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Characters / The King of Fighters: The NESTS Chronicles

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The King of Fighters | Main Index
Main Series
Protagonists | Deuteragonists
The King Of Fighters: The Rugal Saga
The King of Fighters: The Orochi Saga: KOF '95 | KOF '96 | KOF '97
The King Of Fighters: The NESTS Chronicles: KOF '99 | KOF 2000 | KOF 2001
The King of Fighters: The Tales of Ash: KOF 2003 | KOF XI
The King of Fighters: The New Age: KOF XIV | KOF XV
Spin Offs
The King of Fighters EX | Maximum Impact
Related Series
Athena | Psycho Soldier | Fatal Fury | Art of Fighting | Samurai Shodown | Metal Slug | Fu'un Series | Buriki One

Characters in The King of Fighters debuting in the NESTS Chronicles (from KOF '99 to 2002; this includes 2002: Unlimited Match) will be listed here.

Individual pages:

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The King of Fighters 2002 / Unlimited Match

    KUSANAGI 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/character_kyo_01_middle_8.png
"I'm gonna have you glowing red hot!"

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

Fighting style: Kusanagi-style of ancient martial arts + personal style of Kenpo
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

NESTS, the syndicate bent on world domination, developed a project to transplant Kyo Kusanagi's flame power into a cloned body, and thus, KUSANAGI was born into this world. KUSANAGI has a somewhat rougher personality than the original Kyo, and is often belligerent. In KOF 2003, he appears as a mid-boss.

    Nameless 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chara_img_107.png
"I'll come back for you...I promise!"

Origin: NESTS Mars Station - Deimos
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/10c06342_71a7_425a_a1f4_b6d32940b6f7.png
Fighting style: None
Voiced by: note 
Playable in: note 

Nameless is the 9,999th K´ clone experiment conducted by NESTS in which the user is granted with the ability to control flames. He was born on Deimos, NESTS's Martian base, and after enduring the grueling experiments there, he was sent to Earth.

