Mai Shiranui

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Mai Shiranui

Mai Shiranui as she appears in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum, illustrated by Ogura Eisuke
Game series Fatal Fury series
The King of Fighters series
SNK Vs. series
First game Fatal Fury 2
Voiced by (English) Sarah Sawatsky (anime)
Lisa Ann Beley (movie)
Sheryl Stanley (Maximum Impact)
Voiced by (Japanese) Akoya Sogi
Kotono Mitsuishi (OVAs and motion picture)
Megumi Hayashibara (Dengeki Bunko drama CD)
Live action actor(s) Maggie Q
Information
Birthplace Japan
Blood type B
Fighting style Ninja Arts of the Shiranui style (不知火流忍術 Shiranui-ryū Ninjutsu?)
Weapon Kachōsen ("Butterfly-Fan")

Mai Shiranui (マイ・シラヌイ Mai Shiranui, sometimes written as 不知火 舞 Shiranui Mai?) is a character from both the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters series of fighting games by SNK (now SNK Playmore). In her mind, Andy Bogard, who studied Ninjutsu with her grandfather, Hanzo, is her fiancé. The relationship between the two is often ambiguous, usually on the part of Andy, who at times seems to suppress his feelings for her in favor of treating her like a little sister. She typically wears exceptionally low-cut blouses, dresses, and clothing to maximize the exposure of her cleavage, and most fight scenes involving Mai include several shots that focus especially on her breasts and buttocks.

Contents

[edit] Conception and creation

Prior to creating Mai, the Fatal Fury series would feature a male ninja using the fighting style that Mai would use. Later, the SNK staff changed their focus to including an idol character into the series, and they decided to replace him with Mai. Mai 'characteristic "bounce" was loosely modified from a kunoichi (female ninja) method of assassination: to be sensual to their unassuming prey before they strike.[1] According to a publication of Neo Geo Freak, her breasts were modeled after Fumie Hosokawa and her butt is modeled after Ai Iijima; both women were famous idols during the release of the Fatal Fury series.[2] During the development from The King of Fighters '94 the designer for Mai asked if it was all right to increase Mai's pause actions, and because the powers that be thought there was enough remaining memory for the game. When the completed pose was presented, it knocked people flat. Due to the pose's potency, however, Mai's eye-popping motions were stilled in the KOF '94 international home version.[3] KOF: Maximum Impact producer, Falcoon, stated that designing Mai's alternate design that appears in the Maximum Impact series was one of the ones he felt "unforgivable", as he felt unsure of fans' reaction to the change.[4] Shinkiro, an illustrator from The King of Fighters, commented that Mai was the most difficult to draw since he "thought she was going to burst out of her costume", making the series less recommended for children.[5]

[edit] Appearance and costumes

Mai's basic look changes only slightly through most of the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters games. She has long brown hair (however, in some official arts she has red) with long bangs framing the sides of her face, tied up in a thick, long ponytail which flows behind her back.

Her costume is usually a sleeveless, skimpy red outfit or tunic. The costume is held at her waist by a decorative waistband, often with long, trailing decorative tails, leading down to a loin cloth with a thong underneath (or mini-shorts in the US version). Her footwear for Fatal Fury 2, Fatal Fury Special and The King of Fighters games is a pair of soft-soled ninja tabi. From Fatal Fury 3 onwards into the Real Bout Fatal Fury games, she wears instep guards that leave her heels and the front parts of her feet exposed. In Fatal Fury 3, she also wore a red vest, which was abandoned later on. She also wears heavier eyeshadow.

In the US versions of KOF 2002, Fatal Fury 2 and Fatal Fury Special, Mai's famous breast bouncing animation is removed.

