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In this Korean name, the family name is "Kim". The given name of this character is "Kaphwan".
"Not even heroes of justice dare stand before the master! Show us the results of your hellish training! KIM KAPHWAN."
- The King of Fighters XV

Kaphwan Kim, written surname first as Kim Kaphwan, is a character in both the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters series. Kim debuts in Fatal Fury 2 as a master of Taekwondo and considers himself as a fighter of justice. His official nickname is "The Crown Jewel of Taekwondo" (Japanese: [テコンドーのクラウンジュエル]; Korean: [태권도의 왕관 보석]) and in KOF XV, is "Taekwondo of Justice".

Development

Originally, he was going to be named Kim Haifon, but this was changed because it wasn't a viable Korean name.​[citation needed]  In more recent years, Kim's given name, "Kaphwan", was seemingly dropped, as SNK Playmore refers to him only as "Kim". Additionally, Kim in Korean is now known as the "head of the Kim family" (金家藩). The reasons for this are unknown, though rumors speculate that he was named after the founder of Viccom, who had a similar pronunciation to Kim's name (金甲煥).​[citation needed] ​  Additionally, Kim's sons are also named after the real Kim's son (Jae Hoon) and younger brother (Dong Hwan). After the fallout of the first online game, Kaphwan was removed from Kim's name for a time. The trend finally resumed since The King of Fighters XIV.

Personality

Kim strives for excellence and righteousness in everything he does, be it his fighting or personal life. He is a loving husband and father, and a strict disciplinarian. He is deeply respected and admired by his acquaintances for his honesty and bravery, and has many friends amongst the characters in both King of Fighters and Fatal Fury. However, he apparently can't handle his liquor very well, as seen in his team's ending for The King of Fighters XI.

Aku wa Yurusan NGBC

Aku wa yurusan...

One of Kim's defining characteristics is his strong, inherent sense of justice. He has the ability to tell whether or not someone is evil at a glance. As such, Kim has a special opening pose whenever he fights against an evil character, someone influenced by Orochi or any other sinister power. In this pose, he glares menacingly at the evil opponent, slowly raises his hand and points at the opponent, saying "Aku wa yurusan..." (あくゆるさん..., lit. "Evil is unforgivable...") "Hah!" before jumping into his fighting stance. There are times when he is off and a little overzealous with his evil sensor, which is touched upon by others within the games' written works.

Despite his overbearing personality, the presence of his master Gang-li seems to put Kim on the receiving end of nervousness via a role reversal.

Powers

  • Sense Evil - Kim can sense evil energy or intent in others.
  • Phoenix Attack - In the Real Bout series and in other few titles, Kim is able to summon a phoenix while using his Hou'ou Kyaku.

Skills

  • Acrobatics - Kim is very proficient in acrobatics, using it with his Tae Kwon Do skills.
  • Advanced Kicking - Thanks to his Tae Kwon Do training, Kim is able to do very fast multiple chain kicks.
  • Rehabilitation - Kim is proficient (though Chang and Choi beg to differ) in correcting otherwise destructive habits, though he can be extremely overzealous in his methods.
  • Singing - Through his hobby, Kim has some talent in belting out tunes.

Fighting Style

Kim uses a very traditional taekwondo style with heavy acrobatics and occasional alternate stances (depending on the game), which also packs much of a motif for phoenixes, or more accurately, the Fenghuang (romanized via on'yomi in Japanese as the "hou'ou"), a Chinese firebird that is a combination of a male and female phoenix. Despite this, many of his techniques are mainly written in and spoken out in Japanese, although Kim may yell out traditional Korean battle cries on occasion.

Music

  • Seoul ni Ikou! (Let's Go to Seoul!) - Fatal Fury 2, Fatal Fury Special, The King of Fighters 2002
  • Yuu - The King of Fighters '94
  • Ryo - The King of Fighters '95
  • Seoul Town - Real Bout Fatal Fury, The King of Fighters '98, The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match (both the original KOF 98 version and the Real Bout version)
  • Seoul Road - The King of Fighters '96, The King of Fighters '98 (console versions only), The King of Fighters XIII (when the music is set to "Type B", console version only, shared with Raiden and Hwa Jai)
  • Seoul'ssu - Real Bout Fatal Fury Special, Real Bout Fatal Fury 2, The King of Fighters R-1, Fatal Fury F-Contact
  • Attack Me! - Fatal Fury Wild Ambition
  • The Way to Rebirth - The King of Fighters '99
  • Wild Party - The King of Fighters 2000, EX, EX2
  • Nerichagi - The King of Fighters 2001
  • Seoul Love - The King of Fighters 2003
  • Street Dancer - The King of Fighters XI
  • Tame a Bad Boy - The King of Fighters XIII
  • Belief - The King of Fighters XIV
  • Seoul Road -KOF XIV ver.- - The King of Fighters XIV (as Chang or Choi's opponent)
  • Seoul Town ~Ver. Justice~ - The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match
  • Kim Kaphwan - Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture
  • Seoul ni Ikou! (Let's Go to Seoul!) -KOF XV ver.- - The King of Fighters XV

