The King of Fighters XV / Characters

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

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

Returning Characters

For tropes on Athena
For tropes on Terry, Andy, Joe, Geese, and Billy
For tropes on Kim and Mai
For tropes on Blue Mary and Yamazaki
For tropes on Rock, B. Jenet, and Gato
For tropes on Yuri, Ryo, Robert, and King
For tropes on Nakoruru
For tropes on Kyo, K', Ash, and Shun'ei
For tropes on Iori, Kula and Elisabeth
For tropes on Benimaru, Heidern, Ralf, Clark, and Omega Rugal
For tropes on Leona, Chizuru, and Goenitz
For tropes on Chris, Shermie, Shingo, and Yashiro
For tropes on Maxima and Whip
For tropes on Ramon, Vanessa, and Hinako
For tropes on Angel
For tropes on Duo Lon
For tropes on Meitenkun, Sylvie, Kukri, Luong, King of Dinosaurs, Antonov, and Najd

Rival Team

Isla

See her character page along with the other Deuteragonists here.

Dolores

Hidden Wisdom

"I have watched your battles from the crucible of souls. Fate shows the way once more..."

Origin: Mali

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

Fighting style: Sacred Earth Arts

Voiced by: Yuko Kaida

Playable in: ^note

A mysterious newcomer introduced The King of Fighters XV. A renowned mystic from Mali in West Africa, Dolores fights by calling upon the spirits of the earth, having command over holy soil. She is one of the many souls who were released upon Verse's defeat, but her connection to the entity remains a mystery and she may hold the answers to the destinies of many characters, particularly Shun'ei and Isla who both display Verse-eque powers.

Anti-Air: The special move "Nesh" lets Dolores capture an airborne opponent in a dirt coffin, which she then slams into the ground.
Back from the Dead: Despite having died previously because of Kukri's powers, the events of XIV managed to bring her back to life.
Battle Intro: In XV:
"Her body is surrounded by a holy oil. A shaman who can hear the cries of the earth. Dolores!"
Dolores: "Fate shows the way once more..."
Big Good: She plays this role in XV, recruiting Isla to her and Heidern's team and seeking to get both her and Shun'ei to unite against the threat that Re Verse poses.
Chekhov's Gun: Remember Kukri's dialogue related to Verse in XIV, where he said he has business with what's inside of the entity? Turns out bringing back Dolores was one of them, not just Ash Crimson.
Dark Is Not Evil: Her entire getup is mainly black and gold, but she's definitely very cordial and friendly if reserved.
Dishing Out Dirt: Her fighting style, being able to bend soil to her will.
Dreadlock Warrior: Her hair is styled in cornrows and braids.
Good Parents: Was an adoptive one to Kukri prior to her death and later revival, even if Kukri proved to be quite unruly growing up. One of the special edit teams recognized by SNK pairs her with two other examples in Vanessa (noted to have a very young son) and Terry (Rock's adoptive father figure).
Grapple Move: "Burj" is a different than normal example in that it's a ranged command grab that is slower than average (most command grabs in KOF are instantaneous, starting up in just one frame), but will also launch the opponent upwards for a full combo (notably with the EX version).
The Hermit: Before the events of XV, she lived alone in the desert, with Kukri serving as her disciple and adoptive son.
Heroic Sacrifice: The reason she died previously only to be revived was that she sacrificed herself to save Kukri when his powers had manifested from a young age, thus driving Kukri to find a way to revive her.
Long-Range Fighter: An unusual example. Many of Dolores' normals have good range that she can poke the opponent with, but her Qafas projectiles are the cream of the crop. Qafas Qabi is a more conventional projectile that will hit the opponent from the front, making it a good keepout tool to use for zoning, but if she wants to pull them in, she can use Qafas Khalfi to strike them from behind.
Morph Weapon: The holy soil she controls is this, being able to take the shape of things like an iron maiden and a giant hand to attack opponents.
Mysterious Woman: She's described this way, and it's stated that she is important to the story.
No, I Am Behind You: Like her pupil, she can teleport behind the opponent using her Altariq special; particularly the EX kick version.
Not So Above It All: The Grapplers Edit Team ending has her messing with Clark and Dinosaur by keeping them afloat in the air, much to their chagrin. In the Guardians ending, she also bemoans to Terry and Vanessa that her whole house is caked in sand... despite the fact that she and Kukri can control it.
Portal Pool: Her holy soil is manifested in this manner.
Stripperific: Look at the entry picture above if you're not convinced.
The Stoic: Has been described as "calm and collected" by the developers.
The Storyteller: One of forgotten folklore that was based in the back regions of an African desert, with only Kukri to keep her company.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: If Shun'ei and Isla's rivalry is meant to represent a Kyo and Iori analogue, then Dolores is setting herself up to be Chizuru's counterpart, serving as someone greatly connected to Verse trying to unite the two to stop its threat. It helps that all 3 of the Sacred Treasures Team are in the game working together, which gives ample room for comparison of their dynamics.
Team Mom: To the Rival Team, helping balance out the rambunctious Isla and the stern, professional Heidern. It helps too that she already has experience raising a kid.

