Oswald

Oswald (オズワルド, Ozuwarudo) is one of the three original characters debuting in the video game The King of Fighters XI. There, he belongs to the year's Hero Team along with Ash Crimson and Shen Woo. He was created under the image of being an older gentleman and is an enigma to even the creators. Developers consider his moves to be comical compared to the seriousness of his image, especially the move Joker when it is blocked or misses. They chose to leave the result of his fight with Shen (see below) ambiguous, implying that fans would have been disappointed with the outcome. He was originally intended to be the "good-looking glasses" character for the series.

He is voiced by Toshihiro Shigetsuka.

Story
Oswald is a man who said to be a professional hitman. Ash requested for Oswald to join the tournament based on rumors he heard about him. Since neither knew much about the other, the conditions for joining the team was decided in a poker game; the winner would choose to do what they pleased. Despite having a winning hand, Oswald recognizes Ash's skill and accepts defeat -he introduces himself to his teammates then.

It is revealed at the end of the tournament that Oswald joins Ash and Shen Woo to obtain money and drugs named 'Dragon Pills' (or 'Ryu-gun' in Japanese). Ash agrees to give information regarding the drug to him, explaining that it can only be given to him if he defeats the provider's enemy, Shen Woo. Seeing as how he's nowhere in the King of Fighters XIII roster, it's possible he was defeated by Shen. Some argue that Shen Woo may have been defeated by Oswald, but not executed.

Personality
Oswald is a very serious man who will not hesitate to kill to fulfill his intentions, be them good or not.

Powers

 * Blending with shadows - Oswald is able to blend with shadows. His clothes are not affected by this power.

Fighting Style
Oswald fights with his slashing playing cards, with a fighting style called Karnöffel (with elements of Tai Chi) which is a real card game. Many fans have noted that Oswald's card-based fighting style is remarkably similar to X-Men's Gambit (this comparison is most obvious between Oswald's Joker LDM and Gambit's Royal Flush super).

Music

 * Joker - The King of Fighters XI

Game Appearances



 * The King of Fighters XI

Cameo Appearances

 * Days of Memories (fourth title) - cameo with Ash