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"Her diverse are backed up by her ability to kick tail! You won't know whether to block, roll or hide! KING."
- The King of Fighters XV

King (キング) is a character in both Art of Fighting and The King of Fighters series. She debuted in the original Art of Fighting as the sole playable female character. In The King of Fighters series, she appears as one of the founders of the Women Fighters Team, along with Mai Shiranui and Yuri Sakazaki, besides being a frequent member of the Art of Fighting Team.

Her official nickname is "The Beautiful Kick's Illusion" (うつくしき蹴撃しゅうげきのイリュージョン).[1]

Development[]

King's appearance in the first game was made to hide her gender, with the game's flyer even using he to refer the character. According to an interview[2] with her designer, King was primarily inspired and modeled after Jamaican singer, Grace Jones. During the concept stage they took additional inspiration from the henchwoman character in the Hong Kong action crime film China White,[3] performed by Dutch Muay Thai action actress Saskia Van Rijswijk.

Personality[]

King is a kind and trustworthy but violent woman. She is unquestionably loyal to her friends, but relentlessly unforgiving towards her enemies. Although King is very passionate, she rarely shows a sensitive side to her friends (and when she does, things just seem to go wrong). She often dresses in masculine and androgynous clothing, mainly a purple tuxedo. Over time, she has also shown a feminine dress sense more and more often. For her KOF XIII team story, she expresses a desire to a wear a dress for her teams' victory party. She has a great affinity for fine wine. She also tends to obsess over money so she can pay Jean's medical bills. King seems to be quite attracted to Ryo Sakazaki (the two have special starting poses in many games to imply this).

King acts quite masculine, and shows a feminine side as well every now and then.

Powers[]

  • Energy Projectile: King can launch a projectile of energy with her kicks.

Skills[]

  • Acrobatics: King is a very acrobatic fighter using moves like "Trap Shot" and "Tornado Kick".
  • Advanced Kicking: King uses a lot of powerful kicks in her moveset.
  • Billiards: King is a very proficient (maybe even professional) billiards player, in everything from pool to snooker, her favorite sport.
  • Drink Mixing: King is an expert in coming up with new drinks all the time as she has been working in bars most of her life as a bartender.

Fighting Style[]

King uses a very distinct form of Muay Thai. Besides techniques associated with an archetypal "Tae"-style (i.e kick-heavy) Thaiboxer, King employs several acrobatic aerial and spinning kicks - more common in traditional Indochinese kickboxing styles like Muay Boran and Bokator, that are unallowed in contemporary thaiboxing. Her fighting style is very similar many hybrid arts such as Japanese kickboxing, Korean Kun Gek Do, or Chinese Sanda. As King is French there may also be some Savate influence in her style.

Music[]

