Ryuji Yamazaki

Ryuji Yamazaki, also known as Wicked Heretic, is a character from the King of Fighters series.
== Charactah Account ==
Yamazaki has been in the crime business for as long as he can remember; he actually started as an orphan from Okinawa, who at an early age joined a local Yakuza cell and ultimately became the right hand of his idol, the high-ranked Yakuza boss Sorimachi, who considered him as a sort-of surrogate son and possible successor. One day, when he and Sorimachi were on their way to make a deal in Osaka, they were set up and ambushed, and Sorimachi was bloodily killed in front of him. This drove him completely insane, and he killed everyone who was there without a scratch.
Ryuji became something of a criminal mercenary, broker and arms dealer, offering his services to the highest bidder no matter how dirty the job was: his biggest activities were took place in Hong Kong, where he clashed with the policeman Hon Fu. He was approached by the Jin brothers, who hired him to obtain the Jin Scrolls, but was defeated by Terry. He also kidnapped Franco Bash's son for some reason, but Franco rescued him eventually. In '97 he decides to bust up dojos for pleasure, and Billy Kane approaches him with a substantial offer of money courtesy of Geese. At first he doesn't feel like it, but after being infuriated by a surviving student and killing him, Yamazaki agrees.
It is revealed that he is a part of the Orochi bloodline, but he doesn't care about that. After the tournament he confronts Geese regarding his money and is paid. In 2003 he teams up with Billy yet again on the behest of Geese, along with Gato, but after a scuffle with Billy he has not been heard from since.
== Appearance ==
=== Video Games ===
* Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001
* Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000
* Crash Fever
* Days of Memories
* Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory
* Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition
* Garou Densetsu Sougeki
* Garou Densetsu Southtown Adventure
* Garou Densetsu Special
* Garou Densetsu Premium
* Garou Densetsu The Legend of Wild Wolf
* Kimi wa Hero
* KOF: Maximum Impact
* KOF: Maximum Impact 2
* Real Bout Fatal Fury
* Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers
* Real Bout Fatal Fury Special
* Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special Dominated Mind
* SNK Gals Island Astro Quest Hoshi wa Nigashimasen!
* SNK Fighting Age
* Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
* The King of Fighters (Pachinko)
* The King of Fighters '94 Re-Bout
* The King of Fighters '95
* The King of Fighters '97
* The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Online
* The King of Fighters '98: Dream Match Never Ends
* The King of Fighters '99 Evolution
* The King of Fighters 2
* The King of Fighters 2000
* The King of Fighters 2002
* The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match
* The King of Fighters 2002: Challenge to Ultimate Battle
* The King of Fighters 2003
* The King of Fighters All Star
* The King of Fighters EX: Neo Blood
* The King of Fighters for Girls
* The King of Fighters M: Fighting Stars Assembly
* The King of Fighters XIII
* The King of Fighters XIV
* The King of Fighters XV
* The King of Fighters: Destiny
* The King of Fighters: Kyo
* The King of Fighters: Orochi Go
* The King of Fighters: World
== Trivia ==
* Yamazaki is known for his motif towards snakes, and is often compared to one by many characters, including himself.
* Before it was likely established that Yamazaki is a southpaw/left-handed, Yamazaki's 3D model in Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition had him be right-handed instead.
* Yamazaki is the only Hakkesshu who hails from another SNK game series (in that case, the Fatal Fury series).
** Yamazaki and Gaidel (and by extension, Leona) are the only Hakkesshu who doesn't care about their master's resurrection.
* Yamazaki is the only character in The King of Fighters XIV with various versions of the same Climax Super, even depending on the stage being played.
* Many of his techniques are rarely written in kanji, as a majority of them are written with a mixture of both kanji and katakana, leaving some of their meanings to be a bit ambiguous at best; however, a number of them are named after a variety of Japanese onomatopoeias. His Bakudan Pachiki (Bomb Headbutt) technique also possesses the Korean term for "headbutt" in its katakana.
* In Neo-Geo Freak 1998, the characters in KOF '98 have their own interviews. Here are Yamazaki's response to the questions.
** What is your aspiration in this competition? - "... kill ... kill everything Oh! Hyacha HotHatHatHatHatHat ... !!"
** Who would you like to fight the most? - "I will kill all this !! (Yamazaki's serpent slash. Ruptures the skull of the cameraman)"
** Who would you like to team up with? / Who would you not like to team up with? - "There is no such thing! This trash is ah!! (Yamazaki's sand kick caused corneal inflammation in the soundman's eyes)"
** What is "KOF" for you? - "... lick. Shoes, lick it ... I'll teach you to lick ... Hey! Be sure to lick it or else !! (Reporter licking the shoes of Yamazaki) Hyacha HotHatHatHatHatHat ... I'll teach you as promised, my mop! (Reporter with head caught)"
** Finally, please give a word to your fans. - "Go away-!! Ukyukyukyakyakyukyakyakyakyaky ... !! (Yamazaki's bombshells, reporter's face, big hit) Uhy ... Ukyakyukyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyat !!
* In the Capcom vs SNK series, Terry and Yamazaki's special intro is a direct reference to Bunnoshin Inagi vs Kaoru Hanayama from Baki the Grappler.
* Yamazaki's hairdo is somewhat identical to Goenitz's, an undercut with blonde top hair, although it is unknown if the resemblance is meant to be intentional. In artwork present in KOF 98 UM's gallery, they are seen fighting over a single toupee as a joke.
* Yamazaki's Theme, C62 ~Shirokuni~, is a Japanese pun:
** C62 = Train
** C roku-ju ni = C sixty two
** Shi roku ni = C six two
** Shirokuni = The White Country
* In Gamest's 1997 Heroes Collection, Yamazaki was voted as the staff's fifteenth favorite character. He shared the spot with Samurai Shodown character, Galford, and Street Fighter character, Ken. In the Neo Geo Freak's 1997 Volume 8 character poll, he was voted as the seventh favourite character with a total of 1,206 votes. And in Neo Geo Freak's August 1998 issue, he was ranked as the 6th best character.
== Gallery ==
File:Ryuji Yamazaki Render 01.png
File:Ryuji Yamazaki Render 02.png
File:Ryuji Yamazaki Render 03.png
File:Ryuji Yamazaki Render 04.png
File:Ryuji Yamazaki Render 05.png
File:Ryuji Yamazaki Render 06.png
File:Ryuji Yamazaki Render 07.png
File:Ryuji Yamazaki 01.png
File:Ryuji Yamazaki 02.png
== External Links ==
* Ryuji Yamazaki at SNK Wiki
Category:Characters
Category:Males
Category:King of Fighters