Kyo Kusanagi

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Kyo Kusanagi
Game series	King of Fighters series SNK Vs. series
First game	King of Fighters '94
Voice actor(s)	Masahiro Nonaka
In-Universe Information
Birthplace	Japan
Blood type	B (RH-)
Fighting style	Kusanagi style of ancient martial arts, combined with Kenpo

Kyo Kusanagi (草薙京, Kusanagi Kyō^?) is one of the main characters in SNK Playmore's King of Fighters videogame series; he was first introduced in The King of Fighters '94.

1 History
2 Personal details
3 Character development
4 The Kyo Clones
- 4.1 Kusanagi
5 Related Characters
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Clan background

Kyo is a descendant of the legendary Kusanagi clan, and inherits from his family pyrokinetic powers, the ancient Kusanagi martial arts style, and an ancient enemy to both the Orochi and his minions, as well as Iori Yagami, last descendant of the treacherous Yasakani clan.

The Kusanagi and Yasakani clans were once allies, uniting (along with the Yata clan) to seal away the evil Orochi 1800 years ago. However, the Yasakani clan, out of jealousy over the fame of the Kusanagi, eventually struck an unholy and treacherous pact with Orochi, and became the Yagami. Since then, the Kusanagi clan has been forced to use the crimson flames that put Orochi to sleep against their former allies. Many members of both clans have perished in this rivalry, up until the events of the King of Fighters games, in which Kyo and Iori must end a battle spanning 660 years.

[edit] Rugal Saga

Shortly after the completion of his training, Kyo noticed a flyer announcing the "King of Fighters" tournament. Competing in a preliminary held in Japan to determine the members of the Japan Team, he bested Goro Daimon and Benimaru Nikaido to become the leader of the team, the other two becoming his teammates and eventual friends. The Japan Team eventually reached the finals, where they met the host of the tournament, a powerful fighter named Rugal Bernstein.

Rugal revealed that the point of the tournament was merely to provide him with worthy fighters to fight with, and pointed to a myriad of statues of his petrified foes as their eventual fate. While the battle against Rugal initially went poorly, Kyo saw his injured father, Saisyu, on board, and his subsequent rage drove him to defeat Rugal. Rugal triggered his ship's self-destruct sequence to take them down with him, but while fleeing, the Japan Team discovers that Saisyu has vanished after their fight with Rugal.

In the next tournament, Kyo and his team are invited to another King of Fighters tournament, organized once again by the nefarious Rugal (who had survived his craft's self-destruction). Rugal had brainwashed Saisyu into attacking his son. Benimaru and Goro spared Kyo from having to fight his father, and managed to subdue him. At Saisyu's behest, Kyo once again fought Rugal, who revealed that he was drawing upon power from the legendary Orochi. However, as Rugal drew more and more power, it became too great for his body to contain, and it killed him.

[edit] Orochi Saga

Prior to the King of Fighters 96 tournament, a mysterious man named Goenitz challenged Kyo to a fight. Despite his misgivings, Kyo arrived powered by his overwhelming confidence and arrogance, only to be defeated soundly. Afterwards, despite his injuries, his anger and spirit drove him to invent powerful new techniques - this is the game's explanation for Kyo trading his ground-fireball attack for his now trademark flame-laced melee attack strings.

Kyo entered the tournament with his team again to search for Goenitz and get even, his new techniques proving instrumental to his victories. The host of the tournament was the younger heiress of the Yata clan, Chizuru Kagura, who warned Kyo of the arriving power of the Orochi. At the end of the tournament, Kyo met Goenitz once more, and with his new techniques and the cooperation of Iori, bested him. As he lay defeated, he promised that "the Orochi threat would never end", and vanished.

During the next year, Kyo began to have nightmares of a strange man defeating him, a trouble compounded by having to train a young fan of his named Shingo Yabuki, who aspired to be just like him in the martial arts. Despite his misgivings about the next tournament, he chose to enter, and encountered a darker side to the legend of the Orochi. He discovered that the "Ikari" warrior Leona Heidern and his rival Iori's bloodline had become more and more corrupted, eventually transforming them into a state called the "Riot of the Blood", which induced the ferocity of the Orochi and a uncontrollable state of madness.

This, along with the introduction of the "New Face team", three members of the Orochi who could use their powers at will, contributed to the eventual resurrection of the legendary beast. The powerful monster defeated the combined efforts of Kyo and Iori until the intervention of Chizuru. In a last-ditch effort, Orochi (manifested in Chris' body) caused Iori to enter the berserk Riot of Blood state, expecting him to turn on Kyo and Chizuru. Instead, Iori snared Orochi by the neck, and Kyo obliged his rival by crippling the great demon with one last deathblow, allowing Chizuru to reseal the Orochi (like the legends of old). Exhausted, Kyo passed out afterwards.