Song Title Game Appearances Track
Art of Fighting series
Micha Iya! (Don't Look!)
  • Art of Fighting
  • The King of Fighters XIV (KOF XIV ver. against Ryo)
  • The King of Fighters XV (DJ Station)
Kabocha to Piero (Pumpkin & Piero)
  • Art of Fighting 2
  • The King of Fighters XV (DJ Station)
The King of Fighters series
Ne? (Isn't it?)
  • The King of Fighters '94
  • The King of Fighters '98 (KOF '98 ver. when teamed with Yuri and Mai)
  • The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match (KOF '98 ver. when teamed with Yuri and Mai)
  • The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition (KOF '98 ver. when teamed with Yuri and Mai)
  • The King of Fighters XV (DJ Station)
Tsuchi o Hau Bass (The Ground-Crawling Bass)
  • The King of Fighters '95
  • The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match (as EX King)
  • The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition (as EX King)
  • The King of Fighters XV (DJ Station and -KOF XV ver.- as Mai's opponent)
Get'n Up
  • The King of Fighters '96
  • The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match (when teamed with Kasumi and Mai)
  • The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition (when teamed with Kasumi and Mai)
  • The King of Fighters XV (DJ Station)
Fairy
  • The King of Fighters '98 (KOF '98 ver.)
  • The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match (KOF '98 ver.)
  • The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition (KOF '98 ver.)
  • The King of Fighters XV (DJ Station)
Sha-La-La
  • The King of Fighters '99
  • The King of Fighters XV (DJ Station)
Beauty and the Beast
  • The King of Fighters 2000
  • The King of Fighters EX: Neo Blood
  • The King of Fighters XV (DJ Station)
The Queen of Fighters
  • The King of Fighters 2001
  • The King of Fighters XV (DJ Station)
Tears
  • The King of Fighters 2002 (console version only)
  • The King of Fighters XV (DJ Station)
I'm Hot for You
  • The King of Fighters 2003
  • The King of Fighters XIII (when the music is set to "Type B", console version only, shared with Yuri Sakazaki and Mai Shiranui)
  • The King of Fighters XV (DJ Station)
After a Long Absence
  • The King of Fighters XI
  • The King of Fighters XV (DJ Station)
Destiny
  • The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match
  • The King of Fighters XV (DJ Station)
Who is Queen?
  • The King of Fighters XIII
  • The King of Fighters All Star
  • The King of Fighters XV (DJ Station)
Splendid Soldier
  • The King of Fighters XIV
  • The King of Fighters XV (DJ Station)
How About a Trip to PAOPAO CAFÉ?
  • The King of Fighters XV
Days of Memories series
A Wonderful Person
  • Days of Memories (Koi wa Good Job!)
Image Songs
The Song of Fighters II
  • The Band of Fighters

Voice Actresses[]

Japanese[]

Harumi Ikoma Yumi Tōma Masako Katsuki
Hivan
List of Roles:
Yumitomanew
Masako katsuki
List of Roles:

English[]

Sharon Becker
Sharonbecker
List of Roles:

Appearances[]

Games

Mobile

Cameos

Comics

Anime

Trivia[]

  • When King is knocked out with a special move in the first Art of Fighting, the top of her costume is ripped. This continues to happen in Art of Fighting 2, The King of Fighters '94 and The King of Fighters '95, but doesn't happen again until KOF XIII. If this is done during AOF's story mode, King will say different quotes after her defeat. The same occurrence happens again in KOF XIV, only this time, the top layer of the top of her costume is ripped, leaving the under layer of said costume unbuttoned.
    • The same thing occurs with Yuri Sakazaki in the referred games (except in AOF 1, when she is a damsel-in-distress character).
    • Ryo Sakazaki also has an occurrence when he is knocked shirtless. (This only applies to Art of Fighting 2 and Art of Fighting 3)
  • In KOF XIII, during their pre-fight and win quotes with King, the traditional Muay Thai fighters Joe Higashi and Hwa Jai ridicule her fighting style, not acknowledging her as real Muay Thai practitioner. This continues to happen in future games of the series, albeit only with Joe.
  • In the Neo Geo Freak's 1997 Volume 8 character poll, she was voted as the sixteenth favorite character with a total of 616 votes.

Gallery[]

References[]

Art of Fighting characters
Art of Fighting Logo Sprite Ryo SakazakiRobert GarciaRyuhaku TodohJack TurnerLee Pai LongKingMickey RogersJohn CrawleyMr. BigMr. Karate
Art of Fighting 2 Logo Sprite Yuri SakazakiTakuma SakazakiEiji KisaragiTemjinGeese Howard
Art of Fighting 3 Logo Sprite Kasumi TodohKarman ColeRody BirtsLenny CrestonJin Fu-HaWang Koh-SanSinclairWyler
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 Rugal
KOF '96 Logo Sprite Leona HeidernMatureViceKasumi TodohGeese HowardWolfgang KrauserMr. BigChizuru KaguraGoenitz
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 JaiSaikiEvil AshMr. 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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