Orochi (オロチ, Orochi) is the main antagonist of The King of Fighters series, first appearing as the final boss of The King of Fighters '97.
It and its followers serve as another interpretation of Yamata no Orochi, the mythical eight-headed serpent. Orochi is an extremely powerful chthonic supernatural being of peerless ambition that regards itself as executing the will of Gaia. Believing humanity to be too untrustworthy to coexist with the planet peacefully, Orochi wages war against them until being sealed away by the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan and kept at bay by their descendants for the next 1,800 years.
Patiently waiting for its return, the battles between Kyo Kusanagi and its followers culminate in the serpent god incarnating within Chris during the climax of the 1997 tournament. As an all-powerful god, Orochi has gathered many followers around it and is responsible for many major events in the series. Its legacy and influence persist throughout the next several arcs of KOF, with characters either being related to it or wanting its power for their own ends.
Appearance
Orochi, as depicted in KOF '97, is the deity merely morphing its herald Chris' form to represent the strong-willed fighters of the tournament; when using Chris as a host, Orochi takes the form of a tall (almost 197 cm (6 ft 6 in)),[10] muscular adult wearing white slacks and brown leather shoes, with a black pattern floating on its bare upper body. Notably, it sports white hair and piercing red eyes, depicted in official illustrations and in-game cutscenes as vertical slit-shaped. Developers have stated that this appearance is "Chris' grown-up form with elements of Orochi added."[11][12] Later depictions portray this form as being much more muscle-bound.
It has no actual gender, speaking in a voice that sounds neither male nor female, though has been almost consistently voiced by females.[a] In a picture submitted to the KOF series 10th-anniversary website taken from The King of Fighters: Kyo, a confrontation with the Three Sacred Treasures, presumably from the decisive battle 1,800 years ago, is depicted in which a woman with long white hair tied up, wearing a kimono with a blue pattern on a white background, and wearing blue lipstick appears to be its host.[13] As of recently, due to using Chris as a host, Orochi is often identified as a male, and this design lingers even in The King of Fighters XIV and SNK HEROINES Tag Team Frenzy.
Other sources, such as Iori Yagami's ending in SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos, show Orochi's "true" form as being that of a giant eight-headed serpent, much like it is in real-world mythology.
Personality
Orochi is an immensely powerful being who intends to serve "Gaia" at all costs. It will protect her from anything, even from what she created herself. The elimination of humanity is not its purpose but merely a part of the process to regain the lost sense of balance.[11] Thus, its existence can't be defined by human definitions of good and evil; when it is released in '97, unlike its heralds — the Eight Excellent Masses — it does not show any feelings of anger or hatred toward humankind but instead maintains an indifferent attitude. However, in the drama CD ~Fate Volume~, Orochi utters words of intense hatred and contempt for humanity and expresses particular anger towards Kyo, calling him the "Kusanagi sword" and asking, "Are you trying to stop me once again?"
Regardless, it does not refrain from citing their sins and harmful, self-destructive acts as reasons for their elimination. However, it grudgingly acknowledges their potential to be able to change for the better, barely holding on to some hope that humanity may one day understand the pain of nature and tells them that they still have a chance. Overall, Orochi is not a truly sinister being by itself and only desires a balance between man and nature. This is in stark contrast to its malicious, spiteful, arrogant clone, Mizuchi, in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum. In KOF SKY STAGE, Orochi is fascinated by the likes of Kula Diamond, which it describes as a creation of humankind with a pure heart and intention superior to that of humans themselves.
The serpent god tends to keep its speech to a minimum when not necessary but demonstrates full awareness of the power it possesses over humans, going as far as mocking the Three Sacred Treasures and boldly proclaiming, "There is nothing greater than me." Upon taking control of Chris, Orochi donned a wide, disconcerting open smile and maintained a sinister, devilish grin while fighting the Three Sacred Treasures. It remains silent during battle, except when it uses its Super Special Moves or wins a match.