Krohnen Team

Krohnen McDougall

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

Exceptional Esper

"Yo, you're the one who picked the fight!"

Origin: Unknown

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

Fighting style: Polymorphic arm

Voiced by: KENN

Playable in: XV

A mysterious new fighter introduced in XV who apparently has a bone to pick with Kyo and K'. He is rumored to have former ties to the NESTS cartel, but his allegiance and motivations are unknown.

For tropes pertaining to his original identity, click here (Spoilers).

Arm Cannon: His super, "Fusion Blaster", transforms his hand into a laser cannon, firing a barrage of shots. Effectively, it can act as an anti-zoning tool, since his projectiles come out instantaneously, especially after the 1.32 patch.
Artificial Limbs: He can turn either of his arms into just about anything that suits his current needs. Or he can just roast you until you're well done with the Kusanagi flames, too.
Ambidextrous Sprite: Because it's an important part of his moveset, Krohnen's blue glove is always on his front hand, and his scarf is draped on the other arm, regardless of which way he is facing. This programmed routine was what K' red glove used in the previous game. Besides that, the rest of his model is consistent.
Anti-Hero: At least compared to his 2001 days, where he could be seen as an outright villain. He's still a belligerent asshole who, alongside Angel, technically kidnapped Kula. But that in itself is a bit of a stretch when you remember that Kula left Team K' in the first place for a very petty reason^note, which Angel and Krohnen took advantage of by way of giving her some ice cream. And even then, he returned Kula to Diana and Foxy (as shown in both his team's ending and that of the K' Team) safe and sound, even giving Kula the prize money from the tournament in the process.
Badass Biker: Natch. He actually has a special edit team with fellow bike enthusiasts Angel and Ryo. Their ending has them visit Ryo's garage, where Krohnen genuinely complements a newly restored bike Ryo has.
Barbarian Long Hair: He's holding up remarkably well for a nomad that's been on the run for years, but his hairstyle indicates that his lifestyle's still taken a toll on him. He's still an extremely dangerous individual.
Battle Intro: In XV:
"If you're looking for a beating, you've come to the right place. His phantom hand will straighten you out! Krohnen!"
Krohnen: Tch, small dogs never stop yappin'.
Berserk Button: Besides the mere presence of Kyo and K' (and by extension, Maxima) serving as such for him, he's also pretty easily annoyed whenever Ángel calls him by his old name.
Krohnen: Ángel, the name's Krohnen. Next time you screw that up, you'll regret it.
Boots of Toughness: Befitting for his biker attire.
Canon Character All Along: Not that it was particularly well hidden, but Krohnen literally is just K9999 under a new identity.
Character Development: If Ángel is to be believed, K9999 went from being an arrogant and downright unrepentant Jerkass to a mellower, but still sour individual who's gotten wiser with age. Also, he returns Kula to Foxy and Diana when the Tournament is over, giving all the prize money to Kula. This prompts Ángel to note how mature he is now. Also lampshaded by Krohnen himself.
"Were you excepting me to be more hot-headed? Well, unfortunately for you, I've changed."
Charge Attack: The MAX version of his Fusion Blaster can be held down to deal a lot more damage than it already does initially. Interestingly though, it won't lead to a Guard Crush if it's blocked, let alone drain the opponent's Guard meter at all.
Charlie Brown from Outta Town: Apparently all it took for K9999 to hide from NESTS remnants was swap his sleeveless shirt out for a biker jacket, wear a pair of goggles, let his hair grow out a bit, wrap himself up in a scarf and change his name to "Krohnen".
Combat Pragmatist: Of the "brings an Arm Cannon to a fistfight" variety, much like Whip with her own Hand Cannon back in 2002 UM.
Composite Character: Besides being a lawyer-friendly reimagining of K9999, Krohnen also possesses some traits from Nameless. His prettier features and his Climax Super being more mechanical are reminiscent of the latter.
Continuity Nod:
- Somewhat. His words to Kyo seem to imply that, while Kyo isn't exactly the person he's looking for, the resemblance is enough to make his blood boil. This seems to allude to the special intro shared between K9999 and Kusanagi in 2002. Considering they are the same character, it's not surprising.
