenly Kings can willingly separate the aspects of themselves which make them devoted to Orochi's cause from their bodies to remain hidden while enacting their plans to resurrect Orochi. Their "normal" selves, as the remaining aspects of their souls, are for the most part in agreement and alignment with their Awakened selves, and are also loyal to Orochi's cause while still engaging in the finer aspects of human culture. To accentuate this, the information in their bios is completely different between their normal and Awakened versions, with their Awakened versions having no information whatsoever on them listed anywhere.
• Non-Uniform Uniform: While visually similar, Team Orochi's Heavenly Kings uniforms each vary from one to another, Shermie's in particular.
• Palette Swap: While their usual uniforms are implied to be a shade of blue similar to Goenitz, their uniforms in XV are magenta to reference their original palettes back in '97.
• The Psycho Rangers: Team Hero consists of users of flame, lightning, and earth. Team Orochi is their villainous mirror.
• Punch-Clock Villain: The three are servants to the malevolent god Orochi. Outside of that, though, they're pretty decent and well-adjusted folks (or possibly do a good job of seeming the part), even socializing with other more heroic fighters through various merch and special edit teams. They also have a strong following as a rock band. This is even acknowledged in their Awakened versions' story prologue in XV, which applies to all of the Hakkesshu, not just them. While all of their destinies are tied to Orochi, the circumstances which lead to their ultimate fates are not.
• Puny Earthlings: Besides the Gaia's Vengeance views, their Orochi forms have them disgusted with humans in general for being "conceited", Orochi Shermie in particular. Considering that they're reincarnating lesser gods under Orochi, it's likely that they have a view that humans (and probably mortal life in general, non-sapient included) are supposed to be completely servile without doing anything on their own. It may even be that damaging the Earth is partially seen by them as "just" a side-effect of mortals wanting to be something other than "completely lowly".
  O. Shermie: That's right. You creatures were meant to crawl along the ground.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: In their Orochi forms, go figure. Chris overlaps with Supernatural Gold Eyes in 2002: Unlimited Match's artwork.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: In the EX continuity, at least, the three were sealed away with Orochi after its defeat in '97, as mentioned by Reiji. Goenitz was the only member of the Four Heavenly Kings to escape that fate, as he was killed the preceding year.
• Ship Tease: In the SNK Character Sounds Collection album series, volume 10, a conversation between Yashiro and Shermie in a bar shows he doesn’t like Shermie being a flirt to many of the pretty guys she fancies in the cast. Shermie rebukes him by saying she is a free woman and can do whatever, but she changes to a playful tone, teasing him about how he wants her all for himself. In her private thoughts, however, Shermie follows in a serious tone, saying she truly cherishes Yashiro and Chris above everything.
• Skill Gate Characters: All three are straightforward to use and can rack up massive damage with minimal effort.
• Time Abyss: All the Hakkeshu have memories stretching back to their first incarnations.
• Tragic Villain: Their Awakened versions' story, dialogue, and even ending in XV seem to paint them in this light now that they've been revived. In their prologue, Yashiro and a resurrected Goenitz discuss the events that led them to this point, with Goenitz correctly deducing that Yashiro is beginning to question his faith in and duty to Orochi, having learned to enjoy human culture despite his destiny ultimately being to destroy humanity. It's heavily implied that Shermie shares much of the same concerns as Yashiro through her interaction with her Awakened incarnation. Chris is seemingly exempt from this, though he is implied to have his issues through his interactions with other characters. Goenitz and Yashiro ultimately conclude that despite being able to find their happiness through human culture and interaction, they will always be the Hakkesshu and thus are forever bound by their destiny to serve Orochi whether they may like it or not. Their ending shows that after they have finally succeeded in enacting Gaia's Will, they suddenly feel a profound sense of loss.
• Victory Is Boring: In their Awakened forms' ending in XV, they use the shard they obtained from defeating Otoma=Raga to finally enact Gaia's Will, bringing Orochi's desires to fruition. The result is a world devoid of humans where nature is abundant and has grown over all of mankind's creations, with flora and fauna covering buildings. Despite their success, however, they find the new world boring.
• Villain Decay: Upon their grand return in KOF XV, the Three Sacred Treasures team reforms to stop them from facilitating Orochi's revival. Despite entering the tournament, Team Orochi really had no strategy to revive Orochi and basically did it because they were bored. Subverted with the Awakened Orochi Team, where they succeed in their plan to destroy humanity using Otoma=Raga's power.
• Villainous Friendship: The three of them all appear to be close friends, each sharing very affectionate special intros.

Yashiro Nanakase

Dauntless and Decisive

^{Yashiro, the Parched Earth (Orochi Yashiro)}

"Dashing, stylish, tough and handsome... That's me!"

"I'm not heartless. I'll give you a moment to pray at the end."

Origin: Japan

Fighting style: Power attacks (Yashiro), the power of Earth granted by Orochi (Orochi Yashiro)

Voiced by: ^note Makoto Awane (KOF '97-2002UM), Keisuke Hamaoka (KOF All-Star-current), Shinichiro Kamio (The King of Fighters for Girls), Megumi Han (All-Star, Female version)

Playable in: ^note '97, '98/UM, 2002/UM, XV

The guitarist of the band C.Y.S., Yashiro is the powerhouse of the New Face Team. Alongside his bandmates Shermie and Chris, he entered the King of Fighters '97 tournament to get revenge on Iori for stealing one of their gigs...or so he claimed. In actuality, Yashiro is a member of the Hakkesshu, a clan dedicated to serving the will of the legendary eight-headed serpent Orochi and designated as one of the deity's Four Heavenly Kings. His true power is the ability to control the element of earth, and his true motive for entering the tournament was to gather energy in order to revive Orochi alongside his teammates and fellow Hakkesshu members. After being defeated, he and Shermie sacrificed themselves in order to resurrect Orochi through Chris, committing suicide by tearing out their own throats. In XV, however, he and his teammates are brought back to the world of the living due to the defeat of Verse. Interested in the power that revived him, he enters KOF once again.

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• Affably Evil: For the most part. He's still a member of the dreaded Hakkeshu, but he's also very friendly and easy-going if some of his interactions with the cast (who aren't the Sacred Treasures) are anything to go by. He even gets a bonus ending with Benimaru and Robert where the three interact playfully with one another.
• Battle Aura: In his introduction before fighting as Orochi Yashiro.
• Battle Intro: In XV:
  "It's an open brawl when his band walks in! He'll bust you up and break you down! Yashiro Nanakase!
  Yashiro: "Hmph, this ain't gonna take long."
  