Orochi's story-line, linking itself to Gaia and being called "God's messenger" or "Gaia's will," appears to have been inspired by a mix of Neopaganism and Shinto, such as Orochi having a direct preference for nature, represented by its allegiance to Gaia; it is also a twist of Christianity and Satanism from The Book of Revelations, appearing to be a god-like figure and a demonic serpent in its true form who usurps the redemption and damnation methods of Christ as well as the nihilist and occultist methods of Satan.
History
Background
The Battle of 1800 Years Ago
Since ancient times, long before the emergence of humans, the god-like entity Orochi watched over all living things on the Earth, including nature, and had sometimes continued to provide them with blessings and hardships. With the advent of humans, its purpose was to restore a sense of balance when the will of the Earth was set to lose balance due to the influx of negative emotions such as anger and hatred generated by humans.[11] Gathering worthy servants to its cause, Orochi's clan continued to protect the Earth for centuries. The clan's eight strongest followers were dubbed the "Eight Excellent Masses," the four wielding exceptional powers were known as the "Four Heavenly Kings." However, as humans continued to evolve and civilizations grew, they gradually became a detriment to nature, and the natural balance in the world began to collapse. Orochi finally decided that humans were not a part of nature and turned against them, becoming the hostile "enemy to humans." Possessing the weak parts of people's hearts and inflating all kinds of negative emotions such as hatred, jealousy, and resentment, it plunged the world into chaos. In addition, it had its own Eight Excellent Masses directly punished and used its overwhelming power to capture the eight shrine maidens necessary to draw out its dark power efficiently, one after another.
It succeeded in capturing seven of them, the exception being Kushinada, and while it was initially challenging to capture her due to the large-scale human resistance, Orochi was able to use the seven it had captured to revive itself, albeit incompletely. It eventually succeeded in capturing Kushinada, but just when humankind's execution was supposed to commence, a surprise attack by the Kusanagi and Yasakani clans, who possessed crimson flames, and the Yata clan, skilled in witchcraft, destroyed the unity of the shrine maidens at the moment when their power for a complete resurrection reached critical mass. This allowed Kushinada to be recaptured and foil the ritual.
Thus, Orochi was unable to escape an incomplete resurrection and was sealed away together with its Eight Excellent Masses by the three clans,[14] utilizing the Kusanagi Sword, the Yasakani Jewel, and the Yata Mirror. The three clans would go on to also become known as the Three Sacred Treasures, and their family heirlooms — responsible for bestowing the clans' powers — would be handed down to future generations to continue holding Orochi at bay.
The 660 Years Old Error
The Yata clan would strictly monitor Orochi and its seal over the next thousand years or so. Despite the Kusanagi, Yasakani, and Yata clans' unity, the Yasakani developed an admiration and longing for Orochi's power, mainly due to a feeling of inferiority to the more popular Kusanagi clan. As a result, 660 years ago, they attempted to obtain Orochi's power in exchange for the release of Orochi's "soul." However, only the souls of the Eight Excellent Masses were released as a result of the Yata clan having moved Orochi's seal to another location in preparation for an unexpected situation.
To sow discord between the Three Sacred Treasures, one of the freed Eight Excellent Masses abducted and sacrificed the Yasakani clan leader's wife to Orochi. They then approached the Yasakani clan leader, imprisoned for attempting to release Orochi's soul. They told him that the Kusanagis had murdered the Yasakani wife to atone for his family, a false fact to destroy the relationship between the two clans. Deceived by this story, the Yasakani leader became hateful to the Kusanagi and, to exact their revenge, made a "blood pact" with Orochi that bestowed upon them its incredible power. With this, the Yasakani clan gained the "Forbidden Style 1211: Eight Children" technique and was instigated into confronting Kusanagis.
The war continued for a while but was never settled, and during that time, the spirits of the Orochi clan and the freed Eight Excellent Masses disappeared somewhere. Eventually, the conflict entered a lull, but the strife became so decisive that the relationship between Kusanagi and Yasakani was severed. The Yasakani would later change their name to "Yagami," meaning "eight gods."
Though not present, having succeeded in setting the Yasakani/Yagami clan in conflict with the Kusanagi and Yata clans, Orochi patiently waited for its return.
