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''The King of Fighters'' (''KOF'') is a series of
fighting game The fighting game video game genre, genre involves combat between multiple characters, often (but not limited to) one-on-one battles. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappling, counter- ...
s by
SNK is a Japanese video gaming and interactive entertainment company. It was founded in 1978 as by Eikichi Kawasaki and began by developing arcade games. SNK is known for its Neo Geo arcade system on which the company established many franchises ...
that began with the release of ''
The King of Fighters '94 ''The King of Fighters '94'' (''KOF 94'') is a 2D computer graphics, 2D fighting game, fighting video game produced by SNK in 1994, released on the Neo Geo (system), Neo Geo MVS Arcade system board, arcade system, AES and Neo Geo CD, CD home co ...
'' in 1994. The series was initially developed for SNK's
Neo Geo MVS The , stylized as NEO•GEO, is a video game platform released in 1990 by Japanese game company SNK Corporation. It was initially released in two ROM cartridge-based formats: an arcade system board (Multi Video System; MVS) and a home video ga ...
arcade hardware and received yearly installments up until its tenth entry, ''
The King of Fighters 2003 ''(KOF 2003'', or ''KOF '03)'' is a fighting game, fighting video game for the Neo Geo (console), Neo Geo arcade and home platforms, produced by SNK Playmore in 2003. It is the tenth game in ''The King of Fighters'' series and the last one rele ...
'' — 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 ''(KOF XI)'' is a 2005 2D fighting game produced by SNK Playmore. It is the eleventh installment in ''The King of Fighters'' series following ''The King of Fighters 2003''. Originally released as a coin-operated arcade game for the Atomiswave ...
'' (2005) on the
Atomiswave The Atomiswave is a custom arcade system board and cabinet from Sammy Corporation. It is based on Sega's Dreamcast console, sharing similarities with the NAOMI, as far as it uses interchangeable game cartridges, as well as a removable module ...
arcade board. The series' most recent arcade hardware is the Taito Type X2, first used with the release of ''
The King of Fighters XII (''KOF XII'') is a 2009 arcade video game produced by SNK Playmore and the twelfth installment in ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting games, following '' The King of Fighters XI'' (2005). Built on Taito Type X2 hardware, home ports were ...
'' (2009) and continues with the latest entry in the series, ''
The King of Fighters XV is a 2022 fighting game developed by KOF Studio and published by SNK in Japan and Koch Media internationally for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. It is the fifteenth main installment in the ''The King of Fighters'' seri ...
'' (2022).
Ports Ports collections (or ports trees, or just ports) are the sets of makefiles and Patch (Unix), patches provided by the BSD-based operating systems, FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD, as a simple method of installing software or creating binary packages. T ...
of the
arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily game of skill, games of skill and in ...
s have been released for several video game consoles. The games' story focuses on the title tournament in which fighters from multiple SNK games take part. SNK also created original characters to serve as protagonists, with individual
story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of a plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing narrative, storyline in episode, episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strip ...
s, interacting with fighters from ''
Art of Fighting is a fighting game series originally released for the Neo Geo platform in the early 1990s. It is the second fighting game franchise created by SNK, following the ''Fatal Fury'' series, and is set in the same fictional universe. The original ' ...
'' and ''
Fatal Fury ''Fatal Fury'', known as in Japan, is a fighting game series developed by SNK, first released on the Neo Geo system. Gameplay The original ''Fatal Fury'' is known for the two-plane system. Characters fight from two different planes. By step ...
'', among other titles. Multiple spin-off games, such as the ''R'' duology for the
Neo Geo Pocket The Neo Geo Pocket series is a line of handheld game consoles developed and manufactured by SNK between 1998 and 2001. It began with the monochrome released in Japan on October 28, 1998 as SNK's first handheld system and a direct competitor to ...
and ''Maximum Impact'' for the
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
, for example, have also been released. There have been multiple cross-over games in which the SNK cast interacted with characters created by
Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...
, while some characters have been present as guest characters in other games, such as
Mai Shiranui is a character in the ''Fatal Fury'' and ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting games by SNK. Introduced in 1992's ''Fatal Fury 2'', the character was originally conceived as a male character named "Ninja Master", but when a request was pu ...
in the ''
Dead or Alive A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of a person whom authorities wish to apprehend. They generally include a picture of the person, either a photograph when one is available or of a facial composite ...
'' games,