In KOF: Maximum Impact, her alternate costumes portray her with very short, boyish hair and ninja outfits that resemble that of Kasumi from the Dead or Alive games. In KOF: Maximum Impact 2, one of Mai's second outfit color schemes is exactly Andy's standard palette, even giving Mai blonde hair. Also, another of her outfits bears a resemblance to Lum Invader from Urusei Yatsura (long green hair, clothes sporting tiger prints, and her hairpin even makes it look like she had small horns). This costume is also considered to be a cosplay of Cham Cham from SNK's Samurai Showdown series.[citation needed]

[edit] Attributes

Mai Shiranui is the granddaughter of Hanzo Shiranui, master of Ninjitsu and Koppo-ken. Mai learned from her father the secrets of Ninjitsu, and became an expert in stealth and other sneaky tricks. Although her beauty has brought her many suitors, she rejects all who propose to her, considering them "weak." However, one day she became obsessed with a young boy by the name of Andy Bogard. However, Andy paid little attention to Mai, too absorbed in his training. Mai, on the other hand, had even made plans as to when Andy would marry her. After they grew up, Andy decided to travel back to the United States and reunite with his brother Terry Bogard to exact revenge on Geese Howard, the man who killed their father.

[edit] Appearances

[edit] In video games

Mai stars in Fatal Fury 2 to assist Andy into facing the the new host of the King of Fighters tournament, Wolfang Krauser. She also plays a supporting role in Fatal Fury 3 and Real Bout Fatal Fury into fighting Geese Howard, the criminal who killed Andy and Terry's father, Jeff Bogard. The following games from the series, Real Bout Fatal Fury Special and Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers do not contain a storyline, while the 3D game Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, retells the story from the first Fatal Fury, which did not originally featured Mai.

The King of Fighters series tournament also feature Mai as a regular character participating in the annual tournaments in the Women Fighters Team. Initially, the team is composed of Mai and King and Yuri Sakazaki from the Art of Fighting series. However, by The King of Fighters '96, Yuri is obliged to take her father's place in the Art of Fighting Team, and Kasumi Todoh, becomes the new third member of the team. In The King of Fighters '97 Kasumi leaves to search for her father, and she is replaced by the tournament host Chizuru Kagura in this game and in The King of Fighters '98 which does not feature a storyline. In The King of Fighters '99, the teams were expanded to four members, and so Mai goes to the Fatal Fury Team (composed of Terry, Andy and Joe Higashi). She returns to the Women Fighters Team in The King of Fighters 2000, which is now formed by Kasumi, Yuri, and the sumo fighter Hinako Shijou as King left to replace Yuri in the Art of Fighting Team. Yuri and Kasumi once again leave in The King of Fighters 2001 and both are replaced by Li Xiangfei and King. Although The King of Fighters 2002 does not contain plot, the Women Fighters Team is composed of Mai, Yuri and May Lee from the Korea Team, while in the remake Unlimited Match, it is made of Mai, Kasumi and King. The King of Fighters 2003, the tournament returns to its rule of having three members per team, and the Women Fighters Team is developed by Mai, Blue Mary and King. Mai leaves competition in The King of Fighters XI in order to search for Andy who was absent in 2003, but appears as a hidden character in the PlayStation 2 version.

In The King of Fighters: KYO, an RPG game centered on Kyo Kusanagi and settled right in between KoF'96 and KoF'97, Mai is not a playable character, but she and other fighters provide Kyo with info and help during his trials, specially when his girlfriend Yuki is kidnapped and taken abroads. Mai is also present in one of Kyo and Yuki's dates after the incident, when she treats them to a tea ceremony.

She is also in every SNK vs. Capcom game as a rival to Street Fighter's Chun-Li, SNK Gals' Fighters, Neo Geo Battle Coliseum, the mobile games Neo Geo Tennis Coliseum,[6][7] SNK Beach Volley～GAL'S ATTACK～[8] and in the dating simulation series Days of Memories.

She also has been known to make cameo appearances in character endings for both the Samurai Shodown[9][10] and Art of Fighting 2 games. In the US release of the Art of Fighting game, it is implied that Eiji Kisaragi has feelings for her.[11] The original Japanese version contains nothing of the sort canon-wise.

[edit] In other media

Mai makes her first anime appearance in Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle, where she follows Andy on his travels to find Wolfgang Krauser in Germany, where she is approached and later attacked by Laurence Blood. Unfortunately for Blood, the sight of Mai bound drives Andy into a frenzy and he is easily beaten.

