Iori Yagami

Iori Yagami

Iori Yagami (八神庵, Yagami Iori) is a character in SNK's The King of Fighters fighting video game series. He plays one of the main protagonists, the heir to the Yagami clan, and both an enemy and rival of Kyo Kusanagi. His official nickname is "Unbridled Instinct". Aside from the main body of the series, Iori has his own drama CD and image album. His character is also a member of SNK's band of characters, Band of Fighters, and also appears as a regular antagonist in The King of Fighters: Kyo. In Gamest's 1997 Heroes Collection, Iori was voted the first favorite character out of fifty other characters. He also received the same rank in Neo Geo Freak with a total of 3,792 votes. In a 2005 poll conducted by SNK Playmore-USA, he was voted the eighth favorite character with 145 votes. Iori's voice is performed by Kunihiko Yasui from his debut in the series until KOF XIII, however since XIV he is replaced.

Profile

Full Name: Iori Yagami Date of Birth: March 25, 20 years old Height: 1.82 m Weight: 76 Kg Blood Type: O + Orochi Occupation: Musician Likes: Nothing special (KOF 95), His guitar, his motorcycle (KOF 96) Hates: Violence, Kyo Kusanagi Hobbies: Playing in his band Favorite Food: All kinds of meats Sports he Masters: Any (he masters them all) Special Ability: Pyrokinesis, Scratch Fighting Style: Yagami style of ancient martial arts, combined with pure instinct.

Development

One of the main goals set for KOF '95 was to treat its characters like normal people, and they are constantly changing their character to reflect this. He adds that he feels responsible as a voice actor for his performances as Iori, taking care to sound different in each installment as a means of developing, as well as protecting, the humanity of his character. Another minor development to his character was his "most valuable possession valued treasure" information being constantly changed. His biographies from KOF '95 through KOF '98 listed various items such as a vintage guitar and chains. A girlfriend was also listed at one time, specifically in KOF '95, KOF '99, and KOF 2000. However, starting with KOF 2001 and every entry onward, the space is listed as "None". This has given rise to various fan theories as to why, many of which surround the possible death or disappearance of his girlfriend, the topic being briefly touched upon years earlier in Iori's drama CD, Sun and Moon - Prologue, though a concise response concerning this pitch to his profile has not been made by SNK.

Personality

Iori is a serious, blunt, and rough character. He is not interested in making friends or enemies, only showing investment in obtaining results that appeal to him. In various drama CDs, Iori is frequently tormented by an Orochi identity residing within him, which mocks and belittles him as being its "master". He can be friendly towards other people, but his Orochi personality often threatens to take over and hurt them. He attempts to ignore it until it enrages him, causing him to physically break down in a generally violent manner. In his profile for The King of Fighters XII, he seems to have trouble knowing which identity is truly his and suffers from a mild identity crisis. It is because of this personal trait that he does not like associating with others and lives as a lone wolf. He still retains pride in his humanity and will not let himself die under any circumstances. The issue of losing his flames has not scarred him personally or affected him in any way. As for his family duties and their long-standing family rivalry, Iori does not care much for them. However, if the Orochi seal is threatened, he does not back down from the challenge of resealing it. His involvement often provokes Kyo's pride enough to reluctantly gather the Three Sacred Treasures together. He seems to want to confront his rival whenever they meet; he cannot remember the reasons why he hates Kyo. Much like his rival, Iori seems to hate him purely out of instinct.

