Billy Kane

Billy Kane (ビリー・カーン, Birī Kān) is a character in both the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters series. His family name, Kane, is meant to be pronounced like "Kon" or "Kaan" (as in James Caan, an American actor), rather than the word "cane". His official nickname is Emperor's Right-Hand Man (帝王 の 片腕, Koutei no Katoude).

His appearance in Fatal Fury 2 seems to be modelled after the former English pro-wrestler, Dynamite Kid. In later games, his design takes inspiration from the musician Axl Rose. In Gamest's 1997 Heroes Collection, Billy was voted as the staff's fourth favorite character. In the Neo Geo Freak's 1997 Volume 8 character poll, he was voted as the twentieth favourite character with a total of 493 votes. Also, In the character popularity poll on Neo Geo Freak's website, he was voted as the seventeenth favorite character with a total of 757 votes.

Fatal Fury
When he was a young teenager, both Billy and his sister were orphans in London. Life was hard for them with Billy having to steal food to feed Lilly. They were spotted by Geese Howard, who was on a business trip in Europe. Seeing himself in the two orphans, he takes them in after he sees Billy's skill with his bo.

Years later, Billy became the crime lord's, right-hand man. Geese would hold The King of Fighters tournament every year with Billy as his champion. Billy was undefeated until he was beaten by Terry Bogard, who moved on to defeat Geese. Billy then swore revenge against "The Lone Wolves" Terry, Andy Bogard, and Joe Higashi.

After his boss' supposed death, Billy went back to England with his sister. In order to adequately provide for her, Billy continued his life of crime and joined Wolfgang Krauser. Although it seemed like he was loyal to the nobleman, Billy was actually working undercover to search and destroy Geese's impostor (the latter detail was retconned in Fatal Fury Special). His additional order was to overthrow Krauser. He succeeded in the former and continued to serve the real Geese until the latter's death. Later, in Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special Dominated Mind, he was brainwashed by White to serve him.

Billy's whereabouts during the Garou: Mark of the Wolves timeline remain unclear. In his development blog for KOF: Maximum Impact 2, Akihiko Ureshino states that he doesn't know about Rock's mother or the true inheritor of Geese's legacy, but hints that it would most likely conflict with Terry. Billy's scenario in this game explores his personal take on the character's actions in the yet to be released Mark of the Wolves sequel. He particularly wanted to emphasize Billy's anger and bitterness, which is later found in the cellphone novel.

The King of Fighters
In The King of Fighters series, Billy's biography is identical, except Geese isn't dead in this continuity. As a result, he is consistently following Geese's orders in all of his appearances.

In The King of Fighters '95, he became one of the members of the Geese organized Rival Team, which included Iori Yagami and Eiji Kisaragi. His orders were to get revenge for Geese's defeat by the Bogard siblings. In his team's ending, he was badly beaten by Iori in the tournament's climax. In the 1996 tournament, Billy stayed on the sidelines and saved Geese's life from a sniper sent by his teammate Mr. Big. The following year, he teamed up with Blue Mary and Ryuji Yamazaki to investigate Orochi and the effects of Orochi blood in humans, such as on his former teammate turned personal enemy, Iori.

Although he is often paired with these two in many appearances, Billy didn't officially enter another tournament until 2003 with Gato and Yamazaki. His personal orders from Geese were to keep a close eye on them, especially Gato, since his father could be tracking him. Remembering the broker's attack on Geese after their last team up, Billy remained hostile to Yamazaki throughout the tournament. In their team's ending, the duo fight to an unknown conclusion.

When the new tournament is announced, Billy's asked to participate with his boss and a new member, Hein.

KOF: Maximum Impact
In KOF: Maximum Impact 2, Billy moved back to the countryside of the United Kingdom with his young sister after Geese's fatal showdown with Terry. Although he spent his days in tranquility, Billy internally struggled with his desire to fight and stay with his sister. Once he hears that the Meira borthers, Alba and Soiree, were running South Town, Billy embarked from his home to defend his old boss' legacy. He additionally wants to settle his differences with Terry, which is explored in detail during his and Terry's story mode.

The second episode of The King of Fighters: Another Day also explores a possible encounter Billy would have if he met Geese's son, Rock.

