KOF POSTER ART

This is where it all began.
The curtain rises on this dream festival featuring SNK’s all-stars.

The very first entry in “The King of Fighters,” one of SNK’s flagship series. The roster included many characters from SNK titles of old, including “Psycho Soldier” and “Ikari Warriors” in addition to those from SNK one-on-one fighting games like “Fatal Fury” and “Art of Fighting.” Truly, a title befitting a dream festival.

Iori Yagami made his debut in addition to a team edit system that made the matchups even more intense.

In this second entry in the KOF series, a number of new elements are introduced, starting with the “Team Edit System” that allowed individual players to choose the characters they wish and put together their team as they like. Also making a debut in this entry was Iori Yagami, rival of Kyo Kusanagi, whose presence further enhanced the popularity of KOF’s character roster.

Ambitious entry with major system changes allowing faster fighting moves.

Major system changes such as the addition of emergency evasion and small and medium jumps allowed players to enjoy speedier moves. With this entry, the story depicting the battle of fate between Kyo and Iori approached its midpoint, bringing the existence of Orochi descendants out in the open at long last! The mystery surrounding “Orochi” was gradually unraveled in this title.

The story in this entry captivated you to the very end as the Orochi Saga finally reaches its conclusion.

Featuring two modes from prior entries, Advance Mode (based on '96) and Extra Mode (based on '94-'95), as well as characters handpicked to appear in the roster based on customer feedback, this iteration contained ambitious new elements. It was also the final chapter in the Orochi Saga, which boosted player interest in the story.

Exquisite game balance lauded as the best the series has offered.
A popular entry with many enthusiastic fans even today.

A culmination of KOF '94 through KOF '97, this title featured numerous characters from past titles in its lineup, duly earning the entry its “Dream Match” subtitle. While basic systems, including the presence of an Extra Mode and Advanced Mode, had simply received adjustments since the previous entry, game balance was improved exponentially.

The “NESTS Chronicles,” a long-awaited new story, gets underway in this entry. A new main character – “K´” – made his debut as well.

The new elements added with KOF '99 included Striker Matches in which teams of four – three fighters and one support character – faced off, as well as a Counter Mode and Armor Mode. The “NESTS Chronicles” also got its start with the story in this entry, and with it, the main character changed from Kyo Kusanagi to “K´.” This also created buzz around the title.

Past SNK characters appear here as Strikers. The ultimate SNK compilation!

This entry added improvements based on “KOF '99” for even greater ease of play as well as enhanced tactics involving strikers with the introduction of Active Strikers. With numerous characters from SNK’s history making an appearance here as Another Strikers, the result was a title that can be called a compilation of SNK games.

The final chapter in the NESTS Chronicles introduces the “Tactical Order System” for an even greater evolution in team battle.

The “NESTS Chronicles” reached its conclusion with this entry, which features a “4 vs. 4 Tactical Order System” that gave team matches greater freedom than the preexisting Striker System. This system made it possible to put together teams in ways not possible with previous entries in the KOF series. KOF 2001 made new advances in other ways as well, such as the introduction of the extra “Wire Damage” attack system.

Brings back the roots of KOF with 3-on-3 battles.
Also features newly-added elements, resulting in the pinnacle of the series.

3-on-3 battles, considered part of the roots of KOF, were back with this entry, which introduced new elements such as “Quick Emergency Evasion” and “Quick MAX Activation.” KOF 2002 also made it possible to use Standard Emergency Evasion and MAX Activation, two system unique to KOF, in a variety of situations. With these, SNK sought to make the very best entry in the series.

The pace of matches picks up with the introduction of “Multi-Shift.”
The curtain rose on the “Tales of Ash,” the long-awaited new chapter in KOF’s story.

KOF 2003 introduced the “Tactical Leader System,” through which players set a leader character who gets a power buff among members of their team, as well as “Multi-Shift,” which lets players freely swap out team members during 3-on-3 matches. This arbitrary character-swapping added a speed to the game. Plus, this entry marked the start of a new chapter in the KOF story following the Orochi Saga and NESTS Chronicles with the debut of “Ash,” a new main character.

Loaded with five new systems for greater strategic play.
This second chapter of the Tales of Ash also sports all-new graphics.

The eleventh entry of the KOF series was also the second chapter in the Tales of Ash. It incorporated the following five new systems for enhanced strategic play: “Quick Shift,” in which players can cancel attack return animations to switch out characters; “Saving Shift,” in which the character becomes invulnerable while he or she is being hit and switches out with another character; “Dream Cancel,” which allows Super Special moves to be chained with Leader Super Special moves; “Skill Gauge,” which lets players perform a variety of character swaps and cancellations; and “Judgment Indicators,” which supply new criteria for determining wins and losses in place of remaining health. Many other new elements, including a major graphical overhaul, new characters, and a battle system that had undergone the ultimate evolution, had also been added with this entry.

KOF RE・BIRTH！
Features the ultimate in 2D-dot graphics that are both gorgeous and smooth.

True to its theme “RE・BIRTH,” this twelfth entry in the KOF series received considerable modifications. It had no story setting, but was developed with the intention of making it the ultimate fighting tool. Based on the concept of “the greatest 2D one-on-one fighting game of all time,” KOF RE・BIRTH featured pristine 2D-dot graphics with unprecedented beauty and smoothness as well as Team Battles based on a knockout elimination system rather than the free fighter swap system used up through the previous entry, bringing the series back to its roots. What’ s more, KOF RE・BIRTH also allowed players to enjoy more intense fights and strategy with the introduction of new elements such as “Critical Counter,” which is triggered during close-up fights, “Guard Attack,” which allowed players launch a counterattack by neutralizing all opponent strikes, and “Deadlock,” which is triggered when two strong or harder blows collide with the same timing.

“KOF-ism” is the concept of this final chapter in the Tales of Ash.
SNK pursued the defining elements of the series with this entry, resulting in intense game balance.

Based on the concept of “KOF-ism,” SNK persuaded the elements that define the series with “THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIII.” New systems such as “Hyperdrive Mode, which enabled players to unleash a diverse array of linkable techniques, and “Neo Max Super Special Moves,” which pack astonishing destructive power, resulted in quick, highly-strategic bouts. Plus, in this final chapter in the Tales of Ash that continued from “KOF 2003” and “KOF XI,” players saw a grand story transcending a fighting game unfold in front of them. With this title, SNK strove to realize the pinnacle of 2D fighting games.

Long awaited by fans, the latest KOF chapter begun with this iteration, the first 3D among the numbered entries in the series.
Introducing the next generation of KOF.

The curtain rose on the new chapter in KOF’s story! Intense battles were played out among a roster of 50 characters, the most in any KOF title to date. The first numbered entry in the KOF series in roughly five years, “THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIV” marked a full update from 2D to 3D graphics while retaining the series’ traditional 3-on-3 battle format. It also incorporated new features such as “Climax Cancel,” the ultimate continuous combo, “New MAX Mode,” an evolution of MAX Activation, and “Rush,” which lets players unleash continuous moves with ease. Undoubtedly the title that took the KOF series to the next generation.

SHATTER ALL EXPECTATIONS
The KOF story reaches its climax with “XV,” which exceeds expectations on every level.

With historically-popular characters, revival characters, new characters, and more present in the roster, the curtain rose on the most intense dream matches in KOF history!
Incorporating new systems while maintaining the series’ traditional 3-on-3 team battle format, this entry allowed players to savor an unprecedented sense of speed and satisfaction in their matches! With six years having passed since its predecessor XIV, IV boasted polish that shatters expectations in all of its aspects, from graphics to systems and online play.