Nameless knew only suffering as a test subject, and had to watch as his "brothers" (other test subjects just like him) were horribly killed or injured by the experiments. One day, after he suffered severe injuries, he saw a beautiful girl named Isolde near the infirmary who was a part of the Anti-K' project and was given the ability to control ice. He fell in love with her, and suddenly gained a newfound resolve to endure the experiments in order to see her again. The scientists noticed the connection, and after realizing that wielding the flames required strong willpower, they changed Nameless's training regimen to endurance tests. They allowed him to visit her to bring out both of their true potentials. Unfortunately, Isolde died during a test, but rather than waste her progress, the NESTS scientists grafted her DNA into Nameless' glove, finally allowing him to control the combined flames. Deemed a success, Nameless became an assassin for NESTS, tasked with hunting and disposing of any traitors to the organization. When he cornered one of his targets, he revealed to Nameless the truth about Isolde as a last-ditch attempt to save his life. Burdened with this knowledge, Nameless eliminated the target and decided to continue working his way up in the eyes of NESTS, hoping this will convince them to restore Isolde.
  • The Ace: According to his profile, he excels at any competition he knows the rules of.
  • A Death in the Limelight: The King of Fighters All Star's 2002 Story focuses on him as he wises up to what NESTS is planning to do with him and ultimately decides to rebel. In the end, he manages to kill Igniz and foil his plan to crash the Deimos base on Earth. But he decides to remain in it, convinced there's nothing to live for now that Isolde's dead.
  • Alternate Company Equivalent: He shares a lot of similarities with Lars Alexandersson from Tekken, who debuted in 6: Bloodline Rebellion a mere three months before the release of Unlimited Match. More specifically, they share hairstyles, face scars, positions as the main character of an Updated Re-release, a close relationship with a deceased girl reborn through technology, and being the Token Good Teammate of a corrupt organization.
  • Ambidextrous Sprite: Nameless' glove is always on the arm closer to the screen so is his right arm on the left side and the left arm on the right side. Canonically, the glove is on his left arm.
  • Anime Hair: Spiky and with a patch of white hair obtained through K' genes.
  • Anti-Villain: The poor guy still goes along with NESTS' requests to have their enemies assassinated, despite all the shit they pulled him through, for the sake of his beloved. It almost makes you forget that he is still ultimately a NESTS attack dog.
  • Badass Cape: See the intro if you have doubts.
  • Bookends: He was created in NESTS' Deimos base. The very same place is where he would meet his demise in All Star.
  • Canon Immigrant: Was a Canon Foreigner when his first appearance in the series was in a Dream Match Game, where he functioned as a stand-in for K9999. Was made full-fledged canon as of The King of Fighters All Star, and was added to the character database in the official KOF site
    • Interestingly, he is front and center on the illustration used to represent the NESTS saga in the official KOF site
  • Clone Degeneration: While he is much more mentally stable than K9999, Nameless being a 9999th clone as well has resulted in his powers being volatile enough to reduce someone to ashes by merely touching their shoulder.
  • The Coats Are Off: He takes off his cape before every fight, only wearing it again during his win poses.
    • Inverted with his Boss Syndrome version in All-Star who never removes his cape.
  • Code Name: Ж' (Zhe Prime/J Prime).
  • Contrasting Replacement Character: For all of his similarities to K9999, he contrasts his predecessor in a lot of ways:
  • Corrupted Character Copy: Nameless debuted merely 3 months after Lars Alexandersson, and it's easy to see the similarities between them, with both being spiky-haired main characters of an Updated Re-release with scarred faces, dead love interests partially revived through technology, and uneasy affiliation with an organization willing to commit atrocities. There is one trait of Lars that Nameless mostly lacks, though: the willingness to put his conscience above his superiors and revolt against them.
  • Dark Is Not Evil: In contrast to the Primary-Color Champion K9999, Nameless has a fairly subdued purple and black color scheme. Nameless is additionally practically a saint compared to K9999, with far more tragic reasons for his own villainy and a less volatile and more affable temperament.
  • Deuteragonist: Played with in 2002UM since while it is a Dream Match Game and such lacks a story proper, the promotional materials are focused on him, setting him up as a sort of rival/foil to both Kula and K'.
    • Played straight in the 2002 chapter of All-Star. All of the sub-chapter blurbs are from his perspective and he usually gets a scene in each sub-chapter exploring his past. By the final sub-chapter, he pretty much takes over as the focal character, leaving the player character more akin to a Viewpoint Character.
  • Despair Event Horizon: Nameless is in the receiving one of a particularly brutal one in the final chapter of All-Star 2002 story when Igniz confirms that Isolde is dead and he was nothing more than an expendable asset.
