Athena Asamiya

Athena Asamiya (麻宮 アテナ, Asamiya Atena) is a character originally from Psycho Soldier and a distant relative and modern-day counterpart of Princess Athena from Athena. She later appears as a regular fighter in The King of Fighters series; she is perhaps best known for changing her outfit and hair style for virtually every main installment.

She stars in her own ADV game Athena: Awakening from the Ordinary Life that was only released in Japan for the Sony PlayStation in 1999.

Athena was a highly anticipated character for the King of Fighters lineup and developers relate that they are constantly working to keep her in the series. Throughout the years, her sailor uniform outfit was a frequent request from Japanese fans that was denied due to the belief that it wouldn't translate well with the overseas audience (this kept up until recent installments). Her official nickname is The Psychic-Powered Idol. Nona, one of the series designers, reply that Athena is his favorite original character in the series.

In the character popularity poll on Neo Geo Freak's website, she was voted as the tenth favorite character with a total of 1,020 votes.

Story
Athena is a modern day high school girl in Japan. She teamed up with her friend, Sie Kensou, to fight in the name of justice. In Psycho Soldiers, she was one of the "heroes of light" who defended the world from the Shiguma forces. Her psychic powers are believed to be transmigrated to her rather than inherited by her family. As such, she is sometimes referred to as the resurrected Athena who is gifted with esper-like powers.

Orochi Saga
In the King of Fighters series, she is a student of Kensou's Kenpo teacher, Chin Gentsai. She has spent most of her life secluded in China's mountains training. Her team participates in the tournaments as a form of training and to save the populace from an apparent future threat. Other times, they enter to disrupt any evil forces they may feel at the time. In the 1996 tournament, Chin seemed perturbed by the energy he sensed and didn't want his students to be involved with it. However, they surprise him by redoubling their enthusiasm for the event and they enter.

Their success in the tournament is shown in the following year where they receive a mountain of adoring fan letters. Athena in particular had a boost in popularity and stardom. However, Chin rejects their proposal to enter King of Fighters since he doesn't want his students to forget the purpose of their training. Determined to change his mind, Athena presents him with an inspirational letter from Kaoru Watabe. The contents in the letter helps her argument that their publicity moves people to do better things, which is essentially another way of saving people. Convinced that his students are improving, he allows them to enter once more.

In the aftermath of KOF '97, the Psycho Soldiers meet Kaoru, who now travels with them to most of their engagements and was even a striker in KOF 2000.

NESTS Saga
By this time in the series, Athena becomes a famous pop-star who is rising the charts with her concerts. She welcomes the new recruit, Bao, warmly and hopes that he does his best. Additionally, she grows concerned for Kensou once he lost his powers though she remains optimistic that they might return during the tournament on a spur-of-the-moment notice.

Her team's backstory in The King of Fighters 99 reveals that the team was there during the collapse of NESTS's base in the finals. During that time, Athena was caught underneath the falling rubble and passed out. Though he has no memory of it, Kensou saved her with a formidable latent energy. Ever since then, Bao suffered from a mysterious fatigue and illness. This same energy is later revealed to be the "Dragon's Spirit". Though she has her doubts with her master's methods, she wearily agrees to join the tournaments in this saga to treat Bao and Kensou's predicament. In the team's story in The King of Fighters 2000 she, Chin and Kaoru Watabe witness Bao's near heroic sacrifice as he takes a the NESTS satellite's energy beam to protect them, and how this leads to Kensou recovering his powers when he absorbs the rest of the energy.

Ash Saga
For the first time since the beginning of KOF, the Psycho Soldiers did not enter the tournament in KOF 2003 since Kensou and Bao went on a year long training mission with Chin to master Kensou's unreliable "Dragon's Spirit". Not wanting to miss out on her annual fix of tournament competition, Athena joined forces with Hinako Shijou and Malin to form the High School Girls team, a strange but rather successful partnership. For KOF XI, Athena reunites with Kensou after his year of training, and Momoko, one of Athena's fans with psychic capabilities.

Personality
Athena is very outgoing, polite, and friendly. She is a happy girl with righteous virtues and well-meaning morals. She treasures her fans and those who are helpless and strives to do her best to fight for them. She used to be a bit of a crybaby who was sometimes too scared to fight in the face of danger, but has gotten over this flaw, as it is shown that she has become much braver.