History

As the King of Fighters '95 tournament was about to begin, Iori heard that an unknown person named Rugal was the organizer of the tournament and that he had been defeated by Kyo Kusanagi last year, and that he was returning this year to kill the one who beat him, however this year he came prepared since he had mysteriously obtained some strange powers, for Yagami it was evident that Rugal had Orochi's powers, a fact that infuriates him because he cannot accept that someone who is not related to Orochi has his strength, it was then that he was presented with the opportunity to go to the tournament, hired by Geese Howard to form a team with his faithful servant Billy Kane and Eiji Kisaragi, together they would form the Rival Team for KOF '95. However, Iori's goal was far from what Geese intended, since he wanted to kill Rugal to make it clear to everyone that only he could use those powers (due to the pact his family made with Orochi); Iori was able to reach the preliminaries where he would have to face the last team before reaching Rugal, the Hero Team, made up of Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido and Goro Daimon, in the end Kyo and Iori face each other in a very even fight in which both demonstrated all their skills, at one point Iori lowers his defense, it is at that moment that Kyo takes advantage of this carelessness to deal a devastating blow that considerably weakens Iori, this fact brought out an enormous fury and hatred towards Kyo that motivated him to continue fighting, at that moment, when he was about to launch his counterattack, time runs out leaving Kyo Kusanagi as the winner, Iori decides to challenge Kyo again to continue the fight, to which he responds "whenever you want Yagami".

Upon losing his first match against Kyo Kusanagi, Yagami unleashes anger and fury towards Kyo, and since then the reasons vary as to why Iori wants to kill Kyo. Revenge, pride, to prove that he is stronger or a better fighter, or because of the legitimate hatred of the Yasakani/Yagami against the Kusanagi. Furious at his defeat, he takes out his rage on Billy and Eiji who were nearby and are badly injured, after which he decides to follow Kyo to Rugal's secret base, being a spectator of the titanic fight that takes place there. Iori leaves the place after deciding to travel to Japan with the intention of killing Kyo. Shortly before the 1996 tournament began, he was confronted by Rugal's secretaries, Mature and Vice, who offered him a team in the 1996 tournament, with the sole condition that they would take care of all the teams except Kyo's. Yagami accepted on these conditions, as he saw it as another opportunity to humiliate and dishonor Kyo and thus kill him. Unfortunately, he failed to achieve his goal, and lost again to Kyo in the later rounds of the tournament. In the end, in King of Fighters '96 Kyo, Iori and Chizuru (of the Kagura clan) have to face Goenitz, one of the 8 Hakkeshu and in turn one of the 4 Heavenly Kings of Orochi, who is the most loyal when it comes to reviving Orochi. Goenitz's influence awakens the power of Orochi in Iori, causing him to enter the blood riot, and unable to control himself in this state he ends up killing his companions Mature and Vice.

Iori withdraws from the tournament fearing that he will not be able to control the power of Orochi within him. Prior to the events of The King Of Fighters '97, Iori learns of Kyo's entry into the tournament. That same night he has a nightmare with two women who mock his lack of strength to defeat his rival, the women disappear with the promise of seeing him again very soon. When he wakes up he begins to cough up blood and filled with sudden hatred and anger makes the promise to defeat Kyo in the tournament and to his surprise someone registers him as a solo participant. Iori does not participate this time, mainly because after what happened with his companions in previous years, no one wanted to team up with him; but he was still on Kyo's trail to defeat him; as the Orochi seal was more open by the minute and his presence was felt more strongly, Iori again suffers the "Riot of Blood", losing control and interrupts the tournament facilities, looking for Kyo, but he is defeated again. He then teams up with Kyo and Chizuru to defeat the remaining members of the Four Heavenly Kings: Yashiro, Chris, and Shermie. Once defeated, Orochi takes control of Chris's body and attempts to defeat all three clans at once. Orochi is defeated just as he was in the fight 1800 years ago, but in a last ditch effort, Orochi stirs up a blood riot in Iori to attack Kyo and Chizuru. However, Iori turns on Orochi by grabbing him by the neck and immobilizing him with all his strength. Kyo then uses Iori to tap into both of their powers and finish off Orochi, allowing Chizuru to seal him away again.

