Mai Shiranui

Mai Shiranui (不知火 舞, Shiranui Mai) is a character from both the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters series of fighting games by SNK (now SNK Playmore).

She was originally not planned to be included in Fatal Fury at all, as her fighting style was created for a different male ninja. When developers shifted their focus to including an idol character into the series, they decided to scrap the Shiranui man for Mai. Her characteristic "bounce" was loosely modified from a kunoichi (female ninja) method of assassination: to be sensual to their unassuming prey before they strike. According to an issue of Neo Geo Freak, her breasts were modeled after Fumie Hosokawa and her butt is modeled after Ai Iijima; both women were famous idols at the time.

Mai was rated #4 in GameSpy.com's "Top Ten Babes in Games" feature and #5 in Game Informer's "Top Ten Hottest Girls of the 16-Bit era." In the character popularity poll on Neo Geo Freak's website, she was voted as the fifth favorite character with a total of 2,380 votes. Along with the many figures and merchandise that have been made in her image, she has made an outside game appearance in the spin off series Queens Gate.

The name "Shiranui" literally means "unknown fire", which may be a reference to how the Shiranui ninjas produce fire through unidentified means.

Fatal Fury


Mai Shiranui is the modern-day retainer of the Shiranui Ninja Arts: the Shiranui clan's style of the Japan's ancient assassination methods, Ninjutsu. It is her responsibility, as the last known Shiranui alive, to preserve her clan's techniques. She first learned of Ninjutsu from her father, although it was in fact Mai's late grandfather, Hanzo Shiranui, the previous master of Shiranui Ninja Arts and Koppo-ken (bone-breaking attacks), who is cited for first instructing her. After Hanzo took on a new student, Andy Bogard, he had Mai train under his friend Jubei Yamada in an alternate course. At first, Mai was uninterested in the American ninja training under her grandfather (or any other male for that matter), but her opinion changed on her birthday, when she received a present from Andy and instantly fell in love. However, to this day, despite claiming him as her future husband, Andy has yet to return her feelings.

She spends much of the series endlessly pursuing Andy and fantasizing various daydreams about their wedding. When developers were asked about her whereabouts during Mark of Wolves, they chose not to answer the question directly. However, they did divulge that she still loves Andy — as she always has — ten years later.

The King of Fighters
During nearly every King of Fighters tournament, Mai pesters Andy to enter and form a team with her. Upset at his refusals and choice to join a separate team, she forms an all women team with the help of Yuri and King. In the following years her teammates change, but she remains firm to enter the tournament to help encourage King and her fellow team members and to prove to Andy the error of his ways. In King of Fighters 99, she is finally able to join the tournament in the same team as Andy. However, in the following tournament was asked to step out to allow Blue Mary investigate a case. Denied again, she is angered by the request and joins the Women's team again and has remained a reoccurring member ever since. In the various team endings, she is often celebrating the team's victory at King's bar or fantasizing about Andy.

Mai, who feels that a KOF tournament isn't complete without her, decides to enter the KOF XIII with her first KOF teammates. She isn't upset at Andy while making her choice, content to enter a tournament with both her and him in it once more.

Personality
Mai is a very happy girl with every girl's dream: get married with her prince charming. She found that same Prince Charming in Andy and proclaimed herself his fiancé. Although her preppy fighting persona and revealing outfit suggests otherwise, Mai is the traditional idea of Japanese beauty. However, her pride as a Shiranui ninja and infatuation with Andy usually keeps her from fitting the mold 100% of the time, or doing much of anything else.

Powers

 * Fire Manipulation: Like many other characters in the SNK universe, Mai is able to create fire from thin air and effectively control the element through will-power. It is shown that all Shiranui ninja to date (herself, Andy Bogard, and Hokutomaru) are able to accomplish this feat, however, as the retainer of the ancient techniques and the last of the Shiranui blood, Mai Shiranui is shown to have the most note-worthy control. Not only can she imbue her physical strikes and fan projectiles with flames, but create large explosions, and channel fire through her body and clothing with no damage taken to herself.
 * Aerial Control: Mai has the ability to temporarily stay airborne and control her movements in the air. This allows her to float, glide, change directions in mid-air or gain temporary flight to evade her opponents or close gaps between them.
 * Hidden weapons: Mai can hide/pull out infinite weapons and items from her clothing and cleavage, from seemingly nowhere as no space visible. She keeps at least one fan (her weapon of choice) with her that can't be seen. She also sometimes carries clothes, giant fans, and usually an umbrella.
 * Bushin: Mai can temporarily project shadow images of herself and her weapon.