Geese Howard is a fictional Boss (video games), boss character and the main antagonist of SNK's ''Fatal Fury'' fighting game series. Debuting in ''Fatal Fury: King of Fighters'', Geese is the local crime boss of the fictional city of South Town. Geese create ...
in ''
Tekken 7 is a 2015 fighting game developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It is the seventh main and ninth overall installment in the ''Tekken'' series, and is the first in that series to be released for PC. ''Tekken 7'' was released to Am ...
'',
Kula Diamond ''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series, produced by SNK, includes a wide cast of characters, some of which are taken from other SNK games. The story takes place in a fictional universe in which an annual series of 3-on-3 or 4-on-4 fightin ...
in ''
Dead or Alive 6 , abbreviated as ''DOA6'', is a 2019 fighting game developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo. The game is the sixth main entry in the ''Dead or Alive'' fighting series following ''Dead or Alive 5'' (2012) and runs on a new engine, offe ...
'', and
Terry Bogard is a Player character, fictional character created by SNK as the protagonist of their ''Fatal Fury'' series. Introduced in ''Fatal Fury: King of Fighters'' in 1991, he is an American fighter who enters the worldwide "The King of Fighters" tourna ...
in ''
Fighting EX Layer ''Fighting EX Layer'' is a 2018 fighting video game produced by Arika. It is a spiritual successor to '' Fighting Layer'' (1998) and the ''Street Fighter EX'' series (1996–2000), which Arika had developed, and features many of the same charact ...
'', ''
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeeding ' ...
'', and ''
Street Fighter 6 ''Street Fighter 6'' is a 2023 fighting game developed and published by Capcom. It is the seventh main entry in the ''Street Fighter'' franchise, following ''Street Fighter V'' (2016), and was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows ...
''. 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 ''The King of Fighters '94'' (''KOF 94'') is a 2D computer graphics, 2D fighting game, fighting video game produced by SNK in 1994, released on the Neo Geo (system), Neo Geo MVS Arcade system board, arcade system, AES and Neo Geo CD, CD home co ...
'', on August 25, 1994. It featured characters from SNK's previous fighting game series ''
Fatal Fury ''Fatal Fury'', known as in Japan, is a fighting game series developed by SNK, first released on the Neo Geo system. Gameplay The original ''Fatal Fury'' is known for the two-plane system. Characters fight from two different planes. By step ...
'' and ''
Art of Fighting is a fighting game series originally released for the Neo Geo platform in the early 1990s. It is the second fighting game franchise created by SNK, following the ''Fatal Fury'' series, and is set in the same fictional universe. The original ' ...
'', as well as original characters (including characters from other franchises such as ''
Ikari Warriors ''Ikari Warriors'', known as in Japan, is a vertically scrolling run and gun video game released for arcades by SNK in 1986. It was published in North America by Tradewest. At the time there were many ''Commando'' clones on the market. What d ...
'' 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 ''(KOF '95)'' is a 1995 fighting video game developed and published by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade system. It is the sequel to ''The King of Fighters '94'', and the second installment in ''The King of Fighters'' series. The game features a s ...
'', 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. *''
The King of Fighters '96 ''(KOF '96)'' is a fighting game released by SNK Playmore, SNK for the Neo Geo (console), Neo Geo arcade and home consoles in 1996. It is the third game in ''The King of Fighters'' series, following ''The King of Fighters '95''. Unlike its pred ...
'' established the second part of "The Orochi Saga". Depending on the playable characters on a team, an exclusive ending would be played. *"The Orochi Saga" story arc concluded in ''
The King of Fighters '97 , often shortened as ''KOF '97'', is a 1997 fighting video game developed and published by SNK for its Neo Geo (system), Neo Geo multi-video system (MVS) arcade platform and its AES home console. It is the fourth game in ''The King of Fighters ...
''. *Unlike the series' previous games, ''
The King of Fighters '98 ''The King of Fighters '98'' (''KOF '98'')'','' subtitled ''Dream Match Never Ends'' in Japan or ''The Slugfest'' elsewhere, is a 1998 2D arcade fighting game released by SNK for the Neo Geo system MVS, AES, CD. It is the fifth game in ''The ...
'' 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 The is the final home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was released in Japan on November 27, 1998, in North America on September 9, 1999 and in Europe on October 14, 1999. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, prec ...
version and renamed it ''The King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999'' with an extended
cel A cel, short for '' celluloid'', is a transparent sheet on which objects are drawn or painted for traditional, hand-drawn animation. Actual celluloid (consisting of cellulose nitrate and camphor) was used during the first half of the 20th cent ...
animated introduction and 3D backgrounds. *''
The King of Fighters '99 ''The King of Fighters '99: Millennium Battle'', also called ''KOF '99'', is a 1999 fighting game developed and published by SNK for the Neo Geo MVS arcade and home consoles in 1999. It is the sixth installment in ''The King of Fighters'' seri ...
'' 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. *''
