History SNKBoss / SNKPlaymore

** And then SNK went a step further by adding a Boss Challege Mode. Their first challenge to the playerbase? '''Omega Rugal'''. Yes, the bastard is back ([[BackFromTheDead for real this time]]), and looks to be worse than ever. His AI is specifically described as "the CPU from Hell" and if his reveal trailer is anything to go by, it lives up to that description, having specific buffs that the playable Omega Rugal does not have. For one, his Genocide Cutter is ''completely invincible'' and will beat out every other attack in the game clean, and the CPU will exploit this ''with gusto''. Second, he has a new special move where he shoots a projectile out of his cybernetic eye that travels slowly and covers a significant space above him, giving him another option to prevent the player from simply jumping over his Reppukens. Thirdly, he has a counter super where he walks forward menacingly while surrounded by a red aura. If he makes contact with your character, either by touching them or you attacking him, he will go into a ''0-frame'' command grab for immense damage. And if you think you can simply knock him out of it with a projectile, think again: the aura surrounding him '''reflects projectiles back at you, including supers!''' Lastly, his AI is programmed with extensive combo knowledge, meaning one punish from Rugal will equate to potentially half of your life gone in a flash.

** Re Verse is a surprising subversion, being just as much of a pushover as its previous incarnation was back in ''XIV'' and lacking any overpowered special or super attacks. In fact, it's possible to defeat it in a single round without losing any of your members even on the default difficulty.

** And then SNK went a step further by adding a Boss Challege Mode. Their first challenge to the playerbase? '''Omega Rugal'''. Yes, the bastard is back ([[BackFromTheDead for real this time]]), and looks to be worse than ever. His AI is specifically described as "the CPU from Hell" and if his reveal trailer is anything to go by, it lives up to that description, having specific buffs that the playable Omega Rugal does not have. For one, his Genocide Cutter is ''completely invincible'' and will beat out every other attack in the game clean, and the CPU exploit this ''with gusto''. Second, he has a new special move where he shoots a projectile out of his cybernetic eye that travels slowly and covers a significant space above him, giving him another option to prevent the player from simply jumping over his Reppukens. Thirdly, he has a counter super where he walks forward menacingly while surrounded by a red aura. If he makes contact with your character, either by touching them or you attacking him, he will go into a ''0-frame'' command grab for immense damage. And if you think you can simply knock him out of it with a projectile, think again: the aura surrounding him '''reflects projectiles back at you, including supers!''' Lastly, his AI is programmed with extensive combo knowledge, meaning one punish from Rugal will equate to potentially half of your life gone in a flash.

** And then SNK went a step further by adding a Boss Challege Mode. Their first challenge to the playerbase? '''Omega Rugal'''. Yes, the bastard is back ([[BackFromTheDead for real this time]]), and looks to be worse than ever. His AI is specifically described as "the CPU from Hell" and if his reveal trailer is anything to go by, it lives up to that description, having specific buffs that the playable Omega Rugal does not have. For one, his Genocide Cutter is ''completely invincible'' and will beat out every other attack in the game clean, and the CPU exploit this ''with gusto''. Second, he has a new special move where he shoots a projectile out of his cybernetic eye that travels slowly and covers a significant space above him, giving him another option to prevent the player from simply jumping over his Reppukens. Thirdly, he has a counter super where he walks forward menacingly while surrounded by a red aura. If he makes contact with your character, either by touching them or you attacking him, he will go into a ''0-frame'' command grab for immense damage. And if you think you can simply knock him out of it with a projectile, think again: the aura surrounding him '''reflects projectiles back at you, including supers!''' Lasltly. his AI is programmed with extensive combo knowledge, meaning one punish from Rugal will equate to potentially half of your life gone in a flash.

