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Saisyu Kusanagi (草薙くさなぎ 柴舟さいしゅう) is a character who debuted in The King of Fighters '94 as a victim in Rugal Bernstein's gallery of defeated fighters. He appears as a mid-boss in The King of Fighters '95 and becomes a regular character for the first time in The King of Fighters '98.

Personality[]

Saisyu is simply an older, more mellow version of his son Kyo. Regardless, he is just as arrogant and cocky as Kyo; like father, like son. This is quite evident based upon his attitude and body language during several win-poses; where he either laughs abruptly after winning a match (i.e. not taking the bout seriously), nonchalantly scratches his beard or generally seems uninvolved... or bored by rubbing his abdominal muscles in a laxidasical show of bravado.

The only characters that seem to make him even remotely contrary are Rugal (who defeated him back in KOF '94) and seemingly to a lesser extent Kyo (his savior, who subsequently also defeated him a year later in KOF '95). Ironically enough he seems to harbor no indication of resentment or ill-will in the slightest towards Vice (one of Rugal's secretaries; a dominatrix who indulges in sadism), she brainwashed him in KOF '95. Vice visibly holds Saisyu with contempt during their pre-fight scene due to his strong resistance giving her notable difficulty, by pointing at him and spitting. However, he assumes his fighting stance and never acknowledges her insulting behavior, and is probably not even aware (or even care) that Vice is a natural enemy of his clan.

Powers[]

  • Pyrokinesis: Due to his Kusanagi heritage, Saisyu 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 not immune to other types of fire. He cannot control other fires that he didn't create.

Skills[]

  • Fishing: Saisyu is adept at fishing, having done so for quite some time as a hobby.
  • Golf: Saisyu is a golf player, though probably does so to pass time.

Fighting Style[]

Saisyu is a master of the Kusanagi martial arts, an ancient empty handed system that incorporates fire based attacks and kenpō. He uses the basic form of the Kusanagi style, his arsenal is simple yet effective, akin to Kyo's original take on the style prior to '96 (as Saisyu still uses the Yami Barai); oddly enough, Saisyu's original technique, Tsumugari (All-Eyes Reaper), makes use of Kyo's Aragami technique as its initial blow. Likewise, in KOF XIV, Kyo himself likely has his Yaegaki Climax DM follow a similar motion to the SDM Tsumugari in its vein (with the former actually being a Reverse Method version of Tsumugari).

Music[]

  • Hall, Bass and Melody - The King of Fighters '95
  • In Spite of One's Age - The King of Fighters '98, R-2

Voice Actors[]

Live Action Actors[]

Appearances[]

Games

Mobile

Cameos

Anime

Etymology[]

His romanized given name uses the Kunrei-Shiki interpretation, reflecting his traditional personality. In modern romanization, his name can be read as Saishu as well.

  • The name Saisyu means "brush/brushwood; firewood" (柴) (sai) and "boat, ship/shipping, vessel, watercraft, steamship" (舟) (syu).
    • Interestingly, Saishu/Saisyu as a romaji homophone can also mean "the last" or "the end".
  • Saisyu's surname Kusanagi means "grass, herb, weed" (草) (kusa) and "mow" (薙) (nagi).

Trivia[]

  • He was originally meant to have died in KOF '94, but was added in at the last minute of developing stages for KOF '95.[1]
  • Early artwork shows Saisyu and Kyo having the Kusanagi symbol on their foreheads. The idea was referenced in one of the KOF Manhua's.
  • In Neo-Geo Freak 1998, the characters in KOF '98 have their own interviews. Here are Saisyu's response to the questions.https://archive.org/details/Neo-Geo_Freak_1998-08_Geibunsha_JP/page/n35
    • What is your aspiration in this competition? - "Well ... aspire ... I'm going to show the essence of Kusanagi style old martial art to my son. Sharpness of technology, power is still alive! I will make you feel the severity of battle now!"
    • Who would you like to fight the most? - "I don't know who it is, but I heard there's a guy who imitates my old martial arts … I want to fight him."
    • Who would you like to team up with? / Who would you not like to team up with? - "Uh … Well … someone who seems to be right with me … Yeah … it seems Mr. Takuma would suit me well."
    • What is "KOF" for you? - "... reminds me of painful memories …! However, I will put an end to those painful memories through this tournament."
    • Finally, please give a word to your fans. - "Do not fall … you will write on fire dust!"
  • Interestingly, despite the fact that his Kamukakari (Divine Consult) is a special move, it can be reversed/countered by Blue Mary's Head Buster, a move that normal counters only normals and command normals.

