kof history
This page details the KOF storyline so far, with corollaries for each of the "side story" games that have been made from time to time. WARNING: THERE ARE SPOILERS HERE.
Without further ado...
NB: Game logos obtained courtesy of The Fighter's Generation.
Storyline KOF games
The King of Fighters '94
The international weapons dealer and champion fighter, Rugal Bernstein, was restless with life, and craved a challenge. He hence hosted the "King of Fighters 1994" 3 vs 3 tournament to find fighters willing to clash fists with him. There were several teams of fighters who were, including the winners of the first King of Fighters tournament (NB: The first tournament took place during the game Fatal Fury. Fatal Fury 2 was the second tournament) and the stewards of Kyokugenryu Karate (from Art of Fighting). Rugal would bronze the bodies of anyone who lost to him and add them to his collection of bronzed fighters. Yet, it was he who was defeated - by the team from Japan consisting of Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido and Goro Daimon.
TEAMS/CHARACTERS:- JAPAN TEAM - Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, Goro Daimon
- ENGLAND TEAM - Mai Shiranui, Yuri Sakazaki, King
- ITALY TEAM - Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi
- CHINA TEAM - Athena Asamiya, Sie Kensou, Chin Gentsai
- MEXICO TEAM - Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Takuma Sakazaki
- BRAZIL TEAM - Ralf Jones, Clark Still, Heidern
- KOREA TEAM - Kim Kaphwan, Chang Koehan, Choi Bounge
- U.S.A. TEAM - Heavy D!, Lucky Glauber, Brian Battler
- FINAL BOSS - Rugal Bernstein
The King of Fighters '95
The invitations to the second King of Fighters tournament were mailed. But who had mailed them? This time, though, there were several new participants. Representing the U.S.A. was a new team sent by South Town crime boss Geese Howard (NB: The boss of Fatal Fury and the one who hosted the first KOF tournament). One of the members was Iori Yagami, a member of the bloodline that had opposed that of Kyo Kusanagi's for centuries. He was teamed with Geese' henchman Billy Kane and the ninja Eiji Kisaragi. Eventually, though, it came to light that Rugal was behind KOF'95 as well. This time, he had kidnapped and brainwashed Kyo's father Saisyu Kusanagi. Kyo was forced to confront Rugal once more. This time, Rugal was on the verge of losing when he decided to tap into his "secret" power. All the fighters were stunned as they never knew that Rugal had any such power. However, this hidden power proved to be too much for Rugal to handle, and he self-destructed. Kyo recognised the origin of Rugal's hidden power, and had an ominous feeling...
WHAT'S NEW?- For one, the start of the true KOF 'storyline,' with the introduction of the rivalling bloodlines of the Kusanagi and the Yagami, and their battle against the Serpent God Orochi. This is actually based on Japanese mythology. That's right, KOF is historically correct :D
- More old characters show up - Eiji Kisaragi from Art of Fighting and Billy Kane from Fatal Fury.
- Shades of things to come, as Rugal uses the Orochi power imparted to him by Goenitz and dies as a result.
