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Characters / The King of Fighters '94
aka: The King Of Fighters 94 Part 1

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The characters in The King of Fighters introduced during The King of Fighters '94 (the intro title also known as the "Rugal Saga").

Trivia entries go in the Trivia tab. Captain Ersatz, Continuity Nod, Expy, Mythology Gag, No Celebrities Were Harmed and Shout-Out entries go in the Shout Out page.


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Hero Team: Japan

Kyo Kusanagi

    Benimaru Nikaido 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kof_xv_benimaru_render.png
Shooting Star

"My reason for winning? I'm just cool. Real cool."

Origin: Japan
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japan_4602.png
Fighting style: Shoot-boxing
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

Kyo's and Daimon's partner. A lightning user who's also quite the ladies' man. Practices an unconventional fighting style called "Shooting" (shoot boxing).
Despite being associated with the original Team Japan, Benimaru often finds himself as part of other teams central to the plot, teaming up with K`, Maxima and Shingo in '99, Shingo, Lin, and Seth in 2000 and Elizabeth and Duo Lon in XI. As a result, he's also the fighter who has the most KOF wins. In XV, he finds himself with yet another team, this time with the new Hero Team alongside Shun'ei and Meitenkun, at the request of Kyo.


  • Affectionate Nickname: Sometimes referred to as "Beni" both in and out of universe.
  • Agent Peacock: Flamboyant, somewhat vain, and cares a lot about his looks, but there's a reason he's got the most KOF championships out of the whole cast.
  • Always Someone Better: In some non-official KOF media, it's speculated that while Benimaru does care for Kyo as a friend, at the same time he also resents being The Lancer and feels overshadowed by him. The aforementioned Alternate Universe KOF: G goes by this interpretation and it culminates with him falling in More than Mind Control and severely injuring Kyo while in this state.
  • Anime Hair: Lifted directly from Jean-Pierre Polnareff in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, as the creators confirm. He styles it with his powers in one intro. And when his hair isn't defying gravity, he's a Long-Haired Pretty Boy.
  • Battle Intro: In XV:
    "The maker above didn't skip out on this guy! He's got looks, money, and super conductivity! Benimaru Nikaido!
    Benimaru: "I'll give you the shock of your life!"
  • Big Brother Mentor: In XV where he's now taking care of Shun'ei and Meitenkun in the new Hero Team at Kyo's request.
  • But Not Too Foreign: Half American, half Japanese.
  • Butt-Monkey: He's usually the butt of jokes in the King of Fighters: Destiny animated series.
  • Camp Straight: A very flamboyant fighter, but also a lover of the ladies. So camp in fact that in the KOF 10th anniversary webpage the staff felt the need to say "It's not what you think, Not That There's Anything Wrong with That."
  • Chick Magnet: That ladies man persona is not just for show, Benimaru canonically has multiple girlfriends, although they're not shown in game.
  • Chivalrous Pervert: Loves to flirt with female opponents, but is not a lech, since he will leave the girl alone if she tells him to cut it, even if he whines about it a bit. The best examples of this comes from Benimaru scolding Kyo on his (understandably neglectful) relationship with Yuki, and later all of his pre-fight talks towards female fighters in XIII.
  • Close-Range Combatant: To an extent in older games, but he's almost fully this in XIII where, with the exception of EX Benimaru Lancer (which tracks the opponent anywhere) and his Neo MAX (he shoots a thunderbolt directly forward), all of his moves have quite a short range.
  • Costume Evolution: At the beginning, his outfit is pretty much the same as Polnareff. In '96, he changes his top to a black full body sleeveless shirt while retaining his wrist bands. In '98 and the NESTS saga, the A-shirt turns into a T-shirt with a Cleavage Window while baring his midriff, and now wears fingerless gloves. In 2003 and XI, along with changing his jeans to a black one, the A-shirt is back... and it's now in leopard print. XII changes his outfit to an A-shirt that bares his midriff. In XIV, he (finally!) wears a yellow shirt. In Capcom vs. SNK, his '98 T-shirt becomes an A-shirt with long gloves baring his shoulders. In XV he switches to a Chinese-inspired top, fitting his new position as part of the hero team with Shun'ei and Meitenkun.
  • Damn You, Muscle Memory!: His Shinkuu Katategoma special is executed with half circle back + kick from 94 to 96, quarter circle back + punch from 97 to 2002 and finally quarter circle back + kick in 2003 to XI. It then never reappears in future mainline games.
  • Death from Above: Benimaru Lancer, introduced in XII, is a lightning strike that Benimaru can use to on either himself as a defensive tool, or as a direct attack with its EX version.
  • Diving Kick: His Flying Drill command normal, a diagonally-angled kick meant to emulate the rotation of a drill, similar in appearance and functionality to Dhalsim's Drill Kick.
  • Elemental Punch: Raijinken, literally meaning Thunder Fist, is a very cut and dry example.
  • Fragile Speedster: Gameplay-wise, Benimaru's a fast fighter with high damage potential but limited defensive options.
  • Grapple Move: Benimaru Collider is where he grabs an opponent and electrocutes them.
  • Gratuitous English: A staple of his win poses. "Thank you! See you next time!"
  • Guest Fighter: In Xuan Dou Zhi Wang alongside Terry. Notably, he appears in this game without Kyo.
  • Hurricane Kick: His Shinkuu Katategoma special in some games, where he handstands and spins in place while kicking with both legs.
  • Iaijutsu Practitioner: An unusual example with his Iaigeri. It is a knee kick that uses the principles of iaijutsu, unleashing a fast kick before drawing it back.
  • Image Song: "Show Time!"
  • Irony: Despite being treated as the lancer to Kyo, Benimaru has been a part of more winning teams in KOF tournaments than Kyo.
  • The Jailbait Wait: Subverted with Kula in XIII. Though he hits on her, he chastises himself then tells Kula to forget what he said when she does not understand what he meant by waiting five years for her.
  • The Lancer: Classically, he is this to Kyo. After the Orochi Saga, Benimaru often finds himself with another team with an important character leading the team, with some exceptions
  • Leaning on the Fourth Wall: One of his classic win poses involves him striking a pose, looking directly at the camera and saying "Thank you!" In universe, this can be seen as him gesturing to his fans.
  • More than Mind Control: Briefly happens to him in Ryo Takamisaki's The King Of Fighters G. Goenitz starts using his powers to drain people of Life Energy while he and Kyo are fighting in the finals; this affects Benimaru by proxy and he goes Blood Knight at Kyo, injuring his eyes. When Kyo wins the fight anyway, Benimaru comes back to his senses and apologizes. It qualifies as this trope instead of Brainwashed and Crazy because of a subplot where Benimaru was very angry at Kyo after a massive fight, which led him to team up with Iori and Mature (while Kyo teamed with Athena and Vice); Goenitz's appearance and powers amped up the bad feelings that already were there up to eleven.
  • Lightning/Fire Juxtaposition: He's the lightning to Kyo's fire.
  • Nice Guy: He doesn't start off this way, but after being humbled by his experiences on the Japan team and his loss at Kyo's hands, he becomes one of the most amicable characters in the series.
  • Otaku: Benimaru strongly dislikes otaku. Somewhat justified by the fact that in Japan, the word "otaku" carries a much more negative connotation than in the West where it's often used to describe someone who is simply a passionate fan of anime and manga.
  • Shipper on Deck: In the Hero Team ending in XV, he teases Shun'ei about his feelings regarding Isla after a quip from Tung Fu Rue.
  • Shock and Awe: His fighting style consists of lightning-empowered martial arts. He can also fire bolts of lightning from his hands. His exaggerated case of electrostatic is the In-Universe reason for his Anime Hair.
  • Shoryuken: A kick version with his Super Inazuma Kick, where he leaps up with lightning left in his trail.
  • Signature Move: His Raijinken, a short-range surge of lightning. Also its DM version, Raikouken.
  • Small Name, Big Ego: In King of Fighters: Destiny. He's offended when he realizes that the American fighter Ryo Sakazaki has heard of Kyo and Goro, but not him.
  • Something about a Rose: His poster at the school stage in 2002UM depicts Beni with a rose in his teeth.
  • Spell My Name With An S: His surname can be written as "Nikaido", "Nikaidō" or "Nikaidou".
  • Sphere of Destruction:
    • His Raikouken is either this or a cluster of Energy Balls, depending on the game.
    • Rolling Thunder Super has Benimaru surround himself in a circular field of lightning.
  • Super-Speed: Via lightning. He can even move fast enough to produce after-images, as seen with his Gen'ei Hurricane DM.
  • Theme Naming: As elaborated on the shout-out page, all of Benimaru's moves are actually themed/named-after anime heroes' special attacks, especially from Tatsunoko Production. The massive irony is that Benimaru in his profile specifically hates nerds/otaku who are into that sort of thing.
  • Three-Strike Combo: His Iai Geri special can be continued to Hando Sandan Geri, which adds 2 more strikes to the attack.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: With Kyo, at first. As the two came to respect each other over time, the snarky banter died down a lot.
  • Would Not Hit a Girl: While Benimaru definitely respects his female opponents, he doesn't enjoy fighting against them for this reason. In some of the later games, defeating a female character causes him to look regretfully across the screen rather than perform any of his trademark victory poses. Unfortunately for him, he's in a martial arts tournament, so he doesn't have much of a choice.
    (Vs. Athena in XIV): "I understand you are a warrior, but it hurts my heart to harm a pop star..."

    Goro Daimon 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kof_all_star_daimon.png
"Lightweight!"

Origin: Japan
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japan_4602.png
Fighting style: Judo
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

Japanese judo master who was invited by Benimaru to join the Japan team for the '94 tournament. He, Kyo, and Benimaru have been good friends since then, although Daimon occasionally declines joining tournaments to focus on his family.


Fatal Fury Team: Italy

    Terry Bogard 

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kof_xv_terry_render.png
Legendary Hungry Wolf
"Hey, come on!"

Origin: USA
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/usa_1961.png
Fighting style: "Martial arts" (based on his father's and Tung's, later self-taught)
Voiced by: note 
Portrayed by: note 
Playable in: note 

The hero of the Fatal Fury series and one of SNK's poster children. His role in the overall plot of the KOF series is minimal, as he's mostly here due to his popularity. He was raised by martial arts master Jeff Bogard along with his younger brother Andy, and developed his own unique fighting style based on Jeff's teachings. He witnessed the murder of his father at the hands of Geese Howard, and trained with Tung Fu Rue to take revenge. Terry defeated Geese and gave him a boot out of his tower, but after learning of his survival Terry was none too pleased. He failed in stopping Geese from obtaining the Jin Scrolls but in the next tournament, he defeats Geese once again and this time tries to save him from falling off the tower, again, but Geese rejects him, allowing himself to plummet to his "death," again. He adopts Geese's son Rock afterward, and trains him.

In the KOF continuity, however, Geese did not die. Terry has been a constant participant throughout all KOF tournament, giving all the good fights. In XIV, however, Geese's return to the tournament raised his suspicion and he decided to enter with Andy and Joe to investigate and stop whatever Geese plans.


See Fatal Fury - Terry Bogard for tropes on him.

    Andy Bogard 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kof_xv_andy_render.png
Human Weapon
"My speed can cut through shadows! You had no chance against it."

Origin: USA
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/usa_1961.png
Fighting style: Koppo + Ninjutsu (Shiranui-style)
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

Younger brother of Terry and a McNinja. He was taught a basic form of Shiranui ninjutsu by Mai's grandfather Hanzo. After hearing of his father Jeff's death at the hands of Geese Howard, he joins forces with Terry and Joe Higashi, and the three enter Geese's King of Fighters tournament. Although Andy fights Geese first, he loses badly, and Terry finishes the villain off... maybe. He's also the apple of Mai's eye, although he rejects her advances.

See Fatal Fury: King of Fighters for tropes on him

    Joe Higashi 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kof_xv_joe_render.png
Young Muay Thai Champ
"That's the best you got? No wonder I blew you away!"

