King of Fighters 95

Psycho Soldier Team

Mystery, is what you see~

Story

Rugal Post-Stage 3

My translation	Official translation
Secretary: Lord Rugal... The team of Chin, Athena, and Kensou has won four rounds so far.	Secretary: Monsieur Rugal. Chin, Athena, and Kensou have won 4 matches!
Rugal: Heheheheh... So, those fools who fight for that "justice" nonsense have come... How amusing! Then they can watch as I crush that justice into the dirt!	Rugal: Hah, hah, hah. Just more fools fighting for justice. I'll put an end to those idiots. Yah, hah, hah!

This is mostly the same. One nuance is that Japanese Rugal talks about crushing the Psycho Soldier Team's justice, not just them. In practice it's probably about the same, but there's a difference in meaning.

There's also a bit of difference where the Psycho Soldiers are "more fools" in English but they're just fools in Japanese. There's no implication that other teams are fighting for justice.

One screen was cut for the English version, making Rugal's line slightly shorter.

Rugal Post-Stage 6

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

Before Saisyu

My translation	Official translation
Athena: W-what's this?	Athena: Kyah! What?
Chin: Gas! This's bad!	Chin: Oh no! Gas!
Kensou: Damn! A...trap...	Kensou: Uh oh! A trap!
Athena: Ugh...where...?	Athena: Uh, where are we?
Rugal: Good morning, lady and gentlemen.	Rugal: Good morning, my heroes!
Chin: I knew you were behind this!	Chin: Just as I thought, Rugal!
Rugal: Heheheheh...yes, it's me. I'm afraid it's rather short notice, but soon you shall die by my hand. It's my present to you after you ruined my wonderful hobby, and made me taste the humilitation of defeat!	Rugal: Heh, heh. That's right. Now, you must die! For ruining my plans, death is my present to you.
Kensou: The hell you on about, old man?! If you wanna go, let's go already!	Kensou: Why, you fiend!
Rugal: Hahahaha! Please, calm yourself. You must fight him first.	Rugal: Fiend? Take it easy, Dudley! And say "hi" to my henchman!
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?
Athena: Kusanagi?! It couldn't be Kyo's...?	Athena: Kusanagi? Not Kyo's...
Chin: Somehow or another, his heart has fallen to evil!	Chin: Wait, he's possessed with evil!
Rugal: Hahahaha! What's wrong? Isn't this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Please, enjoy his legendary strength to its fullest!	Rugal: Hah, hah! Know my power and eat the fists of legend!

"Kyah!" in Athena's first line sounds like something literally translated from Japanese, but it's not. It doesn't appear in the Japanese line at all. It's a feminine scream/shocked noise and you'll see it all over the place in Japanese media, but here it got added for the English version. Very strange.

There's a bit of a tone change with Kensou's line. In Japanese he's trailing off as he loses consciousness, but in English he's still alert. It changes the feel a bit.

Athena's next line sounds more awake in English as well. In Japanese she's just coming out of it, but in English she's already fine.

I really like English Rugal's sarcastic "my heroes!". I went with "lady and gentlemen" for constancy with the other routes, but it sounds awkward in English.

You can see where they were going with Chin's line, but it sounds more like he's talking to Rugal than about him. It's not very polished.

Rugal's line is kind of weird, because it's mostly the same as in other routes, but if you look closely at the Japanese it's different. I don't know if that was different drafts on the Japanese side or what, but it confused me for a bit. Notably, he doesn't talk about executions, and he describes killing the Psycho Soldier Team as a "present". The bit about his hobby and being defeated are the same, though. The English sounds like it was translated without reference to the other routes, as usual. It's shorter, but it gets the point across.

Kensou's line is just made up. In Japanese it's a cute line where he challenges Rugal, but in English he's just calling Rugal a fiend. Huh.

I guess "Dudley" is a reference to Dudley Do-Right? At least that's my association with calling a heroic character Dudley. And I can well believe the editor slipping a Rocky and Bullwinkle reference in there.

Saishu's line is the same as the Ikari Team's. In Japanese it's also the same as the Fatal Fury Team's, but was translated differently in English. I'm guessing the routes were just translated without reference to each other.

Athena's line is kind of odd in English because Saishu never introduced himself there. So how did she know who he was? It's a mystery. In Japanese, of course, she just recognizes the name he gave.

Chin's line is shortened, but more or less fine.

Rugal's line is his standard one in Japanese, but once again, translated without reference to other routes in English. The weird wrinkle here is English Rugal talking about his power instead of Saishu's. I guess you could read it as Rugal bragging about his brainwashing techniques?

This loses three screens in English, mostly in Rugal's explanation of why he's going to kill the team.

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: Hehehehe...Good and evil are nothing in the face of overwhelming strength. Power itself is justice. I will teach you that, here and now! Uohhhhhhhh...	Rugal: Hmm. The only justice is total power! Now I'll teach you that lesson! Woooooo.....

Saishu's line is once again the same as the Ikari Team's. It's enough to make me wonder if they're pulling from the same place on the rom, especially considering how many other lines are different. Or, since it's a simple line, maybe the translator or the editor just remembered it.