- He shares his surname with a character from one of Akihiko Ureshino's Light Novels. Said character ("Kain McDougall") was implied to be K's original identity before the cloning process he underwent under NESTS.
Contrasting Replacement Character: Krohnen is a far cry from Nameless, the first Moveset Clone of K9999 — his more volatile and aggressive behavior, alongside his bright yellow and blue color scheme, contrasts heavily with Nameless's introverted and morose personality and his own subdued purple and black color scheme. Some things just don't change.
Cool Shades: Wears goggles similar to the ones K' wears.
Dash Attack: Strike Slash, the successor to K9999's "Shatter!" special. Krohnen jumps up and slashes the opponent downwards. The light version knocks down and recovers fast enough for a follow-up (in some situations), while the heavy version is a slower starting overhead with enough advantage on hit to follow up with a full combo. The EX version can cause a Ground Bounce on hit, allowing for more combo opportunities.
Do Not Call Me "Paul": If making an Implied Death Threat towards his Only Friend for doing so isn't evidence enough, it's not a good idea to refer to him as K9999.
Deadpan Snarker: Not as much as Ash or Kukri, but Krohnen isn't one to mince words with his opponents.
Krohnen: (Generic Quote) You did what you could with what you got. In other words, not much.
Easter Egg: The original inputs for his Super Special moves in XV can still be performed as they were in 2002. The moves are functionally the same otherwise, though.
Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Unlike K9999's AKIRA-based quote names for his specials, Krohnen's names are mostly utilitarian. Blaze Thrower, Heat Shield, and Strike Slash do just as they're named.
Expository Hairstyle Change: With him having spent two whole sagas on the run, evading NESTS agents out to kill him for going AWOL on them, and thus having little, if any time to groom himself, K9999's short, aggressive hairstyle has grown out into Krohnen's mane of Barbarian Long Hair.
Fashionable Asymmetry: He wears a blue glove on his right hand, just like K9999.
Fighting Fingerprint: According to Maxima's unique win quote against him, he was quick to notice that Krohnen's fighting style was quite familiar. And as it turns out, they have confronted each other before.
Maxima: Virtually no deviation from older data. Maybe you can beat me... In your dreams.
Foil: To K'. Both of them are Badass Bikers with major chips on their shoulder because of their past with the NESTS cartel, but while K' learned to live with his past and now acts completely nonchalant and cool, Krohnen still appears to be very much angry and embittered. When taking account for his original identity of K9999, their relationship essentially boils down to Krohnen being akin to an Annoying Younger Sibling with a massive Inferiority Superiority Complex who really wants to one-up K'. On the brighter side, they're both pretty nice to Kula.
Four-Temperament Ensemble: Fills in for K9999 as the Choleric in the loose quartet of K', Kula, Nameless and himself, being a crude Jerkass that frequently badmouths his foes and is willing to deliver Implied Death Threats to his allies.
Ground Wave: Blaze Thrower is a wave of flames that travels a short distance in front of him.
Hand Wave: After it's confirmed Krohnen is K9999 all along, not just a substitute character, the narrative states his looks drastically changed because he was on the run, trying to avoid NESTS pursuers gunning for his head. This is also is supposed to hand wave why Krohnen's more legally risky Tetsuo traits, such as clear psychic powers and bio mutations he had in his K9999 days being removed as well, as Krohnen no longer levitates since the one DM he had that showed this ability^note is gone, his mutated arm is now a mechanical monstrosity, and the mind force shield now is a pyrokinesis shield. Pretty much everything to make him as far removed from Tetsuo as possible while still trying to maintain a certain familiarity.
Hell-Bent for Leather: Keeping with the biker motifs of his predecessor, he wears an impressive yellow biker jacket.
Jerkass: Seems to be very curt and his tone of voice is constantly on the verge of exploding in anger. His upper lip appears to be permanently molded in the shape of a rude scowl and his only exchanges thus far have been to tell other combatants how much they infuriate him.
