King (キング) is a character in both Art of Fighting and The King of Fighters series. She debuted in the original Art of Fighting as the sole playable female character. In The King of Fighters series, she appears as one of the founders of the Women Fighters Team, along with Mai Shiranui and Yuri Sakazaki, beside being a frequent member of the Art of Fighting Team.
Her official nickname is "The Beautiful Kick's Illusion" (美 (うつく)しき蹴撃 (しゅうげき)のイリュージョン).[1]
Development[]
King's appearance in the first game was made to hide her gender, with the game's flyer even using he to refer the character. According to an interview[2] with her designer, King was primarily inspired and modeled after Jamaican singer, Grace Jones. During the concept stage they took additional inspiration from the henchwoman character in the Hong Kong action crime film China White,[3] performed by Dutch Muay Thai action actress Saskia Van Rijswijk.
Story[]
Art of Fighting series[]
Past[]
King is a skilled fighter who earned fame early in her career by defeating a famous Muay Thai champ. For various reasons - such as to hide her true identity, to present herself as a reliable fighter, and other issues with her gender - she made efforts to portray herself as a man to defend herself from the dangers of Southtown. Five years before Art of Fighting takes place, she suffers a humiliating defeat to Jack Turner and his gang. It is unclear of how, but she ends up working for Mr. Big as the (male) bouncer at the L'Amor Restaurant.
Art of Fighting[]
Her secret is exposed when she is defeated by Ryo Sakazaki, who is searching for his sister Yuri. King agrees to help him save his sister and guides Ryo and Robert to Mr. Big's hideout.
Art of Fighting 2[]
In the following game, she tries to make an honest living, but resurfaces on the streets. She enters the King of Fighters tournament with hopes to win the prize money to pay for a surgery her younger brother needs to gain the use of his legs. In her ending, she is surprised to see Jan walking on his own two feet. Both Ryo and Robert paid for the operation as thanks for her help with finding Yuri.
Buriki One[]
According to Ryo, she is still well by the time Buriki One takes place. Running the Illusion bar, Ryo occasionally stops by to see her and catch up. Since he considers her a "good friend", their relationship probably isn't on the romantic track.
The King of Fighters series[]
King's life is the exact same as her Art of Fighting/Fatal Fury counterpart up until Art of Fighting 2.
During the series, King acts as the consistent member of the reoccurring Womens' Team. She also opens up her own bar in England (and later South Town), the "Illusion", and hires the twin waitresses named Sally and Elizabeth to assist her. She generally acquiesces to her teammates' whims as she wants to participate to make Jan proud. She agrees to join the Art of Fighting team in The King of Fighters 2000 when Yuri begs her to be her replacement. When Robert doubts her credibility, King is able to prove her worth in an extensive kicking contest. The series also emphasized her possible infatuation with Ryo, which is heavily hinted at in 2000 and The King of Fighters XI. Although she suggested other candidates for her position, King enters the KOF XIII tournament since she doesn't want to lose to the other teams. After Ryo's invitation, she goes back to the Art of Fighting Team in The King of Fighters XV.
Orochi Saga[]
The King of Fighters '94[]
Mai Shiranui and Yuri Sakazaki, two close friends of King, bursted through the doors of Illusion to ask King to join them for the KOF tournament. King agrees to enter KOF with them as the Women Fighters Team, representing England.
The King of Fighters '95[]
King runs into Mai and Yuri by chance, asking her once again to join her in KOF as the Women Fighters Team.
The King of Fighters '96[]
Prior to the 1996 tournament, Kasumi Todoh is referred to the event by King. She greets and tests her other teammate. Through a short martial arts scuffle, both Mai and King agree with Kasumi becoming a member of the new Women Fighters Team.
The King of Fighters '97[]
Chizuru Kagura, the hostess of the previous tournament, publicly announces that she will be participating in the 1997 tournament to see how she stacks up with other fighters. In reality, she is coming in order to convince Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami to work together again. She decides to team up with King and Mai to form the Women Fighters Team.
NESTS Chronicles[]
The King of Fighters '99[]
After she left to search for her father, Kasumi clashes with the antagonistic waitress, Xiangfei, before the 1999 tournament. By chance, King and Mary stop their fight and ask them to be their teammates.[4]
The King of Fighters 2000[]
In The King of Fighters 2000, Ryo welcomed King into the team, even through Robert's protests, as Yuri back to the Women Fighters Team. Takuma apparently noticed (and mistook) the respect the young fighters had for one another for love, and presses his wishes for her to join whenever the time calls for it (something Robert and Yuri would eventually do too).[5]
The King of Fighters 2001[]
To be added soon...
Tales of Ash[]
The King of Fighters 2003[]
To be added soon...
