The King of Fighters

The King of Fighters (KOF)Template:Efn is a series of fighting games by SNK. It is a crossover featuring characters from various video game series created by the company, as well as original characters created specifically for the series. The series began with the release of The King of Fighters '94 in 1994, which was initially developed for SNK's Neo Geo MVS arcade hardware and received yearly installments up until its tenth entry, The King of Fighters 2003 — thereafter, SNK moved away from annual The King of Fighters releases and games adopted a Roman numbered format, while simultaneously retiring the use of Neo Geo. The first major installment after this change was The King of Fighters XI (2005) on the Atomiswave arcade board. The series' most recent arcade hardware is the Taito Type X², first used with the release of The King of Fighters XII (2009) and continues with the latest entry in the series, The King of Fighters XV (2022).

The games' story focuses on the title tournament involving fighters from multiple SNK games. SNK also created original characters to serve as protagonists starting with newcomer Kyo Kusanagi heir of a clan destined to save the world from the Yamata no Orochi demon and fighting characters from Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting, among other titles. Later arcs focused on other characters such as K' who can wield fire like Kyo following experiments by the NESTS terrorist organization, Ash Crimson, a trickster interested in obtaining the Three Sacred Treasures and Shun'ei, a young fighter whose powers open the world to other dimensions.

Multiple spin-off games, such as the R duology for the Neo Geo Pocket and Maximum Impact for the PlayStation 2, for example, have also been released. Ports of the arcade games have been released for several video game consoles. There have been multiple cross-over games in which the SNK cast interacted with characters created by Capcom, while some characters have been present as guest characters in other games, such as Mai Shiranui in the Dead or Alive games and Street Fighter 6, Geese Howard in Tekken 7, Kula Diamond in Dead or Alive 6, and Terry Bogard in Fighting EX Layer, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Street Fighter 6.

Critical reception of the video games have been generally positive with their use of teams and balanced gameplay often cited.

Games

Main series

• SNK released the first game in the series, The King of Fighters '94, on August 25, 1994.<ref name="four">Template:Cite web</ref> It featured characters from SNK's previous fighting game series Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting, as well as original characters (including characters from other franchises such as Ikari Warriors and Psycho Soldier, adapted for a versus fighting game). The game's success led SNK to release yearly installments for the series numbering the games for the year they were released.
• The King of Fighters '95, as well as adding new characters, began the series' first story arc titled "The Orochi Saga". It was also the first game in the series that allowed players to create their own three-member teams with any character in the game.<ref name="five">Template:Cite web</ref>
• The King of Fighters '96 established the second part of "The Orochi Saga". Depending on the playable characters on a team, an exclusive ending would be played.<ref name="six">Template:Cite web</ref>
• "The Orochi Saga" story arc concluded in The King of Fighters '97.<ref name="seven">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Unlike the series' previous games, The King of Fighters '98 did not feature a story. Instead, it was promoted as a "Dream Match" game that allowed players to choose most of the characters available from the previous titles, including ones that were supposedly dead. SNK refitted the Dreamcast version and renamed it The King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999 with an extended cel animated introduction and 3D backgrounds.<ref name="eight">Template:Cite web</ref>
• The King of Fighters '99 introduced "The NESTS Chronicles" story arc. In a new tactic, a specific person from a team would be an assistant called a "Striker". This person would be able to aid the team for a few seconds in combat. The Dreamcast version was titled The King of Fighters: Evolution, with several improvements in the game such as new Strikers and better animation.<ref name="nine">Template:Cite web</ref>
• The King of Fighters 2000 is the second part of "The NESTS Saga" as well as the last KOF game produced by SNK before its bankruptcy. It adds a few new playable characters and a couple of Strikers—most from earlier KOF titles and other SNK franchises such as Metal Slug, Robo Army, Burning Fight, Buriki One, The Last Blade, Savage Reign and Kizuna Encounter.<ref name="zero">Template:Cite web</ref>
• The King of Fighters 2001 ends the second story arc. The Korean company Eolith helped develop the game after SNK was declared bankrupt.<ref name="one">Template:Cite web</ref>
• The King of Fighters 2002 was created to reunite old characters from previous KOF games and featured no story, similar to KOF '98. It was also developed by Eolith.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• A new KOF story arc titled the "Tales of Ash" began in The King of Fighters 2003, the last KOF game to be released for the Neo Geo system. It allowed players to change characters while playing, but the number of team members was reduced to three. SNK returned to develop the franchise with this entry.<ref name="three">Template:Cite web</ref> By 2004, SNK abandoned the series' yearly releases and numbered future games in a more conventional manner.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• The first main series' game released as such was The King of Fighters XI in 2005.<ref name="xi">Template:Cite web</ref>
• In 2009, The King of Fighters XII was released. It used high-resolution, hand-drawn 2D sprites on detailed 2D backgrounds.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is a storyless gathering of fighters, similar to KOF '98 and 2002.
• The story arc ends with The King of Fighters XIII. Released during the summer of 2010, which features the entire roster from The King of Fighters XII as well as additional characters.<ref name="KOFXIIIAshSagaConclusion">Template:Cite web</ref>
• The King of Fighters XIV, featuring 3D graphics and a large roster of characters while also establishing a new story arc was released for the PlayStation 4 on August 23, 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In December 2018, SNK revealed it was working on The King of Fighters XV, and was released on February 17, 2022.Template:Citation needed