Kick Them While They Are Down: His close Heavy Kick is an overhead that can also hit the opponent on the ground.
Lawyer-Friendly Cameo: What Krohnen basically is; a much more lawyer-friendly version of K9999, who riffed heavily on AKIRA.
Leitmotif: "Liberty", being the shared theme for his team, as well as playing in his Character Trailer. An apt name reflecting his freedom from NESTS' control, alongside Angel and Kula.
Look What I Can Do Now!: K9999 had very little in common with the other Kyo clones, sporting little to no pyrokinesis and focusing more on psychic abilities and cybernetic enhancements. Krohnen, on the other hand, finally has some control over the Kusanagi flames and his arm no longer crudely morphs into a grotesque mockery of a cannon or a massive blob of flesh, instead being more augmented by what appears to be nanomachines.
Meaningful Name:
- "Krohnen" sounds similar to "Clone", especially when spelled in Japanese Katakana where there's a difference of only one character (Krohnen = クローネン/Clone = クローン). A fitting moniker for someone created as part of NESTS cloning experiments. Interestingly, data miners found that Krohnen's code name in the in-game files is CLONE.
- Krohnen's name also doubles as a Shout-Out to David Cronenberg, the Trope Codifier of Body Horror (something that K9999 had extensively, being the walking AKIRA reference that he was).
- His surname, "McDougall" is also another link between him and K', specifically the fact that K' was named after a similarly named character from the Armored Trooper VOTOMS spin-off Blue Knight Beserga Story who was the clone of another character named "Kain McDougall." It may also be a reference to Harry McDougall from Outlaw Star, another blue-haired Artificial Human enhanced by cybernetics.
Meaningful Rename: He implies that "Krohnen McDougall" isn't his original name. This is because it was originally K9999.
The Napoleon: While of average height at 168cm tall, Ángel is around the same height, Kula's taller than the both of them, and his sworn nemesis K' is a head taller at 183cm. While his height's not brought up, he still has an incredibly volatile temper.
Older and Wiser: Downplayed; he's still a bad-tempered jerk obsessed with one-upping K', but he's no longer a complete psychopath.
Only Sane Man:
- Compared to Ángel's carefree nature and Kula's brattiness. The two are shown making faces at each other like children during the game's intro, only for Krohnen to get them to stop with a Death Glare.
- He also gets an Edit Team ending with Iori and Gato, who are immediately hostile to each other due to their collective egos clashing. Krohnen, as the loudest of them, tells them both to shut up.
Paper-Thin Disguise: K9999 really didn't put in a lot of effort to make it seem as though "Krohnen" is a different person, as the same blue hair, an affinity for yellow clothing and similar fighting style makes it rather easy to flush him out.
Pet the Dog:
- In his team's ending, he ultimately decides to let Kula go back to Foxy and Diana, both out of pragmatism and because he claims Kula was getting on his nerves. However, he also goes on to give her the prize money from the tournament despite Ángel protesting that he originally planned on using it as his escape fund.
- In a secret ending, he and Ángel are openly impressed with Ryo's motorcycle.
Pint-Sized Powerhouse: One of the shorter male characters in the series at a modest 5'6"/168cm (Kula and Angel are his same height, funnily enough), but has more than enough firepower on him (literally) to be a bonafide One-Man Army.
Primary-Color Champion: Inverted. Despite his red scarf, blue hair and glove, and yellow biker jacket, he's a rather abrasive jerk. Granted, he's far better than during his time as K9999, who attempted to murder Foxy and actually did before it got a Retcon.
Progressively Prettier: While K9999 was by no means hideous, he's certainly doing a lot better in the present as Krohnen, owing to his softer features and longer hair. Heck, the scar that he had in his eye is nowhere to be found on the rare occasions he's seen without his goggles, either.
Playing with Fire: Par for the course for Kyo's clones, he can use fire abilities alongside his cybernetic limbs.
