List of Killer Instinct characters
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The following is a list of characters in the Killer Instinct series of fighting games.
Characters
| Fighter | Killer Instinct (1994) | Killer Instinct 2 | Killer Instinct (2013) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Orchid |  |
|
? |
| Chief Thunder | |
 |
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| Cinder | |
|
|
| Eyedol | 1 |
|
? |
| Fulgore | |
|
|
| Gargos | |
1 |
? |
| Glacius | |
|
|
| Jago | |
|
|
| Kim Wu | |
|
? |
| Maya | |
|
? |
| Riptor | |
|
? |
| Sabrewulf | |
|
|
| Sadira | |
|
|
| Spinal | |
|
|
| T.J. Combo | |
|
? |
| Tusk | |
|
? |
| Total | 11 | 11 | 8 so far |
1 Non-playable boss character.
Introduced in Killer Instinct
Black Orchid
Hired by Ultratech as a secretary, Black Orchid (B. Orchid or just Orchid in the games) is a spy for an unknown party and apparently the heroine of the series (along her brother Jago). In the sequel, it is revealed that Black Orchid destroyed Eyedol in the first tournament (which sent the Ultratech building two millennia into the past). Now she seeks to destroy Gargos and find a way home. Orchid had a weapon change from the first game, using two tonfas instead of laser swords.
Her "flashing" finishing move was ranked the fifth most creative video game death by Wired in 2009.[1] In 2011, it was ranked third on a list of the "craziest fatalities" in gaming by Complex,[2] while UGO.com listed the finisher "where she whips out her sweater puppies and causes her opponent to have a boner-related heart attack" as the 47th nastiest cinematic kill in video games.[3] Houston Press ranked it the fifth stupidest 'fatality' in any game: "This causes the male characters to have heart attacks and die even if they are aliens who probably have no shared sense of eroticism with humans, a robot, or a reanimated skeleton with no freakin' dick!"[4]
Chief Thunder
Chief Thunder, a Native American chief armed with twin tomahawks, enters the tournament to find out what happened to his missing brother Eagle in the previous year's tournament.
In 2008, GamesRadar featured him on a list of top seven native American stereotypes in games as one of three examples of the "Warrior" stereotype.[5] In 2011, Dorkly ranked him the most stereotypical native American character in fighting-game history.[6]
He was teased for the series' third entry in a trailer at the EVO 2013 championships, and fully revealed in August 2013. His story is that he found out his brother, Eagle was killed in the first KI Tournament; even though no body was found to confirm that, or to find out what had happened to Eagle. In grief, Thunder puts on his war paint to express his grief and tries to find out by fighting the other opponents to get his answers. His fighting is based onto more grappling than the other characters.
Cinder
Cinder is a criminal who was promised early release by Ultratech in exchange for participating in chemical-weapons research. As a result of an accident during testing, his body is composed entirely of flame. He is promised a return to his original form if he is able to defeat Glacius in the tournament. In the early development stages of the game, his name was Meltdown.
Cinder is set to appear in the upcoming Killer Instinct for Xbox One.[7]
Eyedol
The final boss, Eyedol is a two-headed, one-eyed ancient mystical warlord who was trapped in a dimensional prison in the distant past. Ultratech released him to be the final combatant in the tournament. In Killer Instinct 2 Eyedol was trapped in combat with Gargos, the final boss of that game. In Eyedol's ending, he is supposedly found by his mother (as a boy named "Billy") after going missing in a car crash as a child. However, Eyedol attacks her in a comical manner in a spoof of Blanka's original Street Fighter II ending. Eyedol is the only character without an icon on the character-select screen. In early SNES versions of the game (released only to stores), he was selectable); however, in the arcade and SNES versions he is a secret character who can be played by selecting a specific character (Riptor in earlier arcade versions. and Cinder in later arcade and SNES versions) and pressing a combination of buttons before a round begins. He is the only character in the game with no special finishing moves (such as No Mercy moves, Ultra Combos or Humiliations); however, he compensates with a limited ability to heal.
Cheat Code Central included Eyedol in its 2012 list of top ten hidden characters in fighting games.[8]
Fulgore
Only a year old, Fulgore is a cyborg (part of a cybernetic project developed by Ultratech, the masterminds behind the Killer Instinct tournament) and the penultimate opponent in single-player mode. Fulgore is placed second on the tier (before Eyedol), and was entered in the tournament to test its fighting capabilities. If successful, Fulgore would be placed into mass production. In the sequel, a new, enhanced cyborg (created after the first Fulgore) was destroyed by Jago in the first tournament. His goal is the destruction of Jago, whom he considers his chief nemesis.
