The King of Fighters 2000 / Characters

Characters in The King of Fighters debuting in The King of Fighters 2000.

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

Returning Characters

For tropes on Athena
For tropes on Kensou
For tropes on Terry, Andy, and Joe
For tropes on Mai and Kim
For tropes on Blue Mary
For tropes on Ryo, Robert, Takuma, King, Yuri and Kasumi
For tropes on Kyo
For tropes on Iori
For tropes on Benimaru, Ralf, Clark, Chang, and Choi
For tropes on Leona
For tropes on Shingo
For tropes on K', Maxima, Whip, Bao, and Jhun Hoon

Hero Team

Ramón

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

Strongest Human

"Your expression was classic! Lots better than my Lucha!"

Origin: Mexico

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mexico_3939.png

Fighting style: Lucha Libre

Voiced by: ^note

Playable in: ^note

A famous Luchador in Mexico, Ramón was born as one of the less fortunate children in the country, extremely poor and carrying the hardships that come with it, however, the guy never took upon himself to become a sour guy whose life has been most unkind, Ramón was always upbeat and hoped for a better future.

Ramón grew up to become a luchador, a quite beloved one and strong at that, so good that he was scouted to become an Agent and participate in the 2000 edition of the King of Fighters tournament; Ramón was scouted by Vanessa to become part of the Hero Team for that year, to investigate and trace NESTS actions around that tournament.

He became a Freelance Agent after that, continuing his career as a luchador but always being in waiting whenever his services are to be requested; while Ramón has a strong sense of justice, his willingness to remain as an agent may have to do with Vanessa, he became quite smitten by her, falling in Love at First Sight, the two trade flirts and teasing however Vanessa keeps a certain distance, while Ramón may be in love with her, Vanessa might not feel the same, sometimes not feeling like playing the flirt game with him, refusing his advances, as she is a married woman.

After skipping XII and XIII, Ramón returns in XIV, as the founder and leader of Team Mexico, accompanied by King of Dinosaurs and Ángel. His goal is to represent Mexico and doesn't mind that Ángel was a NESTS member.

In KOF XV Ramón alongside Dinosaur is hired by Antonov to be part of his Wrestling Federation, Galaxy Anton Wrestling, and be his teammates for the tournament. However, he still seems to be on friendly terms with Ángel.