The King of Fighters 2000 (''KOF 2000'', or ''KOF '00'') is a 2000 fighting game, fighting video game developed and produced by SNK and released for the Neo Geo (console), Neo Geo arcade and home consoles. It is the seventh installment in ''The King of Fighters'' serie ...
'' 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 is a Japanese multimedia franchise and run and gun video game series originally created by Nazca Corporation before merging with SNK in 1996 after the completion of the first game in the series. Spin-off games include a third-person shoo ...
'', ''
Robo Army is a beat 'em up video game developed and published by SNK that was released for Neo Geo arcades and home consoles in 1991 and the Neo Geo CD in 1995. Gameplay There is no character selection in ''Robo Army'': Player 1 controls Maxima and P ...
'', '' Burning Fight'', ''
Buriki One ''Buriki One: World Grapple Tournament '99 in Tokyo'', otherwise known simply as , is a 1999 fighting game developed and published by SNK for arcades. It is the seventh and final game developed for SNK's short-lived Hyper Neo Geo 64 hardware a ...
'', ''
The Last Blade ''The Last Blade'' is a fighting game developed and released by SNK for the Neo Geo system in 1997. It was also ported to several home systems. A sequel, '' The Last Blade 2'', was released in 1998. A second sequel, '' The Last Blade: Beyond the ...
'', ''
Savage Reign ''Savage Reign'' is a 1995 fighting game released by SNK for their Neo Geo arcade and home platform. It was ported to the Neo Geo CD, as well as for the PlayStation 2, along with its sequel '' Kizuna Encounter'' in Japan only as part of the ''F� ...
'' and ''
Kizuna Encounter ''Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle'' is a 1996 weapon-based fighting game produced by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. It is the sequel to '' Savage Reign''. The European Neo-Geo home cartridge PAL release was rare, with only fi ...
''. *''
The King of Fighters 2001 , also shortened as ''KOF 2001'', is an arcade fighting game produced for the Neo Geo and originally released in November 2001. The eighth game in ''The King of Fighters'' series, it was the first to be produced following the closure of the ...
'' ends the second story arc. The Korean company
Eolith An eolith (from Greek "''eos''", dawn, and "''lithos''", stone) is a flint nodule that appears to have been crudely knapped. Eoliths were once thought to have been artifacts, the earliest stone tools, but are now believed to be geofacts (stone ...
helped develop the game after SNK was declared bankrupt. *''
The King of Fighters 2002 ''(KOF 2002'', or ''KOF '02)'' is an arcade fighting video game originally released for the Neo Geo in October 2002, published by Playmore, the spiritual successor to the original SNK. It is the ninth title in ''The King of Fighters'' series ...
'' was created to reunite old characters from previous ''KOF'' games and featured no story, similar to ''KOF '98''. It was also developed by Eolith. *A new ''KOF'' story arc titled the "Tales of Ash" began in ''
The King of Fighters 2003 ''(KOF 2003'', or ''KOF '03)'' is a fighting game, fighting video game for the Neo Geo (console), Neo Geo arcade and home platforms, produced by SNK Playmore in 2003. It is the tenth game in ''The King of Fighters'' series and the last one rele ...
'', 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. By 2004, SNK abandoned the series' yearly releases and numbered future games in a more conventional manner. *The first main series' game released as such was ''
The King of Fighters XI ''(KOF XI)'' is a 2005 2D fighting game produced by SNK Playmore. It is the eleventh installment in ''The King of Fighters'' series following ''The King of Fighters 2003''. Originally released as a coin-operated arcade game for the Atomiswave ...
'' in 2005. *In 2009, ''
The King of Fighters XII (''KOF XII'') is a 2009 arcade video game produced by SNK Playmore and the twelfth installment in ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting games, following '' The King of Fighters XI'' (2005). Built on Taito Type X2 hardware, home ports were ...
'' was released. It used high-resolution, hand-drawn 2D sprites on detailed 2D backgrounds. It is a storyless gathering of fighters, similar to KOF '98 and 2002. *The story arc ends with ''
The King of Fighters XIII is a 2010 fighting game developed and published by SNK Playmore. It is the thirteenth installment in the ''The King of Fighters'' series. Released on Japanese arcades, it was ported to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 globally in 2011, and an update ...
.'' Released during the summer of 2010, which features the entire roster from ''The King of Fighters XII'' as well as additional characters. *''
The King of Fighters XIV is a 2016 fighting game developed by KOF Studio and published by SNK. It is the fourteenth main installment in the ''The King of Fighters'' series. It is the first game in the series to be rendered entirely in 3D, although gameplay is restri ...
'', featuring 3D graphics and a large roster of characters while also establishing a new story arc was released for the
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
on August 23, 2016. *In December 2018, SNK revealed it was working on ''
The King of Fighters XV is a 2022 fighting game developed by KOF Studio and published by SNK in Japan and Koch Media internationally for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. It is the fifteenth main installment in the ''The King of Fighters'' seri ...
'', and was released on February 17, 2022.