Origin: Japan
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japan_4602.png
Fighting style: Muay Thai
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

A Japanese man who is well versed in the art of Muay Thai, he is the best friend of both Bogard brothers, and is a constant in nearly every King of Fighters tournament. He is currently dating Billy Kane's sister Lilly, something her overprotective older brother Billy is not happy about, given his connection to the Bogards (that's for the Fatal Fury continuity; in The King of Fighters he possibly remains single, later being chased around by his unnamed loyal fan). Quite possibly the strongest Muay Thai practitioner in the SNK 'verse, much to credit for his many team ending sequences consisting of him winning other fighting tournaments by himself.


See Fatal Fury: King of Fighters for tropes on him

Art of Fighting Team: Mexico

    Ryo Sakazaki 

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kof_xv_ryo_render.png
Invincible Dragon
"Absolute karate, that's Kyokugen. And don't you forget it, dweebenheimer!"

Origin: Japan
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japan_4602.png
Fighting style: Kyokugen-style Karate
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

The heir of the Kyokugen School of Karate and the main protagonist of the Art of Fighting series. Ryo is Takuma's son and Yuri's brother and best friend of Robert Garcia. He rescued Yuri with Robert, who was kidnapped by Mr. Big and Geese Howard to get Takuma to do their bidding, thus freeing his father from said bidding as well. Now he promotes the fighting style by competing in tournaments. He later takes up his father's title of "Mr. Karate."

In XIV, he and his teammates heard rumors about a fake Kyokugenryu school. To clear the legitimacy of the Kyokugenryu school (and to advertise the new Kyokugen Barbeque side business Takuma opened), Ryo entered the King of Fighters tournament. In XV, growing increasingly discontent with Kyokugen Barbeque becoming the main focus of the family business, he boots Yuri from the team and enters the tournament with Robert and King to show off Kyokugenryu Karate at it's finest.


See Art of Fighting I for tropes on him

    Robert Garcia 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kof_xv_robert_render.png
Mightiest Tiger
"If everyone loves a winner, I am freakin' irresistible!"

Origin: Italy
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/italy_2044.png
Fighting style: Kyokugen-style Karate
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

Italian playboy who is also the heir to the Garcia Foundation, one of the largest companies in the world. He was sent to train with the Sakazakis by his father, who wanted him to appreciate the value of hard work. He became good friends with Ryo and when Yuri was kidnapped by Mr. Big, he and Ryo hit the streets of Southtown to get her back. While Ryo's style of Kyokugen is more balanced, Robert's focuses mostly on kicks. He and Yuri have a relationship, but they have yet to make any serious commitment.

See Art of Fighting I for tropes on him

    Takuma Sakazaki / Mr. Karate 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/accea00c_49c0_4fae_a6d2_2e197424c251.png
Click Here to see him as Mr. Karate.
"Wow, you're a disgrace! You'd better hang it up, kid."

Origin: Japan
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japan_4602.png
Fighting style: Kyokugen-style Karate
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

The current master of the Kyokugen Karate style. He is sometimes seen as a doddering old man, but he can be very serious when he wants to be. He was forced into serving Mr. Big when his daughter Yuri was kidnapped. To conceal his identity, he wore a tengu mask and dubbed himself "Mr. Karate." After he was defeated by a very pissed off Ryo, he was almost killed by him until Yuri revealed the truth. Nowadays he enters tournaments to promote his school. He sometimes likes to put the old mask back on just for kicks and giggles.

See Art of Fighting I for tropes on him

Ikari Warriors Team: Brazil

    Heidern 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kofxvheidernrender.png
Hard-Boiled Assassin
"You let your guard down, you say? Will you use the same excuse when you're killed?"

Origin: Unknown
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/10c06342_71a7_425a_a1f4_b6d32940b6f7.png
Fighting style: Self-taught assassination arts
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

Founder and leader of the Ikari Warriors mercenary squad, and Leona's adoptive father. A stoic man who fights using his own brutally efficient style of martial arts, he also has a massively tragic backstory: his daughter Clara and his wife Sandra were kidnapped and later killed by his Arch-Enemy Rugal in front of him, as he was investigating Rugal's operations too much for Rugal's own tastes. Heidern's own squad of fifty men was also killed in the same attack. He has dedicated himself to Rugal's defeat, and eventually, his efforts paid off. After the Rugal saga, he alternates between fighting and handling the Ikari deals from outside the battlefield, and in the Tales of Ash saga, he led an investigation team on the heels of both Ash and Those of the Past. His eyepatch was stolen by Mukai's group following Magaki's defeat, and its current status is unknown.

After his last playable appearance in The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match, Heidern made his return as DLC for The King of Fighters XIV and as part of the starting roster for XV, as a member of that game's Rival team besides newcomers Isla and Dolores.

  • Alternate Company Equivalent: From his backstory to his playstyle, Heidern can be considered SNK's answer to Capcom's Guile.
  • Ass Shove: Depending on the opponent, his Gae Bolg Climax Super will look less like he's stabbing the opponent in the lower back and more like he's... you know.
  • Badass in Distress: In 2000, where Clone Zero holds him at gunpoint, but Heidern manages to turn the tides (depending on the ending) and kick some serious ass. He even pulls a Big Damn Heroes moment!
  • Badass Normal: There is no magical justification for his abilities: a fact that even the devs found baffling (they even thought he has supernatural powers or is an alien). He just uses a few gadgets and some crazy fighting style that he devised himself.
  • Battle Intro: In XV:
    He's got a thousand yard stare with decades of training. You'll see the flash before you hear the pop. Heidern!
    Heidern: "All that stands in my way will fall."
  • Big Good: He's the founder and leader of the Ikari Warriors and he fully becomes one in the NESTS Saga to stop NESTS from their plans of world domination.
  • Charge-Input Special: In most games, Heidern's Signature Moves, Cross Cutter and Moon Slasher, are charge inputs, being performed with a back to forward input and down to up, respectively. This gets averted is in 2001, where these moves used motion inputs instead.
  • Colonel Badass: The leader of Ikari Warriors, Heidern's also more than willing to lead them to victory on the frontlines when he has to. Even when he isn't on the battlefield, he still carries his weight for the team.
  • Counter-Attack: His Killing Bringer special.
  • Crusading Widower: His wife and child was murdered by Rugal, prompting him to join '94 to avenge them.
  • Energy Absorption: His "Bringer" attacks take some from an opponent if the grab connects.
  • Eyepatch of Power: Wears one on his right, and adds to his authority as the leader of the Ikari Warriors.
  • A Father to His Men: Rather literally in Leona's case. Heidern can be strict and professional, but he's deeply concerned with the well-being of his squad. In the event that he wins the XV tournament, he's even willing to share his prize money with his subordinates.
  • Finger Gun: His standard Blowback in earlier games, which is later repurposed into his Stinger special in XIV, has him fling the opponent into the dirt simply by way of doing this.
  • Flash Step: Assault Saber has him rush towards the opponent, disappear in front of them, and then reappear from behind, juggling them into the air.
  • Flung Clothing: An odd inversion. In one of Heidern's win poses, a longcoat falls from the sky out of nowhere, which Heidern drapes himself in, while somehow losing his hat in the process.
  • Form-Fitting Wardrobe: His design in the Shun'ei Saga puts quite a bit of emphasis on his lean, but very muscular physique.
  • Glowing Eyes of Doom: Has this in his '98-and-onward intro pose as well as his Striker pose.
  • Grapple Move: There's his Stormbringer special, a conventional close-ranged one that can drain the opponent's health. Then there's Neck Rolling where leaps onto his opponent's head and then gyrates around their neck. Finally, Final Bringer combines Neck Rolling's initial leap and Stormbringer's health drain.
  • Guile Hero: On top of being a Colonel Badass and Action Hero, Heidern gets to show that he can play this role pretty well when it's needed. He gets his first try in KOF '99 and 2000 when he and the Ikari Warriors are tasked with investigating NESTS through the KOF tournament, and he does this again in XIII via organizing and leading an Investigation Team (with Seth, Blue Mary, Ramon, and Vanessa as its members), to check on the mysterious circumstances surrounding Those From the Past — and this is alongside always sending out the Ikari Warriors into the battlefield itself as well. Too bad Ash is just as guileful and manages to perform his plan even with Heidern & co. around.
  • Handicapped Badass: The lack of peripheral version and depth perception doesn't impede his ability to kick ass.
  • Her Heart Will Go On: A rare male version. With Rugal dead, Heidern finds no more reason to lament the loss of Sandra and Clara, his wife and daughter. In his '94 ending, he chooses to rip up their family photo, finally able to move on with his life.
  • Hired Guns: Commands an elite squadron of 'em. It's unknown if they're Private Military Contractors or a more independent breed of mercs, although the latter is more strongly implied.
  • Hunk: Reserved, battle-hardened, and all badass, complete with the looks to match. Since XIV, he has adopted a Form-Fitting Wardrobe for battle.
  • Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Gae Bolg, appropriately enough, has him hit the opponent with a Neck Roller before stabbing them in the back and turning them into a human pin cushion with his energy.
  • It's Personal: Read the excerpt above and then put yourself in his shoes. How could you not want revenge? Fortunately, the hostility does not carry over to Adel and Rose.
  • Large and in Charge: At 192cm (6'3") and having one of the larger character models in the game in terms of height, this pretty much fits him like a glove.
  • Life Drain: His Stormbringer and Killing Bringer specials, as well as his Final Bringer DM, all drain the opponent's health and add it to his.
  • Long-Range Fighter: More or less the Guile equivalent of KOF, having very effective and devastating means of keeping the opponent from him (e.g., Moon Slasher) as well as long limbs to play a relatively safe footsies game.
  • Mangst: Heidern fits the tropes description to an almost startling degree.
  • Manly Men Can Hunt: Hunting is shown as his forte in sports. He also enjoys a bit of fishing if his interview with Clemence is any indication.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: According to his character profile, Heidern is actually not his real surname, serving as his codename instead... which Leona also shares with him.
  • Precision F-Strike: Notably swears, in English, when he uses his Climax move.
    "Go... to... HELL!"
  • Put on a Bus: At least as a playable character. Canonically, his last playable outing was in 2001, and only had cutscene appearances during the Tales of Ash Saga to focus more on commanding his troops. It lasts until XIV, returning as a DLC character and sticks around in XV as part of the game's Rivals Team, alongside newcomers Isla and Dolores.
  • Razor Wind: Heidern Slash has him summon a spinning whirlwind that slices the opponent to pieces. On a lighter note, his Cross Cutter is a straighter example of this.
  • Shared Signature Move: Both him and Leona can perform the Moon Slasher.
  • Signature Move: Stormbringer, Killing Bringer and Final Bringer.
  • Spectacular Spinning: Neck Rolling, where he gyrates around an opponent's neck like a merry-go-round from hell.
  • Spell My Name With An S: A few versions of '94 and '95 have his named spelled as Jeidern. There's no discernable reason why.
  • The Stoic: Always calm and composed.
  • Tall, Dark, and Handsome: For a man in his 40's lacking an eye, Heidern's doing pretty good.
  • Tall, Dark, and Snarky: He sometimes deals quite the snark, too.
  • Why Am I Ticking?: His Heidern End DM inflicts this on foes.
  • Wolverine Claws: He uses bladed claws (that are hidden within his gloves) in battle. Complete with Audible Sharpness when performing most of his hand attacks, especially Moon Slasher.

    Ralf Jones 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kof_xv_ralf_render.png
"You fought a man who can bust a tank with his bare hands, you should be proud!"

Origin: USA
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/usa_1961.png
Fighting style: Martial arts + Heidern-style assassination arts
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

One half of the Ikari Warriors team, originally from the game TNK III, skilled in heavy hits and survival techniques. He's also known to associate with the Peregrine Falcon team from Metal Slug, assisting them at Heidern's behest several times (starting with Metal Slug 6). His knife collection is partly responsible for Clark's sunglasses; he was fooling around and sliced Clark in the forehead, leading to the sunglasses to cover the injury.

In XIV, he's tasked along with Clark and Leona to investigate several space-time dimensional cracks that happened to surround the most recent King of Fighters tournament. In XV, they are tasked with monitoring Shun'ei and subdueing him, in the event his powers go out of control thanks to the appearance of a Verse.

