Kyo Kusanagi

**Kyo Kusanagi** (草薙 京, *Kusanagi Kyō*) is the main protagonist in SNK's *The King of Fighters* video game series. He was first introduced in *The King of Fighters '94* as the leader of the Japan team. He is the rival of Iori Yagami.

He was first introduced as a cocky delinquent high school student who is the heir of the Kusanagi clan, one of the three clans that sealed the legendary snake entity, Orochi, 1,800 years ago. His clan wields pyrokinetic powers, an inherited power that few members obtain. They, along with the Yasakani and Yata clans, keep one of the three sacred treasures used to contain Orochi long ago. His family's treasure is the **Kusanagi Sword** (草薙の剣, *Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi*), and his family crest is the sun, represented in a stylized halo of fire. His official nickname is **Scion of the Flame**.

Aside from the main series, Kyo also has a spin-off manga story based on his adventure in *The King of Fighters '96*, entitled *The King of Fighters: Kyo*. A video game under the same name was also created to further expand his character. In addition, a number of image songs and audio dramas featuring Kyo's character have been released, including the contents of his own character image album consisting of all of his theme songs. He is a member of SNK's character image band, The Band of Fightersand also co-star alongside Iori in one of SNK's promotional series, Part Time Stories: Kyo & Iori.

## Personality

Kyo is the over-confident but well meaning protagonist of the series, more interested in enjoying life than having to partake in any particular responsibilities. He is quick to dismiss subjects that don't interest him and will often carry out his actions with a devil-may-care attitude. Despite his seemingly arrogant and rude demeanor, he treasures his friends and family, enjoying their presence and particularly doting on his girlfriend, Yuki. His extreme disinterest in studies has led to his chronic inability to graduate from high school (which has become subject to in-jokes). Although he is confident in his poetic talent, most of his poems aren't considered to be good by his listeners.

Kyo takes his clan's responsibilities on a more personal level, disregarding ancient legends and predestined events as any reason for his actions. His strong sense of justice and his zeal to fight stronger opponents are what he believes to drive him to carry out his destiny. His rivalry with Iori is one of mutual hatred and was hardly spurred by their clans' history. When Kyo and Iori join forces, it is often begrudgingly and as a last resort solution to the conflict at hand.

## Powers

* **Pyrokinesis** - Due to his Kusanagi heritage, Kyo can control fire. He can create fire from thin air, create fire balls, deliver punches of fire, create pillars of fire and put his own body on fire. He is neither immune to other types of fire nor able to control other fires that he didn't create. However, the fire he wields is nothing more than just ordinary fire: it does not have the 'trapping' ability of Iori's mystical and holy flame.

## Skills

* **Motorcycle Driving** - Kyo likes to drive his motorcycle around the streets of Japan. Some official pictures depict Kyo driving a scooter.
* **Poetry** - Kyo likes to write poetry as a hobby.
* **Ice Hockey** - Although representing the element of fire, Kyo likes ice hockey.
* **Musical Instrument** - Kyo is also an accomplished guitarist, as seen in The Band of Fighters

## Fighting Style

Kyo fights using the Kusanagi style of ancient martial arts, a Japanese style of empty handed combat taught only to the Kusanagi clan members. Like most of the clan members in modern times, these are labeled as Method/Style with numbers; numbers that actually use alternate kanji different from their originals. These examples are 108 Shiki: Yami Barai (Method 108: Darkness Sweeper), etc. with "Reverse Methods" being stronger versions of other attacks such as Kyo's signature DM, Ura 108 Shiki: Orochinagi (Reverse Method 108: Great Serpent Mower) being an example. In some sources, this even applies to his "unnamed" normal attacks.

Kyo also knows Kenpo, and uses it in most of his normal attacks. Kyo's moveset emphasizes Kenpo from *KOF '96* onwards, discarding his 108 Shiki: Yami Barai and 101 Shiki: Oboroguruma (Method 101: Hazy Wheel), making way for a series of completely new techniques which are a series of chain punches (the 114 Shiki: Aragami/Method 114: Wild Bite and 115 Shiki: Dokugami/Method 115: Poison Bite) with several different followups, and thus adds a varying amount of kicks and elbow dropping attacks which are also types of notable moves in Kenpo. The names of Kyo's new moves are anything but vague and simple names (such as 402 Shiki: Batsu Yomi/Method 402: Punish Recital and 125 Shiki: Nanase/Method 125: Seven Rapids), possibly due to Kyo's taste for poetry.

Thus, Kyo is a strong combo character that takes a while to master as his moveset from *KOF '96* and following games explodes to ridiculous levels. Mastering it though allowed players to more easily adapt to use other characters that had more diverse movesets. Kyo made way for archetypes with moves that not only had multiple inputs, but each followup had its own unique features. This would also pave way for powerful mixups and combos if pressure was well-setup. Story-wise, this was possibly due to his initial defeat by Goenitz, Kyo reformed his style into a more-offensive focus.