Spin-offs and remakes

• The King of Fighters '94 was remade and released in 2004 for the PlayStation 2 as The King of Fighters '94 Re-Bout in Japan. This version has several new features like hi-res graphics, online play, team edit, a playable Rugal Bernstein, and the addition of Saisyu Kusanagi.<ref name="play">Template:Cite web</ref>
• An update of KOF '98 titled The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match was released in Japanese arcades in 2008 and later on some video game consoles expanding the character roster and improving the graphics.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• A remake of KOF 2002, titled The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2009 in Japan. SNK also produced a game titled The King of Fighters: Battle de Paradise which could be connected to the Japanese Dreamcast port of KOF '99.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> *Yumekobo also developed the visual novel game with strategy elements for fights known as Template:Nihongo. The game follows Kyo's daily life as he prepares to fight in the tournament in KOF '97 while interacting with other rivals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• For the Neo Geo Pocket, an adaptation of KOF '97 titled King of Fighters R-1 was released on October 28, 1998.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A sequel for the Neo Geo Pocket Color, King of Fighters R-2 an adaptation of KOF '98, was released on March 19, 1999.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In 2004, SNK produced the first 3D installment of the series, The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The game and its sequel KOF: Maximum Impact 2, and its upgraded version Maximum Impact: Regulation A, revises much of the backstory for the characters and settings from previous games.<ref name="mira">Template:Cite web</ref> A second update called Regulation A2 was planned but cancelled. The producer of the Maximum Impact series, Falcoon, stated that the Maximum Impact games are in a different continuity from the original series of games.<ref name="micanon">Template:Cite web</ref> Another spin-off video game, The King of Fighters Neowave, was released for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Arcade during 2005 and 2006. Neowave is essentially a remix of KOF 2002, with a new presentation and a few roster changes. Like KOF2002, Neowave has no storyline and is considered a "dream match". Tomokazu Nakano created the character artwork.<ref name="neo">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Two video games were released for the Game Boy Advance titled The King of Fighters EX: Neo-Blood and The King of Fighters EX2: Howling Blood featuring characters and backgrounds from KOF '99 and 2000, respectively.<ref name="ex">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The GBA games featured some exclusive content such as new stages and exclusive characters such as Moe Habana, introduced in EX: Neo-Blood, while EX2: Howling Blood featured more exclusive characters, including a new end boss. The data was based on the DC version of The King of Fighters '99 and put into The King of Fighters 2000 system. However, the game's quality was terrible according to Akihiko Ureshino.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• A role-playing video game was also created exclusively for the PlayStation under the title The King of Fighters: Kyo, adapting a manga with the same name.<ref name="kyo">Template:Cite web</ref> An N-Gage version of the second Game Boy Advance game was released in 2005 titled The King of Fighters Extreme, which added Bluetooth multiplayer capability.
• By late 2000s, at least three pachislot games were developed for the series. The first, The King of Fighters, is based on the Orochi storyline; the second, The King of Fighters 2, is based on the fight of K' against the NESTS cartel;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the third, Maximum Impact focuses on the series' 3D titles. None of these was released outside Japan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At least six games for Japanese mobile phones have also been developed. While a few of them are fighting games, others are mini-games like volleyball and quizzes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Related games