  • Adaptational Badass: Ralf in the original Ikari Warrior version was your run-&-gun Rambo homage who blasted away foes with firearms. Here, he's a One-Man Army who can punch hard enough to create explosions.
  • Ambiguously Brown: From XII onward. While Clark eventually gains a lighter tone, Ralf remains tanned, likely to signal he's the more outgoing and boisterous of the two.
  • Awesome, but Impractical: Galactica Phantom's most widely-known iteration had it being stupid powerful, and stupid slow to charge up. It wouldn't be until The King of Fighters XIV that it can be charged or unleashed immediately at the player's discretion.
  • Badasses Wear Bandanas: Doesn't go anywhere without his signature red bandana. He sometimes wears a headband under it.
  • Badass Boast: His victory quote in '99.
    Ralf: I can survive anything—Even nukes!
  • Badass Normal: He has no magical powers of any kind, barring maybe his explosive fists that burn his enemies. But even that has nothing supernatural behind it. To really put it into perspective, In XIII, Terry Genuinely compliments his strength as opposed to his usual trolling and shit talk to get a guy riled up before the fight, and is excited there's someone who'll give him a real challenge.
  • Bash Brothers: With Clark; the two were the protagonists of Ikari Warriors, and have always been on the same team in their KOF appearances.
  • Battle Intro: In XV:
    "He's survived countless wars with a tank busting punch! A true one man army! Ralf Jones!
    Ralf: "Alright, bring it on!"
  • Bicep-Polishing Gesture: He sometimes does this as a taunt before or after a round. In his case it's just showing off the muscles that power his megaton punches.
  • Big Brother Mentor: Both he and Clark play the trope in regards to Leona, helping her ease into Team Ikari and learn to express emotions more without fear of her Superpowered Evil Side.
  • Boisterous Bruiser: He is the more aggressive and confident of his team, and his attacks hurt like hell!
  • Call-Back: In the Classic Characters Team ending for '97 (Ralf, Clark, Athena), it shows them as their original selves, with Ralf and Clark being Rambo clones, the only difference being Ralf has a red bandana, while Clark's is blue.
  • The Cameo: He appears in the background of KOF Stadium in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and has a spirit battle based on him and Clark; the fight in question is based on their Ikari Warriors appearance.
  • Captain Smooth and Sergeant Rough: His dynamic with Clark reverses the typical relationship; Ralf (Colonel) prefers the rough-and-tumble approach, whereas Clark (Lieutenant) is more laid-back and mellow. The same goes for Ralf interacting with Leona and Whip, although the latter occasionally gets miffed that Ralf acts befitting of neither his age nor rank. Of all the Ikari Warriors, the only person Ralf plays this straight with is his CO, Commander Heidern.
  • Charge-Input Special: "Gatling Punch", using a back-forward charge, is a Three-Strike Combo of punches that advances Ralf forward. This is changed in the Shun'ei Saga to be a quarter-circle input.
  • Charles Atlas Superpower: There's no supernatural power behind his exploding punches. His Metal Slug incarnation takes it up even further by having him as the only character who must be hit twice to die (this being the series where everyone else is an One-Hit-Point Wonder). Most of all, he is the only one who can destroy tanks with his bare fists.
  • Colonel Badass: Even if only by a technicality.
  • Death from Above: "Dive Bomber Punch" sends him flying down at an angle, ending with an explosive impact.
  • Death or Glory Attack: The Galactica Phantom; an unblockable Megaton Punch with an absurd damage output. It does even more damage if it's used as a counter (in fact, in this case, it can sometimes be a OHKO). Even better, it's lethal on bosses, too! However, it has an ungodly long charge period; a fully-powered one requires lots of charging. And even if your opponent gives you ample time to store up your energy, the attack is easily telegraphed; with good timing, a player can just jump over it or roll behind you. Should you be able to pull this off (especially on a human opponent), give yourself a pat on the back. You deserve it.
  • Depending on the Artist: His features tend to be all over the place. His skin for example ranges from a light tan to Ambiguously Brown, and his hair is depicted as varying degrees of curled and wavy.
  • Divergent Character Evolution: Originally he and Clark are practically head swaps to each other, and shared a lot of moves; then they slowly differentiate until the NESTS saga where they only share 2 moves (Super Argentine Backbreaker and Gatling Attack, and the latter even play differently for each), with Ralf becoming more of a brawler and Clark a grappler. However, XII and XIII saw the two becoming almost head swaps again with Clark gaining moves he used to have from Ralf. Though XIV does give Clark many of his old grabs again, as well as his new clothes.
  • Dub Name Change: You might remember him as Paul.
  • Elemental Punch: For whatever reason, his punches are special in that they can release mini-explosions.
  • Explosive Punch: Almost all of Ralfs punch attacks create powerful explosions with every hit. For example, he can produce a Gatling gun effect with Vulcan Punch, come crashing down with Dive Bomber Punch, or blast his opponent to pieces with the unstoppable Galactica Phantom.
  • Foe-Tossing Charge: Ralf Tackle.
  • Grapple Move: One he shared with Clark, Super Argentine Backbreaker. He loses it in XII, though.
  • Ground Pound: XII gives him one named "Dynamite Ralf Punch", which causes a small explosion near him.
  • Having a Blast: His main schtick is that a good majority of his special moves, as well as his super moves, generate explosions on impact. How he can do this is unclear, as he's had no listed supernatural abilities.
  • Hero of Another Story : He and Clark made their debuts in Ikari Warriors.
  • Heroic Build: One of many of SNK's badass muscled heroes. Some games like XII and XIII really push his build, where he looks like he ate another fighter to get more mass.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Clark. Also Red Oni, Blue Oni (where Ralf, pretty obviously, is Red).
  • Hidden Depths: Only being All There in the Manual; Ralf's hobby is collecting knives. He's also a baseball fan, even being part of a "Baseball Lovers" team with Blue Mary and Lucky Glauber (you know, the basketball player).
  • Hot-Blooded: The most spirited member of Team Ikari, with lots of shouting, dramatic posing, and the most aggressive playstyle of the team.
  • Hunk: With bulging muscles and ruggedly good looks.
  • Large Ham: Unsurprisingly, given his Hot-Blooded and Boisterous Bruiser nature.
  • Lightning Bruiser: Ralf's generally got good options to close distance with his opponent like Diver Bomber Punch, Gatling Attack, and Ralf Kick. And once he's in, it's not long before he punches your face into paste. This is all on top of having strong, long-ranged normals for playing neutral.
  • Made of Iron: Ralf is beyond any human standard of strength, while the Metal Slug series likes to portray how much of a monster he really is more often (where he gets to punch out tanks), the KOF series doesn't lag behind in showing it as well; Ralf is capable of holding Orochi Leona back during her outbursts, he comes out of it with many bruises but it is noted he doesn't try to hurt Leona in the process, the fact he comes out alive against a servant of Orochi is a feat itself but the fact he keeps doing it whenever Leona loses control is a life-time achievement; XIV has Ralf reassuring Leona he will take on her curse every time she fears losing control.
  • Meaningful Name: Despite the Dub Name Change, there may be good reason for it; there was a British officer called Ralph Clark who existed in the 1700s, who was a Royal Marine and fought in the American & French Revolution. He also served in Australia via picket duty, guarded convicts, and served on the Criminal Court, which could refer to the Ikari team's black op nature.
  • Megaton Punch:
  • Older Than They Look: Ralf, who's 40, is actually older than Clark, who's 34. He certainly doesn't act like he the older of the two, at least.
  • One-Man Army: As of Maximum Impact 2 and XII, this is literally his official nickname.
  • Ornamental Weapon: he carries grenades in XII, but he mentions that they're actually duds, so he doesn't have to worry to have it catch fire in a fight.
  • Out of the Inferno: Ralf's Climax Desperation attack in XIV; Ralf unleashes a barrage of punches so quickly that they end up setting the screen on fire, which he then calmly strolls out of.
  • Kick Them While They Are Down: Bareback Vulcan Punch; Ralf tackles his opponent to the floor and punches their face in multiple times, ending with an explosive blast to send them away. And jeez, is it painful to watch.
  • Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: Vulcan Punch special, as well as (in some games) Super Vulcan Punch and his Neo MAX (see Turns Red below). Ralf is one of the best at doing this kind of attack.
  • Red Is Heroic: His red bandana and explosive attacks compliment his chummy attitude.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red to Clark's blue, with Ralf being the Hot-Blooded brawler, and Clark the cool-headed grappler. It's even visually identified by Ralf's red bandanna.
  • Shared Signature Move: Both he and Clark could originally perform "Super Argentine Backbreaker" and "Vulcan Punch". Though overtime it's Vulcan Punch that's become more associated with Ralf, while Clark gets the Backbreaker.
  • Signature Move: His Vulcan Punch, as well as Galactica Phantom.
  • Skill Gate Character: Ralf is a very beginner-friendly fighter. His moves are designed to be very straightforward, and are very damaging on hit. While other characters might have more varied utility to their kits, Ralf excels because he's so effective what he does.
  • Strong Flesh, Weak Steel: His Galactica Phantom SDM is one of the most damaging attacks in the same game where Chang wields a huge iron ball as a weapon.
  • Tall, Dark, and Handsome: It's better seen in later games, where he actually is darker-skinned and snarkier as ever.
  • Three-Strike Combo: his Gatling Attack does 3 hits instead of Clark's 2. Averted from XII onward where it becomes the same as Clark's.
  • Turns Red: Literally during his Jet Vulcan Punch Neo MAX in XIII, which is quickly followed up by the Spam Attack to end all Spam Attacks. It's almost the exact same as Gum-Gum Jet Gattling, down to its name and the steam he gives off at the end.
  • Unblockable Attack: His infamous Galactica Phantom is this, on top of dealing an absurd amount of damage. Another is a special move he gains in 2003 and XI, literally named "Unblock" which is a short-ranged unblockable uppercut. It's still blockable if you cancel into it, though.
  • Use Your Head: one of his normal grab moves is an exploding headbutt.
  • Wrestler in All of Us: Less than Clark, but still counts. Ralf Kick, for example, is a spinning dropkick.
  • You Don't Look Like You: Ralf and Clark switched to a completely different, Zangief-esque silhouette from one game to another. Toned down in XIV where he's still buff, but plausible.

    Clark Still 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kof_xv_clark_render.png
Tough & Cool
"Losers have no rights. That's what history's all about."

Origin: USA
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/usa_1961.png
Fighting style: Martial arts + Heidern-style assassination arts
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

The other half of the Ikari Warriors. He is Ralf's best friend and specializes in close-ranged grappling. In contrast with his more outgoing partner, he's stoic and rarely displays much emotion. However, he is hinted to have a melancholic streak and isn't above poking fun at Ralf's stubborn and serious nature.

