Billy Kane

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Billy Kane
Billy Kane in King of Fighters Maximum Impact 2.
Game series	Fatal Fury series King of Fighters series
First game	Fatal Fury
Voice actor(s)	Katsuhisa Namase (FF2, FFS, KOF95), Atsushi Yamanishi (KOF97-2002, RBFF series), Seijirou (KOF2003-MI2)
In-Universe Information
Birthplace	England
Blood type	B
Fighting style	Cudgel-craft

Billy Kane (ビリー・カーン, Billy Kane^?) is a video game character in both the Fatal Fury and King of Fighters series.

[edit] History

[edit] Fatal Fury

Billy was the righthand man of Geese Howard, a crime lord in the fictitious American city of Southtown. Geese would hold The King of Fighters tournament every year with Billy as his champion. Billy was the undefeated champion of the tournament, until he was defeated by Terry Bogard. (Fatal Fury 1) Terry moved on to defeat Geese. Billy came to Geese's aid at the end of the fight and took him to the hospital. Billy swore revenge against "The Lonely Wolves" Terry, Andy Bogard, and Joe Higashi.

Geese's final plan was to use The Scrolls of Immortality to become a god (Fatal Fury 3). The Lonely Wolves and their friends tried to stop Geese and Billy was there to stop them. He had a showdown with Joe Higashi, and while he did win, it turned out Joe was merely a distraction. While they were fighting, The Bogard Brothers fought Geese for the last time and killed him.

[edit] The King of Fighters

In the King of Fighters series, Billy's biography is identical, except it appears Geese's death has been retconned. When the new King of Fighters tournament began (The King of Fighters '95) under the control of a man named Rugal, Billy was ordered by Geese to go in his boss' place because Geese was still healing. Billy hoped he would get to challenge The Lonely Wolves and get revenge. He joined with a ninja named Eiji Kisaragi and a mysterious man named Iori Yagami. They all had their own reasons for entering the tournament, and their lack of teamwork meant they didn't do well. Billy's team didn't win, and at the end of the tournament, Iori went crazy and beat up Billy and Eiji. Billy swore revenge against Iori.

When the next tournament (The King of Fighters '96) came around, Geese accepted the invitation and Billy stayed home. When Geese was betrayed by his teammate Mr. Big, Billy saved Geese's life once again. The next year, (The King of Fighters '97) Geese sent Billy to investigate the mysterious Orochi power in Iori. Geese hired a sadistic outlaw named Ryuji Yamazaki and tricked a good freelance agent named Blue Mary to help as well. Billy tried to kill Iori, but Iori entered a rage called The Riot of Blood through his Orochi power and Billy was forced to retreat. After the tournament ended, Yamazaki demanded his pay from Geese. Geese and Billy fought Yamazaki and while the fight is not seen within the game, Yamazaki is seen walking away with his payment.

In the The King of Fighters 2003, Geese orders the team of Billy Kane, Ryuji Yamazaki, and Gato to infiltrate the tourmanament in another attempt to take over Southtown.

[edit] The King of Fighters Maximum Impact

In "KOF・Maximum Impact 2", it is revealed Billy has moved to the countryside of the UK with his young sister, and has decided to return to South Town once again, willing to show the Meira twins: Alba and Soiree the town should be embarked by no one.

In Terry Bogard's story in King Of Maximum Impact 2 he wonders what would happen if Billy met Rock, his boss' son. It does happen in the second episode of the anime spin-off mini-series King of Fighters: Another Day, when Rock stops Billy from killing Lien Neville who was carrying out a hit on him. Billy tried to convince Rock to help him, because as he carries Geese's heritage (seen by Rock as a burden to himself), Lien would try to take him out too. Instead, Rock decides to save Lien's life and fights Billy, who almost manages to kill him as well for shaming Geese's legacy, but is blown away by a beam fired over Geese Tower. Billy does not die of this attack, as it is shown in the end of the fourth episode that he is alive and well.

[edit] Personality

Billy hails from England, he loves punk music and plays the guitar very well. He fights with a three sectional staff that he somehow can ignite with fire and can be split into three parts connected with a chain. He always tries to look out for his little sister Lilly Kane.

While Billy cannot be considered a 'good guy' he is not an evil man, his criminal career is motivated more by a desire to make easy money and his respect for Geese Howard than actual malice and his softer side is often shown when with his sister Lilly or friend Blue Mary, even his hatred for Terry Bogard has softened to be much more of a rivalry. Billy is violently anti-smoking and hates cigarettes and will assault anyone who blows cigarette smoke in his face (this is the explanation for the 'no smoking' sign on the back of his jacket) and while his hatred of Terry Bogard may have softened, Billy has a deep hatred for Iori Yagami; Iori beat both Billy and Eiji Kisaragi to near death then abandoned them (The King of Fighters '95).

[edit] Powers and Skills

Billy's polestaff is actually composed of three sections of hard tubing held together by short lengths of chain. It is probably held together by springs inside it which pull the chains into place. When Billy attacks normally, the staff remains whole would mean the tension of said springs is quite tight to be able to split them in certain moves requires a great deal of strength and skill.

