Ryuji Yamazaki

Ryuji Yamazaki (山崎 竜二, Yamazaki Ryūji) is a video game character from both the Fatal Fury and King of Fighters series. In Gamest's 1997 Heroes Collection, Yamazaki was voted as the staff's fifteenth favorite character. He shared the spot with Samurai Shodown character, Galford, and Street Fighter character, Ken.

Story
In contrast with most of the other fighters in combat video games, Yamazaki does not use any particular martial art - he is a self-taught brawler, and uses a wide variety of attacks in his fighting, including unfair and dishonest moves such as kicking sand in his opponent's eyes, and his ever-present knife. He also rarely takes his right hand out of his pocket unless he is using his knife. Yamazaki never had parents to look up to when he was growing up, so he quickly fell in with the wrong crowd at a young age. Eventually, after years of petty crime, he fell under the tutelage of a crime boss, where he soon climbed the ranks of crime until he became the boss's right-hand man. One day, Yamazaki and his boss went to a warehouse where an illegal deal was taking place. Yamazaki felt that something wasn't quite right with the situation, and told his boss so. The boss laughed Yamazaki's feeling off and ordered him to stay with him. Unfortunately, the deal was a setup, and both Yamazaki and his boss were ambushed by rival criminals. Yamazaki's boss was killed, and seeing the only "parent" that he ever had die before his eyes drove Yamazaki to insanity. He is now completely psychotic and is extremely mentally unbalanced. In 1995, Yamazaki was signed up by Jin Chonrei and Jin Chonshu to protect them and the scrolls of immortality.

In the King of Fighters series, as he was having fun at a local dojo, Yamazaki was faced by an Englishman named Billy Kane, who worked as the bodyguard of Geese Howard, main crime leader of Southtown. Yamazaki refused Billy's offer to join him and participate in the King of Fighters tournament at first, but after terribly mauling one of the warriors, he felt an adrenaline rush through his blood. Feeling a need to fight and kill, he accepted Billy's offer. During the subsequent tournaments, Yamazaki did not enter, and its unknown what he did during this time. He finally returns in the 2003 tournament to participate with Billy and Gato to engage on another of Geese's attempts to take over Southtown. At the end of the tournament, tensions between the team members increase somewhat, and culminate in a fight. Gato, disgusted with his team members (whom he is obviously not friends with), simply takes his leave and reappears in the follow-up title KOF XI. However, Billy and Yamazaki continue to fight each other, and neither made an appearance in KOF XI. Whether or not this ending in canon remains to be seen, although it does somewhat explain the characters' disappearance.

Personality
Yamazaki is clearly mad and histerical. He likes to bash, smash, cut and, basically, kill everyone and anyone.

He doesn't want to be involved with Orochi and the Hakesshu.

Powers

 * Snake Arms - Yamazaki can stretch his arms in front of him within a long range and with high speed.
 * Explosive Headbutt - Yamazaki's headbutt can cause an explosion.

Fighting Style
Yamazaki fights with his instinct. He has some ruthless moves in order to kill his enemy quickly.

Music

 * C62 ~Shirokuni~ - Fatal Fury 3, Real Bout Fatal Fury
 * C62 ~Shirokuni Ver.2~ - Real Bout Fatal Fury Special, Real Bout Fatal Fury 2, The King of Fighters 97, The King of Fighters 98
 * Yuuwaki no Toki (The Alluring Time) - The King of Fighters 2002
 * Villainous - The King of Fighters 2003

Game Appearances



 * Fatal Fury 3
 * Real Bout Fatal Fury
 * The King of Fighters 97
 * Real Bout Fatal Fury Special: Dominated Mind
 * Real Bout Fatal Fury Special
 * The King of Fighters 98
 * Real Bout Fatal Fury 2
 * Capcom vs SNK
 * Capcom vs SNK Pro
 * Capcom vs SNK 2
 * The King of Fighters 2002
 * The King of Fighters 2003