All Love Is Unrequited:
- Towards Vanessa, he tries to woo her, but Ramón doesn't seem to have any luck, along with the fact that she's married. Gets Lampshaded in XI, where he's a part of the Unrequited Love Edit Team along with Sie Kensou and Robert Garcia.
- In XIV, without Vanessa in the base roster, he's far more focused on having a good time in the tournament. In XV however, his special intro with Vanessa almost immediately starts with him hitting on her when he realizes that she is his opponent, and trying to coax out a dinner date if he wins.
Amazon Chaser:
- Undoubtedly smitten with the quite talented (and ever-lovely) boxer known as Vanessa.
- In KOF XIV he flirts with any female fighter older than him, possibly to soften the implications of his interest in the again-married Vanessa.
Animal Motifs: The Tiger, his Luchador Name, his attacks, and as of XIV it extended to Ramón's clothing.
Badass Normal: One of the few fighters in this series with no supernatural abilities. He's just a highly athletic luchador. Maxima even bestowed him with the title of The Strongest Human
Battle Intro: In XV:
"His lucha libre leaves no survivors. He's the strongest man in the world! Ramón"
Ramón: "Let's go absolutely freakin' wild!"
Contagious Heroism: Has this effect on Ángel during XIV, which makes him one of the few people who get to see her softer side.
Dogged Nice Guy: To Vanessa.
Eyepatch of Power: Played with in KOF XIV, where Shun'ei thinks the eyepatch is a Power Limiter for Ramón. In KOF XV, both K' and Ángel come to a similar conclusion.
Flanderization: In 2000, his relationship with Vanessa was little more than playful flirting, fitting his personality. Fast-forward to XI; his sole purpose in any scene is to loudly and comically swoon over Vanessa, including during fights. He gets better from 'KOF XIV'' onwards, where he's more interested in having a good time at the tournament. He's still flirty, but it's not an overwhelming aspect of his character in the game.
Friend to All Children: Playing with children is listed as his hobby, having a soft spot for them being likely due to his rough past. His clear Tiger Mask inspiration Ramón plays a role here.
Fun Personified: One of the most energetic, playful characters on the roster.
Gratuitous Spanish: He was designed to appeal to much of SNK's Latin American audience, so of course, some smatterings of Spanish were going to come up.
"VIVA MEXICO!"
Handsome Lech: He falls somewhere in between this and Chivalrous Pervert. During XIV Ramón can't help to flirt with many of his female opponents. Between the targets of his attention you can find: Luong, Zarina, Mai, his own teammate Ángel, and of course Vanessa. Interestingly, despite finding Mature attractive, he's not interested in her.
Hot-Blooded: Even when he's running away (doing his Tiger Road Wall Jump), his yelling is ferocious.
I Shall Taunt You: Is fond of this. In XI his taunt is the same provocation Tiger Mask did in some of his fights against Dynamite Kid.
Likes Older Women:
- He's 25, and Vanessa's five years his senior. The best he gets in return is teasing.
- During XIV story mode, he flirts with Luong before a fight.
Masked Luchador: In the backstory, anyway.
- XIV reveals him to be quite a fan of masks. He compliments Mian for her mastery in the art of Bian Lian and is interested in challenging his buddy King of Dinosaurs for his T. Rex's mask.
Nice Guy: Very funny, friendly and his only two noted likes are Vanessa and Children.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: Ramón's design seems to reference Mexican Luchadores Shocker and Pirata Morgan.
Red Baron: "The Mightiest Tiger", The Strongest Human and "El Diablo Amarillo" (that's "The Yellow Devil" for those of you not fluent in Spanish) are his ring names.
Scars Are Forever: A huge scar covering his right eye socket can be seen under his eyepatch.
Spell My Name With An S: In XV, his name was finally spelt exactly like it would have been in Mexico, Ramón is the grammatically correct spelling for his Mexican name.
The Slacker: Ramón can vent off if someone isn’t keeping track of him. In XIII's Story Mode, when Seth is asking for updates from the other agents scattered around the vicinity of the tournament, Ramón is seen drinking and having a good time at the Pao Pao Cafe (with Chang and Choi behind him), reporting to Seth as if he was conducting some proper and serious investigation.
Spirited Competitor: Ramón’s basic reasons for being in the 14th tournament are simply wanting to represent Mexico and help his buddy King of Dinosaur to find Nelson so Dinosaur can have a grudge match against the boxer.
Theme Naming: Quite a few of his moves have the word "Tiger" in them. Due to his Tiger Mask inspired moveset.
Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: The tiny guy to Vanessa.
Token Good Teammate: Sort of, in XIV. He's the only overtly "good" member of Team Mexico, though none are truly evil. Ángel is no longer a NESTS operative, but she's still condescending and rude to everyone but her teammates and King of Dinosaurs, heel wrestler. Even then, Tizoc struggles to get into the mindset of a proper heel.
Twinkle Smile: Sports one in the funny intro he has with Vanessa in XI; Vanessa teases him with the promise of a date if he puts up a good fight, Ramón responds with a textbook twinkle smile.

Vanessa

Crimson Agent

"Let's do this again. If you butch up a bit, that is!"

Origin: Unknown

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

Fighting style: Boxing

Voiced by: ^note

Playable in: ^note

She is a normal Housewife who discreetly serves as a mercenary agent. Working under the orders of commander Ling, Vanessa and fellow agent Seth are commissioned with the job of joining the King of Fighters tournament, held by Ling himself. They are to follow the footsteps of the NESTS cartel, which Ling and his agency persecuted. The two agents part from one another with Vanessa recruiting prime suspects, K' and Maxima, as her teammates. She also scouts the talents of Mexican wrestler Ramón to complete their team. Her objective from then on is to observe the activities of the NESTS defectors based on Ling's orders.

After a long absence, she returns in KOF XIV as Downloadable Content in the game's first batch of DLC characters and in KOF XV in the base roster alongside Blue Mary and XIV newcomer Luong, forming Team Secret Agent.