Punny Name: Krohnen, if separated as "K", "Roh", and "Nen", is an interlingual pun on Krohnen's old identity. "Roh" and "Nen" are readings for the kanji of "four" and "nine" respectively. Together, it's a roundabout way of calling Krohnen "Kay Four-Nine".
Reformed, but Not Tamed: He may no longer be working for NESTS, but he's still as aggressive and jerkish as he used to be back when he was K9999. However, he's a lot less murderously violent.
The Reveal: He's actually K9999 under a new identity in order to avoid detection from remnants of the organization who wish to recapture their rogue assassins. Having met up with and partnered with Ángel once again, the two stumble upon a runaway Kula and bribe her with icecream into tagging along with them. He enters the KOF tournament to finally prove to K' once and for all that he is superior, under the premise of eliminating NESTS remnants.
Same Character, But Different: While the team story danced around the topic, his team ending namedrops that he's K9999. The years, however, seem to have slightly mellowed out his more jerkish, psychotic tendencies. Keyword slightly, as he's still a jerk, just less "Tetsuo on a power high" levels of jerk.
Scarf of Asskicking: Wears a red one on top of his jacket similar to K9999's (albeit shorter and he keeps it on during the fight).
Screaming Warrior: He's volatile, and yells a lot in many of his attacks.
Shapeshifter Weapon: Krohnen can transform his arm into either a spike, a drill, a gun, or even just a mechanical abomination for his Climax Super.
Shotoclone: Krohnen fits the archetype with his Ground Wave-based projectile, anti-air shield, and advancing blade slash. That said, his normals have some unique properties. Both crouching heavies are sweeps, his jumping punches hit the opponent multiple times and are active until Krohnen hits the ground, and his close Heavy Kick can hit downed opponents.
Some Dexterity Required: Only as an Easter Egg. Krohnen can use the original 'pretzel motion' inputs of K9999 for his versions of the "Moon..." and "You, get lost too!" super moves. His Climax Super can also utilize the unusual input of K9999's "Help! My power... It's running wild!" SDM^note. There is no added benefit to using these inputs, however.
Sphere of Destruction: A fiery one in Infernal Prominence, at that. Almost the same as K9999's "Moon…" SDM, but with a much simpler input and being made of fire instead of psionics.
Starting a New Life: Krohnen cast aside almost all aspects of his past, including his name, upon going on the run, and appears content with the circumstances of his new life.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Ironically, serves as one to Nameless, who in turn was one to K9999, his original identity.
That Man Is Dead: As far as he's concerned, K9999 died and Krohnen was born after the events of 2001. He refuses to answer to K9999, being visibly irritated when Ángel calls him that in his team ending, and both his team introduction and his unique victory quote towards Ángel have him stress that he prefers to be addressed as Krohnen. It even extends to a meta sense - unlike most other alter egos (such as Mr. Karate for Takuma and the King of Dinosaurs for Tizoc), K9999 is missing from the characters section of SNK's official KOF portal, with only Krohnen having a bio.
This Is a Drill: His jumping and standing Heavy Punch has him turn his arm into a drill to eviscerate the opponent. Spiral Smash is an advancing version that is both a combo ender and a very effective poke. And then there's Calamity Overdrive...
Took a Level in Kindness: Downplayed; he's still a belligerent jerk, but he's at least nowhere near as psychotic as he used to be back in 2001.
Unskilled, but Strong: His fighting style relies on using his special abilities more than any combat training. Ryo and Yuri both note his moves disregard a lot of the basics of martial arts, and Krohnen himself tells Gato that he doesn't care about learning them because he focuses more on what will win him fights.
Villain Decay: Back in the day, K9999 was an actually serious threat, with him managing to severely injure Foxy, leave Kula with mental scars, and give K' a run for his money. Nowadays, he and Ángel essentially rope up Kula into forming a Terrible Trio with them, and he has nothing to do with the current grand scheme of things.
Walking Spoiler: It's hard not to talk about his backstory without going over the fact that he's actually K9999, a character who was long thought to have been erased from the series' continuity for 20+ years.