TEAMS/CHARACTERS:
- JAPAN TEAM - Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, Goro Daimon
- ENGLAND TEAM - Mai Shiranui, Yuri Sakazaki, King
- ITALY TEAM - Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi
- CHINA TEAM - Athena Asamiya, Sie Kensou, Chin Gentsai
- MEXICO TEAM - Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Takuma Sakazaki
- BRAZIL TEAM - Ralf Jones, Clark Still, Heidern
- KOREA TEAM - Kim Kaphwan, Chang Koehan, Choi Bounge
- U.S.A. TEAM - Iori Yagami, Billy Kane, Eiji Kisaragi
- MID-BOSS - Saisyu Kusanagi
- FINAL BOSS - Rugal Bernstein
The King of Fighters '96
The KOF'96 tournament was widely publicised through the TV and print media. Rugal's death was undoubtable, so who had organised this new KOF tournament? Familiar faces returned, along with some new ones - Iori Yagami teamed up with Rugal's ex-secretaries Mature and Vice, while Yuri Sakazaki joined her brother's team following their father's retirement, leaving Kasumi Todoh to take up the empty spot on the Female Fighters' Team. Heidern had also disappeared into the background, leaving a new mercenary, Leona, to take his place on the Ikari Team. Geese Howard entered personally this year, along with fellow criminal bosses Mr. Big and Wolfgang Krauser. At the finals, it was revealed that the organiser of KOF'96 had been Chizuru Kagura, the multi-millionare heiress to the Yata clan, one of the three clans (the other two being the Kusanagi and the Yagami) which had sealed the god-serpent Orochi and prevented the world's destruction hundreds of years ago. The main purpose was to bring Iori and Kyo together to stop one of Orochi's Heavenly Kings (there were four), Leopold Goenitz, possessing the power of wind. Goenitz was defeated, but at a terrible cost. Upon defeating Goenitz, Iori's latent Orochi blood was awakened and he went into a state of insanity, murdering his two teammates in the process.
WHAT'S NEW?- More new characters from old SNK franchises added - Kasumi Todoh from Art of Fighting 3/Ryuuko no Ken Gaiden, Geese Howard from Fatal Fury, Wolfgang Krauser from Fatal Fury 2 and Mr. Big from Art of Fighting.
- A new character - Leona, the adopted daughter of Heidern.
- An extension of the Orochi mythology, with the introduction of Goenitz and Chizuru.
TEAMS/CHARACTERS:
- JAPAN TEAM - Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, Goro Daimon
- FATAL FURY TEAM - Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi
- ART OF FIGHTING TEAM - Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Yuri Sakazaki
- FEMALE FIGHTERS TEAM - Mai Shiranui, Kasumi Todoh, King
- IKARI TEAM - Leona, Ralf Jones, Clark Still
- YAGAMI TEAM - Iori Yagami, Mature, Vice
- BOSS TEAM - Geese Howard, Mr. Big, Wolfgang Krauser
- PSYCHIC SOLDIER TEAM - Athena Asamiya, Sie Kensou, Chin Gentsai
- KOREA TEAM - Kim Kaphwan, Chang Koehan, Choi Bounge
- MID-BOSS - Chizuru Kagura
- FINAL BOSS - Leopold Goenitz
The King of Fighters '97
The invitations for KOF'97 were sent out by another mysterious organiser. Iori, who had killed Mature and Vice at the end of KOF'96 after awakening the Orochi blood within him, was a single entry, along with a new participant, Shingo Yabuki, who claimed to be the disciple of Kyo Kusanagi. Geese Howard sent another team this year to participate on his behalf, consisting of Billy Kane, the psychotic murderer Ryuji Yamazaki and Blue Mary (actually an undercover police officer). He wanted the Orochi power for himself, and at the same time ordered Billy to keep a close watch on Iori. There was also a mysterious new team entering, consisting of a pop band - Yashiro Nanakase, Shermie and Chris. However, there was much more intrigue to come.
Just before the finals, Iori and Leona went missing. Ralf and Clark were as stunned as Kyo and Chizuru at hearing the news, but helped to look for Iori as well as Leona. At the finals, the New Face Team revealed themselves as the three remaining Heavenly Kings of Orochi, and the organisers of the KOF'97 tournament. They also revealed that Leona's father, Yamazaki, Mature and Vice also possessed Orochi powers. Leona had inherited her Orochi blood from Goenitz himself. Iori possessed Orochi blood due to a pact made between the Yagami and Orochi centuries before. Yashiro and Shermie proceeded to sacrifice themselves to awaken Orochi in the body of Chris. A fierce battle then began which resulted in Kyo, Iori and Chizuru joining forces to seal Orochi once more. Just when it seemed that Orochi was on the losing end, he awakened the Orochi blood in Iori and set him on Kyo. However, Iori went for Orochi instead, allowing Kyo sufficient time to finish Orochi off with his Orochinagi move. Hence, Orochi was sealed once more.