Ascended Glitch: Her Climax Super in XIV is based on her infinite combo from 2000 where you could endlessly cancel her far C with her feint special, culminating in her signature Gaia Gear MAX2 from 2002.
Action Mom: She's noted to have a four-year-old son. He hasn't really shown up on-screen, but it's pretty clear he's in good hands with Vanessa.
Attack Reflector: Her punches have this effect, making her good at countering projectile oppoenents.
Badass in a Nice Suit: Downplayed. If up first, Vanessa will strip off her suit jacket, leaving only her shirt, tie, and slacks.
Badass Normal: As is the case with the other members of her team, Vanessa doesn't really need any supernatural abilities to get the job done in a fight. In her case, she's just really good at boxing.
Battle Intro: In XV:
"A special agent with a family to fight for. She'll give you the old one-two and it's lights out! Vanessa!"
Vanessa: "Time to get busy. Let's get this done."
Boxing Battler: Vanessa stands out among female fighting game characters by using nothing but punches to fight.
Close-Range Combatant: Vanessa is built to get right up to her opponent's face and wail on them with an endless series of punches. She has multiple dashes and ways of closing distance, several specials that cancel into each other, and lightning-fast frame data to outpace her opponent's blows.
Depending on the Artist: Sometimes she's toned, sometimes slender, and sometimes downright waifish.
Extremity Extremist: Being a boxer, it's logical; she still has one kick attack, though.
Fiery Redhead: Subverted. While strong, outgoing, and possesses a good sense of humor, she's also quite level-headed and her passion rarely dips into Hot-Blooded territory. If you do get on her bad side, you're less likely to end up with a hot-tempered verbal beatdown than a swift fist in the face.
Flash Step: Comes as part of her standard moveset. She can dash forward or backward, and follow up with some punches.
Flung Clothing: This shows up in one of her intros, where she tosses off her jacket.
Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: A notable aversion of both this and Fragile Speedster, in a medium and a genre in which female characters almost invariably fit one or both of these tropes.
Hand-or-Object Underwear: A promotional artwork for 2000 has Vanessa doing the "arm bra" variation alongside the other members of the Hero Team (who are all posing stylishly). Seeing as she was the only female member of the K' Team that year, the implications of this should be very clear.
Hard-Drinking Party Girl: In one intro pose with Seth, Seth wonders if all of the alcohol will be detrimental to her fighting performance, causing Vanessa to retort something along the lines of "I fight better when I'm drunk!"
Hired Guns: She's part of the same team as Seth and Ramón, and tends to get involved with KOF due to her jobs, such as investigating the events of XIII under Heidern's orders.
Invulnerable Knuckles: Subverted, as seen by a few of her supers and win quotes.
It's a Small World, After All: The Agents Team's backstory in XI reveals that Vanessa was acquainted with Blue Mary's dead lover Butch.
Ma'am Shock: She notes her age when Rock Howard refers to her as Oba-san in XIV. Granted, Vanessa, takes the news a lot more gracefully than the last time Rock tried doing that.
Moveset Clone: Of Rick Strowd from Fatal Fury. Rick himself almost made it into KOF '99, but was passed over for fellow Real Bout 2 newcomer Xiangfei, and with his moveset completely taken by Vanessa, she's effectively his replacement.
Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: She has quite a few special moves that use fast, consecutive punches. One of the best examples of this would be her "Crazy Puncher" super, in which she lets loose with a flurry of rapid strikes as she dashes around the opponent.
Sleeves Are for Wimps: Her bare arms are a staple of her look, giving a lot more emphasis on her punches.
Statuesque Stunner: One of the taller members of the cast at 182cm (6' for all you stateside tropers).
The Tease:
- In XI her special battle intro with Ramón she teases him, saying if he puts up a good fight, maybe they will go out on a date, cue to Ramón's shining smile.
- In XIV she gets a kick out of teasing Rock.
Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: The huge girl to Ramón. Ramón height is 5'7 (170cm) and Vanessa height is 6'0 (182cm).

Benimaru Team

Lin

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/character_lin_00_middle.png

"My venom has no antidote... Death is the only cure."

Origin: China

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/china_292.png

Fighting style: Qing Shen Gong

Voiced by: Takaya Kuroda

Playable in: ^note

Lin is a member of the Hizoku clan, a mysterious band of assassins. After his superior Ron massacres much of the clan and leaves without a trace, Lin sets out to find him. He encounters Ron in 2001, alongside the members of NESTS, and is seen with him in XI, indicating that he may have joined forces with his former enemy.