In the feature-length Fatal Fury anime movie, Mai is present with Terry, Andy and Joe when the quest to find the Armor of Mars and stop the would-be conqueror Laocorn Gaudeamus is given to them by Sulia, Laocorn's sister. As usual, she tags along not so much to help save the world but more as an excuse to spend time with Andy. Despite the severity of the situation, she is able the time to have fun in a dance party held by Duck King, which is later crashed by Hauer, one of Laocorn's henchmen. Hauer lifts his mask to reveal his face to Mai, maybe to win her favor. The kunoichi considers Hauer handsome and very attractive but not at the same level of Andy. Afterwards, Mai is captured by Hauer, who tries to steal a kiss from her in front of Andy. Enraged, Andy attacks, only to be stopped dead in his tracks when Mai is put in the path of his blow. Using Mai as a shield, Hauer gives Andy a severe beating. Afterwards as they all regroup and recover, Mai bonds with Sulia, who has a crush on Terry. Both girls promise to work hard to win the hearts of their respective men. An attack by Hauer and Panni, another of Laocorn's servants, leads to a fierce battle. Mai defeats Panni using her super technique, and Andy, fresh from some training, easily eliminates Hauer. In the final battle with Laocorn, Mai helps Terry, Andy and Joe stop Laocorn and later an incarnation of the god Mars.

She will be played by Maggie Q in the upcoming The King of Fighters movie. Mai is also a featured character in one of the new Queen's Gate combat gamebooks published by Hobby Japan as part of its Queen's Blade system based on Flying Buffalo's Lost Worlds rules.

[edit] Reception

Mai has a number of cards in the Universal Fighting System card game, including a starter deck. Actress Misa Nishida also released a cosplay homage video to her entitled, Queen of Fighters 2005.[12] She also has several figurines, hardcast or otherwise, made in her image by Aizu Project,[13] Max Factory,[14] Daiki,[15][16] and more. Recently a third-party company has made a custom Neo Geo joystick controller designed to play for playstation consoles. It has been decorated with character-related imagery.[17]

Since her first appearance in Fatal Fury 2, she has been converted and recognized as the main sex symbol of SNK. She was awarded Hottest Game Babe of 1994 by Electronic Gaming Monthly.[18] Mai was rated fourth in GameSpy.com's "Top Ten Babes in Games" feature and fifth in Game Informer's "Top Ten Hottest Girls of the 16-Bit era."[19] UGO.com ranked her sixth in their "Top 50 Videogame Hotties" article, calling her the "Chun-Li of the SNK universe", but stating a preference for her over the Capcom character;[20] they additionally cited her as one of the "Top 11" girls of gaming at number seven, describing her as "an unapologetic sex symbol" and a mascot for both the King of Fighters series and SNK as a whole.[21] GameDaily placed her sixth on their "Top 50 Hottest Game Babes" list.[22] She was also featured three times in their "Babe of the Week" series,[23][24][25] and in another article discussing breasts in gaming, which stated "When it comes to 2-D breasts, no character tops Mai Shiranui".[26]

