| Mature | Story | Move List | Gallery | Quotes | Trivia |
Mature (マチュア) is a character from The King of Fighters series. She first appeared in The King of Fighters '94 as one of Rugal Bernstein's secretaries, then appeared as a member of the Yagami Team in The King of Fighters '96. Her official nickname is "The Speedy Cruel Beauty" (
Development
The designers at the time created both Mature and Vice with the image of a "ruthless woman" and a "cruel woman" respectively. Their origin story was mostly based on the notion of Rugal employing secretaries prior to The King of Fighters '96. Both women were unavailable during location testing and were likely finished near the end of the game's production schedule.[2][3]
Mature's original outfit consists of a long skirt with a slit aside. The director for KOF XII notes that the costume played a role in highlighting her "legs" which is her charm point along with emphasizing the unique movement of her fighting style.[4] However, in KOF XII, the costume was changed to a pants suit close to the secretary theme. The director was aware that people might be disappointed in the costume as it concealed Mature's legs, but he points out that the quality of the 2D dot graphics allows them to add more detail to the wrinkles and fabric's of her clothing whenever she executes an attack.[4]
Personality
In contrast to Vice, Mature is ruthless, but she likes to toy with her victims, often using her charms and sophisticated approach to violence. She seemed to have liked Rugal while they were together, showing her capacity for genuine attachment despite her cruel nature. Though Iori killed both her and Vice and continued to be hostile to them as phantoms, she and Vice seem genuinely concerned for Iori's wellbeing and respect his wishes, despite clearly being an enemy of theirs. Their indifference toward Goenitz implied that they are uninterested in the affairs of the Hakkesshu and in connection, Orochi as well.
Her sophisticated cruelty sets her apart from more straightforward villains, as she prefers to manipulate and toy with her prey before striking. She holds a deeply cynical view of humanity, frequently mocking their ideals of justice, hope, and love, viewing such concepts as hypocritical facades that mask mankind's true nature.
Fighting style
Mature's fighting style is not grounded in any specific martial art. Instead, it emphasizes speed and agility, incorporating her cutting abilities and Orochi powers. She also uses acrobatic moves to enhance her combat effectiveness.
Voice Actors
- Hiroko Tsuji - The King of Fighters '96~XIII
- Keiko Tsutsui - The King of Fighters XIV
- Yū Shimamura - The King of Fighters: World~present
- Yuki Sakura - King of Fighters movie (Japanese voice)
Live Action Actors
- Monique Ganderton - The King of Fighters movie
Music
- Arashi no Saxophone 2 - The King of Fighters '96, ’98 and 2002
- Tranquilizer - The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match
- Arashi no Saxophone 5 - The King of Fighters XIII
- Arashi no Saxophone -KOF XI- - The King of Fighters XIII (when the music is set to "Type B", console version only, shared with Iori Yagami and Vice)
- Saxophone Under the Moon - The King of Fighters XIV
Appearances
Trivia
- Mature, Elisabeth Blanctorche, Kula Diamond, Isla, Vice, Foxy, Ángel and Dolores are the only female members of Team Rivals.
- In Neo-Geo Freak 1998, the characters in KOF '98 have their own interviews. Here are Mature's response to the questions.[5]
- What is your aspiration in this competition? - "Aspiration is a careless thing."
- Who would you like to fight the most? - "Anyone who wants to try is welcome. I'll slice them thin."
- Who would you like to team up with? / Who would you not like to team up with? - "I want to team with … Yes, Rugal Bernstein? Huh, I'm kidding. The person who I don't want to be with … Chizuru Kagura. She's a little … I hate her. (laughs)
- What is "KOF" for you? - "The body that stopped the movement is an object, the blood that comes down on it is a painting tool painting the object. Yes … decorations?"
- Finally, please give a word to your fans. - "You're not thrilled from now on? It's obvious that it's over you in terms of having fun. So a little excessive map … I'm going to be entertaining enough."
- Mature shares her birthday with King and Shingo Yabuki.
- Mature is the only Hakkesshu who has a specific hatred towards a particular clan among the Three Sacred Treasures, their natural enemies as Hakkesshu. Conversely, while she hates Chizuru Kagura, she is rather patronizing and concerned for Iori, though the latest depictions of Mature and Vice towards Iori as of KOF XIII are starting to be more unfriendly.
- Mature and Vice are the only characters of the series who live in the afterlife, but can physically materialize in the world at any time, due to their status of Hakkesshu.
- In the Samurai Shodown series, Basara is the only character with this condition, due to his status of Yūrei.
References
- ↑ Official site for The King of Fighters XIII
- ↑ Official character profile from KOF anniversary website
- ↑ Official character profile from KOF anniversary website
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 KOF XII message entry from The King of Fighters XII message entry, 2009.6.11.
- ↑ Neo Geo Freak 1998-08 archive The King of Fighters '98 character interviews.