Samurai Team

Haohmaru

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

Wandering Fencer

"Whatever the era, I won't change my ways. Not until I perfect my swordsmanship!"

Origin: Japan

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flagjapan_3.png

Fighting style: Samurai arts with his katana, Meitō Fugudoku

Voiced by: Daiki Nakamura

Playable in: ^note

The main protagonist of KOF's sister series Samurai Shodown, Haohmaru's a wandering master of the blade whose only purpose in life is to kick ass. One day, as he is about to commission a ship from Darli to travel the world, Nakoruru approaches her old friends to assist in her mission to protect the balance of nature by traveling into the future and participating in the upcoming KOF tournament. Ever eager for a challenge, Haohmaru gladly accepts.

See Samurai Shodown for tropes on him.

Darli Dagger

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

Master Carpenter of the Seas

"I'm a rough sea when I'm on top form. Unfortunately for you, I'm always on top form."

Origin: Merina Kingdom (now Madagascar)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/merina_kingdom.jpeg

Fighting style: An aggressive style utilising her saw-blade, Libertalia

Voiced by: Yuu Kobayashi

Playable in: ^note

One of the newcomers in the 2019 Samurai Shodown reboot, Darli is a woman who washed ashore on the island of Madagascar as a child and was raised by carpenters who taught her to make things and pirates who taught her how to defend herself and survive. A shipwright by trade, she seeks to one day create an absolutely unsinkable vessel. Sometime after the events of Samurai Shodown 2019 she returns to Japan and meets with Haohmaru, who is interested in commissioning a ship from her to travel the world and battle stronger opponents. It's then that Nakoruru appears before them and asks for their aid in her mission of protecting nature's balance by traveling into the future to participate in KOF. Both Darli and Haohmaru gladly accept.

See Samurai Shodown (2019) for tropes on her.

Spoiler Characters

WARNING: All spoilers for the following characters are unmarked. Read at your own risk.

The Sub-Boss

Re Verse

Voiced by: Lynn

Boss character in: ^note

The penultimate boss of KOF XV and the second incarnation of (Re) Verse after its appearance in KOF XIV, this time using Amanda as a vessel and fueled by the raw emotions that manifested her. It appears after the finals and seemingly transports the finalists to a distorted version of the arena.

Ax-Crazy: It makes its previous incarnation look relatively stable by comparison.
The Berserker: The only other character that comes close in this regard is Yamazaki. It acts less like a sentient being and more like a wild animal let loose from its cage. It even moves and attacks in a feral manner, similar to Orochi Iori and Orochi Leona.
Climax Boss: The second-to-last boss encounter in the game.
Cool Mask: Wears a Verse-ified variant of Isla's mask as part of its design.
Distaff Counterpart: To itself, having taken a male form in XIV likely due to most of the souls it contained being male. Since it manifests using Amanda as a vessel, it takes a form resembling a fusion between XIV Verse and Isla.
The Dragon: To Otoma=Raga. Its whole purpose is to collect souls and use their emotions to call forth the aforementioned Goddess of Truth to destroy and remake the world.
The Dreaded: Since both Clemence and the announcer don't have the fondest memories of the XIV tournament, it's safe to say that for anyone that doesn't happen to be a playable character, it's definitely this.
Eldritch Abomination: One that came from another dimension and would probably be right at home in the Ash Saga, no less.
Gender Bender: Goes from having a male body in XIV to female here due to its current vessel (Amanda) being from the very female Isla.
Leitmotif: Has one that's simply titled "Re Verse". It's notable for growing more intense as the fight goes on and you lose more members to it. Here it is in its separate parts, and altogether as a medley.
Life Drain: One of its attacks has it latch onto the player character and drain some of their health to heal itself.
Obviously Evil: In case the wild 'do and ominous eyes didn't give it away already...
Playing with Fire: One of its specials has it spew out a pink fireball at the opponent.
The Power of Hate: It is essentially Isla's bottled-up desire to lash out at everything given physical form, hence why it fights like a wild animal and is in a perpetual berserker state.
Primal Stance: Its running animation has it crawling on all fours, much like Necalli does when he activates his V-Trigger.
Psycho Pink: Or violet, but the idea's still the same.
Punny Name: Its name is a pun on the word "reverse", due to it being the original Verse but in a different form.
With My Dying Breath, I Summon You: After being defeated, it uses the last of its power to open up a portal to summon Otoma=Raga before expiring, much like what Team Orochi did to summon Orochi back in '97.

The Final Boss

Otoma=Raga

The Goddess of Truth

Voiced by: N/A (speaks in alien tongues)

Boss character in: ^note

The Final Boss of KOF XV and the main antagonist of the Shun'ei Saga. An ancient African creation deity, described as a "goddess of truth" who guards the Crucible of Souls. She appears after the defeat of Re Verse, who summons her via a portal to challenge the winners.

