The King of Fighters XIV / Characters

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

Characters are listed in alphabetical order of last names. It should be noted that all the Chinese and Korean character names are rendered in the Western-style (given name-surname rather than surname-given name).

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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, Joe, Tung, Geese, and Billy
For tropes on Mai and Kim
For tropes on Blue Mary and Yamazaki
For tropes on Rock
For tropes on Yuri, Ryo, Robert, and King
For tropes on Nakoruru
For tropes on Kyo and K'
For tropes on Iori and Kula
For tropes on Benimaru, Daimon, Heidern, Ralf, Clark, Chang, and Choi
For tropes on Leona, Mature, and Vice
For tropes on Maxima and Whip
For tropes on Ramon and Vanessa
For tropes on Angel
For tropes on Oswald

China Team

Shun'ei

See his character page along with the other Protagonists here.

Meitenkun

Sleeping Prodigy

"Now I'll brush my teeth and continue my dream..."

Origin China

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

Fighting style: Hakkyokuminminken (Eight Extremities Sleepy Fist)

Voiced by: Seira Ryu

Playable in: ^note

Meitenkun is a sleepy young fighter who is always seen holding a pillow. Along with Shun'ei, he strove to train under the legendary Master Tung Fu Rue. His fighting style was named Hakkyokuminminken (Eight Extremities Sleepy Fist) by Tung. He conceals enough energy to earn himself the title of Tung's "secret weapon".

Affectionate Nickname: His friends call him "Meiten".
Anime Hair: He's got unkempt white hair.
Anti-Air: "Geki Hou" has Meiten erupt a blast of light around him that catches out airborne opponents.
Badass Adorable: Being a friendly, cute, and sleepy young boy doesn't stop him from being able to take on heavyweight fighters and win all his sparring matches with Shun'ei.
Battle Intro: In XV:
"Hey, hey! Is this guy sleepwalking? Don't snooze on him because he'll pack a punch! Meitenkun!
Meitenkun: "*yawn*... All right, let's do this!"
Best Friend: It's implied he and Shun'ei have studied together for a long time, and have a strong partnership.
Bilingual Bonus: His name is Chinese though written in on'yomi; the actual pinyin reading is "Mingtianjun".
Brilliant, but Lazy: While he would rather sleep than fight, he's apparently so strong that he always wins his fight with Shun'ei (as mentioned in their special intro). And don't forget how he has a lot of energy.
Charge-Input Special: He only has two charge specials - Sen-Siss Hou (done with a back to forward input whilst having a follow-up) and Geik Hou (down to up). Uniquely, the longer you hold down his charge input specials, the more damaging they become.
Charged Attack: He's unique among "charge" type characters that, the more you charge to a direction, the stronger his specials become when he launches it.
Dash Attack: His "Sen-Siss Hou" special has him leaping forward to punch his foe.
Leitmotif: "Sobagaramakura", which played in his XV character trailer and is also his rival theme when he fights against Shun'ei and vice-versa.
Improbable Weapon User: Throws, blocks, and strikes with his pillow. When he throws it he seems to charge it with some kind of ki, at least, but how it protects him or harms his opponents otherwise is anyone's best guess.
Girlish Pigtails: More apparent in KOF XV, adding to his Bishōnen charm.
Kamehame Hadoken: His Climax DM in XIV ends with one.
Ki Manipulation: He has lots of energy inside him that he can release in big bursts. But doing so makes him really sleepy. Whenever he uses a super, he falls asleep right after and has to be manually woken up before moving around again.
Meaningful Name: His name has the Chinese word for "tomorrow", explaining his sleeping habit.
Nice Guy: He's a very sweet and polite lad, and is often worried for his best friend Shune'ei's safety.
Really Fond of Sleeping: He likes to sleep whenever he can, sometimes during fights even. His hobby is "getting back to sleep for the 5th time", and his fighting style is called "Eight Extremities Sleeping Fist". However, he's a surprisingly strong fighter whom Shun'ei struggles to beat every time they spar.
Sleepy Head: His entire theme. One of his DMs (Chou Geki Hou) involves a large burst of energy, before he collapses and lays on his pillow afterward. His other DM (Hakuchuu Musou) has him attacking while sleeping.
Spam Attack: Kick-based version with his Ressen Kyaku special.

Official Invitation Team

Sylvie Paula Paula

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

Shocking Beauty

"I think it's time the world recognized I'm not a failure anymore!"

Origin: France

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/frenchfag_214.png

Fighting style: Electromagnetic force

Voiced by: Mio

Playable in: ^note

An eccentric woman who formerly worked for the NESTS organization, she was formally invited to the tournament after proving herself to be a serious threat in the underground fighting circuit.

Anti-Villain: A former NESTS agent abused and treated as useless during her time at NESTS, and though she had proven her worth after NESTS' fall, she has zero interests in reviving the organization. In the end, she just comes off as an extremely eccentric but otherwise quite innocent girl.
Ass Kicks You: One of her throws, Sylvie grabs the opponent, plays leapfrog and delivers a brutal butt bump.
Battle Intro: In XV:
"Sparks fly when she's live! Don't let her crazy antics fool you! Sylvie Paula Paula!
Sylvie: "Warning: severe electromagnetism detected. Watch out for electric shocks."
Beware the Silly Ones: Despite her goofy mannerisms and absurd clothing, she is a former NESTS operative.
Cloud Cuckoo Lander: To put it bluntly, Sylvie has quite a good few screws loose in her head.
Cute But Psycho: Eccentric, though not particularly malicious.
Dark and Troubled Past: When she was in NESTS, her power didn't manifest that greatly, so the NESTS crews treated her horribly and abused her. As shown in SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy, she was also regularly whipped.
Energy Ball: Her Climax DM has her deploy a slowly-moving but powerful ball of electricity.
Eyes Do Not Belong There: The giant eyeballs in her hair and on her costume. Ultimately ornamental.
Goth: Her outfit in XV.
Grapple Move: Her Magneto-Trapo! DM has her grabbing her foe with electricity, then slams them down hard to the ground.
Idol Singer: Very obviously based on Kyary Pamyu Pamyu right down to her name.
Imaginary Friend: According to her bio, she has one. Her "extra eyeballs" are also Companion Cubes to her.
Kick Them While They Are Down: Her Paula Experiment DM can hit downed foes. She can even link the move twice in a row.
Magikarp Power: In story, she was initially considered useless during her time in NESTS. It was only after the organization fell that her powers began to grow.
Not Quite Flight: Her standard dash is her levitating with her electricity while jetting herself forward.
Odd Friendship: She’s close friends with Shermie, whom she views as a Cool Big Sis. Shermie is even the one who gave her a spare invitation so she could enter the tournament in XV.
Psycho Electro: To put it mildly, Sylvie is nuts, and she's got the power to match.
Put on a Bus: She and Mian are absent in the base roster of XV, while Kukri joins up with Ash and Elisabeth.
- Later announced as a season 2 DLC character for XV.
Rummage Sale Reject: It's like a thrift clothing store threw up on her.
Shock and Awe: Sylvie commands electricity and magnetism as part of her fighting style.
Shoryuken: Her Kaiten Coil special is this, done with her legs.
Third-Person Person: Played With. She refers herself as... 'Paula'. Not 'Sylvie'. The only exception being when she's chosen on the character select screen.
Vague Age: Appearance-wise, she looks younger than Kula, but her model in SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy revealed that she's pretty buxom when not using her idol outfit, which raises questions on how old she actually is.
Yellow Lightning, Blue Lightning: Unlike Benimaru's, her lightning attacks are yellow.
- Now red as of XV.

Kukri

Sharp-Tongued Sandman

"Having my time wasted by a loser like this. Just like my fortune said this morning."

Origin: North Africa (per what little info he has given his teammates, in truth was also raised in Mali)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/picture_1.png

Fighting style: Hot Sand Assassin's Fist

Voiced by: Hiroki Takahashi

Playable in: ^note

Boss character in: ^note

A mysterious fighter in a hood who fights with sand powers. Working from the shadows in a secret society, he is believed to have some connection to "Those From The Distant Land" and wears the signature arm bracelets that the group's members possess.

XV finally sheds light on his backstory. Kukri grew up as an orphan in the desert streets, fighting for survival. One day, he met a woman named Dolores who took him in and adopted him. The wise mystic taught him how to fight and told him of her spiritual powers, the ability to commune with the "Crucible of Souls" which connects various timelines and universes. His heart hardened by his experiences though, Kukri brushed these off as old wives' tales for years until the fateful day his sand powers awakened. Having no control over them, Dolores was forced to intervene and ended up saving her disciple at the cost of her own life. Since that tragic day, Kukri has been searching for a means to bring back his master from death. Having finally researched Dolores's teachings, he used the King of Fighters tournament as a means to confirm his findings, successfully resurrecting Ash Crimson on behalf of Elisabeth Blanctorche, who herself had been searching for a way to bring him back from his own existence erasure. Although he had succeeded in bringing back Ash, he had still not accomplished his true goal... or so he thought. One day, as Kukri, Elisabeth, and the newly-revived Ash formed their team to enter the tournament again, he saw the unthinkable: Dolores appeared as a contestant in the tournament. Kukri quietly slips back into the shadows in search of his revived master, awaiting her orders while also participating with his own team.

