Characters of the Fatal Fury series
The following is a list of video game characters featured in the Fatal Fury fighting game series developed by SNK. The series consists of the original Fatal Fury, Fatal Fury 2, Fatal Fury Special, Fatal Fury 3, Real Bout Fatal Fury, Real Bout Fatal Fury Special, Real Bout Fatal Fury 2, Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, and Garou: Mark of the Wolves.
Creation and design edit
Series' creator Takashi Nishiyama stated that giving the characters depth was of great importance when making the series. He noted that the first Fatal Fury featured a more polished plot and more fleshed out characters than that of his previous work, the original Street Fighter, which led to the game gaining a strong fanbase. To help market the games, certain character details were revealed in magazine promotions rather than the games themselves.[1]
Character appearances edit
The table below summarizes every single fighter in the series. A green cell indicates that the character is playable, while a red cell indicates that the character is not playable or does not appear.
- Notes
Introduced in Fatal Fury edit
Andy Bogard edit
- Voiced by: Jun Hashimoto (FFS–KOF '94), Keiichi Nanba (FF3–KOF XIII), Hiroshi Okamoto (KOF XIV onwards), Hiroyuki Kagura (young; KOF: D), Toshinari Fukamachi (KOF for Girls) (Japanese); Peter Wilds (FF anime films) (English)
Andy Bogard (アンディー・ボガード, Andī Bogādo) is Terry Bogard's younger brother. Andy practices the Shiranui-ryū ("Shiranui style" in Japanese) Ninjutsu and a form of empty-handed ninja combat called Koppō-ken, which he trained in after witnessing his foster father's murder, in order to gain revenge on Geese Howard. Mai is the girl he grew up with who is madly in love with him and self-proclaimed him her fiancé and the granddaughter of Hanzo Shiranui, the man he learned Ninjitsu from. It was after his foster father Jeff's death that Tung Fu Rue took responsibility for raising him and Terry. Andy went to Japan to train under Hanzo and grew up alongside Mai, while Terry stayed in Southtown. During Andy's time in Japan, he met the Muay Thai fighter Joe Higashi and challenged him to a match. When Andy won, he invited Joe to return to America with him to enter the King of Fighters tournament, held by Geese.
Late in the tournament, Andy tried to kill off Geese by himself. Geese's power proved to be too much for Andy as he almost fell to his death. Terry saved Andy, who then acknowledged Terry as the superior fighter. After Terry beat Geese at the end of their first King of Fighters Tournament, a new tournament was held, this time hosted by Krauser. Andy, while present in the tournament, did not accomplish much story-wise.
Ever since Geese's death, the fall of the First Southtown and the birth of Second Southtown, Andy has been busy training his young apprentice Hokutomaru in the ways of the Shiranui-style ninjitsu and Koppo-ken. Instead of fighting in the KOF: Maximum Mayhem tournament himself, Andy sends Hokutomaru in his place to see what his apprentice has learned. In Hokutomaru's ending, Andy writes him a note saying that he was proud of how strong Hokutomaru has gotten. Then he ended the note by saying he is no longer his teacher but his rival and that they will cross paths again.
When the new King of Fighters '94 tournament was announced, Andy joined Terry and Joe in the new 3-on-3 matches. Since then, Andy has always agreed to follow his brother Terry whenever he decided to enter the new version of the King of Fighters tournament. The Fatal Fury Team maintained his original formation (Terry, Andy and Joe) from King of Fighters '94 to '98. With new rules in KOF '99 allowing teams of four members, Mai Shiranui (in KOF '99) and, later, Blue Mary (KOF 2000) joined the team. After the beginning of the Ash Crimson Saga (KOF 2003, XI) Andy left the Fatal Fury team to take care of Shiranui disciple Hokutomaru, who fell sick and Mai went after him. Andy made his return to The King of Fighters XII but does not participate in a defined team. The King of Fighters XIII sees Andy rejoining the Fatal Fury team as his brother's interest in the tournament has compelled him to reunite the original Fatal Fury team from the 1994 event. In his anime incarnations, though sometimes perplexed by her actions, Andy is more open to showing his affection towards Mai.