Spin-offs and remakes

*''The King of Fighters '94'' was
remade Bas-Lag is a fictional universe in which several of China Miéville's novels are set. Bas-Lag is a world where both magic (referred to as thaumaturgy) and steampunk technology exist, and where many intelligent races live. This world and the nove ...
and released in 2004 for the
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
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 is a player character, video game character created by SNK Playmore, SNK. First introduced in ''The King of Fighters '94'', he is a recurring boss (video games), boss in ''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series, appearing in some titles as a ...
, and the addition of
Saisyu Kusanagi ''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series, produced by SNK, includes a wide cast of characters, some of which are taken from other SNK games. The story takes place in a fictional universe in which an annual series of 3-on-3 or 4-on-4 fightin ...
. *An update of ''KOF '98'' titled ''
The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match ''The King of Fighters '98'' (''KOF '98'')'','' subtitled ''Dream Match Never Ends'' in Japan or ''The Slugfest'' elsewhere, is a 1998 2D computer graphics, 2D Arcade game, arcade fighting game released by SNK for the Neo Geo (console), Neo Geo ...
'' was released in Japanese arcades in 2008 and later on some video game consoles expanding the character roster and improving the graphics. *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''. *
Yumekobo Aicom was a Japanese video game developer, founded in 1988. The Sammy Corporation website gives 1990 as its first year and says it was a subsidiary of Jaleco. Sammy bought it in 1992. Its games include ''The Mafat Conspiracy'', ''Totally Rad'' a ...
also developed the visual novel game with strategy elements for fights known as . The game follows Kyo's daily life as he prepares to fight in the tournament in ''KOF '97'' while interacting with other rivals. *For the
Neo Geo Pocket The Neo Geo Pocket series is a line of handheld game consoles developed and manufactured by SNK between 1998 and 2001. It began with the monochrome released in Japan on October 28, 1998 as SNK's first handheld system and a direct competitor to ...
, an adaptation of ''KOF '97'' titled ''
King of Fighters R-1 ''King of Fighters R-1 (KOF R-1)'' is a 1998 2D fighting video game developed and released by SNK as a launch title for the Neo Geo Pocket handheld system. It is based on ''The King of Fighters '97'', sharing the same storyline. A sequel, '' Kin ...
'' was released on October 28, 1998. A sequel for the
Neo Geo Pocket Color The Neo Geo Pocket series is a line of handheld game consoles developed and manufactured by SNK between 1998 and 2001. It began with the monochrome released in Japan on October 28, 1998 as SNK's first handheld system and a direct competitor to N ...
, '' King of Fighters R-2'' an adaptation of ''KOF '98'', was released on March 19, 1999. *In 2004, SNK produced the first 3D installment of the series, '' The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact''. 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. A second update called ''Regulation A2'' was planned but cancelled. The producer of the ''Maximum Impact'' series,
Falcoon , better known by his pen name is a Japanese artist. He works for SNK. He has been involved in several iterations of ''The King of Fighters'' franchise. Career After graduating from Kyoto Seika University, Falcoon started as a fan-artist doing ...
, stated that the ''Maximum Impact'' games are in a different continuity from the original series of games. Another spin-off video game, ''
The King of Fighters Neowave ''The King of Fighters Neowave'' ''(KOF Neowave'', or ''KOF NW)'' is a 2004 2D fighting game produced by SNK Playmore as their first coin-operated arcade game for Sammys Atomiswave hardware. Home ports of the game were released for PlayStation 2 ...
'', 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. *Two video games were released for the
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...
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. 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 (''KOF 2000'', or ''KOF '00'') is a 2000 fighting game, fighting video game developed and produced by SNK and released for the Neo Geo (console), Neo Geo arcade and home consoles. It is the seventh installment in ''The King of Fighters'' serie ...
'' system. However, the game's quality was terrible according to
Akihiko Ureshino is a light novel author and game designer, born April 19, 1971, in the Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. He wrote his first novel while he was attending Yokohama National University for a degree in Liberal Arts. He is known to Japanese SNK fans for his g ...
. *A
role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...
was also created exclusively for the
PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
under the title ''The King of Fighters: Kyo'', adapting a manga with the same name. An
N-Gage The N-Gage is a mobile device combining features of a cellular phone and a handheld game system developed by Nokia, released on 7 October 2003. Officially nicknamed the ''game deck'', the N-Gage's phone works on the GSM cellular network, and s ...
version of the second Game Boy Advance game was released in 2005 titled ''The King of Fighters Extreme'', which added
Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is li ...
multiplayer capability. *By late 2000s, at least three
pachislot A slot machine, fruit machine (British English), poker machine or pokie (Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. A slot machine's standard layout features a screen disp ...
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; and the third, ''Maximum Impact'' focuses on the series' 3D titles. None of these was released outside Japan. 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.


