History SNKBoss / SNKPlaymore

** And then SNK went a step further by adding a Boss Challenge 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 (except for Ralf, K', Krohnen and Jenet's Climaxes) 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 CPU-exclusive 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 (though it will only work on the ground), 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!''' Super projectiles will also [[NoSell harmlessly fizzle out on him in this state]] so no luck there. His AI also is programmed with extensive combo knowledge, meaning one punish from Rugal will equate to potentially half of your life gone in a flash. Finally, you can't even cheese him out with a Time Over win. Even if your current fighter has more health than him and you have all three fighters alive when time runs out, [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard the game will give him the win anyway]], so you have to beat him full on. That said, you do get some concessions against him to make the fight more bearable (namely, he doesn't regain any lost health in between rounds and many of his moves have craptons of recovery frames on them such as his Dark Barrier and his Genocide Cutter, despite being so fearsome, is still a Shoryuken move with all the drawbacks it has, making rolling right behind him while he's doing them a valid strategy). There's also some AI quirks that can be exploited against him too (he tends to always jump if possible when a command grab is used, which lets characters like Maxima bait him into hits since he tends to do multiple jumps for longer command grabs, and his tendency to use projectiles at a distance can open him up for projectile supers like Krohnen's). In addition, his counter super, while admittedly still fearsome, can be interrupted by at least three characters' supers (namely Heidern's Gae Bolg, which has him jump up at his head; a second Rugal's Dread Fatal Wave, which creates a vortex that sucks the boss version out of the attack; and Orochi Yashiro's Araburu Daichi, which also has him leap at the opponent's head).[[note]]Re Verse can also interrupt the attack via its desperation grab, but since it isn't playable outside of hacks, it's unlikely that such a scenario would ever occur in an actual match.[[/note]]

** And then SNK went a step further by adding a Boss Challenge 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 (except for Ralf, K', Krohnen and Jenet's Climaxes) 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 CPU-exclusive 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 (though it will only work on the ground), 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!''' Super projectiles will also [[NoSell harmlessly fizzle out on him in this state]] so no luck there. His AI also is programmed with extensive combo knowledge, meaning one punish from Rugal will equate to potentially half of your life gone in a flash. Finally, you can't even cheese him out with a Time Over win. Even if your current fighter has more health than him and you have all three fighters alive when time runs out, [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard the game will give him the win anyway]], so you have to beat him full on. That said, you do get some concessions against him to make the fight more bearable (namely, he doesn't regain any lost health in between rounds and many of his moves have craptons of recovery frames on them such as his Dark Barrier and his Genocide Cutter, despite being so fearsome, is still a Shoryuken move with all the drawbacks it has, making rolling right behind him while he's doing them a valid strategy). There's also some AI quirks that can be exploited against him too (he tends to always jump if possible when a command grab is used, which lets characters like Maxima bait him into hits since he tends to do multiple jumps for longer command grabs, and his tendency to use projectiles at a distance can open him up for projectile supers like Krohnen's). In addition, his counter super, while admittedly still fearsome, can be interrupted by at least three characters' supers (namely Heidern's Gae Bolg, which has him jump up at his head, a second Rugal's Dread Fatal Wave, which creates a vortex that sucks the boss version out of the attack and Orochi Yashiro's Araburu Daichi, which also has him leap at the opponent's head).[[note]]Re Verse can also interrupt the attack via its desperation grab, but since it isn't playable outside of hacks, it's unlikely that such a scenario would ever occur in an actual match.[[/note]]

* 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]].
** It should also be noted that for several ''KOF'' games, if the player opts to use a continue, the player can choose from several power boosts, including reducing your enemy to 1/3 of his health. The maddening side effect of choosing this option is that your enemy recovers a little bit of health after every win. Combine this with the chance you may not be able to inflict more than a few pixels of damage on these bosses, and voila: ''Your enemy starts each round with more health than the previous round.'' Also, bear in mind that most SNK bosses (Starting from Geese Howard in Fatal Fury) are, in some degree, susceptible to trips, throws or certain fancy attacks. (Leona and Goenitz, Lucky Glauber and Rugal, to name a few).

