The Four Heavenly Kings: Chris, the Vessel of Orochi

Of all the twists in KOF '97, the least expected is Chris — the most innocent-looking member of the New Faces Team, and the true "container" for Orochi's revival.

The sunny kid Chris

Chris is the youngest member of the New Faces Team — delicate, innocent, soft-spoken, with a harmless smile. Early in the tournament everyone took him for "a kid who wandered into the fighting scene". Nobody guessed he was hiding the biggest secret of all.

The fire of the Four Heavenly Kings

Chris's real identity is the "fire" seat of the Four Heavenly Kings, commanding flame. And he's more than just one of the four — he's Orochi's chosen "vessel", the single most important piece prepared for its revival. A "vessel" is the body Orochi possesses when it descends. Orochi picked Chris because his constitution best suits carrying its vast will and power.

The revival ritual of '97

In the story, the New Faces Team keeps draining fighters' life energy through the tournament. Once enough is gathered, Yashiro and Shermie stand guard while Chris offers his own body as the medium — Orochi's will awakens through his flesh, descending in a white-haired, red-eyed form as KOF '97's final boss.

The power of contrast

Chris's appeal is all in the contrast: a pure, innocent kid outside, the vessel of the Earth's will inside; the gentlest tenderness on one side, the most terrible destruction on the other. When Orochi speaks through Chris — "I am the will of the Earth" — that shock of the sunny kid turning god is one of the saga's signature moments.

Chris and Orochi

Strictly speaking, Chris isn't "possessed" — he is Orochi's vessel, the two of them one and the same. Orochi descends through him and speaks in his image, which is why Orochi remains tied to Chris's appearance in later KOF games.

The purest kid hiding the most terrible god — Chris is the Orochi saga's most cunning move.