Athena often chides Kensou for slacking off in his training. She either is well aware of his crush on her but usually chooses to ignore his romantic advances since he seems to embarrass her, or she is oblivious about his romantic interest in her. The drama CDs and manga imply that Athena has feelings for Kyo, but since Kyo is dating Yuki, she respects their romantic relationship and settles for simply staying friends with both of them.

Powers

 * Psionics - Athena is a powerful psychic, being capable of harnessing several psionic abilities.
 * Psychokinesis - Athena can move objects with her mind.
 * Psychic projectile - Athena can condense her psychic energy into the shape of a ball and fire it at her opponent.
 * Psychic energy strikes - Athena can materialize and coalesce psychic energy on her limbs, in order to strengthen her physical attacks.
 * Psychic barrier - Athena can surround her body with a resilient shield of energy. This energy barrier can also be used offensively
 * Teleportation - Athena can bend space with her mind in order to move herself, objects or other people.
 * Psychic Reflector - Athena can create a shield-like barrier that deflects projectiles.
 * Psychic Healing - Athena can channel her psychic energy in order to heal herself or others of wounds and damage. This is seen in The King of Fighters 2000 as her striker move.

Skills

 * Singing and Performing - Athena is a J-Pop star of established fame. She is an accomplished singer who has many fans, including Jhun Hoon, Momoko and Kaoru Watabe. She has found success among male and female fans alike.
 * Web Designing - Athena is good at designing and creating websites and makes a hobby out of it. In fact, she is good on everything relating to the internet and also likes to shop online.
 * Lacrosse - Athena is especially good at lacrosse.

Fighting Style
Athena was taught Kung Fu by Chin Gentsai, probably the style of Wing Chun. Her stance was loosely based on Liuhebafa. While Athena is a capable hand-to-hand fighter, she mostly relies on her psychic powers to fight. Athena is not feared for her martial arts training, but she is respected and can somewhat hold her own against some fighters. Athena's fighting style revolves mostly around simple yet effective strikes, and around speed and acrobacies, rather than strength. She uses her psychic powers to full effectiveness when in combat, improving her martial capabilities, controlling the battlefield and getting the enemy off guard with several surprise tactics.

Music

 * Psycho Soldier - Psycho Soldier
 * Psycho Soldier "K.O.F. Version" - The King of Fighters '94, 2002, Athena On Stage
 * Senritsu no Dora (Trembling of the Gong) - The King of Fighters '95, The King of Fighters '98, The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match (console version only), The King of Fighters R-2
 * Psycho Soldier Remix 96 - The King of Fighters '96
 * Psycho Soldier Remix 97 - The King of Fighters '97, R-1, SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium
 * Shin! Senritsu no Dora (New! Trembling of the Gong) - The King of Fighters '98, The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match (arcade version only)
 * Psyco Sonic Trip ~Dance at the Paddy Field~ - The King of Fighters '99
 * Will - The King of Fighters 2000, EX, EX2
 * Psychic Guys - The King of Fighters 2001
 * You Feel for Me - The King of Fighters 2003, Athena On Stage
 * Pure ~At Good Old Days~ - The King of Fighters XI, The King of Fighters XIII (when the music is set to "Type B", console version only, shared with Chin Gentsai and Sie Kensou)
 * Purity Soldiers - The King of Fighters XIII
 * Tachi bou ke -Instrumental- - The King of Fighters XIV
 * Tachi bou ke  - The King of Fighters XIV (as Kensou's opponent)
 * Psycho Soldier ~Super Chinese Remix~ - The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match
 * Theme "Athena" - Athena: Awakening from the Ordinary Life
 * The Life of an Idol - Days of Memories (Koi wa Good Job!)
 * Psychic Madonna - Days of Memories (Boku to Kanojo to Koto no Koi, Sekai de Ichiban Atsui Fuyu)
 * Psycho Dancer - 100 Mega Shock!