Several characters from the series also appear in crossover video games. NeoGeo Battle Coliseum is a 2-on-2 tag team fighting game for the Atomiswave arcade board, and SNK Gals' Fighters is a fighting game for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. Along with the KOF, characters from other SNK series also star in both of these games.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A rhythm game titled The Rhythm of Fighters was released for mobile phone games during 2015.<ref name="production">Template:Cite web</ref> Capcom also produced a series of similar crossover fighting games with SNK. The SNK-produced fighting games of this crossover include the Dimps-developed portable fighting game SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium for the Neo Geo Pocket Color in 1999 and SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos for the Neo Geo in 2003. The games produced by Capcom are Capcom vs. SNK in 2000. This was followed by a minor upgrade, Capcom vs. SNK Pro, and a sequel titled Capcom vs. SNK 2, both released in 2001.<ref name=GSpotPS2>Template:Cite web</ref> The three games were produced for NAOMI hardware and later ported to various consoles. SNK also produced SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the video game card game titled SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters DS.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Multiple mobile phone games have also been produced including The King of Fighters All Star,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kimi wa Hero,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Clash of Kings,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> KOF X Arena Masters,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> KOF: WORLD,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The King of Fighters Orochi Go, The King of Cyphers,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and a crossover with Fatal Fury.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> An otome game King of Fighters for Girls is also in development.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The characters have also been guests in other mobile games such as Kyo in Fighting Days.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Compilations

In addition to the remakes of games such as KOF '94 Re-bout, KOF '98 Ultimate Match, and KOF 2002 Unlimited Match, SNK has released compilations of their KOF games. Two KOF compilations were released in Japan for the PlayStation 2 as part of the Neo Geo Online Collection.

The first compilation, Template:Nihongo features KOF '95, KOF '96, and KOF '97, the three games comprising the Orochi story arc. The compilation features a Color Edit mode that allows the player to create a custom color palette for every character in each game, the choice to play each game with original and arranged soundtracks, and an online versus mode which supports the Multi-Matching BB (MMBB) service.<ref name="rel" /> The second compilation, Template:Nihongo, features the original Neo Geo versions of KOF '99, KOF 2000, and KOF 2001, as well as the corresponding Dreamcast versions of each game. It has the same features as the previous compilation but with online support available only for the Dreamcast games in the compilation.<ref name="Nests">Template:Cite web</ref>

A separately produced compilation titled The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga was released for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Wii outside of Japan. This compilation has the same lineup of games as the Japanese Orochi Hen, along with KOF '94 and KOF '98. The extra features are different. There is an added Challenge Mode where the player must win certain matches against the CPU in KOF '98 under specific conditions, a media gallery featuring listenable tracks from each game, and a collection of official illustrations.<ref name="rel">Template:Cite web</ref>

There were also two double-pack compilations, the first being The King of Fighters 2000/2001 (The King of Fighters: The Saga Continues in PAL regions)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and The King of Fighters 2002/2003, both on PlayStation 2 and Xbox.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Gameplay elements

File:Gameplay of The King of Fighters '94.png

A fight between Kyo (an original character) and Sie Kensou (Psycho Soldier).