  • Emotionless Boy: In his defense, Nameless only does this because he believes that total compliance to NESTS will allow him to be reunited with his beloved Isolde.
  • Face on the Cover: Nameless is front and center on all the promotional material for 2002UM, extending even to the official KOF site, where one of the said materials is used to represent the NESTS saga in their story section.
  • Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Phlegmatic of the quartet consisting of K', Kula, K9999 and himself, being rather reserved yet especially empathetic towards Isolde, even if he's too willing to obey NESTS.
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars: The gruesome experiments he went through, left him with scars over his right eye and left cheek.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: The end of All Star's 2002 Story has him send Kaya and the player away from the Deimos base as he destroys it... with himself still inside.
  • How Do I Shot Web?: His backstory in a nutshell.
  • Leitmotif: Ж' a beautiful yet melancholic theme that perfectly captures his longing for Isolde.
  • Left-Handed Mirror: He wears his Power Limiter on his left hand, as opposed to K9999 wearing his own on his right, to highlight how different Nameless is from K9999 in almost every way.
  • Locked into Strangeness: You can tell that being spliced with both Kyo and K's genes, alongside the brutal experience of Project Zhe, have done a number on him through the striking white stripe in his black hair.
  • Morality Pet: Inverted with Isolde. She's the only thing keeping him tethered to NESTS.
  • Moveset Clone: Mostly anything K9999 and by extension, Krohnen can do, Nameless can do too, albeit with his own spin on it.
  • My Master, Right or Wrong: Nameless is completely aware of NESTS's inner corruption, yet continues to serve them, believing that if he proves his loyalty for long enough, they'll give him Isolde back.
  • Necromantic: The only reason why he continues to follow NESTS, despite knowing about their misdeeds, is to attempt to get them to resurrect his lost love Isolde.
  • Never Found the Body: His ultimate fate in the 2002 story of All Star is left ambiguous, although both the framing of the scene and the solemn music heavily suggests that he doesn't survive. The last we see of him is slumped over, severely burnt in the middle of the exploding NESTS' Deimos base after ensuring the player character and Kaya are inside the SkyNoah.
  • Ninja: According to Ureshino, who partakes in the story development for the series and writes novelizations meant to fill in the gaps between games, two key concepts for Nameless were "ninja" and "immediate reaction."
  • No Name Given: Not even any sort of nickname.
  • Not So Stoic: He gives off the impression of being a stoic, emotionless assassin for NESTS, and his interactions are as blunt as you expect. Pit him against Kyo or K', though, and he demonstrates some rather K9999-esque cocky bravado:
    Let me teach you... the difference in our firepower!
  • Playing with Fire: Blood-red and black, half-Kyo-half-K' fire.
  • Power Incontinence: He has it even worse than K'. He actually killed a person by simply tapping them on the back of their shoulders. His "brothers" burned to death trying to control the flames Nameless uses.
  • Power Limiter: Much like K' and K9999, he wears a special glove to prevent his genetically implanted flames from growing out of control. The glove was made from Isolde's DNA because their connection actually manages to stabilize Nameless while using his flames.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Comparing him to his predecessor K9999, he's the Blue Oni - a stoic assassin who dedicates himself to resurrecting Isolde by any means necessary, even if it means allying with NESTS.
  • A Sinister Clue: Very much downplayed. Although his weapon is technically his burning left arm, and he's a member of NESTS, he can hardly be considered a villain, unlike K9999.
  • Shadow Archetype: Nameless is, at his core, who K9999 could've been had he let authority guide him, formed genuine bonds with others, and put their needs above his own — concepts completely alien to the egotistical, order-hating K9999.
  • Sole Survivor: He was the only survivor of Project Zhe - all the other test subjects succumbed to Power Incontinence and burned themselves alive.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Originally of K9999 in 02UM. Much less so nowadays with SNK retooling the former into Krohnen and Nameless getting an expanded role in the mobile games.
  • This Is a Drill: Like K9999, his glove can turn into this, but the most famous one is the BIG drill seen in his SDM.
  • Took a Level in Badass: His All Star version is considerably stronger than his main line version. He has mastered his flames and is no longer harmed by them (or any fire, period), and in the 2002 story, he takes down Igniz in a single hit whereas, in The King of Fighters 2001; it took the combined might of Kyo, Iori, Kula, and K' to bring Igniz down.
  • Together in Death: It is heavily implied that he dies at the end of All Star's 2002 Story, and the CG has him held in a loving embrace by Isolde.
  • Tragic Hero: Technically a Tragic Villain due to his association with NESTS. He has very, very good reasons, though.