After this fight, Kyo disappears, and Iori is left alone, searching for his former rival. For nearly two years, Iori followed the trail of a mysterious organization calling itself "NESTS" that was somehow connected to Kyo. When Iori arrived at one of NESTS' laboratories, he found hundreds of Kyo clones. Iori became enraged at the thought of anyone other than him going to kill Kyo, and exterminated the clones. He then watched from the shadows at the KOF '99 tournament. There, he met Kyo's clone, "K'"; but before the tournament organizer (Krizalid) could give him any information about him, he was eliminated by Zero's clone. In 2000, Iori managed to determine Kyo's location in South Town and decided to go there. There, the KOF 2000 tournament took place, where Iori again watched from the shadows as the winning team defeated Zero, who was part of a faction that hoped to betray NESTS. Kyo shows up to have one last talk with Zero and Iori meets up with them. There, after a long time, Iori challenges Kyo to a fight, and he gladly accepts. Iori then wanders around for another year, until he is intercepted by Seth, one of Heidern's agents, who offers him to team up with him and two other free agents, Vanessa and her admirer Ramon. The objective of this team is to intercept a second NESTS team which includes the "Anti-K" clone, Kula Diamond. After reaching the semi-finals, they lose to the Hero team (K', Maxima, Whip and Lin). Iori is only interested in dealing with the leader of NESTS to finish this matter himself and ensure that Kyo's defeat is only by his own hands. In the end, Iori and his team manage to escape from the NESTS fortress but Seth and Vanessa have orders to "exterminate" Iori, who does not give importance to the matter and decides to eliminate his three teammates, nothing would be known about Seth, Ramón or Vanessa for a good couple of years.

During his appearance in King of Fighters 2003, he finds himself without any skilled team and also meets Ash Crimson, the new leader of the Hero Team (along with Duo Lon and Shen Woo). Iori watches the progress of the tournament from the shadows to see how Ash's team reaches the finals and defeats Mukai and then meets Kyo and Chizuru at the Orochi seal. A badly injured Chizuru has her powers of the Yata no Kagami taken away and Iori would only witness the event seeing that the "thief" is Ash Crimson, and then hears his announcement, telling him that he would be next. Later, in The King of Fighters XI he forms a group with Kyo Kusanagi and Shingo Yabuki at the request of Chizuru who had hoped to oppose Ash. As the events of the tournament end, Orochi's power in the atmosphere (coupled with the partial release of his seal) causes Iori to once again enter the Riot of the Blood state, transforming back into Orochi Iori. During this state, he beats up Shingo and Kyo. At that moment, Ash appears on the scene, taking advantage of the moment to snatch the powers of the Yasakani no Magatama from Iori and leaving him unconscious before disappearing from the scene to use his Yagami clan flames. While Ash was confronted by the Rival Team (Benimaru, Duo Lon and Elizabeth), he shows them Iori's stolen powers and warns the three that Kyo would be the last.

Before the KOF XIII tournament, Iori pays a visit to Chizuru to find out if she needs his treasure to use her abilities. After realizing that his predictions are true, Chizuru presents Iori with the option of being freed from the curse of his Orochi bloodline now that he does not possess his treasure. Uninterested in rectifying his family's mistake, he remarks that Chizuru's mirror will return in due time and leaves. With Mature and Vice pestering him to join the tournament with them, he agrees with the advantage of being able to settle his issues with Ash. At the climax of the tournament, Iori regains his magatama once Ash disappears. Mature and Vice point out to him that he can still choose to reject the treasure, and save himself from the Orochi Curse once and for all. He then wonders what will happen to his teammates if he accepts the treasure again, but their voices tell him that he must choose what he believes is right. Thus, he regains his flames and his teammates disappear once more from the mortal realm. Back in action, he challenges Kyo to a battle which is still undecided in its outcome. Iori ended up being one of the few who still remembered Ash Crimson after his disappearance due to the dimensional paradox, as he was one of those who had a close bond with him (albeit one of rivalry and revenge).