** And then SNK went a step further by adding a Boss Challege Mode. Their first challenge to the playerbase? '''Omega Rugal'''. Yes, the bastard is back ([[BackFromTheDead for real this time]]), and looks to be worse than ever. His AI is specifically described as "the CPU from Hell" and if his reveal trailer is anything to go by, it lives up to that description, potentially having specific buffs that the playable Omega Rugal does not have. For one, just like with Otoma=Raga you fight him 3-on-1, so he will naturally have health buffs. Secondly, when fought as a boss, his Genocide Cutter is ''completely invincible'' and will beat out every other attack in the game clean, and the CPU ''does'' exploit this with gusto. The AI is also programmed with extensive combo knowledge, meaning one punish from Rugal will equate to potentially half of your life gone in a flash.

* Speaking of portable KOF games, we mustn't forget ''The King of Fighters [=EX2=]: Howling Blood'', whose end boss is a BrainwashedAndCrazy kid named Shinobu Amou, who was part of an experiment by [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Gustav Munchausen]] to transplant Goenitz's soul for reincarnation. His AI isn't that hard, until Round 2 when he suddenly [[TurnsRed Turns Gold]], becomes faster and more powerful, and starts hurling attacks from every single direction with absolute priority. Oh, and he changes elements from [[RazorWind wind]] to [[ShockAndAwe lightning]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poe0GATQl9A You will HATE Shinobu]], guaranteed. His winquote puts it perfectly into perspective:

* Then came ''[[TheKingOfFighters98 '98]]'', which had Omega Rugal once again. This time, he has a whole slew of new moves, such as the fusion of Kaiser Wave and Reppuken called the Gravity Smash (with nasty priority, and covering his body when he charged it, making it hard to hit him out of it) a replacement for God Press called [[SpeedBlitz Vanishing Rush]] (which is what it sounds like, complete with being fast enough that you barely have a moment to react to it), his Destruction Omega super move (a grab that does ridiculous amounts of damage), a devastating super called the Rugal Execution (which drains your health at a very rapid rate) and an update of the Genocide Cutter, the Dark Genocide, which is a 3-hit version of the original.

* The series upped the ante considerably in ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters95 '95]]'' with [[{{Brainwashed}} Saisyu Kusanagi]] followed by [[OneWingedAngel Omega Rugal]].[[note]]You were allowed to select those two characters by putting in a secret command during character selection. ''Without being weakened.'' [[GoneHorriblyWrong Guess how that ended up]].[[/note]]:

* The series upped the ante considerably in '''95'' with [[{{Brainwashed}} Saisyu Kusanagi]] followed by [[OneWingedAngel Omega Rugal]].[[note]]You were allowed to select those two characters by putting in a secret command during character selection. ''Without being weakened.'' [[GoneHorriblyWrong Guess how that ended up]].[[/note]]:

* '''96'' had two bosses in a row with [[BarrierMaiden Chizuru Kagura]] and [[BlowYouAway Goenitz]],[[note]]Once again, barring the initial arcade release, you're able to input a secret code to select them. Chizuru has a special ending with Kyo and Iori, while Goenitz has his own ending if Chizuru isn't on your team.[[/note]] and there's also a Boss Team consisting of ''Fatal Fury'' regulars Geese and Krauser as well as Mr. Big from ''Art of Fighting''.

* '''97'' had [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Orochi Iori (or Leona)]], [[QuirkyMinibossSquad the Orochi Team]], and then {{Orochi}} himself[[note]]once again, with the exception of Orochi, all five characters can be selectable with a series of codes[[/note]], all in a row.

* Then came '''98'', which had Omega Rugal once again. This time, he has a whole slew of new moves, such as the fusion of Kaiser Wave and Reppuken called the Gravity Smash (with nasty priority, and covering his body when he charged it, making it hard to hit him out of it) a replacement for God Press called [[SpeedBlitz Vanishing Rush]] (which is what it sounds like, complete with being fast enough that you barely have a moment to react to it), his Destruction Omega super move (a grab that does ridiculous amounts of damage), a devastating super called the Rugal Execution (which drains your health at a very rapid rate) and an update of the Genocide Cutter, the Dark Genocide, which is a 3-hit version of the original.