Billy Kane edit
- Voiced by: Katsuhisa Namase (FF2–KOF '95), Keiichi Nanba (FF3, "RBFF When start fight", Dengeki Bunko drama CD: Garō Densetsu), Atsushi Yamanishi (RBFF–KOF 2002, KOF: MI series), Seijirō (KOF 2003, KOF: AD, KOF XIII), Masaki Masaki (KOF XIV onwards), Shizuka Itō (Pretty Billy; KOF: AS),[2] Haruki Ishiya (KOF for Girls),[3] Daiki Nakamura (FF: LOTHW), Tomohiro Nishimura (FF: TMP) (Japanese); Paul Dobson (FF: LOTHW) (English)
Billy Kane (ビリー・カーン, Birī Kān) is introduced in Fatal Fury as the righthand man of Geese Howard, a crime lord in the fictitious American city of Southtown. Geese holds The King of Fighters tournament every year with Billy as his champion. Billy was the undefeated champion of the tournament, until he is defeated by Terry Bogard, who moved on to later defeat Geese.[4] He also appears in Fatal Fury Special as a playable character for the first time.[5] After Geese recovers, Billy appears in Real Bout Fatal Fury to assist him in the conquer of Southtown. However, Geese is ultimately killed by Terry, causing Billy to leave Southtown.[6] He later appears in the two following games from the series Real Bout Fatal Fury Special and Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers which do not contain a storyline.[7][8] In the PlayStation version from Real Bout Fatal Fury Special, Billy is brainwashed by his half-brother White in order to aid him in the conquer from Southtown. He then appears as a sub-boss character in the arcade mode, but once he is defeated, he returns to normal.[9] A 3D fighting game version of the series, Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition was produced as well, which retells the plot of the first game.[10]
In The King of Fighters series, Billy was meant to appear in the first game from the series as a member of an England Team, composed of him, Mai Shiranui, and Big Bear, but due to several problems with the capacity of the game, and the desire from the Art of Fighting staff to add Yuri Sakazaki, Billy was removed from the game.[11] When the new King of Fighters tournament began in The King of Fighters '95 under the control of a man named Rugal Bernstein, Billy is ordered by Geese to go in his boss' place because Geese was still healing. He joins with a ninja named Eiji Kisaragi and a mysterious man named Iori Yagami.[12] Billy's team does not win, and at the end of the tournament Iori beats up Billy and Eiji.[13] In The King of Fighters '97 Geese sends Billy to investigate the mysterious Orochi power in Iori. Geese hires a sadistic outlaw named Ryuji Yamazaki and tricks a good freelance agent named Blue Mary to help as well.[14] After the tournament ends, Yamazaki demands his pay from Geese by attacking him and Billy. The same team is shown in The King of Fighters '98, The King of Fighters 2002 and Neowave but none of those contain a storyline.[15][16][17] He also appears as an assistant character (known as "Striker") in The King of Fighters '99: Evolution and The King of Fighters 2000. In the former he is available for any character, while in the latter he is a striker for Andy Bogard.[18][19]
In The King of Fighters 2003, Geese orders the team of Billy Kane, Ryuji Yamazaki, and Gato to infiltrate the tournament in another attempt to take over Southtown.[20] During the spin-off game The King of Fighters Kyo Billy appears as boss character along Geese to fight against the Bogard brothers and the protagonist Kyo Kusanagi.[21] In KOF: Maximum Impact 2, it is revealed Billy has moved to the countryside of the UK with his young sister, Lilly Kane, and has decided to return to Southtown once again, willing to show the Meira twins: Alba and Soiree the town should be embarked by no one.[22]
Billy also appeared in the console version of The King of Fighters XIII, released in November 2011.[23] He is also present in the otome game King of Fighters for Girls.[24]
Billy Kane appears in the TV anime film Fatal Fury: Legend of the Hungry Wolf, where he is voiced by Daiki Nakamura in the original Japanese version and Paul Dobson in the English dubbed version. Like in the original Fatal Fury video game, Billy Kane is one of Geese Howard's underlings alongside Raiden, Ripper and Hopper. He enters the King of Fighters tournament alongside Raiden on Geese's behalf and later mortally wounds Tung Fu Rue while the Bogards and Joe are escaping from Geese's men. In the final battle of the film, he ends up fighting against Andy Bogard and ends up being defeated by him.[25] He appears again in the sequel Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle, where he makes an unvoiced appearance in the beginning of the film, in which he is confronted by Laurence Blood at the Pao-Pao Cafe and is defeated off-screen.[26] Billy makes an extended cameo appearance in the third film, Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture, this time voiced by Tomohiro Nishimura in the original Japanese version and once again by Paul Dobson in English. He encounters his old adversary Andy in a night club, but the two are confronted by Laocorn's henchman Hauer before they get a chance to fight again.[27]
In the second episode of the anime spin-off mini-series The King of Fighters: Another Day, Rock Howard, Geese's son, stops Billy from killing Lien Neville who was carrying out a hit on him. Billy tries to convince Rock to help him, because as he carries Geese's heritage, Lien would try to take him out too. Instead, Rock decides to save Lien's life and fights Billy, who almost manages to kill him as well for shaming Geese's legacy, but is blown away by a beam fired over Geese Tower.[28] He also stars in manhua from the video games which retells his actions from the games.[29] Additionally, in the manga The King of Fighters: Kyo authored by Masato Natsumoto, Billy starts investigating Kyo Kusanagi in order to make him talk about the ancient demon Orochi.[30]
In Gamest's 1997 Heroes Collection, Billy was voted as the staff's fourth favorite character.[31] In the character popularity poll on Neo Geo Freak's website, he was voted as the seventeenth favorite character with a total of 757 votes.[32] For the special endings in The King of Fighters '97, three video games journals, Gamest, Famitsu and Neo Geo Freak, had to create a team composed of three characters from the game so that they would be featured in an image after passing the arcade mode. The special team created by the Neo Geo Freak's staff was a team of fire wielders: Billy, Kyo Kusanagi, and Mai Shiranui. The special ending only appears in Japanese versions of the game.[33]
Duck King edit
- Voiced by: Kong Kuwata (games), Yūji Mitsuya (FF: TMP) (Japanese); Michael Beard (FFS), Matt Hill (FF: TMP) (English)
Duck King (ダック・キング, Dakku Kingu) appears in the original Fatal Fury as one of the first four opponents in the single-player mode. Possessing incredible talent when it comes to brawling and street dancing, Duck King once challenged Terry Bogard to a street fight and lost. He trained himself in order to surpass Terry. Duck uses a unique fighting style which includes rhythmical dance-like movements and attacks. His primary special move is a flying cannonball technique.