Another Day: In this OVA, Iori noticed a strange flame from a building near his head from the city fire near a satellite dish (Realizing that it was Ash). When he was contemplating it, Iori knocks down for no reason the girl that Mai Shiranui and Athena Asamiya were taking care of. Soiree Meira observed this and comes to Iori to apologize, however she received a punch claiming that "there was no point" in apologizing. Then Soiree takes it seriously as a fight when this option is denied, Soiree decided to fight him hand to hand. Both fight in a church that ends up collapsing, even the girl followed the entire fight but they were saved by Athena and Mai. It was at the same point that Iori learned that Ash Crimson was responsible for the fire in Southtown, and for a moment managed to escape from the collapsed church before Athena and Mai succumbed to the fire. It was then that he appeared in a nearby building with the intention of attacking Ash. However, Ash claims that he is no longer interested (referring to the theft of the Yakazani power in KOF XI), and escapes by using his green flames to restrain Iori, which frustrates him. A few minutes after the fire spread, Iori approached the Ikari Warriors who wanted to kill Kyo because they believed him to be a clone, telling them that he was not really a clone. When Alba and Kyo fought after the former mistook him for the one responsible for the fire, he told them that Ash had escaped and the two calmed down accepting his apology. He privately thanks Kyo for defending him, but tells him that one day he will be looking for his revenge.

As such, Alba appeared with Soiree in the collapsed church looking for Iori thinking he is buried in the rubble, and he explains to her that he has found a "red-haired guy" while looking for people and having as the last survivors a pair of cats. Iori also enters hired by Geese Howard in Neo Blood, being the sub-boss of the semifinals. Geese had the intentions of stealing Iori's Orochi powers to spread a virus in Southtown. The Hero Team stops Geese and Kyo defeats Iori himself, the redhead disappears after this event looking for his rival. In Howling Blood, Iori is accompanied by two women named Miu Kurosaki and Jun Kagami who have the mission of recovering Sinobu Amou (Miu's brother) after perishing before the soul of Goenitz at the hands of Gustav Munchausen. When facing the Hero Team, he is defeated again by Kyo, and only remains to contemplate the confrontation between the Hero Team and Sinobu.

Personality

Iori is a very serious, rude and straight to the point character. In various Drama CDs, Iori is frequently tormented by an Orochi identity residing within him, which mocks and belittles him as its master. Iori responds with irritated responses until it angers him, causing him to physically react in a usually violent manner. In his KOF XIII profile, it appears that he has trouble knowing that the identity is actually his own and suffers from an identity crisis. It is because of this personal trait that he does not like associating with others and lives a solitary existence. However, he still retains pride in his name and will not let himself be killed under any circumstances; he seems to want to kill his rival at every opportunity they meet, but he also cannot remember the reasons why he hates Kyo. Much like his rival, he does not care about the old family feud between them and only seems to hate him out of instinct. Iori also has a grudge against Kyo's father, Saisyu Kusanagi, just as the man wrongly blames Iori for his own father's death, despite his knowledge of his family's curse. Iori is clearly unwilling to accept Saisyu's help despite his later claims that he wants to save Iori, not kill him. Unlike Chizuru, the issue of the loss of his flames has not scarred or affected him personally in any way, as he is still able to continue and fight nonetheless.

Ironically despite having a violent personality, Iori hates violence, though it could be that he sees it as a "necessary evil" as early as SVC Chaos and more recently KOF XIII, he sternly warns some of his opponents, either in introductory quotes or winning quotes, to run away while you can, suggesting a thin veil of morality on his part, which he did not directly provoke, or sees that he especially despises Kyo. Another of his truly aggressive attitudes, is when he insults or hits minors for unknown reasons. This is proven in the OVA Another Day when Iori abruptly pushes a 5 year old girl that Soiree Meira was protecting. When he teams up with any team, he doesn't say his own intentions; since all he wants is a fight with Kyo. During his first team, he has in common with the two women; Mature and Vice in relation to the Hakkeshu and in the XI team due to Shingo's request and he claims bitterness for allying with Kyo. During the finals of his team, he ends up attacking his teammate because of the blood riot, although except for 2001 Iori wanted to fight Seth, Vanessa and Ramon claiming that they will not be able to beat him.

