May Lee (The King of Fighters)
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| May Lee | |
|---|---|
 Official King of Fighters Neowave artwork for May Lee in her standard form. |
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| Game series | The King of Fighters |
| First game | The King of Fighters 2001 |
| Voiced by | Tomoko Kawakami |
| Information | |
| Birthplace |  South Korea[1] |
| Blood type | B |
| Fighting style | Taekwondo (personally arranged) |
'May' Jinju Lee,[2] usually referred to as just May Lee, is a video game character in the 2001 and 2002 releases of The King of Fighters series. She is also playable as a secret fighter in the Japanese PlayStation 2 port of The King of Fighters Neowave but not in any overseas release. May is depicted as a perky teenager who fights for justice using taekwondo and wears a T-shirt with a decal of a grinning frog, single-striped pants, sneakers, fingerless gloves, a belt with a taeguk design, and a pair of apparently unused glasses on her head. She is unique within The King of Fighters for her ability to change into a separate hero mode, in which she dons large gloves and a red scarf. Despite her uniqueness, May Lee has proven to be less popular of a character than expected,[3] partially due to her replacing KOF regular King in The King of Fighters 2002.
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[edit] Conception and creation
May Lee's character design stems from sponsor Eolith's desire for a "Korean Athena" that was an "idol-like visual fighter."[4] The final character design, however, ended up very different from the original concept, as May became an homage to tokusatsu-type characters, specifically Kamen Rider. The scarf and "hero belt" she wears are both trademark gear of Kamen Rider, and she tends to pose heroically in many of her moves. Her super desperation move 'May Lee The End' for instance, is a homage to Kamen Rider's trademark Rider Kick. "The End" might even be a reference to Kikaider's finishing move, Denji End, which has sometimes been incorrectly translated and simplified as "The End". Also the Red and Blue symbol on her belt is the same as the symbol on Kikaider's belt. May Lee was named after the person who was in charge of Eolith at the time,[4] and her given name, Jinju, is also Korean for 'pearl'.[5] Tying into her name, her birthday is stated to be on May 24.
[edit] Gameplay
May Lee is played by switching between two different modes, her standard mode and her hero mode, which have completely separate movesets. Most of her more powerful attacks can only be performed in hero mode, but May cannot block or throw in this mode and reverts to her standard form if hit. She is however, able to counter some attacks with her 'Hero Parry' move, which helps to counteract this weakness.
[edit] In-game history
May Lee is introduced in The King of Fighters 2001 as one of the many students of Kim Kaphwan, and has idolized him and Jhun Hoon ever since she could remember. One day, while training, she hears word of the King of Fighters tournament. As always, Team Korea (composed of Chang Koehan, Choi Bounge, Jhun Hoon, and team captain Kim Kaphwan) are set to enter.
However, Jhun injures his leg due in street accident, and May is required to replace him as a member of Team Korea. Kim suggests that she also kept an eye on her teammates, former criminals Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge. This suits Chang and Choi, as May, unlike Kim, does not feel the need to physically punish them on a regular basis.
Despite her inexperience, May surprises the audience with her unique taekwondo style in the tournament. Kim and the others are also surprised by her achievements, and she soon gains much praise. After the tournament ends, May returns to Korea along with her partners and are celebrated as heroes for ending the menace of the evil NESTS cartel that was at work behind the tournament.
In The King of Fighters 2002, May Lee is cast out from Team Korea as the tournament is a three-member team fight and May therefore finds a space with Mai Shiranui and Yuri Sakazaki.
[edit] Video game appearances
- The King of Fighters 2001 (2001)
- The King of Fighters 2002 (2002)
- SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom (2003) − A fast cameo appearance at the last scene of Kim Kaphwan's ending, where she wears the same outfit of Kim's.
- The King of Fighters '94 Re-Bout (2004) − Cameo appearance in stage backgrounds.
- The King of Fighters Neowave (2004) − Japanese PS2 port only, as a hidden character.
- KOF: Maximum Impact 2 (2006) − Cosplay appearance only. Chae Lim's normal outfit color G makes her dress exactly like May Lee and a hidden outfit for Athena.
[edit] Reception
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[edit] References
- ^ While only stated as "Korea" (without saying North or South) on her profiles in English, it is shown as 대한민국 (Republic of Korea) on her profile in Korean. Additionally, the taeguk on her belt is a clear reference to South Korea's flag.
- ^ Name is written as 'May' Lee Jinju in the Japanese PlayStation 2 port of The King of Fighters Neowave character select screen. However, this format, like most of the Korean fighters in the KOF series, does not swap the surname (Lee) and given name (Jinju). See Korean name for more details. Her name is also shown as 이진주, Lee Jinju (RR: I Jinju; M-R: I Chinju; Hanja: 李眞珠), with no 'May' on the Korean version of May Lee's KOF 10th anniversary profile. Her name can still be seen as May Lee in English in the image however.
- ^ Interview with Marito and Kamada. SNK Playmore. Retrieved on 2007-02-16.
- ^ a b May Lee's KOF 10th anniversary profile. SNK Playmore. Retrieved on 2007-02-14.
- ^ Dictionary search for '진주'. zKorean. Retrieved on 2007-02-15.
[edit] External links
- Profile page on The King of Fighters 10th anniversary website
- (Japanese) Profile page for KOF 2002
- (Japanese) Profile page for KOF 2001
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