In Fatal Fury 2, Duck was one of the characters from the original game who is defeated by Krauser in one of the game's cut scenes, although he would appear as a playable character in Fatal Fury Special. He would retain his cannonball technique, now dubbed the Head Spin Attack, along with new special moves such as the Dancing Dive, Break Storm, and the Beat Rush. He also has a new hidden special move called the Break Spiral. From Special and onward, Duck would be accompanied by his pet chick "P-chan". He makes another quick cameo in Bob Wilson's ending Fatal Fury 3 before returning as a playable character in Real Bout Fatal Fury and its sequels, Real Bout Special and Real Bout 2. He also appears as an exclusive character in the PlayStation version of Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition.
Although Duck King has made numerous cameo appearances thorough The King of Fighters series, including as an alternate Striker (a character who helps the player in battle) in The King of Fighters 2000, he did not appear as a playable character until The King of Fighters XI, where he appears as a member of the new Fatal Fury Team along with Terry and Kim Kaphwan.
Geese Howard edit
Hwa Jai edit
- Voiced by: Sōnosuke Nagashiro (KOF XIII)
Hwa Jai (ホア・ジャイ, Hoa Jai) is the first of three opponents the player faces in the original Fatal Fury before the final match against Geese Howard. A former Muay Thai champion once nicknamed "The Hero of Muay Thai" (ムエタイの英雄, Muetai no Eiyū), he once fought against Joe Higashi in the past and lost, causing him to lose his title. Seeking to defeat Joe, he became a more reckless and dangerous fighter. After being banned from competing in the Muay Thai circuit, his brutal talent was noted by Geese Howard, who hired him to serve as one of his bodyguards and a participant in the King of Fighters tournament. His special technique, the Dragon Kick, was developed to compete with Joe's Tiger Kick. He also gains additional strength by drinking a sort of Super Drink, which thrown at him by one of Geese's men when he is in danger.
In Fatal Fury 2, Hwa Jai is one of the characters from the original game who gets defeated by an unknown challenger (Wolfgang Krauser). He is apparently hospitalized and visited by Joe Higashi, as seen in Joe's ending in the game and in Fatal Fury Special. He makes further cameos in the subsequent Fatal Fury games (Fatal Fury 3, Real Bout, Real Bout Special and Real Bout 2) as Joe's training partner and trainer. Despite having been absent since his original appearance as an opponent character in Fatal Fury, Hwa Jai has been confirmed to return in The King of Fighters XIII and marks the first time the character has been playable. Kim, following his "reform" of his previous teammates (Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge), seeks out Hwa Jai and Raiden as he believes they still work under Geese Howard. It is not the case as Geese had returned to America long ago but Raiden manages to talk Hwa Jai into joining the team to bolster their reputations as fighters. Hwa Jai accepts, partially due to wanting to fight Joe once again.