Orochi Saga
The hostility between the Kusanagi and the Yagami clan and the liberation of the Eight Excellent Masses 660 years prior would eventually culminate in the 1997 King of Fighters tournament, and contribute to Orochi's return. When Goenitz killed Maki Kagura, one of the Kagura (Yata) sisters, before the 1996 tournament, Orochi was released from its seal for the first time in 1800 years and began plans to resurrect itself.
The King of Fighters '97
The following year’s tournament is infiltrated by the three remaining members of the Eight Excellent Masses: Yashiro, Shermie, and Chris; together with the now-deceased Goenitz, the three make up the Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi. Initially entering the tournament as "Team New Faces" due to unrelated conflict with Iori, the three awaken during the tournament and target Kyo Kusanagi's girlfriend, Yuki — the reincarnation of Kushinada. Though their plot is eventually foiled by Kyo, Iori, and Chizuru Kagura, the defeated Yashiro and Shermie lend their own energy to Chris via suicide, allowing Orochi to incarnate within the young herald.
This leads to a final showdown between the three current Sacred Treasures and Orochi. Despite its weakened state, the serpent god proves more than powerful enough to hold the advantage. After their fight nearly destroys the arena, Orochi cockily rises from the rubble and triggers Iori's Riot of the Blood state once again, turning him into a raging berserker and commanding him to kill Kyo and Chizuru. However, the wild Iori attacks Orochi instead, holding the serpent god by the neck while setting him ablaze with crimson flames. After receiving a plea from Iori's regretful ancestors, Kyo powers up and destroys the host body together with his arch-rival in one final explosion that nearly kills them, allowing the team to seal it away once more.
Unfortunately, Orochi's defeat gives rise to the NESTS syndicate.
Tales of Ash
The King of Fighters 2003
In 2003, two years after the fall of NESTS,[b] the seal is sabotaged once again when two mysterious members, Mukai and Botan, from a group calling themselves "Those From The Distant Land," brainwash Chizuru into holding the tournament. When K' and his team defeats her and a mirror clone of Maki, Ash Crimson steps in to attack the wounded Chizuru and steal her Yata Mirror, gaining her abilities and leaving her powerless. This weakens the seal, and Orochi's influence begins seeping through.
The King of Fighters XI
During the following tournament, Orochi begins showing signs of revival through the efforts of Magaki and Shion, members of the same group. This increasing influence, which had affected Leona in 2003, triggers Iori's Riot of the Blood state.
The King of Fighters XIII
In the 13th tournament, Mature and Vice of the Eight Excellent Masses successfully seep through the seal and team up with Iori in order to stop Ash and Those From The Distant Land from using Orochi's power. It is eventually revealed that Those From The Distant's true purpose in lifting the Orochi seal and reviving him is to allow their leader, Saiki, to open the door to time and space, return to the past, and freely reshape the future using its power.
Once Ash and his ancestor Saiki are erased from existence, Iori and Chizuru's sacred treasures are rightfully returned to them, and Orochi's seal is repaired.
Pre-New Age Saga
Unbeknownst to most, Ash's actions against Saiki created a paradox that resulted in the being known as Verse, who absorbed Orochi's soul.
New Age Saga
The King of Fighters XIV
After Verse's destruction at the end of the 14th tournament, Orochi's soul is released onto the Earth after having resided within Verse. It winds up in Hungary but cannot maintain itself without a catalyst as Chris is resurrected in a new body elsewhere. On the verge of being revived in an incomplete state, the Three Sacred Treasures rush to Europe and seal him away before it can cause any harm.[c]
SNK HEROINES Tag Team Frenzy
Orochi appears in Athena’s dream as one of her fans watching her perform at a concert before she wakes up.
The King of Fighters XV
Chizuru senses a completely different anomaly involving Orochi. Moreover, the revived Four Heavenly Kings set out to break the seal holding Orochi at bay again. However, the Orochi seal remains intact despite the interference of Re Verse and the almighty Otoma=Raga, beings related to Verse.