Accidental Murder: When his powers manifested, they proved to be too difficult for a then child Kukri to control, thus leading to Dolores sacrificing herself to save him. Safe to say this had enough of a profound effect on him that he looked through every possible way to bring her back to life.
Ambiguously Related: XV reveals that he has a connection with newcomer Dolores, but to what extent is unknown. Given their similar features and countries of origin, it's possible they are either family, or master and student. Of course Kukri, being Kukri, vehemently denies this. Both turn out to be true.
Ambiguous Situation: What he represents and his interests are matters yet to be revealed, as are why he resembles certain other villains from previous installments.
Badass Longcoat: Wears a dirty grey longcoat with a hood.
Battle Intro: In XV:
"His true form is a mystery. Just who is he under that hood anyway? Kukri!"
Kukri: "Today's weather: severe sandstorms."
Big Bad: Of SNK Heroines. Not only is he the one behind dragging the cast into the events of the game, but he also serves as the final boss, as well.
By the Lights of Their Eyes: His eyes are the only things visible as the rest of his face is completely hidden.
Chekhov's Gunman: Poised to become this in XV, as it's revealed through his allegiance with Dolores that he may be part of an anti-Verse faction.
Cluster F-Bomb: In a series that never relied on cursing, Kukri sure does like his swearing.
Dark Is Evil: He kind of zig-zags this. On one hand, he has a very muted color scheme, an ominous character design and speaks in deep, threatening whispers, and turns out that he instigates the plot of SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy to satiate his own lust. But on the other hand, he's also helping Elizabeth to reunite with Ash, and at worst, his sin wasn't seriously malevolent but comes off as someone a bit too perverted.
Dark and Troubled Past: He grew up as an orphan surviving on the streets until he was adopted by Dolores. Then his powers manifested and due to them going out of control, resulting in Dolores sacrificing herself to save Kukri. Ever since that day, Kukri has been searching for a way to bring her back.
Deadpan Snarker: In spades. Especially his win quotes, which have the potential to give Ash a run for his money if not succeed him outright.
(VS Benimaru) Stop wasting electricity.
(VS Heidern) Emergency. Operation failed. I'll send you back to base right away.
(VS Nelson) A boxer? Stick to taking punches instead of doling them out, sandbag.
Distracted by the Sexy: His win dialogue by far is littered with this towards women he defeats, and pretty much is the instigator of the whole plot of SNK Heroines for his own lust and amusement.
Enigmatic Minion: Unlike Sylvie and Mian, he was hired as the final member for the Official Invitation Team without providing any record of his fighting ability but Antonov believes he's got potential as well. He also seems to have his own agenda. It's revealed in XV that his true allegiance lies with Dolores, as they are master and pupil; though they may as well be adoptive mother and son since Dolores took him in from a young age.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: As revealed in XV, he has some shades of this towards Dolores due to her taking him in under her wing when he had no other place to go, and part of his motivation for competing in XIV alongside finding Ash was also finding her, though it doesn't really stop him from being quite flippant towards her.
Evil Laugh/Signature Laugh: "Kekekekeke~"
The Faceless: His dark hood covers his face in complete shadow. The one time he shows it in SNK Heroines, it's immediately blurred out. We do see more of it in his XV character trailer, with his overall facial structure somewhat resembling Yashiro's.
Foreshadowing:
- In every other team's cutscene that comes before the Final Boss, Kukri's seen silently saying "inside that...", in his own team version of the cutscene, he said "just as planned... so far", and if you beat the Final Boss with Kukri, his victory quote says "I have business with what's inside you." Turns out that he's looking for Ash. Then it turns out in XV he wasn't just looking for Ash, but also Dolores.
- In XIV if any character playable on the SNK Heroines roster performs their climax attack on the City Circuit DLC stage, the signboards in the back will flash with his signature symbol. This was included well before the game was officially announced.
The Hashshashin: He is North African (possibly Moroccan) and is an Assassin.
Hidden Depths:
- While XIV features a few flirtatious win quotes against certain female characters, SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy (if Kukri's depiction in it can be taken as canon) just straight up reveals that beneath his mysterious demeanor is a massive pervert.
- Turns out the reason he's looking for Dolores is that she was his mentor and adoptive mother, having taken him in from a young age.
Hurricane Kick: One of his specials (Nessa Senpuu) is this, with him hand-standing on his sands as he spins with legs outstretched.
Hypocritical Humor: His special winquote against Ramón in XV has Kukri calling him out for flirting with Vanessa when she's already married. Guess what Kukri's winquote against Vanessa has him doing? He also calls out Yamazaki for being a "punk" and setting a bad example for young viewers.
In the Hood: Wears a hood over his head, covering everything except for his eyes, and occasionally his mouth.
Jerkass: Is extremely condescending, and somehow perverted. He demands an entry to the Official Invitation Team while referring the more affable Antonov as a 'sack of shit'. Even if Yakov tells him to mind his language, he still acts condescending. Amusingly enough, while he is a bit of a douche, even he can't stand Ash, outright calling him a dickhead in their Team Story.
Jerkass Has a Point: When Ash is worried at the possibility of him disappearing again after they defeat Re Verse, Kukri immediately retorts that they wouldn't even be in this mess in the first place if it wasn't for his Cosmic Retcon at the end of XIII. This after Elisabeth also chides him for his selfishness, too.
Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: His sympathetic backstory and willingness to team with Ash and Elisabeth give the impression that he might be a good guy deep down inside. Nope. He's unapologetically abrasive and rude even to Dolores, his very motivation for fighting.
Karma Houdini: At no point are the events of SNK Heroines ever brought up in KOF XV (nevermind that he doesn't have any special intros with any of the girls who appeared in said game), which all but ensures he pretty much got away with his actions there scot-free (assuming it was canon, of course).
Motor Mouth: He's nothing if not talkative. Look no further than SNK Heroines as well as his interview with Clemence.
Mummy: His bandaged appearance, zombie-like movements and sand powers give this impression.
Pop-Cultured Badass: A rather unusual example. Kukri's persona seems to be based on a 2010s internet shitposter, with dialogue threatening to doxx his opponent or have pizzas mass delivered to their house.
Power Incontinence: At a young age, Kukri's powers were so powerful they caused a sandstorm powerful enough that Dolores had to sacrifice herself to save him.
Sand Blaster: Kukri makes use of sand-based powers for his techniques, which include teleporting, burying his opponents, and suffocating them.
Shrouded in Myth: To the extent that pretty much everything in his bio is information that sounds more like guessing by his teammates and Antonov... outside of his perversions that is.
Sir Swears-a-Lot: Despite his mysterious appearance, he has quite a dirty and speedy mouth.
Sour Outside, Sad Inside: Textbook example. Kukri puts up the front of an aloof jerk to hide how bitter he is from his experiences in his youth, especially the tragic death of his mother figure Dolores.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Mukai, as he fights using earth powers and has some kind of affiliation to his group.
Teleporters and Transporters: His Gen'ei Sajin special is him reappearing from the ground at another point of the stage while leaving a sand body double on his initial place. Its EX version adds a layer of confusion by having 3 sand copies of himself appear before he moves.
The Rival: Very much downplayed but for some reason, he shares a Fated Battle theme against the arc protagonist Shun'ei, despite having little to zero interactions with him (only having specified match win quote). This is usually a privilege given to characters with strong links with each other, antagonistic or friendly, which foreshadows a larger role for him aside from helping bring about the return of Ash Crimson or instigating the SNK Heroines plot. As of XV, it's revealed that his rivalry with Shun'ei is because both are connected to the Verse plotline, though his rivalry with Shun'ei takes something of a backseat to Isla's, while he's more focused on Dolores.
The Unreveal: Takes off his hood in his team's ending in XV, but his face is not shown.
This Is a Drill: One of his DMs has him flying forwards while drilling his foe, accompanied by sand powers. Think M. Bison's Psycho Crusher.
Took a Level in Cheerfulness: Originally he was depicted as a cold, mysterious character in XIV. Heroines fleshes him out a bit and gives him more comical aspects, which carry over into XV as he strikes more poses and is generally more emotive, as evidenced by the fact that more details of his face are visible.
Troll: Not to the degree of Ash, but he's definitely not one to shy away from making fun of his opponent. He even calls Ash a dickhead in his backstory!
Kukri: Hehehe, I'll put your email address on the net...
White Hair, Black Heart: His full face is never shown in-game, but his ending in XV shows him with his hood off, and the shot where the back of his head can be seen reveals that he has white hair. However this is somewhat of a subversion as while he is both foul-mouthed and perverted, he willingly chose to help Elisabeth by bringing Ash Crimson back to life as an added bonus to his true objective of reviving his dead master Dolores. His relationship with his master subverts it even further since she was basically an adoptive mother to him.
Zombie Gait: His movements are very bizarre, giving the impression of a reanimated corpse.

Mian

"The s-spectators... They're definitely more focused on the moment of my Bian Lian than the fight..."

Origin: China

Fighting style: Sichuan Bian Lian

Voiced by: AYUKA

Playable in: ^note

Third member of the Official Invitation team. A woman fighter who battles using moves from the traditional Chinese dancing art Bian Lian. She fights in underground tournaments along with Sylvie. Despite her high dancing skills, Mian is an extremely shy person, and doesn't drop her mask often.

Anti-Villain: Subverted. She's surrounded with Sylvie, an ex-NESTS personnel, and Kukri, a highly condescending person, from the looks alone, Mian would look like a Token Good Teammate. Turns out, none of them are full on villainous, with Sylvie having no interest in reviving NESTS' old activities, while Kukri is helping Elisabeth) and Antonov, the one who gathered and sponsored the whole team, is a fully decent guy.
Cool Mask: Wears traditional Bian Lian masks in combat. Like how it works in real life, she's able to seamlessly change her masks as she attacks. She does show her face however during her Climax Desperation Move. Played for Laughs in one cutscene where, when she's expressing her confusion, she changes her mask to a white one with a big "?" on it.
Dance Battler: Her fighting style is based on Chinese traditional Bian Lian mask opera.
Diving Kick: Her Bienkyu special is a jump that can be continued with diving kicks to multiple directions.
Foil: Like Sylvie, she dresses very flamboyantly and uses a theatrical dance-based fighting style. Unlike Sylvie, who is a loud, garish, over-the-top pop idol with wild mannerisms, Mian is a traditional Bian Lian operatic dancer and conceals her face out of shyness.
Hit-and-Run Tactics: Once she starts jumping, it becomes hard to catch Mian as she can cancel her Diving Kick into ANOTHER jump to another direction, making it difficult to catch her before she sprung another kick.
Jump Physics: She's able to jump to multiple directions in midair with her Bienkyu special.
Lady of War: Being a graceful dance-fighter, her moves are extremely feminine and deadly.
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Her Rangurenbu DM is a ranbu-styled DM.
Only in It for the Money: She seems quite concerned with her contract and getting her payment. Notably, she briefly becomes angry when she thinks Antonov is dead, and when she sees who's responsible, she chooses to "treat it like it was part of the contract". This is explored in SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy: She wanted that money to treat her family members that have been hospitalized for some reason.
Punched Across the Room: Her Hiyoushou special can knock people across the screen.
Put on a Bus: She and Sylvie are absent in the base roster of XV, while Kukri joins up with Ash and Elizabeth.
Serious Business: Bian Lian dance is this for her, just don't mistake it as a Noh dancing style.
Shoryuken: Her DM Hiren Enbu has her rising upward while spinning. Its SDM version has her do it twice.
Shrinking Violet: She's actually quite pretty under her mask, but because she's so shy she tends to hide it. This makes her much like Leona, the latter of whom hides her emotions due to her Orochi blood, as evidenced in one of her win quotes.
Mian: You don’t seem like you’re that good with people. I’m the same...
Slide Attack: Her Rasen special starts with a sliding kick, followed by an upward kick.
When She Smiles: Listed to be her hobby... or at least attempting the trope. Her shy attitude might be because she wanted her revealing smile to be perfect (and she never quite gets that).