Joe Higashi edit
- Voiced by: Katsuhisa Namase (FF2, FFS, KOF '94), Nobuyuki Hiyama (FF3 – KOF XIII), Kōzō Mito (KOF XIV onwards), Chiharu Sawashiro (KOF for Girls), Masaaki Satake (FF: LOTHW), Kazuki Yao (Dengeki Bunko drama CD) (Japanese); Jason Gray-Stanford (FF anime films) (English)
Joe Higashi (ジョー・ヒガシ, Jō Higashi, also written as 東 丈, Higashi Jō) first appears in Fatal Fury: King of Fighters as one of the three playable characters along with Andy and Terry Bogard. The plot features Joe allying with the Bogard brothers to enter the King of Fighters tournament and then defeat the host Geese Howard, who killed the Bogard brothers' father. In the tournament, Joe also beats his Muay Thai rival Hwa Jai, and they both become friends. In Fatal Fury 2, Joe learns that Hwa Jai was beaten by the new King of Fighters host Wolfgang Krauser and enters the tournament to avenge him.[34] Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory and Real Bout Fatal Fury end the fight between Joe and the Bogard and Geese, who dies falling from the Geese Tower.[6] The two following games, Real Bout Fatal Fury Special and Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers also feature Joe as a playable character but none of them contain a storyline.[35][36] Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition retells the events from the first game, but with characters who would appear later.[37]
In The King of Fighters series, Joe is a regular member from the Fatal Fury Team (also composed of Terry and Andy), and each game features them entering into an annual tournament to search for competition. Andy's girlfriend Mai Shiranui, joins them in The King of Fighters '99 since the tournament now requires four members per team.[38] By The King of Fighters 2000 and The King of Fighters 2001, Mai leaves and the new fourth member is Blue Mary.[39][40] The King of Fighters 2002 and The King of Fighters 2003 return the tournament to use teams of three members, but in the latter pro-wrestler Tizoc replaces Andy, who is busy taking care of his sick student.[41][42] By The King of Fighters XI, Joe leaves the competition as he enters into a new Muay Thai tournament.[43] However, he returns in The King of Fighters XII, which neither features official teams or plot.[44] The sequel casts Joe back into the classic Fatal Fury team that includes Terry and Andy, the reason being Terry's desire to reunite the original team to participate in the upcoming tournament. In the spin-off The King of Fighters Kyo, the player (who uses Kyo Kusanagi) can challenge Joe to a fight in a game, and also make him join to his team for the upcoming King of Fighters tournament.[45] Joe also takes a minor role in The King of Fighters EX as an assistant character (dubbed "Striker") for the Fatal Fury Team, now composed with the Bogard brothers and Mai.[46] Additionally, he stars in The King of Fighters Neowave with the original Fatal Fury Team.[47] He was also added to the crossover game Capcom vs. SNK Pro, an updated version of Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 for the PlayStation and Sega Dreamcast, and in the sequel Capcom vs. SNK 2.[48][49] He is also present the otome game King of Fighters for Girls.[50] Joe appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a background character at King of Fighters Stadium.
Joe Higashi appears in each of the three animated films from Fatal Fury. Jason Gray-Stanford provides the voice of Joe in the English versions. Masaaki Satake provides the voice of Joe in the Japanese version of the first film and Nobuyuki Hiyama in the two following. In the Fatal Fury: Legend of the Hungry Wolf from 1993, Joe enters the King of Fighters tournament along with the Bogard brothers which cause Geese Howard to attack them. Upon learning that Andy and Terry's teacher, Tung Fu Rue, was seriously injured by Geese's right-hand man, Billy Kane, Andy and Joe set to fight Geese. None of them are able to defeat Geese, but are saved by Terry who later defeats Geese.[51] In the 1993 film Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle, Joe becomes ashamed after learning that Terry became depressed after being defeated by Wolfgang Krauser and tries to avenge him. However, he ends up being heavily wounded by Krauser.[52] In Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture from 1994 Joe joins Terry, Andy and Mai into helping a girl named Sulia into stopping her brother Laocorn Gaudeamus, who is the main antagonist from the film.[53]
Michael Max edit
Michael Max (マイケル・マックス, Maikeru Makkusu) is a black boxer who appears in the original Fatal Fury as one of the first four CPU-controlled opponents whom the player faces. Prior to the events of the game, Michael was a young boxing prodigy who was once considered a strong contender for the title of Worldwide Heavyweight Champion. However, he left the boxing circuit to seek real combat and participate in the King of Fighters tournament, feeling that professional boxing was a mere sport protected by rules. He is also the friend and student of boxing of Axel Hawk. His only other appearances in the series includes in the cut-scenes of Fatal Fury 2, where he is one of the fighters defeated by Wolfgang Krauser, and in Axel Hawk's ending in Fatal Fury Special, where he is depicted as Axel's trainer. In one of his victory poses, it is revealed that he is Catholic. Michael Max is the only character from the original Fatal Fury that has never appeared in The King of Fighters series until he makes a cameo at one of The King of Fighters XV trailer.
Raiden / Big Bear edit
- Voiced by: Dango Takeda (FFS), Hisao Egawa (FF anime films), Daisuke Gōri (KOF XII–KOF XIII) (Japanese); John Hulaton (FF3–CVS2), Robert O. Smith (FF anime films), Iain Gibb (KOF XIII) (English)
Raiden (ライデン, Raiden) first appears in the original Fatal Fury as the second of the final four computer-controlled opponents in the single-player mode. He was once a popular face wrestler until he was betrayed by his tag partner during a match (a character later revealed to be Big Bombarder from the SNK wrestling game 3 Count Bout). This incident transformed him completely and he became a notorious heel wrestler. Not satisfied with venting his frustration in the ring, he enters the King of Fighters tournament as a masked fighter, acting as one of Geese's guardians. His primary special move in the game is the Vapor Breath. This character was modeled after real life pro wrestler Big Van Vader.
