Ash Crimson

Ash Crimson

Ash Crimson is a character from the video game series The King of Fighters. He first appeared in The King of Fighters 2003, and is the main character of the Ash Saga. His name is translated as "Crimson Ash", alluding to the suit he wears. The most controversial thing about this character is the image he projects, which according to the official SNK Playmore website, was designed as "an attractive villain", however, it is undeniable that he has a feminine mischief. During his last debut he became the tragic hero of King of Fighters.

Profile

Full Name: Ash Crimson Date of Birth: February 14 (17 years old♒) Height: 178 cm Weight: 59 kg Blood Type: O Family/Relationships: Saiki (a god and his ancestor) Likes: Her decorated nails Hates: Annoying or uninteresting things Hobbies: Nail art Favorite Food: Sacher Torte Sports Dominated: None (because sports are a pain) Fighting Style: Personal style (using special flames)

History

Ash Saga: Ash is the leader of the New Hero Team (also composed of Duo Lon and Shen Woo). Together, they made their first appearance in The King of Fighters 2003. Although their motives were to enter the tournament to take the sacred treasures of the descendants of the clans that sealed Orochi 1,800 years ago, in which, Chizuru was the first to lose hers. (Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami and Chizuru Kagura). KOF XI: Later, Ash teams up with Oswald, a man with Karnoffei arts, and again with Shen Woo. After defeating Magaki, Ash pits Shen Woo against Oswald in a battle to the death. To do so, Ash made up a story about a drug dealer, called "Dragon Pills". Oswald was on the trail of this supposed drug dealer. So, with these conditions, Ash tells Oswald that the only way to find this drug dealer is to eliminate the drug dealer's supposed great enemy, Shen Woo. But Ash's true purpose for this tournament was to steal Iori Yagami's powers, and he succeeded when Iori was under the Blood Riot (in which he attacked Kyo and Shingo Yabuki). Shingo tries to explain to him that Iori is not the same as before, and upon learning that he has suffered the Blood Riot he took advantage to steal his powers and leaves not before mocking Shingo. When the Rival Team (Elisabeth Blanctorche, Duo Lon, and Benimaru Nikaido) arrive on the scene, they approach Ash after he stole Iori's powers. Elisabeth asks Ash to repeat the mission they were given. Ash replies that he doesn't remember what mission he was given, and that he is a different person now. She tells him that his obsession with power disgusts her now and tells him to back off. Ash complies, but not before showing the three the powers he stole from Iori Yagami. As he disappears using the powers of Chizuru's Yata Mirror, Ash assures them that Kyo Kusanagi will be the next target.

KOF XII: Ash appears in his most current incarnation, having stolen Iori Yagami's powers. Ash's powers appear to have increased to the point where he can wield his fire powers (including enhanced versions of his original Desperation Moves) using only one hand. Maximum Impact Saga: Ash appears in The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact Regulation A. Although this game is part of an alternate story to the main saga, Ash's dialogue (especially when he faces Xiao Lon) seems to indicate that this game is set between the events of The King of Fighters XI, this is because Xiao Lon asks Ash about the Hizoku and his brother but he answers at the end that he hasn't seen him in a while.

Another Day: In the OVA Another Day, Ash has a major appearance in the last episode Everything Ends, when he plans to create a fire throughout Southtown in order to steal Kyo Kusanagi's powers. To do so, he creates a curtain of fire on a tanker truck which he makes spread throughout the city leaving several innocent victims and also corners Kyo with ease. While Kyo was looking for some fire victims, he saw Ash's fire on some sheets so he looks for a fight, but Ash in a building throws a radio satellite dish at him and he defends himself with fire slashes. Suddenly Alba Meira was in the same place and related her fire powers with the fire so the two fight. While this happens, Ash watches the fight thinking it is more fun. His plan to steal the power fails when Iori Yagami appears before him and decides to fight him. Ash claims that he is no longer interested and then disappears in a curtain of fire, leaving Iori very angry. That is when the flames are extinguished, especially Ash's flame. After Iori explained to the Ikari Wariors about a supposed "Kyo clone", he comes to calm Kyo and Alba saying that Ash had escaped, so Kyo tells him that he is between his steps and feels responsible because the fire cornered him. Alba apologizes and leaves. Then she escapes with Elizabeth on a yacht, not knowing what plans she will have.

