• Source: Akihiko Ureshino

Akihiko Ureshino (Japanese: 嬉野 秋彦, Hepburn: Ureshino Akihiko) is a light novel author and game designer, born April 19, 1971, in the Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. He wrote his first novel while he was attending Yokohama National University for a degree in Liberal Arts. He is known to Japanese SNK fans for his game novelizations of The King of Fighters series and other games. He also partakes in the story development for the series, and is the one who usually writes the online novels found on the games' websites. Akihiko Ureshino's other works include The Black Steel Demon Crest Repairer, She is a War Fairy, and Mephisto's Magic Bullet.




Works and commentary


Ureshino is known for writing several The King of Fighters works based on SNK games he also oversees. After working in 10 KOF novelizations, Ureshino noted that SNK used leads Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami too much and believed they should be given a rest after The King of Fighters '97. Ureshino has mixed feelings with the two Game Boy Advance The King of Fighters spin-off EX. Since SNK went bankrupt in April 2001, EX was a difficult time for both the old SNK and the new company Playmore. It may be a somewhat cynical view, but it may have been the financial situation on the verge of bankruptcy that allowed the old SNK, who at the time had a strong impression of being a character game maker that borrowed content from other companies, to develop a spin-off work of KOF that was not a simple port. While he was still excited, when the main visual of the new character was presented to him, which was no longer even a rough draft, but was already solid. What was more, when reading the specs, Iori Yagami was the mid-boss and Geese Howard was the final boss. Ureshino was bothered with these choices as the staff explained the data was based on the DC version of The King of Fighters '99 and put into the The King of Fighters 2000 system. However, they said that they wouldn't be able to touch deeply on the characters or story from the NESTS arc. The reclutance to touch the NESTS cast and instead focus on Orochi bothered Ureshino. The following year, on New Year's Day 2002, EX was released without any problems. However, the game's quality was terrible. He was also a member of the staff, but was only in charge of the text. He would never recommend it to anyone, and it was a terrible game that feels like a joke. However, he was proud of opposing the setting that Moe was Kyo's half-sister, whom Shibafune had created in America during his time as a warrior.
During the early stages of development for The King of Fighters '99, SNK planned to exclude Kyo and Iori from the game because its story was centered on new protagonist K', but they reversed this decision because "they couldn't leave these popular characters in limbo". Kyo and Iori were supposed to disappear due to business reasons or the requests of enthusiastic fans, but in the end they have continued to appear ever since. After taking a step back in the "Nests Saga" they are then playing important roles in the "Ash Saga" in The King of Fighters 2003. The rival's relationship stood out early in the 1990s because it was weird to see characters interacting before a fight started. While Kyo and Iori are always arguing with each other, Ureshino was careful with how writing them to the point their introduction in The King of Fighters '99 added a subtext of happiness of the two rivals meeting again, believing they had died in KOF '97. The relationship develops over later games until the latest KOF XV from 2022 where Ureshino noted fighting Kyo was Iori's only desire in life and always wanted to join him to prevent his death.
The problem is the positioning of these two within the KOF: Maximum Impact series. Ureshino noted that while Kyo was relegated to a more comical and minor role in the first game, the Meira siblings did not stand out as strong protagonists and wanted the original net animation Another Day and Maximum Impact 2 give them a better portrayal. SNK said that Terry's great popularity among players made him one of the most used characters for every installment of the series. In the "Ash Saga" Kyo, Iori, and Chizuru's Three Sacred Treasures play a major role in the "Orochi demon Returns" type story, and in the previous "Nests Saga," Kyo was involved in the story to some extent, but not Iori, in terms of the connections with the new protagonist K'. However, the Miera brothers were the main focus of the Maximum Impact spin-offs relegating Kyo and Iori for the first time to minor characters. Both the Ash arc and Maximum Impact games were developed at the same time which resulted in Kyo and Iori still playing a major role in the Another Day original video animation that promotes Maximum Impact 2. In an interview, Ureshino stated that after he wrote The King of Fighters '96 until 2001 light novels, he was asked by a production company to write a novel on The King of Fighters 2003. However, the project ended due to a loss of communication with him.
Ureshino is also involved in the Fatal Fury characters which he also oversees in The King of Fighters. He oversees a similar relationship in rivals but more brutal between hero Terry Bogard who seeks to avenge his father Jeff murderered at the hands of Geese Howard. However, for upcoming installments, Terry only wishes to defeat Geese for his father's honor which accidentally leads to Geese's death in Real Bout Fatal Fury when Geese rejects salvation and dies, abandoning all connections he had and wanted to dissolve. Though Ureshino has not talked about working in the upcoming Fatal Fury sequel Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, he sees the older Terry from Garou: Mark of the Wolves as a more fatherly character having issues adopting Rock Howard and trying his best to write them together in KOF: Maximum Impact which takes place before Garou under his own request. Ureshino laments not being able to write his own Fatal Fury novels as SNK had been restricting Garou novelizations was that they had already teamed up with Kodansha and were planning to develop an official story called Garou Densetsu Seiden on a large scale, whether as a comic or a novel. Ureshino thinsk that was probably why he had approached Gamest Z Bunko prior to this about a novelization of Fatal Fury 3 and been turned down.