The King of Fighters XI[]
To be added...
The King of Fighters XIII[]
Prior to the thirteenth tournament, King informs Mai and Yuri that B. Jenet has plans to also enter.
After Ash Crimson erased himself and Saiki from history, all memories of him were erased from all who knew him, including King. In the Women Fighters Team ending, she is one of the many ladies who fight in the Pao Pao Cafe (much to Richard's dismay).
Shun'ei Saga[]
The King of Fighters XIV[]
Prior to the fourteenth tournament, Mai meets King at Illusion, who once AGAIN was unable to make a team with Andy. King decided to join with Mai, but had to find a third member, as Yuri was teaming up with Ryo and Robert, Blue Mary and Vanessa was unavailable, and Kasumi and Hinako was ignored due to her desire to team up with Andy. Running out of time to regester, a girl named Alice spoke up and asked to join the Women's Team. King has heard of Alice, as a new up-and-coming fighter from South Town. Mai agrees with her joining, if Alice lands a single hit on her. While she was unable to hit her for most of the fight, she got lucky with a Diving Tackle, while dodging her Ryuuenbu. Impressed, Mai and King accepted Alice as the new member of the Women's Fighting Team, born with a passion for defeating Terry, Joe, and Ryo.[6]
At some point during the tournament, King ran into Ryo, who once again had an awkward backdown love confesion. She also ran into Hein, who is seemingly aware of her past.
The gang's all here! Also, Kasumi!
After the tournament's climax the heroines all enjoying a meal together.
The King of Fighters XV[]
King leaves the Women Fighters Team, and replaces Yuri in the Art of Fighting Team.
Personality[]
King is a kind and trustworthy but violent woman. She is unquestionably loyal to her friends, but relentlessly unforgiving towards her enemies. Although King is very passionate, she rarely shows a sensitive side to her friends (and when she does, things just seem to go wrong). She often dresses in masculine and androgynous clothing, mainly a purple tuxedo. Over time, she has also shown a feminine dress sense more and more often. For her KOF XIII team story, she expresses a desire to a wear a dress for her teams' victory party. She has a great affinity for fine wine. She also tends to obsess over money so she can pay Jean's medical bills. King seems to be quite attracted to Ryo Sakazaki (the two have special starting poses in many games to imply this).
King acts quite masculine, and shows a feminine side as well every now and then.
Powers[]
- Energy Projectile: King can launch a projectile of energy with her kicks.
Skills[]
- Acrobatics: King is a very acrobatic fighter using moves like "Trap Shot" and "Tornado Kick".
- Advanced Kicking: King uses a lot of powerful kicks in her moveset.
- Billiards: King is a very proficient (maybe even professional) billiards player, in everything from pool to snooker, her favorite sport.
- Drink Mixing: King is an expert in coming up with new drinks all the time as she has been working in bars most of her life as a bartender.
Fighting Style[]
King uses a very distinct form of Muay Thai. Besides techniques associated with an archetypal "Tae"-style (i.e kick-heavy) Thaiboxer, King employs several acrobatic aerial and spinning kicks - more common in traditional Indochinese kickboxing styles like Muay Boran and Bokator, that are unallowed in contemporary thaiboxing. Her fighting style is very similar many hybrid arts such as Japanese kickboxing, Korean Kun Gek Do, or Chinese Sanda. As King is French there may also be some Savate influence in her style.
Music[]
Themes
- Micha Iya! (Don't Look!) - Art of Fighting
- Kabocha to Piero (Pumpkin & Piero) - Art of Fighting 2
- Ne? (Isn't it?) - The King of Fighters '94, The King of Fighters '98 and Ultimate Match (When teamed with Yuri and Mai)
- Tsuchi o Hau Bass (The Ground-Crawling Bass) - The King of Fighters '95, The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match (as EX King)
- Get'n Up - The King of Fighters '96, The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match (When teamed with Kasumi and Mai)
- Fairy - The King of Fighters '98; The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match
- Sha-La-La - The King of Fighters '99
- Beauty and the Beast - The King of Fighters 2000, The King of Fighters EX: Neo Blood
- The Queen of Fighters - The King of Fighters 2001
- Tears - The King of Fighters 2002 (console version only)
- I'm Hot for You - The King of Fighters 2003, The King of Fighters XIII (when the music is set to "Type B", console version only, shared with Yuri Sakazaki and Mai Shiranui)
- After a Long Absence - The King of Fighters XI
- Destiny - The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match
- Who is Queen? - The King of Fighters XIII
- Splendid Soldier - The King of Fighters XIV
- Micha Iya! -KOF XIV ver.- - The King of Fighters XIV (as Ryo's opponent)
- How About a Trip to PAOPAO CAFÉ? - The King of Fighters XV
- A Wonderful Person - Days of Memories (Koi wa Good Job!)