It is unknown whether Billy's ability to use flames to attack is a trick of his polestaff or an actual ability to wield flames (like Kyo Kusanagi). In some of his moves, he seems to activate something in his staff to ignite, but in other moves he seems to concentrate to focus the flames, but the fact he can actually launch the flames away from his staff implies a certain control of it. It is probably a combination of the two: it is Billy who produces the flames, but he must use his staff as a sort of medium to control and wield them effectively. This is not unheard of as Mai Shiranui is capable of similar feats using her fans and clothing as a medium.

After The King of Fighters '98, Billy's 'Focus-Point Destruction Cane' move was dropped, the move was considered very useful by players, in comparison his HDM for The King of Fighters 2002 received an incredibly negative response as being virtually useless (Billy would pose then seemingly throw his staff at the opponent, which would not connect with them, the move is supposed to act as a "reversal technique", with Billy taking out a second staff and going into a blazing combo attack if struck but so much resembles an attack that any opposing player would most likely just block the staff until the move ends). He has also had two variations of his Fire Dragon Pursuit attack. Regularly, the move acts as a counter-to-double-strike move, but in an alternate version in KOF '98, Real Bout: Fatal Fury Special and Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, the move was simply the two strike attack.

[edit] Lilly Kane

Lilly in KOF MI2

Lilly Kane is the kid sister of Billy Kane. She only appears in the Fatal Fury series as a background character (she can be seen during Joe Higashi's ending in Fatal Fury 3 and in Billy's ending in Real Bout Fatal Fury) and only appeared as an Alternate Striker in The King of Fighters 2000 for Hinako. Lilly appears for the first time as a playable character in The King of Fighters Maximum Impact 2

Lilly, like her brother, is originally from England, but then immigrated to the United States; eventually taking up residence in Southtown, but later on returned to the United Kingdom with him, seeking peace. Lilly is a kind and warm-hearted girl who likes the laundry business and loves her brother. Currently, she's dating Muay Thai kickboxer Joe Higashi, one of Billy's sworn enemies. There is indication that she is not aware that her brother works for crime boss, Geese Howard.

In The King of Fighters Maximum Impact 2, Lilly is happy about she and her brother being back into their hometown in England and at least living in peace, without worrying about fights. But one morning upon discovering that Billy has returned to Southtown to fight. Angry and worried about her brother, Lilly decides to go to Southtown to bring Billy back. In this game, she's nicknamed "The Lighthearted Launderer".

Although not forseen as a fighter, there is indication that Lilly took up staff fighting; most likely being trained by her older brother who she loves very much. But, unlike her brother's staff, she uses a laundry staff. Also, many of her moves are ice based as opposed to her brother, who uses fire attacks.

She is not to be confused with Lilly McGwire, Geese Howard's adoptive daughter and Terry Bogard's romantic interest in the anime Fatal Fury: Legend of the Hungry Wolf.

[edit] Trivia

• Billy wears his Fatal Fury Wild Ambition outfit in KOF 2003.
• His bodyguard outfit (a business suit), only worn in Fatal Fury artworks, is the second outfit in his 2 appearances in 3D games: Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition and King of Fighters Maximum Impact 2.
• Though he has not been playable in all of them, Billy has appeared in all of the Fatal Fury games, including all of their spin-off titles, with the exception of one; he was left ouf of the Sega Genesis version of Fatal Fury due to memory constraints (he can still be seen among the crowd in Pao Pao Cafe, Richard Meyer's stage).
• Billy appears in the London stage with his sister Lilly in Capcom vs SNK 2.
• Billy can be heard to yell "Go to hell!" during his Great Whirlwind DM in his appearances in KOF games '97 and on.
• Billy's sister, Lilly Kane, is a playable character for the first time ever in KOF: Maximum Impact 2, along with Billy's first appearance in that sub-plot. Whereas Billy is known for wielding flames, Lilly serves as his counterpart by wielding ice. A video of her Super Cold Wind Wheel (alt. for Billy's Fire Wheel Blast) can be seen on the KOF MI 2 website.
• In the same game, Lilly's alternate costume resembles Billy's outfit costume from Fatal Fury 1 and The King of Fighters '95. Also, some of Lilly's secret costumes, resembles Hinako Shijo and Hotaru Futaba.
• Billy's personality is obviously loosely based off of singer Billy Idol. This is made so due to him having the same birth place (England) and punk rock attitude as well as music preference (as stated earlier, he plays the guitar well and likes punk rock). In fact, in KOF: Maximum Impact 2 (known as KOF: 2006 in the US) he has a (possibly two) costumes based off of Idol's punk rock clothing style.

[edit] Pronunciation

• Billy is mostly pronounced the same (though with the Japanese dialect it would be like "Bi-ree"; "Bi" pronounced like the "Bi" in the word "Bit"), but Kane is not to be pronounced like the word "Cane" (Ironicly) and more like "Kon" or "Kaan", leaving the "e" silent.

[edit] Related Characters

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Billy Kane

• Terry Bogard
• Andy Bogard
• Joe Higashi
• Blue Mary
• Mai Shiranui
• Ryuji Yamazaki
• Gato
• Geese Howard
• Wolfgang Krauser
• Mr. Big
• Iori Yagami
• Eiji Kisaragi

[edit] External links

• The King of Fighters 10th Anniversary Official Website
• Fatal Fury 15th Anniversary Official Website