Cards[]

SNK vs SNK vs SNK vs KOF98UM OL KOF All Star

Sprites[]

King of Fighters R-2 The King of Fighters '95 The King of Fighters '98: The Slugfest

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. Official character profile from KOF anniversary website.
The King of Fighters characters
KOF '94 Logo Sprite Kyo KusanagiBenimaru NikaidoGoro DaimonTerry BogardAndy BogardJoe HigashiRyo SakazakiRobert GarciaTakuma SakazakiRalf JonesClark StillHeidernAthena AsamiyaSie KensouChin GentsaiKingMai ShiranuiYuri SakazakiKim KaphwanChang KoehanChoi BoungeHeavy-D!Lucky GlauberBrian BattlerRugal Bernstein
KOF '95 Logo Sprite Iori YagamiBilly KaneEiji KisaragiSaisyu KusanagiOmega Rugal
KOF '96 Logo Sprite Leona HeidernMatureViceKasumi TodohGeese HowardWolfgang KrauserMr. BigChizuru KaguraGoenitz
KOF '97 Logo Sprite Shingo YabukiYashiro NanakaseShermieChrisBlue MaryRyuji YamazakiOrochi IoriOrochi LeonaOrochi YashiroOrochi ShermieOrochi ChrisOrochi
KOF '99 Logo Sprite K'MaximaWhipBaoLi XiangfeiJhun HoonKyo-1Kyo-2Krizalid
KOF '99 Evolution Logo VanessaSethSyo KirishimaAlfredFiolina GermiGai Tendo
KOF 2000 Logo Sprite RamónLinHinako ShijoKula DiamondClone ZeroFoxyCandy DiamondAnother K'Another IoriAnother BenimaruAnother RobertCosplayer KyokoKang Bae DalSmart ChangCool ChoiKaoru WatabeBaitangDuck KingLilly KaneKim Jae HoonKim Dong HwanUnknownKing LionKim Sue-ilKaedeDuke EdwardsRockyAthenaNeo & GeoG-Mantle
KOF 2001 Logo Sprite May Lee JinjuK9999ÁngelZeroRonGluganIgnizMistyNests
KOF EX Logo Moe Habana
KOF 2002 Logo Sprite Kusanagi
KOF EX2 Logo Reiji OogamiJun KagamiMiu KurosakiSinobu Amou
KOF 2003 Logo Sprite Ash CrimsonDuo LonShen WooTizocGatoMalinMaki KaguraAdelheid BernsteinMukai
KOF MI Logo Alba MeiraSoiree MeiraLien NevilleMignon BeartChae LimDukeRock Howard
KOF XI Logo Sprite OswaldElisabeth BlanctorcheMomokoB. JenetShionMagakiSilberSho HayateJyazuHotaru FutabaItokatsuTung Fu Rue
KOF MI2 Logo Luise MeyrinkNagaseJivatmaNinon BeartHyenaHanzo HattoriKyo Kusanagi ClassicWild WolfMr. Karate IIArmor RalfRichard Meyer
KOF MIRA Logo Xiao LonMakoto Mizoguchi
KOF '98UM Logo Nightmare Geese
KOF 2002UM Logo Nameless
KOF XII Logo Raiden
KOF XIII Logo Hwa JaiSaikiEvil AshMr. Karate
KOF XIV Logo Shun'eiMeitenkunGang-ilLuongXanaduSylvie Paula PaulaKukriMianNelsonZarinaBandeiras HattoriKing of DinosaursHeinNakoruruMamahahaMui MuiLove HeartAlice Garnet NakataAntonovVerseNajd (Aila)
The King of Fighters XV Logo Isla (Amanda) • DoloresKrohnen McDougallRe VerseOtoma=RagaHaohmaruDarli Dagger
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