** And then SNK went a step further by adding a Boss Challenge 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 (except for Ralf, K', Krohnen and Jenet's Climaxes) 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 CPU-exclusive 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 (though it will only work on the ground), 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!''' Super projectiles will also [[NoSell harmlessly fizzle out on him in this state]] so no luck there. His AI also is programmed with extensive combo knowledge, meaning one punish from Rugal will equate to potentially half of your life gone in a flash. Finally, you can't even cheese him out with a Time Over win. Even if your current fighter has more health than him and you have all three fighters alive when time runs out, [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard the game will give him the win anyway]], so you have to beat him full on. That said, you do get some concessions against him to make the fight more bearable (namely, he doesn't regain any lost health in between rounds and many of his moves have craptons of recovery frames on them such as his Dark Barrier and his Genocide Cutter, despite being so fearsome, is still a Shoryuken move with all the drawbacks it has, making rolling right behind him while he's doing them a valid strategy). There's also some AI quirks that can be exploited against him too (he tends to always jump if possible when a command grab is used, which lets characters like Maxima bait him into hits since he tends to do multiple jumps for longer command grabs, and his tendency to use projectiles at a distance can open him up for projectile supers like Krohnen's). In addition, his counter super, while admittedly still fearsome, can be interrupted by at least two characters' Climax supers (namely Heidern's Gae Bolg, which has him jump up at his head, and a second Rugal's Dread Fatal Wave, which creates a vortex that sucks the boss version out of the attack).[[note]]Re Verse can also interrupt the attack via its desperation grab, but since it isn't playable outside of hacks, it's unlikely that such a scenario would ever occur in an actual match.[[/note]]

* Then came Mizuki Rashoujin in ''Samurai Shodown II'', who had several moves that caused InterfaceScrew, or [[BalefulPolymorph transformed you into a vulnerable PIG,]] in addition to using several of Amakusa's previous tactics.

* Then came Mizuki Rashoujin in ''Samurai Shodown II'', who had several moves that caused InterfaceScrew, or [[ForcefulTransformation transformed you into a vulnerable PIG,]] in addition to using several of Amakusa's previous tactics.

* Magaki from ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXI 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 ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' 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.

* Then came Mizuki Rashoujin in ''Samurai Shodown II'', who had several moves that caused InterfaceScrew, or [[BalefulPolymorph transformed you into a vulnerable PIG,]] in addition to using several of Amakusa's previous tactics.

Ever since they delved into {{fighting game}}s, Creator/{{SNK}} has been proving time and time again why the full name of the trope is "SNK boss syndrome". Behold!

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cpufromhell.png]]

** And then, rounding out the previous two examples is Yumeji Kurokochi, Gaoh's [[TheDragon Dragon]]. [[AmbiguousGender They]] are essentially Bust Mode Ukyo on steroids. They have a [[{{BFS}} nodachi]] that can take off 3/4ths of his/her opponent's health bar in a single strike and an inescapable multi-hitting trap move that is almost as damaging, but much harder to avoid. And if that's not enough... they have the ability to [[DittoFighter transform into the other fighters]] and [[MegaManning use their signature moves]].

* Then came Mizuki in ''Samurai Shodown II'', who had several moves that caused InterfaceScrew, or [[BalefulPolymorph transformed you into a vulnerable PIG,]] in addition to using several of Amakusa's previous tactics.

* Zankuro in ''Samurai Shodown III'' could literally kill you in 3 hits. And you need to win 3 rounds to defeat him while he only needs to ''win 2 to defeat you''. Oh, and his Bust mode super move unleashes a screen-height wave that WILL KILL YOU IF IT HITS YOU WHILE YOU ARE IN THE AIR. Have fun with ''that''...

