|
}} is a player character in the ''Fatal Fury'' and ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting games by SNK. She has also appeared in other media of these franchises and in a number of other games since her debut in 1992's ''Fatal Fury 2'' as the first female character in SNK fighting games. In the games' lore, Mai is a modern-world young female ninja and the granddaughter of the ninjutsu master Hanzo Shiranui, with the ability to create and control fire. She is a founding member of the King of Fighters Tournament's Women Fighters Team and is madly in love with the American Andy Bogard who is ambiguous about their relationship. The character also appears in the games' various manga and anime adaptations, and plays a leading role in the live-action film. Largely due to her sex appeal, Mai has become one of the most popular, recognizable and celebrated female characters of the fighting game genre and video gaming in general, often being compared to Capcom's characters Chun-Li and Maki Genryusai. She has also become SNK's primary sex symbol and mascot character featured in a many merchandise items and representing the company in several crossover and spin-off titles, as well as a trendy subject of cosplay and modeling. == Design and portrayal == The character debuted in 1992 as SNK's first female playable fighting game character.〔 Before Mai Shiranui's creation as one of the main characters for ''Fatal Fury 2'', the series was intended to feature a male ninja master with the same fighting style. The SNK staff also considered adding an idol character to the series, finally replacing them both with Mai, who was described in the original Japanese manual as "The Gorgeous Ninja" (in English) and as "Knock-out Ninja" in the official Neo Geo newsletter. As described by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), "the character wears a revealing outfit that accentuates her buttocks and displays large amounts of cleavage."〔Brian Ashcraft, (SNK Shooter, Character In ‘Revealing Outfit’ Coming To North America ), August 31, 2010.〕 In her profile, Mai's measurements are – – ; she is tall and weighs . Inspiration for Mai's appearance and attributes came from a number of sources. According to the Neo Geo publication ''Neo Geo Freak'', her bust was modeled on Fumie Hosokawa and her buttocks on Ai Iijimaboth well-known Japanese gravure idols when the ''Fatal Fury'' series began.〔 The animated "jiggle" of Mai's breasts was inspired by the tales of kunoichi ninja women using their bodies for seduction and distraction. Mai's given name comes from the Japanese word for "dance". Her surname, "Shiranui" is the name of a Japanese optical phenomenon similar to will-o'-the-wisp which refers to the character's pyrokinetic abilities: she can create and control fire, even as she is not immune to her own flames.〔 Due to her powers, Mai is able to cloak herself with flames, channel fire through her clothes, weapons and anything she touches, and cause explosions. She can to change her clothes in an instant, as well as to temporarily stay airborne, float, glide and control her movements and change directions in mid-air. She is also a master of climbing and stealth. Mai's weapons are steel "Fire Butterfly Fans" that come in an unlimited supply and can be used in close quarters and as projectiles.〔〔 She can also perform highly acrobatic hand-to-hand combat special moves, such as a leap followed by a diving fall attack, called "Flying Squirrel Dance" (ムササビの舞), and a rushing cartwheel kick followed by an elbow strike, called "Deadly Ninja Bees" (必殺忍蜂). Mai's appearance changes only slightly through most of the ''Fatal Fury'' and ''King of Fighters'' games. She has long hair (usually brown or red, but sometimes black) tied in a ponytail hanging down her back and long bangs framing her face. Mai usually wears a sleeveless red outfit or tunic with a decorative waistbandsometimes with long, decorative tails, and a loincloth with a thong (shorts in the U.S. version) around her crotch. In ''Fatal Fury 2'', ''Fatal Fury Special'' (1993) and ''The King of Fighters'' she wears a pair of soft-soled tabi. From ''Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory'' to ''Real Bout Fatal Fury'' (both in 1995) she wears instep guards, exposing her heels and toes. In ''Fatal Fury 3'', she wears a red vest and eye shadow. Mai has been regionally censored in some games' export versions.〔 In particular, her breast-bounce animation was removed in several releases, including the international home version of ''The King of Fighters '94'',〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=Successive characters: Mai )〕 in the European version of ''The King of Fighters '95'' for the Sega Saturn,〔''Computer & Video Games'' 188 (July 1997), p. 76.〕 and in the U.S. versions of ''Fatal Fury 2'', ''Fatal Fury Special'' and ''The King of Fighters 2002''.〔''Retro Gamer'' 54, page 81.〕 Her usually very large breasts are smaller in some games, such as ''SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos'',〔''AZNO'' 1, page 13.〕 and in some other media, in particular the live-action film. In ''The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact'' (2004), Mai Shiranui has shorter hair and ninja clothing resembling that of Kasumi in the ''Dead or Alive'' series. Shinkiro, an illustrator who worked on ''The King of Fighters'', said that Mai was the most difficult character to draw as he "thought she was going to burst out of her costume." In ''KOF: Maximum Impact 2'' (2006), one of Mai's color schemes matches Andy Bogard's and she has blonde hair. Another outfit of Mai's with long green hair, tiger-print clothing and a hairpin with horns resembles that of Lum Invader from the manga and anime series ''Urusei Yatsura'' and is based on Cham Cham from SNK's ''Samurai Shodown'' series. The ''Maximum Impact'' series' producer, Falcoon, said that designing Mai's alternate look was "unforgivable" as he was uncertain of fan reaction to the changes. In most of the games, Mai's Japanese voice actress has been Akoya Sogi (dubbed by Sheryl Stanley in the English versions of the ''Maximum Impact'' series), until she was gradually replaced by Ami Koshimizu during the 2010s. Kotono Mitsuishi voiced Mai in the ''Fatal Fury'' anime films, with English dubbings provided by Sarah Sawatsky and Lisa Ann Beley, and popular Japanese voice actress Megumi Hayashibara portrayed Mai in a 1990s drama CD. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mai Shiranui」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|