The basic gameplay system of KOF is similar to SNK's previous games like the Fatal Fury series, Art of Fighting and Samurai Shodown. The game uses a four attack button configuration like Fatal Fury 2 and Fatal Fury Special, that consists of light punch, light kick, strong punch and strong kick. Like Fatal Fury 2, specialized techniques are performed by pressing buttons in combination, allowing the player to dodge an opponent's attack or to launch a character's powerful knockdown attack. As with most other fighting games, each character has a set of basic, unique, and special moves the player can perform using a specific series of joystick and button inputs.<ref name="ign uk">Template:Cite web</ref> Each new installment provides new ways to create stronger attacks such as The King of Fighters '97. Instead of charging the Power Gauge it is now filled when the player strikes the opponent or by performing Special Moves. The player can stock up to three Power Gauges. The player can use one stock of the Power Gauge to perform a Super Special Move or enter a "MAX" mode, in which the player's defensive and offensive strength are increased. Performing a Super Special Move while in MAX mode allows the player to perform a more powerful Super Special Move.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The franchise is known for innovating the fighting genre by replacing a traditional round-based format used in preceding fighting games with a format consisting of 3-on-3 team-based matches dubbed the Team Battle System. Instead of choosing a single character, the player selects from one of eight available teams, each consisting of three members. Before each match, the players choose the order in which their team members enter the battle. When the match begins, the members chosen to go first on their respective teams will fight. When one character is defeated, the next member of the same team will take his or her place, while the character on the other team will have a small portion of their life restored (if energy was lost during the previous round). If a character is losing a match against the opponent, then the player can call one of the remaining teammates standing on the sidelines to jump in and perform a support attack. The match ends when all three members of either team lose.<ref name="ign">Template:Cite web</ref>

Three games—The King of Fighters '99, 2000, and 2001—added the idea of each team being given an extra character that can assist the player to produce more attacks or combos against the enemy.<ref name=uve>Template:Cite web</ref> While 2002 brought back the classic 3-o- 3 teams, 2003 and XI made the change so that each team switches fighters in the middle of combat with one of them being a "Leader" character who can perform stronger techniques.<ref name="hardcore">Template:Cite web</ref> Later games, however, returned to the classic way of fighting while still delivering different ways and rules of fighting.

Plot and characters

File:KOFprotagonists.png

The King of Fighters employs different original characters as leads featuring (from left to right) K', Ash Crimson, Shun'ei and Kyo Kusanagi.

The titular King of Fighters tournament originated from SNK's previous fighting game franchises, Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting (canonically and chronologically beginning during the events of Art of Fighting 2). The first game in the series, KOF '94, centers on a black market arms dealer named Rugal Bernstein, who hosts a well-known fighting tournament to lure worthy adversaries into his trap so that he can kill them and turn them into stone statues, adding them to his collection of defeated martial artists. In addition to previously established fighting game stars Terry Bogard and Ryo Sakazaki, the game introduces a new hero: a young Japanese martial artist named Kyo Kusanagi, who serves as the lead character in the early KOF games. In making Kyo, SNK wanted his personality to contrast with those of earlier leads and stand out within the crossover.<ref name="kofanivkyokusan">Template:Cite web</ref>

In KOF '95, Rugal, having survived the previous tournament, hosts a new one with the intention of seeking revenge against his adversaries. KOF '95 introduced Kyo's rival Iori Yagami to the series. It was the first game to mention the presence of the Orochi clan, which would serve as the central plot element in the series' following two games. The tournaments in KOF '96 and KOF '97 are hosted by a woman named Chizuru Kagura, who seeks to recruit allies (particularly Kyo and Iori, who are descended from the Three Divine Vessels along with Kagura herself) to fight against the Orochi clan. The Orochi storyline concludes in KOF '97.<ref>Template:Cite video game</ref> The next game in the series, KOF '98, is a "Special Edition" with no plot development.

KOF '99 introduces a new story arc involving a mysterious corporation known as NESTS, which seeks to create an army of genetically altered fighters. The game introduces a new lead character named K', a fugitive from NESTS who was genetically enhanced with Kyo's DNA.<ref>Template:Cite video game</ref> The next two games in the series, KOF 2000 and KOF 2001, continue the NESTS story line, with each game unraveling the mystery of the organization further. KOF 2002, like KOF '98 before it, is a "Special Edition" of the series with no particular plot. Like Kyo, K' was created as a different hero. Rather than the cocky Kyo, K' is a dark hero who reluctantly fights against the NESTS syndicate.<ref name="kofperfectk'">Template:Cite book</ref>

KOF 2003 begins a new story line focusing on another new lead character named Ash Crimson, a young man who seeks to possess the powers of the Three Divine Vessels for his own unknown agenda. Similar to K', Ash is given a different characterization acting as a villain during his story arc.<ref name="KOF10thAsh">Template:Cite web</ref> The tournaments in KOF 2003 and KOF XI were hosted by "Those From the Past", an organization of inhuman warriors who try to break the Orochi seal to take its powers so they can give them to their shrouded master. While KOF XII does not have a story, KOF XIII follows another tournament hosted by them where Ash eventually confronts their superior despite him being Ash's ancestor.<ref>Template:Cite video game</ref>

KOF XIV establishes a new storyline involving a new lead character named Shun'ei. Described as a "kind-hearted" person, SNK states that while Shun'ei is not a new main character, he is still important for the saga.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Development

1990s

An example of the Neo Geo CD port of The King of Fighters '95 featuring main character Kyo Kusanagi by Shinkiro.