  "Can you hear the earth roar? He's risen above humans and commands the land itself! Orochi Yashiro!
  O.Yashiro: "I'll crush you like the trash you are."
• Being Evil Sucks: Implied with the Awakened Orochi team's XV story.
• Big "WHAT?!": When knocked out.
  "NANI~?!"
• Blood Knight: As Orochi Yashiro, conveyed in one of his winquotes in 2002, after defeating Mature or Vice.
  Orochi Yashiro: "Enemies! Bring me enemies!"
• Boisterous Bruiser: He is quite the arrogant fellow, judging by his quotes, but he actually is that strong. He also enjoys fighting by nature (despite his forte is merely "power attacks") and as long as his Orochi blood is in check, he's also generally easygoing and fun.
• Charged Attack: You can charge his Megaton Punch in his regular form, making it stronger the longer you hold it. The last inch of charging makes it unblockable.
• Close-Range Combatant:
  • Many of Yashiro's specials require him to be up in his opponent's face. In turn though, he can deal devastating combos that leave his opponent no room to breath.
  • Orochi Yachiro takes it to the logical conclusion and turns him into a grappler.
  • Downplayed in KOF XV. Yashiro's normals are much longer ranged, allowing him to fight safer than he used to.
• Counter-Attack: His Awakened form's Climax Super in XV serves as one, though it can still be cancelled into like other Climaxes.
• Dance Battler: Some of his moves are reminiscent of Capoeira, and several of his animations involve him dancing about (e.g., crouching D).
• Dash Attack:
  • "Jet Counter"; Yashiro rushes forward at blinding speeds to deliver a haymaker. From 2002 onward, he can follow up with a second hit (done by performing a quarter-circle input + punch) to perform either a straight punch or an uppercut.
  • Sledgehammer is an airborne variant; the EX version of which lets him plow right through zoning with its projectile invulnerability.
• Dishing Out Dirt: His Awakened form has the power of the Earth, in the form powerful new grapple moves. There's also a bit of Magma Man theming to go with it, but it's mostly for visual flair in a couple of his appearances.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Vowed to beat up Iori in the KOF tournament for stealing his band's gig. It's unclear whether this was an excuse so he and the rest of Team Orochi can be there once Orochi is released, or Iori inadvertently dragged the remaining Heavenly Kings into the tournament and in the right place for them to regain their memories. His Rival Intro with Iori in XV indicates he still wants revenge.
• Dragon Ascendant: Yashiro took over leadership of the remaining three Heavenly Kings after Goenitz died. Though the three are ostensibly equal, Yashiro frequently takes the lead in planning and speaks for the team throughout the game.
• Drench Celebration: In '98, one of his win poses is picking a bottle of water and getting dumped with it as he yells when it happens.
• Driven to Suicide: In the New Faces' ending. After subjecting both Shermie and Chris to impromptu tracheotomies to power up Orochi, he kills himself in the same way and for the same purpose.
• Evil Laugh: His Orochi form indulges in this quite often in XV.
• Frankenstein's Monster: His zombie costume in All Stars resembles the monster, with stitched patches of skin and bolts coming out of his head.
• Friend to All Living Things: In one of his win poses in '97, he whistles as if calling a dog... and summons an eagle.
• Flash Step: A special move in his regular persona has him dashing so fast toward the enemy and punching them at such blistering speeds, he seems to flicker while doing so.
• Gender Bender: All Stars introduces a female version of Yashiro who trades his hunkishness for a more buxom build.
• The Grappler: Orochi Yashiro is a much quicker, more well-rounded Daimon. And he's got more utility than even Shermie does for a grappler.
• Hellbent For Leather: His XV design reinterprets his classic jacket as red leather.
• The Heavy: In '97, as the most talkative member of the three remaining Heavenly Kings. Because Orochi is not able to manifest until the final battle, Yashiro is the one moving the plot along, taunting and explaining things to the heroes.
• Hunk: Tall, muscular, and well-cut, Yashiro is a classic example. He's even part of a special edit team called "Hunk Team" with Benimaru and Robert in XV.
• Immune to Flinching: His main Anti-Air, Upper Duel, trades invulnerability frames for auto-guard, letting him muscle through pressure or - even better - plow through the opponent's attempts at shaking him off.
• Informed Ability: His earth powers come off this way, especially compared to his other 3 Heavenly Kings, who use their Elemental Powers very liberally. Orochi Yashiro's fighting style never incorporates any earth abilities, and his MAX2 in 2002 (and UM), Harmageddon is still just a Megaton Punch, even if it changes the background to magma. KOF XV attempts to address it by making his explosions from his throws look more Earth-like and his Climax Super Special Move has him summon a pillar of earth (even if it looks like he's pulling it up physically).
• Invulnerable Knuckles: His HSDM in 2002(UM).
• Kamehame Hadoken: His projectile super in '98 UM is this. He also sends out a projectile made of air as part of his Climax in XV.
• The Leader: Subverted. Formally Yashiro is the leader of the New Faces Team, but they act more like equals, much more so as their Heavenly King roles, as they are all the same under Orochi's rule. With their gig as musicians, Yashiro’s name doesn’t even come first in Chris Yashiro Shermie; he is in the middle, holding them together.
• Leitmotif: Rhythmic Hallucination for Orochi Yashiro. Doubles as a Bootstrapped Theme, as it became Yashiro's theme after '97.
• Meaningful Name: Translated, his name reads, "Shrine of the Seven Shackles." The shackles likely refer to the slain sisters of Kushinada-hime.
• Mechanically Unusual Fighter: Orochi Yashiro has a lot of gimmicks unique to himself.
  • He's the only character that can cancel into his Blowback, but only during a combo (i.e., close C, f+A into CD).
  • His standing Blowback causes a Wall Bounce if it connects on counter hit, something no other character in the roster can do.
  • His Musebu Daichi command grab has three different versions depending on which punch button is pressed; the light punch is a regular grab, the heavy punch grabs airborne, while the EX version can grab downed opponents.
• Megaton Punch:
  • His Final Impact DM. It can be charged for bigger damage, much like Ralf's Galactica Phantom.
  • Orochi Yashiro has two. One doubles as a Rocket Punch and the other is his HSDM in 2002.
• Metronomic Man Mashing: Similarly to Daimon, Orochi Yashiro's Musebu Daichi (and its DM variant Ankoku Jigoku Gokuraku Otoshi) involves him choke-slamming his opponent several times in succession.
• Mighty Glacier: Orochi Yashiro in the original '97 is mostly this. He has one special move that lets him rush the distance, but all his command grabs and supers are close range so his main approach is walk slowly towards his enemy (rolling and blocking as needed) and spamming these grabs on them until they die. Future games give him some more mobility options by changing his Vitiating Earth special and Rampaging Earth super from close ranged throw into one where he jumps forward.
• Mystical White Hair: Implied to be indicative of his Orochi status.
• No Shirt, Long Jacket: Downplayed. It's just a jacket rather than a longcoat. Otherwise, the spirit of the trope remains prominent.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: His Climax Super in XV turns the screen black as he punches the crap out of his opponent (basically a Raging Demon) with an added Shrug Take at the end.
• Not-So-Harmless Villain: A subversion in his case (especially in comparison to his teammates); the team is introduced as a band with a petty rivalry against Iori, but Yashiro actually has the physical constitution of a fighter.
• Off with His Head!: Does this to himself in his team ending in '97.
• Officially Shortened Title: Yashiro's actual name in his Orochi form is Yashiro, The Parched Earth for he is one of Orochi's four Heavenly Kings, but SNK also makes it simple by calling him just Orochi Yashiro, like Iori and Leona who aren't one of the four.
• Painfully Slow Projectile: wHis projectile DM in '98 isn't this because of the execution itself, but because of its charging time if you want to make it useful (read: unblockable).
• Pillar of Light: At the end of his Araburu Daichi DM, and the SDM version of Ankoku Jigoku Gokuraku Otoshi.
• Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: His Missile Might Bash is a straight example, especially the EX version in XV. Ditto for his Variable Bash Stream DM, too.
• SNK Boss: The hardest to beat of the trio, because he's blocks a lot. Most of the time you will find him blocking almost all of your attacks. And then he'll be right in the needed position to use one of his very powerful throws...
• Super-Strength: As Orochi Yashiro. He hits pretty damn hard, to begin with, but Orochi Yashiro, drawing his power from the earth itself, treats his foes like they're nothing but mere toys.
• Tranquil Fury: Orochi Yashiro's interaction with Yamazaki is naturally hostile, but it's especially apparent how calm Yashiro is despite Yamazaki being, well... Yamazaki.
• Unknown Rival: Of Iori, due to Iori's jazz-themed band canceling his own rock band's performance at a local venue. Iori, true to form, doesn't even care for the guy. In '98, Yashiro's intro against Iori ribs on Iori's own intro pose (while quoting Chris' standard intro or (in 2002 (UM)) Shermie's).
• Unskilled, but Strong: Yashiro is an agile and strong fighter, but is unrefined in actual combat techniques. This also applies to his awakened form; he lacks proper grappling technique, only focusing on grabbing and smashing his opponent to the pavement as hard as he can.
  Clark: You put a lot of strength into your throws. No technique. Just strength.
• Victory Is Boring: Interestingly, Team Awakened Orochi's ending in XV shows Yashiro thinking like this, finding the new world free of humanity to be surprisingly boring to him.
• Violation of Common Sense: For some reason, Yashiro's Megaton Punch whiffs if you're right next to him.
• White Hair, Black Heart: Nona's artwork from 2002 plays this up extensively, where the normally handsome Yashiro looks rugged in his normal form and downright monstrous as Orochi Yashiro.
• Wrestler in All of Us: After remembering his status as a Heavenly King of Orochi, Yashiro immediately discards his old fighting style in favor of several grappling and throwing techniques. Though most of said attacks lack the finesse of wrestling moves, he does pull off a powerbomb in his XV Climax.

Shermie

Coquettish

^{Shermie, the Roaring Lightning (Orochi Shermie)}

"Your style's a little lacking... A waste of good materials, if you ask me."

"No skill, not even luck. You've been abandoned by fate."

Origin: France

Fighting style: Grappling (Shermie), the power of Lightning granted by Orochi (Orochi Shermie)

Voiced by: ^note Hazuki Nishikawa (KOF '97-2002UM), Erina Seto (SNK Heroines-current)

Playable in: ^note '97, '98/UM, 2002/UM, XV

A fashion designer, and the keyboardist for C.Y.S. Like Yashiro and Chris, Shermie is another of the Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi, with power over lightning. She's normally laid back and somewhat ditzy, but when she reveals her true power she becomes very serious and devoted to Orochi's cause. After sacrificing her life in '97 to resurrect Orochi, Shermie is brought back in XV due to Verse's defeat in the prior tournament. She enters the latest one alongside Yashiro and Chris once again.