Anti-Hero: He is driven by Revenge towards Ron, and is willing to fight NESTS to get to him. His past as a Professional Killer means he probably has murdered some innocent people too. However, he is capable of caring for other people such as Xiao Lon, Luan, Chat and Sai. He also never considers betraying either of the teams he joins and does appreciate Benimaru saving him from Ron in the 2000 ending, even if he's too proud to admit it.
Bad Powers, Good People: Downplayed, since Lin is a bit of an Anti-Hero, but for someone with poison powers and ninja assassination skills, it is a bit shocking he is not a straight villain.
Bloody Murder: His blood is poisonous, and he can somehow exude it from his hands to enhance his attacks. In his MAX 2 in 2002 Unlimited Match, the poison can drain the opponent's health down to 1% and lasts the whole round, but Lin has to perform the last hit.
Breath Weapon: His "Kasumi" special move spits poison.
Creepy Good: He's a stoic assassin with poisonous blood, but he's willing to work alongside heroic characters like Benimaru to get his revenge on Ron. Possibly subverted as of XI since he seems to have teamed up with Ron for an unknown reason.
Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Not to the extent of Duo Lon, but he's got this thanks to the yellowish-gray tint of his skin.
Enemy Mine: Possibly in XI, where he's suddenly standing beside Ron.
Face–Heel Turn: A common interpretation of why he's standing alongside Ron in XI. The series did not follow up on this plot thread as of KOF XV.
Flash Step: His "Himou Kyaku" special, which allows him to quickly move across the screen.
Mechanically Unusual Class: Lin is the only character in the mainline series that incorporates a poison mechanic, which is applied on his Dokusyu Kou super (available as an SDM in 2000 and as a MAX2 in 2002: Unlimited Match). In both games, it is the only thing that turns a lifebar purple, lasting for the rest of the round, and it cannot be fatal.
Mentor: To Xiao Lon. One of the few members of Hizoku besides Duo Lon to treat her amiably.
Ninja: A Chinese ninja. Similarly to Sub-Zero, he has some notable ninja traits, but he's never specifically referred to as such, instead of being referred to by his clan.
Ninja Run: His running animation is a pretty stereotypical ninja run.
Out of Focus: He has not appeared as a playable character since 2002: UM (2001 canonically), and last appeared in a story cutscene in KOF XI.
Poisonous Person: He can use his poisonous blood in fights.
Prehensile Hair: His "Benpatsu Ken" move has him whip the opponent with his ponytail.
Professional Killer: He's part of a whole clan of them.
The Quiet One: While he can deliver a pretty passionate Kiai in some of his attacks, he doesn't really talk all that much in battle.
Red Right Hand: Subverted; while he literally has it, he's not evil (at least not like Ron). It is instead a visible indicator of his corrosive, poisonous blood, although this only comes into play when he's injecting foes with his toxic fluids. Which hand it is varies wildly, likely pointing at ambidexterity.
Revenge: Against Ron, who betrayed and murdered his fellow clansmen.
Rubber Man: In 2001 he acquired attacks that require his arms to stretch significantly and an SDM that makes them look literally like rubber bands.
Sadist: When he is about to impale his enemy with poison using his super Dokusyu Kou, he whispers to them that "This will make you feel better..."
Sanity Slippage: Lin is noticeably more psychotic in 2001 from 2000, where he was more of The Stoic. Lin in 2001 has a lot of lines about destroying everyone and evil laughs that he did not have in the previous game.
Slashed Throat: One of his DMs, where Lin slowly approaches his opponent while disappearing from sight and reappearing frequently right before grabbing them. He's probably using a very thin garrote, but the sprites make it look like he's doing so with just his thumb.
Technicolor Toxin: Green, mixed with some red and purple accents.

Seth

"Don't take it personally.. This is just part of my job."

Origin: USA

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/usa_1961.png

Fighting style: Self-defense

Voiced by: ^note

Playable in: ^note

Seth is an agent working alongside Heidern's faction to expose NESTS. He's been on the tournament's sidelines since 2001, but he still occasionally gets involved with investigations into the circumstances surrounding KOF. in the Maximum Impact series he is investigating Addes all by himself.

