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
The characters in The King of Fighters debuting in The King of Fighters '95.
open/close all folders
See the folder below for tropes on characters returning from past entries:
Returning Characters
Rivals Team
Iori Yagami
See The King Of Fighters Rivals for tropes on him
Billy Kane
Right Hand of the King
"There's only one man I'll never match up to. This was your fate from the start!"
Origin: England
Fighting style: Bojutsu
Voiced by: note
Playable in: note
Geese's loyal right-hand man ever since the first Fatal Fury. A punk from England whose skill with a staff is second to none, he's nonetheless committed to his sister Lilly, and when Geese was killed, returned to England to support her. In the King of Fighters series, his involvement generally pertains to carrying out Geese's requests, such as investigating the Orochi power in the '95 and '97 tournaments, the former of which earned him a beatdown from Iori Yagami, causing a serieswide hatred of the redhead. In the Maximum Impact series, where Geese was killed, he trys to convince Rock to follow in his father's footsteps. In The King of Fighters XIII he returns to his original attire and enters the tournament for the first time not under orders from Geese; this time on a personal "mission" to find and defeat Iori. He returns to his normal duties in XIV and XV as DLC, now fighting alongside Geese for the first time in the series' history.
See Fatal Fury: King of Fighters for tropes on him.
Eiji Kisaragi
"I'm a ninja! I have no pity for losers!"
Origin: Japan
Fighting style: Kisaragi-style Ninjutsu
Voiced by: note
Playable in: note
A ninja assigned by Mr. Big to assassinate the Sakazaki family. He has failed repeatedly to do this, but nonetheless still pursues his goal. He joined up with Billy and Iori in the '95 tournament to form the Rival Team, but the three failed to reach the finals; Iori beat the two ruthlessly for their failure, resulting in a lifelong grudge from them. He also joined up with Kasumi and Malin in the eleventh tournament to form the Anti-Kyokugen team. If the KOF: Kyo manga is canon, he may have had a hilariously nasty run-in with Kyo's mother Shizuka at one point, too.
See Art of Fighting for tropes on him
Others
Saisyu Kusanagi
"Defeat is defeat. Fighting's no picnic, kid."
Origin: Japan
Fighting style: Kusanagi-style martial arts
Voiced by: note
Portrayed by: note
Playable in: note
The father of Kyo Kusanagi, and the current head of the clan. After the events of the '94 and '95 tournaments, he handed off the responsibilities of the clan to Kyo, claiming it was Kyo's time to face his destiny. He hasn't done much since then, aside from training Shingo.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: In '95, done by Rugal through his secretary Vice. He resisted as much as he could, which gets Vice to hate him.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Lazy, eccentric, a slacker... and an extremely powerful fighter and mentor when he bothers to get serious. The KOF: KYO manga is really good at this.
- Cannot Spit It Out: He was so moved by Shingo's courage and determination that he couldn't reveal the fact that the Kusanagi flames are hereditary powers, meaning that Shingo would never be able to use fire.
- Cool Old Guy: He's essentially Kyo with a more cheerful disposition and more lifetime experience.
- Early-Bird Cameo: He first appeared in '94, in the cutscene before the Japan Team fights Rugal. Apparently, he fought the villain before you got there and lost badly, lying bloodied on the ground. '94 Re-Bout adds him to the roster as a full-fledged character with his '95 moveset.
- Ground Wave: He can perform Yami Barai, a flame projectile, just like his son, Kyo.
- Happily Married: As shown in KOF: Kyo. Also, his wife is listed as one of his personal treasures in his profile.
- Henpecked Husband: In the Destiny animated series. It's revealed that he didn't enter the first King of Fighters tournament because his wife wouldn't allow him to go.
- It's a Small World, After All: He and Takuma have known each other for years. It comes handy in KOF:KYO when Yuki mysteriously disappears and Saisyu ropes the Sakazakis plus Robert into helping Kyo to find her. Also, Takuma often talks about Saisyu when around Kyo, as shown in XIII.