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• Adaptation Dye-Job: Orochi Shermie in 2002 maintains her red hair after its original depiction in 97 made her hair go purple, All-Stars and XV has it back at purple.
• Affably Evil: This is applicable to all of CYS with varying degrees, but Shermie in particular is the most easy going, with implied friendships and relationships outside the band.
• Awesome, but Impractical: Her Unmei no Ya MAX2/HSDM from 2002 and 2002UM has got to be one of the worst examples. She makes lightning come down, but has no control of where it lands, and because it requires low health, she can even get killed without even damaging her opponent! Sure she can make a last-minute evasion (the move is unblockable) but so can the opponent. Sometimes, nothing will even happen!
• Back from the Dead: Shermie's appearance SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy, which takes places after XIV, actually confirmed her resurrection before XV.
• Battle Intro: In XV:
  "Nobody knows the color of her eyes. Talk smack, and she'll rearrange your back! Shermie!"
  Shermie: "Heh, don't hurt me, okay?"
  "She's not smiling anymore! She's livid and ready to kill with her roaring lightning! Orochi Shermie!"
  O.Shermie: "My lightning will turn you to ash."
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: Her '98 win quote —
  Shermie: Game over, pal! Don't forget to save. Sweet dreams!
• The Cameo: In XIII, Shermie can randomly appear on the France stage, sitting bored at a table on the left-hand side of the arena. It's possible due to the tampering of the Orochi Seal she was also brought back like Mature and Vice, but lacks an active role and is relegated to this cameo. It wouldn't be until XIV where Verse's defeat would spell her actual resurrection back into the world.
• Casual Kink: Just look at the way she fights in her base form. Those poses are way too kinky: she willingly catches you with her ample chest in a command move.
• Cleavage Window: Coupled with the fact that she has the largest bust size of all female characters (tied with Angel). Her redesign in XV trades this out for Navel-Deep Neckline instead.
• Combat Stilettos: She wears high heels and seems to fight well despite that.
• Cool Big Sis: Plays this role to Chris. Sylvie Paula Paula's prologue in XV implies that she also views Shermie in this light.
• Dark Action Girl: Debatably, as she has little screen time, but her personality while in Orochi Mode fits.
• Dash Attack: In her base form, there's Shermie Shoot, where she dashes towards the opponent and slams them down with her knees. In her Orochi form, she has Shukumei, Genei, Shinshi, which sees her flying across the screen with an electrified kick. Shajitsu no Odori has also been reworked this way in XV, where she dashes in with an electrified axe kick compared to its original animation.
• Died in Your Arms Tonight: In the New Faces Team ending in '97. Yashiro rips her throat (and Chris's too) so their Life Energy can aid to Orochi's awakening, then as Shermie dies he holds her in his arms and promises to follow her soon. And he does. She gets better come XV, at least.
• The Ditz: Sings and dances nonchalantly in her victory poses. Subverted in her Orochi form though, where she's much more serious and bloodthirsty. Only Yashiro and Chris are safe from this, though. Also notable for this trope is her SNK Gals Fighters ending: after she wins the tournament, she gets to make a wish, and wishes for a larger cage for her pet hamster, since said hamster is having babies. Later, Yashiro points out that she could've used said wish to resurrect Orochi.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?:
  • Her intro quote in '97 translates to "Since this is my first time, please be gentle."
  • She also presses her crotch into your face during her Shermie Spiral grapple, and jiggles her breasts as a command counter.
  Shermie: You like this, don't you?
  • One of her win quotes in 2002
  Shermie: I got a little wet, of sweat~
• Dominatrix: Some of her command grabs are very... sensual. Mostly if they utilize her legs. Taken to its logical conclusion as Orochi Shermie has a special edit ending in XV called Team Queens, involving Luong and Whip.
• Everyone Looks Sexier if French: She's French. Gets a lot of emphasis on her legs and hips.
• Evil Redhead: In her normal form, though when she first revealed herself as one of Orochi's Four Heavenly Kings, she had the purple hair of her Orochi persona.
• Evil Sounds Deep: As normal Shermie, she has a chipper, high-pitched voice. But as Orochi Shermie, she uses an angrier and deeper tone. Both of Shermie's voice actresses utilize this difference, with Erina Seto first demonstrating this in KOF All Stars.
• The Faceless: It's said that her eyes have a malevolent glare about them... but we never see them, save the one time Shinkiro teased them in one of '97 fliers.
• The Fashionista: Is seen hosting a fashion show in the KOF:KYO game. Which is where she meets Yuki (she and Kyo were there in a date) and identifies her as Kushinada.
• Gendered Outfit: Her Heavenly Kings uniform has a skirt in place of the pants the 3 male kings wear.
• Girlish Pigtails: To a degree. It's more like a Girlish Split Ponytail.
• Groin Attack: Gains a new front throw animation in XV that sees her pulling an electrically imbued one on the opponent. Ouch.
• Has a Type: In the sprite based games, she has a unique intro animation where she flirts with her opponent when she's up against handsome men like Kyo, Iori, K' and Terry.
• Hidden Eyes: Unlike other examples of characters with their eyes covered by hair (like Chin), her eyes were never shown after the one stance where they were partially seen, in a single Shinkiro promotional flier for 97.
• Hurricane Kick: Axle Spin Kick as normal Shermie, Shajitsu no Odori as Orochi Shermie. Though the latter went from an electrified version of the former to a new animation in XV, playing the trope straight only for base Shermie.
• Implied Love Interest: Yashiro, a fellow bandmate and servant of Orochi, is clearly attracted to Shermie (if 2002 is anything to go by). She appears to at least reciprocate his feelings to some degree. As for the credits reel of 2002? That speaks volumes.
• Innocent Innuendo: Her moves in her regular form are quite sexy, but she doesn't really seem the type that likes perversion.
• Kick Them While They Are Down: Like Clark, she's able to add on an additional attack to certain throws of hers. Shermie's particular variant involves her stomping on her foe's downed body.
• Kiss of Death: One of her attacks in Orochi Mode has her sending electric projectiles as if she were blowing kisses. Her MAX 2 in 2002 also starts out this way.
• Leitmotif: Fanatic Waltz for Orochi Shermie.
• Leotard of Power: Her original outfit actually had one, though her vest otherwise obfuscated this.
• Light Is Not Good: Par the course for the New Faces Team, who dress in bright outfits, but her standard costume is all white. Her Orochi version has her wearing a shade of purple shared by her teammates.
• Long-Range Fighter: Orochi Shermie is a zoner. Her Yatanagi no Muchi is a full-screen projectile instead of only traveling halfway across the screen. There's also the threat of Mugetsu no Raiun, where Shermie can leave a bolt of lightning at any position on the screen, giving her incredible space control. She also possesses the same already good normals of her normal self.
• Mark of the Beast: In one of the ending pictures for '98, Shermie is revealed to have Orochi's tattoo on her back.
• Meaningful Name: Shermie's name is a kana anagram of Michelle (シェルミー vs. ミシェル)—she's Orochi's equivalent to the Archangel Michael.
• Murderous Thighs: Emphasized to the point of her sprite receiving larger hips than Mai Shiranui, who officially has the largest hip measurement of the series.
• Ms. Fanservice: She tends to do suggestive poses, act very seductive, and displays her prominent legs and hips all the time. She's got the biggest bust amongst the cast, but her outfit only capped out at Cleavage Window. By XV, Shermie instead opts for a wide Navel-Deep Neckline to show off that this is the biggest bust of all KOF fighting ladies that is only matched with Ángel.
• Mythology Gag: In 2002, Orochi Shermie's MAX2, Unmei no Ya (Fate's Arrow) involved summoning a giant lightning bolt from the sky that would randomly strike a certain portion of the screen. This attack could lead to one of four possible outcomes: hit the opponent and turn the tide of battle in Shermie's favor, hit Shermie herself, instantly killing her, hit nothing, thus wasting the meter that Shermie just used on the attack, or hit both Shermie and her opponent if they're close enough, potentially resulting in a double KO or leaving the opponent severely weakened for Shermie's next teammate to finish off. This move, unfortunately, ended up contributing to Orochi Shermie's low-tier status. In XV, Orochi Shermie's Climax, Raijin no Sabaki (Thunder God's Judgement), involves lightning striking her, which she proceeds to pass through her body and use as a conduit to strike the opponent, both shocking herself and the opponent in the process, bypassing the random factor altogether for a more practical move.
• Naughty Nuns: Shermie's Heavenly King uniform is the same as her male colleagues on the upper half, but going down she is wearing a short skirt like always. This is unique to her since according to concept art, Mature and Vice have longer skirts like in their usual outfits.
• Navel-Deep Neckline: Her new outfit in XV has one that goes all the way down to her navel, and is held close only by a few pieces of thick string.
• Not So Above It All: Orochi Shermie has an unlockable ending in XV with Luong and Whip that has her moonlight as a dominatrix. Something that she's all too happy to indulge in.
• Odd Friendship: Despite working to free Orochi and bring about the end of the world, Shermie has a seemingly genuine friendship with Sylvie Paula Paula, with whom she gets along well. She even procured a special invitation so Sylvie could attend the tournament in XV.
• Officially Shortened Title: Shermie's actual name in her Orochi form is Shermie, The Insanely Violent Lightning for she is one of Orochi's four Heavenly Kings, but SNK also makes it simple by calling her just Orochi Shermie, like Iori and Leona when they succumb to the Riot of the Blood.
• Only One Name: She doesn't have a confirmed surname, and it's unclear if "Shermie" is even her true given name.
• Painfully Slow Projectile: Mugetsu no Raiun. However, she can still move towards the opponent after firing off the EX punch version, giving her a very solid barrier to approach behind. On the other hand, the EX kick version travels behind the opponent, giving her a threatening mix-up anywhere on the screen.
• Power Dyes Your Hair: Shermie is the only Heavenly King whose hair gets a dye when fully reverting to her Orochi nature, going from red to purple; her Orochi form depiction in 2002 didn't change her hair color, but following depictions in other games and media did, solidifying purple hair as her most notable change in and out of Orochi Form.
• Purple Is Powerful: Her Orochi form has purple hair and purple lightning (except for her 2002 incarnation which neglects the purple hair). This nicely contrasts her counterpart Benimaru's blue lightning.
• Psycho Electro: She gets electric powers when in her Orochi mode. Consequently, she also becomes incredibly sadistic compared to her bubbly normal self.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: In the EX continuity, at least, Shermie, along with her teammates, was sealed away with Orochi after its defeat in '97, as mentioned by Reiji. Goenitz was the only member of the Four Heavenly Kings to escape that fate, as he was killed the preceding year.
• Shock and Awe: Orochi Shermie in a nutshell. Her Lightning Leg Lariat HSDM in 2002 for regular Shermie also counts, but it loses the lightning aspect in 2002: Unlimited Match.
• Show Some Leg: Some of her moves were redesigned in 2002 to show off more of her leotard. Her taunt in the game also invokes this trope.
• Statuesque Stunner: She is 173cm^note 5'8" tall, making her taller than many male characters around her age and even other prominent ladies in the series, like Mai or Yuri.
• Supermodel Strut: Her walking animation has her strutting like she's on a catwalk, complete with one hand poised at her hip. Done to showcasing her Dominatrix and flirtatious personality.
• The Tease: She flirts with any male she finds attractive, strikes several suggestive poses and makes a few lewd comments.
• Theme Naming: Three of her special moves' names in her Awakened moveset reference enmity with the Sacred Treasures clans: Shajitsu no Odori (Dance of the Setting Sun) against the Kusanagi, Mugetsu no Raigumi (Moonless Thundercloud) against the Yasakani, and Yatanagi no Muchi (Yata-Rending Whip) against the Yata.
• Theme Tune Cameo: Her cellphone's ringtone in XV plays an electronic snippet of Bloody, her team's most well-known theme.
• Took a Level in Badass: Compared to her previous lackluster version in 2002, Orochi Shermie in XV is much better at being a mid-to-long-ranged zoner and, more importantly, her Climax Super no longer relies on Random Number God.
• Victory Is Boring; Much like Yashiro, Shermie is a bit apprehensive after finally enacting Gaia's Will in their team's ending in XV. Although she does find the new world beautiful, as Chris has just pointed out, it's heavily implied she has some regrets.
• Wrestler in All of Us: Her normal fighting style revolves mainly around grapples. Both of her Super Special Moves involve throws.
• Yellow Lightning, Blue Lightning: Blue from '97 to 2002, purple in XV as Orochi Shermie.