Related games

Several characters from the series also appear in crossover video games. ''
NeoGeo Battle Coliseum (usually abbreviated as ''NGBC'' or ''NGB'') is a fighting game designed for the Atomiswave arcade board developed and released by SNK in 2005. The game features characters from several SNK and ADK titles. Subsequently, a PlayStation 2 version ...
'' is a 2-on-2 tag team fighting game for the
Atomiswave The Atomiswave is a custom arcade system board and cabinet from Sammy Corporation. It is based on Sega's Dreamcast console, sharing similarities with the NAOMI, as far as it uses interchangeable game cartridges, as well as a removable module ...
arcade board, and ''
SNK Gals' Fighters ''SNK Gals' Fighters'' is a fighting game for the Neo Geo Pocket Color, released in 2000. The game was ported to the Nintendo Switch in the eShop on April 29, 2020, and included as part of ''Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1'' in 2021. Gam ...
'' 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. A
rhythm game Rhythm game or rhythm action is a genre of music-themed action video game that challenges a player's sense of rhythm. Games in the genre typically focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments, and require players to pres ...
titled ''
The Rhythm of Fighters ''The Rhythm of Fighters'' is a free to play, free-to-play music-based video game produced and developed by SNK Playmore for iOS and Android. It was released on June 24, 2014 and removed from app stores on July 15, 2015. In the game, the player con ...
'' was released for mobile phone games during 2015. Capcom also produced a series of similar crossover fighting games with SNK. The SNK-produced fighting games of this crossover include the
Dimps is a Japanese video game developer based in Osaka, Japan, with an additional office in Tokyo. It is best known for developing games in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', ''List of Dragon Ball video games, Dragon Ball'' and ''Street Fighter'' franchises ...
-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 The , stylized as NEO•GEO, is a video game platform released in 1990 by Japanese game company SNK Corporation. It was initially released in two ROM cartridge-based formats: an arcade system board (Multi Video System; MVS) and a home video gam ...
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 ''Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001'' is a 2001 fighting game developed and published by Capcom. The sequel to ''Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000'' (2000) and an entry in the ''SNK vs. Capcom'' crossover series, it was originally ...
'', both released in 2001. The three games were produced for
NAOMI Naomi or Naomie may refer to: People and biblical figures * Naomi (given name), a given name and a list of people with the name * Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth * Naomi (Romanian singer) (born 1977 ...
hardware and later ported to various consoles. SNK also produced ''SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos'', and the video game card game titled ''SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters DS''. Multiple mobile phone games have also been produced including ''
The King of Fighters All Star ''The King of Fighters All Star (KOFAS)'' was a beat 'em up action role-playing game developed by Netmarble Neo and published by Netmarble. It was first released in Japan on July 26, 2018, for the iOS and Android. The game is a retelling of SNK' ...
'', ''Kimi wa Hero'', ''Clash of Kings'', ''KOF X Arena Masters'', ''KOF: WORLD'', ''The King of Fighters Orochi Go'', ''The King of Cyphers'', and a crossover with ''Fatal Fury''. An
otome game An is a story-based romance video game targeted towards women with a female protagonist as the player character. Generally one of the goals, besides the main story goal, is to develop a romantic relationship between the female main player char ...
''King of Fighters for Girls'' is also in development. The characters have also been guests in other mobile games such as Kyo in ''Fighting Days''.


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 ''NEOGEO Online Collection'' is a series of classic Neo Geo video games, re-released by SNK Playmore for the PlayStation 2 in Japan. These games allow players to fight against other players over the Internet by way of KDDI's Multi Matching BB ...
. The first compilation, 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. The second compilation, , 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. A separately produced compilation titled ''The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga'' was released for the PlayStation 2,
PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...
and
Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...
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. 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) and ''The King of Fighters 2002/2003,'' both on PlayStation 2 and Xbox.


Gameplay elements

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 ''Fatal Fury 2'', known as in Japan, is a 1992 fighting game developed and published by SNK for Arcade video game, arcades. It is the second installment in the ''Fatal Fury'' franchise and the sequel to ''Fatal Fury: King of Fighters'' (1991). ...
'' and ''
Fatal Fury Special ''Fatal Fury Special'', known as in Japan, is a 1993 fighting game developed and published by SNK and originally released for the Neo Geo (console), Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. It is an updated version of 1992's ''Fatal Fury 2'', introduc ...
'', 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Later games, however, returned to the classic way of fighting while still delivering different ways and rules of fighting.


Plot and characters

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 is a fighting game developed and released by SNK in arcades on 3 February 1994. It is a direct sequel to ''Art of Fighting'', involving both new and returning characters competing against each other in the King of Fighters tournament. The plot fe ...
''). The first game in the series, ''KOF '94'', centers on a
black market A black market is a Secrecy, clandestine Market (economics), market or series of transactions that has some aspect of illegality, or is not compliant with an institutional set of rules. If the rule defines the set of goods and services who ...
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 is a Player character, fictional character created by SNK as the protagonist of their ''Fatal Fury'' series. Introduced in ''Fatal Fury: King of Fighters'' in 1991, he is an American fighter who enters the worldwide "The King of Fighters" tourna ...
and
Ryo Sakazaki is a player character, character introduced in the 1992 fighting game ''Art of Fighting (video game), Art of Fighting'' developed by SNK. In the series, Ryo is depicted as a skilled martial artist who practices his family's fighting style, , ta ...
, the game introduces a new hero: a young Japanese martial artist named
Kyo Kusanagi is a character in SNK's ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting games. The character was first introduced in the 1994 video game ''The King of Fighters '94'' as the leader of the Japan team from the series' title tournament. Kyo, head to th ...
, 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. 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 is a character from SNK's ''The King of Fighters'' video game series. The character first appeared in ''The King of Fighters '95'' as the leader of the Rivals Team, as the initial enemy and later rival of Kyo Kusanagi. Iori is the heir of the ...
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 ''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series, produced by SNK, includes a wide cast of characters, some of which are taken from other SNK games. The story takes place in a fictional universe in which an annual series of 3-on-3 or 4-on-4 fightin ...
, 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''. 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. 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. ''KOF 2003'' begins a new story line focusing on another new lead character named
Ash Crimson is a character in ''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series developed by SNK Playmore. His first appearance was in '' The King of Fighters 2003'' as leader of its Hero Team. Ash, a teenager, participates in the series' fighting tournament ...
, 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. 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. ''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.


