Leona

Leona (レオナ, Reona), also known under her codename Leona Heidern (レオナ・ハイデルン, Reona Haiderun), is a character introduced in The King of Fighters '96 as the new member to the Ikari Team.

Before production for her debut game began, developers wanted to create a suitable replacement for Heidern as a part of the game's overhaul. Leona was conceived to be an Orochi descendant by the time of her debut and her designers took special care to let their interests at the time reflect in her actions. Her official nickname is The Silent Soldier. In an interview with one of the series designers, Shinkiro, he replies that Leona is his favorite original character in the series.

Aside from the main body of the King of Fighters series, Leona is also featured in a one-shot chapter in the spin-off manga, The King of Fighters: Kyo and has her own character image album.

Story
Leona was born in an unnamed village, residing with her family. When she was a child, Goenitz arrived at her home and demanded to talk with Gaidel, the leader of the village. He requested that Gaidel join him in their duties to serve Orochi, as everyone in the village were Orochi bloodline members.

However, Gaidel refused as he and his family liked peace and not the violent tendencies created by the Orochi blood. Enraged, Goenitz leaves, but not before smiling towards Leona. The same night, Leona underwent the Riot of Blood and slaughtered everyone in the village. Goenitz, pleased by the results, puts her blood lust to rest for another time "when he needs her again". Dazed and shocked, she loses her memories and wanders aimlessly until she is found and later adopted by Heidern. Surprised by her natural fighting ability, he decides to raise her as a Ikari warrior under his command.

In 1996, she receives her first official mission to enter the King of Fighters tournament with Ralf and Clark. Their mission was to investigate Geese Howard who had entered the tournament in search of an unknown goal. During the events of the '96 finals, Goenitz confronts her and reminds her of her Orochi lineage, causing her to worry about the future.

Her troubled state carried over to the battlefield, which eventually lead to her and her partners' suspension from military service. Wanting to cheer her up, Ralf enlists them again in the the next year's tournament. She eventually remembers her past fully during the events of King of Fighters '97. Towards the tournament finals, Leona, along with Iori, suddenly went into the Riot of the Blood, induced by Orochi. By the tournament's end, she is successfully subdued and Orochi is sealed away again. Even so, Leona regrets her actions and attempts to end her life. Ralf stops her, and encourages her to continue living.

Leona stays as a member of Ikari team for each and every King of Fighters tournaments during the NESTS saga. It was assumed she partook in her normal duties with Heidern during this time frame.

In 2003, at the end of the tournament, Orochi's presence was getting stronger, as the seal was broken again. She entered the Riot of the Blood again and attacked Ralf and Clark, badly injuring them. She was pulled out of the team by Heidern in The King of Fighters XI due to the emotional trauma she suffered after the incident. Overcoming the shock, she is designated to join the KOF XIII tournament with her old teammates, determined to live with whatever flaws the Orochi blood invokes. After the tournament's climax, she loses consciousness and sleeps for several days. Her teammates were worried for her and stay beside her until she awakens. Comforted by their concerns, she laughs for the first time in the series.

Personality
Leona is a reticent individual who has trouble expressing herself outside of combat or a mission. Due to her past where she massacred everyone in her childhood village against her own will, she often keeps her emotions in check as she is afraid of losing control and hurting her friends because of her Orochi blood. Despite this, Ralf has the ability to make her smile as shown in '96, '97 and Maximum Impact 2.

Aside from Ralf (whom appears to show feelings towards her), Whip, Clark and Commander Heidern, Leona does not talk to anyone. She often feels lonely, but is comforted with the new family she has found with the Ikari mercenaries. She also attempted to commit suicide after '97, but Ralf stopped her by reminding her that she's not alone any more.

Ever since the attempted suicide, Leona made a resolve to attempt to tame and take control of her own Orochi blood and its berserker effects, and most likely use it only when the situation calls for it, something that she tells her opponents in her own pre-fight dialogues.

Powers

 * Cutting/Piercing Hands - Leona can cut or pierce with her hands.
 * Cutting Aura - Leona can create a cutting aura around her hands and feet.
 * Cutting Ball - Leona can create a ball of energy surrounded by several energy blades.
 * Orochi Power - Unlike Yamazaki who is full-blooded and enjoys full control and resilience over his own Orochi blood, and the other Hakkeshus, Leona relies on her own determination and tenacity to manage and control her own Orochi blood, with some difficulty. This ability fails, sadly, if Orochi's presence is too strong for her, as what happened in KOF 2003, on account of her halved bloodline heritage where she succumbs to the Riot of the Blood until the presence of Orochi wanes.
 * Whenever she infuses her attacks with Orochi power, her hair turns into red, and the damage she inflicts increases.
 * Riot of the Blood - Thanks to her part Orochi, part human blood, Leona goes into this state whenever Orochi's presence is strong. While in this form, her eyes are dilated, her back is hunched, her skin adopts a darker shade and her hair changes into a reddish hue, and often vomits and spits blood. She is mostly incoherent and frequently screams. She becomes stronger and faster but loses her sanity.
 * As the years go by, Leona found ways to control this condition and consciously tap into her Orochi powers for her own advantage, shown in her non-canon transformation command into her Orochi form in KOF 2002 and KOF 2002 UM, her Neo Max mode attack in XIII and in XIV or her winning poses from '99 on.

Fighting Style
She shares several moves with her adoptive father, Heidern, and she also seems to emulate Ralf's moves. For example; her CD/Blowback attack is almost akin to Ralf's. Also as the games progress, her moves seem to become more explosive much like Ralf's and her style of running changing from being like Heidern's to like Ralf's, but at the same time still maintaining her more agile techniques taught by Heidern; unlike Heidern however, she has more apparent differences in her techniques via extra variations that focus more on speed and acrobatics.