Chris

Tempo Mixer

^{Chris, the Pyric Destiny (Orochi Chris)}

"I thought you'd be much tougher. What a relief!"

"No matter how you try, scum can only be scum."

Origin: Sweden

Fighting style: Speed attacks + acrobatics (Chris), the power of Fire granted by Orochi (Orochi Chris)

Voiced by: ^note Rio Ogata (KOF '97-2002UM), Shiki Aoki (KOF All-Star), Yuki Sakakibara (The King of Fighters for Girls), Rui Yamasaki (KOF XV)

Playable in: ^note '97, '98/UM, 2002/UM, XV

The speed-based member of the New Faces Team, vocalist and percussionist for the band C.Y.S., and Orochi's chosen vessel. A cute boy who knows it and takes advantage of it. As one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi, he wields purple flames not too dissimilar from those of Iori Yagami. He is resurrected alongside his teammates due to Verse's defeat.

---

• Adaptation Dye-Job: In '97 he did debut with brown eyes, but subsequent portrayals did have Chris with blue eyes. In XV, they return to brown.
• Adorably Precocious Child: Keep in mind that he's fourteen and he still manages to pull the look real well to fool those who don't know him.
• Ax-Crazy: Orochi Chris in XV is all too happy to raise hell and bring death to humanity, as evidenced by his maniacal giggling and his horrifying facial expressions. And if they successfully cause Humanity's Wake in their team ending, Orochi Chris is the only one who fully sees it as being Worth It.
• Battle Intro: In XV:
  "Don't let his innocent smile fool you. This speed demon will destroy you before you can blink! Chris!"
  Chris: "Please go easy on me."
  