In Team Awakened Orochi's non-canon ending, the Four Heavenly Kings use one of Otoma=Raga’s fragments to revive Orochi at full power. The serpent god proceeds to lay waste to humanity and their civilizations.
Abilities
Its true identity is a powerful mass of "dark power," and this power itself is sometimes called "Orochi." The developers have stated it is "the spiritual power of all things that exist on Earth, and its source is everything that exists on Earth."[11] Rugal Bernstein and the Yagami family, who desired great power so much that they ended up obtaining it, as well as Leona Heidern, who inherited the power that was meant to be her father Gaidel's — one of the Eight Excellent Masses, are all plagued by the outburst of its mighty power. Currently, there are four known dark powers: wind, earth, lightning, and fire. These natural powers can be bestowed upon the Orochi clan, a group of individuals who have inherited the will of Orochi. The Orochi Clan, including Iori and Leona, the Eight Excellent Masses, and Rugal Bernstein, control these powers.
Orochi's power is said to be immense and capable of total human destruction, as seen in Team Awakened Orochi’s non-canon ending in The King of Fighters XV; however, as a disembodied, soul-like collection of thoughts without a physical form, it always requires a host to be active in the "base world." Despite its potential for worldwide catastrophe, dialogue in Team New Faces/Team Orochi's story cutscenes in '97 states that Orochi was unable to use its full power due to its incomplete revival, as a result of the Three Sacred Treasures rescuing Yuki. Nevertheless, it was still strong enough to put the three at a disadvantage.
In Team Awakened Orochi's aforementioned ending in XV, the Four Heavenly Kings state that just one of Otoma=Raga's fragments — said to be "imbued with vast spiritual energy" — is enough to bring Orochi back at full power without the need for Yuki or fighting energy. Orochi Chris states that Otoma=Raga has enough power to "warp Orochi's seal from the outside," allowing them to be revived in the process and that its existence potentially trumps Orochi’s power. He also suggests that it is merely Otoma=Raga's "offspring." Orochi Yashiro tells Goenitz that Orochi’s power, while not fully returned, is more than enough to approach "that monster."
In the non-canon crossover Capcom vs. SNK 2: Millionaire Fighting 2001, it was depicted as a power that is the opposite of the Surge of Killing Intent (殺意の波動, Satsui no Hadō). However, it is so great that when Rugal combined his Orochi power with Gouki's Surge of Killing Intent, he transformed into the almighty "God Rugal."
Relationships
Enemies
- Three Sacred Treasures: When released by Team Orochi in 1997, it does not show any feelings of anger or hatred toward humankind but instead maintains an indifferent attitude. However, in the drama CD ~Fate Volume~, Orochi utters words of intense hatred and contempt for humanity and expresses particular anger towards Kyo, calling him the "Kusanagi sword" and asking, "Are you trying to stop me once again?" It also shows no qualms in declaring its superiority.
Quotes
Quotes- “Now, return to nothingness! (さぁ、無に還ろう!)”—Orochi's catchphrase
- “From a broken chrysalis, the butterfly dances away. (蛹を破り蝶は舞う)”—Battle Intro, KOF '97 & KOF '98 UM
- “It's fleeting... (儚いものだ...)”—Super Special Move, KOF '97 & KOF '98 UM
- “There is nothing greater than me. (我より、優れるものはなし)”—Round Win, KOF '97 & KOF '98 UM
- “I am one with Gaia. (我ガイアと共に有り)”—Round Win, KOF '97 & KOF '98 UM
- “That's right... no one can defeat me. (その通りだ...、人に私を倒すことなどできはしない)”—Orochi boasting about its power to the Three Sacred Treasures, KOF '97
- “Listen carefully, you poor children... the footsteps of destruction are at hand. (耳を澄ませ、哀れなる子供たちよ... 滅びの足音はすぐそこまで迫っている)”—Match Win, KOF '98 UM
Creation and Development
During production for KOF '97, one of Orochi's early designs was that of a naked Chris using an energy ball to attack,[1] but the staff revealed that they made him wear pants because "It would be too dangerous no matter what."[12] According to the development staff of '97, the pattern on Orochi's body was something magical like "Hare and Ke." Interestingly, Orochi Iori was initially proposed to be the final boss of '97 but was retooled into one of the two mid-bosses alongside Orochi Leona,[15] depending on the player's team. Remnants of this manifest as Iori appearing as a secret final boss if Orochi is defeated by Kyo in a special ending for Team Japan.