Artificial Stupidity: The only thing keeping her from being downright impossible to beat is the fact that her AI doesn't use her kit to its fullest potential, being every bit as easy to beat as Clone Zero or Evil Ash once you figure out her attack pattern. She's especially susceptible to sweeps and command grabs, making grapplers like Clark or Shermie especially effective against her.
Big Bad: Of the Shun'ei Saga. She’s revealed to be the one behind Verse/Re Verse's actions.
The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: Wouldn't be an SNK boss without it. The CPU inputs her attacks instantly and they have absurd range, power and priority.
Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: To the previous saga villains, namely Orochi and Saiki:
- Like Orochi and Saiki before her, Otoma=Raga is yet another godly being, though in her case she hails from outside the dimension KOF takes place in, as opposed to being a creation of the planet itself, or at least coming from Earth like Igniz.
- While Orochi is directly based off the same creature from Japanese mythology and Saiki is mentioned to be his western counterpart, Otoma=Raga is instead inspired by African mythology.
- While all the previous saga villains were male, Otoma=Raga stands out by being female instead.
- All the previous saga villains could speak fluently in human languages. This isn't the case here for Otoma=Raga, who instead speaks in an unintelligible alien tongue.
- And on a meta note, all three previous saga bosses were playable in some capacity^note. This is not the case for Otoma=Raga, who remains unplayable here in XV^note.
Crystal Dragon Jesus: Quite literally, as she appears draconic to an extent and fights using crystalline powers.
Destroyer Deity: As revealed by Heidern in the Edit Team ending, this is how her "creation" works. Once summoned by Re Verse, she appears to destroy whatever world she is summoned to, and then recreates it anew. The implication is that she simply overreacted to the Temporal Paradox at the end of XIII, fearing a multiverse-threatening Time Crash.
Final Boss: Of The King of Fighters XV, being fought right after Re Verse.
Gemstone Assault: She wields the power of crystals, and uses them to attack. Also, she sucks the player into an alternate dimension to fight in the Crystalized Arena.
Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: Even more so than Verse. Kukri even lampshades it in his winquote against her.
Kukri: "Don't just turn up and act like you're the shit. Piss off back to the other side of space and time."
Greater-Scope Villain: Of XIV, due to Verse (the one responsible for crashing the tournament in that game) being her herald for the end of days.
Leitmotif: Two, to be exact: "Enforcement" by default, and "Absolute Denial" for when she Turns Red.
The Man Behind the Man: As stated by Heidern in one of the endings, Otoma=Raga is considered a greater god who feasts on the souls collected by Verse/Re Verse.
Outside-Genre Foe: For being the final boss of a Fighting Game, she'd definitely be right at home in a JRPG like Final Fantasy or Shin Megami Tensei instead.
Physical Goddess: She’s said to be a goddess of creation and truth and she certainly has the powers to prove it.
Prehensile Hair: Most of her attacks involve tendrils on her head that resemble hair.
Reality Warper: Chizuru’s win quote against her notes that she can alter the “laws of reason”.
Red and Black and Evil All Over: In the final stage of her fight, her black skin is complemented by her crystals turning crimson red.
Rock Monster: She appears to be made entirely of mineral—mostly stone with some crystalline elements for her joints and hair.
Taking You with Me: After being defeated in the Hero/Rival story, she attempts to drag Isla with her, much like Rugal and Igniz before her.
Turns Red: A textbook example. When her health bar is depleted, she resurrects herself at 1/3rd health and the crystals on her transform into a crimson red color. Now she has a massive defense boost and a massive damage boost.
The Unintelligible: She does speak, but in an alien language that cannot be understood by anyone.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: In the Edit Team ending, Dolores posits that Re Verse and Otoma=Raga concluded that the Ko F universe was dead or close to it because of the Temporal Paradox from Ash effacing Saiki, mistaking it for a full-on Time Crash that would threaten the rest of the multiverse if the universe were not reset immediately.

Characters / The King of Fighters XV

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

Rival Team

Krohnen Team

Samurai Team

Spoiler Characters

Re Verse

Otoma=Raga

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Characters / The King of Fighters XV

Edit Locked

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

Rival Team

Krohnen Team

Samurai Team

Spoiler Characters

Re Verse

Otoma=Raga

Previous

Index

Next