Development


1990s

''The King of Fighters'' was originally conceptualized as a side-scrolling
beat 'em up A beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in Side-scrolling video game, scrolling, 2D c ...
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 is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujio Akatsuka, which began publication on April 9, 1967, in '' Weekly Shōnen Magazine''. It is about the misadventures of a dim-witted boy (Bakabon) and his idiotic father, the la ...
'', ''
Ashita no Joe , also known as ''Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow'', is a Japanese boxing manga series written by Asao Takamori and illustrated by Tetsuya Chiba. It follows drifter Joe Yabuki, who discovers a passion for boxing in a juvenile pri ...
'', ''
Tiger Mask is a Japanese manga series written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Naoki Tsuji. The series was first published in Kodansha's ''Bokura Magazine'' from 1968 to 1970 and was later published in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from 1970 to ...
'' and ''
Devilman is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Go Nagai. The manga focuses on a high school student named Akira Fudo who absorbs the powers of the demon called "Amon" with help of his friend Ryo Asuka in order to batt ...
'', 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. The prototype version of the game was a ''
River City Ransom , released as ''River City Ransom'' in North America and ''Street Gangs'' in PAL regions, is an Action-adventure game, action-adventure beat 'em up video game developed and published by Technōs Japan for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is ...
''-style TEAM-BATTLE side-scrolling
beat 'em up A beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in Side-scrolling video game, scrolling, 2D c ...
. 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. The title ''The King of Fighters'' was re-used from the subtitle of the first ''Fatal Fury'' game, '' Fatal Fury: King of Fighters''. ''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. A major inspiration for this crossover idea was the usage of
Ryo Sakazaki is a player character, character introduced in the 1992 fighting game ''Art of Fighting (video game), Art of Fighting'' developed by SNK. In the series, Ryo is depicted as a skilled martial artist who practices his family's fighting style, , ta ...
from ''Art of Fighting'' as a guest character in ''
Fatal Fury Special ''Fatal Fury Special'', known as in Japan, is a 1993 fighting game developed and published by SNK and originally released for the Neo Geo (console), Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. It is an updated version of 1992's ''Fatal Fury 2'', introduc ...
''; Bringing Ryo to ''Fatal Fury'' revolutioned the idea of the crossover concept that would conceptualize ''The King of Fighters''. In the making of the game ''
The King of Fighters '94 ''The King of Fighters '94'' (''KOF 94'') is a 2D computer graphics, 2D fighting game, fighting video game produced by SNK in 1994, released on the Neo Geo (system), Neo Geo MVS Arcade system board, arcade system, AES and Neo Geo CD, CD home co ...
'', 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 is a character in SNK's ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting games. The character was first introduced in the 1994 video game ''The King of Fighters '94'' as the leader of the Japan team from the series' title tournament. Kyo, head to th ...
inspired by the ''
Yamata no Orochi Yamata no Orochi (ヤマタノオロチ, also written as 八岐大蛇, 八俣遠呂智 or 八俣遠呂知) is a legendary eight-headed and eight-tailed serpent that appears in Japanese mythology. Both the ''Kojiki'' and ''Nihon Shoki'' record the ...
'' legend, which was the basis of the
story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of a plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing narrative, storyline in episode, episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strip ...
of the series. 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. 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. 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 ''Real Bout Fatal Fury'' is a 1995 fighting game released by SNK for the Neo Geo (console), Neo-Geo arcade and home platforms. It is the fourth mainline installment in the ''Fatal Fury'' series, following ''Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victo ...
'' 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''. The artist known as
Shinkiro , best known under the pen name of , is a Japanese illustrator and conceptual artist who used to work for SNK and is currently employed by Capcom. Prior to joining Capcom, Shinkiro was employed by SNK, where he provided the character designs and c ...
was responsible for the first artwork involving the cast. As a result, newcomer artist
Hiroaki Hashimoto Hiroaki Hashimoto, also simply nicknamed , is a Japanese illustrator and character designer for SNK and other companies. Works Hiroaki studied in Osaka University of Arts. He likes using Painter for illustrations. He was influenced by Kent Willia ...
felt for his debut that he needed to draw appealing characters, despite his inexperience.


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. Despite early unease over the game's state, SNK was pleased with the outcome and described it as an appealing arcade game. Mexican company Evoga had a major influence on the games due to the franchise's popularity within Latin America. 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. 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. Starting in 2003, the games were again developed by SNK, now called SNK Playmore. SNK Playmore discontinued the AES system in 2003, preferring to publish video games in cooperation with
Sammy Sammy is a nickname, frequently for people named Samuel or Samantha, and also an English spelling of the Arabic name Sami. People Music * Sammy Adams (born 1987), American rapper and songwriter *Sammy Cahn (1913-1993), American songwriter *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. 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, while ''The King of Fighters 2003'' implements a new system that allows swapping members to make the gameplay easier to handle. The last of these yearly releases was ''The King of Fighters 2003''. In December 2004,
Falcoon , better known by his pen name is a Japanese artist. He works for SNK. He has been involved in several iterations of ''The King of Fighters'' franchise. Career After graduating from Kyoto Seika University, Falcoon started as a fan-artist doing ...
, 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''.