  • Ambiguously Brown: Initially was this, similar to Ralf. His skin tone has been lightened over time to distinguish the two.
  • Anti-Air: His Napalm Stretch special is an anti-air grab move. He can sometimes do this right after his Gatling Attack for a Meteor Move.
  • Badass Boast: In his pre-fight dialogue with Iori in XIII, this shows up.
    Clark: I'll stand in front of a tank if that's what my mission requires. And I'll survive it too because I'm a pro!
  • Badass Normal: Almost every character in this cast has some sort of supernatural power or hidden ability they can utilize; even Ralf can somehow create explosions with his punches. Clark? He simply runs up to you, grapples you, slams you into the pavement, and then pursues your body for an elbow drop.
  • Bash Brothers: With Ralf; the two were the co-protagonists of Ikari Warriors, and have always been on the same team in their KOF appearances.
  • Battle Intro: In XV:
    "He's a tough and cool professional grappler. You'd best stay out of his way! Clark Still!
    Clark: "I have no intention of losing."
  • Big Brother Mentor: Both he and Ralf play the trope in regards to Leona, helping her ease into Team Ikari and learn to express emotions more without fear of her Superpowered Evil Side.
  • Call-Back: In the Classic Characters Team ending for '97 (Ralf, Clark, Athena), it shows them as their original selves, with Ralf and Clark being Rambo clones, the only difference being Clark has a blue bandana, while Ralf's is red.
  • The Cameo: He appears in the background of KOF Stadium in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and has a spirit battle based on him and Ralf; the fight in question is based on their Ikari Warriors appearance.
  • Captain Smooth and Sergeant Rough: His dynamic with Ralf reverses the typical relationship; Ralf (Colonel) prefers the rough-and-tumble approach, whereas Clark (Lieutenant) is more laid-back and mellow.
  • Cool Shades: Wears them to cover up an injury that Ralf accidentally inflicted on him while being careless with a knife.
  • Divergent Character Evolution: Originally he and Ralf are practically head swaps to each other, and shared a lot of moves; then they slowly differentiate until the NESTS saga where they only share 2 moves (Super Argentine Backbreaker and Gatling Attack, and the latter even play differently for each), with Ralf becoming more of a brawler and Clark a grappler. However, XII and XIII saw the two becoming almost head swaps again with Clark gaining moves he used to have from Ralf. Though XIV does give Clark many of his old grabs again, as well as his new clothes.
  • Dub Name Change: You might remember him as Vince.
  • Eye Scream: Almost happened to him thanks to Ralf, but barely avoided it. Uses his Cool Shades to cover the scar.
  • Kick Them While They Are Down: Most of his special grapples allow Clark to add on an extra hit with his Flashing Elbow. The Maximum Impact series gives him a few additional follow-ups to the Flashing Elbow.
  • Grapple Move: He has several including "Super Argentine Backbreaker", its DM equivalent, "Napalm Stretch", "Mount Tackle", and "Ultra Clark Buster".
  • The Grappler: Over time, his moveset began to focus more on command grabs over Ralf's close-range fisticuffs. There's his signature Backbreaker which serves as his primary close-range tool, and cam be followed up by an elbow drop for added damage. Then his Desperation Move, "Ultra Clark Buster", has Clark fly beyond the screen with his opponent for a devastating piledriver.
  • Hero of Another Story: He and Ralf made their debuts in Ikari Warriors.
  • Heroic Build: One of many of SNK's badass muscled heroes. Some games like XII and XIII really push his build, where he looks like he ate another fighter to get more mass.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Ralf. Even a knife to Clark's face wasn't enough to break their bond.
  • Hunk: Definitely. Big, strong muscles with a manly exterior and attractive look beyond those shades.
  • In a Single Bound: The Ultra Clark Buster Climax Super is a good example of this where he leaps after the opponent after tossing them very high up.
  • Meaningful Name: Despite the Dub Name Change, there may be good reason for it; there was a British officer called Ralph Clark who existed in the 1700s, who was a Royal Marine and fought in the American & French Revolution. He also served in Australia via picket duty, guarded convicts, and served on the Criminal Court, which could refer to Ikari team's black op nature.
  • Murderous Thighs: A male example. Clark's Ultra Clark Buster includes a noticeable snap when he uses his leg to hold his opponent's head in place. Since he also threw them into the air as he holds them, this includes letting gravity run its course.
  • Nothing Personal: When faced as an opponent in MI2's story, one of his lines alludes to this.
    Clark: "No hard feelings, don't hold it against me."
  • Ornamental Weapon: Same deal as Ralf above.
  • The Quiet One: Normally he doesn't speak much, and when he does, he does it short. Subverted in XIII, where after not being very talkative for years, his pre-fight talks have him speaking... quite a bit. And sometimes rather eloquently.
  • Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: He sometimes shares the Vulcan Punch move with Ralf, minus the mini explosions.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Blue to Ralf's Red, with Ralf being the Hot-Blooded brawler, and Clark the cool-headed grappler. It's even visually identified by his blue cap.
  • Scars are Forever: He has a scar running along his eyes. Its the reason he wears his sunglasses in the first place.
  • Shared Signature Move: Both he and Ralf could originally perform "Super Argentine Backbreaker" and "Vulcan Punch". Over time, Vulcan Punch became more associated with Ralf, while Clark gets the Backbreaker.
  • Signature Move: His "Super Argentine Backbreaker", as well as its DM version. Also, his Mount Tackle, although it doesn't always appear in his repertoire.
  • Spell My Name With An S: His surname (スティル) has been misromanized as "Steel" (which is actually スティール).
  • The Stoic: Like everyone else in the Ikari Warriors (except for Ralf), he is focused and straight-laced. Still not as much as Leona or Heidern.
  • Three-Strike Combo: It's easy to assume that his Running Three DM works how its name implies, but that's not always true. Most games in the NEST saga and onward have this grab three powerbombs after a full-screen sprint. But in the Orochi saga, this move would have to be EX'd in order to do all three attacks. The normal Running Three would only do a single attack after grabbing the opponent that couldn't be followed up afterward. That said most of Clark's supers (most notably his Ultra Argentine Backbreaker) play this trope straight.
  • Tragic Keepsake: He wears two dog tags; one belongs to him, the other to a dead friend.
  • Wrestler in All of Us: He's even one who actually is notable for tons of follow-ups on his signature throws. His HSDM/MAX2DM in 2002 UM is by far one of the most variables grapples he's had in his kit.
  • You Don't Look Like You: Same as Ralf, as the two are significantly slimmer in XII and XIII. The dev team has acknowledged this as his reveal for XIV jokes that he's lost a lot of weight and is a lot slimmer, but still buff.

Psycho Soldiers Team: China

    Athena Asamiya 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kof_xv_athena_render.png
Eternal Psychic Idol
"Sorry about that! Are you hurt? I guess I got a bit carried away!"

Origin: Japan
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japan_4602.png
Fighting style: Psychic powers + Kung Fu
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

The star of Psycho Soldier and one of SNK's mascots (a spot shared with Goddess Athena); Athena Asamiya is a bright and cheerful young girl who was born with Psychic Powers, dubbed in-verse as Psycho Powers, for she is a descendant of Goddess Athena and possibly her Reincarnation due no other member of the Asamiya Family ever possessing special powers before Athena.

For being a special girl Athena was taken in by Chin Gentsai as one of his disciples, initiating a team of fighters who are gifted with psychic powers, molding them to be prepared for any threat the world may face, to be defenders of justice; Athena has a strong sense of righteousness so she fits right in.

Athena's trademark characteristic, that is being a Japanese Idol Singer, has its origin in 97; Athena and Kensou's charisma and notable prowess in martial arts has been earning them fans since '94, but this rise in popularity made Chin become worried about his disciples losing their humble spirit and lose focus on being heroes, with that he tried to talk them off participating in the 97 tournament, meanwhile Athena has received a letter from a fan, an ill-girl who wrote a heartwarming letter to the Psycho Soldiers, saying they are her source of inspiration to overcome her illness, she hoped to see them again in action for the '97 tournament.

Athena felt she had to answer such a devoted fan, she shows the letter to Chin, convincing him to follow his disciples and see how they take being popular and also being defenders of justice; Athena, Kensou and Chin didn't win that tournament but still did great nevertheless, at the end the team is surprised by the visit of a wheelchair bound girl, she is Kaoru Watanabe the ill-girl who sent that letter prior the tournament, Kaoru introduces herself and congratulates Athena in doing well again at KOF, she says the team gave her strength to also fight hard, Kaoru gets up from the wheelchair trying to show her progress by walking, she stumbles but before falling Athena hurries to her side and supports Kaoru, with that Kaoru asks Athena if she could be their friend, Athena and the team gladly become friends with Kaoru.

Showing that at the end of '97 made Chin reevaluate his students, thinking he was wrong about them, now feeling Athena and Kensou have their hearts in the right place; Athena tells her master that being popular and a good source of inspiration also is one way of helping others, with this Chin loses all his worries about his disciples losing their way. This eventually develops into Athena becoming an Idol, extremely popular and inspiring all, but still being a hero of course.

The other part of Athena's character is being on the receiving end of Kensou's long lasting romantic feelings, he tried to confess to Athena multiple times, sometimes succeeding in expressing himself (many) other times not, Athena's reaction is mostly always the same, that is getting embarrassed and dodging an answer; while what she really feels about Kensou may not be love, she does think well of him as a great friend, always sticking with him.

In XIII during a conversation with the Women Fighters Team, upon seeing that Mai, Yuri and King all have a special someone in waiting, Athena hopes one day she will find her other half as well, Kensou immediately tries to say she already has him, Athena gets embarrassed and scolds Kensou, telling him not to say it in front of so many people.

In the CD Dramas from '96 to '99 it is shown that Athena has one-sided feelings for Kyo goes to great lengths to move to a place near the Kusanagi household. In other SNK media, Athena's feelings for Kyo have never been shown, not even hinted in the games proper, raising a case towards its actual place in canon.

See Athena for tropes on her.

    Sie Kensou 

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/19582ab9_ebc6_4648_b1d8_f79f643c42ae.png
"You hit your wall, bud. And you can call it Kensou!"

Origin China
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/china_292.png
Fighting style: Psychic powers + Kung Fu
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

The other half of the Psycho Soldiers main face, Sie Kensou is a lively young man born with Psychic Powers, referred to as Psycho Powers in-universe, for this reason he caught Chin Gentsai's attention who then took him in to be his disciple; Chin believes his students must be honed to face any future threat the world may face, he uses the King of Fighters Tournaments as a mean to improve Kensou and the others.

Kensou is mainly the source of comic relief and relaxing moments for the Psycho Soldiers, however he has his own serious sub-plot that has been developing since 99; he is also in love with Athena, going to great lengths to confess his love and declare that he is her knight, however Athena seemly only sees Kensou as a friend, getting extremely embarrassed each time Kensou confesses.

In 99 Kensou mysteriously lost his powers, seemly destroying Chin's hopes for his future, but Kensou still participated in that editon of KOF; at the end of it the powerless Kensou awakens an immense new power in desperation for Athena's life was at risk, that power would be called the "Dragon Spirit" which Kensou somehow shares with Bao, meaning when Bao has powers Kensou doesn't and vice-versa.

After some ins and outs with his powers Kensou decides to pass up the 2003 tournament in order to master the Dragon Spirit, eventually coming back in XI seemly having mastered his powers. In XII Kensou is graced with a complete overhaul in his fighting style, sporting a more serious kung-fu and donning his Classic Attire from his original Psycho Soldiers appearance, in XIII he is eager to show everyone how much capable he has become and try to confess to Athena once more of course.

The Dragon Spirit apparently is one of the greatest powers in the King of Fighters universe, Ron of Hizoku clan expressed great interest in taking it for himself, claiming that all of NESTS is nothing compared to said power, later he would even warn Saiki that the Dragon Spirit is something that could be a threat to Those From the Past.

See Psycho Soldier - Sie Kensou for tropes on him

    Chin Gentsai 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chin_gentsai_kof99.png
"O-Ouch! Whew! I can beat you. But age is something different!"

Origin: China
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/china_292.png
Fighting style: All forms of Kung Fu (mainly uses Drunken Fist)
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

Chinese Drunken Boxing master and founder of the Psycho Soldiers team. He enters the tournaments primarily to investigate the circumstances around them and prevent any evil plots from going too far. He mentors Athena, Kensou, and Bao in controlling their psychic abilities, using tournaments as a good avenue for honing their skills.

