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The King of Fighters

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The King of Fighters (or KOF for short) is a fighting game series by SNK that debuted in 1994. The premise was to combine elements from two of its existing fighting game series, (Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting), as well as bringing back characters from games predating the Neo-Geo (such as Ikari Warriors and Psycho Soldier).

The King of Fighters
Screenshot from King of Fighters XI
Developer(s)SNK, SNK NeoGeo, Eolith, Playmore, SNK Playmore
Publisher(s)SNK, SNK Playmore
Designer(s)SNK
Platform(s)Neo-Geo, Atomiswave (Ports available for Sega Saturn, Dreamcast, Xbox, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, N-Gage)
ReleaseOctober 1, 1994
Genre(s)Fighting game
Mode(s)Team Battle, One-On-One; Up to 2 players simultaneously

The King of Fighters introduced the 3-on-3 "team battle system" to the fighting game genre, along with various other sub-systems such as Attack Deflector (Dodging) and Emergency Escape (Rolling), and the running, short jumps, Super Desperation Moves, multiple possibilities of systems to choose from, etc, which would later be adopted by many other fighting games, establishing The King of Fighters little by little, as one of the most recognized fighting game series of all time.

A distinct feature of The King of Fighters is a yearly system of updates, continuing the storyline; in later years, several noncanonical (or apocryphal) games have also been produced. The yearly numbering system has posed problems, however, with console ports of the games, due the perception that being dated "dates" the games, much in the way that sports games are quickly outdated by the new year's model. Considering that a lengthy delay between arcade and consumer release is unavoidable, this is a concern for SNK.

In December 2004, The King of Fighters 2003 artist Falcoon revealed that SNK Playmore has ceased yearly updates to the series, in favor of a more irregular schedule. The most recent game in the series is King of Fighters XI, released on October 26, 2005.

During August 2005, an anime series based upon KOF entitled The King of Fighters: Another Day was announced, this was then put on show at the Tokyo Game Show about a month later. The anime is being produced by Production I.G as an Original Net Animation. There are four episodes, each at about 10 minutes in length. American fansubbers are currently producing English-language fansubs of the series as each episode is released.

Games

For its first ten years, The King of Fighters was developed exclusively for the arcade Neo-Geo MVS hardware, and only later ported to contemporary home systems. Other games carrying the King of Fighters name have also been developed for the Game Boy, the Game Boy Advance, and the Neo-Geo Pocket.

With a few exceptions, each chapter in the main King of Fighters series constitutes an episode in an ongoing storyline. To date the structure has been to group the chapters into a sequence of plot arcs, each consisting of a roughly three-episode story. Thus far, each arc has been followed by a non-canonical "dream match" chapter, that exists to bring back old faces and systems and generally having fun without regard to story or game system continuity. The first game in the series is weird as it is a canonical game, but at the same time, it can be considered a dream match.

In each plot arc thus far, the series has introduced a new Hero character and companions, for the central plot to revolve around. In KOF '94, Kyo Kusanagi appeared as the hero of the Orochi Saga; for the NESTS Saga, KOF '99 replaced Kyo with the conflicted and mysterious K'; and the current storyline, begun in KOF 2003, involves an anti-hero named Ash Crimson. In each episode, however, every team has its own subplot, all of which ultimately weave together to give a more complete and multifaceted perspective on the plot.

The King of Fighters tournament, after which the series is named, actually makes reference to other two series itself; it was first introduced in Fatal Fury and later explored in Fatal Fury 2 and Art of Fighting 2.

The Orochi Saga

File:Kof98-006.jpg
King of Fighters '98 promotional group capture.

In 2005, SNK Playmore plans to release a compilation of KOF '95 - KOF '97 for the PS2, under the title The King of Fighters Orochi. However, it has recently been revealed that it may be delayed to early 2006.