WHAT'S NEW?- A whole load of new characters added! Kasumi vanishes again (to return in KOF'99) as Chizuru joins the Female Fighters. Yamazaki and Mary from Fatal Fury 3...and a whole new original team, who turned out to be big fan favourites, Yashiro, Chris and Shermie.
- There was a choice between 2 different fighting styles, "Advanced" and "Extra." Advanced consists of building up power stocks through attacking, and then entering MAX mode to receive boosted damage and more powerful super moves. You could also roll-dodge. Extra was the mode used in KOF94-95, with static dodging and manual charging of the power-bar.
- Leona is found to have Orochi powers as well, after she received Orochi blood from Goenitz when she was a child. Heidern later adopted her to help her control her power. Heidern was the only Heavenly King who did not ally with Orochi.
- Kyo and Iori disappeared after the defeat of Orochi. No one knew where they were, until 2 years later...
TEAMS/CHARACTERS:
- JAPAN TEAM - Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, Goro Daimon
- FATAL FURY TEAM - Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi
- ART OF FIGHTING TEAM - Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Yuri Sakazaki
- FEMALE FIGHTERS TEAM - Mai Shiranui, Chizuru Kagura, King
- IKARI TEAM - Leona, Ralf Jones, Clark Still
- PSYCHIC SOLDIER TEAM - Athena Asamiya, Sie Kensou, Chin Gentsai
- KOREA TEAM - Kim Kaphwan, Chang Koehan, Choi Bounge
- NEW FACE TEAM - Yashiro Nanakase, Shermie, Chris
- SOUTH TOWN TEAM - Ryuji Yamazaki, Blue Mary, Billy Kane
- INDIVIDUAL ENTRIES - Iori Yagami, Shingo Yabuki
- MID-BOSS - Riot Blood Iori Yagami
- SECRET CHARACTERS - Orochi Yashiro, Orochi Shermie, Orochi Chris, Orochi Iori, Orochi Leona
- FINAL BOSS - Orochi
The King of Fighters '98
KOF'98 was a "Dream Match" like KOF '94, except for the vastly expanded character roster and a boatload of secrets. It also had the KOF '97 Advanced and Extra modes. There wasn't any storyline, and an enhanced version of Rugal was the final boss. Most KOFers regard this as the most balanced KOF in the series. Others think KOF 2002 deserves this title. Oh well, never mind.
WHAT'S NEW?
- Old KOF battlers return in this dream match. Most of the characters from KOFs 94-97 (except Eiji and Kasumi) return in new team alignments.
- The boss, Omega Rugal, is said to be a re-interpretation of Rugal as if he had Orochi powers. Neat ,eh.
TEAMS/CHARACTERS:
- JAPAN TEAM - Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, Goro Daimon
- FATAL FURY TEAM - Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi
- ART OF FIGHTING TEAM - Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Yuri Sakazaki
- FEMALE FIGHTERS TEAM - Mai Shiranui, Chizuru Kagura, King
- IKARI TEAM - Leona, Ralf Jones, Clark Still
- PSYCHIC SOLDIER TEAM - Athena Asamiya, Sie Kensou, Chin Gentsai
- KOREA TEAM - Kim Kaphwan, Chang Koehan, Choi Bounge
- NEW FACE TEAM - Yashiro Nanakase, Shermie, Chris
- SOUTH TOWN TEAM - Ryuji Yamazaki, Blue Mary, Billy Kane
- YAGAMI TEAM - Iori, Mature, Vice
- USA SPORTS TEAM - Heavy D!, Lucky Glauber, Brian Battler
- OYAJI TEAM (LOL XD) - Heidern, Saisyu Kusanagi, Takuma Sakazaki
- INDIVIDUAL ENTRIES - Rugal Bernstein, Shingo Yabuki
- SECRET CHARACTERS - KOF'94 Kyo, Real Bout Fatal Fury Terry, Andy, Joe, Mai, Billy, Art of Fighting Ryo, Robert, Yuri, Orochi Yashiro, Orochi Shermie, Orochi Chris
- MID-BOSS - Shingo Yabuki (Challenges you randomly)
- FINAL BOSS - Omega Rugal
The King of Fighters '99
Two years after Orochi's defeat, the invitations to KOF '99 were mailed out. Who could the organiser be this time? Heidern's military organisation suspects that NESTS, a powerful cartel, was behind the tournament. A new rule was adopted - the use of "Strikers," characters who can leap into battle and assists a fighter. This meant that all teams had to have 4 participants.Old faces like Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami were missing this time around, but taking part instead are...2 Kyo clones? What's going on? Benimaru and Shingo received and accepted invitations to be on a special team with two other fighters they had never even seen before - two mysterious men called K' (NB: pronounced K Dash, but most people just call him K) and Maxima. Amid the shroud of secrecy, KOF'99 begins...
