Malin

Malin (まりん, Marin) is a character who debuts in The King of Fighters 2003 as a member of the High School Girls Team (alongside Athena Asamiya and Hinako Shijou). Her addition to the KOF series was made due to Choi Bounge's absence in the game of her debut. The game producers state that her name should be spelled as Malin and not Marin, adding that "this is the humble preference of the supervising designer and a mystery to us all".

She is voiced by Kazuyo Inosako.

Story
Malin is an enigmatic girl from an unknown organization that specializes in gathering intelligence. Since Athena and Hinako refuse to team with someone they hardly met, she expertly steals the ribbons from their hair and leaves a calling card around Hinako's ribbon. She apparently orchestrates the Anti-Kyokugenryu Team with her teammates Kasumi Todoh and Eiji Kisaragi in The King of Fighters XI due to her animosity towards one of the style's practitioners, Yuri Sakazaki, who called Malin's fighting style "cowardly". Thanks to her expertise in espionage, she usually leads the effort to spy on the Kyokugenryu Karate practitioners. In their team's ending in XI, Malin has arranged for a fight against the Kyokugen practitioners, only to be knocked out by an enraged King later on.

She, or at least someone with her name, has been previously mentioned in the series as a member of Athena's fan club. She was on good terms with the White Tiger. Supposedly, members of her organization also assault Mai, King, and Mary in 2003 for an unexplained reason. Malin covered the bill for their replacement hot dogs since their last ones were ruined during the attack.

Personality
Malin is a spoiled girl always trying to get what she wants. Aside from the assumption that she is usually on some sort of mission, her real motives for being in the tournament remain unclear. She is prideful of her abilities and easily upset when she's underestimated.

She also seems to enjoy being sneaky and mischievous and easily offended by petty comments, such as how she easily and for long developed a grudge against Yuri Sakazaki for calling her fighting style "cowardly".

Powers

 * Extreme Agility - Malin is able to move about fast and with great technique and agility.
 * Hammer Space - Malin has access to hammer space and can hide/pull out a weapon as big as a giant hammer from visibly nowhere.

Fighting Style
Her fighting style utilizes use of various weapons and her excellent agility; she even somewhat resembles a ninja. Also, honor does not seem to matter to her during fights.

The majority of her weapons are knives and blades, though she also uses electric batons, yo-yo's (though they are also fitted with blades which may or may not be used) and a giant hammer. Her moves may also seem childish or teasing, particularly her use of yo-yo's and way of attacking, fitting in well with her identification of a high school girl.

Many of Malin's moves reference bugs, as she has Hornet, Yellowjacket, Mayfly, Scorpion, Spider and Queen Bee among her move names. All of these moves involve the use of blades and may reference their stings and/or their movements.

Music

 * You Feel for Me - The King of Fighters 2003
 * Triumphantly - The King of Fighters XI
 * She is the Mysterious Agent - Days of Memories (Junpaku no Tenshitachi)

Game Appearances

 * The King of Fighters 2003
 * The King of Fighters XI
 * The King of Fighters XIV - Nintendo Switch Version

Mobile Appearances

 * Days of Memories (fourth and fifth titles) - unplayable; in-text cameo for the fourth
 * SNK Gals Island Non Pre-mission Akiramenai de!

Cameo Appearances

 * The King of Fighters XIII - in the Dojo stage, passing mention in Women Fighters story and cameo in their ending
 * The King of Fighters XIV - in the Women Fighters Team ending
 * The King of Fighters '94: Rebout - background cameo in the Art of Fighting Team, Women Fighters Team and Kim Team stages

Gallery
Malin