[edit] References

  1. ^ SNK Playmore (2000). ALL ABOUT SNK対戦格闘ゲーム〈1991‐2000〉. SNK Playmore. ISBN 978-4885546778. 
  2. ^ (in Japanese) KOFキャラクターズ―KOF’94~’97 全45キャラ設定資料完全収録. Neo Geo Freak. 1998. ISBN 978-4874654064. 
  3. ^ "Successive characters: Mai". King of Fighters 10th anniversary Official Homepage. http://kofaniv.snkplaymore.co.jp/english/character/index.php?num=mai. Retrieved on 2009-01-22. 
  4. ^ "アナザーコスチュームのこと・・・（一回目）". Falcoon official blog. http://www.snkplaymore.jp/blog/falcoon/archives/2006/02/post_7.html. Retrieved on 2009-01-21. 
  5. ^ "Interview with Eiji". King of Fighters 10th anniversary Official Homepage. http://kofaniv.snkplaymore.co.jp/english/comment/remember_kof.php?num=1. Retrieved on 2009-01-24. 
  6. ^ Famitsu. "ネオジオキャラが大暴れ!　『ネオジオ テニス コロシアム』" (in Japanese). Famitsu Official Homepage. http://www.famitsu.com/k_tai/news/1167161_1350.html. Retrieved on February 7 2008. 
  7. ^ SNK Playmore. "NEOGEO TENNIS COLISEUM" (in Japanese). SNK Playmore Official Homepage. http://game.snkplaymore.co.jp/mobile/i-mode/special/ntc.php. Retrieved on February 7 2008. 
  8. ^ SNK Playmore. "スポーツ：SNK WORLD-i" (in Japanese). SNK Playmore Official Homepage. http://game.snkplaymore.co.jp/mobile/i-mode/apri_sports.php. Retrieved on February 27 2008. 
  9. ^ Rey. "Ending for Samurai Shodown-Haohmaru(Neo Geo)". The Video Game Museum. http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/neogeo/c/sshohao.htm. Retrieved on February 27 2008. 
  10. ^ Rey. "Ending for Samurai Shodown-Gen An(Neo Geo)". The Video Game Museum. http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/neogeo/c/sshogen.htm. Retrieved on February 27 2008. 
  11. ^ Kitsune Sniper. "Ending for Art of Fighting 2-Eiji Kisaragi(Neo Geo)". The Video Game Museum. http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/neogeo/a/aof2eiji.htm. Retrieved on February 27 2008. 
  12. ^ Ashcraft, Brian. "Hot Tears of Shame ~ Queen of Fighters". Kotaku, the Gamer's Guide. http://kotaku.com/gaming/hot-tears-of-shame/the-queen-of-fighters-329527.php. Retrieved on February 27 2008. 
  13. ^ "Aizu Project Mai Shiranui 1/7 Scale Figure". National Console Support, Inc. http://mgrsti3030s.seamlesstech.biz/templates/frmTemplateR.asp?CatalogID=13203&SearchYN=N&subFolderID=165. Retrieved on February 27 2008. 
  14. ^ "西村キヌコレクション 不知火 舞 CAPCOM VS. SNK2" (in Japanese). MAX FACTORY Official Website. http://maxfactory.cms.drecom.jp/newproducts0708_01.html. Retrieved on February 27 2008. 
  15. ^ McWhertor, Michael. "Daiki's Spin on Mai Shiranui's T & A". Kotaku, the Gamer's Guide. http://kotaku.com/gaming/king-of-fighters/daikis-spin-on-mai-shiranuis-t--a-327517.php. Retrieved on February 27 2008. 
  16. ^ SNK Playmore. "ザ・キング・オブ・ファイターズ　不知火 舞 PVC：SNKプレイモア ゲーム情報総合サイト　NEOGEO WORLD" (in Japanese). SNK Playmore Official Homepage. http://game.snkplaymore.co.jp/goods/goods52.php. Retrieved on February 27 2008. 
  17. ^ Exar. "NEOGEO STICK 3 -扇-version" (in Japanese). 株式会社エクサー ゲームをもっと楽しもう！ゲーム周辺グッズの企画・開発会社です！. http://exar.jp/neogeo/ngst3/neogeostick3_ougi.html. Retrieved on February 27 2008. 
  18. ^ Electronic Gaming Monthly's Buyer's Guide. 1995. 
  19. ^ Johnson, Bryan. "Top Ten Babes in Games". GameSpy's Official Homepage. http://archive.gamespy.com/top10/may03/gamebabes/index.shtml. Retrieved on February 27 2008. 
  20. ^ Top 50 Videogame Hotties. UGO.com. Retrieved on 2008-12-14
  21. ^ Top 11 Girls of Gaming. UGO.com. Retrieved on 2008-12-28
  22. ^ Top 50 Hottest Game Babes on Trial. GameDaily. Retrieved on 2008-12-29
  23. ^ Babe of the Week: Outrageous Boobs. GameDaily. Retrieved on 2008-12-29
  24. ^ Babe of the Week: Mai Shiranui. GameDaily. Retrieved on 2008-12-29
  25. ^ Workman, Robert (2009-02-06). Babe of the Week: Asian Beauties. GameDaily. Retrieved on 2009-02-09
  26. ^ Boobs Through the Years. GameDaily. Retrieved on 2008-12-29

[edit] External links

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