In "The King of Fighters XII" Ash was the character the staff worked on the most, reworking his movements and speech to be more consistent with the rest of the cast. "The King of Fighters XIII" producer Kei Yamamoto jokingly called him a character players could use to "show off". His EX version in the game makes more multiple hits than his regular form, and the "disgusting" style of his move is said to fit his character. Since his introduction, Ash has acquired new moves in accordance with his action in the series. After "The King of Fighters 2003" Ash gained Chizuru Kagura's , a move allowing him to steal his opponents' special moves. After defeating Iori Yagami, the character acquired the Neo Max move (his strongest attack in "The King of Fighters XIII"). During the game's development, the staff considered returning Fructidor's animation style to an earlier version they had tested.