In the world of 'The King of Fighters AFK' (hereinafter 'KOF AFK'), the Special Synergy is a bit of a game-changer; you only need to field a single fighter to reap the benefits. It is quite distinct from other synergies, which is exactly why players are slotting these fighters into just about every bit of content available.

Against this backdrop, the new Special Synergy fighter Orochi made his grand entrance on November 27. Lore-wise, he is the very source of power for Orochi Iori and Orochi Leona, serving as the big boss from the original series. Naturally, he has arrived in KOF AFK with a kit that actually lives up to that fearsome reputation, leading a mad scramble among players to add him to their rosters. We at KookminTree have put together a breakdown of just how lethal he really is.

Q. So, what kind of fighter is Orochi?
A. He is a dedicated damage dealer who excels at punishing bosses while keeping himself buffed.

Orochi belongs to the Cosmos attribute and prioritizes the 'nearest enemy' as his target. His entire skill set consists of projectile-type attacks, meaning he won't trigger enemy counter-attacks. His normal skill is a straightforward single-target strike with no extra fluff, but his active, 'Haran-gang,' comes with a self-buff. It deals damage to the primary target and two adjacent enemies, granting the 'Supernatural Power' buff which increases critical damage by 30% for two turns. At 7-star ascension, this effect is bolstered to '45% critical damage + 10% critical rate.'

His Finish skill, 'Soul,' hits the entire enemy team, dealing 20% increased damage if the target is a boss. Once you hit 10-star ascension, he gains the ability to drain 20 PG from targets, which should prove quite handy in PvP for delaying your opponent's own Finish skills.

The passive 'Supernatural Being' grants Orochi the 'Will of the Earth' effect as long as he has other allies on the field. This effect removes Orochi from the primary attack target list and reduces incoming damage by 50%. If all other allies bite the dust, this effect clears and he gains '50% PG charge + 15% attack power.' Note that while 'Will of the Earth' cannot be dispelled, it does not make him immune to area-of-effect damage. At 5-star ascension, the PG charge leaps to 100% and the attack boost doubles to 30%.

Q. What does Orochi’s Special Synergy bring to the table?
A. He effectively combines the best bits of the two existing Orochi fighters: cooldown reduction and PG charging.

Since he is a Special Synergy fighter, Orochi must be used solo. He is inevitably compared to Orochi Leona and Orochi Iori. While Iori focused on cooldown reduction and Leona on PG charging, Orochi splits the difference. His PG charge is 5—lower than Leona's—and only applies to himself. His cooldown reduction is higher than Iori's, but it only kicks in when he uses his Finish skill. It is a classic balancing act: he has the best of both worlds, but with slightly dialed-back numbers.

When utilizing Special Synergy, you really need to look at the rest of your squad. If you have a team reliant on skill cooldowns, go for Iori; if they thrive on Finish skills, stick with Leona. Currently, the 'Rage' synergy is the flavour of the month, making Orochi Leona quite popular. That said, Orochi's boss-shredding Finish skill makes him a stellar choice for PvE content.

Most players are currently running a '2-2' synergy setup for the remaining four slots, or even '3-2' if they make clever use of pets. The most favoured synergies are 'Rage' and 'Wedge.' For Rage, players often pick Mai and Kyo, while Rugal, Shermie, and Yuri are the go-to choices for Wedge. You can currently snag Orochi via Premium Summon or the Ranking Event Exchange. Much like Orochi Leona, the exchange requires 150 Growth Tokens, while the Premium Summon allows you to set a Wish list.