The King of Fighters was originally conceptualized as a side-scrolling beat 'em up until SNK changed it to a fighting game that took its subtitle from the first Fatal Fury game: Fatal Fury: King of Fighters. The King of Fighters was created by game designer Masanori Kuwasashi. He enjoys Tensai Bakabon, Ashita no Joe, Tiger Mask and Devilman, as well as arcade and Super Famicom games. After working on package design for electronic products, he decided that he would leave to pursue a different career in the video game industry. SNK recruited much of its new staff back in the 1880s and early 1990s. Kuwasashi, Tanabe and Shimizu - under the stewardship of Nishiyama - would go on to form the core of a game development team.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The prototype version of the game was a River City Ransom-style TEAM-BATTLE side-scrolling beat 'em up. However, the idea was eventually abandoned. They eventually decided to turn their idea into a fighting game. This game was a team battle concept and there were not enough characters, so characters from Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Ikari Warriors and Psycho Soldier were also added to the roster. The concept of a three-person team was one of the ideas kept from the side-scrolling version.<ref name="kofperfectcast1">Template:Cite book</ref> The title The King of Fighters was re-used from the subtitle of the first Fatal Fury game, Fatal Fury: King of Fighters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The King of Fighters series' director Toyohisa Tanabe asserted that the Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury fighters were added specifically for adults. The newer KOF characters were intended to appeal to younger and recent audiences. Characters like Benimaru Nikaido and Chang Koehan were added to provide an off-beat variety to the cast, which he had previously said was too serious.<ref name="kofperfectcast2">Template:Cite book</ref> A major inspiration for this crossover idea was the usage of Ryo Sakazaki from Art of Fighting as a guest character in Fatal Fury Special; Bringing Ryo to Fatal Fury revolutioned the idea of the crossover concept that would conceptualize The King of Fighters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the making of the game The King of Fighters '94, director Masanori Kuwasashi expressed pressure about creating a young lead who would clash with SNK veteran fighters but after talking producer Takashi Nishiyama, he thought it would be beneficial for sales. This led to the creation of the protagonist Kyo Kusanagi inspired by the Yamata no Orochi legend, which was the basis of the story arc of the series.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

While the first two games used the Neo Geo MVS arcade, The King of Fighters '96 includes 68 KB of video RAM and 64 KB of RAM. This made The King of Fighters '96 the first game to break the technical limits of the MVS system.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> SNK staff members noted that due to the great popularity of some of the series' characters, it is difficult to design new ones that might have the same appeal. This also happens during location tests of new games.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During the mid-1990s, The King of Fighters was SNK's most popular IP as their other famous works like Art of Fighting 3 and Fatal Fury 3 were poorly received by the gamers. Though Fatal Fury saw a revival through Real Bout Fatal Fury and Garou: Mark of the Wolves, these two games were released during the time SNK went bankrupt leaving the company to mainly focus on KOF.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The artist known as Shinkiro was responsible for the first artwork involving the cast. As a result, newcomer artist Hiroaki Hashimoto felt for his debut that he needed to draw appealing characters, despite his inexperience.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2000s

