is a fictional character in SNK's The King of Fighters series of fighting games. The character was first introduced in the 1994 video game The King of Fighters '94 as the leader of the Japanese team from the series' title tournament. Kyo, heir to the Kusanagi clan, is first introduced as a cocky, delinquent high-school student who has pyrokinetic powers. His clan is one of three who banished the legendary snake demon entity Yamata no Orochi. During the series' story, Kyo meets rivals and enemies who seek to take his flame abilities. Aside from the main series, Kyo appears in several crossovers and spinoffs with other games. He is also the central title character of the manga The King of Fighters: Kyo and video game adaptation with the same name which center around his daily life. Kyo was created by Shinichi Morioka as a hero who would fight the main characters from other SNK franchises, such as Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting. His debut in The King of Fighters received a large positive response by fans, making Kyo return in The King of Fighters '99 where he was originally non available in early versions. His outfit and gameplay techniques were redesigned throughout the series; since his original appearance, featuring a high-school uniform, became popular with fans, designers created clones of his original costume in later games. The same occurred with his moves, which have been re-balanced across the series. Video game journalists have praised Kyo's design and fighting style as among the best of the series, and in fighting games in general. His role in the story and his long rivalry with Iori Yagami were also celebrated. The character's redesign in The King of Fighters XIV earned mixed responses because of the differences from previous incarnations. Kyo's role in printed media and other adaptations of the series has often been criticized, most notably in the live-action film. A variety of Kyo collectibles, including key chains and figurines, has been created. Conception and creation Origin and influences Kyo Kusanagi was created by artist Shinichi Morioka. When designing characters for the first King of Fighters game, developers wanted a new, "snazzy" hero who would fight against characters from two other SNK series, Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting. Through most of his development, Kyo was named and was dressed in martial arts clothing common in fighting games of the time. His