* ''Samurai Shodown V'' and its mid boss Sankuro carry on the proud tradition of SNK Boss cheapness: First off his takes way less damage from attacks, plus his special attacks involve calling in annoying helpers (the sliding girl isn't so bad, but the guy coming down from the sky does a sick amount of damage, and the grabbing guy from behind is usually coupled with a healing move that restores almost a quarter of Sankuro's life bar). Add to it that his super is apparently an instant kill. Add to it the fact that Sankuro is only the MID-BOSS... yeah, ''Samurai Shodown V'' has a bunch of SNK bosses.
** Once you damage the FinalBoss, Gaoh enough to a certain point, he goes into an invincible demon armor mode and will charge at you constantly like a rhino, and you have to wait until the mode ends.
** And then, rounding out the previous two examples is Yumeji, Gaoh's [[TheDragon Dragon]]. [[AmbiguousGender They]] are essentially Bust Mode Ukyo on steroids. They have a [[{{BFS}} nodachi]] that can take off 3/4ths of his/her opponent's health bar in a single strike and an inescapable multi-hitting trap move that is almost as damaging, but much harder to avoid. And if that's not enough... they have the ability to [[DittoFighter transform into the other fighters]] and [[MegaManning use their signature moves]].

* Amakusa in ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' likes to bitchslap you into a corner and keep you there for an easy infinite. He also has 2 fireballs (one being unblockable), and he teleports like crazy and throws you as soon as he gets out of it. He also has a wall jump move where he flies off-screen, surrounds himself in energy, and crashes down on top of you like a meteor. If you beat him in Round 1, a cutscene occurs where he powers up and unleashes the powers of his dark god to make him stronger and also harder.

%% Image removed per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1554327098084678400

** And then SNK went a step further by adding a Boss Challenge 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 (except for at least four characters' Climaxes: Ralf's and Krohnen's overpower it, K's avoids it, and Jenet's is a counter) 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 CPU-exclusive 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 (though it will only work on the ground), 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!''' Super projectiles will also [[NoSell harmlessly fizzle out on him in this state]] so no luck there. His AI also is programmed with extensive combo knowledge, meaning one punish from Rugal will equate to potentially half of your life gone in a flash. Finally, you can't even cheese him out with a Time Over win. Even if your current fighter has more health than him and you have all three fighters alive when time runs out, [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard the game will give him the win anyway]], so you have to beat him full on. That said, you do get some concessions against him to make the fight more bearable (namely, he doesn't regain any lost health in between rounds and many of his moves have craptons of recovery frames on them such as his Dark Barrier and his Genocide Cutter, despite being so fearsome, is still a Shoryuken move with all the drawbacks it has, making rolling right behind him while he's doing them a valid strategy). There's also some AI quirks that can be exploited against him too (he tends to always jump if possible when a command grab is used, which lets characters like Maxima bait him into hits since he tends to do multiple jumps for longer command grabs, and his tendency to use projectiles at a distance can open him up for projectile supers like Krohnen's). In addition, his counter super, while admittedly still fearsome, can be interrupted by at least two characters' Climax supers (namely Heidern's Gae Bolg, which has him jump up at his head, and a second Rugal's Dread Fatal Wave, which creates a vortex that sucks the boss version out of the attack).[[note]]Re Verse can also interrupt the attack via its desperation grab, but since it isn't playable outside of hacks, it's unlikely that such a scenario would ever occur in an actual match.[[/note]]