Personality
While Billy cannot be considered a "good guy", he is not an evil man; his criminal career is motivated more by a desire to make easy money and his respect for Geese Howard than actual malice. His softer side is often shown when he's with his sister Lilly or friends Eiji Kisaragi and Blue Mary; even his hatred for Terry Bogard has softened to be much more of a rivalry.

While his hatred of Terry Bogard may have softened, Billy has a deep hatred for Iori Yagami: Iori beat both Billy and Eiji Kisaragi to near death and then abandoned them (in The King of Fighters '95). Billy is also bitter towards Joe Higashi, who took a liking to his sister, of whom he is quite protective.

Powers

 * Peak Strength - Billy Kane is stronger than he looks, capable of carrying very heavy weapons like his three-part staff.
 * Weapon of Fire - Billy can set his staff on fire to cause strong fire damage. He can spin his staff to create a powerful ring of fire and throw the ring within a small range. The staff cannot control other fires it didn't create and is not immune to other types of fire.
 * Copy Weapon - Billy can create copies of his staff as seen in his Desperation Moves.
 * Hide Weapon - Billy has another staff that he hides underneath his jacket as seen in his KOF 2002 MAX2DM.

Skills

 * Pole Vaulting - Billy excels in pole vaulting. He even use the sport to help him in battle.
 * Musical Instrument - Billy plays the electric guitar very well and has a Heavy Metal band back in the UK.
 * Doing Laundry - Billy loves to do laundry, often helping his sister with the washing and expertly arranging items for the best wash and lasting freshness - something he picked up as an orphan fending for himself and his sister, Lilly.
 * Administration - Billy was left in charge of Howard Connection after Geese died.
 * Bo Staff Tricking - Billy is an expert with both the Bo and a Three Section Staff, he is able to display amazing control and perform many tricks with it too.

Fighting Style
Billy fights with a three sectional staff that he somehow can ignite with fire and can be split into three parts connected with a chain. He uses Bojutsu as his primary art, but he may also know some Kung Fu moves in order to use his Three Section Staff.

In Fatal Fury only, Billy can lose his staff by hurling it at the opponent after executing his Senpuu Kon. Once he does this, he will cower in fear before the player character leaving him vulnerable until he is thrown another staff by one of Geese's henchmen in the background. The player can prevent them from assisting him. In KOF '95, he drops his staff only when knocked out. He enters the same stance in KOF 2002 for his MAX2DM/HSDM, where it is named Liar Elemental (as it is meant to be a counterattack that takes advantage of such a state).

Music

 * Hashi wo Arukeba, Bo ni Ataru (Walking on a Bridge, Striking with a Staff) - Fatal Fury
 * Arashi no Saxophone (Stormy Saxophone) - The King of Fighters '95
 * London March - Fatal Fury 2, Fatal Fury Special, Real Bout Fatal Fury Special, Real Bout Fatal Fury 2, The King of Fighters '97, The King of Fighters '98, The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match, The King of Fighters XIII
 * N.D.R. - Real Bout Fatal Fury, The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match (as EX Billy)
 * The Long Pole - Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition
 * Yuuwaki no Toki (The Alluring Time) - The King of Fighters 2002
 * Villainous - The King of Fighters 2003
 * Geese ni Katakori (A Stiff Neck for Geese) - The King of Fighters XIII (when the music is set to "Type B")
 * Soy Sauce for Koyadofu - The King of Fighters XIV
 * London March -KOF XIV ver.- - The King of Fighters XIV (as Hein's opponent)
 * Masquerade - The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match

Voice Actors

 * Katsuhisa Namase - Fatal Fury II~Special, The King of Fighters '95
 * Keiichi Nanba - Fatal Fury 3, Fatal Fury Dengeki drama CD
 * Atsushi Yamanishi - Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters series (Real Bout ~ Wild Ambition, KOF '97 ~ 2002, Maximum Impact series)
 * Seijirou - The King of Fighters 2003~The King of Fighters XIII, The King of Fighters: Another Day
 * Masaki Masaki - The King of Fighters XIV~present
 * Haruki Ishiya - The King of Fighters for Girls
 * Shizuka Ito - The King of Fighters: All Star (as the Female Version)
 * Marc Donovan - Maximum Impact series (English voice)
 * Daiki Nakamura - Fatal Fury: Legend of the Hungry Wolf
 * Tomohiro Nishimura - Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture
 * Paul Dobson - animated films (English voice)