He returns as a regular playable character in Fatal Fury 2 and Fatal Fury Special, where he renounces his Raiden persona and now fights as an unmasked face wrestler under the identity of Big Bear (ビッグ・ベア, Biggu Bea). He trains at his native land of Australia, where his deadly strength increased on several levels. He also develops a friendly rivalry with Terry, as seen in his endings in both games. His special moves in Fatal Fury 2 includes the Giant Bomb, a rushing tackle, and the Super Drop Kick. He also has a hidden special move called the Fire Breath, an improved version of his Vapor Breath. In Special, he gains a new special move called the Bear Bomber.
Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, being a retelling of the original Fatal Fury tournament, depicts Raiden under his masked heel persona once again. Outside the Fatal Fury series, Raiden also appeared in the Capcom-produced crossover game Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000, and its sequels, Capcom vs. SNK Pro and Capcom vs. SNK 2, being one of the few Fatal Fury characters who did not appear in The King of Fighters as a playable character (at the time) in those games. Raiden also appears in The King of Fighters XII and the sequel. In KOF XII none of the characters are assigned into teams but for KOF XIII they are. Raiden's teammates in KOF XIII are Kim Kaphwan and Hwa Jai. Kim is mistaken in thinking Raiden and Hwa Jai are still in the employ of Geese Howard, wanting to "reform" both men. Raiden convinces Hwa Jai to act as if they are so they are able to enter the tournament to build reputation for themselves. The Fatal Fury characters refer him as "Bear", his face persona, which he denies.
Richard Meyer edit
- Voiced by: Masaharu Satō (FF: TMP), Kong Kuwata (KOF: MI2) (Japanese); Ward Perry (FF anime films), Kofi Candela (KOF: MI2) (English)
Richard Meyer (リチャード・マイヤー, Richādo Maiyā) appears in the original Fatal Fury as one of the first four computer-controlled opponents in the single-player mode. A capoeira mestre originally from Brazil, Richard makes his daily living in South Town as the manager of the restaurant Pao Pao Cafe. He competes in the King of Fighters tournament in order to make his capoiera style known to the world. In this game, his character specializes in numerous kick techniques. Richard Meyer was the first fighting game character to use Capoeira.
Richard makes cameo appearances in subsequent Fatal Fury games as a friendly acquaintance of the Bogard brothers and Joe. He appears in Fatal Fury 2 in the cut scene shown immediately after the first battle against the CPU, tending to a crowd of spectators at Pao Pao Cafe witnessing the player's fight on television. He appears again near the end of the game, where he is defeated in battle by Wolfgang Krauser, as well in Terry Bogard's ending, serving him and his date their meal.
In Fatal Fury 3, Richard opens a new Pao Pao Cafe restaurant, which is maintained by his capoeira apprentice Bob Wilson. In Fatal Fury 3, as well as in Real Bout series, Richard appears to cheer and encourage Bob before each of his matches. He makes cameos in The King of Fighters XI, trying to tell Kim to leave the cafe and in King of Fighters XIII witnessing several female fighters destroy his bar.
Richard appears as a hidden character in the PlayStation 2 game KOF: Maximum Impact 2 (released in North America as The King of Fighters 2006), participating as a fighter for the first time since the original Fatal Fury.
Terry Bogard edit
Tung Fu Rue edit
- Voiced by: Keiichiro Sakagi (FFS), Kōji Yada (FF: LOTHW), Shigefumi Nakai (RBFFS: DM–NGBC), Hajime Shikase (KOF XIV) (Japanese); Mina E. Mina (FF: LOTHW, FF2: TNB) (English)
Tung Fu Rue (タン フー ルー, Tan Fū Rū, Chinese: 糖胡芦; Pinyin: Táng Hú-Lú) is one of the first four opponents the players face in the original Fatal Fury (when either Andy or Terry defeats him in Fatal Fury Special, each Bogard brother addresses him as "Master Tan"). He is an elderly martial arts master from China who developed his own fighting style based on Bajiquan known as the Holy Fist of Eight Ways (八極聖拳, Hakkyokuseiken). In the past, he trained Terry and Andy's adoptive father, Jeff Bogard, and his nemesis Geese Howard (as well as Cheng Sinzan). He raised the Bogard brothers after Jeff was killed by Geese and participates in the King of Fighters tournament in the first game with the objective to defeat Geese. He can transform his body into steel and draw out great power using a deadly secret technique known only to himself. In the game, he appears as meek elderly man, but after taking a bit of damage, he transforms into a musclebound warrior, whose special moves including a flying whirlwind punch and a spinning whirlwind kick in which he shoots fireballs at both directions.
In Fatal Fury 2, Tung was one of the characters defeated by Wolfgang Krauser in one of the game's cut-scene. He would appear as a playable character in Fatal Fury Special, the upgraded version of Fatal Fury 2. Unlike the original game, Tung only transforms into a musclebound version of himself while performing certain special moves. Tung reappears in Real Bout Special and Real Bout 2. In Real Bout Special, there are two versions of him in the game. In regular version of him has improved versions of his previous special moves, as well as new moves, while the alternate version of him (EX Tung Fu Rue) has all of his moves from Fatal Fury Special and one Hidden Ability. In Real Bout 2, Tung has special moves from both versions of his character in the previous game.