* Krizalid was the boss in ''[='99=]''. He had a pansy first form like Rugal, with a 2-hit projectile that would win over your projectiles. In round 2, he burns off the coat, and starts spamming a tornado kick attack, the Typhoon Rage, which has priority over everything, and Lethal Impact, which looks like an axe kick, but can hit high, overhead, low, as a command throw, OR counterthrow! In short, projectiles and throws are the only things that one move could not counter... and he sometimes spammed it if you closed in on him. Oh and projectiles? Those are countered by Typhoon Rage, sending them back at the player similar to Rugal's Dark Barrier, though at least that move was specifically made for that. His supers, at max level, do '''90 percent of your health bar'''!

* Clone Zero in ''2000'' had a screen-filling super that did 60+ percent damage and could easily Guard Break your characters with his Cutter Arts, which did multiple hits whether it was the special or super version. Also, his Shadow Arts are fully invincible during their long startups. Gladly, his AI was relatively bad, so he remained relatively easy.
* ''2001'' brought two SNK bosses.

* To conclude the NESTS saga, we have ''2002'', which has, by far, the cheapest version of Rugal to date: OneHitKill {{combos}} by the dozen, the return of Reppuken, '''3''' Kaiser Wave variants (the last of which is unblockable and the first of which comes out faster than the speed of light), a new 4-hit Genocide Cutter...To make up for it, his [[DesperationAttack MAX2]] is a series of Kaiser Waves named Kaiser Phoenix which are horribly inaccurate. Unfortunately, it STILL does a sickening amount of damage. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ7yG9oI-FI&feature=channel_page And in the unlikely event you Dodge Roll in front of Rugal when he's charging a Kaiser Wave, it'll STILL hit you while he's charging!]] And if that wasn't enough, there's a GameBreakingBug with the Kaiser Wave. [[https://youtube.com/watch?v=RhuPxf5S4Mc If he happens to release it at just the right moment that you come out of the Dodge Roll, it hovers. FOREVER.]] So basically he would have this one ball of energy floating behind his ass (or in front of his crotch, if you managed to switch sides) until he launches another Kaiser Wave (HSDM included), or grabs you (supers included, but check out what happens when you do his Gigantic Pressure) It's like Benimaru's hovering lightning ball HSDM, but '''evil''', never ending and guaranteed OHKO.

* ''2003'' brings not one, not two, but ''three'' of them.

* Magaki from ''XI'' seems to be SNK's way of saying "we gave up trying to think of ways to mess with you, so here's a boss that throws more projectiles than a bleeding ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' character... ''while you have no grazing option''."[[note]]Interestingly, WordOfGod has stated that they intended for Magaki to be a HateSink character, hence his [[UncannyValley bizarre appearence]], [[{{Jerkass}} personality]] and general cheapness. [[DamnedByFaintPraise Well they certainly succeeded in that regard]]...[[/note]] He ''loves'' [[BeamSpam abusing his fireballs]], to the point where there will be [[BulletHell lots of them flying everywhere]] including ones that disappear halfway and reappear behind you. Then there are also the large, semi-invisible ones that move in an arc towards you. Said fireballs also happen to be 100% invincible, [[TheJuggernaut moving nonstop]] and crushing all projectiles, even super ones. Then his [[ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs psychedelic pink full screen-filler attack that will hurt your eyes the first few times]] (you'll get used to it). It's hard as hell to even get close to him, and if you do, he'll probably just throw you right back with his little [[InvulnerableAttack invincible]] frontal explosion whenever he feels like it.
* ''XII'' had no proper boss character, despite rumors, but ''XIII'' gives us two: Saiki and Evil Ash.

* Subverted to an extent in ''XIV'' as both Antonov and Verse have no overpowered special moves or super moves. Instead, they don't require any meter to use those moves and Verse in particular makes good use of his infinite supers. He also makes use of some very complex combos on normal difficulty, which other characters can be seen doing only on higher difficulties. Though Verse has a fist stomp move that has ridiculous priority that will take down any jumping approach and it comes pretty quick.
* And then came ''XV'', SNK's way of apologizing the players... for the disappointment of the ''XIV'' bosses. While Antonov this time is just a regular selectable player and Verse is nowhere to be seen, the game gave us ''two'' in the forms of Isla's EnemyWithout Re Verse[[note]]who coincidentally happens to be the aforementioned Verse but in a different form[[/note]] and the TrueFinalBoss Otoma=Raga.