The V-shaped slashmarks that appear at the end of her V-Slasher DM and SDM are an homage to Choudenji Machine Voltes V -- the titular giant robot had an attack in which it made a V-shaped slash through the enemy, leaving a glowing V for a few dramatic moments before it is destroyed.

Her Rebel Spark Desperation Move and Super Desperation Move where she plants an explosive on her opponent then moving away from the opponent while making a pose, is actually a homage to Kamen Rider Black RX -- a Japanese tokusatsu show where the hero impaled his enemy with his sword, Revolcane, and proceed to do the same pose as sparks came out from his opponent's belly and eventually exploded.

Also, her jumping CD/Blowback attack resembles Kamen Rider Black's version of the Rider Kick, owing to the sudden, unexplained glow of reddish energy around her foot, and being performed while in the air. Another sentai homage includes her exploding earrings (Himitsu Sentai Goranger).

The air throw she shares with Heidern (Heidern/Leona Inferno) takes its name and appearance from Kinnikuman Zebra's "Muscle Inferno" attack in Kinnikuman.

Two of her moves are references to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure:
 * Her "Earring Bomb 2: Heart Attack" is a nod towards Yoshikage Kira's Stand Killer Queen and its "Bomb #2 - Sheer Heart Attack" ability, as seen in Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable. She first attaches a bomb to her opponent. Afterwards, she may either wait until it explodes on its own or detonate it with a secondary command, saying 負けて終わり ("Makete owari." ~ "You have lost, it's over."), referencing Killer Queen's Bites The Dust ability (transcribed in Japanese as, 負けて死ね, "Makete shine." = "You have lost, now die.").
 * Her Grateful Dead (Super) Desperation Move, during which she drains the opponent of his/her life force while surrounded by wisps of steam or smoke, references Prosciutto's Stand The Grateful Dead from Part 5: Vento Aureo, which causes rapid aging in its victim and can differentiate between targets through the body heat they give off.

Her other moves take their namesakes from Grendizer.

Music

 * Rumbling on the City - The King of Fighters '96, '98, R-1, R-2, SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium
 * W.W.III - The King of Fighters '99
 * The Trooper - The King of Fighters 2000, EX, EX2
 * My Whip - The King of Fighters 2001
 * Jungle Bouncer - The King of Fighters 2002
 * Inside Skinny - The King of Fighters 2003
 * Irregular Mission - The King of Fighters XIII
 * Smell of Gunpowder - The King of Fighters XIII (when the music is set to "Type B", console version only, shared with Ralf Jones and Clark Still)
 * Survivors Under The Sky - The King of Fighters XIV
 * DESERT REQUIEM ~Operation02UM~  - The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match
 * Ray - Days of Memories (Boku to Kanojo to Koto no Koi)

Voice Actors

 * Masae Yumi - The King of Fighters '96~XIII
 * Seiko Yoshida - The King of Fighters XIV
 * Lisa Leonard - Maximum Impact series (English voice)

Game Appearances

 * The King of Fighters '96
 * The King of Fighters '97
 * The King of Fighters '98
 * The King of Fighters R-1
 * The King of Fighters R-2
 * SNK Gals' Fighters
 * SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium
 * The King of Fighters '99
 * The King of Fighters 2000
 * The King of Fighters 2001
 * The King of Fighters EX
 * The King of Fighters 2002
 * The King of Fighters EX2
 * The King of Fighters Neowave
 * KOF: Maximum Impact
 * The King of Fighters 2003
 * KOF: Maximum Impact 2
 * KOF Maximum Impact Regulation A
 * The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match
 * The King of Fighters XII
 * Metal Slug XX
 * The King of Fighters XIII
 * The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match
 * CR The King of Fighters
 * The King of Fighters XIV

Mobile Appearances

 * Ikari - Leona Gekitohen
 * Days of Memories - (first and seventh games) - Unplayable
 * Metal Slug Survivors
 * Metal Slug Soldiers
 * Metal Slug Team Mission
 * The King of Fighters Volleyball
 * The King of Reversi
 * The King of Fighters Mahjong
 * SNK Beach Volley Gal's Attack
 * Moeyo! KOF Daiundokai
 * SNK Gals Island Dokidoki Puzzle Shock!
 * SNK Gals Island Senkan Battle Gekichinshichaouzo!
 * Metal Slug Mobile 4
 * SNK Gals Island Beauty Dungeon Mimi to Kimashita!
 * SNK Dream Battle
 * SNK High School Collection
 * Metal Slug Defense
 * Metal Slug Attack
 * Crusaders Quest

Cameo Appearances

 * The King of Fighters XI - Background cameo in PS2 port
 * Neo Geo Battle Coliseum - Background cameo
 * Garou: Mark of the Wolves - In Hokutomaru's stage during the third round.
 * Capcom vs SNK 2 - Background cameo; standing beside Edward Falcon
 * The King of Fighters: Battle de Paradise
 * The King of Fighters '94: Rebout - Background cameo
 * The King of Fighters (pachinko)
 * The King of Fighters 2

Anime Appearances

 * The King of Fighters: Another Day

Similar Characters

 * Wild Leona

Trivia

 * In KOF 98, Leona mysteriously salutes Chang Koehan and belittles Ralf. This was originally thought to be a bug in the game mechanics, but developers add that it was her showing respect for "real power". The exact meaning of this statement remains unclear though it became a popular subject in fan doujinshi for a time. They salute one another in KOF XIV.
 * In KOF: Maximum Impact 2, Fio compares Leona to Eri.