  "Don't be fooled by his angelic appearance! Those black flames look like bad business! Orochi Chris!"
  O.Chris: "Heheheh! I'll burn all you conceited fools."
• Bootstrapped Leitmotif: In Sky Stage, Orochi Chris' boss theme is "Butterfly Emerges From Chrysalis", the Orochi Team's theme in 2002: Unlimited Match. The problem here is that the song is a medley of "Mad Fantasy" (Orochi Chris' '98 theme) and "Rhythmic Hallucination" (the Orochi Team's '97 theme/Orochi Yashiro's '98 theme) and Orochi Yashiro already has the actual "Rhythmic Hallucination" as his theme in the same game.
• The Cameo: Chris appears in the England stage, but much like Shermie, his appearance here is of questionable canonicity, especially since only Verse's defeat is what would resurrect him and the rest of Team Orochi for good.
• Creepy Child: In his Orochi form, where he becomes ungodly powerful and deranged. Only his teammates are safe from this. Taken up to Enfant Terrible levels in XV, where he's shown to be significantly more unhinged and vicious.
• Dance Battler: Many of his moves are modified break dancing techniques, and he moonwalks to move backward.
• Dash Attack: Both versions have this in some capacity. Base Chris has both versions of his Shooting Dancer specials (and Slide Touch in the older games), while Orochi Chris has Kagami o Hofuru Honoo and Daichi o Harau Gouka in '98.
• Depending on the Artist: Both his body type and hair color varies based on who's drawing him.
  • He is usually depicted with reddish brown hair, but has been depicted as blood red, and sometimes is completely brown.
  • In his sprites and on his debut art, his body has sometimes been depicted as wide shouldered and muscular for his age, but over time it has been depicted as more petite and child-like like Bao. His height also varies, since his sprite art has his stand taller than his profile suggests (160 cm) but look more like he's 10 or so cm taller. His KOF XV model brings his size closer to the profile's height range.
• Demonic Possession: His transformation into Orochi.
• Evil Laugh: During his Climax Super, Onslaught Mirage, in XV. Even if it sounds childish, there's a mocking tone to it. His awakened form in XV takes this to Laughing Mad levels, as his laughter is damn near constant every time he attacks.
• Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: His official XV bio uses this almost word for word.
  "At first glance, Chris seems like a well-mannered young boy, however his angelic smile hides his devilish demeanor."
• Faux Affably Evil: In sharp contrast to his teammates, who can be sociable when not on duty for their master and genuinely like some aspects of human mentality and cultures, Chris's innocent façade is exactly that and nothing more. Even in his normal form, it's clear he's just filtering out his true unpleasant side as a servant of Orochi to appear normal. His true self is a cruel, sadistic nihilist who hates humans and is all too happy to end their worthless lives.
• Flash Step: A key part of his normal form's fighting style. He can either dash across the screen, or various combinations of dashing, punching and kicking.
• Fragile Speedster: Most of his normal moveset revolves around Flash Steps, granting him blinding speed and maneuverability at the cost of damage.
• Grapple Move: Both versions have one, oddly enough. His base version has Direction Change, which sees him jump at the opponent and switch sides with them (in XV, he kicks them away instead), while his Orochi form has Shishi o Kamu Honoo, which is an equally unorthodox example. The Light and EX versions in XV break the opponent's guard, but the former can't be canceled into from a command normal in most cases. On the other hand, the Heavy version is most ideal for combos but can be blocked and punished. Both the Light and Heavy versions are Special Cancelable (best used with Tsuki o Tsumu Honoo) either way, though.
• Hates Everyone Equally: While this can be expected from the Heavenly Kings in general with their Gaia's Vengeance dogma, Chris's disdain extends into both malign nihilism (he doesn’t seem to see intrinsic worth in anything, perhaps not even the natural despite his dedication to Orochi) and scorn towards his own teammates. Specifically, his team quote at the end of KOF R-2 labels Yashiro as an idiot, and his interactions with Shermie in KOF 2002 involve making fun of her possibly gaining weight. While these aren’t as severe as his attitude towards normal humans, it still suggests an even more cruel attitude than the other Hakkeshu. This can even be seen in his sideline animations in '97 and '98 - he's listening to a walkman the whole fight, barely paying attention, and grins and shrugs nonchalantly if his teammate loses, while looking more surprised than anything else if they win. It can even be surmised that this aspect of Chris's personality is what makes him such a suitable candidate for Orochi's chosen vessel—and/or something that makes Orochi's own misanthropy get steadily worse.
• Hidden Depths: It's subtle, but XV suggests that Chris is at least partially as misanthropic as he is due to shyness or lack of confidence. He turns down interviews because "reporters freak (him) out", seems uncomfortable around fighters his own age, and even compliments from Shermie seem to fluster him.
• Image Song: To a degree. The arranged version of "Rhythmic Hallucination" features vocals performed by his voice actress, Rio Ogata.
• Ironic Name: Chris, as in the Christian Messiah. He's really more of a Dark Messiah as Orochi's vector of choice.
• Jack of All Stats: Orochi Chris. Compared to his regular counterpart, he has a solid means of both offense and defense. He carries over his regular counterpart's maneuverability and normals, on top of that.
• Kamehame Hadoken: Orochi Chris has both the Kusanagi's signature Orochinagi, and Taiyou o Iru Honoo, giving him some great zoning capabilities.
• Killed Off for Real: As the vessel of Orochi, his defeat meant his demise in '97. It wouldn't be until XIV upon the defeat of Verse, where his soul is released back into the land of the living.
• Late-Arrival Spoiler: Yashiro and Shermie give up their life force to empower Chris, and he becomes the vessel in which Orochi is resurrected.
• Leitmotif: Mad Fantasy for Orochi Chris.
• Misanthrope Supreme: Much of his dialogue in XV implies that he doesn't care that much about Orochi's vision for the world. He just loathes humans so much he's glad for the chance to erase them all.
• Not in This for Your Revolution: A fair number of his win quotes, particularly in XV, imply that he isn't remotely as biocentric as Yashiro, Shermie, or Orochi. In particular, one generic XV win quote has him say that he intended to dispatch his opponent "gently"—with the comparison being to pulling the wings off of a butterfly. While there are quotes that imply he doesn't expect or plan to destroy Nature, he certainly doesn't seem to love it. It seems to be at best for him a fun punching bag he just doesn't want humanity's proliferation to deprive him of. Ironically, his dedication to Orochi's goals is more consistent than that of Yashiro or Shermie.^note Interestingly, when Goenitz wins against normal Yashiro or Shermie in XV, he chides them how they need to avoid getting close to humanity. Not only does he not chide Chris, his win quote with him about the need to test their skills against each other every so often is the same as for all three CYS members' Awakened versions.
• Not So Above It All: He has moments of being flustered at things like Shermie's compliments or at the prospect of hanging out with some of the other younger fighters, and while he turned down the interview he was offered in their normal selves ending in XV, he acknowledges he should have taken it, if only to get the band out there more.
• No Social Skills: Heavily implied in XV through his interactions with other fighters and his team's ending. Chris can function socially, but he's often flustered when complimented and confused when others try to approach him, even fighters within his own age group like Meitenkun (although the latter did alarm Chris when he noticed how his ki was similar to that of Iori and Leona—Chris presumably didn't want his cover blown any further). Unfortunately, because he's a member of the Orochi bloodline, this trait gets taken to its worst possible conclusion with his true personality as Orochi Chris - a nihilistic psychopath who's really into the "wiping out humanity" part of being a Hakkesshu member, to a terrifying degree.
• Officially Shortened Title: Chris' actual name in his Orochi form is Chris, the Pyric Destiny as one of Orochi's four Heavenly Kings, but SNK also makes it simple by calling him just Orochi Chris, like Iori and Leona who aren't among the four.
• One-Winged Angel: He transforms into Orochi at the end of KOF '97 and also in 2002, during his MAX 2/HSDM (Orochi Chris only).
• Only One Name: Chris is the only name he's known by, with no other last name attached.
• Only Sane Man: He seems to view himself like this about his teammates. He has to constantly make sure they aren't frittering away their budget on "frivolous" things (new guitars for Yashiro, generally girly things for Shermie). More grimly, in the CYS's XV ending he's the only one of the three who's consistently keeping ensuring Kushinada-hime's sacrifice on his mind.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: As Orochi Chris. He might be a petite 160cm^note  5'3" , but where he falls in size he greatly makes up for in his sheer speed, versatility, and damage output.
• Playing with Fire: His "Pyric Destiny" version. Despite turning him into an Evil Counterpart to Kyo, his flames are purple, similar to Iori's. They were originally planned to be black and grey, but resulted in visibility issues for his attacks.
• Shoryuken: Both versions of Chris have this. The base version performs one with his legs (Hunting Air), while the Orochi version has a proper punch-based version imbued with hellfire (Tsuki o Hofuru Honoo).
• Shotoclone: Orochi Chris just about checks all the boxes - a projectile (unique one, in this case) to zone with, a Dragon Punch and a Dash Attack (not so much a Hurricane Kick) that can go over most (grounded) projectiles.
• The Sociopath: While his normal self already displays some sociopathic traits, he becomes a far more blatant example while in his Orochi form. He meets the following criteria:
  • Lack of Empathy and Devoid of Conscience: Expresses nihilistic views towards humanity, and takes glee in slaughtering them in needlessly painful ways the first chance he gets when he becomes Orochi Chris.
  • Consummate Liar and Manipulator: Able to play the role of an Adorably Precocious Child to get people to do what he wants, successfully tricking Yuki in the KOF: KYO manga by pretending to be seriously ill.
  • Pathological Need for Stimulation: XV depicts him as the most gung-ho to cause The End of the World as We Know It, and he frequently uses thrillish violence (if his participation in the titular fighting tournament isn't evidence enough) to achieve his goals.
  • Shallow Affect and Complete Lack of Emotional Reciprocity: Despite being teammates with Yashiro and Shermie, he's more than willing to call Yashiro an idiot in KOF R-2 and make fun of Shermie's possible Weight Woe in KOF 2002. His sideline animations barely have him react toward a teammate's victory, and he grins in the case they lose.
  • Grandiose Sense of Self-Importance: Chris's dialogue and taunts frequently displays a sense of arrogance compared to his own teammates, and as Orochi Chris, he frequently compares other people to mere insects.
• Sophisticated as Hell: During his Ankoku Orochinagi DM he says, "Hai. Shinde kudasai!" ("Yes. Die, please!")
• Stepford Smiler: Always with a smile in his face, even when killing random people. The fact that he's the Big Bad's host doesn't help, either. Word of God describes him as a character who can "kill with an innocent smile." Additionally, some of Orochi Chris's artwork (as well as his idle stance in 2002) shows him with a Slasher Smile instead.
  O.Chris: (In the cheeriest tone imaginable) "Chikyu daisuki, jinrui kirai! ("Love the Earth, hate humanity!")
• Straw Nihilist: Post-resurrection in XV, he shows signs of this. Chris neither has social skills, nor finds enjoyment from anything in life. His Orochi blood takes these traits of him to the extreme, loathing humanity and being pleased to Kill All Humans, not even caring about Orochi's vision of for the world. Case in point, in the Awakened Orochi Team ending, unlike his teammates who find out that Victory Is Boring, Orochi Chris calls the world, now devoid of humans, "beautiful", with full joy and sincerity.
  • Also noteworthy is that one of his win quotes against Shun'ei is him postulating that deep down, all he really wants to do is ravage everything in sight...as though that's all Chris himself really wants to do.
• Supreme Chef: He does all the band's cooking and is pretty good at it. One of his win quotes has him pondering aloud what to make for dinner that night.
• Technicolor Fire: Orochi Chris's flames are purple like Iori's, signifying their connection to Orochi. They're referred to as black in his Battle Intro, however, which depending on how one looks at it, is either a production callback ^note They were originally meant to be black but were made purple to prevent visibility issues or simply wrong.
• Theme Naming: Three of his specials in his Flames of Destiny moveset reference enmity with the Sacred Treasures clans: Taiyo wo Iru Honoo (Sun-Shooting Blaze, as with an arrow) against the Kusanagi, Tsuki wo Tsumu Honoo (Moon-Catching/Sundering Blaze) against the Yasakani, and Kagami wo Hofuru Honoo (Mirror-Slaughtering Blaze) against the Yata. Beyond that, his other moves tend to have a perdition theme—Chi no Batsu (Earthly Punishment), Ten no Tsumi (Heavenly Malice), Fuyou no Ono (Dispraising Axe), Jyukei no Oni (Punishing Demon), Setsudan no Koto (Severing Word), Daichi wo Harau Gouka (Earth-Sweeping Hellfire), and Daichi ni Hisomu Gouka (Hellfire Lurking in the Earth). That said, the gouka is more like the Buddhist concept of a purifying fire that resets the world and humanity...although he certainly doesn't want humanity to have another go.
• Time Abyss: Like all the Hakkeshu except Yamazaki, his memories stretch back to his first incarnation.
• Took a Level in Cynic: Being resurrected in KOF XV seems to have negatively affected Chris. While still being evil and an Omnicidal Maniac, he also seems to be more bored and unfulfilled with fighting, having a large number of winquotes saying that he is bored. Several endings suggest he is unable to get enjoyment out of things. In his team's ending, Chris does not have the same level of engagement in hobbies the way Yashiro and Shermie do (where they argue about Antonov being on magazine) and he seems more focused on his Heavenly King duties. Another ending shows Chris going to an amusement park with Kula and Meitenkun and being the only one not enjoying himself. However, in the intro for his Normal vs. Awakened self, there's an implication that his in-tournament boredom is just from not having direct access to his flames, and thus unable to do what he really wants to do (i.e. reduce everything within fifty kilometers to ashen mist).
• Turns Red: He is the only member of the New Faces Team to be able to unlock his Orochi form during battle in 2002 as a DM — the other two must have their Orochi versions selected from the character select screen. The only other character who can do this is Leona.
• Worth It: The Awakened Orochi Team ending in XV has them wipe out humanity. In contrast to Shermie's implied regret and Yashiro's declaration that it's boring, Chris outright calls the decayed ruins of civilization "beautiful" with joy in his voice.
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit: How Chris manages to get to Yuki in KOF: KYO. When she's waiting for Kyo in what's supposed to be their last pre-KOF date, Chris comes in while pretending to be ill. He then asks Yuki for help, making him lower her defense enough to get caught.
• You Are a Credit to Your Race: His Orochi form's sole win quote in '97, which was recycled for his post-match quote in 2002.
  O.Chris: "Mushikera ni shite wa, yoku ganbatte ne." ("You did well, for scum.")