KOF XIII: Here Ash has no teammates, as Shen Woo also joined with Elisabeth Blantorche, however Botan gives him her invitation to participate in the tournament, he responds that he will try not to look useless. Botan tells him that Elizabeth has been following him and that she will be in the tournament, he makes a slight gesture of seriousness thinking about her presence and says, in a joking way, why is she so serious that she does not give him rest. Botan tells Ash that lately she has been "playing" in "that" room, a place that apparently, no one but Saiki can enter, he tells her that it has been very fun and asks if she would like to see it too. Before he can do or say anything, Ash leaves. On his way through the "Hollow", Ash meets Shroom and Rimelo, where he tells them what happened since Shroom's clothes were somewhat burned (telling her jokingly that she must have burned herself with a cigarette in bed), to which she replies by saying that she played with the final flames. Ash says that it is very kind of her despite the fact that she usually treats humans like garbage. Before leaving, Ash discreetly tells her that the path she follows with Saiki (referring to him as "that person") will not end in a rosy (i.e. happy) ending, telling her that if she entered "that room" she would understand, and that it wouldn't hurt her to be "naughty" for once.

Later, Ash appears in Sky Noah for a moment when Adelheid Bernstein begins to wonder what is happening to her sister and why she is running a KOF, that is when she tells him that one of her acquaintances (in this case, Botan), is the one who is doing something to her sister. Adel exclaims asking him what he knows and what is happening, answering that even if he explained it to him, he would not be able to understand it. As the tournament battles progress, Ash begins to observe everything from the shadows, speaking in his thoughts that everyone seems to be enjoying the moment and that they have no idea what is going to happen, since the only one who knows "everything" is him. After the fights progress, he reports to Saiki, who asks him why he's still doing nothing, making references to the people who took their powers (Iori in this case, who fights), and why he hasn't participated in the tournament yet, asking him if he at least has a plan; Ash answers saying that he wouldn't exactly call it a plan, but that everything will work out. Saiki is displeased telling him that if Kusanagi's power doesn't work for him, he'll know what will happen to him, and Ash answers that he understands and will do what he has to do, retreating, leaving a displeased Saiki who continues to question him. Now in the finals of the tournament, Ash prepares for what is coming, saying that the energy of the fighters will awaken Orochi, who without realizing that he will be trapped and will be used to bring back "Those of the Past", or that is what he says Saiki will be thinking, but Ash realizes that Shroom and Rimelo have already gone to the room, and that they will already begin to move on their own plans, so he prepares to move on his own plan as well.

Once in the territory of the destroyed tournament, wait to see how the fight of the winning team against Saiki ends. After Saiki sees how the Gate of Time begins to close and suspects that it was the work of his subordinates, Ash takes advantage of his lowered guard to steal his power (which would be more like his soul), Botan exclaims to him telling him that then his objective was not the 3 sacred treasures; Ash laughs telling her that everything would end for the clans, but Saiki begins to take control of Ash, and faces the winning team, who defeats him. Saiki tries to enter the portal, telling Ash that there is no other option, that it is his duty, telling him that he knows him very well, stating that he is his ancestor and a god. However, Ash refuses to enter the portal, telling him that he does not know him at all, that he actually loves the world he is in and that he does not intend to make it disappear. With this, being trapped in a dimension between the present and the past, Saiki disappears, and with it Ash's existence as well. In the end, Elizabeth appears, asking him why he did all this, who responds by saying that in the end things did not turn out as he planned and apologizes, then disappears. Only the people who were closest to Ash still remember his existence. After Ash's disappearance, people like Elisabeth still remember his existence by keeping the headband from his hair; and both Iori and Chizuru regained their powers.

