Rugal Bernstein

Rugal Bernstein (ルガール・バーンシュタイン, Rugāru Bānshutain) is a recurring boss in the SNK Playmore King of Fighters fighting game series and is often considered one of the most difficult bosses in the entire series. On their anniversary website, SNK has stated that Rugal was originally based on the concept of the "mightiest and most evil boss character ever." Toyohisa Tanabe states that his fighting style was created to emphasize Rugal's strength as the series's first boss character. He also comments "going a bit overboard" with Genocide Cutters damage ratio in The King of Fighters '94.

Story
Feared throughout the political and fighting world, Rugal was an influential arms dealer who operated aboard his aircraft carrier BlackNoah. To those who would oppose him, he would defeat them and later preserve their bodies in liquid metal to add to his grisly trophy room. He used to work with his younger brother but they separated over conflicting interests. When Rugal was about 25 years old, an 18 year old Goenitz took out his eye with one strike and gave him a small portion of Orochi's power for surviving the attack. Since then, he has a bionic eye to replace the one he lost.

Sometime in 1986, Rugal wanted to demonstrate his power in a base at Brazil and murdered everyone he found inside. The sole survivor of the fifty man massacre was Heidern, who lost his right eye during the attack. At the time, he was too displeased with his victim to add him to his "collection" so he deprived the man his wife and child as compensation. It's speculated that he later regrets this act but it's never clearly stated.

Before 1994, he recruited two secretaries: Mature and Vice. With their help, Rugal organized a King of Fighters tournament, in order to find worthy opponents. During the invitation phase, Saisyu Kusanagi came to the BlackNoah and challenged Rugal. Although Rugal won the battle, he did not subject him to his metal bath. When Saisyu's son, Kyo, arrived with his teammates, he defeated Rugal. Unwilling to accept defeat, Rugal blew up his ship.

Rugal was believed dead, but he used the Orochi power to survive. Replacing his destroyed right forearm with cybernetics, Rugal revived Saisyu, brainwashed him, and sent out invitations the following year for another King of Fighters tournament. Rugal used an abandoned missile silo as his base in 1995, and abducted the winning team (again, Kyo's team) to fight Saisyu, and then himself. Despite using the Orochi power and becoming 'Omega Rugal,' Kyo's defeated him. Again beaten, Rugal tried to use more of the Orochi power, but it consumed him. As his body disintegrated, he saw Iori Yagami, who told him that only those "of the bloodline" could control Orochi's power.

Despite his apparent death in '95, there have been multiple hints in various KoF games that Rugal may still be alive, and that Omega Rugal may not have been the geniuine article. Clues include unlockable artwork of a laboratory containing a series of Omega Rugals in various tubes, as well as his appearance as a striker in King of Fighters 2000. In the game, when a striker character who is dead finishes their attack, they flicker away and vanish. When a living character performs their attack, they simply run away. After performing his striker attack, Rugal does the latter. Even non-canonical games play with this, such as in 2002 Unlimited Match, which ends with the text "Rugal [has] become extinct..." adding in a question mark seconds later.

Personality
Rugal is a cruel and powerful man who will kill anyone who stands in his way. He sees absolutely no value in human life, to the point where he even has a grizzly collection of the metal-encased corpses of worthy opponents. He will even go so far as to kill people simply to spite others (such as when he slaughtered Heidern's family simply because he found Heidern to be a disappointment). Unlike most other KoF villains, Rugal has a sadistic sense of humor about what he does. Many of his winquotes are snarky insults toward his opponents, and he often sees the act of taking human life to be more of a pastime. Much like Igniz, he believes himself to be a human god. Unlike Igniz, however, he hardly takes his "godhood" seriously. It could be said that Rugal posseses the greatest proverbial swagger of all the King of Fighters boss characters.

Powers

 * Gather energy: Rugal can channel energy from Gaia and other sources, including Orochi's power.
 * Sense: Rugal can sense chi energy of those nearby.
 * Energy Projectile: Rugal can fire projectiles of energy from his hands.
 * Energy Reflector: Rugal can create a barrier that reflects projectiles.
 * Slashing hands: Rugal's hands can cut and pierce an enemy.
 * Slashing aura: Rugal can create a cutting aura around his legs.

Skills
Mimicry - Rugal is able to mimic and learn moves of other fighters just by observing them.

Management and Manipulation - His occupation is that of an international arms dealer who secretly holds dangerously powerful influence over global politics.

Fighting Style
His fighting style is an amalgam of various arts, including Hakkyokuseiken and House of Strolheim, the styles used by Geese Howard and Wolfgang Krauser. He has adapted several moves from each character, such as Geese's Reppuken and Krauser's Kaiser Wave, though he also uses his own techniques, like the Genocide Cutter.

Music

 * Ketchaku R&D (Showdown R&D) - The King of Fighters 94
 * The RR - The King of Fighters 98
 * Rugal Battle - The King of Fighters (pachinko)
 * Rugal - Athena On Stage

Voice Actors

 * Toshimitsu Arai - The King of Fighters series ('94~'95, '98, 2000, 2002 Unlimited Match), Capcom vs SNK titles
 * Norio Wakamoto - The King of Fighters 2002
 * Banjō Ginga - The King of Fighters '94 Dengeki drama CD

Live Action Actors

 * Ray Park - King of Fighters movie

Game Appearances

 * The King of Fighters 94 - boss
 * The King of Fighters: Kyo - cameo
 * The King of Fighters 98
 * The King of Fighters R-2
 * The King of Fighters 2000 - maniac striker for Kula
 * The King of Fighters 2002 - boss and playable
 * The King of Fighters Neowave - PS 2 port only
 * The King of Fighters 98: Ultimate Match
 * The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match
 * Capcom vs SNK
 * Capcom vs SNK Pro.
 * Capcom vs SNK 2
 * The King of Fighters (pachinko) - boss character

Mobile Appearances

 * Days of Memories (second title) - in-text cameo; participates in the Orochi route
 * Athena On Stage - band member
 * The King of Fighters Mobile
 * Moeyo! KOF Daiundokai

Cameo Appearances

 * The King of Fighters '96 - during the in-game scenarios
 * The King of Fighters '97 - during the Hero team's ending
 * The King of Fighters 2003 - during the in-game scenarios
 * KOF: Maximum Impact - background cameo

Similar Characters

 * Omega Rugal
 * God Rugal