Attributes

Iori is a very violent and sadistic person who suffers from trauma from his clan's past. In ancient times, the Yagami clan was known as the Yasakani. With the help of the Yata clan and Kusanagi, they sealed Orochi. As time went by, the Yasakani developed a rivalry and hatred towards the Kusanagi, due to an incident caused by the Hakkeshu, who left the body of a Yasakani member in Kusanagi territory, which led to the Kusanagi being accused of the murder, and Since then their mutual contempt has been preserved for eternity. To be better than them, the Yasakani made a blood pact with Orochi, which gave them more power by turning their fire into dark fire (purple fire). This gave them more power, but in exchange, they and their descendants were cursed. forever. They decided to rename their clan "Yagami" and set about destroying the Kusanagi with their new powers. In response, the Kusanagi declared war on the Yagami, which led to many members of both clans being killed. As a side effect of Orochi's curse, the Yagami's flames turned purple. The curse also causes every heir to die young, and every mother to die in childbirth. Iori suffers from an additional curse called "Blood Riot" (血の暴走Chi no Boso?) in which he becomes more powerful, savage, and tends to attack indiscriminately anyone who is close to him. In this state, Iori is commonly called "Wild Iori" or "Orochi Iori". Because of this curse, Iori hates the Kusanagi clan, but later becomes obsessed with killing their heir Kyo, disregarding their clans' past. This sometimes leads to Iori helping Kyo defeat his enemies to end the battle that he claims is pending. In order to find Kyo, he sometimes enters The King of Fighters and uses his teammates as tools to reach him. Iori appears in most games in the series.

Fighting Style

Iori fights using the Yasakani style of ancient martial arts, which is a violent offensive style that incorporates claw fighting. He uses his instincts to fight as well. Like the other two clans, Iori's clan movements/techniques are numbered in a 'style/method' order. The only moves Iori has shared with Kyo are the 108 Shiki: Yami Barai (Method 108: Darkness Sweeper), and the 100 Shiki: Oniyaki (Method 100: Demon Baker); the latter being the move they both currently share. However Kyo later discards the Darkness Sweeper in favor of his Kenpou style of chain piercing, making the two very different from each other. Iori's "Blood Riot" in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum looks identical to the scene shown in his KOF '96 ending when he killed Mature and Vice. His Desperation move, "Ura no 108 Shiki: Ya Sakazuki / Reverse Method 108: Eight Cups of Wine" is based on the legend of Orochi where each of the eight Orochi heads drank a cup of wine: each cup would then leave one head drunk or unconscious. Since it is a "Reverse Method" move, it serves as a direct counterpart to Kyo Iori's Ura 108 Shiki: Orochinagi / Reverse Method 108: Great Snake Reaper, as both are derived from the Yami Barai. His latest and most well-known SDM, "Kin 1211 Shiki: Ya Otome / Forbidden Method 1211: Eight Maidens" (affectionately known among fans as the Maiden Masher), is based on the legend when Orochi had eaten eight maidens who were the daughters of Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi. The move often consists of eight hits, excluding the finisher. Iori often uses it as his DM attack. It is also the technique that most of the Yagami used against the Kusanagi several years ago.

In terms of gameplay, Iori is a powerful character with highly damaging combos. Players would need to be careful as failing to master it would prevent Iori from using it to its full potential. His most popular mastery, Normal Geshiki: Yuri Ori (Foreign Method: Lilly Snapper), is a back kick that is meant only for crossing over making Iori unique in this regard. In most games such as KOF '98, Iori can use it in a backdash for a quick getaway. From there, Iori conned the discovery of certain mid-air attacks being available during a backdash (which was presumed to be a bug at the time), such as Kyo's Geshiki: Naraku Otoshi (Foreign Method: Abyssal Drop) and Robert Hien's Ryuujin Kyaku (Flying Swallow Dragon God Leg). Iori is surprisingly an avid sonification-type character, as his Yami Barai gives him an advantage in the Farewell Keep due to the movement styles in KOF.