Others

    NPC 

Diana

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dianakof2_8950.jpg
Voiced by: note 

Kula's caretaker and head of the Anti-K' project. Skilled with a rapier, although she's never been playable.

  • Animal Motifs:
    • Butterflies. See her Flash Step and the shape of her rapier's hilt for a good example.
    • Artwork also depicts Diana with butterfly imprints on her clothes and a tattoo on both her exposed midriff and one of her legs. However, her hobby is collecting butterflies, which could explain why she's so fascinated with them in the first place.
  • Black Bra and Panties: You can see the straps of the top half on display.
  • The Bus Came Back: She made her return in KOF XV during Team Krohnen's ending, more of a decade since she canonically was last seen.
  • Cool Big Sis: To Kula.
  • Cool Sword: Sadly, you only get a glimpse of it during Kula's Freeze Execution DM.
  • Flat-Earth Atheist: Allegedly. According to Kula during her pre-fight dialogue with Saiki, Diana always told her that "there were no gods in this world." The events of the Orochi Saga, let alone the dealings with Those from the Past in that particular tournament arc, are inclined to disagree.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Foxy. The two even get a Lovely Angels moment in 2000 when they confront Clone Zero.
  • Mama Bear: Has a habit of jumping into the fray to assist Kula in battle, as seen with Kula's Behind Slash throw (where Diana teleports in before stabbing the enemy hard enough to send them flying to the other side of the screen) and the opening slash from Freeze Execution.
  • Parental Substitute: Shares this role with Foxy in regards to Kula.
  • Sexy Backless Outfit: Not normally, but one of her alternate outfits includes this and detached sleeves.
  • Statuesque Stunner: She stands as the tallest female in-universe at the impressive height of 188cm (6'2").
  • Team Mom: Has taken the role after she, Foxy and Kula left NESTS.

Isolde

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/win_chara_01b_small_7.png
Isolde in Nameless' winning screen in KOF 02UM

A young woman part of the "Anti-K'" project conducted by NESTS with the power to control ice. However, her abilities were deemed to be lacking and she was marked as a defective experiment. She first met Nameless in the infirmary after he had suffered severe injuries in a mock battle to assess combat data. Meeting him greatly improved her impaired capabilities and thus she was allowed to see him again on a regular basis to nurture her powers.

Unfortunately, Isolde died during one of her tests. NESTS did not want to waste their progress on Isolde, so her essence was infused into the glove Nameless wears to help control his flames. Nameless learned of this from interrogating a fugitive of the syndicate and hopes working for NESTS will allow him to restore her to her original body.

It is said Isolde does live on in Nameless' glove, with frequent apparitions of her whenever he uses his own powers.
  • All There in the Manual: She's never directly acknowledged within the game, to learn of her story and her role in Nameless' character arc it is necessary to look at the game's manual or play through the 2002 story mode in The King of Fighters All Star where her relationship with Nameless was expanded upon.
  • An Ice Person: She was given the ability to control ice but her skills were very limited and deemed as a failure by NESTS' scientists. It was only after meeting Nameless that she was able to make proper use of her powers.
  • Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: Much like how Nameless contrasts his fellow 9999th clone K9999, Isolde is the direct opposite of K9999's companion Ángel — both may be white-haired girls associated with NESTS, but while Ángel is alive and well, a close-contact wrestler donning a rather sexualized black and blue outfit, and has a snappy personality even towards K9999, Isolde has been dead for quite a while, relied on her cryokinetic powers when she was alive, wore a modest white dress, and is noticeably gentle while interacting with Nameless even beyond death.
  • Empathic Weapon: Her remains were turned by NESTS' scientists into Nameless' glove, the combination of Isolde's own conscience with her Anti-K' powers within it finally allowed Nameless to gain control over his flames.
  • Ethereal White Dress: Fittingly, she is depicted as wearing a simple white dress, even as a ghost.
  • Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: The Light to Ángel's Dark; while both may be white-haired women with a backstory linked to NESTS and a close connection to a 9999th clone, Isolde dressed and acted more far more delicately than the openly provocative and crude Ángel.
  • The Lost Lenore: She died in the middle of the experiments of the Anti-K' program and as such, she's never seen alive but the hope of resurrecting her is the entire reason Nameless participates in KOF.
  • Mystical White Hair: Interestingly, she has white hair (or very pale blue hair) instead of the bright blue hair that other Anti-K' subjects (like Kula) possess.
  • Posthumous Character: She died during battle tests sometime before KOF 02 started.
  • Power Limiter: She ends up becoming Nameless'. Without her glove, he would be consumed by his flames.
  • Small Role, Big Impact: She only met Nameless for a very brief time before dying but she became his entire reason for living.
  • Together in Death: She's heavily implied to have been reunited in death with Nameless at the end of the 2002 story of All Star.
  • Virtual Ghost: The technology through which NESTS grafted her essence to Nameless' glove also allowed her to continue living through it. She even manifests as a hard light construct during Nameless' HDSM and stands beside him on the winning screen if the HDSM was the winning attack of the match.

