"Avert your eyes for a second, and you're ice! She's a snow bunny with a mean frostbite! KULA DIAMOND." - The King of Fighters XV
Kula Diamond (クーラ・ダイアモンド) is a character from The King of Fighters series. She debut as a hidden character and potential mid-boss in The King of Fighters 2000. She enters as a normal participant in subsequent appearances. She's often seen with her companions, Diana, Foxy and Candy Diamond (an android). Kula is also the second leader of the Rivals Team (NESTS Team) and the second deuteragonist of the series, rivaling with K' (NESTS Chronicles' protagonist and hero).
Her official nickname is "Ice Doll" (アイス ドール).[2][3]
She was designed to be the antagonistic foil to K', in an attempt to better develop characteristics of the NESTS cartel. She was specially made with attempts to depict a 14-year-old girl with "appropriately girlish" gestures with help from the newly hired female staff. Her actual design was left to the veteran supervising designer.[4]
Personality[]
Before being a killer, Kula is a child. While working for NESTS or for Diana and Foxy, she would not fail to kill anyone she finds unworthy. During her time with NESTS, her feelings were repressed, as she was portrayed as a cold girl executing her mission. She has since been defrosted into being more childish as of late.
Kula tries hard to establish herself as a humane person, so people don't look at her as if she is some kind of weapon. She doesn't use her powers to her full extent so that she doesn't kill anyone by accident, because she fears that it would make her go back to her previous ways, so she prefers close combat instead; Kula is usually worried about her foes upon defeating them at times.
Despite being this sweet innocent girl, she tends to have some anger management issues. They are mostly the results of people either talking down to her, underestimating her, or reminding her of her origins and calling her a weapon. She also gets angry whenever she sees flames.
Powers[]
Her power is a manipulated form of Kyo Kusanagi's pyrokinesis, instead being altered into ice powers as a foil to the flames. It is also important to note that especially because of her altered Kusanagi genetics, she is not a descendant of the Kusanagi clan, and thus, has no control of the family heirloom, nor the authority/ability to seal Orochi if necessary.
Cryokinesis - Kula has an impressive control over ice. When using her powers, Kula's hair becomes blue and her eyes turn magenta. When not in use of her powers her hair is strawberry-blonde and eyes are blue. Also, when her powers are active, she is surrounded by an aura of cold air that constantly swirls around her. Her ice powers are strong enough to freeze and shatter a space station (Zero Cannon) made of steel, which means she can lower down the temperature around her as low as minus 200 °F, though the limits of her cryokinesis are still unknown.
Create ice - Kula can create ice out of thin air.
Ice breath - Kula can blow freezing cold air out of her mouth.
Crystals - Kula can create crystals of ice in her hand that could momentarily freeze her opponent, but its main use is to absorb incoming projectiles.
Ice strikes - Kula can create ice spikes around her hands and freeze her hair, making it become dangerous pointed spikes. She can also embed her attacks with freezing cold air instead of ice, which she uses for her anti-air attack.
Slippery floor - Kula can freeze the floor, using it to slide and possibly trip her opponents.
Ice shield - Kula can create a shield of ice. The shield is hard enough to withstand superhuman strength.
Ice projectile - Kula can fire a projectile made of ice with a kick.
Snowflake Projectile - Aside from her ice projectile, Kula can fire snowflake-shaped projectiles that are larger in size than her normal ice projectiles.
Body of ice - Kula can transform her entire body into ice. This is shown during her intro.
Freeze - Kula can completely but temporarily encase her opponent in ice.
Ice Spikes - Kula can create large, dangerous and pointed spikes made of ice.
Freeze air - Kula can transform the air around her into ice, damaging anyone except herself, in range. This power is shown to full extent when she first appeared in KOF 2000, when she was able to freeze the entire stage (either the docks, or the factory, depending on when you fight her).
Snowman - Kula can create a snowman and drop it on her enemy.
Ice control - Kula has control over her ice even when she has already used it on her opponent. She can completely freeze her opponent from quite a distance by encasing him/her in huge crystal of ice then shatters her ice crystal from a distance, dealing huge amount of damage to her opponent. It's best shown in her new Climax Desperation Move in KOF XIV.
Fighting Style[]
As the Anti-K', her fighting style is primarily based on K's (with her sharing his One Inch being a prime example), but adapted to her ice-based powers. She also fights using her ice skates, which are able to cut easily through flesh.
She has high flexibility, which allows her to kick high and with ease, so she can use her skates to their full extent. Kula is very acrobatic and agile, mostly relying on her speed and ice powers rather than brutal strength, though she still can concentrate her strength on a single hit. Some of her moves (such as One Inch Punch) can send characters as big as Chang Koehan flying across the stage. She also employs the help of her friends, Foxy, Candy and Diana, primarily the latter.
Music[]
Ice Place - The King of Fighters 2000
NESTS - Ruler of the Dark - The King of Fighters 2001
Deserted Town - The King of Fighters 2002
KDD-0075 - The King of Fighters XI, The King of Fighters XIII (when the music is set to "Type-B", console version only)
Diamond Dust - The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match, The King of Fighters XV (Character Trailer)