South America Team

Nelson

"If you go down that fast, you're not even as good as a punching bag."

Origin: Brazil

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BRAZIL_3192.png

Fighting style: Boxing

Voiced by: Kengo Takanashi

Playable in: ^note

This young boxing prodigy had lost an arm after a terrible accident, but has been able to quickly return to the ring thanks to a prosthesis based on the latest and most advanced robotics technology. He fights now in order to seize the world championship, while hoping every day his fiancée will awaken from a coma.

Ambidextrous Sprite: His cybernetic arm switches places depending on where he's facing; by default it's in his left hand.
Artificial Limbs: After nearly losing his arm, had a cybernetic one put in its place.
Boxing Battler: A fighting game staple.
But for Me, It Was Tuesday: A non-villainous example. He fought and defeated Tizoc some time before the XIV tournament. While this sent Tizoc into despair and prompted him to have a Face–Heel Turn, Nelson didn't think much of the fight and didn't understand why the King of Dinosaurs had a grudge against him.
Companion Cube: His cybernetic arm. Nelson even says "I'm counting on you, partner!" before unleashing the max level version of his Mighty Punch super.
Confusion Fu: His command normals can be cancelled into many other different command normals. He can choose to use an overhead, attack low, dash into position for a reset or dash back for a safe retreat.
Cyborg: He has a cybernetic prosthetic for a left arm.
Empowered Badass Normal: A very strong and skilled boxer with Cyborg implants. Apparently, it was enough to hand Tizoc a defeat so devastating it warranted a Face–Heel Turn.
Fiery Redhead: A spirited, highly optimistic redhead.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has a bunch of scars around his left eye. And quite a good guy.
Punched Across the Room: His Mighty Punch SDM ends with him punching his foe to the other side of the screen.
Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs:
- One of his specials "I will hit ya until you go down!" is a Grapple Move that consists of multiple punches.
- His DM Invisible Punch is a series of punches so fast that the arm is nigh invisible when he does it.
- In a variant, his Climax DM has him delivering a flurry of punches while circling his opponent, ending with a finishing uppercut.
Unwitting Pawn: To the scientists who gave him the prosthetic left arm, who were the ones that caused the accident that made him lose his arm and then turn him into one of their test subjects.
When All You Have Is a Hammer…: His main source of meterless damage is going to be coming from his command normal chains and resets as he only has two special moves: a command dash and a Grapple Move.

Zarina

"I get lots of energy when this little one is watching me!"

Origin: Colombia

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flag_colombia.jpeg

Fighting style: Dance-based + Capoeira

Voiced by: Ayumi Fujimura

Playable in: ^note

Third member of the South America team, Zarina is a smiling and cheerful woman fighter. Fond of samba dance, she uses her dancing skills to kick her opponents in rhythm. She fights hard to protect the nesting place of her toucan companion "Coco" whose species is facing the threat of extinction.

Ass Kicks You: Quite a number of her attacks (be it her throw, her DM or even her Climax DM) has her use her posterior.
Beware the Nice Ones: In her ending, she sealed the deal with Antonov getting to help her preserve Coco's home...by kicking him in the nuts.
Bandeiras: That sounds like a dangerous NINPO!
The Cutie: She's adorable and bubbly with a love for her toucan companion and the rainforest it lives in.
Dance Battler: A practitioner of Capoeira and a samba dancer.
Grapple Move: Her Floral Screw is a long-ranged grab move where she leaps over the opponent's body and then kicks them in the back.
Hurricane Kick: Her Growing Flower special where she handstands and spins with legs outstretched.
The Capital of Brazil Is Buenos Aires: You will be forgiven for thinking she is another Brazilian character, as there is nothing in her design that indicates her being from Colombia.
Kick Chick: Much like Elena from Street Fighter III, she specialises in capoeira kicks.
Ms. Fanservice: Not quite on the same level as the likes of Mai and Luong, but she still shows some skin.
Nature Lover: Joins the tournament to raise money to save the rainforest. She succeeds in her team's ending.
- Also somehow Played for Laughs when she met Nakoruru. She showed about how she liked her bird Coco... only for Nakoruru to reply in kind by describing Mamahaha, which happens to be a frickin' carnivorous bird who eats frogs, rodents, and smaller birds. Zarina then starts fearing for Coco's life.
Parrot Pet Position: A toucan named Coco rides on her shoulder.
Petal Power: Some of her attacks are accompanied with yellow flowers.
Shoryuken: Her Spinning Petal special, done with her legs. Also her Yellow Eruption DM.
Statuesque Stunner: a beautiful Colombian woman who stands at 174 cm (5'9''), because why not.
Third-Person Person: Can be heard doing this in one of her win quotes.

Bandeiras Hattori

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

"Do you have an interest in disciplining yourself with Brazilian NINJUTSU?"

Origin: Brazil

Fighting style: Brazilian Ninjutsu

Voiced by: Eiji Miyashita

Playable in: ^note

A South American ninja who uses the fighting style of Hanzo Hattori from Samurai Shodown. Founder of the Brazilian Ninja Arts school who joins the King of Fighters tournament in hopes of attracting students to his dojo.

Ascended Fanboy: He really wants to be a ninja, and the dialogue in his trailers is him insisting on being Mai's student after he realizes she's a ninja herself.
Beware the Silly Ones: His dialogue in his initial trailer makes him come across as someone who can't be taken seriously. In turn, no one would be at fault for assuming he'd be a Fighting Clown or worse, a Joke Character. However, this isn't the case, as gameplay shows that he's very competent in battle and has impressive ninjutsu.
Doppelgänger Attack: He attacks with a shadow clone of himself in his Climax DM.
Famous Ancestor: His last name suggests that he is a descendant of Hanzo Hattori from Samurai Shodown. His fighting style even uses several of Hanzo's moves, particularly his grabs.
Gratuitous Japanese, Occidental Otaku: Often spouts random Japanese phrases (which are highlighted in all caps in his dialogue, as seen above) and really wants to be the student of Mai Shiranui. The story seems to identify him as some sort of weeaboo. Basically, he can be described as a Brazilian Chipp Zanuff.
- Deconstructed (for laughs) in his team's ending where he goes to Japan, he finds it baffling that it's not the same as the Japan he thought (namely, still being a traditional country with ninjas abound). He also creeps out many people around him which got him arrested by the police (as Nelson previously warned him).
Hand Seals: Bandeiras belts out the kuji-in before using his Climax Desperation Move.
Hunk: With the most piercing blue eyes you've ever seen on a ninja!
Kick Them While They Are Down: After a patch, his Tatami Gaeshi SDM (where he releases a localized explosion near his feet) can hit downed opponents.
Loony Fan: To Mai. She finds him disturbing during their special intro when he keeps trying to get her to accept him as her student. And yet, her win quote against him has her accepting him, implying she at least respects his skills.
McNinja: From Brazil.
Ninja Log: One of his specials (Kawarimi) has him prepare a counter stance; if attacked, he'll disappear, leaving a block of wood in his place, before reappearing behind the attacker.
Promoted Fanboy: Mai accepts him as her student after she beats him, complimenting his skill as she does so.
Razor-Sharp Hand: One of his DMs (Kama Itachi) has him slashing his foe several times with his bare hands.
Shoryuken: His Shinobiashi special is this, done with his knees.
Spell My Name With An S: Banderas vs Bandeiras. The former was how his name was first spelled out but SNK-P seems to have changed it to the latter to make his name sound more Brazilian.
Spinning Piledriver: He has his own version of Hanzo's Mozu Otoshi (without its bone-crunching early strikes) and Galford's Strike Head called Iguazu Otoshi.
Tall, Dark, and Handsome: At 6'2".
Teleport Spam: One of his specials (Tengu no Tobikiri) has him teleporting multiple times to smack his foe around.
Verbal Tic: Ends occasionally what he says with de gozaru, again a ninja stereotype.
Walking Shirtless Scene: In a variant, his arms are covered with gloves, while his chest and abdomen are bared.

Kim Team

Gang-Il

"If there's any way you can stop my steady advances, go ahead and try!"

Origin South Korea

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/southkorean_flag_1622.png

Fighting style: Taekwondo

Voiced by: Toshiya Fujisawa

Playable in: ^note

Gang-Il is the chairman of the World Tae Kwon Do Federation, and Kim's master as well. His astonishing kicking techniques can break through any opponent guard. Always accompanied by a different woman each time he comes back from his travels, Gang-Il's personality is the complete opposite of Kim's.