Skills

 * Hensōjutsu (Disguise Techniques): The ninja art of disguise and impersonation. As known, Mai has numerous quick-change outfits and disguises hidden within her own clothing that she can change with a simple gesture, however, she never uses this skill to hide herself but rather as a means to accessorize and change her apparel at will.
 * Shinobi-iri: Infiltration ninja techniques.
 * Tessenjutsu (War Fan Techniques): The traditional Japanese art of using metallic war fans in battle, although the ninja principles of throwing weapons is Shurikenjutsu.

Fighting Style
Mai uses the Shiranui-ryuu Ninjutsu. The style resembles normal ninjutsu with more graceful and majestic moves, somewhat in reference to traditional Japanese dance. She combines this style with her pyrokinetic abilities. Mai uses a lot of gestures while fighting as well.

She also uses paper fans as weapons, integrating them into her combat technique and using them to perform several combinations and moves. Her clothing, specifically, the 'tails' on her ninja garb are also used to attack the opponent.

Music

 * Enryuujin - Fatal Fury 2 and Fatal Fury Special
 * Ne! - The King of Fighters 94
 * Ivonnu Rurouru E no gensou Yori Piano to Harp ni Yoru Fuyuu - Fatal Fury 3, Real Bout Fatal Fury
 * Tsuchi o Hau Bass - The King of Fighters 95
 * Get'n Up - The King of Fighters 96
 * Hikyou no sato (Village of Unexplored) - Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition
 * Mai Mai Kyuun - Real Bout Fatal Fury Special, Real Bout Fatal Fury 2, SNK Gals' Fighters, and SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium
 * Fairy - The King of Fighters 98
 * 176th Street - The King of Fighters 99
 * Come up smiling - The King of Fighters 2000
 * The Queen of Fighters - The King of Fighters 2001
 * Diet - The King of Fighters 2002
 * I'm Hot For You - The King of Fighters 2003
 * Who is Queen? - The King of Fighters XIII
 * Destiny - The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match
 * The Fight for a Job and Family - Days of Memories (Koi wa Good Job!)
 * SHIRANUI - Days of Memories (Koi wa Good Job!)
 * Chasing You - Days of Memories (Kaze Maou Miyako de Tsukamaete!, Sekai de Ichiban Atsui Fuyu)
 * Mai Shiranui - Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle
 * Mai-hime - Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture
 * Mai Roulette - Garou Densetsu The Legend of Wild Wolf, Garou Densetsu Special
 * Mai-chan Roulette - The King of Fighters (pachinko)

Image Songs

 * Kachou Fuugetsu Otome Mai - 1994 Image Song
 * Non Stop! One Way Love - 1994 Image Song
 * Dear Mai Boy - 1997 Image Song
 * Heavy Baby's 1, 2, 3 - Neo Geo DJ Station shared image song
 * Dance de Peace! - Fatal Fury shared image song
 * Lucky Paradise - Shared image song with Andy in Garou Densetsu Special

Voice Actors

 * Akoya Sogi - since her debut~King of Fighters XI
 * Ami Koshimizu - KOF Sky Stage~present, King of Fighters movie (Japanese voice)
 * Kotono Mitsuishi - Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle, Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture
 * Sarah Sawatsky - Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle (English voice)
 * Lisa Ann Beley - Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture (English voice)
 * Megumi Hayashibara - Fatal Fury Dengeki drama CD series
 * Sheryl Stanley - Maximum Impact series (English voice)

Live Action Actors

 * Tomomi Miyauchi - Fatal Fury 2 Super Famicom commercials
 * Miki Hareyama - Fatal Fury Special commercials
 * Maggie Q - King of Fighters movie