2010s onwards

''KOF 2003'' would be followed by ''XI'', ''XII'' and ''XIII'' which had major changes to appeal to the audience. Though ''KOF XIII'' was received favorably, SNK put the franchise on hiatus for several years. 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.
Yasuyuki Oda (born 1972) is a Japanese game designer. Oda showed an interest in gaming during his childhood that led him to study animations when growing up. He debuted as a developer for SNK, doing debugs of certain games while being a major planner in ''Garo ...
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 is a series of fighting games created by Sega AM2 and designer Yu Suzuki. The original ''Virtua Fighter (video game), Virtua Fighter'' was released in December 1993 and has received four main sequels and several spin-offs. The highly influential ...
'' 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. 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. 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''. 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. SNK decided to make ''XV'' while they were still working on ''XIV'' but only started development after ''
Samurai Shodown ''Samurai Shodown'', known in Japan as is a fighting game series by SNK. The series began in 1993 and is known for being one of the earliest in the genre with a primary focus on weapon-based combat. Plot The stories in the series take place i ...
'' was completed. Feeling the previous title had outdated graphics for a 2016 game, SNK chairman Zhihui Ge said that ''XV'' would the
Unreal Engine 4 Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) is the fourth version of Unreal Engine developed by Epic Games. UE4 began development in 2003 and was released in March 2014, with the first game using UE4 being released in April 2014. UE4 introduced support for Physically ...
to provide a better presentation. Oda has compared Shun'ei to
Rock Howard is a fictional character appearing in various games from SNK. Previously debuted as a non-playable character in '' Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory'' Rock makes his first playable appearance in the 1999 fighting game '' Garou: Mark of the ...
, 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.


Related media


Printed adaptations

During 1995 Tatsuya Shingyoji wrote a
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
adaptation of ''The King of Fighters '94''. It was serialized in ''
Monthly Shōnen Ace is a monthly '' shōnen'' manga magazine in Japan published by Kadokawa Shoten, started in 1994. Unlike the big ''shōnen'' weeklies with circulation figures in the millions, ''Ace'' is aimed at a less mainstream audience, and has a particular em ...
'' published by
Kadokawa Shoten , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines ...
and collected into four volumes. They were released from February 10, 1995, to December 1996. 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 is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...
in two ''tankōbon'' volumes in 1997. Ryo Takamisaki also developed another adaptation from ''KOF '96'' which
Shinseisha Co., Ltd. was a Japanese publisher founded in 1971 and who filed for bankruptcy in 1999. It originally published learning reference books, but it is more known for its 1986 arcade game magazine . The representative was Hiroshi Kato. The company ...
published in three ''tankōbon'' compilations from June 1996 to February 1998. Akihiko Ureshino also wrote multiple novelizations based on the games with different artists contributing to each installment. A ''
manhua () are Chinese-language comics produced in Greater China. Chinese comics and narrated illustrations have existed in China throughout its history. They are usually graphic and can be written for a myriad of genres, including romance, fanta ...
'' adaptation of ''KOF'' titled ''The King of Fighters: Zillion'' was created by
Andy Seto Andy Seto (; born 3 June 1969) is a comic artist who specialises in martial-arts based stories. Biography Seto's works include his main series, '' Cyber Weapon Z''. He has also drawn a graphic novel adaptation of the earlier ''Crane-Iron Seri ...
. 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. Both authors also made a sequel, ''The King of Fighters 03: Xenon Zero'' (拳皇 XENON ZERO), to conclude the 2003 tournament.
ComicsOne ComicsOne Corp. was an American distributor of Asian Comics (manga, manhwa, and manhua), established in 1999. ComicsOne was based in Fremont, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. ComicsOne also served as the distributor for Videotape, vid ...
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 DrMaster Publications Inc. was an American distributor of manga and manhua with offices in the United States, Republic of China and Japan. It was headquartered in Fremont, California. It began strictly as a printer of manga, and entered the p ...
. They were published in five issues of 128 pages from May 25, 2005, to June 26, 2008. 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. '' The King of Fighters: A New Beginning'' is a ''
shōnen manga is an editorial category of Manga, Japanese comics targeting an audience of both adolescent boys and young men. It is, along with Shōjo manga, manga (targeting adolescent girls and young women), Seinen manga, manga (targeting young adults ...
'' authored by Kyōtarō Azuma. It is based on the events of ''The King of Fighters XIV''. The series was serialized in
Kodansha is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...
's ''Magazine Pocket'' since January 2018, ending in August 2020.
Seven Seas Entertainment Seven Seas Entertainment is an American publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original English-language manga, but now publishes licensed manga and light novels from Japan, as w ...
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.


Film and animation

A short series based on ''KOF'' titled '' The King of Fighters: Another Day'' was released in 2005.
Production I.G is a Japanese animation studio. Headquartered in Musashino, Tokyo, Production I.G was founded on December 15, 1987, by producer Mitsuhisa Ishikawa and character designer Takayuki Goto as I.G Tatsunoko, a branch studio of the animation giant Ta ...
produced the title as an
original net animation An original net animation (ONA), known in Japan as , is an anime that is directly released onto the Internet. ONAs may also have been aired on television if they were first directly released on the Internet. The name mirrors original video animat ...
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''. An English-language live-action film ''
The King of Fighters ''The King of Fighters'' (''KOF'') is a series of fighting games by SNK that began with the release of ''The King of Fighters '94'' in 1994. The series was initially developed for SNK's Neo Geo (system), Neo Geo MVS arcade hardware and received ...
'' was released
direct-to-DVD Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strateg ...
in the United States in 2010. New anime and live-action drama productions were announced in 2016. The CG anime series '' The King of Fighters: Destiny'' was released on
Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...
and
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
beginning in 2017. 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.