KOF XIV: The paradox created by Ash in KOF XIII is the cause of bringing Verse into the world, which makes him indirectly guilty of his appearance in the XIV tournament, later it is discovered that Ash's soul was one of the many souls trapped within Verse and when it is destroyed, the fragment of his soul falls in Ukraine and is found by Kukri who works with Elisabeth. However, his reappearance was confirmed in The King of Fighters XV, being like the New Faces Team one of the characters that was revived when Verse left behind souls of dead and missing characters.

Dark Versions

Evil Ash: It is the most powerful form that Ash Crimson reaches to possess in the game KOF XIII, when Saiki loses against the team, Ash takes him by the back and absorbs his powers, and he himself merged into Ash's body, forming a single being. His green flames were combined with the darkness changing them to a black color, Evil Ash has a darker tone, with dark flames surrounding his body, he is faster, more powerful, and has some other attacks, also when Evil Ash generates attacks, is hit or loses, it is noted that Saiki's voice is mixed with Ash's (two voices of different tones are heard).

Personality

Although at first Ash seems like a normal guy with a comical side in KOF 2003, by the end it seems like he had a "comic villain" side, because sometimes he behaved like a clown, which is shown in some of his victory phrases (example could be Ryo Sakazaki in KOF XIII when beating him he says "you didn't think you could win right, sorry, I was messing with you") another part of him could be considered as a lazy because he looks down on training as revealed when he beats Kensou in KOF XIII calling practice a waste of time. But he is even more mocking for seeing someone helpless; as in the case of Shingo in King of Fighters XI, who, when Iori Yagami in his blood riot left him badly injured, Ash shamelessly laughs at him for it. It can be seen that in the same scenario, Ash fully knows the state his opponent is in. In the OVA Another Day he seemed like a very ruthless enemy for creating the fire of the city in order to kill Kyo. However when he met Iori Yagami, Ash claims that he no longer has time to fight, considering him useless and runs away (after stealing his powers in the previous tournament). Despite being an antagonist in the series at first, he was also shown to have a soft side with his teammates, especially Elizabeth since they saw each other as siblings, however when he became Dark Ash his personality changes completely becoming more sadistic in battle and attacks mercilessly due to the control that Saiki has over him. He even met Adelehid Bernestein (Rugal's youngest son) and tells him as a question about Rose's behavior from the King of Fighters XI until the last tournament, talking about how an acquaintance (being Botan) had been using her for his plans.

Powers

Pyrokinesis - Ash can create and manipulate a green fire. (The origin of this fire is still unknown.) Ash's green fire techniques include: Ventôse - releases a green fire wave, its EX version deals 2 fire waves. Nivôse - Ash can launch a green fire kick. Pluviôse - This is the DM version of Nivôse, only it does 3 green fire kicks, its EX version deals 4 fire kicks. Thermidor - can create a large sphere of fire, which advances slowly, but cannot be stopped. Yata Strike - Channeling the power of Yata no Kagami into his green fire, Ash strikes his opponent and suppresses their powers temporarily. Translocation - With the power of the Yata no Kagami, he can translocate from one place to another. Reflection - can create a reflection of himself. Genie - Ash can blow out small wisps of fire that stay in the air for a while and explode. He can throw up to 4 wisps of fire. Germinal Caprice - Ash can charge at his opponents with fire. Absorption - Ash's green fire seems to be able to absorb powers, proof of this was the absorption of the Yata no Kagami, the Yasakani no Magatama and Saiki's Darkness. Sans-Culotte - Ash covers his body in flames. Shimi Barai - By absorbing the Yasakani no Magatama, Ash can use this technique of Iori. Germinal - Germinal Caprice is an upgraded version of Germinal Caprice, but in this case, Ash charges at the opponent with more fire and finishes them off with a barrage of purple fire pillars. (Sans-Culotte must be activated). Fructidor - With his NEOMAX from KOF XIII and the powers of Yasakani no Magatama, Ash grabs the opponent and unleashes a devastating explosion of purple fire. Its effect is similar to Iori and Kyo's Orochinagi.