Voice Actors

Mainline Voice Actors

Another Voice Actors

Appearances

Games

Mobile

Cameos

Anime

Names in Other Languages

Japanese キム・カッファン
Korean (Hangul) 김갑환
Korean (Hanja) 金甲喚

Trivia

  • Kim is inspired by the real-life late Kim Kaphwan, founder of Viccom, a Korean company that for many years licensed SNK's games.
    • His sons, Kim Dong Hwan and Kim Jae Hoon, are inspired by the name of the younger brother and the son of the real businessman, respectively.
  • In the fan Q&A for Neo Geo Battle Coliseum, a fan asked Kim about his thoughts regarding hypocrites. In an "interview", Kim answers that any sort of lie is evil and unforgivable. He then naively asks why he received this question.[1]
  • In the Fatal Fury games (mainly in the Real Bout games), Kim often had his front side face the background in his fighting stance, while in The King of Fighters games and in other titles onward, his front side faces the foreground instead. In some games he gains an alternate stance, which may reference his original fighting stance from time to time.
  • In Gamest's 1997 Heroes Collection, Kim was voted as the staff's tenth favorite character. In the Neo Geo Freak's 1997 Volume 8 Character Poll, he was voted as the fifth favorite character with a total of 1,392 votes. In a 2005 poll made by SNK Playmore USA, he was voted as the 10th fan-favorite character with a total of 119 votes.
  • Kim's original teammates, Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge, were to be teamed up with another dangerous criminal character to form the "Fugitive Team'", but he was added to the team instead.

Similar Characters

Cards

SNK vs SNK vs SNK vs SNK Dream Battle SNK Dream Battle KOF98UM OL KOF All Star KOF All Star Kimi Wa Hero

Sprites

Metal Slug Defense Fatal Fury: First Contact Fatal Fury: First Contact (Sprite Edit) Fatal Fury 2 Real Bout Fatal Fury The King of Fighters '94 The King of Fighters '95 The King of Fighters '96 The King of Fighters '99: Millennium Battle The King of Fighters 2002: Challenge to Ultimate Battle Capcom vs The King of Fighters XII