Chick Magnet: If his backstory's an indication.
Composite Character: In more of a gameplay sense. He has some of Kim's leftover attacks, as well as some from Kim's sons Dong Hwan and Jae Hoon. Presumably, he created all of those techniques. He also somehow has both traits of Kim's sons, he's a womanizer like Dong Hwan, but has a serious dedication towards Tae Kwon Do like Jae Hoon.
Dirty Old Man: If it has the same chromosomes, then Gang-Il will hit it, age be damned.
Extremity Extremist: Like Kim, most of his attacks are kicks.
Hurricane Kick: His Ressen Kyaku special.
Invulnerable Attack: His Shakka Shuu special can be delayed, during which he can guard against attacks before launching said attack.
It's a Small World, After All: He's very well acquainted with the Sakazakis, enough to treat Yuri with familiarity.
Manly Facial Hair: Compared to Kim's clean-cut and youthful charm, Gang-Il's a ripped old guy with a 'stache to show his age and experience.
Mighty Glacier: In relation to Kim, Gang-Il's the slower one, but his kicks pack more... kick.
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: His Climax DM is a simple, but strong, Hou'ou Kyaku.
Old Master: He taught Kim everything he knows. That's how you know he means business.
Pintsized Powerhouse: Quite short (though not as much as other mentor fighters, such as Chin and Tung), but ridiculously powerful.
Rolling Attack: His Hangetsuzan special, shared with Kim.
Shoryuken: He has Kim's Hienzan, but Gang-Il's works as a DM.
Silver Fox: Like nobody's business, considering he's dating a woman at least a decade younger.
Spam Attack: His Shakka Shuu special is a kick version of this.
Stereotype Flip: Physically, he is not at all what you would expect from a traditional Taekwondo fighter, being very short and stocky.
Stern Teacher: Implied. From the prologue for his team's story, Kim doesn't seem to like having his master around (he tries hiding it of course). This expanded on by Kim during XV where it's revealed he's got quite the intense training regimen, which includes things like fighting bears.
Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: His lover, Luong, is 6 inches taller than him.
The Thing That Would Not Leave: Given their contrasting personalities and Gang-Il's tendency towards inflicting gratuitous Training from Hell on his students, Kim doesn't want Gang-Il to overstay his welcome on the new Korea Team. In their ending, much to Kim's dismay, Gang-Il and Luong seem intent on sticking around, though Kim eventually escapes his clutches to join the fifteenth tournament as a solo competitor. The mental scars from Gang-Il's training sessions remain, however...
Three-Strike Combo: His Haki Kyaku can be continued with 2 more, varied attacks.
Walking Shirtless Scene: He only ever fights like this, and the man is ripped.

Luong

Enchanting Beauty

"You were knocked down too fast... If you don't last longer, I can't enjoy myself."

Origin: Vietnam (?)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vietnam_3.png

Fighting style: Taekwondo?

Voiced by: Chika Kino

Playable in: ^note

Luong is a “femme fatale” type woman fighter with mysterious motivations. She will lacerate her enemies like a whip with her long legs and her arranged tae kwon do kicking techniques. Luong met Gang-Il during his world tour, and fell in love with him.

She returns in KOF XV as part of the Secret Agent Team along with Blue Mary and Vanessa.

Battle Intro: In XV:
"She's a dazzling beauty with charm and mystique to spare. Her taekwondo has put many in the ER! Luong!
Luong: "I'm going to punish you so hard!"
Cleavage Window: Combined with a healthy amount of Navel-Deep Neckline. Her costume has a window that begins beneath her breasts and extends slightly downwards.
Double Agent: Has been employed by Hein in a bid to take down Geese. To that end, she joins the Secret Agent Team in XV in order to steal an artifact belonging to Dolores and deliver it to Hein. Unfortunately for her, Blue Mary saw their espionage coming and replaced what she believed to be Dolores's jewel with a fake. As she was only contracted by Hein to retrieve the jewel, it remains unknown if her allegiance lies with the same party as Hein, elsewhere, or if she's freelance.
Everyone Has Standards: For all her shadiness, even she disapproves of Xanadu stealing Kim's apprentices away from him, if her quote against him in XIV is any indication.
Luong: You stole Kim's apprentices, and that calls for a harsh punishment.
Femme Fatale: Seems to ride the line between this and Heroic Seductress, from what little we know about her. Since she's on Kim's team it's very unlikely that she's evil, but her personality and bio imply that she enjoys toying with opponents. On the other hand, she seems genuinely dedicated to Gang-Il, and really is not amused about Xanadu snatching Chang and Choi from Kim. And then comes the reveal that she's a member of the Secret Agents team in XV alongside Vanessa and Mary.
Friendly Rivalry: Appears to have one with Shermie of all people if SNK Heroines and her KOF XV reveal trailer are to be believed.
Glass Cannon: Downplayed. In XIV, she has lower than average health (950; the average is 1000, but the lowest is 900), but more than makes up for it with her very solid damage potential, both with and without meter.
Hidden Depths: Her tenure in XIV seems to mark her as a typical Heroic Seductress within Kim's team. Come XV, it turns out she's something of a secret agent, teaming up with Blue Mary and Vanessa, which is something she hid really well beneath teasing Kim and being in a relationship with Gang-Il. She's also been employed by Hein to retrieve an artifact off Dolores so he can assassinate Geese.
Kick Chick: As expected, her fighting style is high on the kick strikes and low on the punches, considering that she practices Taekwondo.
Lady of War: A seductive, elegant woman who uses an acrobatic, kick-based fighting style.
Lascivious Beauty Mark: Luong is a Femme Fatale / Heroic Seductress (she deliberately obfuscates and shifts her allegiances) who dresses and acts extremely sexual and flirty towards everyone, enjoying toying with her opponents. She is additionally considered attractive enough by Gang-il for him to fall for her. This is marked by a pair of beauty marks underneath her right eye.
Ms. Fanservice: Some fans argue that she possibly surpasses Mai in this regard. She's pretty, busty, has long and slender legs, not one but two lascivious beauty marks, and has a lot of suggestive quotes and a very suggestive Climax super.
Mysterious Purple: Luong's default outfit has purple accents and she has purple eyes and long black-dark purple hair. She toes the line between Femme Fatale and Heroic Seductress, as her penchant for sadism seems to conflict with her being on the more heroic Team Kim. Her "mystique" is even mentioned in her Battle Intro for The King of Fighters XV, where she is also revealed to be a Double Agent, having been hired by Hein to take down Geese. By the end of that game, it's unclear just who her allegiance is to: Kim, Hein, or simply herself.
Neck Snap: For her Climax Desperation Move she mounts her opponent on their shoulders then gives their neck a mean twist. She also does a different one for one of her supers where she steps on the opponent's head and then twists her foot.
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Her "Tei" super is a ranbu-styled one.
Noblewoman's Laugh: She lets out a laugh that sounds like a cross between this and an Evil Laugh during the MAX version of her "Tei" super.
Proud Beauty: She seems to be aware of how attractive she is, as during her Climax Super she snaps the opponent's neck and ends up landing with her rear on their face. She turns back and asks, "So, are you satisfied?", indicating she considers her sitting on their face as a privilege for them.
Purple Is Powerful: Has purple highlights on her clothes as well as purple eyes (and as of XV, purple hair), and has fairly high combo damage (without meter) in XIV.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Attempted and Played for Laughs in XV with Shermie.
Luong: I don't want to fight you. Won't you let me off this once? Pretty please, Miss Heavenly King?
Shermie: Haha, what are you talking about? Sorry, but we'll be the ones advancing. Too bad for you~
Shipper on Deck: SNK Heroines gives Luong some special dialog with Athena about the latter's relationship with Kensou, chastising the idol for leaving him hanging and joking about how Athena should send Kensou a picture of herself in costume.
Shoryuken: Her "Rin" special is this, with her foot.
Statuesque Stunner: Luong is 180 cm (5'11''), making her the third tallest female in the series, only being surpassed by Vanessa and Foxy.
The Tease: Par excellence. She teases nearly everyone, but special notice goes to Kim (whom she has immense affection for... despite also being in love with his master, Gang-il) and Kensou (whom she treats as the quintessential "young boy").
Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: She's 5'11", and her lover, Gang-il, is 5'5".
What the Hell, Hero?: One of Luong's spare win quotes against Athena disdains the idol for not returning anyone's feelings and not even so much as being honest about her own, but somehow getting all the affection anyway.

Mexico Team

King of Dinosaurs

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

Dino King Burning for Revenge

"Herbivore, carnivore or omnivore, I devour all!"

Origin: Mexico

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

Fighting style: Pro Wrestling + "Dinosaur Fighting"

Voiced by: Hikaru Hanada

Playable in: ^note

A newcomer for the Mexico Team in XIV, he's a dinosaur-themed luchador and a Heel, in total contrast to the Face luchador Tizoc who is conveniently missing. His name is usually shortened to "Dinosaur".