In the original games (especially in *KOF '95*), Kyo followed the "Ryu and Ken" archetype with Iori, as Kyo's moves differ slightly from game to game in the same manner as Iori, mainly their Desperation Moves. Changes in *KOF '96* and onwards made them vastly different from each other. Alternate versions of Kyo would retain his old movesets from older games for nostalgia's sake, though each alternate version would be notably different from game to game. The 100 Shiki: Oniyaki (Method 100: Ogre Baker) is the one technique both Kyo and Iori still share to this day.

In *KOF 99* onwards, Kyo even applies personal touches derived from his father's techniques of the Kusanagi style, via his Hikigane (Plowing Iron) mimicking Saisyu's Kamukakari (Divine Consult) and even adapting his father's Nata Guruma (Hatchet Wheel) attack in *KOF: Maximum Impact 2*.

In *KOF 2003*, Kyo, Iori, and Chizuru's LDM's are all named the San Shingi (Three Divine Arts), taking after their clans, destinies, and treasures. Kyo's San Shingi no Ichi (Three Divine Arts No. 1) however, is his SDM version Saishuu Kessen Ougi: Mu Shiki (Final Play-Off Secret Skill: No Method), as opposed to Iori and Chizuru's versions being original attacks.

In *The King of Fighters XII* and *XIII*, his default self switches back to his old *KOF '94*/'*95* moveset. His Neo Max in *XIII*, the Ama-No-Murakumo (Gathering Clouds of Heaven) is a reference to the original name of his heirloom. His NESTS-Style version uses his traditional "Kenpo chain punch" moveset, and is given a Neo Max named Saishuu Kessen Hiougi: Totsuka (Final Play-Off Hidden Secret Skill: Ten Fists), a nod to the famous Totsuka-no-Tsurugi (Sword of Ten Fists). Another possible nod is his 182 Shiki/Method 182, a powerful flaming punch attack, which may be the finishing blow dealt by Kyo to Orochi in the Orochi Saga's end (though in some other games, the 182 has a different animation, while its SDM version in *XIV* is a combination of its two different animations).

Also, two other new moves in *XIV* that compliment his poetic taste are an overhead finishing move to his new low-attacking Munotsuchi (Six Mallets) followup from Aragami, and his Climax DM; they are respectively known as Tsurube Otoshi (Well Bucket Fall; a term for sinking quickly) and Yaegaki (Double Fences; a term for fences over fences).

A notable trait that makes Kyo stand out in the *Maximum Impact* games is that while the input windows are fairly tight, some of his Stylish Arts are styled akin to a majority of crouching light kick-to-light punch normal attacks in the original 2D games.

## Music

* **ESAKA** - The King of Fighters '94 and a remixed version in KOF '98 and '98 UM
* **FUNKY ESAKA** - The King of Fighters '95, '98, '98: UM (as EX Kyo, with Benimaru and Daimon)
* **ESAKA?** - The King of Fighters '96, '98, R-2
* **ESAKA FOREVER** - The King of Fighters '97, '98 (against Iori), '98 UM (against Iori), R-1, SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium
* **Cool JAM ~Arashi no Saxophone 3~** - The King of Fighters '98 (as Iori's opponent), The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match (as Iori's opponent)
* **Tears** - The King of Fighters 99, 2002
* **Good Bye ESAKA** - The King of Fighters 2000, EX2, XIII (as EX Kyo in console version)
* **Inner Shade** - The King of Fighters EX
* **Flame of Invincibility** - The King of Fighters 2001, Maximum Impact 2 (against Seth in the Neo Geo Land stage)
* **Blaze** - The King of Fighters 2003
* **New Order** - The King of Fighters XI
* **ESAKA ~Acid Remix~** The King of Fighters XI (as EX Kyo in Playstation 2), XIII (when the music is set to "Type B", console version only, shared with Benimaru Nikaido and Goro Daimon)
* **ESAKA? '08** - The King of Fighters XII
* **Esaka Continues...** - The King of Fighters XIII
* **Yappari ESAKA** - The King of Fighters XIV
* **New Order -KOF XIV ver.-** - The King of Fighters XIV (as Iori's opponent)
* **ESAKA!!** - The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match
* **E-Groove (DJ Turbo's Paradise Mix)** - K.O.F. Dance Trax
* **R.E.D. Run** - Days of Memories

### Image Songs

* **Burning Devotion!** - 1997 image song
* **The Sun & The Moon** - Duet image song with Iori
* **Pieces** - 1998 image song
* **The Song of Fighters II** - Shared image song with other King of Fighters characters

## TMNT X Pokemon

Kyo usually goes on solo missions but doesn't hesitant to be team up with the others.