King of Fighters 95

Ikari Team

Can't stop, he's just a soldier...

Story

Rugal Post-Stage 3

My translation	Official translation
Secretary: Lord Rugal... The team of Heidern, Ralf, and Clark has won four rounds so far.	Secretary: Monsieu Rugal. Heidern, Ralf, and Clark have won 4 times!
Rugal: Heheheheh...so it's them. It seems I will be forced to deal with this matter soon....hahaha!	Rugal: Heh, heh, heh... It seems are friends must be dealt with... Hah, hah, hah.

These are pretty similar. I took advantage of the lack of character limits to be more verbose, as usual, and I cheated a little bit with Rugal's "this matter" because I didn't want to write "them" so many times in short succession. But it's all the same general idea.

There is a very noticeable typo in English. It's one of those weird homonym replacements that doesn't feel like something a native would make, which combined with how accurate this is makes me think the editor didn't get to this line.

This only loses one screen in English and it's one of Rugal's laughs. Nothing big.

Rugal Post-Stage 6

Since this is the same for all characters, it's on the boss page

Before Saisyu

My translation	Official translation
Ralf: Huh, what?!	Ralf: What's that?!
Clark: Damn! Gas!	Clark: Oh no, gas!
Heidern: Gh...getting...dark...	Heidern: Can't...can't stay...awake...
Rugal: Heheheh...good job. I should've known mercenaries like you wouldn't fall for the gas trap.	Rugal: Hah, hah, hah. I knew you were faking it!
Ralf: Tch, what a pain, getting caught like that. But what's done is done.	Ralf: Saw through us, huh!
Heidern: I knew it was you behind all this... Rugal! What are you planning this time?!	Heidern: I thought it was you! Rugal! Just what are you planning?!
Rugal: Hmph. You ask that after ruining my wonderful hobby, and forcing me to taste the humiliation of defeat? ...I suppose if you need it spelled out for you, "revenge" would suffice.	Rugal: Always in the way, huh? This time, you won't get out alive!
Ralf: Revenge? Are you serious? Guess we'll just have to beat you at your own game!	Ralf: We'll just see about that, garlic breath!
Rugal: Oh ho, you're certainly full of confidence. But, I'm afraid you must fight him first.	Rugal: You seem quite confident. But, you don't stand a chance!
Saisyu: Heheheh.... It's an honor to meet you. My name is Kusanagi Saisyu. Will you give me the pleasure of a match?	Saishu: Heh, heh. Nice to meet you. Shall we mix it up?
Heidern: Y-you're-!	Heidern: Why you...!
Clark: Do you know him?	Clark: You know him?!
Heidern: It must be the former successor of the Kusanagi clan, Kyo Kusanagi's father: Saisyu Kusanagi! Rugal, you bastard, you've brainwashed him!	Heidern: He's the leader of the Kusanagis, Saishu Kusanagi! Rugal, you've brainwashed him!
Rugal: Hahahaha! What's wrong? Isn't this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Please, enjoy his legendary strength to its fullest!	Rugal: Don't be silly. There was nothing to wash anyway!

The first three lines are pretty much the same.

There's a minor difference in Rugal's line where in Japanese he's impressed that the Ikaris didn't fall for his gas trap, but in English he just knows they're faking it. No mention of him praising them for it. There's also the bit where in Japanese he specifies that mercenaries wouldn't fall for it, presumably since they're trained to be aware of their surroundings or something.

Ralf is more resigned about getting caught in Japanese.

Heidern's line is mostly the same.

Rugal's line is interesting because this is another case where it gets rephrased in Japanese. The basic "ruining my wonderful hobby..." is there, but it's not exactly the same line as it is for the Art of Fighting team and the Fatal Fury team. It shows that the showdown with Rugal is more personal for the Ikari team than other teams, just like it was for the Hero team.

In English it's considerably cut down and loses pretty much everything interesting about it. It doesn't even follow very well from the previous line! What is Rugal planning this time? Don't know, he's not saying.