Always Accurate Attack: The EX version of his Assault Raptor special tracks the opponent's place.
Anti-Role Model: The complete opposite of his Tizoc persona, it is part of the reason why he made his Face–Heel Turn in the first place.
"Fear me, children! I am the KING OF DINOSAURS!"
Battle Intro: In XV:
"Watch out humans! Dinosaurs aren't extinct yet! The King of Dinosaurs!"
Dinosaur: "I am immortal...and coming for you!"
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He takes his dinosaur persona way too seriously but he is one of the best luchadores in the series all the same.
Canon Character All Along: In truth, he is actually Tizoc/Griffon Mask under a different identity. At some point before XIV, he fought a match against Nelson and lost badly. As he's a Face normally, he is unable to exact revenge, so he rebrands himself as a Heel with a dinosaur-themed persona in order to have his rematch and avenge his disgrace. Unfortunately, some habits are hard to break, and he can't help but slip back into his old Tizoc persona before having to stop himself. Those who know him, like Terry, aren't fooled for a second by his new gimmick either.
Charlie Brown from Outta Town: Tries to pretend he is a Heel, but King of Dinosaurs can't help but slip into his Tizoc self, as in JUSTICE, sometimes. Notice how most of his bio are the same as Tizoc's, the only changes are about conforming to his new masked identity. Terry doesn't even buy it and recognizes him right away.
Terry: That was the first time I've fought a dinosaur, but it was pretty fun! I'm excited to see which 'saurus you'll choose next, Tizoc!
Contemplate Our Navels: He does this in his team's ending. He reminisces about his transformation from a "griffon of justice" to a "dragon of vengeance", about his trainings, how he struggles with his face/heel identity, and how he can continue to encourage positive morals in his younger fans.
Darker and Edgier: He's pretty much an evil Tizoc, complete with a more vicious-looking moveset that includes illegal wrestling moves and even some bites and scratches to go with his dinosaur shtick. Subverted in that he is Tizoc, turning heel in an attempt to regain his honor from a fellow face wrestler that bested him (since a face seeking revenge against another face isn't a good look) and having nothing to do with him actually becoming evil. In fact, his rightousness is still strong enough that his attempts at being "bad" come out as completely incompetent.
Dash Attack: His Dinner of Dinosaur DM is him rushing forward to bite his foe multiple times.
Demoted to Comic Relief: Although he's always been a side character, a Large Ham and a Boisterous Bruiser, his character in his Tizoc persona was full of confidence and pride. After his humiliating defeat and turning to a heel persona to get revenge however, he has turned into a much more comedic character. From trying way too hard to act like a dinosaur and a "bad guy", to doing a pretty poor job to fool people into thinking he's not Tizoc. The Arcade Endings for Mexico Team and The Birds(?) Team in XIV are good examples of this.
Eccentric Mentor: Clearly wants to become this to Krohnen, if one of his XV win quotes is to be believed. Makes sense, considering that both are pre-existing characters (Tizoc and K9999, respectively), under contrived identities.
"You show promise, young man. Build your muscles and aim to become heir to the King of Dinosaurs!"
Expressive Mask: His dinosaur get-up is hilariously almost realistic, complete with expressive eyes. Then there's the fact that his teeth and claws hurt (and could even lift people with his mouth no less!), and his tail is practically almost-real due to how he can move it as though it is part of his body rather than a costume. It makes you wonder if he's an actual dinosaur-man. He sometimes even gets Lost in Character as he occasionally acts like an actual dinosaur.
Face–Heel Turn: Similarly to Raiden, he is Tizoc with a different heel persona; he still boasts some of his signature grabs (Justice Hurricane, only differently named to sound more Heel). He apparently went Heel because of a humiliating defeat he suffered in the past and decides that being a more brutal heel will help him paying it back, although his true honorable nature still slips occasionally. This is most likely a business standpoint; he's normally a "Face" outside the ring.
Goofy Feathered Dinosaur: Sorta; he's more a guy in a dinosaur-themed outfit than an actual dino, but he still fits this trope since his outfit has feathers on it and he's portrayed as more goofy compared to his former self.
Grapple Move: As expected from a luchador, he has a lot of these.
Heel: Albeit not a very good one.
Implausible Deniability: Eisuke Ogura has gone on record stating that Dinosaur is not Tizoc, despite all blatant evidence to the contrary.
In a Single Bound: In the SDM version of Super Zetsumetsu Hurricane, he grabs his foe, then jumps sky-high and smashes his foe against the "ceiling" (while he's hitting the camera) then falls back down with the foe beneath him. It's pretty much like his Face persona's Big Fall Griffon, only a bit more suited for a Heel.
Invulnerable Attack: Some of his moves have a ridiculous amount of super armor, making him able to tank anything the opponent throws at him...provided the player has good reflexes of course
Irony: As Tizoc, his listed dislike was "Illegal moves". As the Heel King of Dinosaurs, he now has to use those liberally.
It's Personal: He is on a quest for revenge during the tournament, a quest that Ramon is aware of and is helping him with. The Team Story and in game interaction with other characters reveal he got defeated by Nelson and wanted a grudge match. Most likely the Face status of Tizoc will not let him have a grudge match, but being Heel will allow him to.
Kick Them While They Are Down: His "Giga Chompy" special is him biting the downed opponent, then throwing them to the other side. His other special Ankylo Hammer's second hit can also hit downed opponents, making them open for more combos.
Masked Luchador: With a dinosaur head. He even can bite his opponents with it.
Mighty Glacier: King of Dinosaurs fits the fighting game archetype of a big, slow grappler.
- As opposed to someone like Ramon, who is nimble and lithe as one would expect of a typical luchador, he is a hulking giant of a man, and while he's capable of some rather impressive feats of acrobatics, he's a lot slower than Ramon is.
- He is also this compared to Tizoc, who has several special moves with great mobility between Olympus Over, Poseidon Wave, and Active Toupon. This uniquely gave him several options to deal with zoners and other keep-away type of characters. Dinosaur by contrast struggles to stay close to opponents, since most of his specials are close ranged, and though Assault Raptor serves the same function as Active Toupon, it is slower and does not go over most projectiles. Dinosaur's Zetsumetsu Hurricane is also slower than Tizoc's Justice Hurricane, but comes with auto-guard.
My Greatest Failure: His defeat at Nelson's hands. The "scars" on his body serve both as reminder of this and as a mark of shame.
No Indoor Voice: Yeah, he likes shouting. A lot.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: In the story outline for Team G.A.W. in XV, he drops the Dinosaur persona as well as the Tizoc one to discuss serious business affairs with Antonov.
Paper-Thin Disguise: Tizoc didn’t do a very good job in changing his game, other characters still recognize him; Terry even thinks it’s fun and wonders how many “Dinosaurs” Tizoc will come up with, while Meitenkun believes his inside and outside don't match. So far, the only person who he seems to have fooled is Isla.
Primal Stance: Fitting for a dinosaur themed Heel.
Spinning Piledriver: His Zetsumetsu Hurricane special and its DM version, Super Zetsumetsu Hurricane.
Tail Slap: his blowback attack utilizes his long dinosaur tail to whack enemies to the other side of the screen. His sweeping normal also uses it.
Three-Strike Combo: His Ankylo Hammer special has him clawing his opponent twice, then does a full-body charge towards them. It's almost similar to Tizoc's Daedalus Attack, except for the final hit.
Use Your Head: Sometimes makes good use of his dinosaur head to headbutt his foes; his Climax DM is pretty much a series of this. It's taken from how actual T-rex heads are very strong.
Walking Shirtless Scene: He's a wrestler after all. In the Arcade Ending of Team Mexico in XIV, he recalls that there was a time where he boasted about the size of his abdominal muscles and obliques, as we are treated to a visual reference of them. In the Story Ending of Team G.A.W. in XV however, during the celebration of their victory, he wears a t-shirt for the occasion.
The Worf Effect: In the time before XIV, Tizoc fought Nelson and was soundly defeated by the boxer. This prompted Tizoc to become a Heel and take the King of Dinosaurs persona in an attempt to become stronger. Terry is seemingly aware of this if his win quotes against Nelson in XIV are an indication.
Terry: Even if your punches could take down a griffon, they couldn't catch the wolf!
Wrestling Monster: What his heel gimmick seems to be aiming for. He's a beastly and savage dinosaur wrestler, and he often speaks about striking terror into the hearts of the crowd.

Another World Team

Mui Mui

"I'm still descended from dragons! My true power will never lose!"

Origin: China (past)

Fighting style: Kung Fu

Voiced by: Namiko Otsu

Playable in: ^note

Protagonist of the Dragon Gal pachislot games. Comes from ancient China and is the last successor of a clan of martial artists that has been gifted with dragon blood. How she ends up in the King of Fighters tournament is currently unknown, but she has a clear goal: to look for certain jewels that contain mysterious power.

Anime Chinese Girl: A classic example.
Badass Adorable: A cute, tiny girl with the striking power of a freight train.
Big Eater: Meat buns, specifically.
Commonality Connection: Being themed after Dragons and loving Meat Buns couldn't have ended any other way, SNK had Mui Mui and Kensou have a Special Intro; Mui Mui says this world's Meat Buns aren't as good as the ones in her world, Kensou begs to differ, telling Mui Mui he will take her to a place that serves some really good Meat Buns.
Fish out of Temporal Water: She's Chinese, but unlike other fighters like Chin, she comes from the distant past era of the country.
Grapple Move: Her Doraryutotsu special.
Hurricane Kick: Her Ryuusenshu special.
Kamehame Hadoken: One of her DMs is the classic beam-style Kamehameha version.
Put on a Bus: To date, her last appearance in an SNK title was SNK Heroines, with being unclear if she will return in a future game of the series. The backstory for Team Samurai published on SNK's official website mentions that both she and Love Heart were sent back to their home dimensions after Verse's destruction.
Summon Magic: Her Climax DM Seinryuutenmei has her summoning a Chinese dragon, then she knocks her foe toward the dragon's mouth.
Three-Strike Combo: Her Ryusougeki special is a 3-hit rekka.
Unexpected Character: Who honestly expected that a character from a pachislot game, let alone one set in ancient China, would become a playable fighter in a King of Fighters game?
- That being said, she was the most popular character from SNK's infamous "Pachislot Era", being a fan-favorite of the fans and the staff, and having cameo appearances in pachinko games based off of SNK's other properties.
Use Your Head: Her blowback attack is a headbutt.

Love Heart

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

"This martial arts competition is more fun than I expected."

Origin: Another World

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

Fighting style: Airstream Arts

Voiced by: Toa Yukinari

Playable in: ^note

Leader of the Peace Sky Pirates from SNK's Sky Love Pachinko games, a group of Sky Pirate defending the peace of the skies, inherited from her father Like Heart. How she ends up joining the King of Fighters tournament is as of yet unknown, but she's not really native to the King of Fighters world.

Since her IP was sold to Highlights Entertainment in 2016, she's considered a guest character by SNK.