** Mukai, the TrueFinalBoss from the same game, has a full screen LDM that [[TakenForGranite turns you to stone for a free hit]], which activates in 2 frames (second fastest full screen LDM in KOF Series with activation time of 1/30 second). His stone throwing move literally plows through any other projectile except a sunglasses throw LDM of K`. His stone pillar moves break your guard if you block two of them, and he has a command grab that grabs you and [[TakenForGranite turns you to stone as well.]] To make it more frustrating, he has auto-guard in any normal move he uses with strong punch or strong kick. Fortunately, the AI never exploits his infinite that is ridiculously easy to do.

** Re Verse is a surprising subversion, being just as much of a pushover as its previous incarnation was back in ''XIV'' and lacking any overpowered special or super attacks.
** Otoma=Raga, on the other hand, brings back some of the old cheese via screen-filling crystal pillars that deal a huge amount of damage. She even lacks a crouch animation like most of the bosses from the past sagas did. She has such a blatantly overpowered defense that the best strategy to get damage in is to spam low jabs until her guard breaks, opening her up for a combo. And, if you happen to defeat her, she ''[[SequentialBoss revives herself]]'' with red crystals to 1/3rd of her health bar and DOUBLES her damage and defenses, to the point where a [[TheJuggernaut strong normal/command normal into Climax does less than 20% damage on her second form]] (when it usually does 55-60% of a regular character's health bar). The game also gives an emphasis on finishing the game with EVERY team, so, you know, [[ThisIsGonnaSuck have fun.]]

** Re Verse is a surprising subversion, being just as much of a pushover as its previous incarnation back in ''XIV'' and lacking any overpowered special or super attacks.

** Re Verse is a surprising subversion, being just as much of a pushover as it was back in ''XIV'' and lacking any overpowered special or super attacks.
** Otoma=Raga on the other hand brings back some of the old cheese via screen-filling crystal pillars that deal a huge amount of damage. She even lacks a crouch animation like most of the bosses from the past sagas did. She has such a blatantly overpowered defense that the best strategy to get damage in is to spam low jabs until her guard breaks, opening her up for a combo. And, if you happen to defeat her, she ''[[SequentialBoss revives herself]]'' with red crystals to 1/3rd of her health bar and DOUBLES her damage and defenses, to the point where a [[TheJuggernaut strong normal/command normal into Climax does less than 20% damage on her second form]] (when it usually does 55-60% of a regular character's health bar). The game also gives an emphasis on finishing the game with EVERY team, so, you know, [[ThisIsGonnaSuck have fun.]]

** It should be mentioned that for this series, it's a JustifiedTrope as you're usually facing them in a three-on-one fight and only need to defeat them once to win, so ''[[SarcasmMode of course]]'' they need to be overpowered in order to even the odds[[note]]And God help you if you decide to fight them in a one-on-one match...[[/note]].

** Otoma=Raga brings back some of the old cheese via screen-filling crystal pillars that deal a huge amount of damage. She even lacks a crouch animation like most of the bosses from the past sagas did. She has such a blatantly overpowered defense that the best strategy to get damage in is to spam low jabs until her guard breaks, opening her up for a combo. And, if you happen to defeat her, she ''[[SequentialBoss revives herself]]'' with red crystals to 1/3rd of her health bar and DOUBLES her damage and defenses, to the point where a [[TheJuggernaut strong normal/command normal into Climax does less than 20% damage on her second form]] (when it usually does 55-60% of a regular character's health bar). The game also gives an emphasis on finishing the game with EVERY team, so, you know, [[ThisIsGonnaSuck have fun.]]