  • The Alcoholic: carries a sake gourd all the time, because he's a Drunken Master. His special intro against Kensou in '98 consists of him trying to outperform his eating with his own drinking.
  • Animal Nemesis: Giant pandas. According to Athena in XIII, when he gets drunk he'll go out and find some to fight with.
  • Booze-Based Buff: In gameplay, drinking his sake can power up his specials and/or DM. Nakoruru seems to also believe that he's using this trope, comparing his empowering sake with that of Haohmaru.
  • Breath Weapon: Booze Flamethrower, to be exact. Sometimes he can just spit the booze itself.
  • Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He can often be a goofy old man, but he's highly respected by a lot of fighters because of just how well-honed his martial arts are.
  • Comes Great Responsibility: His reasoning behind preventing Athena and Kensou from competing in the '97 tournament. When they later return with the resolve to compete for the sake of Kaoru Watanabe, an ill fan of Athena's, Chin relents, impressed at his disciples' maturity.
  • Confusion Fu: More or less. Some of his moves involve pretending to be dizzy and then following up with other attacks.
  • Cool Old Guy: At 89, he's the oldest character in the series. Doesn't stop him from putting up a good fight against the younger ones. His gameplay somewhat reflects it: though short and thin, he's rather slow and can't jump too high.
  • Counter-Attack: His Suiho special in XIII.
  • Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He apparently was one hell of a badass in the past (or still is, maybe), many fighters in XIII, including the monster that is Takuma, tell Kensou how lucky he is to have Chin as his master, expressing great respect towards him.
  • Detect Evil: Not to Kim Kaphwan's level, but some of his win quotes comments about how much evil he can feel from his opponent's spirits.
  • Eyes Out of Sight: His eyes are always hidden by his hair.
  • Foe-Tossing Charge: His Tetsuzankou DM in XIII is him charging forward, hitting his opponent with his Badass Back.
  • Gag Nose: The extent of which varies from artist to artist (although it's fairly consistent overall).
  • Gonk: His face is drawn in a more cartoony and unflattering style compared to the rest of the cast, particularly his nose.
  • Happily Married: He's said to have a wife. Although he doesn't have any biological children, Bao is his adopted son and he serves as a father figure to both Kensou and Athena (more so to the former). He only has a granddaughter named Lei-len. This raises some interesting questions as to HOW he has a granddaughter, unless she's a step-granddaughter.
  • Henpecked Husband: Humorously implied by some of his win quotes, where he seems afraid of his old wife.
  • Improbable Weapon User: He may sometimes use the gourd to directly attack his foes.
  • Irony: Dislikes pandas. Three guesses on who (or better yet, what) his Maniac Striker in 2000 is.
  • It's a Small World, After All: He's an old acquaintance of Tung Fu Rue. He also knows Takuma well, and he has some kind of history with Shen Woo, who tends to get riled up whenever Chin is around.
  • May–December Romance: Humorously mistaken by Kensou to be attempting this with Kula, since the two became cell phone and e-mail buddies before the XIII tournament.
  • Mentor: Primarily to Athena And Kensou who he trains in harnessing their psychic powers, but also has been acting like this toward K' since 2003.
  • Miniature Senior Citizens: Downplayed. While his official height isn't actually that short (164 cm, or 5'5''), he's consistently drawn and modeled to be one of the shorter characters. For example, despite there only being a 4 cm (1 inch) difference between him and Angel, his sprites only reach up to around her chest.
  • Old Master: For the Psycho Soldiers, and the KOF series as a whole, being one of the oldest fighters around.
  • Parental Substitute: To both Kensou and Bao. Bao is actually his adopted son.
  • Playing with Fire: Not only his Gou Ran Enpou DM is a massive Booze Flamethrower, his Gou En Shourai DM also has him on fire.
  • Rolling Attack: His Kaiten Teki Kuutotsu Ken special and Toukuu Hiten Hou DM.
  • Running Gag: In XIII he often tries to weasel his way out of fighting via saying he's getting too old for this. No one buys it. (One wonders if this is Obfuscating Stupidity or not, though.)
  • Signature Headgear: He always has a cap as part of his outfit.
  • Slide Attack: Quite infamously so, as he can completely negate projectiles and has a few hard-to-punish follow ups in certain games.
  • Smarter Than You Look: Some of his less-dressed looks can make him look like a homeless drunkard, but he's still as canny as they come.
  • Stance System: He specializes in this, usually having more than 1 alternative stance in each games.
  • Team Dad: Figuratively but also literally, being a Parental Substitute to Kensou and Bao.
  • Walking Shirtless Scene: His outfits usually have him wearing only a short jacket while exposing his torso. The exception is the NESTS saga, where he is fully dressed.

Women Fighters Team: England

    King 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kof_xv_king_render.png
The Beautiful Kick's Illusion
"In battle, one's sex means nothing. Who's left standing is what matters."

Origin: France
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/frenchfag_214.png
Fighting style: Muay Thai
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

A bartender who used to work for Mr. Big, but opened up her own place after his downfall. Skilled in Muay Thai, she disguised herself as a man to enter tournaments, as back then women were not allowed, in the KOF timeline however, King disguised herself as man so the others can take her more seriously and due to the fact that the Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting characters look around the same age. She fights in the KOF tournaments to support her little brother Jean and to cover his medical expenses. Quite possibly the strongest Muay Thai practioner in the SNK 'verse next to Joe, he would later consider King a great rival to him.


See Art of Fighting I for tropes on her

    Mai Shiranui 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kof_xv_mai_render.png
Fascinating Kuniochi
"Give into Shiranui immolation!"

Origin: Japan
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japan_4602.png
Fighting style: Shiranui-style Ninjutsu
Voiced by: note 
Portrayed by: note 
Playable in: note 

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

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

See Fatal Fury 2 for tropes on her.

    Yuri Sakazaki 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kof_xv_yuri_render.png
Wild Flying Swallow
"Strong and cute! I'm pretty amazing. I'm sure you think so too!"

Origin: Japan
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japan_4602.png
Fighting style: Kyokugen-style Karate + personal style
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

Takuma's daughter and Ryo's younger sister. She was kidnapped in order for Mr. Big to use Takuma against Ryo and Robert, but after she was rescued by Ryo and Robert she trained with Takuma and started entering The King of Fighters tournaments, generally with King and Mai. However, in some installments she would switch teams, sometimes running with Robert and her family note  and other times with Mai and Kingnote .

See Art of Fighting for tropes on her

Korea Team: South Korea

    Kim Kaphwan 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/character_kim.png
Taekwando of Justice
"Justice must be strong. That is why I will not be defeated!"

Origin South Korea
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/southkorean_flag_1622.png
Fighting style: Taekwondo
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

Korean Taekwondo master and arbiter of justice. He first showed up in Fatal Fury 2, and upon hearing that Terry Bogard was also invited to Krauser's tournament, declared Terry to be his rival and set out to beat him. Terry won, but the two have remained good friends since then. Kim is also a proud family man and has trained his sons Jae Hoon and Dong Hwan to be fine martial artists in their own right. Oh, and he Can't Hold His Liquor. At all. In XI, Choi and Chang convince Kim to enjoy himself, prompting him to take up Terry on his offer for joining that year's Fatal Fury Team. Impressed with his disciples' maturity, Kim believes that his first "rehabilitation" efforts have paid off and set his sights on two other villains from the past, Raiden and Hwa Jai.

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

Confirmed as a returning DLC character for Season 2 of XV. After the events of XIV and his failure to rehabilitate Chang and Choi, his master Gang-il believes that Kim had started to slack off on what his master had taught him, and decides that it's time for Kim to take the next step towards Taekwondo mastery - a new, significantly more intense trainig regimen of Gang-il's own design. Kim enters the tournament as a solo entry bearing the results of his master's new teachings, though he isn't too happy about it.

See Fatal Fury 2 for tropes on him

    Chang Koehan 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chang_kohean_kof97.png
"I'm just a brute, you say? It takes skill to bash like me!"

Origin South Korea
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/southkorean_flag_1622.png
Fighting style: Taekwondo + power attacks (loses the former in XIV)
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

A Korean criminal who was busted by Kim following a bank robbery and strong-armed into Kim's reformatory program. He found a friend in Choi, and the two have vowed to go on a big crime spree once they can get away from Kim.

His big break came in XIV, when Kim gave him and Choi a week break, but they ended up causing chaos outside his surveillance and were sent back to prison, where they met Xanadu, whom they saw as a way to return to the roots of criminal and wash off Kim's training.

  • Acrofatic: Played for laughs. Starting in '96, Chang attempted to do Kim's Hien Zan attack (think Guile's Flash Kick). Chang could only flip belly-up and then crash on his back.
  • Ascended Glitch: Due to a programming error early in the franchise, Leona Heidern would offer Chang a salute when she was originally supposed to offer it to teammate Ralf. This got a few nods in future installments as far forward as XIV, where they salute each other before battle.
  • Ass Kicks You: His Close heavy kick in The King of Fighters XIV and close medium kick in Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium
  • Bald of Evil: He reforms in 2003, but is back again as a crook as of XIV.
  • Beard of Evil: A full, Santa Clause-like beard of evil!
  • The Cameo: He appears in the background of KOF Stadium in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and has a spirit battle that references him; the fight in question is based on Kim, and includes two fighters based on Chang and Choi.
  • Chained by Fashion: The chains actually come from his prison days and are used to hold his iron ball. Curiously enough, when defeated by a time out, he breaks free from them.
  • Costume Evolution: At first he wears an orange prisoner's getup, then he changes it to a Korean dobok as part of Kim's training. He went back to the orange getup in XIV as he goes heel again.
  • Counter-Attack: One of his specials (Tekkyuu Taiko Uchi) is him standing upright and picking his nose. When attacked, he sneezes and hits the enemy with his head.
  • Death from Above: One of his DMs (Tekkyuu Assatsu) is him jumping high to deliver a powerful belly flop from above.
  • Depending on the Artist: Chang's appearance varies a bit throughout the series while keeping the consistent details of being massive, bald and bearded. Some games make him more of a Gonk than normal, some games his beard looks thinner or shorter, and in 2002 UM, Chang looks like a Big Beautiful Man.
  • Dumb Muscle: Chang's not all that bright. Some of it might be due to his tendency to bash his head against his giant iron ball. 2000 has an alternate form for him called "Smart Chang" (appearing only as a Striker), who's svelte and not quite as dumb looking.
  • Epic Flail. His weapon of choice is a prisoner's ball-and-chain that he can swing around for big damage.
  • Fat and Skinny: The fat to Choi's skinny.
  • Fat Bastard: Played for utter laughs. He tries his best to live out his criminal days, but is thwarted by Kim at every step.
  • Fire-Forged Friends: Eventually develops a friendship with Kim, which is why he's part of Kim's team in '03 even though he's considered reformed by that point.
  • Heel–Face Revolving Door: He started out as a Heel, being a criminal, but after an encounter with Kim, he's forced to turn Face, even wearing a Taekwondo gi in his outfit. In XIV, he's back to being Heel when Xanadu recruits him and Choi to the Villains Team and he's once again free from Kim's supervision, being able to wear orange normal clothes again. According the interview with Kim on the XV website, he decided to part ways with Xanadu afterwards and returned to Kim's dojo.
  • Home-Run Hitter: His Climax DM in XIV has him spinning with his ball, hitting his foe multiple times, before doing a strong final swing (complete with slo-mo) to smash his foe far away... who orbits the Earth before falling behind Chang.
  • Improbable Weapon User: Chang had a ball & chain attached to him to try and slow him down. Instead, he uses it as a weapon.
  • Kick Them While They Are Down: He has Kim's Haki Kyaku in some games, letting him perform a powerful stomp attack.
  • Meaningful Name: Koehan means "thug" in Korean. Guess what Chang is.
  • Metronomic Man Mashing: His command throw, Dai Hakai Nage, has him slam his opponent around a few times.
  • Mighty Glacier: Very slow, but hits very hard with his iron ball. In XIV following the 2.0 update; he has a 1200 health rating unlike other characters who fit the trope until the 3.10 update that reduces it to 1100 along with the others of said trope.
  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: One of his DMs (Tekkyuu Dai Bousou) is a standard "ranbu" style DM that has him beat down an opponent with a relentless combo. Also his Tekkyuu Dai Bokusatsu DM where he smashes his foe with his iron ball repeatedly.
  • Odd Friendship: He's somehow on good enough terms with Leona for the latter to offer him a salute.
  • Only Sane Man: He and Choi are always at the mercy of an even more eccentric teammate, particularly the justice-obsessed Kim, and the completely bizarre Xanadu.
  • Plucky Comic Relief: The shenanigans he and Choi get into tend to be Played for Laughs.
  • Shoryuken: attempted: His version of Kim's Hienzan (in older games) has him try to do a somersault kick, but fails and then drops down instead. He might hit the opponent on the way down.
  • Signature Move: His Tekkyuu Dai Kaiten, Tekkyuu Funsai Geki specials and Tekkyuu Assatsu DM.
  • Stout Strength: He's a very big man and his weapon of choice is a huge iron ball attached to a chain.
  • Spin Attack: His Tekkyuu Dai Kaiten special where he spins his iron ball around him.
  • Strong Flesh, Weak Steel: His strongest attack doesn't involve his iron ball (at least not directly), but his belly. He also bangs his head against his iron ball before a fight and in his current time out losing animation, breaks the chains that wrap his body.
  • Those Two Guys: He and Choi are never far apart and are always on the same team.
  • Time Stands Still: In 2002UM this is his MAX 2. This happened in the original as well, but it was only for one powerful belly flop.
  • Unpredictable Results: the finishing attack for his Tekkyuu Dai Bousou may vary from a belly bump, a Rolling Attack, a front kick, and some others.
  • Use Your Head: Aside from the Counter-Attack above, one of his throws has him smashing his head to the opponent's.
  • Villainous Friendship: He and Choi are always up to no good together. Even when they're not on a team with Kim, they also tag along with each other.

