Hakkesshu

The Hakkesshu (八傑集 or, Haketsushu; lit. Eight Excellent Masses), also spelled as "Hakkeshu" or "Haketsu", is the name of the followers of Orochi in The King of Fighters series. They are also sometimes called "Yamata no Orochi".

They are well known for their animosity towards mankind, citing man's callousness towards nature and selfish evil deeds. Due to their actions, they are the main antagonistic force in the Orochi Saga.

Story
In the ancient times, there was a divine being calling itself "Gaia's Will": Orochi. Gathering worthy servants to its cause, Orochi's clan continued to protect earth for centuries. The clan's eight strongest followers were called the Hakkesshu, and the four wielding exceptional powers were known as Heavenly Kings. As civilizations grew, nature began to suffer and the natural balance in the world began to collapse due to humanity's hand.

1800 years ago, Orochi could no longer tolerate the destruction and wanted to completely wipe humanity from existence. The Orochi clan and the human race waged war until the Kusanagi, Yata, and the Yasakani defeated him with three mystical treasures. The Hakkeshu and Orochi were defeated and sealed.

660 years later, their master's seal began to weaken. The three clans decided to move its vessel into another location. The Hakkesshu, who were sealed separately, used this chance to free themselves. While the three clans were creating a new seal, one of the Hakkesshu sowed discord between them by killing the Yasakani leader's wife. Under a disguise, the murderer then approached the Yasakani head and reported that the Kusanagi clan was responsible, saying that it was "atonement" for letting the seal weaken. To add more fuel to the fire, the corpse of his wife was found in the Kusanagi homeland. Angered by the revelation, the Yasakani made a blood pact with Orochi to gain the necessary means for revenge. Gaining the forbidden technique, Forbidden Method 1211: Eight Maidens, the Yasakani renamed themselves as the Yagami clan.

Since Orochi continues to feel hatred for mankind years later, with constant intent to punish and destroy humans in spite of being from divine origins, the Hakkesshu is generally considered to be a force of antagonism. Their mission to someday resurrect their lord continues in The King of Fighters series.

Due to the interference of a time displaced Shingo Yabuki in The King of Fighters Side Story: The Origin of Flame - Shingo Travels Through Time! Let's Go!, Hakkeshu’s plan on turning Yasakani into Yagami change, causing them to reveal their true intention to the current Yasakani heir before implement him and by extend his blood family with Orochi’s curse against his will.

The Hakkesshu has a western counterpart in the embodiment of Those from the Past group (main antagonist group in the Tales of Ash Saga, having identical interest in Orochi.

The Eight Heads of Orochi
The Eight Heads of Orochi are the eight strongest warriors with exceptionally strong spiritual powers. Each one was assigned with one of Orochi's powers. They are repeatedly reincarnated throughout the ages in different parts of the world, always in search of Orochi's seal.

It should also be noted that Nothingness/Matter is a power granted by Orochi. Although it is assigned to no one among the Hakkeshu ranks, Orochi itself can use this power to appear in the physical realm. Rugal Bernstein attempted to claim this power for his own, but couldn't contain it and his body was destroyed as a result.

The Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi


The Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi (オロチ, Orochi Shiten-ō) are the four strongest warriors in the Hakkesshu among The Eight Heads. They control elements of nature, possess some of Orochi's original abilities, and can activate the Riot of the Blood in people who are susceptible to it, and/or use the state for themselves. Orochi can probably incarnate in them, as he did with Chris. All of their moves are all written using the Cyrillic alphabet.

Trivia

 * The Hakkesshu's story is based in the real Japanese legend of the Eight-Headed Serpent.
 * Orochi Chris, Orochi Shermie and Orochi Yashiro act as counterparts to Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido and Goro Daimon, respectively.
 * While deceased members of the Hakkesshu were confirmed to have been revived during the events of KOF XIV, Vice and Mature are still shadow phantoms whose human existence were not reinstated (and this is explained in Team Sacred Treasures' s Story in KOF XV), unlike with Yashiro, Shermie, Chris, Gaidel and Goenitz.
 * Except for certain characters, the movesets of all Orochi-awakened versions of the Hakkesshu (and even Orochi itself) are almost always written in Cyrillic, which is a Russian/Slavic writing script. There are currently no explanations as to why this is used, whether in-universe or from SNK.

Gallery
Hakkesshu