Ralf's line also changes, though I guess the basic idea of snapping back at Rugal is still there. It does correctly play off the previous line in both languages, I guess. We've previously seen "garlic breath" over on the Art of Fighting team's route which feels pretty cheap, but also in Real Bout Fatal Fury.

Rugal's next line completely drops that the team will have to fight Saisyu next in English. It sounds more like Rugal is getting ready to fight them himself.

Saisyu's line is the same as for the Fatal Fury team in Japanese, but it's rephrased in English. He's somewhat less formal in English, but "Shall we mix it up?" is somewhat better than "Shall we flail away?" Maybe a different translator handled this one?

Heidern's line is somewhat confusing in English. It sounds like he's mad at either Saisyu or possibly Rugal, but no, it's just that he recognizes Saisyu.

There's nothing special about Clark's line, or really Heidern's next one. I probably said "Kusanagi" too much in my translation. There is the minor bit that in Japanese Saisyu is the former successor, while in English he's the current leader. I believe the Japanese is getting at "the former one to inherit the style", but I can't think of a good word for that in English.

Rugal's line...the editor got to that one. It's the same as Fatal Fury team's in Japanese, while in English it's a quick insult/joke. I was wondering where those had gotten to.

This loses five screens in English: One from Rugal's first appearance, one from Ralf's first line, one from Rugal's explanation of his plans, one from Rugal's introduction of Saishu, and one from Heidern's explainable of who Saishu is.

Before Rugal

My translation	Official translation
Saisyu: Heh...well done. Now, at last, I whose disgraced name was made known, can...	Saishu: As I thought, oh, it's over...!
Rugal: Hahahahaha! Even though I am your enemy, I must congratulate you on a job well done. But you cannot defeat me, not with the new power I have obtained! Uohhhhhhhh...	Rugal: Hmm. You fought well, I'll give you that! But, you can't even lift a finger to me! Woooooo.....

These are, interestingly enough, the same as the Fatal Fury team's versions in Japanese, but are completely redone in English.

Saishu's new line makes it sound like he's dying. This is not the case. (to be fair, so does the Japanese line) I can kind of see how they got there...? Or at least the "as I thought" is probably the sasuga in the Japanese line, and the "oh, it's over...!" is probably just not wanting to deal with the whole thing about his name.

Rugal's line once again drops the idea that he's obtained a new power. So far the English version is just bound and determined not to even hint at Orochi before the ending. The "I'll give you that" in the English version sounds a bit closer in spirit to the Japanese version's "Even though I am your enemy...", which is cute.

This loses two screens in English: One from Saishu, one from Rugal.

Ending

My translation	Official translation
Rugal: Gh, so even with this power, I still lost...!	Rugal: Even with my new power, I lost.
Rugal ?!....What? My body is....!	Rugal: What? My body.....?????
Rugal: Ridiculous...that this should happen to me....
Rugal: Heheh...very well. As long as this world has need of me, I shall surely be resurrected...	Rugal: No...to meet such a fate! But I'll be back...you jerks!
Rugal: ...farewell....!
Ralf: What the hell was that?	Ralf: Huh?
Heidern: Rugal... One way or another, it looks like he was unable to withstand the dark energy when it ran wild...	Heidern: Finally consumed by his own evil power.
Clark: But...what was that dark power...?	Clark: But, just what was that power?
Heidern: ....unknown. But I can say this: there is a distinct possibility that somewhere, the source of that power is plotting something....	Heidern: I don't know, but Rugal was a simple puppet.
Ralf: And when that guy shows his face, we'll smash it in, sir!	Ralf: You mean, we have to fight again?
Heidern: Heh...it's good to hear that....	Heidern: Someday.
Heidern: All right, mission complete! We'll leave the rest to our forces in the air and head back to base straightaway!	Heidern: Now, let's go home.
Ralf, Clark: Yes, sir!	Ralf, Clark: Roger!
Heidern: Sandra, Clara... Now, both your souls should be able to rest peacefully...	Heidern: Sandra, Clara. Rest in peace.
Heidern: And mine as well...	Heidern: The battle is over.