Powers and Abilities

Iori has four basic special techniques. Shiki Yami Barai - A projectile attack which travels along the ground, similar to Kyo's initial projectile. This projectile is blue or purple in color and paralyzes the enemy for a short moment. It can go slow or fast, and it knocks an opponent it hits down while falling. Shiki Yami Oniyaki (Snake Bite) - This is a "shoryuken" style attack or raised Uppercut. Similar to Kyo's, but the attack starts from below (almost crouching), and has a larger attack area towards the front. In some versions of King of Fighters, the start of the attack from below is also part of the attack and can hit and push the opponent. Shiki Aoi Hana - (Flower of Death) This is a combo where Iori advances a short distance with one arm raised. Iori can continue to repeat the attack with the other arm, and optionally finishes with a third strike where he brings his arms together and uses a crushing blow, which must be blocked from the front. The response time ("lag") of the weak/fast version of this attack is quite short and can be used to harass a cornered enemy. The strong/slow version of this attack deals more damage and covers a greater distance, but is easy for the opponent to block. Slashing Hands - Iori specializes in clawing martial arts, and most of his moves are in the form of clawing strikes.

In more recent versions of the series, Iori can interrupt Aio Hana's first and second blow to execute another technique, for example the Oniyaki. Kototsuki In - An attack in which Iori runs up to his opponent and then grabs them by the neck and smashes them into the ground, releasing an explosion of energy. 1211 Shiki Ya Otome (Ki Sen Ni Hyaku Juu Ichi Shiki: Ya Otome/ Style 1211: Eight Ladies) - Iori uses a burst of speed to catch up to his enemy, then delivers a series of 7 scratches and finishes him off with an explosion of purple fire. STYLE 1201 MAIDEN MASHER - It is the powerful version where Iori scratches faster to finish with three explosions of fire until he is knocked down. (From The King of Fighters 99 and 2000) STYLE 327 GLOOM GOUGER - This is one of the most famous DM moves where Iori launches three fire projectiles to finish with a pillar of fire. It serves as a unique move in KOF 2000 but is used as a combo in 1211 Shiki Ya Otome. Saku Tsumaguchi (Heel Ripper) - Iori launches into a long jump at his enemy, trying to crush them into the ground in the same way he does during Kototsuki In, where he then grabs his opponent to lift them up and attack them with multiple arcs of fire similar to Oniyaki. Ura Sen-Ni-Hyaku-Nana Shiki: Yamisogi - Iori attacks the opponent with two blasts of fire to make them lift them off the ground and sends them flying with a pillar of fire, apparently, launched from his mouth on the ground. Ura San-Hyaku-Ju-Roku Shiki: Saika - is a combination technique between the Ya Otome and the Yamisogi. First, the Ya Otome is performed, and before the explosion ends, Iori does the combo with the Yamisogi's fire pillar. This technique appeared in some versions such as KOF XI, and KOF XIII with Ex Iori.

Ura 108 Shiki: Ya Sakasuki (Ura no Hyaku Hachi: Ya Sakasuki) - is the Yasakani version of Kyo's Orochinagi, but different: it is a fire projectile with a petrifying effect, temporarily immobilizing the opponent and then attacking them. In some installments it does a little damage, in others it only paralyzes. (KOF 96, 97 and 98) San Shingi no Ni (Second of 3 Divine Arts) - Iori grabs the enemy, smashing them to the ground with several explosions of fire, then lifts them up and chokes them while damaging them further with a pillar of fire. This is his most powerful technique. Ura 311 Oritsume Kushi - Iori grabs the opponent by the neck and finishes him off with the Yani Oniyaki with five hits. He has used this move since The King of Fighters 99 and KOF 2002 UM Oroine Shma Smith - Iori takes his opponent to the ground, where he then scratches them six times, and then, he throws a fit of rage that makes him hit the opponent three times, producing a violet energy. This is his SDM in some of his appearances. Shiki Homurabotobi - Iori goes into a Riot of Blood, grabbing the opponent from a jump, knocking them to the ground by their head, and then releases a powerful blast of fire. Yasakani no Baku - Iori grabs the opponent in a pillar of fire and then blows them up with the pillar itself. The fire turns from purple to normal fire. It is assumed to be from Orochi Fire to Yasakani Fire. Ura 1219 Shiki Hamura Hotowo - It is his HSDM in KOF 2002, Iori grabs the opponent upside down and with a laugh uses a fire explosion (if you are Kyo, Iori will scream from the form the blood riot acquired). However for 2002 UM the animation changes, this time after Iori explodes it, he combos it with the 311 Oritsune Kushi giving between 5 to 7 hits.