** 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 CPU-exclusive 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 (though it will only work on the ground), 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!''' Super projectiles will also [[NoSell harmlessly fizzle out on him in this state]] so no luck there. His AI also is programmed with extensive combo knowledge, meaning one punish from Rugal will equate to potentially half of your life gone in a flash. Finally, you can't even cheese him out with a Time Over win. Even if your current fighter has more health than him and you have all three fighters alive when time runs out, [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard the game will give him the win anyway]], so you have to beat him full on. That said, you do get some concessions against him to make the fight more bearable (namely, he doesn't regain any lost health in between rounds and many of his moves have craptons of recovery frames on them such as his Dark Barrier and his Genocide Cutter, despite being so fearsome, is still a Shoryuken move with all the drawbacks it has, making rolling right behind him while he's doing them a valid strategy). There's also some AI quirks that can be exploited against him too (he tends to always jump if possible when a command grab is used, which lets characters like Maxima bait him into hits since he tends to do multiple jumps for longer command grabs, and his tendency to use projectiles at a distance can open him up for projectile supers like Krohnen's). In addition, his counter super, while admittedly still fearsome, can be interrupted by at least two characters' Climax supers (namely Heidern's Gae Bolg, which has him jump up at his head, and a second Rugal's Dread Fatal Wave, which creates a vortex that sucks the boss version out of the attack).[[note]]Re Verse can also interrupt the attack via its desperation grab, but since it isn't playable outside of hacks, it's unlikely that such a scenario would ever occur in an actual match.[[/note]]

** 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 CPU-exclusive 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 (though it will only work on the ground), 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!''' Super projectiles will also [[NoSell harmlessly fizzle out on him in this state]] so no luck there. His AI also is programmed with extensive combo knowledge, meaning one punish from Rugal will equate to potentially half of your life gone in a flash. Finally, you can't even cheese him out with a Time Over win. Even if your current fighter has more health than him and you have all three fighters alive when time runs out, [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard the game will give him the win anyway]], so you have to beat him full on. That said, you do get some concessions against him to make the fight more bearable (namely, he doesn't regain any lost health in between rounds and many of his moves have craptons of recovery frames on them such as his Dark Barrier and his Genocide Cutter, despite being so fearsome, is still a Shoryuken move with all the drawbacks it has, making rolling right behind him while he's doing them a valid strategy). There's also some AI quirks that can be exploited against him too (he tends to always jump if possible when a command grab is used, which lets characters like Maxima bait him into hits since he tends to do multiple jumps for longer command grabs, and his tendency to use projectiles at a distance can open him up for projectile supers like Krohnen's). In addition, his counter super, while admittedly still fearsome, can be interrupted by at least two characters' Climax supers (namely Heidern's Gae Bolg, which has him jump up at his head, and a second Rugal's Dread Fatal Wave, which creates a vortex that sucks the boss version out of the attack)[[note]]Re Verse can also interrupt the attack via its desperation grab, but since it isn't playable outside of hacks, it's unlikely that such a scenario would ever occur in an actual match[[/note]].

** Omega Rugal is... the same Rugal from '''94'', but with white hair, no shirt, dark skin (or pale and zombie-like in ''2002''), a large Omega symbol branded into his back, hence the name, and [[RecycledINSPACE A SUPER MOVE]] called Gigantic Pressure, which is like his God Press with a PillarOfLight with a skull inside, for more damage. To make matters worse, he isn't fought separately from Saisyu and is instead considered round 2 of the same fight, meaning that all the damage and lost team members you sustained against Saisyu will carry over into your fight with Rugal.

* Magaki from ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXI 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.

* The final boss of ''Videogame/NAM1975'' is not only what you'd expect of a typical SNKBoss (and he predates Geese Howard ''by a year!''), but both continues and the ability for the second player to join in are disabled at the time they're ready to fight.