WHAT'S NEW?
- A few new characters as a new storyline saga begins, including Xiangfei (Real Bout Fatal Fury 2). Quite a few original characters were added - Bao, Jhun, K', Maxima and Whip. K' is the new main character of KOF.
- The two modes have been merged, leaving one fighting style that has the best of both modes.
- Strikers have been included in gameplay, which has been slowed down quite a bit.
- The addition of Counter and Armour Modes is also new. In Counter mode, moves do more damage and you can cancel special moves into supers. In Armour Mode, one can continue to attack despite being attacked by the opponent.
- The final boss, Krizalid, is a clone of K', who is actually a person who has had Kyo's flames implanted in him. At the same time, he was brainwashed to forget his past. K's quest to destroy NESTS for taking over his life is a major part of the next KOF storyline.
- Whip is an ex-NESTS agent who is actually a clone of K's sister. Hmm. I think they're going a bit overboard with the clone thing.
- Kyo had been captured by NESTS after KOF '97 to be cloned and to have his powers studied. He managed to escape from them, and gained a new outfit in the process :D
- Kyo or Iori challenge the winner after they beat Krizalid, depending on the score.
- Krizalid is one of the cheapest bosses in KOF.
TEAMS/CHARACTERS:
- NEO HEROES TEAM - K', Maxima, Benimaru Nikaido, Shingo Yabuki
- FATAL FURY TEAM - Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi, Mai Shiranui
- ART OF FIGHTING TEAM - Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Yuri Sakazaki, Takuma Sakazaki
- FEMALE FIGHTERS TEAM - King, Blue Mary, Kasumi Todoh, Li Xiangfei
- IKARI TEAM - Leona, Ralf Jones, Clark Still, Whip
- PSYCHIC SOLDIER TEAM - Athena Asamiya, Sie Kensou, Chin Gentsai, Bao
- KOREA TEAM - Kim Kaphwan, Chang Koehan, Choi Bounge, Jhun Hoon
- INDIVIDUAL ENTRIES - Kyo-1, Kyo-2 (actually a remix of Kyo from KOF '94 and KOF '98)
- SECRET CHARACTERS - Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami
- FINAL BOSS - Krizalid
The King of Fighters 2000
The 2000 KOF tournament was organised by the military in order to bring out NESTS. A few new fighters entered this tournament, which saw Benimaru and Shingo teaming up with Benimaru's friend Seth and a mysterious ninja, Lin of the Hizoku clan. K' and Maxima found themselves teamed up with two new faces, Vanessa and Ramon. However, as it turned out, the KOF tournament was hijacked by Zero, a NESTS defector who used a space-based weapon called the Zero cannon to show NESTS his true power. He was assisted by Ron(Long in Chinese), the leader of Lin's Hizoku Clan, which he had betrayed. Unknown to most, NESTS had sent an agent into KOF2000 to stop Zero's plan from succeeding. This new face used an "anti-K'" style...what could that mean?