For the first time, former producer Takashi Nishiyama was not on the team for The King of Fighters 2000 which caused the team some concern.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Despite early unease over the game's state, SNK was pleased with the outcome and described it as an appealing arcade game.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Mexican company Evoga had a major influence on the games due to the franchise's popularity within Latin America.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2000, SNK went bankrupt. Eolith negotiated a license agreement in the same year to keep producing the KOF series because of the franchise's popularity in Korea and worldwide. BrezzaSoft assisted Eolith with the game's production. Fearing disappointing returning fans, Eolith decided to maintain most of the common parts from The King of Fighters while adding new elements to it. One of the biggest changes is the optional use of Strikers where players can use between one and three characters to assist the playable one. The team aimed to refine the original gameplay system of earlier KOF games. While conducting a popularity poll of the characters, Eolith still aimed to include the least popular teams in the game. The great popularity of Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami led to their immediate inclusion in the game.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref> References to works from Evoga can be seen in the game's scenarios. While working on it, the team played The King of Fighters '98 for the developers to see if they could include a character within the game. A member from Evoga won, resulting in the team asking to add Angel to the game.<ref name="evoga">Template:Cite web</ref> Starting in 2003, the games were again developed by SNK, now called SNK Playmore.<ref name="1up">Template:Cite web</ref> SNK Playmore discontinued the AES system in 2003, preferring to publish video games in cooperation with Sammy, using its Atomiswave arcade board, which provided a more secure, modern platform for new arcade releases. This allowed the new KOF games to feature better audio and graphics than earlier games.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The gameplay from the NESTS story arc led to negative feedback resulting in The King of Fighters 2002 going back to the original handling of teams,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> while The King of Fighters 2003 implements a new system that allows swapping members to make the gameplay easier to handle.<ref name="design">Template:Cite web</ref> The last of these yearly releases was The King of Fighters 2003. In December 2004, Falcoon, the series' main illustrator, mentioned that the next game the SNK Playmore staff were trying to release was different from The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact or what could have been a The King of Fighters 2004. The game's development began when SNK staff finished making Neo Geo Battle Coliseum.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2010s onwards

KOF 2003 would be followed by XI, XII and XIII which had major changes to appeal to the audience.<ref name="1up 2">Template:Cite web</ref> Though KOF XIII was received favorably, SNK put the franchise on hiatus for several years.<ref name="ultimate">Template:Cite book</ref> The decision to create The King of Fighters XIV was made when SNK Playmore's CEO Eikichi Kawasaki decided the company should return to producing appealing fighting games rather than Pachinko-Slot Machines and Mobile Apps. While it took some time, full production of the game began when more staff from Esaka joined the team in April 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Yasuyuki Oda was the game's director. This was his first contribution to the franchise, leading a younger staff. During his first employment at SNK, games like Virtua Fighter motivated him to make a 3D game after he had left SNK. When Oda returned to SNK, there was never any debate about transitioning the series transition from 2D to 3D, though adapting some of the characters proved more difficult than others.<ref name="Famitsu">Template:Cite web</ref> Many of SNK's staff consider KOF '98 and KOF 2002 the best games in the franchise. They gave them ideas to create new entries in the series that would surpass the quality of these two games.<ref name="fourgamerfirst">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During a contest, SNK used the DLC character Najd based on the Saudi Arabian artist Mashael. SNK Chairman Zhihui Ge expressed a desire to attract more Middle Eastern fans to play the game. He also hired new creators during the post-release of XIV.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In retrospect, Oda said the SNK game studio was revived with KOFXIV, resulting in the company finally making more Samurai Shodowns, Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting games in future years. Oda wishes the company could keep doing this.<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref>Template:Better source needed

SNK decided to make XV while they were still working on XIV but only started development after Samurai Shodown was completed.<ref name="4gamer">Template:Cite web</ref> Feeling the previous title had outdated graphics for a 2016 game, SNK chairman Zhihui Ge said that XV would the Unreal Engine 4 to provide a better presentation.<ref name="engine">Template:Cite web</ref> Oda has compared Shun'ei to Rock Howard, and says that his story could end up being as fun to write as Rock's. Oda feels that unlike the older fighting game protagonists, Shun'ei has a one-of-a-kind world view, and his values change as he grows older.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Related media