[edit] NESTS Saga

Unconscious from his inhuman efforts against Orochi, Kyo was taken by the NESTS syndicate and his DNA was used to make various beings for their purposes. He awoke one day to find himself surrounded by bizarre gadgets and needles. Deciding to search for answers, Kyo broke out of captivity and managed to escape the hidden fortress despite the sedatives. While escaping, he constantly heard references to the NESTS cartel.

Kyo followed the trail of the King of Fighters tournament, hoping for a chance at revenge. His search led him to the same place he had escaped from. Following a familiar path, Kyo eventually arrived in time to see Benimaru and Shingo fighting the powerful Krizalid. Also present were two unknown fighters assisting them: a young man named K' and a heavily armored cyborg named Maxima. Krizalid was a deadly foe, but with Kyo's help, the New Hero Team managed to kill him. Afterwards, with the base crumbling around him, he swore vengeance on NESTS and continued his hunt.

One year passed, and Kyo discovered the NESTS cartel was still very much operational, now operating in the city of "Southtown". He attempted to confront Zero about the NESTS cartel, but ultimately learned very little. As the fiasco of Southtown's destruction ensued, Iori confronted him and the two fought.

A year later, Kyo reunited with his old teammates and Shingo to reform the Esaka Team and join the now NESTS-sponsored KoF tournament. Making his way through the tournament, he, Iori and K' encountered the madman Igniz, who challenged them to a fight in an orbiting space station. Combining their fire techniques, they defeated Igniz and destroyed the NESTS cartel, and escaped the space station when Igniz set it to crash into Earth.

[edit] Sacred Treasures (Ash) Saga

In 2003, yet another KoF tournament was announced. Chizuru appeared to both Kyo and Iori, requesting that they form a team and investigate suspicious activities concerning the Orochi. Kyo initially protested allying with Iori (though Iori apparently did not do likewise), but relented to form the Sacred Treasures team. After besting Mukai, the team then investigated the weakening Orochi seal that they had been transported to before fighting Mukai, but were ambushed by Ash, who stole the power of the Yata Mirror from Chizuru and promised to go after Iori next. Ash escaped, and Kyo swore vengeance.

For the following tournament, Kyo, Iori and Shingo formed a team to try and stop Ash once more. However, the growing presence of the Orochi (namely, the appearance of Magaki) caused Iori to snap and enter the Blood Riot state, and he trashed Kyo and Shingo in a berserk fit. Ash appeared thereafter and stole the Yasakani Magatama as well as Iori's purple flames, and the Rival Team (Benimaru, Duo Lon, Elisabeth) arrived just in time for Ash to tell Benimaru that Kyo would be his next target.

[edit] Personal details

Kyo's style of speech (pronouns and grammar style that are indicative of arrogance and even rudeness in Japanese culture), distinctive victory cry (Ore no... kachi da!, Japanese for "This is my victory!" and translated in KOF: Maximum Impact as "I am... the champion!"), and win quotes seem to indicate that he is arrogant, a little devil-may-care and very cocksure of himself. Despite this demeanor, he treasures his friends and family, enjoying their presence and particularly doting on his girlfriend Yuki - a detail reflective of his heritage, as she is descended from the bloodline of Kushinada, the maiden that was nearly sacrificed to Orochi before the intervention of the Kusanagi, Yasakani and Yata clans. He and his often-absent father Saisyu tend squabble with and grumble over each other when they are together, but merely in jest. By contrast, he gets along well with his mother Shizuka and is very respectful to her.

Following the formation of the Japan Team in '94, Benimaru Nikaido and Goro Daimon became good friends with Kyo. Goro (also a friend of Saisyu) is a mentor figure and Benimaru a friendly rival. Kyo has also apparently known Athena Asamiya since childhood, a detail that has received little attention outside of some spin-offs like the KoF: Kyo manga. His extreme disinterest in studies has led to his chronic inability to graduate from high school (which has become subject to in-jokes, though he seems to have just ditched without graduating after KoF'97), and it also was how he met a fan and eventual student of his, Shingo Yabuki.

Kyo also is strongly driven by his heritage, particularly a sense of justice (or at least a hatred or disdain for villains) and a bond with Iori (of the Yasakani) and Chizuru (of the Yata) - he, however, tends to see such things more as personal matters rather than being a part of his heritage. His hostility towards Iori (which is equally, if not more so, returned) is also a result of his lineage; however, their mutual grudge dwindles somewhat, evidenced by their cooperation against Goenitz, Orochi, NESTS, and during KOF 2003 and XI (admittedly, the two only cooperate grudgingly or as a last resort, and still intend to carry on their blood feud). Though he never knew Chizuru Kagura prior to the events of KOF '96 and does not appear to have actively befriended her (it's remarkable, though, that he now refers to Chizuru by first name, something that in the Japanese mindset denotes a noticeable closeness -- Yuki and Benimaru are the only two other characters he is known to regularly refer to by their first names, the two being his girlfriend and best friend respectively), he became enraged over Ash stealing her powers, and swore to get even with him.