SNK vs SNK vs SNK vs

Gallery

References

  1. NGBC Q&A Station Q81. from Official website for Neo Geo Battle Coliseum
Fatal Fury characters
Fatal Fury - King of Fighters Logo Sprite Terry BogardAndy BogardJoe HigashiRichard MeyerMichael MaxDuck KingTung Fu RueHwa JaiRaidenBilly KaneGeese Howard
Fatal Fury 2 Logo Sprite Kim KaphwanMai ShiranuiCheng SinzanJubei YamadaBig BearAxel HawkLaurence BloodWolfgang Krauser
Fatal Fury Special Logo Sprite Ryo Sakazaki
Fatal Fury 3 - Road to the Final Victory Logo Sprite Blue MaryBob WilsonFranco BashHon-FuSokaku MochizukiRyuji YamazakiJin ChonreiJin Chonshu
Real Bout Fatal Fury Special Logo Sprite Nightmare GeeseShadow AndyEX Blue MaryEX Billy KaneEX Tung Fu RueIori Yagami
Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special Dominated Mind Logo White
Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 - The Newcomers Logo Sprite Rick StrowdLi XiangfeiAlfred
Fatal Fury - First Contact Lao
Fatal Fury - Wild Ambition Logo Touji SakataTsugumi SendoMr. Karate II
Garou - Mark of the Wolves Logo Sprite Rock HowardB. JenetLillien KnightsKim Dong HwanKim Jae HoonHotaru FutabaItokatsuGatoTizocMarco RodriguesHokutomaruKevin RianFreemanGrantKain R. Heinlein
Fatal Fury - City of the Wolves Logo PreechaVox Reaper • Potential Cristiano Ronaldo Character • Ken Masters (Guest)Chun-Li (Guest)
Fatal Fury - Legend of the Hungry Wolf Logo Lily McGuire
Fatal Fury 2 - The New Battle Logo Tony
Fatal Fury - The Motion Picture Logo Sulia GaudeamusLaocorn GaudeamusPanniHauerJamin
The King of Fighters characters
KOF '94 Logo Sprite Kyo KusanagiBenimaru NikaidoGoro DaimonTerry BogardAndy BogardJoe HigashiRyo SakazakiRobert GarciaTakuma SakazakiRalf JonesClark StillHeidernAthena AsamiyaSie KensouChin GentsaiKingMai ShiranuiYuri SakazakiKim KaphwanChang KoehanChoi BoungeHeavy D!Lucky GlauberBrian BattlerRugal Bernstein
KOF '95 Logo Sprite Iori YagamiBilly KaneEiji KisaragiSaisyu KusanagiOmega RugalNakoruru (Game Boy only)
KOF '96 Logo Sprite Leona HeidernMatureViceKasumi TodohGeese HowardWolfgang KrauserMr. BigChizuru KaguraGoenitzMr. Karate (Game Boy only)
KOF '97 Logo Sprite Shingo YabukiYashiro NanakaseShermieChrisBlue MaryRyuji YamazakiOrochi IoriOrochi LeonaOrochi YashiroOrochi ShermieOrochi ChrisOrochi
KOF '99 Logo Sprite K'MaximaWhipBaoLi XiangfeiJhun HoonKyo-1Kyo-2Krizalid
KOF '99 Evolution Logo VanessaSethSyo KirishimaAlfredFiolina GermiGai Tendo
KOF 2000 Logo Sprite RamónLinHinako ShijoKula DiamondClone ZeroFoxyCandy DiamondAnother K'Another IoriAnother BenimaruAnother RobertCosplayer KyokoKang Bae DalSmart ChangCool ChoiKaoru WatabeBaitangDuck KingLilly KaneKim Jae HoonKim Dong HwanUnknownKing LionKim Sue-ilKaedeDuke EdwardsRockyAthenaNeo & GeoG-Mantle
KOF 2001 Logo Sprite May Lee JinjuK9999ÁngelZeroRonGluganIgnizMistyNests
KOF EX Logo Moe Habana
KOF 2002 Logo Sprite Kusanagi
KOF EX2 Logo Reiji OogamiJun KagamiMiu KurosakiSinobu Amou
KOF 2003 Logo Sprite Ash CrimsonDuo LonShen WooTizocGatoMalinMaki KaguraAdelheid BernsteinMukai
KOF MI Logo Alba MeiraSoiree MeiraLien NevilleMignon BeartChae LimDukeRock Howard
KOF XI Logo Sprite OswaldElisabeth BlanctorcheMomokoB. JenetShionMagakiSilberSho HayateJyazuHotaru FutabaItokatsuTung Fu Rue
KOF MI2 Logo Luise MeyrinkNagaseJivatmaNinon BeartHyenaHanzo HattoriKyo Kusanagi ClassicWild WolfMr. Karate IIArmor RalfRichard Meyer
KOF MIRA Logo Xiao LonMakoto Mizoguchi
KOF '98UM Logo Nightmare Geese
KOF 2002UM Logo Nameless
KOF XII Logo Raiden
KOF XIII Logo Hwa JaiBig BearSaikiEvil AshHonki ni Natta Mr. Karate
KOF XIV Logo Shun'eiMeitenkunGang-ilLuongXanaduSylvie Paula PaulaKukriMianNelsonZarinaBandeiras HattoriKing of DinosaursHeinNakoruruMamahahaMui MuiLove HeartAlice Garnet NakataAntonovVerseNajd (Aila)
The King of Fighters XV Logo Isla (Amanda) • DoloresKrohnen McDougallRe VerseOtoma RagaHaohmaruDarli Dagger
SNK vs. Capcom characters
SNK current logo Kyo KusanagiIori YagamiLeona HeidernOrochi IoriTerry BogardMai ShiranuiGeese HowardRyo SakazakiYuri SakazakiAthena AsamiyaHaohmaruNakoruruMamahahaJubei YagyuRimururuAkari IchijouMarco RossiFiolina GermiMars PeopleGenjuro KibagamiKim KaphwanMr. KarateKasumi TodohChoi BoungeEarthquakeShikiGoenitzHonki ni Natta Mr. KaratePrincess AthenaKingViceBenimaru NikaidoRaidenRyuji YamazakiRugal BernsteinChang KoehanRyuhaku TodohHibiki TakaneGod Rugal
Capcom Logo RyuKen MastersChun-LiGuileDan HibikiSakura KasuganoMorrigan AenslandFeliciaAkumaBaby Bonnie HoodM. BisonEvil RyuKarin KanzukiArthurRed ArremerDhalsimVegaSagatBalrogHugo AndoreTessaDemitri MaximoffZeroViolent KenShin AkumaRed ArremerBlankaCammy WhiteEdmond HondaEagleRolento SchugergMaki GenryusaiYun LeeKyosuke Kagami
CardFightersClash1 ShinKeiCapCometThe KidFoKanaHarumiZombieYoshikiNishiTakaNoriSakiYukiAkiTakeMikaNonakaKeikoYuriMikamiThe MaskRikuto ArataHaruna HatenaLip AyahaSasuke FuwaKido YoshijiRyugai TorawoAsō ShūkoDogou SōkenShin DaichiKei KikkaForu GottonYashichi FuwaCap ComComet ComNanako NijiiroZet Charles DetroitSys TemNeomantleRobomantleG-Lady
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