Printed adaptations

During 1995 Tatsuya Shingyoji wrote a manga adaptation of The King of Fighters '94. It was serialized in Monthly Shōnen Ace published by Kadokawa Shoten and collected into four Template:Lang volumes. They were released from February 10, 1995, to December 1996.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref> Template:Cite web </ref> There is also a spin-off manga story based on the adventures of the characters from The King of Fighters '96 centered around Kyo and Iori's rivalry entitled The King of Fighters: Kyo. It was written by Masato Natsumoto and published by Kodansha in two tankōbon volumes in 1997.<ref> Template:Cite web</ref><ref> Template:Cite web </ref> Ryo Takamisaki also developed another adaptation from KOF '96 which Shinseisha published in three tankōbon compilations from June 1996 to February 1998.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Akihiko Ureshino also wrote multiple novelizations based on the games with different artists contributing to each installment.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A manhua adaptation of KOF titled The King of Fighters: Zillion was created by Andy Seto. Hong Kong artists Wing Yang and King Tung produced further manhua for the games, beginning with The King of Fighters 2001 through 2003 along with the Maximum Impact series.<ref name="kofanivmanhua">Template:Cite web</ref> Both authors also made a sequel, The King of Fighters 03: Xenon Zero (拳皇 XENON ZERO), to conclude the 2003 tournament.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> ComicsOne licensed the series with its first volume tying in with the release of a new video game and kept publishing it after their transition to DrMaster.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They were published in five issues of 128 pages from May 25, 2005, to June 26, 2008.<ref name="volumeone">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="volume 5">Template:Cite web</ref> Another manhua series is King of Fighters RX Project '00 (拳皇RX) in three volumes that was officially sponsored by SNK-Playmore Hong Kong. The NESTS saga version was illustrated by Ricky, and covers the fight against NESTS primarily focused on the 2000 tournament.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The King of Fighters: A New Beginning is a shōnen manga authored by Kyōtarō Azuma. It is based on the events of The King of Fighters XIV. The series was serialized in Kodansha's Magazine Pocket since January 2018,<ref name="publish">Template:Cite web</ref> ending in August 2020.<ref name="end">Template:Cite tweet</ref> Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the manga for a North American release with the first volume released in March 2020. light novel series Iori Yagami's Isekai Mu'sou by Nobuhiko Tenkawa which debuted in July 2019. The art was done by Eisuke Ogura. Centered after the events of KOF '97, Iori finds himself into another world.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Film and animation

A short series based on KOF titled The King of Fighters: Another Day was released in 2005. Production I.G produced the title as an original net animation with a total of four episodes, each about 10 minutes in length. It has since been released as a bonus DVD, packaged with KOF: Maximum Impact 2.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> An English-language live-action film The King of Fighters was released direct-to-DVD in the United States in 2010.<ref name="movie1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="movie2">Template:Cite news</ref> New anime and live-action drama productions were announced in 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The CG anime series The King of Fighters: Destiny was released on Steam and YouTube beginning in 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> The first season retells the story of the first games with Kyo Kusanagi leading the Japan Team to participate in the title tournament, eventually encountering the host, Rugal, who is using the power of the mythical creature Orochi. The series has received over 800 million views.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

CDs

SNK has released a series of CD soundtracks titled SNK Character Sounds Collection or SNK Sound Character Collection (SNKサウンドキャラクターズコレクション). As of 2008, there are 11 volumes; each one focuses on a single character. The CDs have different versions of the characters' themes, as well as quotes. Most of the albums' covers are illustrated by Masato Natsumoto.<ref name="kyoimagecd">Template:Cite web</ref> The Band of Fighters, shortened as BOF, is a character image band that includes Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, Terry Bogard, Nakoruru and Athena Asamiya.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Dengeki Bunko and Pony Canyon have released several radio drama CDs based on the series. Some of them are direct adaptations of the video games KOF '94 to KOF '00. Another CD is Iori Yagami Original Drama the Setting Sun and Moon ~ Prologue (八神庵オリジナルドラマ 夕陽と月〜プロローグ〜), which is centered on Iori Yagami. The drama originally aired on the Game Dra Night and Neo Chupi and was then released by Pony Canyon CD on July 7, 1999. The guidebook The King of Fighters Perfect Reader includes the bonus CD drama KOF: Mid Summer Struggle. There are two stories on it—one is serious the other is a parody focused on KOF '03. The scenarios were developed by Akihiko Ureshino and BoHyou. SNK also gave away a four-CD soundtrack featuring songs from past KOF games with the pre-order of KOF XIII on any GameStop in the United States.<ref name="cds">Template:Cite web</ref>