Action Dad: He's got a wife and daughter that he looks after outside of work.
Ambiguously Bi: Many of his win quotes have something of a flirtatious streak. His profile notes he has a wife he cares about a lot.
The Atoner: MI series only; he feels guilty for the death of Fate since he was the one who leaked the information about Duke and Addes to him to infiltrate the syndicate.
Badass in a Nice Suit: Kicks ass while rocking a tie and suspenders. Especially his "Another" design in the Maximum Impact games.
Badass Normal: Like Vanessa, he's just very, very good at what he does.
Boring, but Practical: From visual design to fighting style, Seth is ALL about this.
Combat Pragmatist: Seth's fighting style is based on actual self defense techniques and he has a lot of attacks that do not look flashy but would cause a lot of harm in real life. One of them is his laying on his back and kicking the opponent's legs a bunch of times.
Counter-Attack: Has many counter moves, including one DM.
Demoted to Extra: He hasn't been playable since 2002, while many of his teammates, particularly Ramon and Vanessa, have been reintroduced in the Shun'ei Saga.
Flash Step: In one of his specials and one DM.
Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: His Level 3 from Maximum Impact 2 (Temporal Rain, Chaotic Chrysanthemum).
Interface Screw: Caused by one of his DMs. Of course, it does nothing to computer-controlled opponents.
Jump Physics: Can suddenly change direction entirely during a jump.
Mundane Made Awesome: He can hurt you with dust. Also, his DMs respectively involve lying down and stomping on the opponent from below and ground-pounding them.
Sharp-Dressed Man: Not as much as Hein or Geese (in XV) who fight in full suits, but Seth is very well dressed and fights in a suit minus the jacket with stylish suspenders.
Token Minority: Seth is the only playable African-American character introduced in the NESTS Saga. The rest of the new characters are all east Asian, White, both (Hinako), light-skinned Mexican, or racially ambiguous.
Weapons That Suck: His "Sho-Yoh" special is a fast uppercut that creates an upwards vacuum.
Shut Up, Hannibal!:
(to Jivatma) "Give me a break. Villains always get dramatic before they're about to die."

Women Fighters Team

Hinako Shijo

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kofxvhinakorender_1.png

Sumo Sweetie

"I reacted without thinking. You okay?... Didn't think so."

Origin: Japan (of Russian descent)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japan_4602.png

Fighting style: Sumo

Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi (2000-2003), Akane Tamura (XV; current)

Playable in: ^note

A rich girl who formed part of the female team in 2000 and 2001. Her goal was to show that a sweet little girl like her could fight on par with males...by practicing sumo.

After a 20-year long absence, Hinako is finally set to return in XV as the final DLC character of Season 2.

Battle Intro: In XV:
"A prim and proper lady with sumo skills? Only she can pull of such a combo! Hinako Shijo!"
Hinako: "Let's have a fun bout!"
The Cameo: Appears in XIII in the background of the Japan stage and the Women Team's ending. She returns in the Women Team's ending in XIV, where she and Xiangfei are shown hanging out at Richard Meyer's cafe.
Charles Atlas Superpower: There's nothing supernatural or sci-fi about her power. She's simply a cute girl with monstrous strength.
Cute Bruiser: A cute, prim, and friendly girl with a heavyweight fighting style.
Extremity Extremist: Slaps and grabs, befitting a rikishi.
Fad Super: Apparently, yes.
Girly Run: Her run animation is very delicate and cutesy, which doubles into hilarious once she tosses a man twice her size like a sandbag.
Improbable Weapon User: More like improbable fighting style user; she sure doesn't look like your average rikishi.
Irony: Not only is sumo traditionally exclusionary towards female wrestlers, but Hinako is such a small bean of a girl that you wouldn't assume, just looking at her, she's at all built for the sport.. And then she tosses your ass across the stage.
Passionate Sports Girl: Hinako aspires to be a sumo wrestler and feels that gender should not impede her aims to do so.
Proper Lady: Sort of clashes with the whole "sumo wrestler" thing, doesn't it?
Put on a Bus: Due to a lack of popularity in onna-zumo at the time (sadly, onna-zumo may never see a professional scene as long as the Japan Sumo Association maintains it's present way of thinking). She reappeared in 2003 and The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match, though. It's mentioned in the prologue for XIV that Hinako had volunteered to rejoin the Women Fighters Team that year, but had been turned down because Mai wanted to team up with Andy instead. The Bus Came Back in XV, though.
Silk Hiding Steel: She's a prim and proper rich girl.... who just so happens to be a practicing sumo wrestler.
Waif-Fu: Hinako isn't the only example, but she is one of the more prominent as she practices Sumo, a martial art usually reliant on having a sturdy build.

Others

Kula Diamond

See her character page along with the other Deuteragonists here.

Clone Zero

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zero_00_middle.png

"Zero doesn't mean I'm nothing. I'm the all that's touched by none!"