* And then came ''XV'', SNK's way of apologizing the players... for the disappointment of the ''XIV'' bosses. While Antonov this time is just a regular selectable player and Verse is nowhere to be seen, the game gave us ''two'' in the forms of Isla's EnemyWithout Re Verse[[note]]who coincidentally happens to be the aforementioned Verse but in a different form[[/note]] and the TrueFinalBoss Otoma=Raga. The latter in particular brings back some of the old cheese via screen-filling crystal pillars that deal a huge amount of damage. She even lacks a crouch animation like most of the bosses from the past sagas did. She has such a blatantly overpowered defense that the best strategy to get damage in is to spam low jabs until her guard breaks, opening her up for a combo. And, if you happen to defeat her, she ''[[SequentialBoss revives herself]]'' with red crystals to 1/3rd of her heathbar and DOUBLES her damage and defenses, to the point where a [[TheJuggernaut strong normal/command normal into Climax does less than 20% damage on her second form]] (when it usually does 55-60% of a regular character's healthbar). The game also gives an emphasis on finishing the game with EVERY team, so, you know, [[ThisIsGonnaSuck have fun.]]

* And then came ''XV'', SNK's way of apologizing the players... for the disappointment of the ''XIV'' bosses. While Antonov this time is just a regular selectable player and Verse is nowhere to be seen, the game gave us ''two'' in the forms of Isla's EnemyWithout Re Verse[[note]]who so coincidentally happens to be the aforementioned Verse but in a different form[[/note]] and the TrueFinalBoss Otoma=Raga. The latter in particular brings back some of the old cheese via screen-filling crystal pillars that deal a huge amount of damage. She even lacks a crouch animation like most of the bosses from the past sagas did. She has such a blatantly overpowered defense that the best strategy to get damage in is to spam low jabs until her guard breaks, opening her up for a combo. And, if you happen to defeat her, she ''[[SequentialBoss revives herself]]'' with red crystals to 1/3rd of her heathbar and DOUBLES her damage and defenses, to the point where a [[TheJuggernaut strong normal/command normal into Climax does less than 20% damage on her second form]] (when it usually does 55-60% of a regular character's healthbar). The game also gives an emphasis on finishing the game with EVERY team, so, you know, [[ThisIsGonnaSuck have fun.]]

* And then came ''XV'', SNK's way of apologizing the players... for the disappointment of the ''XIV'' bosses. While Antonov this time is just a regular selectable player and Verse is nowhere to be seen, the game gave us ''two'' in the forms of Isla's EnemyWithout Re Verse and the TrueFinalBoss Otoma=Raga. The latter in particular brings back some of the old cheese via screen-filling crystal pillars that deal a huge amount of damage. She even lacks a crouch animation like most of the bosses from the past sagas did. She has such a blatantly overpowered defense that the best strategy to get damage in is to spam low jabs until her guard breaks, opening her up for a combo. And, if you happen to defeat her, she ''[[SequentialBoss revives herself]]'' with red crystals to 1/3rd of her heathbar and DOUBLES her damage and defenses, to the point where a [[TheJuggernaut strong normal/command normal into Climax does less than 20% damage on her second form]] (when it usually does 55-60% of a regular character's healthbar). The game also gives an emphasis on finishing the game with EVERY team, so, you know, [[ThisIsGonnaSuck have fun.]]

* ''Neowave'' was only released in Japan and Europe on [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 [=PS2=]]] and on UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} in the US, and is essentially a tech demo for the Atomiswave hardware. There are no post-match quotes or endings and everything is pretty much recycled from KOF ''2002''... except for the unique-to-this-game version of Young Geese: Priority over everything and with more tricks than a clown's pocket; he's capable of finishing you off even if you have 3/4 of your health. To make matters worse, the CPU version's Deadly Rave super is completely unblockable. Makes the ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting 2'' version look like Karnov.

** If you didn't finish MidBoss Kusanagi with at least a [[DesperationAttack DM]], you get the bad ending and fight Rugal's son Adel. Adel not only inherited his father's moves and essence of badass (Sans villainy, he's more of an honorable chap), but also his SNK Boss Syndrome. He lacks his father's Kaiser Wave until ''XI'', but his Reppukyaku comes out very fast, his God Press is unblockable (including the Gigantic Pressure) and hits even if only his back touches you, and the Genocide Cutter is now a super which does a ridiculous amount of damage.