Game Appearances

 * Fatal Fury: King of Fighters - sub-boss character; left out of the Sega Genesis version due to memory constraints
 * Fatal Fury 2 - sub-boss character; playable in Sega Genesis, SNES and Game Boy versions
 * Fatal Fury Special - sub-boss and playable character
 * The King of Fighters '95
 * Real Bout Fatal Fury - sub-boss and playable character
 * Real Bout Fatal Fury Special
 * Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special Dominated Mind
 * The King of Fighters '97
 * The King of Fighters: Kyo - boss character
 * Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers - sub-boss and playable character
 * The King of Fighters '98
 * Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition - sub-boss and playable character
 * Fatal Fury: First Contact - sub-boss and playable character
 * The King of Fighters '99: Evolution - as a Striker only character
 * The King of Fighters 2000 - as a Striker character for Andy Bogard
 * The King of Fighters 2002
 * The King of Fighters Neowave
 * The King of Fighters 2003
 * KOF: Maximum Impact 2 - both playable and Lilly Kane's Another Outfit-Variation A
 * The King of Fighters XIII - console version only
 * The King of Fighters XIV
 * Garou Densetsu The Legend of Wild Wolf - challenger for Terry's Big Bonus
 * Garou Densetsu Special - challenger for Terry's Big Bonus
 * Garou Densetsu Sougeki - VS character
 * Garou Densetsu Premium

Mobile Appearances

 * Garou Densetsu vs Fighter's History Dynamite - boss character
 * Days of Memories (fourth title) - NPC
 * SNK Dream Battle
 * The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Online
 * Crusaders Quest
 * Puzzle & Dragons
 * 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
 * The King of Fighters for Girls
 * SNK Fighting Age

Cameo Appearances

 * Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory - cameo in Geese's and Joe's endings, also during Terry vs. CPU Geese
 * The King of Fighters '94 - in the Art of Fighting Team's stage
 * The King of Fighters '96 - in the Boss Team's stage; also in their ending
 * KOF: Maximum Impact - background cameo
 * The King of Fighters '94: Rebout - background cameo
 * SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium - NPC
 * Capcom vs. SNK 2 - in the London stage with Lilly and Karman Cole
 * SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos - in Geese's ending
 * Neo Geo Battle Coliseum - in Geese's ending
 * SNK Gals' Fighters - with Miss X
 * The King of Fighters (pachinko)
 * The King of Fighters 2
 * Part Time Stories: Kyo & Iori
 * SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy - mentioned by Love Heart in her prologue with Yuri
 * Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - background cameo in King of Fighters Stadium Stage

Anime Appearances

 * Fatal Fury: Legend of the Hungry Wolf
 * Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle
 * Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture
 * The King of Fighters: Another Day - 2nd and 4th episodes
 * The King of Fighters: Destiny

Similar Characters

 * EX Billy Kane

Trivia

 * In an interview for Real Bout Fatal Fury, the staff comments on the “NO SMOKING” print on the back of his jumper. It’s not to say Billy doesn’t smoke, it’s just something he found randomly in the city. He did not pay for it either.
 * There are times where Billy has his head completely shaven, though in some forms of media after that period he lets it gradually to grow back per installment. In some games like KOF'2003, his hair is shown to be very long and stick out of his bandana which gives him an appearance similar to a rock star.
 * In Neo-Geo Freak 1998, the characters in KOF '98 have their own interviews. Here are Billy's response to the questions.
 * What is your aspiration in this competition? - "Do you want me to kill you first?"
 * Who would you like to fight the most? - "Fighting ...? Kukuku - kuku ... I wish I could do such a thing, but ...!"
 * Who would you like to team up with? / Who would you not like to team up with? - "That was decided. Who is there besides him?
 * What is "KOF" for you? - "You're too loud, you...!"
 * Finally, please give a word to your fans. - "Eyes hurt, turn it off. Or this time I will actually kill you...!"
 * For his KOF XIV design, his shirt says "Know your enemy" and the back of his jacket says "Warning. Beware of the dog".

Sprites