    Choi Bounge 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/choi_bounge_kof97.png
"A quick win. A quick victory. This time, I'm really free!"

Origin South Korea
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/southkorean_flag_1622.png
Fighting style: Taekwondo + speed attacks (loses the former in XIV)
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

A former serial killer who picked a fight with Kim Kaphwan, and subsequently got his ass handed to him. Instead of handing him over to the police, Kim decided to use him in an experimental "reformatory" program of his own, along with Chang Koehan. The two crooks became the best of friends, and they both anticipate the day they can escape Kim's watchful eye.

Like Chang, Choi got sent into prison in XIV during his one week break by Kim. Within the prison, they met 'the most evil criminal', Xanadu. He quickly roped them to join his entourage, with Choi hoping that he will be able to get back to his criminal roots and wash away any justice teachings he got from Kim.

  • Berserk Button: He's pretty self-conscious about his small stature.
  • Blow You Away: His Shin! Chouzetsu Tatsumaki Shinkuu Zan (True! Transcending Tornado Vacuum Slash) is strong enough to create a deadly tornado that launches foes sky-high on hit.
  • The Cameo: He appears in the background of KOF Stadium in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and has a spirit battle that references him; the fight in question is based on Kim, and includes two fighters based on Chang and Choi.
  • Comical Translation: His version of the Hienzan is actually misspelled with a different kanji, making it instead of "Flying Swallow Slash", it translates to "Grieving Monkey Confession".
  • Cool Shades: He's never without his round shades. Lampshaded in 2002UM where he is part of a special Sunglasses Team alonside Clark and K'.
  • Costume Evolution: From his dark green getup at the start, then his Taekwondo outfit, then a green striped top and orange pants as of XIV.
  • Diving Kick: He has Kim's Hishou Kyaku.
  • Expy: Imagine a smaller, sillier version of Freddy Krueger, and you'd pretty much get Choi.
  • Fat and Skinny: The skinny to Chang's fat.
  • Fragile Speedster: Choi's smaller hitbox is a big advantage alongside his speed, triple jump and dashing moves, but his blows don't deal too much damage.
  • Heel–Face Revolving Door: He started out as a Heel, being a criminal, but after an encounter with Kim, he's forced to turn Face, even wearing a Taekwondo gi in his outfit. In XIV, he's back to being Heel when Xanadu recruits him and Chang to the Villains Team and he's once again free from Kim's supervision, now wearing his old Freddie Krugger-ish outfit. According to Kim's interview in XV, he returned to being a face after parting with Xanadu, willingly returning to Kim's dojo.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Chang. He does have a wife and family, he's just never been able to get back to them after he was press-ganged by Kim.
  • Image Song: "Choi Bounge Ondo." An abridged version pops up as Choi's intro in '98 if he's the first one to fight.
  • Licking the Blade: Fond of licking his metal claws.
  • Meaningful Name: Bounge (more appropriately spelled and pronounced as "Bungeh") means "lightning." It's fitting, considering that Choi is a nimble and eccentric fighter.
  • Never Bareheaded: Very few times seen without his hat, save for his waiting animations in the background where he waves it around in his hand.
  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: He can use Kim's Hou'ou Kyaku. He no longer has it in XIV, however.
  • Only Sane Man: He and Chang are always at the mercy of an even more eccentric teammate, particularly the justice-obsessed Kim, and the completely bizarre Xanadu.
  • Plucky Comic Relief: Both him and Change fulfill this role in the Korea Team, with Choi having the zanier animations and his little fanfare in '98.
  • Rolling Attack: One of his specials (Kaiten Hien Zan) has him rolling with his claws, doing a lot of hits.
  • Set Swords to "Stun": His claws never seem to cause lasting damage, despite the fact that they clearly draw blood.
  • Shoryuken: he originally has Tatsumaki Shippuu Zan (Flying Whirlwind Slash) as his uppercut move, he later gets Kim's Hienzan as well.
  • Signature Move: His Tatsumaki Shippuu Zan, Kaiten Hien Zan specials and his Shin! Chouzetsu Tatsumaki Shinkuu Zan DM.
  • Speed Blitz: there's his Shakushi HSDM in 2002 where he disappears and multiple slashes randomly appears on screen. Also his Climax DM in XIV where he knocks his opponent to the air, then does multiple zig-zagging slashes to the airborne foe a'la Maximum Spider.
  • This Is a Drill: One of his specials (his Senpuu Hien Sashi and its followup) and one DM has him doing a powerful drilling attack.
  • Those Two Guys: He and Chang are never far apart and are always on the same team.
  • Verbal Tic:
    • Most of his sentences end in "de yansu."
    • In the English translations, this is symbolized by Choi ending most of his sentences (at least, in cutscenes) with the words "buddy boy."
  • Villainous Friendship: He and Chang are always up to no good together. Even when they're not on a team with Kim, they also tag along with each other.
  • Wall Jump: Aside from jumping off the wall normally, he also has a special move where jumps back to the wall, then launches himself at a direction with claws outstretched.
  • Wolverine Claws: Wears a pair of gloves with knives on the fingers, just like Freddy. He meets Vega in SVC: Chaos and tries to strike up a friendship, but Vega being Vega, this does not go well.

Sports Team: USA

    Heavy D! 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/heavyd_4.png
"Slow. Your attack's too slow. I read you like a storybook."

Origin: USA
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/usa_1961.png
Fighting style: Boxing
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

A bare-knuckle boxer who formed the USA Sports Team. He used to be a pro competitor before having to retire after seriously injuring an opponent.

  • Close-Range Combatant: His punches tend to lack range and his specials also work at closer range.
  • Cool Shades: Most promotional artwork and cameos have D! with his shades. The only time he seems to take 'em off is during a battle (see The Glasses Come Off below).
  • Evolving Attack: One of his major new additions in KOF '98: he gains a new move called Shadow that consists of him throwing several jabs that don't hit the opponent but the next special move he performs is powered up, including Shadow itself.
  • Extremity Extremist: Being a boxer, he only uses his fists.
  • Flung Clothing: One of his victory poses has him take off his jacket.
  • Grapple Move: His Dancing Beat special is a close-range grab, but he doesn't actually grab his foe: he just punches them repeatedly.
  • Ground Punch: his Soul Flower special has him punching the ground, creating a blast of energy around him.
  • Handwraps of Awesome: Gotta have some protection on those fist for all the punching he does.
  • Irony: Despite being a boxer, his forte in sports is listed as...wrestling?
  • Kindhearted Cat Lover: He's seen petting a really cute cat in the intro for the PlayStation 2 re-edition of KOF '94.
  • Large and in Charge: Subverted: while he's the leader of the team and very tall and buff, he's actually the shortest of the team at 6'10", whereas his teammates Brian and Lucky are 7'2" and 7'3", respectively.
  • Manly Facial Hair: A goatee complements his tough boxer persona quite well.
  • Megaton Punch: His D! Magnum is his most devastating attack and it consists of a single punch that shoots an energy blast across the screen.
  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: His D! Crazy DM.
  • Put on a Bus: He and his team always have their invitations to KOF stolen by newer teams.
  • Scary Black Man: Subverted. D! is only serious in the midst of battle, as he doesn't want to come off as disrespectful to his opponents. Otherwise, he's a pretty chipper guy.
  • Tall, Dark, and Handsome: He's nearly 7' and a lot cleaner looking than most boxing characters in fighting games (sans Dudley).
  • The Glasses Come Off: In his intro pose where he takes off his shades.
  • This Is a Drill: One of his trademark moves is a lunging punch with a vacuum effect around his arm, mirroring the spin of a drill.
  • Walking the Earth: Their ending from '94 has D! and Lucky deciding to broaden their horizons and continue street fighting.
  • Wearing a Flag on Your Head: An eagle surrounded by the American flag is tattooed on his back.

    Lucky Glauber 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lucky_1.png
"Wake up! It's too early for bedtime!"

Origin: USA
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/usa_1961.png
Fighting style: Basketball + self-taught Karate
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

Best friend of Heavy D! who uses basketballs in his own style of karate.

  • Butt-Monkey: Thanks to him and his team always being sidelined by other teams in the series.
  • Exotic Weapon Supremacy: Basketballs, and this was before Sean of Street Fighter III.
  • Flash Step: His Lucky Vision special works almost like Athena's Psychic Teleport.
  • I Know Madden Kombat: Though his profile and one win quote show he actually knows karate, his fighting style revolves mostly around his basketball moves.
  • Long-Range Fighter: He can throw his basketballs in multiple angles, making him good at long-range fighting.
  • Pillar of Light: Summons one in his Hell Bound DM.
  • Put on a Bus: Hasn't made a canon appearance since '94, but still shows up alongside his teammates in cameos.
  • Running Gag: Lucky actually has it worse than his teammates, as he was defeated by Shermie and Makoto (in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum and Maximum Impact Regulation A, respectively) and had his invite stolen in addition to his team-affiliated loses. Ouch...
  • Signature Headgear: His backwards cap. This is all that he needs to be part of the Special Edit Cap Team in '98, alongside other nice cap wearers Terry and Clark.
  • Spectacular Spinning: Cyclone Break, a Hurricane Kick of sorts that resembles Viewtiful Joe's Zoomed-in kick, and Death Wheel DM, where Lucky breakdances through the air from a standing position.
  • Spirited Competitor: Contrasted with his more arrogant teammates, Lucky comes across as slightly less condescending and more spirited.
  • Tall, Dark, and Handsome: At 7'3", being the tallest of the American Sports Team.

    Brian Battler 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brian_9.png
"Your defense means nothing. Nothing to my tackling, that is!"

Origin: USA
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/usa_1961.png
Fighting style: American football-based power attacks
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

An MVP-rated football player who was invited by Heavy D! to join the USA Sports Team in '94. After their loss, he left to return to his football career. Despite being invited back to various tournaments, he and his teammates always get beaten up and their invitations stolen by others, such as the New Faces Team in '97.

The Host

    Rugal Bernstein 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rugal_5.png
Unending Calamity
Omega Rugal 

"Repeat this after me, I'll never take on a god again!"

Origin: Unknown
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/10c06342_71a7_425a_a1f4_b6d32940b6f7.png
Fighting style: A composite style mastering all fighting styles
Voiced by: note 
Portrayed by: note 
Playable in: note 
Boss character in: note 

The series' most infamous Big Bad. Rugal was one of the most feared people in the criminal underworld, not only with his silver tongue but with his fighting abilities as well. Not one single person had been able to defeat him, and those he deemed as Worthy Opponents were bathed in liquid metal and showcased as his "trophies". He decided to create his own version of the KOF tournament, so he can find some more worthy opponents to battle. Before the tournament began, he faced Saisyu Kusanagi, the father of Kyo, and brutally maimed him, leaving him for dead. When he fought Team Japan in the finals, Rugal was defeated after taking down Daimon and Benimaru first. Unwilling to accept defeat, he blows up his aircraft carrier. He was believed dead but resurfaced in '95 under the pseudonym of "R." During this time, he brainwashes Saisyu (with Saisyu earning some... displeasure from Vice), and forces him to fight Kyo. After Saisyu is defeated and brought back to his senses, Rugal reveals a secret to the finalists: he has awakened his Orochi power, and promptly transforms into Omega Rugal, turning his hair silvery-white and his skin deathly grey, allowing him to nearly defeat Team Japan. Eventually, however, he tries to use the full extent of his power, but cannot control it because he is not of Orochi blood. The power consumes him, and he dies. Chizuru reveals in '96 that Rugal received his Orochi power from Goenitz, who gouged his right eye out. Outside of the official storyline, he appears in every Dream Match game. In canon, he is succeeded by his son Adel and his daughter Rose. As of XIV, he is stated to be one of the souls residing within the entity known as Verse, being released upon its defeat and returning once again in XV, in his Omega form.