'97 Special Team

Ryuji Yamazaki

Wicked Heretic

"Hyahahaha! Your screams are music to my ears!"

Origin: Japan

Fighting style: Homicidal instinct

Voiced by: ^note Kouji Ishii ('97-2003), Tsuguo Mogami (XIV)

Playable in: ^note '97, '98/UM, 2002/UM, 2003, XIV (as DLC), XV (as DLC)

The Psycho for Hire when it comes to psychos for hire. Yamazaki has been in the crime business for as long as he can remember; he actually started as an orphan from Okinawa, who at an early age joined a local Yakuza cell and ultimately became the right hand of his idol, the high-ranked Yakuza boss Sorimachi, who considered him as a sort-of surrogate son and possible successor. One day, when he and Sorimachi were on their way to make a deal in Osaka, they were set up and ambushed, and Sorimachi was bloodily killed in front of him. This drove him completely insane, and he killed everyone who was there without a scratch. He became something of a criminal mercenary, broker and arms dealer, offering his services to the highest bidder no matter how dirty the job was: his biggest activities were took place in Hong Kong, where he clashed with the policeman Hon Fu. He was approached by the Jin brothers, who hired him to obtain the Jin Scrolls, but was defeated by Terry. He also kidnapped Franco Bash's son for some reason, but Franco rescued him eventually.
In the King of Fighters timeline, it's revealed that he is part of the Orochi bloodline, but he doesn't seem to care about that. In '97 he decides to bust up dojos for pleasure, and Billy Kane approaches him with a substantial offer of money courtesy of Geese. At first, he doesn't feel like it, but Yamazaki agrees after being infuriated by a surviving student and killing him. After the tournament he confronts Geese regarding his money and is paid. In 2003 he teams up with Billy yet again on the behest of Geese, along with Gato, but after a scuffle with Billy he has not been heard from since.

He makes his return as a DLC character for KOF XIV and as part of Team South Town in KOF XV.

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See Fatal Fury 3 for tropes on him.

Blue Mary

Joint Crusher

"This isn't about logic, it's about smashing your face in!"

Origin: USA

Fighting style: Sambo

Voiced by: ^note Harumi Ikoma ('97-XI), Sarah Emi Bridcutt (XIV-XV)

Playable in: ^note '97, '98/UM, '99, 2000, 2001, 2002/UM, 2003, XI, XIV (as DLC), XV, MI:RA

A freelance agent who was originally hired to investigate the theft of certain important scrolls. Her activities usually revolve around Geese's intentions; it's just as well, as her grandfather was Geese's mentor. In her KOF debut, she was hired to team with and investigate Geese's right-hand-man Billy Kane and Psycho for Hire Ryuji Yamazaki, only to find that Geese was behind her employment. Since then, she has served as a semi-regular team member, usually alongside other South Town representatives or female fighters. She gets along very well with Terry Bogard, though he wouldn't call her a girlfriend or pursue any relationship with her other than that of an "acquaintance" or "close friend."

After her last playable appearance in The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match, Blue Mary made her return as DLC for The King of Fighters XIV. She's also a base roster fighter in XV, teaming up with her acquaintance Vanessa and a new teammate from XIV, Luong.

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See Fatal Fury 3 for tropes on her.

Others

Shingo Yabuki

Straight as an Arrow

"Did you see me, Mom?! I... I won! King of the World!"

Origin: Japan

Fighting style: Kempo (based on Kyo's style)

Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu

Playable in: ^note '97, '98/UM, '99, 2000, 2001, 2002/UM, 2003, XI, XV (as DLC)

Kyo Kusanagi's biggest fan, and a junior in his old high school. He enters the tournament to fight his idol, and in '99 goes looking for him with Benimaru, K', and Maxima. Afterward, Saisyu takes him in as an apprentice. He re-enters the XI tournament to replace Chizuru, but though he sorta manages to keep Iori and Kyo from killing each other, he's beaten senseless by a reawakened Orochi Iori.

After spending XIII and XIV recovering from that near-death experience, he returns KOF XV as a DLC fighter after further training from Saisyu. As a solo entry character, he will occasionally replace other members of an official team to be a part of the Story Mode.