Origin: Unknown

Fighting style: Personal style

Voiced by: ^note

Playable in: ^note

Boss character in: ^note

As his name suggests, he is a clone of the true Zero, created to oversee the 2000 tournament and to infiltrate Heidern's organization. He killed Heidern's partner Ling and impersonated him to obtain the Zero Cannon, a Kill Sat that siphons the energy from fighters. To that end, he made a clone of Ling in addition to fooling Heidern with his disguise so that he would be none the wiser. With the Cannon in his possession, he then reveals that he is not loyal to NESTS at all, and intends to use the Cannon on the organization as well as the world itself to rule it, demonstrating its destructive power by firing it upon Southtown, which would result in the creation of Second Southtown by the time of Garou: Mark of the Wolves. He challenges K' to fully realize his plans, but loses. As a last resort, he tries to use the Zero Cannon again, but his plan fails due to Heidern killing the Ling clone, which held the switch to the generator, thus allowing Kula, Foxy, and Diana to sabotage it, punishing Zero for betraying the Cartel by forcing the Cannon's energy to be redirected towards himself, defeating him. After being apprehended by the NESTS operatives, he was brought before Whip, where he revealed she was a clone. Appalled by this, she shot him dead.

Ambiguous Situation: It's not known when he decided he would turn traitor. Since he was directly managing Krizalid's Kyo clone project, if he decided to betray NESTS and make the Zero Cannon all the way back in the events of KOF 99, it is possible that he sabotaged Krizalid's success.
Arc Villain: Of KOF 2000. His plan is to hijack the KOF tournament to power his Zero Cannon and then take over the world with it's firepower.
Artificial Stupidity: Noted for being beatable because his AI isn't all that reactive. He's got a lot of deadly moves but you can trounce him with a firm offense because he won't know how to respond adequately compared to most bosses in the series. Additionally, even though he has some very powerful special moves, he uses a lot more normal attacks and throws than most bosses.
Bad Boss: He was this to Krizalid, who he killed for failing his mission. He is also the one that neutralized all the Kyo clones as part of shutting down Krizalid's operation.
Beard of Evil: Just a Mustache of Evil in his case. It becomes very apparent when you compare him to the clean-shaven and far more morally upstanding Original Zero.
Big Bad Ensemble: KOF 2000 has both NESTS and Clone Zero as the villains in opposition to each other. However, Clone Zero is treated by NESTS agents as way out of his league.
Big Bad Wannabe: He tries to destroy NESTS and take over the world on his own. However, his plans for world domination were foiled in the end. Diana and Foxy mock his coup attempt for being doomed to fail if the player fought Kula.
Black Screen of Death: His Anryuu Tenha HSDM in 2002: Unlimited Match. The best way to describe it would be him sucking his opponent into a black hole, then performing a Raging Demon on it.
Casting a Shadow: One of his special moves, Shikka Koujin, uses a shadow and stuns his grounded opponent. Then Zero warps forward and kicks the opponent's ass with a series of attacks.
Clone Degeneration: He's far more mentally unstable and psychopathic than Original Zero.
Clothing Combat: Bears repeating, his cape-long coat fusion is bladed, and his most powerful attacks involve him swinging the cape of blades at his enemies.
Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: To Krizalid. Krizalid is an Anti-Villain, a decent boss to his underlings, has a Morality Pet in Whip, is quite handsome, and has a Fallen Angel motif both visually and in the name of his battle track "Dear Falling Angel". In contrast, Clone Zero is a Hate Sink with no redeeming qualities, is a Bad Boss who killed Krizalid for failing him, he performs a massive Kick the Dog on Whip before he dies, looks rather ordinary, and has a devil motif, with his pre-battle theme being called "Devil".
Enemy Civil War: He effectively initiates one of these within NESTS with his coup attempt and NESTS sends Kula, Candy, Diana, and Foxy to neutralize him. Only Candy is destroyed in the operation.
Fartillery: Parodied in one of his attacks. One of Clone Zero's special attacks has him kneel down and become invulnerable. If his enemy is standing close by, he will use his shadow to immobilize them, turn his back to them, and then blow them away with an unseen force. This unseen force also lifts up his cape. Fans and developers have dubbed this move the "Zero Fart" due to the attack looking a lot like Clone Zero blasting his opponent away with extreme flatulence rather than his shadow powers.
Feet of Clay: It's clear he put a lot of work into his plan to hijack the Zero Cannon and conquer the world. Unfortunately for him, NESTS was a few steps ahead of him, and Heidern was more capable in combat than his Ling clone.
