Leona Heidern is a character introduced in The King of Fighters '96 as the new member to the Ikari Team. Before production for her debut game began, developers wanted to create a suitable replacement for Heidern as a part of the game's overhaul. Leona was conceived to be an Orochi descendant by the time of her debut and her designers took special care to let their interests at the time reflect in her actions.

(Source: SNK Wikia)