[edit] Character development

In the first stages of development, Kyo was meant to be called Sho Kirishima. His name became Kyo Kusanagi later on, likely due to the KoF story's connection to the Yamata no Orochi legend. A character with that name appears as an alternate striker for Kyo in KOF 2000 (bearing Kyo's original character design). "Sho Kirishima" reappears as Kyo's unlockable 3rd alternate outfit in KoF: Maximum Impact and in KoF: Maximum Impact 2 as Classic Kyo's unlockable "normal" outfit.

As of today, Kyo has sported 5 different outfits:

The school uniform from KOF 94-98 [1]
A black long-sleeve shirt with a white cross outline, a white jacket and blue jeans with a pocket chain (sometimes referred to as Shin Kyo) from KOF 99-2002
A black leather jacket with the Kusanagi emblem, white undershirt, a new pair of Kusanagi gloves and green jeans. He wore this from KOF 2003-KOFXI (and likely KOF XII as well). [2]
His latest outfit for Maximum Impact 2 (also worn in the animé KoF: Another Day).
And the striker Kyo for KoF '99 (Dreamcast version) where he was wearing a brown leather jacket, a bandanna, jeans and oddly enough, he's not wearing gloves at all.

Kyo has also sported the most "versions" of any other character in the entire series.

The REAL Kyo
Kyo '94 and '95 (hidden characters in KoF '97 and '98 respectively)
Kyo-1 & Kyo-2 from KoF '99
Kusanagi from KoF 2002-03
EX Kyo in KoF XI
and Classic Kyo in KoF: Maximum Impact 2

[edit] The Kyo Clones

Kyo Kusanagi 1 and 2 are clones created by the mysterious organization known as NESTS. After capturing Kyo following the climax of the King of Fighters 97' tournament, they used his DNA to create thousands of identical lifeforms which possess his fighting style and some of his memories, albeit with somewhat differing personalities and traits. They also have an overwhelming hatred of the original Kyo. During the course of the King of Fighters 99', Kusanagi 1 and Kusanagi 2 were merely two of thousands ready to be activated by Krizalid. They were destroyed in the course of the King of Fighters 99' tournament. Kyo Kusanagi 1 is available as an extra costume for Kyo in SVC Chaos for PS2 , (Press the circle button to select Kyo).

Kyo Kusanagi 1
Kyo Kusanagi 1
Birthplace:	Japan
Birthdate:	July 5
Height:	181cm
Weight:	75 kg
Blood type:	Type B(RH-)
Hobbies:	Choreographing new fighting moves
Favorite Food:	Melo (a kind of fish)
Measurements:	N/A
Favorite sport:	N/A
Most valuable:	His DNA
Hates the most:	The original Kyo Kusanagi
Fighting Style:	The Kusanagi Style of Ancient Arts + Personal Boxing Style
First Appearance:	KOF 99'
Appears in KOF:	KOF 99'

Kyo Kusanagi 2
Kyo Kusanagi 2
Birthplace:	Japan
Birthdate:	July 5
Height:	181cm
Weight:	75 kg
Blood type:	Type B(RH-)
Hobbies:	Imitating moves
Favorite Food:	Hoki (commonly known as blue grenadier)
Measurements:	N/A
Favorite sport:	N/A
Most valuable:	His DNA
Hates the most:	The original Kyo Kusanagi
Fighting Style:	The Kusanagi Style of Ancient Arts + Personal Boxing Style
First Appearance:	KOF 99'
Appears in KOF:	KOF 99'

[edit] Kusanagi

Kusanagi
Kusanagi in King of Fighters 2003
Game series	King of Fighters series
First game	King of Fighters 2002
In-Universe Information
Fighting style	Kusanagi style of ancient martial arts + personal style of Chinese boxing (Kenpo)

In KoF 2002 Kusanagi was believed, by many fans, to have been originally created as a NESTS experiment, because he has a special intro with K9999. During this intro, K9999 yells "Kusanagi!" and he acknowledges him as if they both knew each other. (This introduction is, in fact, an homage to Akira, because K9999 and Kusanagi have the same voice actors as Tetsuo and Kaneda, respectively) However his actual backstory is revealed in KoF 2003, which says that he is the product of Chizuru Kagura's magic, used as a test of strength for the tournament contestants. His evil appearance is possibly due to the fact that he was created by Chizuru while under the control of Those From The Past members Mukai (the leader of the KOF 2003 operation) and Botan (the puppeteer who had Chizuru under her control).

His moves are the same as the original Kyo Kusanagi, being the first set of moves he had used in the series. Also, in KOF 2002, he has a special intro with some characters that use weapons in battle, like Choi, Chang, Billy and Whip, being "Temae! Sude de shoubu shiagare!" (You! (bastard!) Fight me with your bare hands!)

Also, in KOF: Another Day, episode 3, the Ikari team briefly mentions a Kyo clone walking around the vicinities of South Town. While there's no evidence to this fact, some fans consider the "Kyo clone" that Heidern mentioned to be Kusanagi (although it is actually them mistaking the actual Kyo for an escaped NESTS copy).