  • The King of Fighters '94 (Episode 1)
Remade in 2004 for the PS2 as The King of Fighters '94 Re-Bout, it was then ported to Xbox in late 2005, complete with such new features as online play, team edit, and the playability of boss Rugal, as well as the addition of Saisyu Kusanagi.
Ported to the PlayStation and Sega Saturn.
  • The King of Fighters '95 (Episode 2)
Introduced the Team Edit feature which allowed players to create their own 3-character team (the original KOF 94 required players to use default teams only).
Ported to the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. The Saturn port requires a memory expansion cartridge to run. It contains the ability to play as Saisyu and Omega Rugal using a code.
  • The King of Fighters '96 (Episode 3)
Ported to the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. The Saturn port requires a memory expansion cartridge to run. It contains the ability to play as Chizuru and Goenitz using a code.
  • The King of Fighters '97 (Episode 4)
Ported to the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. The Saturn port requires a memory expansion cartridge to run. It contains a special Art Gallery feature as well as the ability to play as Orochi using a code.
  • The King of Fighters '98: The Slugfest (US) / The King of Fighters '98: Dream Match Never Ends (Japan)
Separate from the KOF story line, this dream match contains fighters and versions from all previous King of Fighters games - except for Eiji Kisaragi and the Boss Team from the '96 version (Geese Howard, Wolfgang Krauser and Mr. Big). It is widely considered to be one of the best games if not the best in the series by longtime fans.
Ported to the PlayStation and Sega Dreamcast. The Dreamcast version (renamed The King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999) is refitted with an extended hand-animated introduction and link-up capability with the Neo Geo Pocket Color, as well as backgrounds which were recreated in 3D.

The NESTS Saga

In 2005, SNK Playmore plans to release a compilation of KOF '98 -KOF 2000 for the PS2, under the title The King of Fighters NESTS.

  • The King of Fighters '99: Millennium Battle (Episode 5)
Krizalid. This sequel features a newly introduced fighting system, aptly called the striker system. Also, this is the only sequel where Super Desperation Moves can (and are) executable when a fighter is at low health, without any extra requirements.
  • The King of Fighters 2000 (Episode 6)
This sequel is the only one so far which allowed the player to select alternate strikers instead of using only storyline characters as strikers. These were characters from previous installments of KOF, other SNK games, or alternate versions of player characters; for example, Shermie, Nakoruru, and Another Iori were among these special strikers.
  • The King of Fighters 2001 (Episode 7)
This sequel is the only one so far which gives the player freedom to decide how many out of 4 fighters they choose to put as main fighters, while the rest if any are placed as strikers. The number of fighters/strikers will determine how many power gauges the player has; the less the fighters, the more the power gauges.
  • The King of Fighters 2002 - Challenge to the Ultimate Battle
This update to the game features a return to the classic 3-on-3 battle system, and features teams from past versions. The end-of-game boss is also a familiar face, Rugal Bernstein, albeit with a few powerful modifications. Like 98, it is popularly known as one of the best KOFs in history.

The Tales of Ash saga

  • The King of Fighters 2003 (Episode 8)
Features a new storyline and the return of some old characters. Unlike previous games, this game employs a tag team battle system (or "Multi-Shift," as the game refers to it). This installment presents the most intensive gameplay adjustments the series has seen since its makeover in '96. It was generally well-received, though opinions vary widely on the whole. It introduces several new characters, as well as the series' first converts from Garou: Mark of the Wolves.
This episode seems to return to the roots of the KOF storyline with it being heavily based on the Orochi.
The next game in the series. The latest installment of the The King Of Fighters series. The character roster has received a major shake-up. For the first time ever, fan favorites Mai Shiranui, Leona Heidern, Robert Garcia and Joe Higashi have been dropped from the roster. The Princess of Punch team franchise has been dissolved. Eiji returns after being absent since KOF 95, the ever popular Duck King makes his first real appearance in the series, and Bonne Jenet crosses over from Garou: Mark of the Wolves. Three new characters have been introduced to the series, Oswald, Elisabeth, and Momoko. Elisabeth is the heir of a noble French family, Oswald is a fighter from Ireland who utilizes cards as his weapons. Momoko is a young capoeira fighter from Japan accompanying Athena Asamiya and Sie Kensou on the Psycho Soldier team. Arcade rooms are receiving competition massively worldwide at this moment for this game.

Spinoffs

A spinoff game series, produced by former SNK subsidiary Noise Factory. One of SNK's first console-only games since the NES, and their first attempts at 3D fighters since the Hyper NeoGeo 64. It was released on the PlayStation 2 on Oct 12, 2004, than later ported to the Xbox as "KOF: Maximum Impact - Maniax", with additional content and online play. There is the possibility of a PSP version coming some time in 2006.

Although the title suggests a link to The King of Fighters, the game has a closer resemblance to Fatal Fury in mood and story. While the first game did not have any notable connections with the main KOF series, other than having the same characters, KOF: Maximum Impact 2 will have direct references to The King of Fighters XI, as it takes place after the end of that game.