I talked about Rugal exploding on the Hero Team's page.

Ralf's line is a bit too cut down in English, it's hard to know what he's even talking about. It's the standard "what was that" in Japanese.

Heidern's line is also wildly cut down and loses a ton of flavor. It also changes a plot point: In Japanese, Heidern just refers to "dark power", but in English it's "[Rugal's] own evil power". But it's not Rugal's power!

The change makes Clark's line make less sense too. There's no reason to ask what the power was if it came from Rugal himself. The line is basically the same in English and Japanese, but because of the previous line it's weirder in English.

Heidern's line is way, way cut down in English. It gets across that Heidern doesn't know what the power was, and that Rugal wasn't the source, but that's about it. It drops the idea that the source of the power is plotting something, but adds in that Rugal was being controlled by it instead of just using the power.

Ralf's line is considerably changed. In Japanese he's raring for a fight, while in English he sounds a lot more cautious. There's also a cute bit in Japanese where Ralf uses some rough words, but also a few more polite structures than he usually uses to show that he's speaking to his superior. I tried to get that across with "smash it in" and "sir".

Heidern's line changes from being reassured by Ralf's enthusiasm to darkly warning of the next battle. It follows from the previous line, but it definitely changes the relationship between Heidern and Ralf.

And then the next line is cut to the bone. In Japanese Heidern announces mission complete, adds that there's cleanup they can leave to their comrades, and that they're heading back to base. In English they're going home, that's it. No military flavor at all.

At least Ralf and Clark use "Roger", which is a pretty standard translation of the word used in Japanese. But I liked "Yes, sir" better.

There's a bit of a nuance difference where in Japanese Sandra and Clara can only now rest in peace that Rugal is dead, whereas in English that's dropped. I suppose it's implied.

But then Heidern's final line is changed completely. In Japanese, his soul can also be at peace now his family is avenged. In English, it's a plain statement that the battle is over. Nothing about Heidern's feelings in there. Kind of a shame.

This loses seven (!) screens in English. The standard two from Rugal exploding, two from Heidern's first explanation, one from the second, one from Ralf's line, and one from Heidern's last couple lines. And plus...check out how much Heidern's mission wrap-up lost in English. That's the same line up there! That's not just the loss from trying to squish English lines into character limits designed for Japanese!

Win Quotes

Heidern

Edit Teams

My translation	Official translation
You can use whatever martial art you want, you won't beat me!	You can't win against real style like us, bozo.
A tournament match and a battle to the death are completely different! I always fight the latter!	Some fight to win, I fight to kill. Scary, huh?
My assassination art is the strongest! No matter who the enemy, they cannot evade my slices!!	You can't avoid the bite of my steel. Scary, huh?

Scary, huh?

These are roughly the same, or at least it wasn't very hard to figure out which was which. You can see the touch of the editor, though.

The most different is probably the first line. "Style" in this case refers to styles of martial arts, not fashion style. (Heidern also specifically uses "I" in Japanese, he's not talking about the Ikari team in general) It reads a bit like someone else translated the line, then the editor went it and jazzed it up. I can't think of how that style mix-up slipped in another way.

The second line makes it sound like Heidern's a murderer, but it's like that in Japanese too.

The third line has a bit that doesn't quite come across in English. What I translated as "slices" is 手刀/tegatana, which is literally "hand sword" or more definitionally "hand used like a sword in strikes". Basically, he's talking about his chop. I guess that's where "steel" came from in English, probably from someone looking for a synonym for "sword" and not quite hitting a good one. It makes it sound like Heidern brought a weapon to the match, but no, it's just his hands.

The English also drops the first sentence, for whatever reason. Character limits?