Rugal's line is shortened in English. He drops the entire first sentence about good and evil, and the other two lines lose a bit of flavor. The lines that get translated are perfectly accurate, though.

This loses two screens in English: the standard one from Saishu's line, and another from Rugal's speech.

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!
Athena: That's not true! There's no one in the world who would ever want you back! There can't be...	Athena: Don't count on it, slick!
Rugal: There can't be? Can you say that with real conviction? ...go on, say it.
Rugal: Where are all the people coming to thank you for defeating me? I don't see them.
Rugal: Heheh...either way, it's humanity's destiny to be destroyed. Only destruction awaits...	Rugal: Humanity is destined for destruction. I'll be back!
Rugal: And so....farewell....
Kensou: What the heck was that all about?	Kensou: What happened?
Chin: It seems like he was unable to withstand the power of that terrible evil energy. But the shadow...what could it be?	Chin: Consumed by his own evil. But what evil drove him to such an end?
Athena: Master...is it true, what Rugal said? About humanity being destined for destruction?	Athena: Are we really doomed, Master?
Chin: Well, he sure was right about our fight being a lonely one. No one knows what's going to happen in the end.	Chin: We must fight our own evil. But doomed? Nah!
Kensou: But, Master...humans aren't that stupid! They know what path to take! Right, Athena?	Kensou: Master. Things aren't really that hopeless. Right, Athena?
Athena: ....yeah! That's true. Kensou....	Athena: Yeah...right...heh.
Chin: ...mm-hm. That's right!	Chin: Yes, you may be correct.
Athena: All right! Let's go home!	Athena: Come on, let's go home.
Kensou: But before that, I'm hungry! Let's eat!	Kensou: Better still, let's eat! I'm starving!
Athena: Hee hee...no matter how much you try to act cool, you're still Kensou in the end.	Athena: Hee, hee, Kensou. You'll never change, ya big lug!
Kensou: Huh? What's that supposed to mean?	Kensou: What does that mean?
All: Hahahahahahaha!	Athena, Kensou,Chin: Wah, hah, hah!

Kishi gave me a second opinon on Kensou's line about humans not being doomed, which made me go back and retranslate it from scratch.

Rugal exploding is mostly the same as on other routes, but it gets a sudden expansion at the end. And that expansion is pretty interesting.

I had to do some fiddling to make the grammer work in English. In Japanese, where the verb comes at the end, it's fine for Athena to say "people in the world who want you back..." and Rugal finishes with "there aren't any?", but that doesn't work in English at all. So I had her trail off on "there can't be..." and worked with that instead.

That entire exchange is basically cut in English. The whole idea that there are people who want Rugal around (like Dracula) is consistently dropped in English, so Athena never denies their existence, so a big part of the disagreement between Rugal and Athena is just gone. Which is too bad, because it's a neat bit of characterization for both of them.

Instead the English jumps straight to Rugal predicting that humanity's fate is to be destroyed, foreshadowing Orochi's whole deal in KoF97. But the English ties that in to Rugal coming back, whereas in Japanese it's just a bare statement. It makes it sound like Rugal will be destroying humanity, not it just happening.

After that, Kensou's line is just cut down, as usual.

Chin's line is kind of weird in English. First it sounds like Rugal exploded from his own power, not a mysterious other power he got from somewhere. But then Chin wonders what evil drove him on, like it was outside of him. In Japanese it's the standard "he couldn't control the power, but what was that skull at the end" line that's there in almost every ending.

Athena's line is just cut down.

Chin's line is heavily changed. In Japanese, he agrees that their fight is a lonely one that won't earn them any thanks, but adds that no one knows how it will all turn out in the end. In English he makes it sound like there's evil in the Psycho Soldier Team, and is much more confident about their ability to win. I can see how the parts match up, but there's a pretty big difference.

Kensou doesn't say the humans aren't that stupid in English, and makes it sound like Chin said humans are doomed when he never said that in English. It's a pretty confusing line in English, all told.

By the way, it's difficult-to-impossible to get across in English, but Athena's "Master" is much more polite than Kensou's. She uses 御師匠様/oshishousama, with the o in kanji, while Kensou uses お師匠さん/oshishousan with the o in hiragana. (Writing things in kanji is generally more formal than writing in hiragana)

Athena's reply to Kensou sounds more reluctant and almost sarcastic in English. She's just cheered up in Japanese. Then Chin is more formal in English.

Athena and Kensou's next lines are pretty much the same. I actually like Kensou's English line better than mine.

Athena's line loses her saying that Kensou was acting cool earlier, and makes it sound more like she's commenting on Kensou in general instead of making a specific contrast between how he was acting a few lines ago and now.

The rest is all the same.

This loses eleven screens in English! Mostly from Rugal and Athena's conversation, plus a few more from brutally shortening lines in the team's chat afterwards. Geez!

Win Quotes

Athena

Edit Teams

My translation	Official translation
No rest for heroes! On to the next match, let's go go goooooo!	There's no tea time for heroines. Let's go!
I want to get stronger and test my own limits!	I may be a woman, but I'm one tough, fabulous babe!
No effort goes unrewarded! Let's fight again sometime!	You weren't that bad. You were pathetic! Go home!

