Iori Yagami (八神 庵) is a character from The King of Fighters series. He made first appearance in The King of Fighters '95 as the initial enemy (and eventual rival) of Kyo Kusanagi, as well as the first leader of the Rivals Team and the first rival/deuteragonist of the series.
He is the heir to one of the three clans that sealed the legendary snake entity, Orochi, 1,800 years ago. His clan, formerly known as the Yasakani Clan (八尺瓊), wields pyrokinetic powers. They keep the seal over Orochi intact with help from the Kusanagi and Yata clans using three ancient artifacts. His family's treasure is the Yasakani Jewel (八尺瓊曲玉) and his family crest is the crescent moon, which he wears on the back of his old jacket.
His official nickname is "Flame of the End" (終焉の炎). In XII and XIII it was changed to "Unbridled Instinct" (解き放たれし本能), and his Flame variant in XIII became "Iori who has Recovered His Flames" (炎を取り戻した庵). In KOF XV, his nickname is "Unshackled Instinct" (解き放たれし本能).
Aside from the main body of the King of Fighters series, Iori features his own drama CD and character image album. His character is also a member of SNK's character image band, Band of Fighters and he also appears as a regular antagonist in the spin-off manga, The King of Fighters: Kyo. Part Time Stories: Kyo & Iori also co-star him and Kyo working together at SNK for the promotion of the company's merchandise.
Personality
Iori is a serious, blunt and rude character. He is not interested in making friends or enemies, only showing investment in getting results that appeal to him. He may seem to be incapable of acts of kindness or empathy but he isn't antagonistic nor mean outside of combat.
In various drama CDs, Iori is frequently tormented by an Orochi identity that resides within him, which mocks and belittles him as its "master". Iori can be sympathetic to other people, but his Orochi persona often threatens to take over and harm them. Iori tries to ignore it until it angers him, causing him to physically snap in a usually violent manner. In his KOF XII profile, he seems to have trouble knowing which identity is actually his and suffers from a slight identity crisis. It's due to this personal trait that he doesn't like to associate with others and he lives as a lone wolf. He still retains pride for his humanity and won't let himself die under any circumstances. The matter of losing his flames has not personally scarred or affected him in any way.
Despite Iori's violent and sadistic personality, killing people in both the Orochi Saga and NESTS Saga, he still follows his own moral code which was touched upon in The King of Fighters '97 ～660nen Hi no Futari~. After brutally beating Shingo who challenged him to a fight, he tells Shingo that he isn't low enough to take pleasure in bullying the weak and promptly leaves.
In regards to whomever he is partnered with, at best, he can be dismissive, distant and blunt but cooperative, and apathetic and treacherous at worst. Eiji Kisaragi and Billy Kane have seen the worst of Iori, and indirectly courts Yashiro Nanakase's ire for upstaging him in a music gig, while Kyo, Chizuru and Shingo has seen reasonably civil treatment from him despite being distant. He is notably dismissive, confrontational and even borderline traitorous when it comes to Mature and Vice, being his natural enemy; however, Mature and Vice have ironically shown some concern and care for his welfare.
Regarding his family duties and his ancient family feud, Iori doesn't care much for them. If the Orochi seal is threatened, however, Iori doesn't back down from the challenge of re-sealing it. His participation often provokes Kyo's pride enough to begrudgingly bring the Three Sacred Treasures together. Iori seems to want to clash with his rival whenever they meet; he can't recall the reasons why he hates Kyo. Like his rival, Iori just seems to instinctively hate him. His intro with Tung Fu Rue in XIV, suggests that he merely wants to keep his own rivalry with Kyo going for an unclarified reason, probably for the sake of his own amusement, which Iori himself promptly denies and/or seems unaware of.
Recent portrayals of Iori and Kyo, his willingness to set his murderous vendetta aside on multiple occasions and the semi-canonical SNK Heroines strongly suggests he's no longer as homicidal as he once was, particularly with Kyo, clashing with him only for the sake of show of strength and to keep Kyo on his toes. Chizuru watches both over men to make sure their rivalry is kept in check, but as of XV, allowed them to go all out on one another, understanding that each other's hostility is a necessity to strengthen themselves, just like in their histories.
"You'll remember me each time you look at the moon..."
Basic Information
Full Name: Yagami Iori Birthdate: March 25th Age: 20 (KOF '95~) Birthplace: Japan Height: 182 cm (6'0") Weight: 79 kg (174 lbs.) (KOF '95~'98, KOF MI~MI2)
76 kg (168 lbs.) (KOF '99~) Blood Type: O Family/Relatives: Unnamed father (reportedly deceased), Unnamed younger sister, Unnamed (ex) girlfriend Job/Occupation: Musician; last heir of the Yagami clan Likes: Ring, watch (KOF '95); Girlfriend (KOF '95, '99, 2000); Brand necklace (KOF '96); Vintage guitar (KOF '97); Nothing special (KOF 2001~); New Girlfriend (CvS 2) Dislikes: Violence Hobbies: Playing in his band Favorite Food: Meat Forte in Sports: Everything Favorite Music: Jazz Fighting Style: Yagami style of ancient martial arts + pure instinct
Love Life
Status: --- Whom: Name Dated: 00/00/0000 Engaged: 00/00/0000 Married: 00/00/0000 Children: Name (age). Name (age). Name (age). Our Song(s): Song by artist. Song by artist. Song by artist.
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"You should take heart. I bet the flames of Hell burn hotter than mine."
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