  • Abusive Parents: Implied to some extent. Adelheid mentions that are still unsolved issues between them both. Yet he left behind his large wealth and possessions to his children.
  • The Ace: According to his profile, he's good at all sports and a master of all known fighting styles. As one of KOF's most difficult bosses, this checks out.
  • Adaptational Early Appearance: Omega Rugal appears in events covering the first KOF game in The King of Fighters: Destiny, since the series combines his first two appearances into one.
  • Adaptational Badass: Happens to him a few times when he appears in other media.
    • The King of Fighters: Destiny has him as a One-Man Army that fights 7 opponents, several at once, and defeats them all (until Kyo gets a second wind). Rugal also has the ability of Power Copying that he was intended to have but did not originally.
    • Very much in 2002 UM, where he is the True Final Boss and outshines the actual villains of the arc, NESTS. In story, the NESTS organization and their leaders are far more dangerous than Rugal or his organization ever would be with their advanced tech. note 
    • Sky Stage has him as the True Final Boss and The Man Behind the Man to the Hakkeshu, whereas its the other way around in canon.
  • Arch-Enemy: Kyo Kusanagi. Rugal takes his loss to Kyo in 94 badly, and kidnaps and brainwashes Kyo's father in 95.
  • Arms Dealer: To the extremity that he actually lived on a Nimitz-class supercarrier, and his kids have their own armored fortress airship.
  • Artificial Limbs: His right hand from KOF '95 onward is a prosthetic, as is his glowing red eye.
  • Attack Reflector: His Dark Barrier special can send enemy projectiles flying back at them, accompanied by an appropriate taunting laugh.
  • Audible Sharpness: The Genocide Cutter leaves out this. And it comes from his legs.
  • Awesomeness by Analysis: A talent he apparently has. Initially this was meant to be a part of his fighting style, as using any special move on him in '94 would have granted him the ability to do the same move to you. However, this turned out to be far too unfeasible for the game to handle and thus was only given some moves from Geese and Krauser along with a few unique moves. He does have this capability in Destiny and uses Kyo, Heidern, and Terry's own moves against them.
  • Back from the Dead: As of XIV. Verse's win quote to Mature and the endings confirm that he is one of the many souls inside of Verse who gets released into the world upon defeat. Sure enough, he reappears as a solo entry DLC character in XV.
  • The Bus Came Back: Canonically returns as a playable fighter in XV, a whole 27 years after his demise in '95.
  • Badass in a Nice Suit: That elegant red tuxedo he wears when you first face him in '94. He loses it in all subsequent installments (the only exception is if Omega Rugal is waiting on the sidelines in '95), but always wears it in the Capcom vs. SNK series, even as God/Ultimate Rugal.
  • Badass Longcoat:
    • His suit from 94 evolves into this in Capcom vs. SNK now that he's started using special moves in it.
    • For 2002, some of his artwork and his boss intro showed him donning a large coat with huge shoulder pads on it and a wire-laden device on the back, but it wouldn't be until XV that it became usable in-game, called the "Omega Armor."
  • Battle Aura: Omega Rugal gains one in his '98 Victory Pose.
  • Battle Intro: In the Boss Challenge mode for XV, unlike the other participants, he only gets foreboding music and his pre-battle one liner:
    Omega Rugal: Now, bow beneath my strength!
  • Big Bad: Of '94 and '95. Despite his relatively short stint as one, he's a recurring fighter in the series. He appears in almost all non-canon games in spite of his relatively early demise in canon, and acts as the main "villain" in each of those games, appearing in cutscenes and stages meant to call back to his '94 boss fight.
  • Big Bad Duumvirate: With Geese Howard in The King of Fighters: Destiny, due to the series' story combining both '94 and the first Fatal Fury game where Geese hosted another tournament called "King of Fighters". Both men are working together to harness the Orochi power. Geese becomes The Face of the tournament and Rugal operates from the shadows, only showing himself at the end and being the Final Boss.
  • Big Bad Wannabe: He is ultimately one in the Orochi Saga. Despite his insane power and skills as a fighter, he couldn't handle a portion of Orochi's power as he used too much of it and thus leading to his demise. As the later games in the Orochi Saga come out, it's made clear Rugal was an Unwitting Pawn of Goenitz and could never be as big as threat as the Hakkeshu.
  • Blood Knight: His original motivation for reviving the tournament.
  • Bootstrapped Leitmotif: As SNK's sound team likely wanted to avoid heavily reusing themes, Omega Rugal was given "Guitar, Omega and Rugal" in '95 as opposed to another arrangement of "Ketchaku R&D." Rugal would gain another theme in the form of "The Я R" from '98, but his original song was just as emblematic of Rugal's claim to SNK Boss infamy as the man himself that it became the music of choice for Omega Rugal's reappearances, albeit under different titles ("XXX" in '98, "Unlimited R" in 2002UM).
  • Breakout Villain: Rugal's popularity as a villain for SNK as a whole is rivaled only by Geese Howard, and is seen as one of the primary villains of the entire KOF franchise despite only being the villain of the first two games. His popularity has allowed him to re-appear in several titles within the series, such as the Dream Match titles, and outside of it such as Capcom vs. SNK games. His return in XV is treated with much grandeur, being the only fighter at the time to be a solo combatant rather than on a team, and having his own dedicated stage and boss mode.
  • But for Me, It Was Tuesday: While Heidern most definitely took the murder of his comrades, wife and daughter very personally, to Rugal it was nothing but a thing. In XV we see just how little value he places on human life with this winquote:
    Omega Rugal: Would you feel guilty for swatting a fly?
  • Call-Forward: The boss fight against Omega Rugal in 2002 UM takes place on a giant airship that looks very similar to the Skynoah that Adelheid is fought on in 2003.
  • Card-Carrying Villain: Very much so. His personal treasure is his "evil heart" and one of his official dislikes is justice. In '95, Rugal tells the Hero Team that he seeks revenge for them having foiled his "evil plans".
  • The Coats Are Off: If he removed his coat, it's a sign he's about to get serious on your ass. Inverted for his Boss Battle in XV, whose special costume keeps his coat on, but is about as difficult as you would expect.
  • The Collector: Rugal's motivation in 94 for putting together the KOF tournament was to defeat the strongest warriors and collect their bodies as statues after covering them in liquid metal.
  • Cool Ship: The BlackNoah. It manages to serve both as a battle arena and his personal residence.
  • Dark Messiah: Weirdly enough, Rugal seems to think this of himself in some KOF games. Putting aside "I'LL BE BACK YOU JERKS!" in 95, the actual translation (as seen in The King of Fighters All Star) instead has him state that he'll return so long as the world needs him. Judging by this winquote in XV, this is fully codified.
    Omega Rugal: My victory is not a matter of chance. The world needs it.
  • Damage-Sponge Boss: Omega Rugal as the True Final Boss of 2002 UM is infamous for this. That version of Rugal appears to have twice or three times the health of a normal character and most attacks only do Scratch Damage against him. Due to his stamina, most players cannot deplete his health in the standard time (unless they are playing a blatantly overpowered character like one of the bosses) and it is much more common to win by time out.
  • Deadly Upgrade: Using the Orochi power without being of the Orochi bloodline was the ultimate cause of his death.
  • Demoted to Extra: Is hit by this hard in XV. Despite it being his first canon appearance since '95, he has no involvement with the game's plot, even lacking a team story and ending. He's only there to confirm that he is alive again and serve as an Optional Boss.
  • Depending on the Artist: The length of Rugal's hair. He was first depicted with a mullet that ended above his shoulders, while his Omega form gave him longer hair that went past them. Both forms had the same sprite in 98, and many official illustrations depict him with different hair lengths.
  • Disappeared Dad: To his children, Adel and Rose. Adel idolizes his father enough to mimic his fighting style, and both copy his fashion sense, but Adel remarked about never being able to do things with him. On the other hand, Rugal granted them access to his vast wealth, and they lived quite lavishly.
  • Discard and Draw: In XV, Rugal loses the Kaiser Wave technique he's had as a regular special since his original appearance, as well as the Destruction Omega super he's had since '98. In return, he regained his Vanishing Rush and Dark Genocide from '98. His cybernetic eye can now shoot Eye Beams as both the Violent Ray special move and Desperate Ray Super. Kaiser Wave is also incorporated into his Climax Super, Dread Fatal Wave.
  • Disproportionate Retribution:
    • Heidern's investigation into his operations annoyed Rugal. Not because it was an active thorn in his side but because it merely got his attention. His response was to kill his family and a mercenary squadron of fifty men. From Rugal's view, it was meant as mockery and provocation.
    • In both the Drama and the Shingyouji manga, he kills his servants for committing minor goofs like bringing him the wrong wine. Made even more heinous in the manga because the maid he murders is barely a teenager. The scene itself is framed as if he was going to molest her instead.
  • Early-Installment Weirdness:
    • His right eye does not glow red as it famously does until '95.
    • His Omega Rugal form was more horrific in '95, hulking his body out and making his hair spike up, and it incorporated the Omega Symbol on his back. Later appearances keep Rugal looking the same and only the change of color scheme stuck around.
  • Evil Laugh: The prime example in KOF. He even does it as he is about to die (again) in '98.
  • Evil Sounds Deep: From CR The King of Fighters and The King of Fighters: Destiny onward, he's been given a much deeper voice than before courtesy of Tsuguo Nogami.
  • Eye Beams: His red cybernetic eye, as shown in '98 Ultimate Match in his intro with Goenitz, is capable of doing this. XV finally gives this ability as a part of his normal moveset.
  • Eye Scream: Goenitz sliced out Rugal's eye when trying to kill him. Impressed that Rugal survived a fatal attack, Goenitz gave him some of the Orochi power.
  • Face Framed in Shadow: In 98 and 2002, Omega Rugal is introduced in this manner, with only his glowing red eye standing out. This may be to emphasize his "Undead" presentation in these two games where he is dead in canon.
  • Faux Affably Evil: He acts like an upper-class gentleman, but he loves to talk down to his opponents and holds no regard for anyone but himself.
  • Fiction 500: Rugal demonstrates an absurd amount of wealth for an illegal arms dealer. He is fought in the first game on a Nimitz-class supercarrier. His children inherit an advanced airship and have enough money to host a KOF tournament, including building a brand-new stadium for it.
  • Flash Step: The Vanishing Rush special, introduced in '98 and brought back for XV.
  • Flung Clothing: Tosses the top part of his tuxedo off in '94 in Round 2, and in 2002 his jacket falls off, along with the wires on his shoulders.
  • Form-Fitting Wardrobe: Rugal wears a skintight body shirt with mesh under the tuxedo.
  • For the Evulz: The underlying theme of his actions, sadistic humor, and snark. At least some of the other villains had more (relatively) altruistic, or at least understandable, goals. Except for maybe Igniz and Saiki, anyway.
  • Fusion Dance: Ultimate/God Rugal suffers this fate after his defeat in Capcom vs. SNK 2. Akuma's Satsui no Hado takes over and changes Rugal's appearance to be similar to Akuma's, but he identifies himself as a new being with no name and then he wanders off.
  • Glowing Eyes of Doom: His cybernetic eye since KOF '95 (back in '94, the eye was pitch black) and as God Rugal. And both are red.
  • A God Am I: His winquote in '98 neatly solidifies that he does have a god complex. That said, he doesn't seem nearly as interested in taking the claim seriously as, say, Igniz.
    "Repeat this after me, 'I'll never take on a god again.'"
  • Grapple Move: His God Press special and Gigantic Pressure Super has him run towards his foe, grabs them, and slams them towards the corner.
  • Hades Shaded: This visually happens frequently to Rugal. Unlike most examples, he remains about the same level of evil, but his transformed states are more unhinged.
    • Rugal using the Orochi power to become Omega Rugal in 95 darkens his skin and this carries into his appearance in 98 (though he is lighter in 98 than in 95).
    • This also happens when he gets access to the Satsui no Hado in Capcom vs. SNK and becomes God/Ultimate Rugal.
    • Omega Rugal's 2002 appearance takes the opposite approach, subverting the trope.
    • His return in KOF XV does away with it entirely, keeping the white hair only. This is possibly due to the controversial nature of the trope.