Adapted Out: She's absent from the official manga adaptation, The King of Fighters: A New Beginning. This due to Sky Love's acquisition by Highlights Entertainment following SNK's departure from pachislot gaming.
Bystander Syndrome: Her only concern is to just get back to her world, dismissing most of the concerns of this Earth. This is why she's really shocked that Nakoruru declared a vacation.
Cool Sword: Pulls out an energy sword out of nowhere to fight.
Diving Kick: One of her DMs (Sky Love Arrow) is this.
The Leader: Of the Peace Sky Pirates. As of KOF, subverted. Her team is named after the world, but Nakoruru is the official leader.
Mistaken for Romance: In the Special Intro she has with Athena, Love Heart seems to think Athena and Kensou are quite close to each other thus asking if they are a couple, Athena says that it isn't like that, they are just good friends, although Athena stutters while answering that; Love Heart finds Kensou similar to Earth, reversing the blushing and stuttering to herself when Athena asks if Love Heart has someone she likes.
Not So Above It All: Acts up really brave but occasionally shows a childlike trait.
Only Sane Man: She unwittingly becomes one in her team's ending. Nakoruru at first talks rather seriously about the current events and what they're gonna do for the future... and then she decides (with Mui Mui) to go on a trip to see the current world. Love, being more concerned with sorting out things and going back home, is irritated.
Ret-Gone: Played with, SNK sold the rights for Love's series Sky Heart to Highlights Entertainment during 2016 (Highlights Entertainment would close down in 2019), and Love hasn't been mentioned or acknowledged by SNK after SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy's release. However, when the official KOF site was updated on September 2022 she was included on the character database, with the caveat that she's explicitly stated to be a character property of Highlights Entertainment, effectively turning her into a guest character used with their permission. Tellingly, neither she nor Mui Mui are mentioned by name in Team Samurai's official backstory for The King of Fighters XV, with the text only referencing them as unnamed "friends" of Nakoruru who were sent back to their home dimensions after the destruction of Verse.
Shoryuken: 2 of her specials do this; Rush Heart is her dashing forward before doing an uppercut that knocks the foe upwards, while Rising Heart is her jumping upwards with her sword outstretched.
Single-Stroke Battle: Her Climax DM has her strike through her foe with her light sword.
Sky Pirate: If her game of origin's title is not a hint enough, she's a pirate that soars through the sky instead of sailing across the sea. She's also a Type 2 Pirate in that she's the kind of swashbuckling charismatic pirate instead of the ruthless cutthroat ones.
Take Up My Sword: Inherited her whole gang (and sword style) from her father.
Three-Strike Combo: The EX version of her Peace Slash special has her doing 3 slashes instead of 2.
Unexpected Character: The main protagonist of a Pachinko series like Mui Mui, except she's even lesser known. In fact, out of all the members of the Another World Team, she's probably the most obscure. At least Nakoruru and Mui Mui were Ensemble Dark Horses in their own right. Hell, even Alice makes more sense compared to her.

Villains Team

Xanadu

"Can you hear it? That apocalyptic timbre…"

Origin: Unknown

Fighting style: None

Voiced by: Yuji Fujita

Playable in: ^note

Leader of the "villain team" alongside Chang and Choi. He's a legendary criminal that was sealed in an underground jail before the events of the game, and somehow broke out. He has ideas and concepts hard to understand for the average person. Xanadu is considered as the "King of the Underground" by the other prisoners. Will he bring back Chang and Choi to their dark days again?

Ax-Crazy: Oh, you'd better believe it. Gives Yamazaki a run for his money.
Bald of Evil: Not only that, but his skull has some odd protrusion that makes his design look pointier.
Beware the Silly Ones: Logically shares this with Chang and Choi, them being his teammates in this game. The guy looks ridiculous, goes off on nonsense tangents and has a moveset with animations that are hard to take seriously. He's also a proud and renowned criminal, fights like a deranged lunatic, is implied to be a cult leader, and pretty much took Chang and Choi from Kim in an attempt to sway them back into a life of crime.
Bridal Carry: His "The Pleasure" special is a Grapple Move where he does this to his foes (and then rocking them like one would a baby) before slamming them down.
Cloudcuckoolander: According to his official profile, "he has ideas and concepts hard to understand for the average person." When one takes a look at his character sheet with likes, dislikes and favorites, it's all a bunch of nonsense and gibberish. He even manages to weird out Chang (himself not being very bright) and Choi in their ending, while also burning the prize check they won in the tournament without even giving an explanation as to why.
The Corrupter: He enables Chang and Choi to return to their lives of crime, but the game indicates that Kim's positive influence has changed them for the better. Ironically, they only follow Xanadu out of fear and only wish to get away from him, much like they did with Kim earlier in the series.
Cult: All but stated to be the leader of one.
Dash Attack: His "The Sorrow" special is him dashing forward while flailing his arms.
The Dreaded: He's a legendary criminal imprisoned deep underground who somehow managed to break out.
Facial Markings: Has a bindi on his forehead, surrounded by pale white paint.
Fashion-Victim Villain: His outfit consists of what appears to be an orange prison jumpsuit with an oddly patterned purple and white fur robe over it. It's an outfit that only adds to his strangeness.
Gonk: With his greyish skin, long braided beard, face paint, irregularly shaped head, pointy teeth and wild eyes, he almost makes Chang and Choi look normal in comparison.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: He's got a rather nasty scar running all the way around his scalp. Being the head of a team of escaped convicts, it falls pretty neatly onto the "evil scars" side.
Ice-Cream Koan: He likes giving out seemingly meaningful speeches with hard terms, all of which are nonsense.
Laughing Mad: He sometimes lets out crazed laughs during his supers.
Leaning on the Fourth Wall: If he crouches for long enough he slowly turns his head to stare at the player.
Psychopathic Manchild: His fighting style, or lack thereof, consists of loud screaming and childish tantrums.
Red Baron: "The King of the Underground."
Scary Teeth: His teeth are filed into points.
Shoryuken: His "The Rapture" special is him flailing his arms while leaping up. His "The Satisfaction" DM is its stronger version.
Super-Scream: One of his specials ("The Rage") is him screaming and knocking his foe off their legs.
Thousand-Yard Stare: He has large, glaring eyes with dark circles around them.
Unrealistic Black Hole: He apparently likes vortexes, so much that at the end of his super "The Wisdom", he starts seeing a massive one appear in front of him while he gleefully shouts, "tenmei da!" ("the divine will!"). It's just his imagination and he's on the other side of his opponent.
Unskilled, but Strong: Unlike Chang and Choi, there's no real method to his madness. He's a crazy brute who pulverizes his foes without prejudice.

South Town Team

Hein

"You should first learn the proper etiquette to plead for your life."

Origin: Germany

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/germania_8332.png

Fighting style: "Gambits"

Voiced by: Naoki Sagawa

Playable in: ^note

Geese Howard's butler and bodyguard who joins him in the King of Fighters tournament. A member of the Howard Connection, he's generally very polite and well spoken, but has a sadistic side.

Affably Evil: Despite working for a shameless murderer and career criminal, Hein is a pretty intelligent and well mannered man.
Badass in a Nice Suit: Comes with the territory of being a butler.
Battle Butler: For Geese.
Chess Motifs: His special attacks are named after chess pieces, with King and Queen as the names of his DMs. Pawn is a straightforward thrusting attack, Knight has him leaping onto the foe's head before slamming them to the ground, Bishop is a diagonal Diving Kick, and Rook is a protective shroud of energy (and Castling is him cancelling it into a dash).
The Dandy: He's one handsome butler.
Four Eyes, Zero Soul: He's bespectacled and works for a notorious criminal mastermind.
Gravity Master: His reddish-black Ki abilities allow him to create gravity wells.
Formal Characters Use Keigo: Talks in a polite, sophisticated manner, befitting a butler.
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: His Queen DM is a ranbu-styled one.
Oh, Crap!: When he realizes that Geese already knew he was a traitor ever since he was first employed back in XIV, he's none too pleased. Both he and Yamazaki end up forced to retreat after a brief skirmish.
Soft-Spoken Sadist: He has a serious mean streak underneath that noble exterior. It really comes out during his Climax DM, where he forces his opponent to their knees (by way of manipulating gravity beneath their legs) and slamming their face into the ground. At least he says "farewell" to them before that last part.
Sphere of Destruction: His King DM is him emitting a sphere of red aura around him.
Sweet Tooth: According to his profile, his favorite food is bienenstich, which is a German pastry (made with honey, almonds and custard among others), translating to "bee sting cake".
Tall, Dark, and Handsome: At 6'1".
The Mole: According to the Secret Agent Team's ending in XV, Hein isn't actually loyal to Geese and is secretly working against him. Who he really works for and his motivations for doing so, however, remain undisclosed. The South Town Team's ending sheds a bit more light on this: his employer remains unknown, but he has been contracted to assassinate Geese by said party. To that end, he hired both Luong and Yamazaki as part of his elaborate plan to lull him into a false sense of security. Unfortunately, he made one critical mistake: no one fools Geese Howard. His cover had already been seen through from the very beginning. It also probably didn't help that Mary switched out the artifact that he had Luong retrieve from Dolores with a fake.
The Butler Did It: Or in his case, the butler tried to do it. He took up a job as Geese's butler in order to get close enough to fulfill the hit on him. Unfortunately for him, Geese knew his plan already, letting him get as far as he did for the sheer amusement of it.
The Teetotaler: Check the "Dislikes" in his bio.
This Cannot Be!: At least two of his possible lines, when KO'ed, are this.
Wicked Cultured: He's a well dressed, handsome butler working for a criminal mastermind.

Women Fighters Team

Alice Garnet Nakata

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alice_kofxiv_1.png

"I plan on getting even stronger, so be ready!"

Origin: USA

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

Fighting style: Self-taught Southtown-style

Voiced by: Akino Hayashi

Playable in: ^note

A new entrant on the Women Fighters team. Originally from a pachislot game called Garou Densetsu [Fatal Fury]: The Legend of the Wild Wolf. She's one of Terry's fans, in which her adoration caused her to emulate his and his team's fighting style, only to find out that she's quite decent at fighting. She is known for her cheerful and somewhat irresponsible personality. She ends up offering herself as the third member of the Women Fighters Team and impressed Mai Shiranui enough to let her in the team.

See Fatal Fury for tropes on her.

Bosses

Antonov

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

Restored Siberian Magnate

"Completely satisfied the viewers, and delivered a huge victory on top of that. That's why I'm the quintessential king!!"

Origin: Russia

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/russia_8183.png

Fighting style: Siberian Golden Fist

Voiced by: Moriyuki Hishida

Playable in: ^note

Boss character in: ^note

A mysterious millionaire who bought out all the rights to the King Of Fighters tournament. He claims to be the "first champion" of King of Fighters and is hosting the tournament this year.

He returns in XV as the leader of Team G.A.W. (Galaxy Anton Wrestling), and with a new design to boot. After the disaster caused by Verse at the climax of the last tournament, the resulting lawsuits cost Antonov nearly all of his money and damaged his reputation, causing him to briefly disappear from the public. He has since returned and is set to make his big comeback by forming his own wrestling federation and entering the next tournament to reclaim his former title of champion.