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• Achievements in Ignorance: His Win Quote against Otoma=Raga in XV mixes this and a bit of Lampshade Hanging.
  Shingo: I don't understand what's going on, but I won!
• A Day in the Limelight: He becomes the main protagonist in the Gaiden manga where he learns of the Kusanagi-Yagami rivalry's origins. This time travelling adventure resulted in him beginning to awaken his blue flames.
• All-Loving Hero: His good sportsmanship in '98 is simply absurd compared to everyone else; Shingo will have higher chances of randomly risking himself to protect a teammate in a match with every single character in the game save Iori, Yashiro, Goenitz, Rugal and Orochi, that’s five out of more than forty characters, no other character will even have higher affinity for more than three others at most.
• Alternate Company Equivalent: High-school student who idolizes the main hero of the series to the point of emulating their fighting techniques makes Shingo SNK's counterpart to Sakura.
• Ascended Fanboy: From merely watching the '96 tournament on TV, to actually participating in it in '97, to being part of the Hero Team in '99 to finally teaming up with his idol Kyo in 2001 and XI.
• Badass Normal: Despite how people treat him, Shingo is no slouch as a fighter and does have the strength to back up following someone like Kyo.
• Battle Intro: In XV:
  "Is he finally worthy of the Kusanagi mantle? A future master with a blazing fire in his heart! Shingo Yabuki!"
  Shingo: "I'll give it my all."
• Beware the Nice Ones: Don't be fooled by his kindness and optimism; he's a powerful fighter in his own right.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: His intro in '99.
  "You're not an edit this year, Shingo."
• The Bus Came Back: Over 17 years after his last playable appearance in KOF XI, he returned as a DLC fighter for XV in January 2023.
• Butt-Monkey: The poor dude always manages to trip himself up or get viciously thrashed by other fighters. The most brutal likely being when Iori lost control and hospitalized Shingo for a whole game.
• The Cameo: Appears in the flesh during The Sacred Treasures' KOF XV ending, alongside Saisyu. This is before he was to be revealed as a DLC Character alongside Kim Kaphwan, similar to Billy Kane.
• Clark Kent Outfit: His clothes hide very well just how packed he is. Only his powerful forearms attest to what his clothes hide.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Treated mostly as a Butt-Monkey, but his Critical Hit attacks give him a big edge. Also, in the Kyo and Iori team ending in XI, he survived a beating from Orochi Iori, albeit bruised comically compared to Kyo.
• Critical Hit: His status as a Lethal Joke Character revolved around this. It's gone after '98. It wouldn't be until XV that it made its return, much better than ever.
• Cute Clumsy Girl: A Rare Male Example. Sometimes he trips after performing some special moves (notably the updated whiff animation for his Nietogi in XV) and always looks endearing.
• Dash Attack: One of his Super Special Moves, Kake Hourin, is a running shoulder tackle (provided he's far away from the opponent). If it hits, it's going to hurt, since Shingo also gets a free follow-up on hit depending on the game (in case the initial damage and guard crush properties weren't enough). There's also his take on the Kototsuki for a non-Super example.
• Determinator: His techniques are low-grade imitations of Kyo. He can't shoot flames, no matter how much training he receives from Kyo or Saisyu or the fact that he has Kyo's old gloves. But every single fighter be damned if Shingo will ever give up. Case in point, He survives a beatdown from Orochi Iori in XI (the same one that killed Mature & Vice, no less).
• Divergent Character Evolution: At first glance, it's easy to assume Shingo is a clone of his idol, but his techniques make him stand out from Kyo. For starters, not only does he have two different Grapple Moves (though one is more of a Dash Attack than anything), but he has both his own take on Kyo's RED Kick and Oboroguruma when the latter usually has only one or the other (the super version from 2003-XI notwithstanding). He also can't do the follow-ups from his idol's trademark chain punches, but to compensate for that, they often knock down on hit in most cases and still have the same reach as Kyo's versions. Since 2003, he's been able to do his signature Shingo Kick in the air, which Kyo's equivalent doesn't have.
• Does Not Like Spam: Milk. It's his official dislike, and the special "Birthday Team" (him, King, and Mature) ending in '98 has him getting a milk carton, much to his dismay.
• Early-Bird Cameo: He and Saisyu appear in Team Sacred Treasure's ending outside the Kusanagi residence. He later returns as DLC in Season 2, including his updated outfit.
• Epic Fail: Originally, Shingo could miss the landing on a strong Oboroguruma after the third kick. This got changed into him performing even worse, so it becomes a double kick that he'll randomly follow with a third but always fumble and crash into the opponent as he falls. 2003 and XI then turn it into his Leader Desperation Move, having him spam midair kicks until he screws up and crashes head-first on the opponent for a now comically high amount of damage.
• Fireball Eyeballs: His new Climax Super in XV has a very prominent example.
• Flung Clothing: Sometimes wears a track jacket over his uniform.
• Goroawase Number: His new outfit in XV has the number "405" on the back of his tracksuit jacket, which, when pronounced out loud, sound out his name (4 = shi, 0 = n, 5 = go).
• Grapple Move: The Nietogi is a proximity-based unblockable that, similar to Orochi Chris' Shishi o Kamu Honoo or Ash's Vendemiare, functions like one. As with the latter, it also acts as a Launcher Move, giving Shingo a free follow-up if it connects. Since XI it's now a proper command grab.
• Heroic Wannabe: Idolizes Kyo Kusanagi to the point of mimicking his moves and speech. He's training to be as good as Kyo, and is convinced that he, too, can "shoot fire."
• Hero-Worshipper: One of Kyo Kusanagi. Incidentally, he debuted around the same time as Sakura Kasugano, another Hero Worshipper.
• The Heart: The only other person apart from Chizuru who can keep Kyo and Iori from being at each other's throats. Though he did a good job in XI, Iori went Orochi and beat up both him and Kyo in their ending.
• Hurricane Kick: The Oboroguruma, which he borrowed from the Kusanagi Style. It's a Super Special Move in 2003 and XI, but back to being a regular Special Move in XV.
• Iconic Item: The Kusanagi gloves Kyo gave to him in '97. Shingo has worn them ever since.
• Intergenerational Friendship: With Chizuru, who's around six years older than he is.
• Keet: Has some traits. He acts loud and excited most of the time, despite one of his intros having him telling himself to keep it cool.
• Last Episode, New Character: Like Team Orochi, Shingo debuted in the finale of the Orochi Saga, with him being a staple character ever since (until being Put on a Bus from XI to XV).
• Leitmotif: "Still Green", his normal theme tune if he's fighting on his own.
• Lethal Joke Character: Shingo's version of the Kusanagi style is unrefined and (for the most part) cannot create flames. His Critical Hit gimmick means he can occasionally hit harder than usual, but it also makes Shingo inconsistent with his damage. In the right hands though, he's a formidable fighter.
• Martial Arts Headband: Another homage to Kyo is his white headband, although it isn't quite the same cut as Kyo's.
• Moveset Clone: Regarding Kyo and Iori, he's akin to a Dan/Sakura-hybrid, although his spins on Kyo's teachings make him a formidable fighter. He also shares some moves with Saisyu, notably his jumping Blowback and far Strong Kick.
• Muscles Are Meaningful: He's too modest to show it off properly, but he's actually very muscular, much more than Kyo or Iori themselves.
• Nice Guy: He is rarely arrogant or condescending to his enemies in his quotes. Most of the time, he is very excited and surprised that he won.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Burning Shingo, the animation of which differs depending on the game. '98's version, for example, has him perform a barrage of quick and unrefined blows in place while the version from 2001-onwards has him perform a barrage of chain punches into a Nietogi, demonstrating newfound confidence (or at the very least, more experience) in his techniques. The version in XV is closer to that seen in '98, though.
• Ordinary High-School Student: Though one with the power of Critical Hit attacks. And that random flame from his attacks in 2003, XI, and XV.
• Painting the Medium:
  • During his HSDM in 2002UM, Shingo tries to copy one of Kyo's moves... and forgets about halfway through. He then takes advantage of the fact that he's in a video game to read through his notebook and finishes the chain of attacks.
  • Also in '99, one of his intros had him saying, "Shingo is not an Edit Character this year!", considering that in his debut in '97 and the subsequent Dream Match in '98, he's exactly that: an Edit Character without an official team.
• Playing with Fire: What Shingo wants to achieve. In his spinoff manga, he eventually manages to pull off using flames for real. His are blue in color.
• Plucky Comic Relief: Most of Shingo's earnest attempts at replicating the Kusanagi style often end with many a Face Plant into the ground. And if it isn't that, then it's just him being his usual, goofy self - like reading his journal mid-match while he's pummeling the opponent with his own take on Kyo's Kamichiri.
• Put on a Bus: Before XV, ignoring spin-offs and cameos, Shingo's last canonical playable appearance was in XI. An over 17-year gap between the two games.
• Random Number God: In some games, Shingo will randomly perform the aforementioned Critical Hit attacks, occasionally do two hits (and produce flames) with his Dokugami Mikansei, and randomly lose his balance and fall at the third hit of Oboro Guruma Mikansei.
• Route Boss: In '98. He can be fought anywhere from after the 3rd team to before the 6th. Uniquely, even when Ultimate Match has Eiji and Kasumi usually tag along with him, Shingo is fought solo as a mid-boss.
• School Uniforms are the New Black: His default outfit is a blue school uniform. Mainly due to him wanting to emulate Kusanagi-san as much as possible. In XV, his default outfit is a blue P.E. tracksuit while his original outfit is available as an alternate costume.
• Shoryuken: He uses the same Oniyaki as Kyo and Iori's styles. Since he's not of either bloodline, he lacks the flames to augment it.
• Squee: His intro with Kyo in '99 is quite the squee.
  Shingo: KYAAAAAAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAA, KUSANAGI-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!
  Kyo: [burns his headband] Ikuze.
• Signature Move: A few. The Nietogi, Moeru Shingo, Kake Hourin, and Shingo Kick.
  SHINGO KIIIIIIICK!!!
• The Team Normal: No matter what team he is in, he is the only one without any special powers. At first.
• Took a Level in Badass: Starts out as a Badass Normal compared to the Kusanagi fighters with the innate ability to wield flames, but he's so determined to match them that he eventually does start shooting out sparkles and flames. Aside from that, his overall performance is inconsistent from game to game — he begins missing the third hit of the Oboroguruma after 97 and his movements are far more comical and unrefined in XV. In a few games he is skilled enough to emulate the Mushiki and can perform an Oboroguruma with a ton of hits before missing and falling over.
• Unskilled, but Strong: Shingo fights with an amateurish imitation of Kyo's style and, as such, lacks the finesse and technique that his idol possesses due to his greater experience. This is shown in the way he fumbles some of his moves, such as missing the landing on a third hit of his Oboroguruma. However, as seen with his Critical Hit properties and his Leader Desperation Move, Shingo can hit really hard and deal severe amounts of damage with some his moves.
• Use Your Head: His Rouka Guruma super ends with Shingo flubbing the move as he divebombs into the ground. Said divebomb does a tremendous amount of damage, nearly equaling the rest of the move's damage output. His new Climax in XV also involves him knocking the opponent up into the air, then jumping up in pursuit to deliver a powerful headbutt to the opponent's back.
• The Worf Effect: At the receiving end in KOF: KYO and KOF XI. In the first he gets beaten up by the Sendoh siblings ^note (and you as Kyo should take him to the hospital since it'll let you learn about the Sendoh's brother Keisuke) and later by Yamazaki during the investigation on Yuki's supposed disappearance; in the second he and Kyo are curbstomped by Orochi Iori, though Shingo takes the worst part and, unlike Kyo, he can't join KOF XIII.
• Your Mind Makes It Real: There's the spark of flame that appears randomly during his 115 Shiki: Dokugami Mikansei in 2003 and XI. Only Shingo notices it, most likely due to his goal to shoot flames (as evident in the Japan Team's ending for 2003).

Orochi

"Listen carefully, pitiful children... Annihilation is approaching."

^{His True Form in Legend (As depicted in KOF: Destiny)}

Origin: Japan

Fighting style: Divine Orochi Power

Voiced by: ^note Rio Ogata (KOF '97), Motoko Kumai (CD dramas), Shiki Aoki (KOF All-Star), Rui Yamasaki (XV; cameo during Iori's Climax Super Special Move)

Playable in: ^note '98:UM

Boss character in: ^note '97, '98:UM

The infamous creature of legend. Orochi is the Genius Loci of the planet as a whole, although the biosphere itself is up for debate. Although it originally gave aid to humanity, its frustration with humanity’s capacity for ruin and cruelty ultimately led to it concluding that humans could never be more than pests, and needed to be treated as such. Therefore, it deployed its eight subordinate divinities, known as the Hakkeshu, to give it the chance to efface them. They were stopped 1800 years ago by the Kusanagi, Yasakani, and Yata clans, who sealed them away. However, Orochi was still able to use some of its power through the seal, and began to spread its influence to others. The first instance was corrupting Yasakani's 1330s descendants into the Yagami, who proceeded to unseal the Hakkeshu. Through Goenitz in the present day, the seal was further weakened with the death of Maki Kagura, the current heir to the Yata clan. The seal was fully broken in '97, when Yashiro Nanakase and Shermie offered their powers to reawaken him inside Chris. Orochi was nonetheless resealed by Kyo, Iori, and Chizuru after a fierce battle.