Game Appearances

 * Fatal Fury 2
 * Fatal Fury Special
 * The King of Fighters 94
 * Fatal Fury 3
 * The King of Fighters 95
 * Real Bout Fatal Fury
 * The King of Fighters 96
 * Real Bout Fatal Fury Special: Dominated Mind
 * Real Bout Fatal Fury Special
 * The King of Fighters 97
 * Real Bout Fatal Fury 2
 * The King of Fighters 98
 * Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition
 * Fatal Fury: First Contact
 * The King of Fighters R-1
 * The King of Fighters R-2
 * The King of Fighters 99
 * SNK Gals' Fighters
 * SNK vs Capcom: Match of the Millenium
 * Capcom vs SNK
 * The King of Fighters 2000
 * The King of Fighters 2001
 * Capcom vs SNK 2
 * The King of Fighters EX
 * The King of Fighters 2002
 * The King of Fighters EX2
 * SVC Chaos: SNK vs Capcom
 * The King of Fighters 2003
 * The King of Fighters Neowave
 * The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact
 * The King of Fighters XI - hidden character, PS2 only
 * The King of Fighters XIII
 * Neo Geo Battle Coliseum
 * The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact 2
 * The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact Regulation A
 * The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match
 * The King of Fighters: Kyo
 * Quiz King of Fighters
 * KOF Sky Stage
 * Neo Geo Heroes: Ultimate Shooting
 * Queen's Gate: Spiral Chaos
 * Garou Densetsu The Legend of Wild Wolf - roulette character
 * Garou Densetsu Special - roulette character
 * Garou Densetsu Sougeki
 * The King of Fighters (pachinko) - roulette character
 * Maximum Impact - roulette character

Mobile Appearances

 * Garou Densetsu vs Fighter's History Dynamite
 * Days of Memories (first, fifth, eighth, and ninth game) - unplayable
 * Gungho Games - character skin
 * Neo Geo Tennis Coliseum
 * The King of Fighters Mobile
 * The King of Fighters Mobile R-2
 * The King of Fighters Volleyball
 * The King of Millionaire
 * The King of Fighters Mahjong
 * KOF Gals Mahjong
 * SNK Beach Volley Gal's Attack
 * SNK Gal's Open ~Cutey Shot~
 * Moeyo! KOF Daiundokai
 * SNK Gals Island Dokidoki Puzzle Shock!
 * Moeyo! SNK Gals Osuin Katoukai
 * SNK Gals Island Hanakaruta Oshietekudasai
 * SNK Gals Island Dokidoki Puzzle Shock! 2
 * SNK Gals Island Astro Quest Hoshi☆wa Nigashimasen!
 * SNK Dream Battle
 * SNK High School Collection

Cameo Appearances

 * Art of Fighting 2 - in Eiji's ending in-text cameo (English version only)
 * Samurai Shodown - cameo in Genan's and Haohmaru's ending; name's the same but written as: "不知火麻衣"
 * Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidou Retsuden (Neo-Geo CD version only)
 * The King of Fighters XII - cameo in Andy's profile story
 * The King of Fighters: Battle de Paradise
 * The King of Fighters 2 - cameo in Hawaii; also a very rare roulette character
 * Garou: Mark of the Wolves - in Hokutomaru's stage, along with Andy

Anime Appearances

 * Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle
 * Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture
 * The King of Fighters: Another Day - 1st episode

Sprites




Trivia

 * Mai Shiranui is the rival to Street Fighter's Chun-Li in Capcom-SNK crossover games. This is unique, considering that Mai is Japanese while Chun-Li is Chinese, Mai wears red while Chun-Li wears blue, and they are both popular female characters within their respective universes.
 * Due to their shared last names, it is often theorized that the character Genan Shiranui of the Samurai Shodown series is in fact one of Mai's late ancestors. Despite the fact that she is a gorgeous woman and Genan is a ghoulish, green creature, Genan possesses a similar control of fire and is in fact capable of breeding with human women and having offspring. On another note, an unknown woman with many likenesses to Mai in physical appearance, red clothing, use of a fan, and the Ryu En Bu technique, appears before Genan Shiranui in his ending and kills him. She is never identified, so their exact relation is unknown, but it can at least be said that Mai Shiranui inspired the woman's physical appearance.