Ash was always hated, I agree with that, but at least SNKPlaymore put him to rest in a very extreme way, as very few companies have the gut to do. But he probably will return in a future Dream Match.
People keep using the "overdesign" excuse but I does not fly that well. If we look at the standard costumes, Lien, Shen Woo, Duo Lon, Duke, Adelheid(kind of), Mukai, Mignon(a bit exaggerated) were no bad at all. But people tend to focus on the extreme examples. Hell, even the Meira brothers were not much extreme if compared to characters like Duck King, Raiden or K'. So, most of his designs didn't deviate from KOF standards.
About the removal of characters like Yamazaki, blame him makes no sense at all. From the interviews of the currently director, it seems like that people just can't find a place for him. Hell, the only 2D game with Falcoon direct involvement that I know of, 2003, had Yamazaki. Damn, even Chizuro was on 2003, and not anymore after that.
Maximum Impact was never part of the main series. And, to be honest, it was more KOF than 2003. It was 3D, so it had sidestep, something new to KOF, but Fatal Fury used to have different planes to fight. The game was frankly amazing for a PS2. And since it wasn't a KOF main game, it never stopped the production of new 2D titles.
But that is the thing, in his games, he didn't messed with canon characters designs that much. There is some really ridiculous stuff, like Leona with belts on her boots, but even so, the fidelity with to the original designs were much bigger than what happened in KOF 12/13.
Hell, it was big, but it was really nice to look at these designs again.
Anyway, he is out of SNK and in general they are doing a nice job with XIV.
SNK still follows his ideas, like, this Leona you posted is pretty must the alternate Falcoon design.