Other (non-canonical) games

  • The King of Fighters '95 / Nettou The King of Fighters '95
An adaptation of The King of Fighters '95 for the Game Boy, along with a hidden boss character, Nakoruru from the Samurai Shodown series.
  • Nettou The King of Fighters '96
An adaptation of The King of Fighters '96 for the Game Boy, which featured the Orochi awakened versions of Leona and Iori Yagami, as well as a hidden boss: Mr. Karate from Art Of Fighting.
  • The King of Fighters R-1
An adaptation of The King of Fighters '97 for the Neo-Geo Pocket.
  • The King of Fighters R-2
An adaptation of The King of Fighters '98 for the Neo-Geo Pocket Color.
  • Quiz King of Fighters
A KOF-themed quiz game released only in Japan for the Neo-Geo. Roster includes select characters from Samurai Shodown.
  • The King of Fighters: Battle de Paradise
A KOF-themed board game released for the Neo-Geo Pocket.
  • The King of Fighters EX: Neo Blood
An adaptation of The King Of Fighters '99 for the Game Boy Advance, with a new character named Moe Habana, and Geese Howard as the final boss. Purports to be set in 1998, between the Orochi and NESTS sagas.
  • The King of Fighters EX2: Howling Blood
An adaptation of The King Of Fighters 2000 for the Game Boy Advance, including a new plot, four new playable characters and a new boss character (a young boy channeling the spirit of Goenitz). Judging by the Korean team's background story, which mentions Jhun Hoon's accident, this tournament takes place between The King of Fighters 2000 and The King of Fighters 2001.
  • The King of Fighters Kyo
An RPG of sorts for the PlayStation, released only in Japan. Follows Kyo shortly before the events of the '97 edition, as he gathers members for his team.
  • The King of Fighters NeoWave
A preliminary title, designed to introduce KOF to the Atomiswave arcade system. As with the Game Boy Advance games, it is essentially a port of an existing KOF game (in this case, The King of Fighters 2002), with a few altered features & also has the boss to be 'The young Geese Howard from Art of Fighting 2.
  • The King of Fighters : Extreme
A port of The King of Fighters EX2: Howling Blood for the Nokia N-Gage.
  • The King of Fighters
A KOF fighter for cell-phones, loosely based upon the Neo-Geo Pocket series.
  • The King of Fighters -Mobile-
An adaptation of KOF for Japanese cell-phones.
  • The King of Fighters Volleyball
A volleyball game for Japanese cell-phones, using the KOF characters.
  • The King of Fighters: Days of Memories
A dating sim for Japanese cell-phones, set in the KOF universe.
  • The King of Fighters M2
A sequel to The King of Fighters -Mobile-

These games are not part of the King of Fighters series, but do feature KOF characters or other direct references:

KOF and continuity

A puzzling detail about SNK's fighting games is that, while most of them overall take place in the same universe, often the details vary between series. The details might be as slight as Ryo Sakazaki's birthdate in Buriki-One being off by a couple of years, or they might be as great as the entirety of the Art of Fighting cast being transplanted fourteen years into the future, so as to fight alongside the Fatal Fury characters in the modern KOF tournament.

The 2004 release, KOF: Maximum Impact, completely revises swaths of established backstory, for characters and settings alike. However, the MI series is largely regarded as its own continuity, as it more closely resembles the old Fatal Fury timelines.

For years, fans have tried to cope with the irregularities between series. One solution has been to accept the most recent changes in any given series (usually KOF, given the frequency of releases) as a retcon, superseding all earlier details.

More recently, a second movement has gained strength, whereby each series is taken as its own continuity within the larger SNK universe. Events within one continuity will often reflect upon the others, in some form. For instance, the tournament in Mark of the Wolves will probably occur in the King of Fighters timeline -- yet if it does, it will do so two years later than in the Fatal Fury timeline. Sometimes, however, they fail to make any impact. Although recent Fatal Fury games depend on Geese Howard having been dead for years, he is alive and well in the most recent KOF installments.

All of this is clouded by the fact that, in spite of the (until recently) yearly release schedule, and canonical statement that the tournament takes place each year, the characters never age except for when it is convenient to the plot.

SNK, for its part, has remained silent on the issue. Therefore, any sense to be made remains speculation on the part of the fans.

See also

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