WHAT'S NEW?
- More original characters have been added. Hinako Shijo, Kula Diamond, Vanessa, Seth, Ramon and Lin are all new to the KOF series.
- The strikers have been made more useful. Unfortunately, some strikers were too cheap, allowing for easy infinites.
- New "another strikers" have been added. For instance, if you choose Terry as a striker, you can use either Terry or Geese, his "another striker." There are also some secret "maniac" strikers, obtainable through codes. These include Rugal, Saisyu and a few other oddballs. The additional strikers are too numerous to list, so I won't bother.
- Kula is actually a NESTS agent using the power of ice. She is assisted by her chaperones Foxy and Diana (both NESTS officials) and Candy, her cyborg companion.
- Zero is probably the stupidest KOF boss ever created.
- Kyo and Iori don't actually enter the tournament, but they do appear in the ending.
TEAMS/CHARACTERS:
- NEO HEROES TEAM - K', Maxima, Vanessa, Ramon
- BENIMARU TEAM - Benimaru Nikaido, Shingo Yabuki, Seth, Lin
- FATAL FURY TEAM - Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi, Blue Mary
- ART OF FIGHTING TEAM - Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, King, Takuma Sakazaki
- FEMALE FIGHTERS TEAM - Mai Shiranui, Kasumi Todoh, Hinako Shijo, Yuri Sakazaki
- IKARI TEAM - Leona, Ralf Jones, Clark Still, Whip
- PSYCHIC SOLDIER TEAM - Athena Asamiya, Sie Kensou, Chin Gentsai, Bao
- KOREA TEAM - Kim Kaphwan, Chang Koehan, Choi Bounge, Jhun Hoon
- INDIVIDUAL ENTRIES - Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, Kula Diamond
- MID-BOSS - Kula Diamond (challenges you after the 5th match)
- FINAL BOSS - Zero
The King of Fighters 2001
KOF passes over to Eolith. Oh well. KOF 2001 was organised by NESTS, and surprisingly, they chose to reveal themselves by entering a team in the tournament. Kyo returned to the tournament with his Japan Team, now including Shingo, who was overjoyed to be on his idol's team. In the meantime, Seth asked Iori to join his team with the bait of being able to fight Kyo in the tournament. Iori agreed, but told them not to interfere in his business, or they would pay with their lives. Heidern decided to join his soldiers' team, since Whip had joined K's team. Lin needed K's help in tracing Ron, the errant leader of the Hizoku clan, and joined his KOF team. The finals turned out to be against the supreme leader of NESTS, Igniz, who aimed to become a god once the space station he was on crashed to Earth.
WHAT'S NEW?
- KOF2001 has the most characters out of all the KOF games. It's also one of the best :D
- Four new characters as well as several returning ones. Heidern returns from retirement to fight in KOF2001 while Xiangfei teams up with her fellow Female Fighters once more. Jhun Hoon gets involved in an accident and his place on the Korea Team is taken by "May" Lee Jinju. The NESTS team consists almost totally of new characters (except Kula). K9999 is another K' clone (another one?) and Angel is another new fighter. Foxy is Kula's chaperone.
- A new system was adopted, where you could use any combination of strikers and fighters. For instance, you could use 3 fighters and 1 striker, or 2 strikers and 2 fighters, or 4 fighters and no strikers. There were also corresponding changes in the number of power bars you could stock up. Counter and Armour modes were dropped, and a new Super Cancel and Wire move system adopted instead.
- The KOF2001 art was really bad. Some of it was good (the in-game ones, mostly) but the cutscenes, win screens, and menu screens looked awful.
- The mid-boss was "Original Zero," the person from whom Zero in KOF2000 was cloned (not again!) and could use 3 strikers, Ron, a cloned Krizald (ARGH!) and his pet lion. Significantly tougher than Zero.