  • Hotter and Sexier: His return in KOF XV gives him a look that emphasizes his muscular body, complete with softer facial features. Doesn't change the fact that he's a cheap boss, though...
  • Hypocrite: One of Rugal's dislikes? People who perform selfish evil. A description that also fits him to a T.
  • Kamehame Hadoken: The Kaiser Wave, taken from Krauser. Can be charged to become unblockable; when he's charging, the energy ball formed in his back can hit the opponent if they try to go past him.
  • Inconsistent Spelling: "Luger" popped up infrequently in the first two games.
  • Large Ham: While fluctuating every so often depending on the voice actor playing him, his modern rendition (courtesy of Tsuguo Nogami) is impressively loud and booming even compared to earlier incarnations of him.
  • Lightning Bruiser: God/Ultimate Rugal in Capcom vs. SNK 2 is the only version of Rugal with excellent mobility due to having his own version of Akuma's Ashura Senku. He (and his normal version) also has the "Rugal Execution" teleport grab that he does not have in the KOF series to quickly get close to enemies.
  • Loves the Sound of Screaming: His way of soothing his soul is listening to the painful screams of his opponents.
  • Meaningful Name: In Japan they tend to pronounce names starting with an L as an R and thus may sometimes misromanize R as L. The word 'lugal' was a Sumerian sign and later became what they called their king, so Rugal Bernstein becomes King Bernstein, perfectly fitting with a power-hungry narcissist.
  • Menacing Stroll: XV gives Omega Rugal's boss version a move called Dead Mount Pressnote . It has him casually walk toward his opponent before grabbing them and delivering a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown. Not only is he nearly invulnerable while walking, but he also reflects projectiles thrown at him, meaning that the safest option is to jump over him. Certain moves such as Heidern's Level 3 Super can circumvent it.
  • Mighty Glacier: Barring one or two specials he'll have for burst movement, Rugal is a notoriously stationary fighter in most of his appearances. His walk and run speed aren't impressive, and his quickest attacks are best used to punish aggression rather than to be aggressive. In exchange for that speed, he has incredibly strong space control thanks to his projectiles, long limbs for poking, and the legendary Genocide Cutter that can defend against most aerial options.
  • Narcissist: The first clue was the portraits of himself adorning the command room of the BlackNoah.
  • Near-Villain Victory: In '94. If Kyo didn't assume the worst when he saw his unconscious father, he would have never gone into an Unstoppable Rage-induced Heroic Second Wind and Rugal would have won. Kyo gets lucky for a second time in the next game when Rugal's own power destroys him.
  • Neck Snap: His regular '98 incarnation has the "Dead End Screamer," which in its Max version starts with Rugal doing this to the opponent's neck, which he then follows up with spinning over them while laughing maniacally.
  • Not Quite Dead: Survived detonating his ship in '94. After his actual death in '95, it sticks until XIV, where he, among other dead characters, are resurrected upon the defeat of Verse.
  • One-Winged Angel: Omega Rugal, the result of him fully giving in to Orochi's power. Notably, this is the incarnation he comes back as in XV.
  • Phlebotinum Overload: Leads to his Plotline Death. See Deadly Upgrade and Superpower Meltdown.
  • Pillar of Light: At the end of his Gigantic Pressure DM, with an added skull for flavor.
  • Poisoned Weapons: His hands. One of Omega Rugal's '98-only DMs, called Rugal Execution, involves impaling the opponent and supercharging them with green, poisonous Orochi energy. This attack is made even cheaper in Capcom vs. SNK 2, where God Rugal receives this move as a normal special. And it involves flash stepping.
  • Power Copying: Originally, Rugal was planned to be able to copy the opponent's moves, but it proved to be unfeasible due to memory limitations. The developers settled with giving him Geese's Reppuken, Krauser's Kaiser Wave, and Athena's Psycho Barrier. He does have this ability in The King of Fighters: Destiny however.
  • Power Dyes Your Hair: Rugal's hair goes from blond to silver as he gives in to Orochi's power.
  • Power Echoes: As God Rugal in Capcom vs. SNK 2, his voice gains an ominous reverb effect.
  • Recurring Boss: Pops up in two consecutive games in the series canon. Afterward, he was seen as the ultimate end-boss and is so well-loved by fans, that Rugal became the final boss of every subsequent Dream Match. And then he's back as a bonus boss for XV, his first canon outing since '95.
  • Red and Black and Evil All Over: Red and black are prominent colors in most of his designs, particularly the red coat and pants with black accents, as well as his black undershirt.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: After Goenitz ripped off his eye, he replaced it with an artificial, glowing red one. God/Ultimate Rugal in Capcom vs. SNK 2 makes it both of his eyes.
  • Replacement Goldfish: When Mature and Vice became Ascended Extras in '96, Rugal received two additional secretaries named Aya and Hermione in '98.
  • Right-Hand Cat: His panther Rodem, who acts as Rugal's "partner" in '94 and '95. Just like a regular partner, Rodem can jump out and attack Rugal's opponent should they stun the panther's master.
  • Running Gag: A meta example; his penchant for "dying" (although it only canonically happened once) has been Played for Laughs to the point that Rugal's hobby in his official bio is listed as "resurrection". His dream match appearances also allude to the undead, with 98 Rugal emerging from wires like Frankenstein's Monster, and 2002 Rugal having grey, zombie-like skin. It reaches its peak in XV when he's back for real.
  • Shared Signature Move: He utilizes Geese Howard's Reppuken and Krauser's Kaiser Wave in his moveset. This was a holdover from an old concept of Rugal, where he had absorbed the powers and bodies of several other fighting game bosses from SNK games. As to why he continues to know the technique is unclear, nor if he has any extensive history either indivdual.
  • Shoryuken: His Dragon Punch move is the notorious Genocide Cutter, an upwards kick that hits in an arc above him. It evolved throughout the series, gaining a second kick in '98, and a third overhead kick in 2002. His XV incarnation has all versions at once, acting as his Light, Heavy and EX versions.
  • Signature Move: His Genocide Cutter, God Press, and Gigantic Pressure DM are all staples of his moveset. Genocide Cutter alone is one of the series' most notorious Anti-Air attacks and is used relentlessly by the games' AI.
  • Slasher Smile: Omega Rugal from '98 onwards sports a maniacal grin whenever he first appears.
  • Slouch of Villainy: The end credits of 2002 show him lounging on a throne in his Omega Armor, flanked not just by his aides Aya and Hermione, but curiously by most of NESTS' higher-ups.
  • SNK Boss: Trope Codifier. Rugal is the SNK Boss. Tales of his unfairness and infuriatingly difficult AI have established a legacy spanning two decades and counting.
  • Sore Loser: He loses it when canonically defeated in the first two games, letting out a Villainous Breakdown both times. Also, even in Dream Match games, whenever he serves as a Final Boss in his own lair, he always tries to blow up his lair to kill his victorious foes.
  • Starter Villain: In story, Rugal is a low man on the totem pole, existing only to kickstart the series in the first place and acting as the first hints of the danger of the Orochi power. He was thrashed by Goenitz in the past and essentially was his Unwitting Pawn.
  • Starter Villain Stays: Due to his Breakout Villain status, Rugal is still seen as the boss in KOF lore, appearing as the final boss in 98 and 02. He is held up high by characters in the story post-death as an evil and powerful villain. Non-canon games like Sky Stage and 2002 UM make him far more badass and in control than he ever was in the series. He also returns to the series as a free DLC character in XV.
  • Status Quo Is God: He is always the end boss in every KOF game he appears; only in '98: Ultimate Match was he the default boss with Goenitz and Orochi being of higher levels. XV subverts it by having him as a Optional Boss instead, as Otoma=Raga is that game's final boss.
  • Super Mode: Omega Rugal is what you get when Rugal taps further into his Orochi power, enhancing his already terrifying strength to absurd levels.
  • Superboss: His 2002: UM incarnation has a notable requisite of defeating the last boss without losing any teammates, which other incarnations of him do not have in the series and puts him more in line with other Superboss examples. Due to his massive endurance, he is harder than the other bosses in the Arcade mode.
  • Superpower Meltdown: Omega Rugal, both in '95 and 2002. Orochi's power becomes too much for his body to handle, and he disintegrates from the overload.
  • Super Special Move:
    • Gigantic Pressure is a God Press, but with added energy from his Orochi power.
    • Desperate Ray, a super move added in XV, is a more powerful version of his Violent Ray special move, also added in XV.
  • Supervillain Lair: Unlike many of the bosses in this series, Rugal is confronted in one of several elaborate lairs.
    • '94 has him on a Nimitz-class supercarrier.
    • '95 his lair is moved to a secret laboratory compound instead.
    • In '98, he appears in an underwater base.
    • In the console ports of 2002 and 2002UM, he is fought on an airship very much like the Skynoah.
    • The original arcade version of 2002 and KOF XV are both subversions. In the arcade version of 2002 he crashes a plane and is fought in the wreckage. In XV he is fought on a plateau that is filled with odd glowing artifacts which look very similar to grave sites amidst a violet thunderstorm, rather than any sort of supervillainous lair.
  • Take Over the World: His Omega incarnation has it listed as his hobby.
  • Taking You with Me: He blows up his air carrier to kill Kyo in KOF '94. Also used in '98, R-2 and 2002: Unlimited Match.
  • This Cannot Be!: Gets one in '94 when you beat him.
    Rugal: Ma... masaka...
  • True Final Boss: In 2002UM; you can only fight him by not losing more than two teammates against the Final Boss, and you can't unlock your team's ending picture unless you beat him. Oh, and you can't continue if you lose against him.
  • Undeathly Pallor: 2002 and 2002 UM takes this approach to his Omega form. Instead of having white hair and darker skin, the 2002 version of Omega Rugal keeps his blond hair, but gives him a grey, lifeless complexion instead, making him seem like a zombie.
  • Unknown Rival: Heidern sees Rugal as his most personal enemy for killing his wife and daughter, but Rugal sees him as too weak and just another minor inconvenience.
  • Unwitting Pawn: It's heavily implied that he had no idea that he was this to Goenitz. When Rugal encountered Goenitz, he was easily defeated, and Goenitz himself saw Rugal as a potential vessel for Orochi. Even worse, his two secretaries, Mature and Vice, were double agents working for Goenitz and were ordered to keep an eye on him.
  • Useless Useful Spell: His Kaiser Phoenix HSDM in 2002, in which he spams Kaiser Waves repeatedly. It sounds good in theory, but if the first one hits, it can launch you into the air, and the others tend to miss while you're airborne or on the ground, though its damage is comparable to other HSDMs. In 2002UM, it was given OTG properties... but its damage output was drastically lowered. He also tends to stop it prematurely.
  • Villainous Breakdown: Happens twice. The first time, he blows up his aircraft carrier with himself still on it. The second is his Superpower Meltdown, and proceeds as follows:
    Omega Rugal: "Even with my new power I lost. What? My body.....????? NO! To meet such a fate! But I'll be back... YOU JERKS!"
  • Walking Shirtless Scene: Omega Rugal ('95 only). He powers up so much that all clothing on his upper body shreds off, exposing bulging muscle and the huge Omega symbol on his back.
  • Wax Museum Morgue: His original reason for hosting the tournament was to find strong contestants to defeat and have them decorate his room... as statues made of liquid metal. The cutscene before the battle against Rugal displays several fighters who have been beaten. Against the Women Fighters Team, he states he will stuff them instead.
  • We Can Rebuild Him: Goenitz thought so when he restored Rugal with a sliver of Orochi's power.
  • We Can Rule Together: He makes this offer to the Rivals Team in '95. They refuse.
  • White Hair, Black Heart: Turning Omega bleaches his hair white, and he's not any less a cruel scumbag than before.
  • Willfully Weak: He doesn't take the fight seriously in the first round of '94. And then he takes off his coat and the SNK Boss Syndrome infamously shows itself.
  • The Worf Effect: A variation of it. To establish the danger Goenitz poses in '96, Chizuru warns that Goenitz is the one that took Rugal's eye a long time ago, and that Rugal was unable to control a fraction of the power that Goenitz wields.
  • Would Hurt a Child: No, Rugal didn't have qualms that Heidern's daughter was still a child when he had both her and her mother killed.

Alternative Title(s): The King Of Fighters The Rugal Saga, The King Of Fighters 94 Part 1, The King Of Fighters 94 Part 2, The King Of Fighters 94 Part 3

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