** And then SNK went a step further by adding a Boss Challege Mode. Their first challenge to the playerbase? '''Omega Rugal'''. Yes, the bastard is back, and looks to be worse than ever. His AI is specifically described as "the CPU from Hell" and if his reveal trailer is anything to go by, it lives up to that description, potentially having specific buffs that the playable Omega Rugal does not have. For one, just like with Otoma=Raga you fight him 3-on-1, so he will naturally have health buffs. Secondly, when fought as a boss, his Genocide Cutter is ''completely invincible'' and will beat out every other attack in the game clean, and the CPU ''does'' exploit this with gusto. The AI is also programmed with extensive combo knowledge, meaning one punish from Rugal will equate to potentially half of your life gone in a flash.

** King Leo abuses Nightmare, a counter where he goes black and any move that hit is countered with a small combo, like a motherfuck. Additionally, his Dynamite Punch is also unblockable by normal means (Despite charging forward and then followed with a standing punch, it is actually a LOW attack and must be crouch-blocked. DamnYouMuscleMemory). As King Lion[[note]]a nerfed version of King Leo who's actually a different character[[/note]], he loses his flaming kick special and King Upper.

** Igniz is exactly the same as he was in ''2001''. Unfortunately, this means he still has his Sagittarius Blade (QCF+ HP) infinite. (While his A step C step infinite is removed.) His new [[DesperationAttack MAX2]] (Disintegrational Universe) is undoubtedly the most visually impressive - he traps you in a curse seal, which encases you inside a black orb that Igniz turns into a galaxy/nebula, and Igniz makes said galaxy/nebula explode. This particular move is no exception from the cheap rule. It WILL hit if your character is just touching the ground. And the move is unaffected by damage scaling, meaning it will ALWAYS take off around 40% of your lifebar.

* ''VideoGame/SNKHeroinesTagTeamFrenzy'' has its FinalBoss, Kukri, uphold the proud tradition of having a horribly unfair AI that can and will catch the player and pulverize their lifebar with long combos as well as having a special item unavailable to players that grants him SuperArmor and immunity to all status effects.

* And then came ''XV'', SNK's way of apologizing the players... for the disappointment of the ''XIV'' bosses. While Antonov this time is just a regular selectable player and Verse is nowhere to be seen, the game gave us ''two'' in the forms of Isla's EnemyWithout Re Verse and the TrueFinalBoss Otoma=Raga. The latter in particular brings back some of the old cheese via screen-filling crystal pillars that deal a huge amount of damage. She even lacks a crouch animation like most of the bosses from the past sagas did.

* Then came '''98'', which had Omega Rugal once again.
** This time, he has a whole slew of new moves, such as the fusion of Kaiser Wave and Reppuken called the Gravity Smash (with nasty priority, and covering his body when he charged it, making it hard to hit him out of it) a replacement for God Press called [[SpeedBlitz Vanishing Rush]] (which is what it sounds like, complete with being fast enough that you barely have a moment to react to it), his Destruction Omega super move (a grab that does ridiculous amounts of damage), a devastating super called the Rugal Execution (which drains your health at a very rapid rate) and an update of the Genocide Cutter, the Dark Genocide, which is a 3-hit version of the original.
** The UpdatedRerelease of '''98'', ''Ultimate Match'', has Orochi, Goenitz, AND Omega Rugal as bosses. Which one you encounter depends on how many super finishes you get on your opponents. ''All 3 of them'' have increased stamina and increased damage, with a simple combo easily doing over 60% of your health!
*** The boss who was changed the most was Goenitz, who is even CHEAPER than in ''[='96=]''. A majority of his normal moves have been updated, while also adding a new command attack, a new special move, and vastly upgraded super attacks. His Yonokaze has been updated to have shorter recovery times determined by how close it is to him, with the light punch version's recovery being almost nonexistent, making it even more spam happy than it was in '''96''. It can also hit you while you're knocked down, which the CPU usually does after landing any of his other specials. His nasty updated Arms: Ice Shelter Alms/Defacement move where he slices you with air can now trap you similar to Ryo's [[RapidFireFisticuffs Zanretsuken]], dealing a ridiculous amount of damage. His new special is an extremely fast but blockable command grab, which is difficult to react to when dealing with his other moves. Oh, and his updated SDM moves can easily do about 60% of your health in damage.
*** Orochi has been revamped from his original incarnation and now has a crouching animation, along with updated normals and several of his original moves switched around. He possesses some of the fastest and longest normals in the game such as his sweep, and his former Genocide Cutter-esque normal is now a special move, which shares a ridiculous amount of startup invincibility with the hard kick version. His light pillar move has similar properties to Goenitz's Yonokaze, such as the ability to hit you on the ground. Due to the buff in damage for all bosses, his projectile can easily do damage equivalent to a super and can be followed by another projectile, making only rolls the only viable way to get through. And even that's not reliable, because he follows up with his Marukare screen filler super right after your roll ends which still does ridiculous damage. Oh, and if you're positioned ''exactly'' in the middle of the screen and don't block when he uses it, it does double the amount of hits and damage. 50% plus 50% equals 100%. Yes, it instantly kills you if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time.
*** Omega Rugal is roughly the same as before, except slightly faster. Oh, but his hard punch version of his [[SpeedBlitz Vanishing Rush]] got a nasty upgrade: it can now set up the opponent in a juggle state, which can be followed up with any of his specials or one of his hard-hitting supers.