All Just a Dream: His ending in XV involves him becoming champion again and a series of consecutive successes following it, such as G.A.W. becoming a legitimate wrestling organization and the return of Tizoc, having gone back to a face from his Dinosaur persona...only for The Stinger to reveal it's all in Antonov's head.
Ambiguously Evil: The director described him as "nice and lovable" so it's ambiguous to see if he's either Affably Evil or a fighting champion who wants to organize the tournament up to his standard. In the Official Invitation team's prologue, he hired Sylvie and Mian as well as Kukri on the spot while turning down other fighters recommended by sponsors because he cares about potential against likes of him instead of looks. Even Team Ikari in their prologue did a background check on him and they found nothing dirty on him. It's ultimately subverted in the story itself. He takes the brunt of the blast from the Big Bad to protect a young boy who idolized him.
- Unfortunately, this gets deconstructed in XV. KOF tournaments being susceptible to behind-the-scenes plots ends up becoming an in-universe staple and rumors start spreading that Antonov set the whole Verse incident up, and as a result he ends up framed as a scapegoat, getting ousted as CEO of his company, losing much of his funds, and heavily damaging his reputation.
Animal Motifs: Based on the names of his special moves, he is largely (pun intended) associated with whales. The comparison primarily comes from his sheer size as he towers over most combatants, and he's capable of countering their special abilities with brute force. It also reflects his tendency to use the force of his whole massive body to inflict damage, much like how a blue whale can crush smaller creatures with its sheer body mass. Physically though, he looks more like a blonde gorilla.
Badass Back: One of his specials (Gigantic Press) is him lunging forwards back-first, hitting his foe with his whole body. One of his DMs (Tunguska Bomber) also ends with him hitting the foe with his back.
Badass Boast: "I AM THE KING OF FIGHTERS!"/"I WAS THE KING OF FIGHTERS!"
Badass Normal: Notably the first boss in the series to have no supernatural abilities.
Barbarian Longhair: As of XV, he's let his hair grow to shoulder length and he's still got his very physical, heavy-hitting style of fighting.
Battle Intro: In XV:
"The first King of Fighters Champion! He was the host before but now he's a main contender! Antonov!"
Antonov: "The king is back in the ring, baby!"
Benevolent Boss: He treats his assistant Yakov and the Official Invitation Team very well, even Kukri despite being bad-mouthed by him, and handpicked the 3 Official Invitation Team members because of their ability, rather than corporate ties and sponsorships.
Boisterous Bruiser: Has quite the personality to match his strength.
Camera Abuse: Kosmos Regression in XV has him punch the opponent so hard they're sent flying into the camera before he delivers a colossal moonsault on them.
Carpet of Virility: To the point that it extends from his chest to the back of his arms and even the first joints on his fingers! The guy has body hair like an orangutan. It's blonde, too, just like his head hair. Subverted in his appearance in XV where he's completely clean-shaven besides his beard.
Cigar Chomper: He always has a cigar in his mouth, the only moment he losses his cigar is after successfully landing his Climax super move. And even then he keeps spares inside his champion belt.
Emotional Bruiser: Shades of it. Such as how he's moved to tears from watching a kid's cartoon or how he becomes awkward when Sylvie and Mian compliment him. He also apparently loves small animals.
Fiction 500: The man not only owns a lot of companies, but he also has his own stadium, his own airport, and has bought all of the tournament rights by himself.
Gameplay and Story Integration: He's so proud and confident in his own abilities that he chooses to face any team by himself.
Gentle Giant: He's a towering figure with a brash personality and a lot of power in his punches, but he's a very pleasant guy who, as his profile notes, really likes small animals.
Good Counterpart: To Rugal Bernstein. Both are incredibly wealthy martial artists who host the King of Fighters to prove their supremacy, but whereas Rugal is a brutal, sadistic killer with a Faux Affably Evil persona, Antonov is an honorable man, but also a bit rough around the edges.
Good Wears White: He wears white pants with matching white shoes. He's also nothing but a heroic, kind-hearted, gentle, sensitive, if overly loud and boisterous person who comes across as being incredibly easy to get along with.
Graceful Loser: Upon his defeat, he's willing to give his champion belt for the winner (before the disaster strikes, that is). He then also says to one of his fans that calls him "Mr. Champion" that he's not a champion anymore.
Ground Pound: Bering Wave, which is essentially an airborne version of Daimon's Jiraishin (that can also be feinted) that he can combo into from his Vertical Macho special.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: He's got blonde hair and a big heart.
Hat of Authority: In his XV appearance, he gets himself a snazzy new cowboy hat, and he's running his own wrestling promotion, GAW, with both Ramon and King of Dinosaurs working for it.
Hero with Bad Publicity: After the chaos with Verse ruining his tournament, the media started to believe it was all staged in blatant risk of the lives of the fighters and the audience and, in spite of having no hand in it, he accepted the backlash all onto himself. By XV, he's been ousted from his company and is no longer a multi-millionaire thanks to having to deal with at least'75 lawsuits.
Honest Corporate Executive: He's a legitimate success in business with no dirty laundry, hosted the tournament in XIV simply to entertain people and have a good fight, and humbly took responsibility for all the damages that happened because of Verse. He seems to pride himself on being one of these too, if his win quote against Heidern in XV is any indication.
Antonov: My motto is "Fight fairly, fight justly". I'm not into shady dealings that need watching over by military bigshots.
Hot Blooded Sideburns: Those are some pretty uniquely wild sideburns he has, matching his spirited personality.
Husky Russkie: Hails from Russia, and certainly lives up to this trope. Heck, his fighting style's even called "Siberian Golden Fist".
Hypocritical Humor: Put him in a Mirror Match with himself in XIV, and he'll criticize his opponent's belt, even though it's the same design as his.
Antonov: Is this fraud trying to imitate me?! What's with that silly looking belt?!
Immune to Flinching: The EX version of his Whale Stream has some armor to it that, alongside his Bering Wave, is meant to deal with projectile-happy zoners.
Large and in Charge: He towers most of the fighters in the game, at 214 cm (that's 7 feet).
Leitmotif: From XIV, "I'm THE KING OF FIGHTERS", complete with a chorus chanting his name.
- From XV, "I Was THE KING OF FIGHTERS", which plays whenever he fights on the Hyper Galaxy Ring stage.
Lightning Bruiser: He's fast and strong, as expected from a SNK Boss. Even as a normal character in XV, he's still pretty limber for his size.
Loved by All: He's well loved by his fans and the media, for good reason. Ultimately he's the series's most noble sub-boss since 96's Chizuru, 2001's Original Zero and 2003's Adel. By the time of XV, the trope doesn't fully apply to him because he now has some in-universe baggage due to taking responsibility for the Verse incident.
Megaton Punch: More of a kick, but still, one of his DMs (Kamchatka Collapse) is simply a strong upward kick. Whale Stream is also a normal special move version of this.
Meta Twist: From its very beginning the King of Fighters tournament has had a lot history of hosts with ulterior, often sinister motives and/or some connection to the current Arc Villain. Antonov has neither; He's just a completely unrelated rich guy who wants a good fight.
Miles Gloriosus: With his grandiose claims of being the original Champion of KOF, he comes off this way, but beneath his boorish exterior, he is a truly Spirited Competitor who cares about fighting fairly.
Nice Guy: He isn't evil, malicious, or mean-spirited at all. He's just a bit cocky and extremely loud. He really loves KOF and the spirit of competition, which is why he invests in the tournament. He also throws himself in the way of an attack from Verse to save the life of one of his fans.
Orwellian Ret Con: In-Universe, he tries to christen himself as the "First Champion" of the King of Fighters Tournament, which is blatantly untrue as XIV was his first appearance. This is about the most malicious thing he does in the whole game.
Real Men Wear Pink: An overly buff Russian who loves to watch sappy movies about pets. Bonus points for literally wearing a pink shirt in XIV as well as a pink scarf in XV.
Red Herring: He has absolutely nothing to do with the supernatural air surrounding XIV's KOF, and no affiliation with the Final Boss.
Riches to Rags: Downplayed. He's still well-off after the events of XIV, but having to deal with at least 75 separate lawsuits causes him to lose much of his wealth, enough that he's no longer a multi-millionaire. Appropriately, he is brought down from his former one-man-band boss status in XV and is treated as a regular playable character with a team of wrestlers backing him up.
Shoryuken: His Vertical Macho special is this, done with his whole body.
Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: After the amount of damage caused by Verse in the XIV tournament, which endangered many spectators, he is hit by several lawsuits and loses a lot of money and reputation. After so many instances of lives being put at risk at KOF (such as Goenitz destroying the stadium upon his arrival at '96) this is the first time a host suffers such consequences.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: He bears a striking resemblance to Duke from the Maximum Impact games.
Taking the Bullet: When Verse starts its attack on the stadium, Antonov throws himself in front of one of its attacks to save a young fan.
Tempting Fate: He says in one cutscene that there's no way he's gonna be beaten by "some magician who shoots fire from his hands." Played with in that any of your characters may or may not be the guy he described, but nevertheless, he does lose at the end.
Tender Tears: He is shown quietly weeping at a sappy movie about a boy and his dog.
Title Drop: The aforementioned Badass Boast is also the name of his Leitmotif (and by extension, the rest of the series).
Uncle Pennybags: He bought rights to the King Of Fighters tournament for the spirit of competition and treats his employees and fighters alike very well. In the South America Team ending, he even helps Zarina buy the land for her bird Coco's habitat, and in the Official Invitation Team's ending, he actually pays Mian and Sylvie (and Kukri by extension, but he isn't present) double of what he had initially offered them, both for winning the tournament and beating Verse.
Walking Shirtless Scene: Only when he's in battle. Out of combat, he likes to wear a pretty snazzy button-down dress shirt.
Wrestler in All of Us: One of his special attacks is a jumping backslide suplex. Subverted later, turns out he is a pro-wrestler in his own right if G.A.W is any indication.

Verse (UNMARKED SPOILERS)

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

"VEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRSSE."

Origin: Unknown

Fighting style: ???

Voiced by: Yusaku

Playable in: ^note

Boss character in: ^note

A mysterious entity that suddenly appears from the sky in the middle of the tournament, causing mass destruction around the arena. KOF XV reveals its true name is Re Verse, an entity from outside this dimension, and its job is to collect souls to use the power of their raw emotions to summon forth Otoma=Raga, and usher in the end, and subsequent remaking, of the world.