"[N]o tea time for heroines" is a really cute way to put that. I like it. The "let's go!" is in English, so I put a little more emphasis on it in translation to get the feel across.

For the second and third lines, I could not figure out which went with which. So I divided them up arbitrarily because...seriously, there's just no relation.

Athena is cute and upbeat in Japanese, which kind of comes across, but the third line is pretty harsh.

Set Teams

Team	My translation
Hero Team	Since I'm Japanese too, I'll take over for you in the tournament. Cheer me on, okay?
AoF Team	That's kyokugen karate, you're top-notch at controlling your ki! I'm going to work hard at it too!
FF Team	We've come this far too! Please work well with us from now on!
Ikari Team	I can feel an evil power working in this tournament. Please trust in us!
PS Team	We might look the same, but our team was destined to win. We have a mission we must accomplish.
Kim Team	Something about Mr. Chang and Mr. Choi feels different this year.
Women Team	Nothing against Kensou, but I'd love to fight alongside you all one day!
Rival Team	Your hearts are filled with evil! I cannot allow you to go any further!

These are all pretty cute. I like Athena volunteering to take over from the Hero Team like each team is still associated with a nationality. And for the Women's Team...well, she eventually got her wish.

The Fatal Fury Team line is just incredibly generic "let's get along!" and I struggled with handling it well.

I'm not sure what's up with Chang and Choi that Athena is picking up on.

Kensou

Edit Teams

My translation	Official translation
You're good on the defense, but your offense is too predictable!	I can read you like an open book, moron. Rewrite!
Yeah? You see how strong I am? Next time, I'll be even stronger!	So, do you still think I fight like a girl? Twit!
Hey, if you wanna beat me, you're gonna have to train harder than you have till now!	If you want to beat me, you'll need years of practice!

Kishi got the third line for me.

This first line gives the impression that Kensou is good at reading his opponent instead of that his opponent sticks to the same patterns again and again. But it's kind of funny, so I'll give it a pass.

The second is completely rewritten. I have no idea where that one came from.

The third...is surprisingly literal. Huh. Weird.

Set Teams

Team	My translation
Hero Team	Hold on there a minute! Were you going easy on us?!
AoF Team	Underestimate us at your peril! Fight for real!
FF Team	We're winning the popularity contest now, you aren't even a threat!
Ikari Team	You'll have to see hell ten more times before you stand a chance against us!
PS Team	You got our appearance down, but you're just too weak!
Kim Team	It looks like you got stronger, but we got even stronger than that!
Women Team	Sorry, ladies. Those shabby looks just won't cut it while Athena's around!
Rival Team	You guys sure are twisted! Relax a little!

Kishi got the Women Team line for me.

These are all pretty standard. That sure is a bold line against the Fatal Fury Team, though.

Chin

Edit Teams

My translation	Official translation
I don't know what I expected, but that was pathetic!	Geez, you looked bad, but your fighting skills were worse!
To drink without getting drunk. That's the essence of drunken boxing!	To make things easier, next time I'll fight drunk!
You gotta stick with it! You can't get results out of training that easily!	You need a lot more work. Go back to the gym, tadpole!

The first line is pumped up a bit, adding in an insult to the opponent's looks. Other than that, it's close.

The second line...is a mistranslation/completely made up. Chin is telling the opponent about drunken boxing, not offering to go easy on them by getting wasted.

The third line has a proverb in it: 石の上にも三年, meaning "three years on a (cold) stone (will make it warm)". It's telling you to stick with whatever you're doing and to be persistent. This is completely dropped in English, replaced with Chin telling the opponent to go back to the gym. It's close, but he's more supportive in Japanese.

Set Teams

Team	My translation
Hero Team	You need more training! That's the first step on the path to becoming stronger!
AoF Team	There's a Japanese saying for this occasion. It's: "a waste of effort"!
FF Team	Seems like you've really grown up. So, how about training at my place next?
Ikari Team	For better or for worse, alcohol will make you forget the bad times! So, have a drink!
PS Team	Just as I expected, you've got a real talent for drinking! I'll give your style a shot!
Kim Team	Hey! How about all of you do a manzai routine with me? It'll be a new kind of fighting manzai!
Women Team	That match leave a bad taste in your mouth? Then how about a drink to wash it away? My treat!
Rival Team	If you really open your heart, then eventually all that hatred and loathing will disappear!

There's some weird stuff in here.

Hero Team and Fatal Fury Team have pretty standard "train more" lines. Ikari, Psycho Soldier, and Women's Team all have standard jokes about Chin being a drunk. Fair enough. Then the Rival Team gets some old man advice, which isn't out of character, I suppose.

But Art of Fighting Team gets a surprisingly harsh line. Man, Chin, since when do you not like Kyokugen?

And finally, I just have no idea what's up with the Kim Team line. Manzai is a form of traditional Japanese comedy that uses a pair of performers and involves a lot of wordplay. Think of stand-up comedy, or Abbot and Costello. So I guess the idea is that they're comically bad at fighting...?