** 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 CPU-exclusive 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 (though it will only work on the ground), 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!''' Super projectiles will also [[NoSell harmlessly fizzle out on him in this state]] so no luck there. His AI also is programmed with extensive combo knowledge, meaning one punish from Rugal will equate to potentially half of your life gone in a flash. Finally, you can't even cheese him out with a Time Over win. Even if your current fighter has more health than him and you have all three fighters alive when time runs out, [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard the game will give him the win anyway]], so you have to beat him full on. That said, you do get some concessions against him to make the fight more bearable (namely, he doesn't regain any lost health in between rounds and many of his moves have craptons of recovery frames on them such as his Dark Barrier and his Genocide Cutter, despite being so fearsome, is still a Shoryuken move with all the drawbacks it has, making rolling right behind him while he's doing them a valid strategy). There's also some AI quirks that can be exploited against him too (he tends to always jump if possible when a command grab is used, which lets characters like Maxima bait him into hits since he tends to do multiple jumps for longer command grabs, and his tendency to use projectiles at a distance can open him up for projectile supers like Krohnen's). In addition, his counter super, while admittedly still fearsome, can be interrupted by at least two characters' Climax supers (namely Heidern's Gae Bolg, which has him jump up at his head, and a second Rugal's Dread Fatal Wave, which creates a vortex that sucks the boss version out of the attack)[[note]]Re Verse can also interrupt the attack via its desperation grab, but since it isn't playable outside of hacks, it's unlikely that such a scenario can occur in an actual match[[/note]].

** 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 CPU-exclusive 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 (though it will only work on the ground), 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!''' Super projectiles will also [[NoSell harmlessly fizzle out on him in this state]] so no luck there. His AI also is programmed with extensive combo knowledge, meaning one punish from Rugal will equate to potentially half of your life gone in a flash. Finally, you can't even cheese him out with a Time Over win. Even if your current fighter has more health than him and you have all three fighters alive when time runs out, [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard the game will give him the win anyway]], so you have to beat him full on. That said, you do get some concessions against him to make the fight more bearable (namely, he doesn't regain any lost health in between rounds and many of his moves have craptons of recovery frames on them such as his Dark Barrier and his Genocide Cutter, despite being so fearsome, is still a Shoryuken move with all the drawbacks it has, making rolling right behind him while he's doing them a valid strategy). There's also some AI quirks that can be exploited against him too (he tends to always jump if possible when a command grab is used, which lets characters like Maxima bait him into hits since he tends to do multiple jumps for longer command grabs, and his tendency to use projectiles at a distance can open him up for projectile supers like Krohnen's). In addition, his counter super, while admittedly still fearsome, can be interrupted by at least two characters' Climax supers (namely Heidern's Gae Bolg, which has him jump up at his head, and a second Rugal's Dread Fatal Wave, which creates a vortex that sucks the boss version out of the attack)[[note]]Re Verse can also interrupt the attack via its desperation grab, but since it isn't playable outside of cheats, it's unlikely that such a scenario can occur in an actual match[[/note]].

** 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 CPU-exclusive 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 (though it will only work on the ground), 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!''' Super projectiles will also [[NoSell harmlessly fizzle out on him in this state]] so no luck there. His AI also is programmed with extensive combo knowledge, meaning one punish from Rugal will equate to potentially half of your life gone in a flash. Finally, you can't even cheese him out with a Time Over win. Even if your current fighter has more health than him and you have all three fighters alive when time runs out, [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard the game will give him the win anyway]], so you have to beat him full on. That said, you do get some concessions against him to make the fight more bearable (namely, he doesn't regain any lost health in between rounds and many of his moves have craptons of recovery frames on them such as his Dark Barrier and his Genocide Cutter, despite being so fearsome, is still a Shoryuken move with all the drawbacks it has, making rolling right behind him while he's doing them a valid strategy). There's also some AI quirks that can be exploited against him too (he tends to always jump if possible when a command grab is used, which lets characters like Maxima bait him into hits since he tends to do multiple jumps for longer command grabs, and his tendency to use projectiles at a distance can open him up for projectile supers like Krohnen's). In addition, his counter super, while admittedly still fearsome, can be interrupted by at least two characters' Climax supers (namely Heidern's Gae Bolg, which has him jump up at his head, and a second Rugal's Dread Fatal Wave, which creates a vortex that sucks the boss version in).