** The [[UpdatedRerelease remake]] of ''2002'', ''Unlimited Match'', has ''all of the NESTS Saga bosses'': Krizalid, Clone Zero, Original Zero, Igniz, AND Rugal! As per usual, [[ClippedWingAngel all the bosses do decreased damage when playing as them]].
*** Krizalid is, surprisingly, the most broken out of them all: he builds his super meter extremely fast, has horrid infinites, insane juggles and his [[DesperationAttack MAX2]] (Lightning Disaster, a full-screen attack that sends a bunch of lasers into the air) can hit you while you're on the ground and he can even juggle into it.
*** Clone Zero, despite having no 0-stock infinites outside of Max Mode unlike the other NESTS bosses, is still very much broken. His cape slashing attacks have insane meter gain even on block, his infamous "farting" attack has ridiculous invincibility frames, and his shadow attack also has ridiculous invincibility frames and is ''super-cancelable'', resulting in absolutely ridiculous damage. His new [[DesperationAttack MAX2]] (Anryuuten Hazaki, a Shun Goku Satsu-esque attack) does decent damage as do all his other moves.
*** Original Zero is decently balanced, but can be considered cheap because he's much faster than in ''2001'', and with some effort he can spam his Krizalid striker to juggle you forever. His [[DesperationAttack MAX2]], Kyou Hoshi Mikaijin, is essentially Clone Zero's, but with the addition of assistance from his Strikers, starting with Ron whacking your soul from your body and culminating with all three strikers ganging up to beat the tar out of said soul.
*** Igniz is exactly the same as he was in ''2001''. Unfortunately, this means he still has his Sagittarius Blade (QCF+ HP) infinite. (While his A step C step infinite is removed.) His new [[DesperationAttack MAX2]] (Disintegrational Universe) is undoubtedly the most visually impressive - he traps you in a curse seal, which encases you inside a black orb that Igniz turns into a galaxy/nebula, and Igniz makes said galaxy/nebula explode. This particular move is no exception from the cheap rule. It WILL hit if your character is just touching the ground. And the move is unaffected by damage scaling, meaning it will ALWAYS take off around 40% of your lifebar.
*** And if you did not lose more than 2 teammates after beating the final stage (which consists of one of the first 4 aforementioned bosses), [[TrueFinalBoss you enter a special battle against Rugal]]. He's roughly the same as ''2002'', and that means he has increased stamina for his boss version. But his Beads Destructor now bounces you off the wall, his Kaiser Phoenix is more accurate and hits you while you're on the ground, (though as a trade off, its damage output is pathetic) and his AI is also much smarter: it doesn't spam Kaiser Wave as much, but remember that one glitch from the video above this entry? Yeah, it's still there. Oh, and if you lose the match it's GameOver.
*** ''[[UpdatedRerelease Unlimited Match]]'' also brought back [[VideoGame/FatalFury Nightmare Geese]], and gave him all sorts of enhancements to his moveset that made him the pinnacle of overpowered: Lightning fast Reppukens, Shippukens that had no recovery time and could be fired '''TWICE IN A ROW''', a Double Shippuken which much like its ''VideoGame/FatalFury: Real Bout Special'' version can be used twice, thus FOUR SHIPPUKENS, worse still considering it lacks the slight delay the RBS version had meaning a bombardment of them from a {{Griefer}} is likely, a Jaeiken that led into a juggle, the "Claw" Raging Storm that can now OTG, and many other edits that make this version of Geese one of the cheapest SNK bosses out there. He also has a new [[FinishingMove MAX2]] where he