Clone Zero

Zero, codenamed Zero One , is the main antagonist and final boss of The King of Fighters 2000. He is a high-ranking member of NESTS, a criminal organization with designs on taking over the world, and the clone of Zero, another high-ranking NESTS member.

Development
In the developer's comments section of his anniversary profile, KOF series' producer, C.A.C Yamasaki, admits basing Zero's design off a certain character from the manga Fist of the North Star. The names of his moves mirror the names of techniques used by the series' three Rashō: Kaioh, Hyou and Han (creators have also alluded to the homage as intentional).

Personality
Though he's Zero's clone, this Zero is very ambitious and betrayed NESTS to fulfill his ideals. He dislikes traitors, which is ironic and hypocritical since he is a traitor himself. As a master impersonator, Zero is able to mask his own personality and copy the personality of others.

Abilities

 * The Dark Arts - Zero has several powers related to darkness.
 * Shadow Trap - Zero can stretch his own shadow and make it hold the enemy's feet.
 * Dark Explosion - Zero can create a small explosion of dark energy.
 * Black Hole - Zero can create a black hole by punching the ground or simply opening his hands.


 * Mimicry - Zero can impersonate a target to near perfection, thanks to his ability to shapeshift.
 * Impersonation - As with physical mimicry, he can perfectly imitate a target's personality as well.

Fighting style
Zero relies on his special suit to fight. He knows some basic fighting moves, but mainly uses his suit's blades to fight.

Music

 * Slasher Zero - The King of Fighters 2000, The King of Fighters All Star
 * Dark Gravitation - The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match

Voice actors

 * Kinta Futogane - The King of Fighters 2000~2002 Unlimited Match
 * Taiten Kusunoki - The King of Fighters: World
 * Jiro Saito - The King of Fighters All Star
 * Kaya Okuno - The King of Fighters All Star (as female version)

Appearances
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Mainline

 * The King of Fighters 2000 - final boss
 * The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match - possible final boss

Mobile

 * The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Online
 * The King of Fighters: World - non-playable
 * The King of Fighters Destiny
 * The King of Fighters All Star

Cameo
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 * The King of Fighters '94 Re-Bout

Similar characters

 * Zero (Original)
 * Ling

Trivia

 * The bladed portion of his armor has been called a "skirt" or a "cape," but seems to resemble a Javanese male sarong, only with blades sewn into the lining.
 * The developers have also made several jokes at the expense of one of Zero's attacks, wherein he stuns the opponent, and turns away, as an unseen burst of energy causes his bladed cloak to blow upward. This has been jokingly dubbed by the developers as the "Zero Fart", and is even lampooned in the 4-panel KOF comic strips. The move itself is a Fist of the North Star reference.
 * Ling, the name of the officer Cloned Zero impersonated, also means "zero" in Mandarin Chinese.
 * Clone Zero shows that he doesn't have a defined face as his facial expressions gets horribly contorted when he's dizzy. It's probable that his current face is the one that Ling originally had before he got killed himself.
 * Like his progenitor, he had no crouching attack animations, yet had standing attacks that must be guarded low, and could not crouch initially like typical SNK bosses. These animations and ability were gained as he was added in KOF2002UM.
 * Like his original, Zero Clone has an alternate version in The King of Fighters All Star, called Lady Clone Zero. She does the same specials as his male counterpart except with the shadow attacks were she rams her opponents rather than make a fart pose and her final skill she creates a black hole by punching the floor like Zero in KOF 2000, also she wears a hairpin and a fake moustache as a pun to Clone Zero.