Iori Yagami

Iori Yagami
The King of Fighters character
Iori Yagami in The King of Fighters XI
First game	The King of Fighters '95 (1995)
Voiced by	Kunihiko Yasui (KOF 95' - KOF XIII) Takanori Hoshino (KOF XIV onward)
Portrayed by	Will Yun Lee
Fictional profile
Birthplace	Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Fighting style	Yagami-ryū Kenpo

Iori Yagami (八神 庵, Yagami Iori^?) is a character from SNK's The King of Fighters video game series who first appeared in The King of Fighters '95 as the leader of the Rivals Team. He is an iconic character in the series, and appears regularly on publicity material and merchandise. Iori is a central character to the series' plot, and the initial enemy and eventual rival of Kyo Kusanagi. He was created specifically to become Kyo's rival and his name and abilities were designed to relate him with the Yamata no Orochi legend. The designers ended up liking him so much that they are careful how his character is developed as the series expands.

Iori is the heir of the Yagami clan, who wield pyrokinetic powers and sealed the Orochi demon along with the Kusanagi and Yata clans. However, after betraying the Kusanagi clan, the Yagami are cursed by Orochi giving them powers that cause all their members to die young. The character harbors hatred against the other clans, but later becomes obsessed with killing their heir Kyo. As a result, Iori sometimes helps him in order to have the opportunity to have a final fight against him. Aside from the main series, Iori appears in several other media series such as spin-offs and crossover video games, and comic adaptations of the series.

Video games journalists have praised the character as one of the most powerful characters in the series. Reviewers have also cited Iori as one of the best characters from the games, labeling him as a veteran character and praising his appearance as one of the best creations by SNK. A variety of collectibles based on Iori's likeness have been created, including key chains and figurines.