takes off his shirt and starts building a huge Reppuken, which he promptly blasts you with after it's reached roughly quadruple size (The activation's reminiscent of his lesser known Raising Dead End super from ''Fatal Fury Wild Ambition''). Couple all of that with the literally psychic AI that predicts every input you do and naturally responds with the correct counter for your offense and you have one of the most unbeatable bosses in SNK's history. Not only that, but you have to BEAT HIM in the last [[BonusLevelOfHell Expert Challenge in Challenge Mode]] to unlock everything. Good luck. Oh, and to even unlock the challenge to fight Nightmare Geese? You have to pass a challenge that puts you up against ALL the NESTS bosses AND Omega Rugal, all in a row, survival-style. And Nightmare Geese is STILL harder. Thankfully, SNK decided to have at least a small amount of mercy for people who want to unlock everything but don't have super powers at fighting games: If you fail enough challenges, the game will still gradually unlock things for you.
** ''Neowave'' was only released in Japan and Europe on [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 [=PS2=]]] and on UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} in the US, and is essentially a tech demo for the Atomiswave hardware. There are no post-match quotes or endings and everything is pretty much recycled from KOF ''2002''... except for the unique-to-this-game version of Young Geese: Priority over everything and with more tricks than a clown's pocket; he's capable of finishing you off even if you have 3/4 of your health. To make matters worse, the CPU version's Deadly Rave super is completely unblockable. Makes the ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting 2'' version look like Karnov.
* ''2003'' brings not one, not two, but three of them.
** The "bad" ending (read:if you didn't finish MidBoss Kusanagi with at least a [[DesperationAttack DM]]), leads you straight to Rugal's son Adel. Adel not only inherited his father's moves and essence of badass (Sans villainy, he's more of an honorable chap), but also his SNK Boss Syndrome. He lacks his father's Kaiser Wave until ''XI'', but his Reppukyaku comes out very fast, his God Press is unblockable (including the Gigantic Pressure) and hits even if only his back touches you, and the Genocide Cutter is now a super which does a ridiculous amount of damage.

* Geese's half-brother, Wolfgang Krauser, shares some SNK Boss Syndrome, but only in his debut game: ''Fatal Fury 2''. His AI is infuriating as all hell, and his moves hit incredibly hard. Oh, and the restriction about being at low health to use your super doesn't apply to him, meaning that he can Kaiser Wave you at any time. Thankfully, he was significantly nerved in ''Fatal Fury Special'', the update to ''Fatal Fury 2''.

** And then there's Orochi. He has the best projectile in the series by far. He also has an attack similar in function to Goenitz's Yonokaze, though he does not use it as extensively. Finally he has a super called ''Marukare'' (Rounding Reaper), a screen-filler attack: it basically turns him into an open [[Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk Ark of the Covenant]]. Block it, and you will take unusually high damage for a blocked attack. Don't block it, and you're gone. However, unlike the other bosses on the list, Orochi's AI was poor; had it been at the level of the previous bosses, combined with vicious priority attacks, Orochi would have been near unbeatable. [[JustifiedTrope Then again]], by the time the player reached for Orochi, s/he had faced ''several'' SNK minibosses already; so it'd be just '''cruel''' to have {{Orochi}} as one too.