Tung also appears in the SNK crossover game NeoGeo Battle Coliseum. This version of the character was used as an additional character in the PlayStation 2 port of The King of Fighters XI, until he canonically participates in The King of Fighters XIV. He is also one of the 20 background characters that appears in the King of Fighters Stadium Stage in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
In The King of Fighters timeline, Tung played a vital role in XIV. According to a profile of one of his disciples, and the protagonist central character of that arc, Shun'ei, Tung found Shun'ei after his biological parents abandoned him for having an eerie powers, related to the main antagonist of that arc. Sensing good in the young eerie powered boy, Tung decided to raise Shun'ei as his disciple to be trained by himself against the villains who had a connection to Shun'ei's eerie power, such as the villain who is connected to Shun'ei's left-half power, an avatar of fiery rage and soul containing entity known as Verse. Additionally, he has met Kyo Kusanagi's father, Saisyu Kusanagi, and a fellow elderly Chinese martial arts master, Chin Gentsai, sometime before.
Introduced in Fatal Fury 2 and Fatal Fury Special edit
Axel Hawk edit
- Voiced by: Hirohiko Kakegawa (FF2: TNB) (Japanese); Michael Beard (FF2), Michael Dobson (FF2: TNB) (English)
Axel Hawk (アクセル・ホーク, Akuseru Hōku) first appears in Fatal Fury 2 as the second of the final four opponents in the single-player mode. A former heavyweight boxing champion, he was said to be the strongest of all time until his retirement. According to his backstory, he began spending most of his days at home after his retirement, playing with his R/C car and being supported by his elderly mother, his father having died at some point. One day, he received an anonymous letter inviting him to the King of Fighters tournament and began training for his comeback. He was originally a non-playable character in the Neo Geo version of Fatal Fury 2, although he is playable in the SNES and Genesis versions of the game. He became a regular playable character in Fatal Fury Special. He is also the teacher of boxing and the best friend of Michael Max. He makes a cameo at the end of The King of Fighters 2003 cheering on the Fatal Fury Team.
Cheng Sinzan edit
- Voiced by: Jun Hashimoto (FFS), Shigefumi Nakai (RBFFS–RBFFS2), Chafurin (FF: TMP) (Japanese); Robert O. Smith (FF: TMP) (English)
Cheng Sinzan (チン・シンザン, Chin Shinzan, Chinese: 陳 秦山; Pinyin: Chén Qínshān; Cantonese Yale: Chàhn Chèuhn-sāan) is introduced as one of the new playable characters in Fatal Fury 2. A rotund fighter, he practices tai chi. Despite his immense strength, he hates training and becomes tired very easily. He enters the King of Fighters tournament seeking to gain international recognition and open his own training hall. He is characterized as one of the richest men in Hong Kong, who resides in a high class neighborhood and is married to a former Miss Hong Kong. Despite his social status, he seeks to find ways to make himself even richer. His Special Moves in Fatal Fury 2, as well as in Fatal Fury Special, includes the Thunderblast Powerball (氣雷砲, Kiraihō), the Belly Drum Blast (大太鼓腹打, Daitaikobarauchi), and the Avalanche Crunch (破岩激, Hagangeki), while his Super Special Move is the Exploding Thunder Powerball (爆雷砲, Bakuraihō).
He makes a non-playable appearance in Fatal Fury 3, helping Hon-Fu chase after Ryuji Yamazaki and doesn't return as a playable character until Real Bout Special and Real Bout 2. In the backstory of Real Bout Special, it is revealed that Cheng was once a disciple of Tung Fu Rue trained in Hakkyoku Seiken along with Jeff Bogard and Geese Howard, but was expelled due to his greediness. He would also make money by having people bet against him in street fights and then lose on purpose.
Jubei Yamada edit
- Voiced by: Dango Takeda (FFS), Jōji Yanami (FF anime films) (Japanese); French Tickner (FF anime films) (English)
Jubei Yamada (山田 十平衛, Yamada Jūbei) is one of the five playable characters introduced in Fatal Fury 2. An elderly judo master who was once known as "Yamada, the Demon" during his youth. Jubei Yamada is the best friend and rival of Hanzo Shiranui (the grandfather of Mai Shiranui). Having lost his charm from his younger days, Jubei fights in the new King of Fighters tournament in order to re-establish his popularity with girls around the world. Despite this, he refuses to change his womanizing lecherous ways. Although Jubei does not return as a playable character in later games, he makes several cameo appearances, including in Mai Shiranui's ending in Real Bout Fatal Fury, where he is shown to have an infatuation with her.