List of works


As cited in:




= Shueisha Super Fantasy Bunko

=




= Hakuei Series

=
The White Tiger Cries in the Bright Moon ISBN 4-08-613150-1 July 1994
The Morning of Sorrow Fills the Heavens and Earth ISBN 4-08-613163-3 December 1994
Autumn Leaves: Hakuei Dances in the High Tower ISBN 4-08-613173-0 April 1995



The Time the Demon Star Twinkles: The Tale of the Fire-Rin Child

The Time the Demon Star Twinkles: The Tale of the Fire-Rin Child ISBN 4-08-613181-1 July 1995



The Red Dragon Resurrects in the Afternoon

The Red Dragon Resurrects in the Afternoon ISBN 4-08-613201-X December 1995



Fox's Chronicle: Two in the Moonlight

Fox's Chronicle: Two in the Moonlight ISBN 4-08-613212-5 March 1996



Armageddon Busters

Golden Rhapsody! ISBN 4-08-613318-0 September 1998
Beautiful Beasts of the Moonlight ISBN 4-08-613334-2 January 1999
Red Fountain of Wisdom ISBN 4-08-613345-8 April 1999
The People of the Sahara Family ISBN 4-08-613355-5 July 1999
Feast of the Magicians ISBN 4-08-613365-2 October 1999
Lady Ghost ISBN 4-08-613377-6 February 2000
Bloody Dog ISBN 4-08-613389-X August 2000




= Shueisha Cobalt Bunko

=



Fairy Knight

Fairy Knight ISBN 4-08-614278-3 January 1997
Fairy Knight 2: Two Black Knights ISBN 4-08-614334-8 June 1997
Fairy Knight 3: Swordsman of the Dawn ISBN 4-08-614405-0 December 1997
Fairy Knight 4: Prince of the Dark Seat ISBN 4-08-614429-8 February 1998



Shining Wizard

Chilling Blood ISBN 4-08-600273-6 June 2003
Angel Knocks on the Door ISBN 4-08-600316-3 September 2003
Emerald Wizard ISBN 4-08-600377-5 February 2004
Snake and Boy ISBN 4-08-600478-X September 2004
My Devil ISBN 4-08-600564-6 March 2005
Awakening Space ISBN 4-08-600661-8 October 2005
Armageddon Buster! ISBN 4-08-600726-6 February 2006




= Shueisha Super Dash Bunko

=



Fairyland Chronicle

Silver Sword ISBN 4-08-630003-6 July 2000
Woman Who Doesn't Cry ISBN 4-08-630016-8 November 2000
The Forest He Doesn't Know ISBN 4-08-630027-3 March 2001
Demon Eyes ISBN 4-08-630047-8 August 2001
The Power of a Mother ISBN 4-08-630063-X November 2001



Augoeides

Myth Awakening ISBN 4-08-630077-X April 2002
Dream City ISBN 4-08-630095-8 August 2002
The Advent of the Evil God ISBN 4-08-630128-8 May 2003



The Rando Family

The Rando Family ISBN 4-08-630174-1 November 2003
The Rando Family One More Kiss ISBN 4-08-630174-1 March 2004
The Rando Family Kiss From Heaven ISBN 4-08-630187-3 June 2004
The Rando Family Sweet Little Pain ISBN 4-08-630212-8 November 2004
Randou Family Bittersweet Rain ISBN 4-08-630225-X February 2005
Randou Family Sweet Home Again ISBN 4-08-630242-X June 2005
Randou Family Goddess of Darkness ISBN 4-08-630266-7 November 2005
Randou Family Goddess of Innocence ISBN 4-08-630298-5 May 2006
Randou Family Goddess of Earth ISBN 4-08-630320-5 October 2006



Zelandine

The Naughty Rose Princess ISBN 978-4-08-630360-6 May 2007




= Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko

=




= Chitty Chitty Beautiful Immortal Legend! (Chitty Chitty Series)

=
The Lost Thunder Whip ISBN 4-04-417801-1 July 1996
The Witch of the Two Thousand Years ISBN 4-04-417802-X October 1996
Risking Your Life Even on the Sea! ISBN 4-04-417803-8 December 1996
The Silver Star-Eyed Demon - Yin - ISBN 4-04-417806-2 September 1997
The Silver Star-Eyed Demon - Yang - ISBN 4-04-417808-9 February 1998
Chitty Chitty Seasonal Almanac ISBN 4-04-417809-7 July 1998
Emperor Waltz ISBN 4-04-417810-0 November 1998



Leon's Journey to the East

The Naive and the Bandits ISBN 4-04-417804-6 March 1997
The Sheltered Maid and the Fake Knights ISBN 4-04-417805-4 August 1997
The Lying Saint and the Dark Cult ISBN 4-04-417807-0 December 1997