Gravity Sucks/Gravity Master: Summons a black hole during his Hakura Messei DM. Oddly, the black hole itself doesn't suck the opponent in, instead pelting them with energy drawn in by its vacuum.
Hate Sink: Clone Zero is written to be as unlikeable as possible, being one of the evilest characters in the series. He has no loyalty to NESTS, wants to take over the world using a Kill Sat, destroys at least part of Southtown before his boss fight (killing countless innocent people), and is revealed to have killed the Anti-Villain Krizalid for failing him. After he loses, he will attempt to kill himself and the winning team with the Zero Cannon. He also chooses to spite Whip by telling her she is a clone in the Ikari ending. His official profile also does not offer a lot to like, because he has no hobbies (his hobbies are "Work") and his listed dislike of "traitors" paints him as a massive Hypocrite, given that he betrays NESTS.
Heads I Win, Tails You Lose: It didn't matter whether Clone Zero or the tournament's winning team emerged victorious from his boss fight in the grand scheme of his plan. Either way, he'd be able to get the energy he needed to fuel the Zero Cannon. Getting to use that energy, on the other hand...
Hypocrite: In his official bio, Clone Zero dislikes Traitors, which can be both ironic and hypocritical since he himself is a traitor to NESTS. If he fights K' or Maxima in his boss fight, he will laugh and derisively call them traitors, despite them all being in the same position with NESTS at that point.
Identical Twin ID Tag: Or "Identical Clone ID Tag" - while his source is clean-shaven and white-haired, Clone Zero has a brunette mustache.
Improbable Weapon User: Uses his bladed cape as a weapon. Also, his Shadow Pin techniques.
Increasingly Lethal Enemy: Moreso than other KOF bosses, Clone Zero before and after he gains meter are radically different in difficulty.
- Before he has any meter, he is noticeably slow, with his close combat a bit on the lackluster side compared to previous bosses. He also does not have any projectile. The player just has to look out for his cape attack, which will grant him 2 bars of meter if it hits (blocked or not)
- If he gets meter he will use his full screen super as a solution to all problems. He will use it against projectiles and summoning strikers. Since he's invincible during it, and it does a lot more damage if an enemy is close, he will also use it as reversal if his enemy is being too recklessly aggressive against him.
Kick the Dog: In the Ikari Warriors ending, while critically injured, he tells Whip something that causes her to cry and she executes him (though this is censored outside of Asia). It is not revealed in the game what he said, but it is commonly accepted that he told her that she was a clone of Seirah, K's real sister. Given that the next game revealed that he was also a clone, he probably knew how much it would hurt to tell that to someone who didn't know but didn't care anyway.
Kill Sat: The Zero Cannon is this, it is powered by the energy of the fighters. Clone Zero firing it on Southtown before his battle gives him the highest kill count of any KOF villain (in the span of their game, since a lot of the other villains commit Offscreen Villainy).
Kill and Replace: He kills Ling, a military commander and close friend of Heidern, and impersonates him, wearing his face. Eventually he has a clone of Ling take over.
Knight of Cerebus: Clone Zero's plans and the aftermath of them are taken seriously by the game's story. The Edit Team ending of KOF 2000 has Heidern mourning the destruction of Southtown. Some endings like the Psycho Soldier and the Kula ending show the devastation of the Zero Cannon firing at the team, with Bao being critically injured and Candy sacrificing herself to save Kula. Clone Zero's cruelty is also more subdued than Rugal or Goenitz, who are both larger than life supervillain characters whose evilest acts are all Offscreen Villainy.
Master of Disguise: After he kills Ling, he uses the Ling persona as a decoy while working under the noses of the good guys to further his ambitions. His introductory cutscene in KOF 2000 hints at him possessing a shapeshifting ability (to take the appearance of Ling), which is confirmed by his dizzy animation, in which his shapeshifting breaks down and his face perpetually warps.
Meaningful Name: "Ling" means "Zero" in Chinese. A bit too coincidental for someone infiltrating the Ikari Warriors.
Mighty Glacier: Unlike most bosses in the series, who are usually between normal speed to Lightning Bruiser, Clone Zero has a slow fighting style and has special moves with long recovery time and startup. This, combined with his poorly programmed defensive AI leaves him vulnerable to fast and aggressive play. To emphasize his "slow but strong" nature, he's the first boss in the series with more health than a normal character.
My Hero, Zero: Despite his name being Zero, he is not a hero. He's also pretty fond of this trope, as he tends to bring it up in his win quotes.
