Rugal Bernstein

Rugal Bernstein (Japanese: ルガール・バーンシュタイン, Hepburn: Rugāru Bānshutain) is a character from The King of Fighters series created by SNK. First introduced in The King of Fighters '94, he is a recurring boss in the series, appearing in some titles as an enhanced version called Omega Rugal (オメガ・ルガール, Omega Rugāru). As the host of the tournaments from The King of Fighters '94 and '95, Rugal plans to turn all the competitors from the tournament into stone statues as part of his collection. Despite his death in '95, Rugal is still featured in certain The King of Fighters titles which do not contain a storyline (nicknamed "Dream Matches"). He has also been featured in the Capcom vs. SNK series as a boss character. Rugal has also appeared in other media related to The King of Fighters franchise, including comic adaptations and The King of Fighters live-action film, and portrayed by British martial arts actor Ray Park. As the first boss character from The King of Fighters, the SNK staff created him to be one of the most difficult characters to defeat. His Omega Rugal form from '95 has been noted by the staff to be their favorite boss to the point they added him in the Dream Match titles. Publications for video games and other media have provided praise and criticism for Rugal's character.