- The final boss, Igniz, was insanely cheap, with no power bars and the ability to pull off infinites and countless supers. I've only managed to beat him once. :(
TEAMS/CHARACTERS:
- NEO HEROES TEAM - K', Maxima, Lin, Whip
- JAPAN TEAM - Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, Goro Daimon, Shingo Yabuki
- YAGAMI TEAM - Iori Yagami, Seth, Vanessa, Ramon
- FATAL FURY TEAM - Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi, Blue Mary
- ART OF FIGHTING TEAM - Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Yuri Sakazaki, Takuma Sakazaki
- FEMALE FIGHTERS TEAM - King, Mai Shiranui, Hinako Shijo, Li Xiangfei
- IKARI TEAM - Leona, Ralf Jones, Clark Still, Heidern
- PSYCHIC SOLDIER TEAM - Athena Asamiya, Sie Kensou, Chin Gentsai, Bao
- KOREA TEAM - Kim Kaphwan, Chang Koehan, Choi Bounge, "May" Lee Jinju
- NESTS TEAM - Kula Diamond, K9999, Foxy, Angel
- MID-BOSS - Original Zero
- FINAL BOSS - Igniz
The King of Fighters 2002
The second dream match! Essentially, this pits the NESTS-era fighters (K', Maxima and the like) against the "old-school" fighters like Yashiro, Yamazaki and so on. Many old characters return, but a lot of the favourite characters from the NESTS era got left out.
WHAT'S NEW?
- Lots of returning characters, but King, Jhun, Lin, Eiji, Shingo, Foxy and the USA Sports Team are nowhere to be seen.
- There is a team for each KOF game since 1996, in addition to the standard teams who appear every year.
- The gameplay has returned to 3 vs 3. No strikers.
- MAX mode from KOF '98 Advanced mode makes a comeback. This time, you can cancel special moves into one another at the cost of some time on the MAX mode timer. You can also pull off a new set of hidden supers, most of which do huge damage.
- The boss is another re-interpretation of Rugal as he would be if he were a NESTS leader.
- This is the most balanced KOF ever. period.
- The art has been improved, thankfully.
TEAMS/CHARACTERS:
- JAPAN TEAM - Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, Goro Daimon
- FATAL FURY TEAM - Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi
- ART OF FIGHTING TEAM - Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Takuma Sakazaki
- FEMALE FIGHTERS TEAM - Mai Shiranui, Yuri Sakazaki, "May" Lee Jinju
- IKARI TEAM - Leona, Ralf Jones, Clark Still
- PSYCHIC SOLDIER TEAM - Athena Asamiya, Sie Kensou, Chin Gentsai
- KOREA TEAM - Kim Kaphwan, Chang Koehan, Choi Bounge
- KOF'96 TEAM - Iori Yagami, Mature, Vice
- KOF'97 TEAM - Ryuji Yamazaki, Blue Mary, Billy Kane
- KOF'98 TEAM - Yashiro Nanakase, Shermie, Chris
- KOF'99 TEAM - K', Maxima, Whip
- KOF2000 TEAM - Vanessa, Seth, Ramon
- KOF2001 TEAM - Kula, K9999, Angel
- SECRET CHARACTERS - Kusanagi (Kyo '95), Orochi Yashiro, Orochi Shermie, Orochi Chris
(Dreamcast/PS2 only: Shingo, King)
(PS2 only): Goenitz, Geese Howard, Orochi Iori - FINAL BOSS - Omega Rugal
The King of Fighters 2003
A new storyline begins! The 2003 KOF tournament was organised by a mysterious Japanese sponsor, but more interestingly, a new group of fighters rose to the challenge to take part. The famous Southtown wrestler, Tizoc; the poweful and sullen Chinese boxer, Gato; the mysterious Malin; and the team consisting of the odd Frenchman Ash Crimson, the Hizoku officer Duolon and the brash Shanghai street fighter Shen Woo. Even more oddly, the impossible happened when Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami joined the same KOF team! Clearly, momentous events were about to take place...