Trivia
- Ironically, although all of Orochi's Special and Super Special Moves are designed to be very powerful, his A.I. is notoriously passive compared to the likes of Rugal Bernstein and Goenitz in an attempt to make the fight more balanced to compensate. Thus, he is often called "the weakest boss in the history of KOF."
- Orochi appears in The King of Fighters 2002: Challenge to Ultimate Battle and its remake, The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match, as part of Orochi Chris' MAX2 move. Upon utilizing this move, Chris briefly transforms into Orochi and unleashes a screen-filling attack before returning to normal. In the standalone PlayStation 2 port of 2000, it appeared as Leona Heidern's additional Maniac Striker.
- When first introduced in KOF '97, Orochi could not crouch but had attacks that must be blocked low and were identical to its standing attacks. Crouching stances and attacks were first implemented in the PlayStation version of KOF '97 but in a very incomplete form with severe frame cuts. These were redone when Orochi was added to KOF '98 UM and newly drawn sprites were used. The clone Mizuchi, on the other hand, used a combination of its Arcade and PlayStation KOF '97 sprites with improved animation frames.
- Orochi is well known for its glowing effect (rendered by hardware) since introduction in KOF '97. This effect has been lost in KOF '98 UM and is rendered within sprite palate as Mizuchi. This is probably due to the game being dream-matches as Orochi seemingly doesn't use Chris as host (its intro also showed it already in humanoid form instead of transforming from Chris).
Notes
- ↑ On March 6, 2020, Shiki Aoki publicly came out as a transgender man.
- ↑ As depicted in The King of Fighters 2001 (2001).
- ↑ This incomplete state is described in the storyboard as "an imitation of Orochi."
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 "オロチ - KOFキャラクター：THE KING OF FIGHTERS OFFICIAL WEB SITE" (Archived), SNK, Retrieved 2024, December 02.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 "KOF Portal Character Database", SNK, Retrieved 2024, December 02.
- ↑ The King of Fighters '97 ~Official Collection~. Japan: Shinseisha, 27 September 1997. IBSN 4-88199-381-X. (p. 79)
- ↑ "緒方りお", Weblio, Retrieved 2024, December 11.
- ↑ "Rio Ogata (visual voices guide)", Behind The Voice Actors, Retrieved 2024, December 11.
- ↑ 【公式】KOF'98 UM OL [@kof98umol] (2019, August 18), "Voice Actor Autographed Illustration Card Retweet Campaign Part 3", on Twitter.
- ↑ "くまいもとこ", Weblio, Retrieved 2024, December 11.
- ↑ "大原桃子の概要", Weblio, Retrieved 2024, December 02.
- ↑ "青木志貴", KDエンタテインメントオフィシャルウェブサイト, 2022, December 01.
- ↑ The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match (2008)
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Illustrated Novels: The King of Fighters - Orochi Final Chapter. Japan: Geibunsha, February 1998. ISBN 4-87465-399-5. (p. 109)
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 KOF Battle DE Paradise (2000)
- ↑ "【KOF10th】影二のリメンバーKOF 開発者篇 第1回 C.A.C.YAMASAKI氏 (in Japanese)" (Archived), SNK, Accessed on 2005, December 16.
- ↑ The King of Fighters '97 Complete Strategy Manual. Japan: Geibunsha, October 1997. ISBN 4-87465-380-4. (p. 178)
- ↑ "ツキノヨルオロチノチニクルフイオリ - KOFキャラクター：THE KING OF FIGHTERS OFFICIAL WEB SITE" (Archived), SNK, Retrieved 2024, December 02.