Kim Kaphwan edit
- Voiced by: Satoshi Hashimoto (FF2–KOF XI), Kazuhiko Nagata (KOF XII–KOF XIV), Daiki Nakamura (FF2: TNB, FF: TMP), Hiroshi Isobe (Dengeki Bunko drama CD: Garō Densetsu 2 and Garō Densetsu Special), Kunihiro Kawamoto (KOF: D onwards), Ayaka Ōhashi (KOFAS; New Kim),[54] Takuya Eguchi (KOF for Girls) (Japanese); David Kaye (FF2: TNB, FF: TMP) (English)
Kim Kap-Hwan (金甲煥 (キム・カッファン), Kimu Kaffan, sometimes written as 김갑환 (Kim Kap-hwan), usually written as Kim Kaphwan) first appears in Fatal Fury 2 as a playable character. He travels to Southtown to fight Wolfgang Krauser, who was looking for some decent challenges in the King of Fighters fighting tournament. On the way, he encounters the former King of Fighters champion Terry Bogard. They soon become good friends, and ever since, Kim always agrees to help Terry in all that he can, though a definite rivalry is maintained.[55] He also appears in all the Real Bout games from the series.[56][57][58] He is also present in Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, a 3D game which retells the story from the first Fatal Fury game but with characters from the sequels including Kim.[59] He makes a cameo appearance in Garou: Mark of the Wolves in one of his son's (Dong Hwan) win poses.
In The King of Fighters, Kim is considered as both a sport and national hero in his native Korea. This status is what enabled him to convince the authorities to give him custody over Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge to rehabilitate them out of their criminal ways.[60] Although both men resent Kim for his actions, they later grow up to grudgingly respect him.[61] Due to the increase of required members in The King of Fighters '99, Kim's rival, Jhun Hoon, joins the Korea Team.[62] However, in The King of Fighters 2001, Jhun has an accident and he is replaced by Kim's student, May Lee.[63] By The King of Fighters 2003, the requirements of members return to three and this time the members of the Korea Team are Kim, Jhun and Chang.[64] In The King of Fighters XI, Kim appears as a member of the Fatal Fury Team along with Terry Bogard and Duck King as the team needed one more member.[65] In The King of Fighters XII, Kim is a playable character, but like each of them, he does not have a team.[66] As The King of Fighters XIII has returned to assigning the characters into official teams, Kim is cast as the leader of his team, composing of himself, Raiden and Hwa Jai (both from Fatal Fury: King of Fighters). He is teamed with the men because, after "rehabilitating" Chang and Choi, he seeks out Raiden and Hwa Jai believing they are still working for Geese (they are not but they pretend that they still do so they can compete in The King of Fighters tournament). The games from the series which do not contain plot, The King of Fighters '98 and The King of Fighters 2002, also feature Kim along with Choi and Chang in the Korea Team.[67][68] In the console version of The King of Fighters Neowave, Kim appears as a hidden character without an official team.[69]
In the spin-off game, The King of Fighters Kyo, Kim is not playable but he can be aided by the lead character Kyo Kusanagi in order to train Chang and Choi.[70] In the two games for the Game Boy Advance titled EX: Neo Blood and EX2, the Korea Team is featured in its original form.[71][72] Kim does not appear in KOF: Maximum Impact as he was replaced with his pupil Chae Lim.[citation needed] However, he is a hidden character in KOF: Maximum Impact 2 and also makes a cameo in Chae Lim's ending.[73][74] He also appears in the crossovers Neo Geo Battle Coliseum and the SNK vs. Capcom series as a playable character.[75][76] In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, he appears both as a background character in the King of Fighters Stadium stage and as a Spirit.[77]
Kim also appears in two of the three animated films from Fatal Fury in which he takes supporting roles. He is voiced by Daiki Nakamura in the Japanese versions and by David Kaye in the English dub. In Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle, Kim challenges Terry to fight after learning that he defeated the former crime lord from Southtown Geese Howard to test his own strength. Although he is defeated, he and Terry become good friends.[78] In the sequel, Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture, he also appears reuniting with Terry and his friends along with his family searching to have a rematch with Terry. However, during the meeting Cheng Sinzan (from Fatal Fury 2), enhanced by cyber-armor attacks all the people and Kim is seriously injured. Despite his wounds, Kim manages to defeat Cheng, but spends most of the time of the film recovering.[79] He also stars in manhua from the video games which retell his actions from the games.[80]
Laurence Blood edit
- Voiced by: Katsuhisa Namase (FFS), Hiroyuki Arita (RBFFS–RBFF2), Kōji Totani (FF anime films) (Japanese); Ward Perry (FF anime films) (English)
Laurence Blood (ローレンス・ブラッド, Rōrensu Buraddo) first appears in Fatal Fury 2 as the third of the four boss characters the player faces at the end of the single-player mode. He is a former Spanish matador who uses a self-styled martial art based on his deadly bullfighting methods (his fighting style is very similar to the fencing and the French martial art of the Savate). He serves as the right-hand man and servant of Wolfgang Krauser and participates in the tournament under his request. He is a computer-only character in the Neo Geo version of Fatal Fury 2 and became playable in Fatal Fury Special. Blood would return as a playable character in Real Bout Special and Real Bout 2. He is notable for being one of five bullfighter characters in fighting games (the other three being Vega of Street Fighter, Miguel of Human Killing Machine, Miguel Caballero Rojo of Tekken, and Kilian of Samurai Shodown). He is also the only boss character from Real Bout Fatal Fury Special and Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 that hasn't appeared in the King of Fighters tournaments.