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. The Band of Fighters, shortened as BOF, is a character image band that includes Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, Terry Bogard,
Nakoruru is a fictional character in the '' Samurai Shodown'' (''Samurai Spirits'' in Japan) series of fighting games by SNK. She is one of the series' best known and most popular characters alongside its main protagonist Haohmaru, and was introduced in ...
and
Athena Asamiya is a fictional character originally from the former SNK's 1987 video game ''Psycho Soldier''. An esper, Athena is a descendant of Athena (video game), Princess Athena from the earlier ''Athena (video game), Athena'' game. She later appears in '' ...
.
Dengeki Bunko is a publishing imprint (trade name), imprint affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works (a division of Kadokawa Future Publishing formerly called MediaWorks (publisher), MediaWorks). It was established in June 1993 with th ...
and
Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966, which distributes music, films, home video, and video games. It is affiliated with the Japanese media group Fujisankei Communications Group. Pony Canyo ...
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 GameStop Corp. is an American video game, consumer electronics, and gaming merchandise retailer, headquartered in Grapevine, Texas (a suburb of Dallas). The brand is the largest video game retailer worldwide. , the company operated 3,203 stor ...
in the United States.


Other merchandise

In December 2006,
Sabertooth Games BL Publishing was a division of Games Workshop, and was split into three sections: * The Black Library publishes novels, art books, background books and graphic novels set in the Warhammer Fantasy world and the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Black L ...
released a ''King of Fighters 2006'' set along with ''
Samurai Shodown V ''Samurai Shodown V'' is the eighth game in SNK's ''Samurai Shodown'' series of versus fighting game, fighting games. It was one of the last games to be released on the Neo Geo (system), Neo Geo. This title takes place two years before the firs ...
'' for its ''
Universal Fighting System The ''Universal Fighting System'' (''UFS''), released in 2006 and rebranded as ''UniVersus'' in 2021, is a collectible card game published by UVS Games. Games of ''UFS'' represent a fight between two characters in hand-to-hand combat. Characte ...
'' (''UFS'') collectible card game; character starter packs were released for Terry Bogard and
Mai Shiranui is a character in the ''Fatal Fury'' and ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting games by SNK. Introduced in 1992's ''Fatal Fury 2'', the character was originally conceived as a male character named "Ninja Master", but when a request was pu ...
. 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, including a
Nendoroid The series is a brand of plastic figures created by the Japanese Good Smile Company since 2006. They typically depict characters from anime, manga or video games and are designed with a large head and smaller body to give them a cute appearan ...
figure based on Kyo.


Reception

While the fighting system has been well-received, critics have had mixed feelings regarding the Striker system introduced in ''KOF '99''. In ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
''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. 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. 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. 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. Following its release, SNK noted there are about 4 million ''KOF'' fans in South Korea. 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 Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
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. 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 is a character in ''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series developed by SNK Playmore. His first appearance was in '' The King of Fighters 2003'' as leader of its Hero Team. Ash, a teenager, participates in the series' fighting tournament ...
in Western regions, which led to
Ignition Entertainment Ignition Entertainment Limited, doing business as UTV Ignition Games, was a video game publisher of Indian media conglomerate UTV Software Communications. After The Walt Disney Company acquired UTV Software Communications as a wholly owned subs ...
promoting ''KOF XII'' using him. Similarly, ''Anime UK News'' preferred Kyo and Iori more than the next lead, Shun'ei. ''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. Meanwhile, ''Eurogamer'' ''XI'' called it an "excellent 2D game", comparable to other works such as one of
Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...
's most famous games, ''
Street Fighter III is a 1997 fighting game in Capcom's ''Street Fighter'' series, originally released as a coin-operated arcade game. The game, which was designed as a direct sequel to ''Street Fighter II'' (1991), initially discarded every previous character exc ...
''. 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. 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. 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. ''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. 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. There has also been censorship of some of the ports of the North American games, most notably Whip's gun and blood. Singer
Del the Funky Homosapien Teren Delvon Jones (born August 12, 1972), better known by his stage name Del the Funky Homosapien (sometimes stylized as Del tha Funkee Homosapien) or Sir DZL, is an American rapper. Music career 1988–1997: Early life and beginnings Born in O ...
has recorded a song titled "The King of Fighters" whose lyrics involve the characters and special moves. 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 ''GameFan'' (originally known as ''Diehard GameFan'') was a publication started by Tim Lindquist, Greg Off, George Weising, and Dave Halverson in September 1992 that provided coverage of domestic and imported video games. It was notable for it ...
'' 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. ''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. 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. 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.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:King of Fighters, The Crossover video games 2D fighting games Fighting games by series Martial arts video games Muay Thai video games SNK franchises Video game franchises introduced in 1994 Video games about ninja Video games adapted into comics Video games adapted into films Video games featuring female protagonists Video games set in Hong Kong Video games set in Japan