Leo Whitefang

**Leo Whitefang** is a character introduced in the console version of *Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-*. Leo is one of the three “Allied Kings” of the Allied Kingdom of Illyria. He shares a friendly rival’s relationship with Ky Kiske, the First King.

## Character Design

Leo is a very tall and somewhat rugged-looking man with very long, unkempt blond hair and a beard and blue eyes. The jacket he wears is much more sophisticated than his fellow Kings' outfits as an orange, fur-laced coat bearing several belts and crosses. Each pant leg also has a cross to match the jacket.

His weapons, dual greatswords held from the underside, are capable of harnessing powerful metallic energy that can be launched in waves. These blades have been shown to shrink down to a more portable size to be placed on his waist, or they can even take alternate shapes, such as a lion's face as shown in his Instant Kill.

## Personality

A man of great pride and self-esteem, Leo has a somewhat disorderly way of speaking, which make him seem like an open-hearted man, even though he’s actually rather conservative. He can also be a bit of a sore loser, and has a strong hate of teleportation attacks like Bedman's.

His pride and pomp stems from his childhood days where he was naturally better at most activities and lessons than his classmates; however, this changed when he met Ky Kiske. Both amazed and angered that Ky outclassed him at everything, and with a great amount of humility at that, Leo used Ky as an example by which to improve himself, with the two becoming friends and rivals over the years since. As much as he learned about being humble and working diligently, Leo would never shake his pride as such a naturally talented person.

His battle capabilities and leadership are said to be so outstanding that, one time, while facing the dangers of being annihilated in the battlefront, he managed to lead his unit back to safety. He is a hard worker who will always give what he is doing his all, and despite any negative qualities, he does care for his men's safety, and knows of the concept of kids 'just being kids', as in the case of May.

He created his very own dictionary, and privately enjoys adding people and incidents to the definitions of existing words. (For example, his sister's name is recorded under "devil.")

## Gameplay

A character who is focused primarily on grounded pressure and close-range mix-ups, Leo is much more difficult to play than he appears. This is primarily due to a lack of reliable long-range tools, as well as his unique Brynhildr Stance. This stance sees him turn his back to the enemy, rendering him unable to block or jump but giving him access to improved normal attacks along with a special counter move, Kahn Schild, among other tools. Between this stance and a plethora of other safe moves, including his rekka-style attacks (sometimes referred to as "Ungas"), Leo can pour insane pressure onto the opponent, with the fear of his remarkably high combo damage always looming. His Tension-less reversals along with Kahn Schild add a solid defense to his remarkable pressure game which, if he gets set up, allows Leo to play the game strictly on his terms.

Where Leo suffers is against zoning due to his poor mobility and lack of good tools to fight from a distance. Should Leo be willing to take a gamble with his Tension however, he can try his Brynhildr Stance-exclusive Stahl Wirbel, a fast, zone-breaking Overdrive that launches the opponent with incredible force. Kahn Schild can also reflect projectiles if timed well. Overall, Leo is not a character for beginners by any stretch, but those who put time into the Second King will find a remarkably well-rounded character easily capable of total dominance over his opponent if given the chance.

## References and Allusions

* Leo's name and surname are a reference to Danish/American band White Lion.
* Unsurprisingly, Leo's motif is based on the lion, known as a symbol of strength, pride and courage, as well as a symbol of royalty, things Leo is known for.

## TMNT X Pokemon

Prideful, Leo takes great pride of a fair match. He hates cheaters and those who can't accept defeat.

## Trivia

* Leo's nickname for Ky Kiske is Bambino, which is italian for baby. In fact, he claims his dictionary has a picture of Ky next to Problem Child's entry.
* Leo's English voice actor, Jamieson Price, also voiced Raven in *Guilty Gear 2: Overture*. He also provides the voice for Iron Tager in English in Arc System Works' *BlazBlue* series.
	+ His voice actor combination is also the very same as the portrayal of the historical figure Lu Bu in Koei Tecmo's *Dynasty Warriors* series as of their fifth installment.
* All of Leo's moves and his theme/leitmotif are written in German.