Mai Shiranui edit
Ryo Sakazaki edit
Wolfgang Krauser edit
- Voiced by: Hirotaka Suzuoki (FF2: TNB), Takuya Iwabata (young; KOF:D), Yutaka Aoyama (KOFAS) (Japanese); Michael Beard (FFS), B.J. Love (KOF '96–RBFF2), Paul Dobson (FF2: TNB) (English)
Wolfgang Krauser von Stroheim made his appearance in Fatal Fury 2, where he serves as the final opponent in the tournament. Known as the only man in the world feared by Geese Howard (whom in Fatal Fury Special is revealed to be his elder half-brother from the same father, Rudolph Krauser von Stroheim or Rudolph Von Zanac), Krauser is a German nobleman who is publicly known as the current Earl of Stroheim, a prestigious family in Europe, but within the underworld he is a ruthless warlord known as the Emperor of Darkness. After Geese's supposed death in the original Fatal Fury, Krauser sponsors a new King of Fighters tournament with his three chosen warriors Laurence Blood, Axel Hawk and Billy Kane (a former underling of Geese himself) in order to lure the men who defeated Geese (Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, and Joe Higashi).
Although Krauser takes his own life following the events of Fatal Fury 2 and Special according to the background story in the subsequent games,[81] Krauser appeared in the special installments of the series, Real Bout Fatal Fury Special and Real Bout Fatal Fury 2.
Outside the Fatal Fury series, Krauser appears as a member of the Boss Team in The King of Fighters '96 with his half-brother Geese and Geese's former partner-in-crime Mr. Big. The Boss Team made another appearance in the remake of The King of Fighters '98 titled The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match. Additionally, Krauser also appears as a "Striker" character in the console versions of The King of Fighters 2000.
Krauser serves as the main antagonist in the anime special Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle. According to character designer Masami Ōbari (who also worked on Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer), Krauser was redesigned to be ten years younger than his video game counterpart and given a clean-shaved appearance. In this special, Krauser challenges his half-brother's nemesis Terry Bogard to battle and wins. After Terry regains his courage, he challenges Krauser again and wins the rematch, causing Krauser to commit suicide due to his loss.
Introduced in Fatal Fury 3 edit
Blue Mary edit
- Voiced by: Harumi Ikoma (FF3–KOF: MIR"A"), Sarah Emi Bridcutt (KOF XIV onwards)
Mary Ryan (マリー・ライアン, Marī Raian), better known as Blue Mary (ブルー・マリー, Burū Marī), is a special agent investigating activity in the city of Southtown, and a recurring love interest of Terry Bogard. She makes her first appearance in Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory, investigating the Secret Scrolls of the Jin Brothers, items able to give immortality to their users.[82] Real Bout Fatal Fury shows Mary allying with Terry Bogard and his friends to fight the crime lord from Southtown, Geese Howard.[83] The two following games, Real Bout Fatal Fury Special and Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers, also feature Blue Mary as a playable character but neither of them presents a storyline. Real Bout Fatal Fury Special also features an "EX" version from Mary with her movesets from Fatal Fury 3.[84][85] The PlayStation version of Real Bout Fatal Fury Special also contains a music video clip featuring the song "Blue Mary's Blues" by Harumi Ikoma, Mary's voice actress.[86]
Following her Fatal Fury inception, Blue Mary becomes a regular character with frequently changing team membership in The King of Fighters series, beginning as a member of the '97 Special Team in The King of Fighters '97 along with Billy Kane and Ryuji Yamazaki. A mysterious benefactor (Geese Howard) requests her services to enter the King of Fighters tournament, along with Billy and Yamazaki, who starts to become insane due to the power from the demon Orochi.[87] However, after discovering that Geese was her client, Mary leaves the team.[88] The team is also featured in The King of Fighters '98, The King of Fighters 2002, and The King of Fighters Neowave, which do not contain a storyline.[89][90][91] In The King of Fighters '99, she joins up with King, Li Xiangfei, and Kasumi Todoh as the new Women Fighters Team, but leaves and becomes the fourth member of the Fatal Fury Team (composed by Terry, Andy Bogard and Joe Higashi) in The King of Fighters 2000 and The King of Fighters 2001.[92][93][94] She would join forces with King again as member of the Women Fighters Team in The King of Fighters 2003, this time with Mai Shiranui as their third member.[95] In The King of Fighters XI, she joins Vanessa and Ramón as a member of the Agents Team in order investigate the host from The King of Fighters tournaments, an organization named Those from the Past.[96] Blue Mary appears in The King of Fighters XIV as a playable character via downloadable content.[97] In The King of Fighters XV, she joins Vanessa again to form the Secret Agent Team, with