Other merchandise

In December 2006, Sabertooth Games released a King of Fighters 2006 set along with Samurai Shodown V for its Universal Fighting System (UFS) collectible card game; character starter packs were released for Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui. Other merchandise includes a number of figures and statues, mostly of Mai. Additionally, scale figures based on Kyo's and Iori's original forms and their XIV looks have been released,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> including a Nendoroid figure based on Kyo.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Reception

While the fighting system has been well-received, critics have had mixed feelings regarding the Striker system introduced in KOF '99.<ref name="gamepro">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="striker">Template:Cite web</ref> In GameSpotTemplate:'s "The History of SNK" article, KOF '99: Evolution was described as one of the best fighting games on the Dreamcast, along with Garou: Mark of the Wolves. However, because it was released during the PlayStation 2's launch and Dreamcast's ending, the game did not sell well.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The boss character Rugal Bernstein, among others, has been described as one of the most challenging characters to defeat in fighting games; this feeling also led to some criticism.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

The formation of the Three Sacred Treasures Team in The King of Fighters '96 had a major impact with fans because it was appealing because of the Orochi saga and because of its incorporation of Japanese mythology.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The developers of KOF noted that Kyo and Iori were also highly popular in Korea which led to their immediate inclusion in The King of Fighters 2001, the first game not developed by the original company.<ref name="auto"/> Following its release, SNK noted there are about 4 million KOF fans in South Korea.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the book Gaming Cultures and Place in Asia-Pacific, Kyo was regarded as one of the most popular video game characters in Hong Kong from the mid-1990s onward alongside Iori and Mai, among others, to the point of overshadowing the Street Fighter characters who were also largely well-known.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Although Kyo's story arc ends with The King of Fighters '97, he has remained a more popular hero than his successors like Ash Crimson in Western regions, which led to Ignition Entertainment promoting KOF XII using him.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Similarly, Anime UK News preferred Kyo and Iori more than the next lead, Shun'ei.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> GameType lamented most characters a have a tendecy to retain their classic outfits with few exceptions like Terry Bogard, Kyo Kusanagi, and Robert Garcia. While exploring the story, they hoped the return to the Orochi narrative based on the handling of Chizuru Kagura in 2003 would appeal more to the audience as GameType did not enjoy the NESTS arc from previous installments alongside Nona's artwork.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Meanwhile, Eurogamer XI called it an "excellent 2D game", comparable to other works such as one of Capcom's most famous games, Street Fighter III.<ref name="eurogame">Template:Cite web</ref>

The Mexican company Evoga had a major influence on the game due to the franchise's popularity in Latin America and often playtested the games.<ref name="evoga" /> With KOF XIV, SNK noted the series' popularity was still dominant in South America and China, leading to the creation of teams composed of characters from those areas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The popularity of the franchise in those markets has been attributed mainly to economic factors - machines featuring King of Fighters series were often cheaper and more easily accessible than those featuring competing titles from other companies.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The Daily Star noted the games' popularity comes not only from the gameplay but also the characters who tend to develop across the series—for example the rivalry between Kyo and Iori. The franchise's story arcs were also found to be appealing as they stand out from other fighting game franchises.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Kakuchopurei.com felt the series offered a balanced cast which would help any newcomer while also agreeing with The Daily Star on how SNK handled the story lines.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There has also been censorship of some of the ports of the North American games, most notably Whip's gun and blood.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Singer Del the Funky Homosapien has recorded a song titled "The King of Fighters" whose lyrics involve the characters and special moves.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Ash Crimson's character received a poor response in Western regions. In an interview with Ignition Entertainment's director of business development Shane Bettehausen, Alex Lucard of Diehard GameFan said that North American SNK fans detested Ash and complained about his inclusion in The King of Fighters XII without a storyline while popular series' characters were overlooked.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After Ignition polled fans to choose an artbox for console versions of The King of Fighters XII. The company announced Ash's unpopularity reduced the number of potential covers to two featuring Kyo and Iori.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Ben Herman, president of SNK Playmore USA, commented that although he received complaints about the English voices for the game, Maximum Impact sold over 100,000 units as of May 2006, becoming a commercial success.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Despite initial issues with the online mode and other features of the game The King of Fighters XIV Yasuyuki Oda said the fan response was positive especially after these issues were fixed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• Template:Official website