Anthropomorphic Personification: According to Nakoruru, Verse personifies the hatred of warriors' lost souls. He is essentially every major character important to KOF's storyline rolled into one, as evidenced when he's defeated and several endings show that he releases the souls of former competitors who are canonically dead, such as Ash Crimson and even Orochi. In some cases, he even has winquotes against certain characters where he speaks as if he were a person they knew. And it's not just present day lost souls, but also distant past figures, as he also recognizes Nakoruru, implying that one of the villains in Samurai Shodown is also thrown in the mix, which is Mizuki.
Appropriated Appellation: "Verse" is technically what Heidern names him after a report from Maxima hearing the boss screaming what sounds like "VEEEEEEERSSSSE". KOF XV reveals his full name is Re Verse.
Arch-Enemy: Najd seems to have him on her sights. She has a special intro pose and win quote against him.
Arc Villain: Of the Shun'ei Saga thus far. (Re) Verse appears as a boss in KOF XIV and XV, manifesting in two vastly different forms each game (but maintaining the same bodily patterns and armor plating).
Chest Blaster: His Verse Ray DM has him fire a fiery projectile from his chest. His Climax DM also ends with this.
Death from Above: His Meteor Verse DM is him raining lots of fiery fists from above. The move can also hit downed opponents.
Evil Is Bigger: By far the biggest character in the game, and also serves as the final boss.
Enemy Within: To Shun'ei.
Evil Laugh: During his win quote against Nakoruru, using the soul of Mizuki.
"Following me to this world...YOU DISGUST ME...RAKIKI!"
Evil Sounds Deep: It's huge and powerful stature wouldn't be complete if it didn't have the voice to match.
Fighting a Shadow: As several of the endings reveal, Verse was incomplete and is actually part of a much larger being.
Floating Limbs: Has a pair of flaming hands above his shoulders that reappear any time they are used for attacks.
Generic Doomsday Villain: Doesn't seem to have much of a personality, instead being a berserk amalgamation of multiple dead characters.
Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: Literally. He has no connection with Antonov as far as cutscenes go and just shows up out of the blue to cause destruction.
Glass Cannon: In the 2.0 update he has 950 health rating which is less than average especially for his height when playable but he is still pretty dangerous until the 3.10 update where it is increased to 1000, no longer fitting this trope.
Humanoid Abomination: He is an actual demon with similar powers to Shun'ei as Meitenkun noticed. He's also the source of the space-time break which got Nakoruru and the rest of Team Another World involved. It's revealed that it exists because of Ash's Cosmic Retcon, wherein he erased himself from existence by killing Saiki. This caused a disruption in the space-time continuum, creating Verse.
Nakoruru: Something happened in the past that disrupted both time and space.
I Am Legion: As stated above, Verse is an amalgam of lost souls, which include Ash and Orochi. This is indicated by his win quotes against certain characters as lost souls they encountered in their life:
- Kyo as Orochi.
- Iori as Ash.
- Leona as Gaidel.
- Mature as Rugal.
- K' as Krizalid.
- Sylvie as Igniz.
- Nakoruru as Mizuki.
The Power of Hate: He's the embodiment of the rage from departed warriors' souls manifested in corporeal form.
Non-Standard Character Design: Every other character, even the ones with unrealistic proportions, still appears human. Verse looks like a monster straight out of Dark Souls.
Playing with Fire: Much like Orochi Chris, Krizalid, Saiki, and Evil Ash before him.
Pokémon Speak: When he's not roaring like an animal, he'll occasionally say out his own name.
Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: His Hate Knuckle special has him do The Slow Walk while his floating fists do the punching. Up to eleven in his Climax super move, outdoing Shun'ei with hundreds of flaming fists!
Screaming Warrior: Most of his voice lines are him just screaming his vocal chords out.
The Spook: All the answers in his profile contain only question marks.
Voice of the Legion: When it isn't saying its own name, it speaks through the souls contained within.
Walking Spoiler: Its appearance and role in the game lead to a much bigger outcome to the story of KOF from then on, especially after his defeat.
Wham Line: Its win quotes against certain characters above are this in regards to the story of KOF going forward, including Shun'ei.
Wrestler in All of Us: One of its normal throws is a delayed vertical suplex.
You Will Not Evade Me: His Stray Scaffold special is him sending one of his hands forward; if it hits, the foe will be encased in an energy bubble and dragged towards Verse.

Others

Rock Howard

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dd447db2_c146_4cd8_b6f4_ee02ac0e0e32.png

Fly-By-Night Wolf

"I won't let destiny make me dance its tune!"

Origin: USA

Fighting style: Street Fighting

Voiced by: ^note

Playable in: ^note

The only son of Geese Howard. Rock was raised solely by his mother Marie, who cautioned him not to approach his father. Unfortunately, due to the loneliness suffered from Geese's neglect, Marie fell ill and passed away in Rock's care. Sometime later, Terry Bogard took Rock in his care and trained him. When Terry revealed the truth about his father, Rock charged at him in a rage but got over it. He enters the Maximum Mayhem tournament held by Kain R. Heinlein to get answers regarding his mother, and may or may not have been tricked by Kain into working with him to uncover Geese's secret legacy. In Maximum Impact, Billy Kane is trying to get him to take over Geese's role as ruler of Southtown. Finally makes his main series debut as Downloadable Content in XIV, albeit as a non-canon solo entry. That said, he returns once again in XV, again as DLC, but now as part of a canonical team with Gato and B. Jenet, forming Team Garou. Although billed as the team's leader, B. Jenet is the one behind him joining his first KOF, under the mutual benefit of B. Jenet finally getting a chance to meet Terry and Rock finally getting the chance to test himself against his father figure and teacher.

See Garou: Mark of the Wolves for tropes on him

Najd

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kofxv_1.png

Vigilante Vixen

"If it's to carry out justice, I won't shy away from a little pain."

Origin: Saudi Arabia

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

Fighting style: Unknown (utilizes umbrakinesis channeled through her abaya)

Voiced by: Ayaka Fukuhara

Playable in: ^note

Najd is a very quiet person dressed in an Abaya (a traditional Saudi women's garment) with extraordinary powers. At night, she puts on her Abaya and becomes a vigilante to protect her fellow citizens. In contrast to her mysterious appearance, she is a college student during the day.

More of her backstory is revealed in XV. Najd is a descendant of those who first discovered the otherworldly being known as "the Dimensional Beast" - Otoma=Raga. They passed down tales of the entity and the terrifying power it possesses throughout history. Eventually, these legends made their way to Africa, where a certain tribe of mystics became adept at foreseeing Otoma=Raga's potential arrival, worshiping it as a god of destruction and rebirth. Having been trained to fell the beast should it appear, Najd has taken it upon herself to investigate everything she can about Otoma=Raga and all those connected to it. She travels to Africa in order to find the whereabouts of Dolores, the latest in the line of mystics who revered Otoma=Raga as a deity, only to discover that she had died in a bizarre sandstorm. Najd's search for any clues that Dolores might have left behind points her in one direction - toward Kukri, the mysterious hooded man she knew from the previous tournament. Knowing full well that Otoma=Raga's arrival is nigh, Najd enters the latest KOF tournament to fulfill her duty.

Affectionate Nickname: According to her interview with Bellamy, her shadow is nicknamed "Alia".
Ambiguously Gay: Her interactions with other female fighters (Elizabeth and Luong in particular) come off as flirty and in her interview, she states interest only in other female participants in the tournament when asked about it.
Badass Longcoat: Her abaya functions like this.
Boyish Short Hair: Downplayed, as it's only featured in her promotional artworks. It is otherwise hidden underneath her hijab.
Casting a Shadow: She uses shadows in her attacks due to her connection to her Djinn familiar Kalek.
Charged Attack: Retribution of the Unknown is a charged kick.
Clothes Make the Superman: It is her abaya that allows her to perform umbrakinesis.
Combat Stilettos: Fights on some pretty elegant-looking high heels.
Connected All Along: Her backstory reveals that she has been connected to the Verse plotline, being the descendant of the ones who first discovered Otoma=Raga and bearing a secret duty to slay it should it ever break the dimensional boundaries and enter our world.
Counter-Attack: Her moveset includes two: Vow of Glory for high attacks and The Enduring Dream for lows.
Dance Battler: In a similar manner to Chizuru Kagura.
Dramatic Wind: During her special intro against Verse.
Downloadable Content: She's part of the second DLC Pack.
Fangirl:
- Her winning quotes reveal she's something of a manga buff, and she's more than excited to meet a real ninja when fighting Bandeiras.
  I've never seen a real ninja before! Just like in the mangas!
- Amusingly, she can't believe Mai is a ninja thanks to the latter's outfit.
  No ninja dresses that scantily! Even I know that!
Glass Cannon: Able to demolish health bars in a matter of seconds but not very durable.
Hypocrite: Shows shades of this during her winning quotes, like calling Kim's concept of justice twisted, despite herself being a vigilante more than willing to kill any criminal she defeats, or complaining about other fighters' use of weapons when she has a Djinn at her command.
In the Hood: Wears a hijab, with the same general effect.
Justice Will Prevail: She fights to punish the wicked and bring justice to their victims.
In the name of bringing justice, I must ease wounded hearts
Lady of War: Her general attitude during the fight is that of a dignified lady, better shown on her crouching animation where she looks more like she's lounging than fighting.
Mystical High Collar: Her outfit includes one particularly ornate, as seen on her profile image.
Mystical White Hair: As can be seen in her profile image.
Off with Her Head!: Her climax Scorching Fate ends with Najd pulling this on her opponent.
Scarf of Asskicking: Her hijab.
Sphere of Destruction: She shields herself in the shadows she wields to damage the opponent in one of her SDM.
Vigilante Woman: Spends her nights hunting for criminals, seeing herself as the one in charge of judging and punishing them.
My name is Najd... And I will judge you.

Characters / The King of Fighters XIV

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

China Team

Official Invitation Team

South America Team

Kim Team

Mexico Team

Another World Team

Villains Team

South Town Team

Women Fighters Team

Bosses

Others

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Index

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Characters / The King of Fighters XIV

Edit Locked

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

China Team

Official Invitation Team

South America Team

Kim Team

Mexico Team

Another World Team

Villains Team

South Town Team

Women Fighters Team

Bosses

Others

Previous

Index

Next