Image Song
- The Song of Fighters II - Shared image song with other King of Fighters characters
Voice Actors[]
- Harumi Ikoma - Since her debut
- Yumi Tōma - The King of Fighters '94 Dengeki Bunko drama CD
- Masako Katsuki - Art of Fighting anime
- Sharon Becker - Art of Fighting anime (English voice)
Appearances[]
Games
- Art of Fighting
- Art of Fighting 2
- The King of Fighters '94
- The King of Fighters '95
- The King of Fighters '96
- The King of Fighters '97
- The King of Fighters '98
- The King of Fighters '99
- Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000
- Capcom vs. SNK Pro
- Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001
- The King of Fighters 2000
- The King of Fighters 2001
- The King of Fighters EX: Neo Blood
- The King of Fighters 2002 - potential mid-boss & unlockable in console versions only
- The King of Fighters Neowave
- The King of Fighters 2003
- The King of Fighters '94 Re-Bout
- The King of Fighters XI
- The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match
- The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match
- The King of Fighters XIII
- The King of Fighters XIV
- CR The King of Fighters
- The King of Fighters XV
Mobile
- Days of Memories (Second, Fourth, and Fifth) - Non-playable
- SNK Beach Volley Gal's Attack
- The King of Fighters Mobile
- The King of Reversi
- The King of Fighters Mahjong
- SNK Gals Island Dokidoki Puzzle Shock!
- SNK Gals Rhythm Combo Yudanshinaide!
- SNK Gals Island Dennou Freecell Ote Yawarakani
- SNK High School Collection
- The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Online
- Metal Slug Defense (Unlockable)
- Puzzle & Dragons
- The King of Fighters Destiny (Game)
- Kimi wa Hero
- The King of Fighters All Star
- The King of Fighters Go
- The King of Fighters M: Fighting Stars Assembly
- SNK Fighting Age
Cameos
- SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium - Error screen alongside Chizuru
- The King of Fighters 2002 - Background cameo in the Mexico stage, only in arcade versions
- The King of Fighters XII - Talking to Ryo in his profile story; in-text cameo in one of Athena's win quotes
- KOF: Maximum Impact - Background cameo
- KOF: Maximum Impact 2 - Background cameo
- The King of Fighters (Pachinko)
- The King of Fighters 2
- Koi no Iroha ~Sazanka Chiru Fuyu~ Mobile game
- Moeyo! KOF Daiundokai
- SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy - in Yuri's ending
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - background cameo in King of Fighters Stadium Stage
Comics
- The King of Fighters: A New Beginning
Anime
- Art of Fighting (anime)
- The King of Fighters: Destiny
Trivia[]
- When King is knocked out with a special move in the first Art of Fighting, the top of her costume is ripped. This continues to happen in Art of Fighting 2, The King of Fighters '94 and The King of Fighters '95, but doesn't happen again until KOF XIII. If this is done during AOF's story mode, King will say different quotes after her defeat. The same occurrence happens again in KOF XIV, only this time, the top layer of the top of her costume is ripped, leaving the under layer of said costume unbuttoned.
- The same thing occurs with Yuri Sakazaki in the reffered games (except in AOF 1, when she is a damsel-in-distress character.)
- In KOF XIII, during their pre-fight and win quotes with King, the traditional Muay Thai fighters Joe Higashi and Hwa Jai ridicule her fighting style, not acknowledging it as real Muay Thai practicioner. This continues to happen in future games of the series, only with Joe.
- In the Neo Geo Freak's 1997 Volume 8 character poll, she was voted as the sixteenth favorite character with a total of 616 votes.
- King is the only character in the Art of Fighting series with the same voice actress in all her game appearances (in her source series and in The King of Fighters series).
- Harumi Ikoma, her voice actress, continues with the character's voice dubbing in the current days.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ http://game.snk-corp.co.jp/official/kof-xiii/arcade/character/
- ↑ http://shmuplations.com/aof/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQhNHeEkbDo
- ↑ The King of Fighters '99 Team Stories: Women Fighters Team
- ↑ The King of Fighters 2000 Team Stories: Women Fighters Team
- ↑ The King of Fighters XIV Team Stories: Women Fighters Team
| Art of Fighting | ||
|---|---|---|
| Characters | Ryo Sakazaki • Robert Garcia • Yuri Sakazaki • Geese Howard | |
| Related | Fatal Fury • The King of Fighters • Buriki One • SNK vs. Capcom • SNK Gals' Fighters • Neo Geo Battle Coliseum • SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy • Tekken 7 • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | |
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This article uses content from the SNK wiki.
The original article can be found here and the original contributors here.
The content is licensed under the CC-BY-SA license. |