Whip

Whip (ウィップ, Uippu), whose real name is Seirah (セーラ, Sēra), is a character who first appeared in The King of Fighters '99 as the new member to the Ikari Warriors Team. Her affinity for whips earned her the nickname, Muchiko (ムチ子, Muchiko) -which roughly translates to "Whip Girl" (sometimes translated as "Whippy") - by Ralf Jones.

She is voiced by Shiho Kikuchi.

Development
She was planned to enter the series in The King of Fighters '96 but was pushed back to The King of Fighters '99 due to Leona's introduction. The developers wanted her to contrast Leona who exposes comparatively more skin, while Whip sports less revealing but body-hugging fashions that leave a little more to the imagination. The designers hoped that she would be accepted as an independent, whip-brandishing character rather than just another member of the Ikari Team. They hope that players would keep an eye on her future activities. According to the developers' diary for KOF 2000, her name Whip is an anagram of Winnie-the-Pooh.

Story
According to the 2001 novel written by Akihiko Ureshino, Whip is a clone of the real Seirah; Seirah was K's biological older sister who died after being abducted by NESTS. Ureshino comments that he wrote this origin story for her because the developers didn't want to clarify anything about her to him. Until this was written, Seirah is only shown briefly as a child in K's memories, imploring her younger brother (K') to remain strong until they meet again.

Regardless of whether she is a clone or not, she is called Seirah by people who knew her in NESTS. She also responds to the nicknames Sally or Sarah. Due to NESTS experimentation on her body, she's able to manipulate her specialized whip with ease. She befriended Krizalid under the assumption that he was her brother before she escaped from the cartel. She used Sally as a codename to join the military.

She is eventually assigned to Heidern's mercenary unit under her current name, Whip. She enters the King of Fighters tournament to investigate NESTS. While her team isn't present, she privately interrogates NESTS agents to find information regarding herself and the whereabouts of her brother.

After learning a startling but undisclosed revelation from Zero, she joins K' and his objective to destroy NESTS. After NESTS's downfall, she returns to her duties under Heidern's command. During the KOF XI tournament, she serves as backup for the Ikari team and asked Kula Diamond to enter the tournament with K' and Maxima.

Personality
She is an enigmatic and quiet individual who acts towards her own goals. According to Maxima, she is a pure and honest person who judges others fairly. She treats both K' and Kula Diamond as a little brother and sister.

Powers

 * Whipping strike - Seirah can use her hands to strike at her opponent in a blindingly fast whipping motion. She probably doesn't have enough control of this ability, and only chooses to use such power to a downed opponent. Her attacking range increases, and she can attack multiple times.
 * Wind Manipulation - In KOF XIV, Whip can create a ball of wind with her whip.

Fighting Style
Her fighting style is based on Soubenjutsu, the Japanese martial art of the use of the whip and also takes inspiration in other kinds of whip fighting. Her whip, probably designed by NESTS, can transform into a blade or a gun. She also has a concealed Desert Eagle which she can fire at the opponent.

Her Desert Eagle was censored for international release. The most obvious example of the edit is her team's ending in KoF 2000 where she points the weapon at the camera and shoots Zero. In the censored version, Zero, near death, reveals information to an outraged Whip, and Zero simply dies afterwards, with Whip leaving as the hideout collapses.

Her move with the gun is not available in KOF2000, but returns in KOF2001 in an edited form. As replacement, she uses some kind of exploding beads held interlocking between her fingers, and in her HSDM in KoF2002 and KoF2002UM, instead of bringing out a firearm, her whip morphs into one.

Music

 * W.W.III - The King of Fighters '99
 * The Trooper - The King of Fighters 2000
 * Big Pain - The King of Fighters 2001
 * KD-0079 - The King of Fighters 2002
 * KD - The King of Fighters 2003
 * Smell of Gunpowder - The King of Fighters XI
 * W.W.III -KOF XIV ver.- - The King of Fighters XIV
 * KD-0079+ - The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match
 * Whip 3 Options - The King of Fighters 2
 * Codename: Actress - Days of Memories (Boku to Kanojo to Koto no Koi)

Game Appearances

 * The King of Fighters '99
 * SNK Gals' Fighters - unlockable
 * The King of Fighters 2000
 * The King of Fighters 2001
 * The King of Fighters EX: Neo Blood - as a Striker for the Ikari Warriors Team
 * The King of Fighters 2002
 * The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match
 * The King of Fighters Neowave
 * The King of Fighters 2003
 * The King of Fighters XI
 * The King of Fighters 2
 * The King of Fighters XIV - DLC character

Mobile Appearances

 * Days of Memories (first, fourth, fifth, and seventh titles) - Unplayable
 * SNK Gals Island Jintori Puzzle Miseteagemasu
 * SNK Gals Island Bombom Super Bara Q Jitai desu!
 * Metal Slug Defense
 * Metal Slug Attack
 * Kimi wa Hero
 * The King of Fighters: World - NPC
 * The King of Fighters: All Star
 * The King of Fighters M: Fighting Stars Assembly
 * SNK Fighting Age

Cameo Appearances

 * KOF: Maximum Impact - background cameo
 * KOF: Maximum Impact 2 - background cameo, plus mentioned in Maxima's ending (mistranslated in the English version as Sela)
 * KOF Maximum Impact Regulation "A" - in the Kula vs. Clark pre-fight talk, as Seirah
 * The King of Fighters '94: Rebout - background cameo in the Kim Team stage
 * The King of Fighters XIII - Talks with her comrades in the Ikari Warriors Team's Story, mentioned by Kula in the K' Team's story and by Ralf in the Ikari Warriors Team's ending; also mentioned in Kula vs. Clark, Mai and Mature pre-fight talks in the Kula's winquote against Hwa Jai, as Seirah
 * The King of Fighters XIV - in the Ikari Warriors Team and K' Team endings; also mentioned in Ikari Warriors team story, and in K' team story as Seirah
 * Athena On Stage
 * SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy - in Leona's ending; also mentioned in Kula winquotes vs. Leona, as Seirah, and in Kukri's winquote vs. Leona

Anime Appearances

 * The King of Fighters: Another Day

Trivia

 * Her original character bio references The Fallen Angels (堕落天使, Daraku Tenshi).
 * K', Maxima, Whip and Lin were the winners of The King of Fighters 2001 which is confirmed in the Light Novel. This makes Whip the second female character to win a KOF tournament, before her was Vanessa.
 * According to the 2001 Novel, Whip was the first successful example of NESTS cloning technology, which lead to the creation of Krizalid and Kyo clones.