Take a look below for our list of 10 of the best and most notable King of Fighters characters.
1. Iori Yagami
Iori Yagami is a character who made his first appearance in The King of Fighters ’95. He is a central recurring character, and the initial enemy (and eventual rival) of Kyo Kusanagi. Iori is also the first leader of the Rivals Team and the first deuteragonist of the series.
He is the heir to one of the three clans that sealed the legendary snake entity, Orochi, 1,800 years ago. His clan, formerly known as the Yasakani, wields pyrokinetic powers. They keep the seal over Orochi intact with help from the Kusanagi and Yata clans using three ancient artifacts. His family’s treasure is the Yasakani Jewel and his family crest is the crescent moon, which he wears on the back of his old jacket. He also wears a plain silver ring around his left middle finger; the significance of the ring, if any, is unknown.
2. Kula Diamond
Kula Diamond is a character who first appeared as a hidden character and potential mid-boss in The King of Fighters 2000. She enters as a normal participant in subsequent appearances. She’s often seen with her companions, Diana, Foxy and Candy Diamond. Kula is also the second leader of the Rivals Team (NESTS Team) and the second deuteragonist of the series, rivaling with K’ (NESTS Chronicles’ protagonist and hero).
3. Terry Bogard
Terry Bogard is the main protagonist of the Fatal Fury series. He has appeared in every Fatal Fury and King of Fighters game, and is one of the characters of choice to symbolize the company in crossover games, merchandise and publicity. He appears to fit many Japanese stereotypes for an American character in appearance, personality and speech (his in-game vocabulary is usually limited to American colloquialisms, such as “Okay!” and “Hey, c’mon, c’mon!”).
Terry Bogard is the brother of Andy Bogard. Both of them were orphans adopted by Jeff Bogard. He is often referred to as the “Legendary Hungry Wolf” (from Garou Densetsu, meaning “Legend of the Hungry Wolf”). He has a pet monkey named Ukee (the previous mascot of SNK before Terry). He has a knack for scoring in basketball, which explains the creation of his Power Dunk move. His official nickname is “The Legendary Wolf” and “South Town Hero”.
4. K’
K’, pronounced as “Kay Dash”, is a character from The King of Fighters series. He debut as the leader of the Hero Team in The King of Fighters ’99, and stars as the reluctant hero in the NESTS saga (KOF ’99-KOF 2001).
5. Kyo Kusangi
Kyo Kusanagi is the main protagonist in SNK’s The King of Fighters video game series. He was first introduced in The King of Fighters ’94 as the leader of the Japan Team. He is the rival of Iori Yagami.
He was first introduced as a cocky delinquent high school student who is the heir of the Kusanagi Clan, one of the three clans that sealed the legendary snake entity, Orochi, 1800 years ago. His clan wields pyrokinetic powers, an inherited power that few members obtain. They, along with the Yasakani and Yata clans, keep one of the Three Sacred Treasures used to contain Orochi long ago. His family’s treasure is the Kusanagi Sword, and his family crest is the sun, represented in a stylized halo of fire.
6. Benimaru Nikaido
Benimaru Nikaido is a character from The King of Fighters series. He debuts in The King of Fighters ’94 as a member of the Hero Team, and as one of Kyo Kusanagi’s longest rival and friend. His official nickname is “The Shooting Star”.
7. Geese Goward
Geese Howard is the chief antagonist of the Fatal Fury series and a secondary villain in the Art of Fighting series. His role varies in the The King of Fighters storyline, but he is always either in the position of a villain or an anti-hero.
Geese also appears in many CD dramas and stars in his own character image album. He also sings in a number of image songs. In addition to appearing in manga adaptations of the Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting and The King of Fighters games published in Japan, Geese Howard was also the subject of a single-volume manga published in 1996 titled The Geese Howard Story by Etsuya Amajishi, adapting the character’s fictional history from the Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury games. It was followed by a single-volume sequel in 1997 titled Geese in the Dark, by the same author.
8. Mai Shiranui
Mai Shiranui is a character from the Fatal Fury series. She made her debut in Fatal Fury 2 as the last Shiranui ninja and the girlfriend of Andy Bogard. She also appears in almost every game in The King of Fighters series, being one of the founders of Team Women Fighters, along with King and Yuri Sakazaki.
9. Leona
Leona, also known under her codename Leona Heidern, is a character introduced in The King of Fighters ’96 as the new member to the Ikari Warriors Team. Her official nickname is The Silent Soldier.
10. Shermie
Shermie is a character in The King of Fighters series series who is a member of the Orochi Team (temporarily under disguised team name, “New Faces Team” in KOF ’97). She is one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi who is the dark counterpart to Benimaru Nikaido.