* Subverted to an extent in ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXIV XIV]]'' as both [[HuskyRusskie Antonov]] and [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere 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 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 CPU-exclusive 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 (though it will only work on the ground), 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!''' Super projectiles will also [[NoSell harmlessly fizzle out on him in this state]] so no luck there. His AI also is programmed with extensive combo knowledge, meaning one punish from Rugal will equate to potentially half of your life gone in a flash. Finally, you can't even cheese him out with a Time Over win. Even if your current fighter has more health than him and you have all three fighters alive when time runs out, [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard the game will give him the win anyway]], so you have to beat him full on. That said, you do get some concessions against him to make the fight more bearable (namely, he doesn't regain any lost health in between rounds and many of his moves have craptons of recovery frames on them such as his Dark Barrier and his Genocide Cutter, despite being so fearsome, is still a Shoryuken move with all the drawbacks it has, making rolling right behind him while he's doing them a valid strategy). There's also some AI quirks that can be exploited against him too (he tends to always jump if possible when a command grab is used, which lets characters like Maxima bait him into hits since he tends to do multiple jumps for longer command grabs, and his tendency to use projectiles at a distance can open him up for projectile supers like Krohnen's).

** 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 (though it will only work on the ground), 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. That said, you do get some concessions against him to make the fight more bearable (namely, he doesn't regain any lost health in between rounds and many of his moves have craptons of recovery frames on them such as his Dark Barrier and his Genocide Cutter, despite being so fearsome, is still a Shoryuken move with all the drawbacks it has, making rolling right behind him while he's doing them a valid strategy). There's also some AI quirks that can be exploited against him too (he tends to always jump if possible when a command grab is used, which lets characters like Maxima bait him into hits since he tends to do multiple jumps for longer command grabs, and his tendency to use projectiles at a distance can open him up for projectile supers like Krohnen's).

** 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 (though it will only work on the ground), 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. That said, you do get some concessions against him to make the fight more bearable (namely, he doesn't regain any lost health in between rounds and many of his moves have craptons of recovery frames on them such as his Dark Barrier and his Genocide Cutter, despite being so fearsome, is still a Shoryuken move with all the drawbacks it has, making rolling right behind him while he's doing them a valid strategy). There's also some AI quirks that can be exploited against him too (he tends to always jump if possible when a command grab is used, which lets characters like Maxima bait him into hits since he tends to do multiple jumps for longer command grabs, and his tendency to use projectiles at at a distance can open him up for projectile supers like Krohnen's).

** 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 (though it will only work on the ground), 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. That said, you do get some concessions against him to make the fight more bearable (namely, he doesn't regain any lost health in between rounds and many of his moves have craptons of recovery frames on them such as his Dark Barrier and his Genocide Cutter, despite being so fearsome, is still a Shoryuken move with all the drawbacks it has, making rolling behind him while he's doing them a valid strategy). There's also some AI quirks that can be exploited against him too (He tends to always jump if possible when a command grab is used, which lets characters like Maxima bait him into hits since he tends to do multiple jumps for longer command grabs, and his tendency to use projectiles at at a distance can open him up for projectile supers like Krohnen's.)

** 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. That said, you do get some concessions against him to make the fight more bearable (namely, he doesn't regain any lost health in between rounds and many of his moves have craptons of recovery frames on them such as his Dark Barrier and his Genocide Cutter, despite being so fearsome, is still a Shoryuken move with all the drawbacks it has, making rolling behind him while he's doing them a valid strategy).

** 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. That said, you do get some concessions against him (namely, he doesn't regain any lost health in between rounds and many of his moves have craptons of recovery frames on them such as his Dark Barrier and Genocide Cutter, making rolling behind him while he's doing them a valid strategy) to make the fight somewhat more bearable.

** 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. That said, you do get some concessions against him (namely, he doesn't regain any lost health in between rounds and many of his moves have craptons of recovery frames on them such as his Dark Barrier and Genocide Cutter, making rolling behind him a valid strategy) to make the fight somewhat more bearable.