Divine Curse Slaughter

Volume 1: Kyokotsuka ISBN 4-04-417811-9 September 1999
Volume 2 Gaihoin ISBN 4-04-417812-7 December 1999
Volume 3 Tenmagoya ISBN 4-04-417813-5 March 2000



Primal Striker

Invaders from the Manhole! ISBN 4-04-417814-3 October 2000
Secret Transfer Student ISBN 4-04-417815-1 February 2001




= Kadokawa Sneaker Books

=



Grudge

Grudge ISBN 4-04-788714-5 March 1999




= Famitsu Bunko

=



Horus Master

Silver Star Butterfly of the Desert ISBN 4-7572-0123-0 August 1998 (ISBN 4-7577-1113-1 December 2002)
Smile of the White Demon ISBN 4-7572-0237-7 December 1998 (ISBN 4-7577-1116-6 December 2002)
Conditions of Genius ISBN 4-7572-0368-3 April 1999 (ISBN 4-7577-1123-9 December 2002)
Poem of Awakening ISBN 4-7572-0473-6 August 1999 (ISBN 4-7577-1125-5 December 2002)
Thunderous Swordswoman ISBN 4-7572-0504-X September 1999 (ISBN 4-7577-1126-3 December 2002)
Wind of Remembrance ISBN 4-7572-0654-2 February 2000 (ISBN 4-7577-1132-8 December 2002)
Island of Silence and Silence ISBN 4-7572-0686-0 March 2000 (ISBN 4-7577-1135-2 December 2002)
Feast of the Hollow Gods ISBN 4-7577-0134-9 July 2000
Wings of the False God ISBN 4-7577-0227-2 November 2000
Whisper of the White Mage ISBN 4-7577-0365-1 March 2001
Girl of the Black Tower ISBN 4-7577-0499-2 July 2001
Twilight of the Sword Kings ISBN 4-7577-0658-8 November 2001
Garden of Viciousness ISBN 4-7577-0900-5 July 2002
Demonic Sword of Destruction ISBN 4-7577-1478-5 July 2003
Battlefield of Crimson Snow ISBN 4-7577-1509-9 July 2003
Song of the Beginning ISBN 4-7577-1545-5 September 2003
Volumes 1 to 7 are published by ASCII There are two versions: the (corporate) ASCII version and the Enterbrain version. The latter is a reprint.



Astronomicon

Amazon Red ISBN 4-7577-0258-2 December 2000
Phantom Blue ISBN 4-7577-0468-2 July 2001
Eternity Green ISBN 4-7577-0572-7 October 2001



Chitty Chitty's World Reppuden!! (Chitty Chitty Series)

Shotgun Marriage ISBN 4-7577-0833-5 May 2002
Beast Howling ISBN 4-7577-0958-7 September 2002
Foxy Step ISBN 4-7577-1241-3 February 2003
Cutie Lips ISBN 4-7577-1359-2 April 2003
Robotnik War ISBN 4-7577-1632-X December 2003
Dark Star Rising ISBN 4-7577-1834-9 April 2004
Jade Breaker ISBN 4-7577-1996-5 September 2004



Kureya-kun's Strange Days

Speed of Love ISBN 4-7577-1968-X September 2004
Back in Love ISBN 4-7577-2170-6 March 2005
Future in Love ISBN 4-7577-2391-1 October 2005



The tiger leaps, the dragon smiles

Lion King Conquest! ISBN 978-4-7577-3508-8 May 2007
Golden Full Moon ISBN 978-4-7577-3684-9 September 2007
Ode to the Setting Sun, Poem of the Morning Star ISBN 978-4-7577-3916-1 January 2008




= She is a War Fairy

=
She is Warlike 1 ISBN 978-4-7577-4406-6 August 2008
She is Warlike2 ISBN 978-4-7577-4580-3 December 2008
She is warlike 3 ISBN 978-4-7577-4889-7 May 2009
She is warlike 4 ISBN 978-4-7577-5043-2 August 2009
She is warlike Little Poem 1 ISBN 978-4-04-726141-9 November 2009
She is warlike 5 ISBN 978-4-04-726399-4 March 2010
She is warlike Little Poem 2 ISBN 978-4-04-726539-4 May 2010
She is warlike 6 ISBN 978-4-04-726759-6 August 2010
She is warlike 7 ISBN 978-4-04-726964-4 December 2010
She is warlike Little Psalm 3 ISBN 978-4-04-727076-3 February 2011




References






External links


Archived blog (Japanese)
Archived blog (Japanese)

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• MF Bunko J
• Akihiko Ureshino
• The King of Fighters
• The King of Fighters XV
• Kyo Kusanagi
• Terry Bogard
• Iori Yagami
• Rock Howard
• Garou: Mark of the Wolves
• List of The King of Fighters characters
• The King of Fighters '99