Riot of the Blood - Thanks to the pact made with his Orochi clan, Iori enters this state when Orochi's presence is strong. While in this form, his eyes become dilated, his back hunched, and his skin takes on a violet hue. He mostly moans incoherently while screaming "Kyooo!" during fights. He becomes stronger and faster in exchange for his sanity. Pyrokinesis - Due to his Yagami heritage, Iori can control fire; he can create a bright purple fire out of nowhere, create fireballs, fire punches, create pillars of fire, and put his body on fire. His fire also has the ability to put enemies into a holy stasis-like state. He is not immune to other types of fire. He cannot control fires other than those he created. Iori can also occasionally wield crimson flames due to the presence of the ancient Yasakani clan's power. Though he does not have the ability to intentionally create it (it appears at random times, usually when Iori is using his holy ability to seal Orochi (such as in KOF '96 and his LDM in KOF 2003) this power was stolen by Ash Crimson in The King of Fighters XI, however, Iori regained it in The King of Fighters XIII. Musical Instruments - Iori plays the bass very well, and is seen playing the guitar as well in some incarnations.

These are the techniques that Iori has preserved throughout the games. Other techniques include the Kuzukaze (Iori grabs his enemy to switch sides), and the 303-Shiki (a kind of long jump with a downward fire punch). A curious characteristic of Iori's powers is that sometimes when he uses his flames, they go from purple to a red or crimson color, it is believed that this is a result of the essence of the Yasakani fire being present more. After Ash took away the Yasakani no Magatama, Iori had to adapt his fighting style for the upcoming tournament. Although the next tournament was a Dream Match, his new fighting style was defined in KOF XII, and remained that way until KOF XIII. Fighting style/non-powered techniques: Hyaku-Yon Shiki: Nue Uchi - Iori attacks the opponent with his claws in the air. Yon-Hyaku Ichi Shiki: Shogetsu - Iori turns and attacks with a claw swipe. Hyaku-Ju-Kyu Shiki: Akegarasu - Iori quickly approaches the opponent to strike with a claw. Ni-Hyaku-San Shiki: Tsuchi-Tsubaki - Iori grabs the opponent by the neck and throws them to the ground on the opposite side of his stance. Kin Sen-Ni-Hyaku-Ju-Ichi Shiki: Ya Otome - is Iori's SDM, but unlike the normal Ya Otome where it ends with an explosion, Iori instead finishes the opponent with a double X-shaped slash. In his drive form, the number of attacks reaches 12 hits, then he finishes with the double slash where the entire background turns red. Kin Sen-Ni-Hyaku-Ju-Hachi Shiki: Yatagarasu - is Iori's Neo Max in KOF XIII, where he gives a powerful and large claw swipe. The entire background turns red, the figures of the characters are shadowed and the silhouette of 3 claws giving the swipe can be seen.

Ura Sen-Ni-Ju-Kyu Shiki: Homurahotogi - is Ex Iori's Neo Max in KOF XIII, where he concentrates his flames into a grab against the opponent towards the ground making them explode into a powerful pillar of fire. In The King of Fighters XIV Iori adopts the movements of the previous installment, using again his purple flames and energy claws. In addition, he uses the blood riot without losing his mind.