Set Teams

Team	My translation
Hero Team	If this was a real battle, you'd all be dead. If you want to live, you have to win!
AoF Team	It does seem that you do your training, but results are the only things that count in a battle!
FF Team	Good job bringing your full strength to bear, as always. But that's only natural on the battlefield!
Ikari Team	I know I told you last time that you'd be dead if you pulled this trick again. It seems you really do want to die!
PS Team	I understand your duties, but we have a mission too! Forgive us.
Kim Team	My style is a killing art! It's different from yours from the very start!
Women Team	This tournament is much more dangerous than the last! Stop here, for your own good.
Rival Team	A bad seed should be plucked out as soon as possible! That's my philosophy!

There's some interesting characterization in these lines. I like the callback to the last game for the 2P Ikari Team best, but the Psycho Soldier one is nice too.

Ralf

Edit Teams

My translation	Official translation
You're such a wuss! If I was doing this for real, you'd be dead five times over!	You're so bad. I could have killed you 5 times, bozo.
Here's where we find the easy fights! Be nice if it was always like this!	Next time I'll only use one hand. Not!
You can try as hard as you want, but there's there's a wall you just can't get over!	No matter how hard you try, you've hit the wall, loser!

The first line is actually pretty close. "Bozo" is kind of out of nowhere, and "so bad" is not a great translation of what Ralf is actually saying (namely, that his opponent is too soft), but the main idea is there. Looking at this and Heidern's lines, there's a weird number of repeated additions for the Ikari team.

The second line...I guess there's a connection, but it's tenuous. Ralf is saying that fighting in KoF is a break for him and it would be nice if all his opponents were so weak. He's not saying he'll handicap himself next time. And, of course, Wayne's World will never, ever die.

The third is also surprisingly close. The English is actually pretty good, I like it.

Set Teams

Team	My translation
Hero Team	Aren't you supposed to be the main characters? I ain't seeing it!
AoF Team	Man, what a pain in the ass you are. But getting out alive is a soldier's specialty!
FF Team	If you don't come at us as hard as you can, you'll never win!
Ikari Team	Every single time you keep trying and trying! That stubbornness is your one good point!
PS Team	If you just rely on your psychic powers forever, you'll be a loser forever too!
Kim Team	Fighting for justice is meaningless if you don't win! Got it?
Women Team	There ain't no handicaps in a real fight! The strongest man wins!
Rival Team	I don't care what kind of guy you are, if you stand in our way you'll get wrecked!

Yeah, Ralf really is making a meta joke against the Hero team. It's great.

The Psycho Soldier and Kim team lines are pretty harsh, much like Kyo's.

Clark

Edit Teams

My translation	Official translation
That fight was completely unacceptable. No wonder you lost.	With strength like yours, your losing is only to be expected.
Compared to the battlefield, the fights here are nothing.	Oh, how I long for real battle. This is just too easy.
I was hoping you'd do well, but really, this is some kid's stuff!	Go back home, wimp. I don't waste my time with amateurs!

The first line is pretty close. Well within normal error ranges.

The second line adds in the idea that Clark wants a tougher battle in English, but it's not really there in Japanese. With this and Ralf's second line, the Japanese seems to give the impression that the Ikari team doesn't mind taking it easy by fighting in KoF once a year. This is completely lost in English.

The third line drops the idea that Clark was hoping for a slightly better fight, and adds in a couple extra insults. Yeah, that's the SNK we know and love.

Set Teams

Team	My translation
Hero Team	You're all just a bunch of kids. You need a lot more experience.
AoF Team	No one knows the future. You lost because you trusted your own abilities too much.
FF Team	Hey, heroes! It's not so bad being our sparring partners, right?
Ikari Team	The stronger one is the real one. That's just obvious.
PS Team	Polish up your fighting skills. Your precious ESP is crying.
Kim Team	You've got an incredible team no matter how you look at it, but fighting you again...
Women Team	Sex and gender mean nothing in a fight. If you don't want to get hurt, go on home.
Rival Team	I don't know what your goal is here, but I won't let you interfere with our mission.

Man, everyone's real harsh on the Psycho Soldier team.

These are mostly pretty straightfoward, but I think the Fatal Fury team one is cute.