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Orochi (オロチ) is a monster in Japanese Shinto mythology.
Orochi is more widely known as an eight-headed demonic snake. In all of the variations, Orochi is defeated by Kusanagi, the hero of the legend.
For more information, see Japanese mythology.
The demon Orochi makes frequent appearances in Japanese games and anime, especially RPGs. There are variations on the original legend: 8-headed snake, rampaging swordsman, etc. (Yasakani, Hasshaku, Yagami, Yata, and some other names are SNK's spin on their adaption to the legend.) The most common form is Kusanagi getting Orochi drunk on sake, then beheading him while the demon was in a drunken stupor.
The Orochi saga in The King of Fighters is a version of the Kusanagi legend. He is the final boss of The King of Fighters '97. His voice is provided by Rio Ogata . He has white hair, white pants, and a tattoo across his chest.
In the version presented in KOF, Orochi, a being that could cause incredible amounts of destruction and death, was originally defeated 1800 years ago by the members of the Kusanagi, Yasakani, and Yata clans. The Yasakani held Orochi in place, the Kusanagi deal the final blow, and the Yata sealed it off.
However, some 250 years later, when the Kusanagi clan was considered to be the strongest of the three clans and the Yasakani the weakest of the three, the Yasakani clan made a blood pact that allowed the Yasakani to use the power of Orochi. Such power came at a cost: the Yasakani, now Yagami, wielded purple flames and were doomed to live very short lives. This action led to a violent feud between the Kusanagi and the Yagami, and many members of both clans lost their lives.
The murder of the leader of the Yata clan in the present day released the seal that had sealed Orochi away. Hearing of this, the heiress to the Yata, Chizuru Kagura, organized the 1996 King of Fighters tournament in order to unite the two warring clans, represented by Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami. Together, they manage to seal off Orochi once again.