Misty

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/misty2001_1158.PNG
Igniz's girlfriend/lover. She can be seen in his win pose after Igniz defeats anyone related to NESTS. She apparently has the ability to translocate herself. Last seen at Ron's side in the Psycho Soldier team's XI ending.

Nests

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nests2001_1694.PNG
Founder of the secret crime syndicate, NESTS. His son Igniz killed him and took control of the organization, all the while pretending to be his father the entire time.

Ron

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/npc_ron_big.png
Voiced by: Takaya Kuroda

Former leader of the Hizoku clan. Ron is an ambitious man with a thirst for power. In order to fulfill said ambitions, he betrayed the Hizoku clan by killing several of their members and then disappearing without a trace. He joined NESTS at some point in time and assisted the Original Zero in fighting K's team. Ron escaped from the collapsing blimp and guided the falling satellite into the ocean. He then heads into hiding once again, yearning to obtain the mysterious "Dragon Power", held by Kensou and Bao. Surprisingly, Lin seems to have joined him for some reason. He has several children, including Duo Lon and Xiao Lon, the latter of which he considers a bastard daughter.
  • Ambition Is Evil: When most of the known Hizoku members (such as Duo Lon, Xiao Lon, and Luan) were children, Ron was said to be a kind but strict man who was well-liked by his clan. As time progressed, he slowly became more and more obsessed with gaining power, eventually culminating in his betrayal of Hizoku to join NESTS as well as Ron setting fire to his village and personally killing some of his former followers.
  • Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He kills off his fellow clan members to rise to a position of power in NESTS, and it's implied that he'd betray NESTS, too! Ultimately, Ron goes off on his own (alongside Misty, Lin, and some other Hizoku defectors).
  • Dem Bones: Forms out of thin air before making his grand entrance and then dissipates back into a skeleton as he leaves.
  • Evil Laugh: So evil, in fact, that you don't hear it until after he's left.
  • Fallen Hero: The former leader of Hizoku and one of its four Devas, he was once a noble soul who let his ambition and thirst for power corrupt him, leading to Ron ultimately torching the Hizoku village and slaying many of his kin to then join up with NESTS. His reasons for doing so are unknown to this day, but nearly every remaining member of the Hizoku clan who didn't side with him is looking for Ron so that they can get answers... and kill him.
  • I Need You Stronger: Is lurking in the shadows, showing a great deal of interest in Kensou's training to master the power of the Dragon Spirit.
  • Karma Houdini:
    • So far. He could as well be the next Big Bad of KOF, now that the Tales of Ash saga has ended.
    • In XIII, it's hinted in the pre-fight dialogue between Kensou and Saiki that he has some connection with Saiki and warned him about Kensou's power.
  • Megaton Punch: He uses this to break your guard, and in 2002UM uses a more powerful variant that's powerful enough to force your soul directly out of your body.
  • Professional Killer: The former leader of Hizoku, a clan of assassins.
  • Spell My Name With An S: His name should technically be Long, given the character used to write it, but SNKP seems to be sticking with Ron nevertheless. The same applies to the "Lon" portions of his children's names.
  • Villain: Exit, Stage Left: According to the backstory, Ron disappeared during the fight against Original Zero, with Lin hot on his trail.
  • Villainous Rescue: Is implied to be the one who saved the player upon reentering the atmosphere after Igniz's failed Colony Drop.

Luan, Chat and Sai

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/luan-sai-chat_4500.jpg
From L to R: Luan, Sai, Chat.
Voiced by: Yumi Kakazu (Luan and Chat), Takaya Kuroda (Sai)

Three top Hizoku assassins, who alongside Lin are known as the Four Devas of Hizoku. They were first introduced in KOF 2001 in one of Lin's win poses: Luan is the lone female, Chat is the young boy, and Sai is the big dude with an oddly-shaped head. As of recently, Sai and Chat have been missing; since Lin hasn't been around either, they might have joined Ron as well.

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