Orochi Iori

Orochi Iori (, lit. Rampaging Iori), also named as Insane Iori with Blood of Orochi Under the Night of the Moon, is Iori Yagami under the effects of the Riot of the Blood.

He was first seen in The King of Fighters '96 in Iori's ending where he kills Mature and Vice. His first appearance as a fighting game character was in The King of Fighters '97 as a mid-boss.

Development
The team originally wanted Orochi Iori to be the final boss for KOF '97, but later in production he was relegated to a "Minor" boss character. He was specifically designed "to mow down the other characters with relative ease." Series flagship director, Toyohisa Tanabe, states that the staff was initially reluctant to add this version of Iori to the series roster -worried about fans' reactions- but did so to add more impact to the Orochi saga's climax. He was particularly pleased to see female fans' surprised reactions to Orochi Iori during KOF '97's  location testing.

Personality
Iori has a raw, animal-like mentality, only able to speak a few words. He has a single-minded obsession with killing Kyo while in this state, to the point that he keeps screaming his name when he is not even present but he will attack anyone in his path.

Powers

 * Slashing Hands - Iori can use his hands as slicing weapons.
 * Pyrokinesis - Due to his Yagami heritage, Iori can control fire. He can create purple fire from thin air, create fire balls, deliver punches of fire, create pillars of fire and put his own body on fire. His fire also has the sacred ability to put enemies in a stasis-like state. He is not immune to other types of fire. He cannot control other fires that he didn't create.

Fighting Style
Orochi Iori's style is exactly the same as normal Iori's, but his strength and agility have been remarkably enhanced due to the Orochi power within him reaching peak levels. He is now twice as fast and twice as strong as he was before, but to offset this he takes twice as much damage as well when playable as a more traditional glass-cannon-type of fighting game character. As a CPU opponent however, he does not have the health-total drawback.

In some games, Iori in this state might have moves only exclusive to him, such as the Ura 108 Shiki: Ya Sakazuki (Reverse Method 108: Eight Wine Cups), a move available at times to normal Iori or the more unique Ura 100 Shiki: Oni Honoo (Reverse Method 100: Ogre Blaze) in Capcom vs. SNK and Capcom vs. SNK 2; even in some cases, he might also have the San Shingi no Ni (Three Divine Arts No. Two), only named as "????"; which is a nod to him in his berserk form holding Orochi himself by the neck at the end of KOF '97, as well as the fact that the action was surprising at the time.

Music

 * Control Crisis - The King of Fighters '97, The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match, The King of Fighters R-1, shared with Wild Leona
 * The Dark Pulsation - SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium, shared with Evil Ryu
 * Unexpected Fight - SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos, shared with Violent Ken
 * Tears - The King of Fighters 2002 (console version only)

Voice Actors

 * Kunihiko Yasui - The King of Fighters '97~XIII
 * Takanori Hoshino - The King of Fighters XIV~present

Game Appearances

 * The King of Fighters '96 - in the Yagami Team ending; playable in the Gameboy version only, as Iori!
 * The King of Fighters '97 - potential mid-boss
 * The King of Fighters R-1 - mid-boss
 * SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium - final boss
 * Capcom vs. SNK - unlockable
 * The King of Fighters 2000 - as a PS2 Maniac Striker for Benimaru
 * Capcom vs. SNK 2
 * SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos - potential sub-boss and hidden character; also during Iori's Exceed
 * The King of Fighters 2002 - during Iori's HSDM and SDM; also a potential mid-boss & unlockable in console versions only
 * The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match - potential mid-boss and unlockable; also during Iori's SDM
 * The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match - during Iori's HSDM and SDM
 * KOF Sky Stage - as a boss
 * Neo Geo Heroes: Ultimate Shooting - as a boss, also appears in Iori's ending
 * CR The King of Fighters

Mobile Appearances

 * The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Online
 * Kimi wa Hero
 * The King of Fighters Destiny (Game)
 * The King of Fighters: World
 * The King of Fighters All Star
 * The King of Fighters: Orochi Go
 * The King of Fighters M: Fighting Stars Assembly

Cameo Appearances

 * The King of Fighters '98 - during Iori's SDM
 * Neo Geo Battle Coliseum - Akari Ichijou's 100 Demons Special Move, also in one of Iori's DMs/Super Special Moves
 * The King of Fighters 2002 & The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match - during Iori's SDM and HSDM
 * The King of Fighters XI - during Kyo & Iori Team's ending
 * The King of Fighters XIII - during EX Iori's Neo Max
 * The King of Fighters XIV - during Iori's Climax
 * The King of Fighters XV - during Iori's Climax and in Rampage Warning Team's ending
 * Million Arthur: Arcana Blood - during Iori’s Million Excalibur

Similar Characters

 * Iori Yagami
 * Another Iori
 * Miss X

Trivia

 * Earlier English translations for The King of Fighters series had Orochi Iori named "Wild Iori".

Etymology

 * Orochi means "runaway, run wildly" (暴走).
 * Iori means "hermitage, hut, retreat, cabin, shanty, wigwam, hutch" (庵).