Ominous Pipe Organ: His pre-battle theme "Devil" and his battle theme "Slasher Zero" in 2000 both incorporate a pipe organ that become very prominent as the song goes on, fitting for Clone Zero's heinous nature. This Leitmotif for him is dropped in later games, where 2002: Unlimited Match gives him a dark themed synth-rock song called "Dark Gravitation" and the All-Star version of "Slasher Zero" sounds much more like "Dark Gravitation".
Outside-Genre Foe: Compared to the other bosses in the NESTS arc who are more science-fiction themed like Krizalid that came before and Igniz that comes after, Clone Zero and his plan to use espionage to hijack a Kill Sat feel a lot more out of a James Bond or Mission Impossible esque Spy Fiction story. If not for the strange properties of the Zero Cannon and his status as a clone, Clone Zero would have next to no connection to the science-fiction genre.
Power Floats: His run and roll animations involve Zero hovering off the ground, arms crossed.
Retcon: Clone Zero is simply known as Zero in KOF 2000. This is because he was not intended to be a clone at first, but his character designer was unsatisfied with how Zero turned out and designed to introduce his preferred version of the character as the true Zero in the next game.
Satanic Archetype: Clone Zero has a motif associated with the devil (that is more obvious in contrast to Igniz wanting to be a God). He is a high ranking member of NESTS who wants to overthrow his master, a person who believes themselves to be a god, so he can rule on his own. He also has the powers of darkness, in contrast to his master and original self's light based powers. Clone Zero's shapeshifting also has him with many faces and many names. He also is associated with cult-like imagery in his stage, the Zero Temple. And finally his pre-battle theme is even called "Devil".
The Sociopath: Clone Zero checks a lot of the boxes and is one of the few examples in the series where a lot of these traits are highly visible. His skill in impersonation makes him very manipulative and charming when he feels like it. He casually and remorselessly murders a lot of people with his Zero Cannon. He also murders his underlings like Krizalid when they fail him. His dying Kick the Dog moment where he tells Whip about her being a clone while he himself is a clone (so he fully understands how cruel this act is) also demonstrates a huge Lack of Empathy.
Shoulders of Doom: His outfit has some really broad shoulders, though this varies by artist.
SNK Boss: Even though Clone Zero is famously less difficult than most bosses in this series, he is still a boss of an SNK game and has a lot of big advantages. He gains super meter incredibly fast (gaining up to 2 full bars of meter if he hits his cape attacks, blocked or not), his supers inflict roughly over half of your health's worth of damage and one of them is a full-screen attack. Luckily, it's mitigated by his AI's weakness when reacting to the player, but it's still a good idea to be careful when fighting him.
The Starscream: He is the traitor to NESTS, seeking to take over the world from under their nose.
Temple of Doom: He is fought in a temple with statues of hooded figures and an ornate chandelier (that falls if the battle reaches Round 3).
They Look Just Like Everyone Else!: Clone Zero is unique among KOF bosses in that he looks ordinary when he fights using Ling's face (more so his features, since he's still a 6'4 buff guy). Most of the other bosses are either very attractive (Krizalid, Goenitz, Rugal, his original self) or monstrous (Mukai, Magaki, Verse). Fitting this trope, his plain appearance only emphasizes how evil he is, even compared to the other villains in the series.
Too Many Belts: Aside from the two around his waist, he's also got leather belts with buckles on his gloves.
Turned Against Their Masters: Attempted to do it via a Kill Sat. It failed.
Twinkle Smile: His taunt is to flash one of these on command. It also shows up at the end of one of his round victory quotes.
Villainous Breakdown: Once he loses, he tries to kill everyone via the Zero Cannon... which isn't working. He's constantly asking why it won't work, all while Button Mashing with the activation switch...which didn't end well for him as the Zero Cannon's generator explodes.
Workaholic: According to his official profile, his hobby is working. Since his job is to be a high level operative of an elite crime syndicate, he may just enjoy what the job entails, such as espionage and murder.

Characters / The King of Fighters 2000

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

Hero Team

Benimaru Team

Women Fighters Team

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Characters / The King of Fighters 2000

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

Hero Team

Benimaru Team

Women Fighters Team

Others

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Index

Next