Image Songs

 * Psycho Soldier - Psycho Soldier
 * Psycho Soldier "K.O.F. Version" - The King of Fighters 94
 * My Love ~Yuki wo Dashite~ - The King of Fighters 95, The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match (if Athena vs. Kensou is on the first turn)
 * Psycho Soldier Remix '96 - The King of Fighters '96
 * Koi wo Shiyo (Let's Fall in Love) - The King of Fighters '96
 * Koi wo Machi Kirenai - Neo Geo DJ Station
 * Psycho Soldier Remix '97 - The King of Fighters '97
 * Present Holiday - for The King of Fighters '98
 * Open Your Eyes - Neo Geo DJ Station 2
 * Kizudarake no Blue Moon - Psycho Soldier, The King of Fighters XI (PS2 port, only in the Concert Stage)
 * The Song of Fighters II - Shared image song with other King of Fighters characters
 * Tachi bou ke - The King of Fighters XIV

Voice Actors

 * Rushina (anonymous SNK employee) - Psycho Soldier
 * Reiko Fukui - The King of Fighters '94, Metal Slug Defense
 * Moe Nagasaki - The King of Fighters '95
 * Masae Yumi - Neo Geo CD Special
 * Tamao Sato - The King of Fighters '96, Neo Print
 * Yukina Kurisu - The King of Fighters '97, The King of Fighters: Kyo
 * Haruna Ikezawa - The King of Fighters '98 ~ present, Athena: Awakening from the Ordinary Life, KOF Sky Stage, Neo Geo Heroes: Ultimate Shooting
 * Robyn Gryphe - KOF Maximum Impact (English voice)
 * Lily Kong - KOF Maximum Impact 2 (English voice)
 * Feng Youwei - Neo Print (Chinese voice)

Live Action Actors

 * Kei Ishibashi - Athena live drama

Game Appearances

 * Psycho Soldier
 * The King of Fighters '94
 * The King of Fighters '95
 * Neo Geo CD Special - as a guide
 * The King of Fighters '96
 * The King of Fighters '97
 * The King of Fighters: Kyo
 * The King of Fighters '98
 * The King of Fighters R-1
 * The King of Fighters R-2
 * The King of Fighters '99
 * Athena: Awakening from the Ordinary Life
 * SNK Gals' Fighters
 * SNK vs Capcom: Match of the Millenium
 * The King of Fighters 2000
 * Capcom vs SNK 2
 * The King of Fighters 2001
 * The King of Fighters 2002
 * The King of Fighters Neowave
 * KOF: Maximum Impact
 * The King of Fighters 2003
 * KOF: Maximum Impact 2
 * The King of Fighters XI
 * KOF: Maximum Impact Regulation A
 * The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match
 * The King of Fighters XII
 * The King of Fighters XIII
 * The King of Fighters (pachinko) - roulette character
 * Maximum Impact - roulette character
 * CR The King of Fighters
 * KOF Sky Stage
 * Neo Geo Heroes: Ultimate Shooting
 * Core Masters - Guest Character
 * The King of Fighters XIV ('98 Athena as DLC Costume)
 * SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy

Mobile Appearances

 * Athena On Stage
 * Days of Memories (first, second, fifth, seventh, and ninth titles) - non-playable
 * Neo Geo Tennis Coliseum
 * The King of Fighters Mobile
 * The King of Fighters Mobile R-2
 * The King of Millionaire
 * The King of Fighters Volleyball
 * The King of Fighters Mahjong
 * SNK Gals Fighters
 * SNK Beach Volley Gal's Attack
 * SNK Gals Island Dokidoki Puzzle Shock!
 * SNK Gals Island Jintori Puzzle Miseteagemasu
 * SNK Gals Island Techu Typing Omigotodesu
 * SNK Gals Island Senkan Battle Gekichinshichaouzo!
 * SNK Gals Island Beauty Dungeon Mimi to Kimashita!
 * Moeyo! SNK Gals Osuin Katoukai
 * The King of Fighters: Battle de Paradise - as a striker
 * The King of Fighters EX2: Howling Blood
 * SNK Dream Battle
 * SNK High School Collection
 * Dai Shingeki RPG! Sister Quest - collaboration event
 * The Rhythm of Fighters
 * Metal Slug Defense (unlockable)
 * Brave Frontier
 * World Cross Saga
 * Venus Eleven Vivid
 * Crash Fever
 * Valkyrie Connect
 * Tower of Saviors
 * Kimi wa Hero
 * Puzzle & Dragons

Cameo Appearances

 * Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidou Retsuden (Neo-Geo CD version only) - name is the same but written as "阿沙宮あてな".
 * Days of Memories (third and sixth title) - text-only
 * The King of Fighters 2
 * Neo Print - Photo sticker booths for SNK, Athena Asamiya is the character who was explaining on the screen

Anime Appearances

 * The King of Fighters: Another Day
 * The King of Fighters: Destiny

Similar Characters

 * Athena

Sprites