- Lazy Husband: In Destiny. His wife Shizuka is shown complaining that he never helps out around the house and spends all his free time either training or relaxing.
- Like Father, Like Son: He retains some of the same cocky demeanor that his son has, acting arrogant in a few of his win quotes. Though he's become much more mellow with age.
- The Mentor: He teaches Shingo the basics of the Kusanagi-style arts, enough that the latter becomes proficient enough to compete in KOF.
- Moveset Clone: If anything, it's said he relies on the basics much more than his son, and makes very good use of it.
- Old Master: Despite being somewhat younger than the standard, being 50 years old.
- Open-Minded Parent: Due to his status within the Kusanagi clan and the fact that his son can't avoid his destiny.
- Passing the Torch: In the Hero Team's ending, Saisyu is impressed by Kyo and decides to go into self-exile, essentially electing Kyo as a new head of the Kusanagi clan. He'd stay Put on a Bus since then, occasionally reappearing either as a part of a Dream Match Game or cameos in story scenes.
- Perfect Play A.I.: Saisyu, despite being a mid-boss preceding Rugal, has better AI than him, and might be one of the most vigilant in the main series. He has both projectile and anti-air move, and he knows how to use them at the exact moment you try to hit him. On the highest difficulty, unless you know how to break Saisyu's AI, your success will depend on whether the computer decides to let you win or not. Keep in mind he's usually ranked as mediocre tier as a playable character.
- Playing with Fire: As a member of the Kusanagi bloodline, he gets to wield and control fire.
- Retired Badass: After '95, he passes on the duties and responsibilities of the Kusanagi clan to Kyo. XIII reveals that he asked Takuma to train Kyo in his absence.
- Shared Signature Move: He can perform Yami Barai and Oniyaki like his son, being users of the same fighting style. He can also perform Serpent Wave as his DM.
- Shoryuken: Oniyaki, a spinning uppercut wreathed in flames. He shares this move with Kyo.
- Shotoclone: Like his son, Saisyu can use the Yami Barai and Oniyaki for his projectile and Shoryuken. Uniquely, he has the Shinken rush forward special exclusive to him.
- SNK Boss: In '95, he can read your inputs and counter almost anything you attack him with.
- Spell My Name With An S: Saishu is another way of romanizing his name. SNK seems to prefer Saisyu for whatever reason. The final part of his name in romaji can either be spelled as "u", "uu", or "ū".
- Three-Strike Combo: His DM Toubougai starts with him doing a punch like his son's Aragami, then an uppercut, and finally a pillar of flame.
- The Worf Effect: Twice. First he's beaten to near death by Rugal before being captured and then Brainwashed and Crazy, which pisses the fuck out of Kyo. In the KOF:KYO manga he and Eiji are both curb-stomped by Goenitz.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Downplayed. He is not exactly ugly, but has very visibly aged. Meanwhile, his wife Shizuka looks very fine for her age.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: According to his profile, he has a fear of heights.
Nakoruru
Mother Nature's Guardian
"This is nature's punishment."
Origin: Kamuikotan, the Ainu Lands (past)
Fighting style: Dancing Sword Arts of the Shikanna-Kamui
Playable in: note
One of the stars of SNK's Samurai Shodown games, an Ainu priestess of Kamui Kotan and protector of Mother Nature, fighting alongside her pet hawk Mamahaha, although she was last seen becoming a spirit of nature. Joins the King of Fighters tournament as part of the "Another World" team alongside Mui Mui and Love Heart, apparently sensing a possible disturbance caused by a crack in space-time at her timeline and goes to the present day in order to investigate. Originally first seen in the Gameboy port of KOF 95, KOF XIV will be her first canon appearance in KOF. She is also set to return in XV as the final Season 1 DLC team member 'Team Samurai', along with her series protagonist Haohmaru and series newcomer Darli Dagger.
See Samurai Shodown for tropes on her.