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• Achilles' Heel: His A.I. is rather poor for an SNK Boss, and most of his normal attacks were nothing special and repetitive. Possibly a Justified Trope considering the SNK Boss Bonanza players would have to survive just to get to him, never mind how powerful and generally well-rounded the rest of his moveset is.
• All Myths Are True: The progeny of Gaia, the Mother Goddess of Greek mythology. How far down the rabbit hole this goes is never fully explored, especially since Gaia herself is The Ghost.
• Ancient Evil: He is a deity created by the planet and is the greatest threat to humanity. The only people that can stop him are the Kusanagi, Yagami, and Yata clans.
• Animal Motifs: Snakes — this is Orochi, after all. Still, the snake aspect is mostly in his eyes. Naturally, these extend to his followers. He also invokes a butterfly motif with his "rebirth" stemming from Chris' status as his host; his intro quote ("Sanagi o yaburi, chou wa mau") translates to "Breaking the cocoon, I shall flutter" and the Orochi Team's 2002UM theme is entitled "butterfly emerges from chrysalis."
• Arch-Enemy: To the Kusanagi, Yagami and Yata clans, as they sealed him away in ancient times. He's also this to the to the heirs of the three clans: Kyo, Iori and Chizuru.
• Attractive Bent-Gender: In The King of Fighters: KYO◊ and a piece of bonus artwork◊ viewable in '98, Orochi is depicted as a total babe during the events of its sealing in the past, probably because Orochi reincarnated itself into a female follower back then.
• Audible Sharpness: His Ukei, which is pretty much a standing Genocide Cutter.
• Back for the Dead: One of the many deceased fighters revived at the end of XIV... only to immediately get sealed again by Kyo, Iori, and Chizuru in Yagami Team's ending. Effortlessly to boot.
• Benevolent Boss: In Team Awakened Orochi ending, though Orochi is revived and successfully eradicates humanity, his followers are spared despite being humans themselves and no longer being necessary to act on his behalf.
• Big Bad: Of the Orochi Saga, but due to his major influence across the series, he can be considered to be the main antagonist of the King of Fighters series as a whole, especially since the Tales of Ash arc was all about the villains trying to get control of his power.
• The Bus Came Back: After Ash erased himself at the end of XIII, Orochi became a part of Eldritch Abomination called Verse, which is the final boss of XIV. After the destruction of Verse, he manages to escape...
• Catch and Return: His Utsushi Iwai special can counter moves of varying properties (ranging from overheads to physical attacks) depending on the button pressed, while his Tadasu special absorbs projectiles and returns one of his own.
• Complete Immortality: He cannot be killed by any normal means, and the only way to stop him is to seal him away.
• Deal with the Devil: His main interaction and connection with the Yagami family (known as the Yasakani back then). The Yasakani clan swore subservience (and some other terms) in exchange for the power to overcome the Kusanagi family.
• Ethereal Choir: His Marokare Desperation Move is accompanied by a brief choir. Orochi Chris' version in KOF 2002 retains this choir.
• Expository Pronoun: Refers to himself with the highly formal first-person pronoun ware, emphasizing his nature as a divine being of ancient provenance.
• Flash Step: His rolling animation.
• Gaia's Vengeance: To an insanely fanatical degree, as he seeks to commit planetary genocide in order to protect the earth.
• Genius Loci: Of the basal Earth—crust, mantle, and core alike. Hence its Leitmotif being called "The Origin of Mind"; it was an attempt at "The First Mind" or "The First Soul."
• God of Evil: More of a quasi-deity. Orochi wasn't originally like that either; chalk it up to his frenetic attempts to "protect" his beloved creator from humanity.
• Greater-Scope Villain: One for the whole Orochi Saga, and the effects of his involvement are still felt even in the NESTS, Ash, and Shun'ei sagas. Most of the other villains from later sagas want his power, and making sure he stays sealed is the overlying focus of the series.
• Hellish Pupils: Has slitted eyes like a snake.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: In the Three Sacred Treasures ending of KOF '97, a defeated Orochi tries to use Iori against Kyo and Chizuru by activating his Riot of the Blood, but Iori instead grabs Orochi and restrains him long enough for Kyo to give the final blow.
• Humanity on Trial: Concedes defeat in the ending of '97, but not without stating that he'll continue watching humanity from afar to see if they're still deserving of his judgment. If XIV and XV are any indication, Orochi's yet to budge on his original position.
• Humans Are the Real Monsters: And a threat to his beloved Gaia, which fuels his quest to wipe them out.
• Leaking Can of Evil: Ever since the Hakkesshu tampered with his seal (with some assistance from the Yasakani/Yagami clan), he's been this. In XV, he makes a a speaking cameo through Iori's Climax Super Special Move, Shiki Hozuki. Unless he's fighting one of the Hakkeshu, where Iori will refrain from tapping into his Orochi blood and uses his own strength to deal with them.
• Kill All Humans: A plan that had been derailed extremely heavily due to the efforts of the Three Sacred Treasures clans. Even causing the Yasakani to betray the other two clans didn't prevent his defeat.
• Knight Templar: On his worst days, Orochi walks the narrow tightrope between Well-Intentioned Extremist and this, as he claims to be acting according to Gaia's will. It remains to be seen if he'll slowly move away from it all.
• Leitmotif: Origin of Mind
• Light Is Not Good: His Bright Light/Fade to Nothingness/Marokare (Churning Chaos) DM, which fills the screen with an eerie greenish light.
• Mark of the Beast: His "dark sun" tattoo that is over his chest. It's probable that Chris has the same tattoo, as his clothes cover the key areas where it would be.
• Meaningful Name: His namesake is the eight-headed Yamata no Orochi of Japanese lore. While not canon, some sources (Iori's ending◊ in SVC Chaos, Andy Seto's The King of Fighters: Zillion◊ manhua, and KOF: Destiny) depict his true form as the Orochi.
• Mystical White Hair: Better seen in his intro, where Chris morphs into Orochi, and his brown hair becomes white.
• No Biological Sex: Despite "his" appearance as a fully grown man, Orochi is a genderless deity whose appearance depends on its host. Most refer to Orochi as a male because "his" appearance in '97 is its most commonly known form.
• No Name Given: Not Orochi himself, but his moves lacked names in his original appearance in '97. All playable appearances after would remedy this.
• Numerological Motif: Eight, as the legendary eight-headed serpent. He has eight minions (the Hakkesshu), and moves such as Yaotome mention the number eight.
• One-Winged Angel: While he never actually transforms, it's noted that Orochi's "true" form is that of a massive serpentine monster. The actual design of said form is inconsistent between depictions, and no canon installment has shown it in any kind of detail.
• Orochi: SNK's version of the mythological serpent, no less.
• Physical God: He is a divine being created from the earth itself, and both he and his followers consider him to be "Gaia's Will."
• Power Floats: His original version never touched the ground on purpose.
• Power Glows: His original sprite had a flickering glow that seems to be absent in KOF '98 UM.
• Religion of Evil: His cult engages in sacrifices and hijacking tournaments to break his seal and revive him.
• Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Orochi's true form is a giant serpentine monstrosity and is generally associated with snakes and reptiles.
• Rule of Cool: Orochi's Oomiwa DM involves drawing you in with his godly powers. He then rips your soul out of your body and crushes it in the palm of his hand. Ouch.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: So far, always inside a person. First, it was Chris in '97. Then Verse in XIV.
• Sigil Spam: Orochi is often associated with a multi-pointed sun symbol, most clearly seen on the chest of his host.
• Snakes Are Sexy: Following his serpent motif, he's a very attractive deity. It doesn't help that his physical form is just Chris's body remolded into a more suitable form.
• SNK Boss:
  • Was the first to use an absolute priority projectile, a full-screen attack, and to fight without needing to crouch.
  • In KOF '98 UM, Orochi was revamped from his original incarnation and now has a crouching animation, along with updated normals and several of his original moves switched around. However, his Marokare screen filler super still does ridiculous damage, and if you're positioned exactly in the middle of the screen and don't block, it does double the amount of hits and damage, especially the MAX version; 50% plus 50% equals 100%. Yes, it instantly kills you if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time.
• Tattoo as Character Type: Goes both ways on this. Orochi's dark sun tattoo is commonly hypothesized to belong to Chris (whose shirt covers where the marking would be). The location of Shermie, Mature, and Vice's tattoos, all in different spots, would support this idea, but the female Orochi seen in artwork and KOF: KYO depicting the legendary battle from 1,800 years ago has the same tattoo (although, due to her robes and current body shape, the sun primarily spans across her neck and breasts as opposed to her entire torso). By default, the "warrior" aspect of a chest tattoo could be applied to Orochi, but his female form is depicted as a bit of a temptress or seductress (which, consequently, would certainly explain the hypersexual personalities of Orochi's known female followers).
• Top-Heavy Guy: His appearance in Chris's body is usually depicted with a muscular and bulky chest and relatively thin, long legs.
• Vocal Dissonance: It's a bit of a Downplayed Trope since the voice is that of his vessel, Chris, but it's still odd hearing such a rather effeminate and youthful voice coming from the well-built man he appears as in his boss fight.
• Voice of the Legion: Which still comes off as child-like due to it being Chris's voice.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: Never wears a shirt, and it also reveals that when he fully possesses Chris, he's ripped with chest muscles, something that the petite Chris wouldn't have.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Seeing him as a Captain Planet wannabe who wants to save the earth by killing all of humanity seems to describe him well.
• Worf Had the Flu: A partially formed version of him is defeated and re-sealed in the Yagami ending of KOF XIV. Without a catalyst, Orochi is not able to be a threat. Curiously, he took a form similar to when he was in Chris's body, but Chris was revived separately from him in the next game.
• White Hair, Black Heart: He takes the form of a young man with white hair and a desire to wipe out humanity.