His "machine gun funk" finishing move was ranked as 37th on a list of "craziest fatalities" in gaming by Complex in 2011.[2]
Fulgore is set to appear in the upcoming Killer Instinct for Xbox One.[7]
Glacius
Glacius is an alien who was captured by Ultratech and promised freedom if he wins the tournament. He gets his nickname from his body's icy liquid composition and his ability to shape-shift. He is one of the few characters who retained his original name throughout the game's early development. In the sequel, the original Glacius defeated Cinder and returned home. In Killer Instinct 2, a distant relative of Glacius from 2,000 years ago who shares his name heeds a distress call, coming to Earth to find his lost brethren and bring them home. Glacius uses three No Mercy moves: one where he becomes a gel-like mass and absorbs the opponent, similar to the Blob (arcade only), one in which he uses his finger as a syringe to inject the enemy with a substance turning them to ice, and one in which he becomes a pool of boiling water in which the enemy drowns. Glacius is a high-tier character with moves which can be abused (like most characters in the game). These include Glacius reversing his liquidation attack at the last moment, forcing his opponent to guess on which side he will appear. Another glitch includes Glacius' fireball attack: a delayed burst of fireballs, causing heavy damage, which is difficult to resist.
Glacius is set to appear in the upcoming Killer Instinct for Xbox One.
Jago
Jago is a Tibetan monk, following the Tiger Spirit (which becomes Gargos in the second Killer Instinct), who is on a path of enlightenment to defeat the evil within him. He believes it is his destiny to destroy Ultratech. In the sequel, Jago succeeded in destroying Fulgore in the first tournament after being possessed by the Tiger Spirit. He was soon betrayed by the latter, which turned out to be the demon Gargos in disguise. Gargos used Jago to gain entrance to the physical world, and Jago seeks revenge for Gargos' manipulation. It is revealed at the end of the game that Orchid is his sister; they were orphaned and separated at birth. Jago has many of the same moves as Street Fighter's Ryu and Ken characters, including the fireball (which he calls "Endokuken") and a spinning uppercut.
In 2007, Jago was ranked as the tenth top ninja in gaming.[9] In 2012, Complex ranked him ninth-swiftest ninja in video games.[10]
Jago is set to appear in the upcoming Killer Instinct for Xbox One, and will be the only character available for free at launch.
Riptor
Riptor is a genetically-engineered velociraptor-human hybrid created as a prototype by Ultratech; the tournament tests its abilities as a killing machine. However, he's ultimately defeated by TJ Combo prior to KI2, but damaged Combo's right eye during the confrontation. It has three No Mercy moves: one in which it spits acid on the enemy, a second in which it stabs the foe with its tail and a third in which it runs at the enemy, eating them. Riptor is a high-tier character who (like Cinder) has an attack which can be easily abused: exhaling a low green flame unblockable by any opponent (except Eyedol) trying to lift themselves off the ground. This is due to a hitbox bug common throughout the game.
Sabrewulf
Count Von Sabrewulf is afflicted with lycanthropy and promised a cure by Ultratech if he wins the tournament. In the sequel, Sabrewulf was captured by Ultratech in the first tournament after being severely injured and has been driven mad by experimentation. With cybernetic arms, he desperately seeks a cure for his lycanthropy. Sabrewulf is a semi-cameo appearance by Sabreman (from Rare's 1984 game Sabre Wulf), who was originally called "Cyberwulf".[11] Sabrewulf fights in his inherited castle with biting and claw attacks and the ability to howl and use his flaming bats (although sometimes they do not flame). In the upcoming third installment, Sabrewulf has fallen to his feral side, compelling him to tear out his mechanical implants (human constructs) and regain his arms through Dark Arts. He also became addicted to drugs which he used to ease his pain during the process of regaining his arms.
Spinal
An animated skeleton, in the sequel Spinal was destroyed by Chief Thunder in the first tournament; however, Gargos had a Spinal of his own in the past. Spinal fights for vengeance and his freedom. He is the third-last opponent in single-player mode; with a sword and shield, he can teleport and change himself into a grayscale version of his opponents during combos. Spinal has a quirk: to perform certain moves, he must gather energy—represented by tokens shaped like skulls under his life bar (SNES version) or skulls floating around him (arcade and gold versions)—by absorbing opponents' projectile-energy attacks (with his shield in absorbing position) or performing combo breakers. Despite requiring these tokens, his special moves are no stronger than normal special attacks. Spinal can store up to five skull tokens, overloading if he tries to absorb energy for the sixth time. On the sixth attempt he will not block the projectile, and it will cause normal damage and knockdown; he will then be left with one remaining skull.
