K9999

K9999 (pronounced K Four-Nine) is a video game character in The King of Fighters series, who debuts as a member of the NESTS team in The King of Fighters 2001.

His character design is heavily inspired by the character Tetsuo Shima from the 1988 animated film Akira (which was adapted from the manga of the same name). His name is a homage to a character in the anime, Armored Trooper Votoms. He was believed to be copyrighted by Eolith, though SNK has expressed public disfavor for K9999 -presumably due to the explicitness of his tribute- and it is unlikely he will appear in the future. During a Q&A with Oda at Gamescom, a fan asked about K9999's whereabouts. Oda answered, "Maybe one day we’ll find out what happened to Angel’s partner K9999."

In a 2005 poll made by SNK-Playmore USA, he was voted as the seventh fan favorite character with a total of 156 votes.

He is voiced by Nozomu Sasaki, who ironically also voiced the aforementioned Tetsuo Shima.

Story
After the death of Krizalid and the disappearance of K', NESTS decided to comb their research for errors. K9999 became the "perfected" 9999th Kyo Kusanagi clone. Built from the ground up, K9999 wielded an exorbitant amount of power. The blue glove he wears helps him control his shapeshifting powers and keep them from going berserk. His main purpose was to dispatch the rogue creations that had escaped from NESTS's grasp. He apparently does not discover that he is a clone himself until after the destruction of the cartel.

While it is implied that Foxy is killed by him and Angel, this ending is considered to be non-canon. According to the second 2001 novel written by Akihiko Ureshino, he disappears after an encounter with K' and Kula alongside Angel. His whereabouts and fate are unknown.

Personality
A man not to be tampered with, K9999 has a short temper and is easily driven to violence. He hates K' with a passion, and considers him his ultimate rival. He also develops a rivalry with Kusanagi. Angel is the only one he considers to be a friend.

Powers

 * Pyrokinesis - K9999 can control fire, but his ability is quite limited in comparison to Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami or even K'. He can only create fire and attack with "fire slashes".
 * Limited Shapeshifting - K9999 can shapeshift his hair to resemble K's. K9999 can also shapeshift his clothes.
 * Psionic Shield - K9999 can create a moon-shaped shield of psychic energy.
 * Tentacle - K9999 can transform his right arm into a fleshy tentacle and fling it at his opponents.
 * Polymorphic Arm - K9999 can transform his right arm into an iron drill, a blade or a shotgun-like weapon.
 * Full Power Energy Attack - By using his full power, K9999 can release energy through the air causing damage to anyone nearby.

Fighting Style
K9999 fights with his polymorphic arm. The arm can transform into claws, blades of different sizes and shapes, and into a gun. He knows some basic fighting techniques. All of his move names are quotes taken from the movie Akira, as well as mimicing several iconic stills from the said movie in his attack motions.

In some regional releases, his gun arm was censored out to leave his fist and the resulting explosions.

K9999 is one of the very few characters in fighting game history to not have his cr.D or a crouching strongest normal as his standard sweep; his cr.C acts as one instead. Another notable example in SNK universe is Mr. Big.

Music

 * NESTS: Ruler of the Dark - The King of Fighters 2001
 * Napolitan Trance - The King of Fighters 2002

Game Appearances

 * The King of Fighters 2001
 * The King of Fighters 2002
 * KOF X Fatal Fury

Cameo Appearances

 * Days of Memories (seventh title)
 * The King of Fighters '94: Rebout - in the Mexico stage
 * KOF: Maximum Impact 2

Similar Characters

 * Nameless

Trivia

 * Though K9999 does not appear in The King of Fighters Neowave, his data remains in the arcade version and can be selected using external cheat devices. Though K9999 does not appear in The King Of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match, his data remains and can be played. He has been redacted from KOF XIV's gallery.
 * The special intro against Kusanagi is a direct homage of the anime film Akira. Kusanagi's voice actor, Mitsuo Iwata, also voiced the character Shotaro Kaneda, Tetsuo's nemesis.

Gallery
K9999