Leona Heidern

Leona Heidern (simply known as Leona) is a supporting character in the The King of Fighters franchise. She was introduced in The King of Fighters '96 as the new member to the Ikari Warriors Team. Before production for her debut game began, developers wanted to create a suitable replacement for Heidern as a part of the game's overhaul. Leona was conceived to be an Orochi descendant by the time of her debut and her designers took special care to let their interests at the time reflect in her actions. Her official nickname is The Silent Soldier.
She is formerly voiced by Masae Yumi in The King of Fighters '96 until The King of Fighters XIII, then currently by Seiko Yoshida in The King of Fighters XIV onwards in Japanese. In the English dub of the Maximum Impact series, she is voiced by Lisa Leonard.
==History==
Leona was born in an unnamed village, and spent her childhood there with her family. When Leona was still a child, Goenitz came to her village and demanded to talk to Guidel, Leona's father and the leader of the village. Goenitz requested that Guidel join him in their duties to serve Orochi, as everyone in the village were Orochi bloodline members. However, Guidel refused as he and his family liked peace and not the violent tendencies created by the Orochi blood. Enraged, Goenitz leaves, but not before smiling at Leona. That night, Leona lost control of herself, entering the Riot of Blood, and slaughtered everyone in the village. Goenitz was pleased, and put her blood lust to rest for a time "when he needs her again". After the event, Leona loses her memories and wanders aimlessly until she is found by Heidern, who eventually decides to adopt her. Heidern was taken back by her natural fighting ability, and decides to train her as a warrior under his command.
In KOF '96, Leona was a well-trained mercenary and Heidern gave her the first official mission: to take Heidern's place in the Ikari Warriors Team for the King of Fighters tournament. Her partners were Heidern's top mercenaries: Ralf Jones and Clark Still. Their mission was to investigate Geese Howard, Southtown's well known kingpin of crime. In the finals of KOF '96, Goenitz confronts Leona and reminds her of her Orochi lineage, which leaves her upset and concerned for her future.
Leona remained troubled for a while and it even effected her performance on the battlefield, which lead to her and her partners being relieved from military service. Ralf wanted help Leona's outlook and enters them into the the KOF '97 tournament. Ralf's idea worked better than he had imagined, because Leona eventually remembers her past completely during the events of King of Fighters '97. Towards the end of the tournament, Leona, along with Iori, suddenly went into the Riot of the Blood (which was induced by Orochi). By the tournament's end, Leona is successfully subdued and Orochi is sealed away again. Afterwards, Leona was distraught and attempts to end her life. Thankfully, Ralf stops her and reminds her that she is no longer alone. Finally feeling a part of something, Leona stays as a member of Ikari team for many years throughout the NESTS saga of KOF.
In KOF 2003, Orochi's presence is getting stronger towards the end of the tournament and the seal is broken again. Leona once again enters the Riot of the Blood and attacks Ralf and Clark, seriously injuring them. Heidern decides to have Leona sit out King of Fighters XI due to the emotional trauma she suffered after the incident. Ralf and Clark still trust Leona and convince Heidern that the KOF XIII tournament will help her, and Heidern agrees. Leona is determined to live with whatever flaws the Orochi blood invokes and enters the KOF XIII tournament. At the end of the tournament, Leona loses consciousness and ends up sleeping for several days. Her team was worried for her and stay beside her until she awakens. Leona eventually wakes up and comforted by their concerns, she laughs for the first time in the series.
==Personality==
Leona is a reserved individual who has difficulty expressing herself outside of combat or a mission. Due to her troubled past, she often keeps her emotions in check as she is afraid of losing control and hurting her friends because of her Orochi blood.
Aside from Ralf, Whip, Clark and Commander Heidern, Leona does not talk to anyone. She often feels lonely, but is comforted with the new family she has found with the Ikari mercenaries.
Ever since the attempted suicide, Leona resolves to take control of her own Orochi blood, using it only when the situation calls for it, something that she tells her opponents in her own pre-fight dialogues.
==Trivia==
*Leona originally appeared in The King of Fighters series. In every team-based game she has participated in so far she partners with Ralf and Clark.
*In KOF 98, Leona mysteriously salutes Chang Koehan and belittles Ralf. This was originally thought to be a bug in the game mechanics, but developers add that it was her showing respect for "real power". The exact meaning of this statement remains unclear though it became a popular subject in fan doujinshi for a time. They salute one another in KOF XIV.
*In KOF: Maximum Impact 2, Fio compares Leona to Eri.
*Unlike other characters, Leona's hair does not retain its colour if she's burned - rather, her whole body is charred.
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