Spinal is set to appear in the upcoming Killer Instinct for Xbox One.[7]
T.J. Combo
A former heavyweight boxing champion for five years, T.J. Combo was stripped of his title and expelled from the circuit when it was discovered that his arms had cybernetic implants (which greatly enhanced his boxing ability). Ultratech promises him that his title will be returned if he wins the tournament. After his victory against Riptor in the first tournament, which also cost him his left eye, T.J. Combo was sent into the past (when he tried to destroy the Ultratech building) and fights to return home.
In 2012, Complex included him on a list of 25 "douchiest" video game characters.[12] The character was based on John Parrish, known for playing Jax in the early Mortal Kombat games.[13]
Introduced in Killer Instinct 2
Gargos
Gargos is a demon lord who has returned to the physical world. He was Eyedol's rival, resembling a huge gargoyle who is powerful and can breathe fire. Like Eyedol in the original game, Gargos may be accessed with a cheat code. Jago's back story in the second installment reveals him to be the "Tiger Spirit" that led Jago to the first Killer Instinct tournament.
Kim Wu
Kim Wu is a 17-year-old East Asian martial artist descended from the people who repelled Eyedol and Gargos. To protect her people, she tries to destroy Gargos. Kim Wu's No Mercy moves are setting her opponents on fire with a blazing shuriken and jumping on them.
Maya
Maya is an Amazonian warrior who banished Gargos and was banished by her people when he reappeared. Her goal is to destroy Gargos and regain her former standing. Maya's No Mercy (ultimate combo) moves are summoning an elephant to fall on her enemy and shrinking them with a ray from her headband.
Her revealing jungle bikini earned her a place among the "Worst Dressed of 1996" according to Nintendo Power.[14] The magazine also nominated her elephant-drop ultimate combo move for its "That's Gotta Hurt" Award.[14]
Tusk
Tusk is a barbarian who wants to fight all of the challengers for the right to destroy Gargos. His ultimate-combo moves are summoning a meteor shower to pummel his opponent (with a large one crushing them) and summoning a dinosaur which eats the opponent.
Introduced in Killer Instinct (2013)
Sadira
On August 23, 2013, Double Helix Games revealed a new female character in the Thunder combo trailer.[15] On a later stream, it was announced that her name was Sadira.
Little is yet known about Sadira, and all information about her is gleaned from her trailer appearance. Sadira wears a magenta-colored Arabic hijab with spider symbols that covers her entire head except for her eyes. She makes extensive use of spider webs in her attacks, and appears to have forearm-mounted weapons consisting of metal claws and upright blades. Her gameplay appears to revolve around doing aerial juggle combos, a mechanic that has not been seen in the Killer Instinct franchise before. She is extremely pale, having little to no skin pigment whatsoever, and her eyes are unnaturally blank. Her legs are visible through a gap in her clothing, and she wears high-heel sandals with tattered stockings. It is implied that she will be the first female villain in the series.
References
- ^ Silver, Curtis (2013-03-28). "10 of the Most Creative Video Game Deaths". Wired.com. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
- ^ a b The 50 Craziest Video Game Fatalities | Complex
- ^ K. Thor Jensen (2011-02-11). "Boob Flash - The Most Gruesome Finishing Moves Ever". UGO.com. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
- ^ With, Jef (2012-07-05). "The 5 Stupidest Video Game Fatalities - Houston Arts - Art Attack". Blogs.houstonpress.com. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
- ^ The Top 7… Native American stereotypes, GamesRadar US, 2008-11-24
- ^ Bridgman, Andrew. "The Dorklyst: The 7 Most Stereotypical Native American Characters in Fighting Game History". Dorkly Article. Retrieved 2012-07-30.
- ^ a b c iantothemax (2013-06-12). "Fulgore, Spinal, and Cinder Set to Return in Killer Instinct, Developers Looking to Include More Female Characters « Shoryuken". Shoryuken.com. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
- ^ Angelo M. D'Argenio, Top Ten Hidden Characters In Fighting Games, Cheat Code Central, February 22, 2012
- ^ "ScrewAttack's Top Ten Video - Top Ten Ninjas". GameTrailers. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
- ^ Rich Knight, The 10 Swiftest Ninjas in Games, Complex.com, Jan 25, 2012
- ^ Ben (2011-06-22). "Top 5 Rare Characters Who Improved With Age – Rare – Blog". Rare.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
- ^ "The 25 Douchiest Video Game Characters". Complex. 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
- ^ __start__ (2011-01-08). "The On Blast Show! Episode 8". Youtube.com. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
- ^ a b Nintendo Power #96 (May 1997)
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1EXznwZT4c
External links
| Series | |
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| Other games | |
| People | |