At the conclusion of the tournament, Chizuru revealed herself to be the organiser, and announced that the seal that had been placed on the Orochi several years before was weakening. As if to prove a point, she was struck unconscious by a mysterious female and a warrior of stone. The latter identified himself as Mukai. Despite a prolonged battle, he remained without a scratch...
Seeking to revitalise the seal, Chizuru brought Kyo and Iori to its location. However, they were headed off by, of all people, Ash Crimson! Ash quickly showed his evil intentions by removing the Yata mirror from Chizuru's body, and casting her aside, indicating that Iori was next on his "hit list..."
WHAT'S NEW?- A totally revamped game engine with a new tag system as well as a tactical Leader system in place. Mostly well-implemented, but there are still a few quirks here and there.
- Duolon is a cheap bastard. -_-;;
- This is the first KOF to have branching storyline paths - if you manage to beat Kusanagi with a DM or LDM, you fight Maki and Chizuru and then Mukai; otherwise you fight Rugal's son (WTF?!), Adelheid.
- HERO TEAM - Ash Crimson, Duolon, Shen Woo
- FATAL FURY TEAM - Terry Bogard, Joe Higashi, Tizoc/The Griffon
- ART OF FIGHTING TEAM - Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Yuri Sakazaki
- FEMALE FIGHTERS TEAM - King, Mai Shiranui, Blue Mary
- IKARI TEAM - Leona, Ralf Jones, Clark Still
- HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS TEAM - Athena Asamiya, Hinako Shijo, Malin
- KOREA TEAM - Kim Kaphwan, Chang Koehan, Jhun Hoon
- OUTLAW TEAM - Gato, Billy Kane, Ryuji Yamazaki
- SACRED TREASURES TEAM - Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, Chizuru Kagura
- BENIMARU TEAM - Benimaru Nikaido, Goro Daimon, Shingo Yabuki
- K' TEAM - K', Maxima, Whip
- SECRET CHARACTERS - Kusanagi (Kyo '95)
- MID-BOSS - Chizuru Kagura/Maki Kagura
- FINAL BOSS - Mukai OR Adelheid Bernstein
The King of Fighters NeoWave
Another Dream Match, and the first KOF game on the Atomiswave hardware.
WHAT'S NEW?- Seems to be mostly like KOF2002, with the addition of 3 fighting styles and a "Heat mode" where you do more damage but constantly lose life.
- A lot of the roster doesn't seem to make much sense...although some new additions are welcome (like Jhun and Saisyu), some notable favourites are missing (The 2000 Team, 2001 Team and Kim Kaphwan).
- The game will supposedly use the AW.net system to unlock new characters and features.
TEAMS/CHARACTERS:
- JAPAN TEAM - Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, Goro Daimon
- FATAL FURY TEAM - Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi
- ART OF FIGHTING TEAM - Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Takuma Sakazaki
- PSYCHO SOLDIER TEAM - Athena Asamiya, Sie Kensou, Chin Gentsai
- FEMALE FIGHTERS TEAM - King, Mai Shiranui, Yuri Sakazaki
- IKARI TEAM - Leona Heidern, Ralf Jones, Clark Still
- KOREA TEAM - Jhun Hoon, Chang Koehan, Choi Bounge
- KOF'96 TEAM - Iori Yagami, Mature, Vice
- KOF'97 TEAM - Billy Kane, Ryuji Yamazaki, Blue Mary
- KOF'98 TEAM - Yashiro Nanakase, Shermie, Chris
- KOF'99 TEAM - K', Maxima, Whip
- MIXED TEAM - Saisyu Kusanagi, Kula Diamond, Shingo Yabuki
- SECRET CHARACTERS - ?? Not known yet.
- FINAL BOSS - Young Geese Howard
Side story KOF games
The King of Fighters EX: Neo Blood
I don't know anything about this game's plot! Something to do with Geese, that's all I know.
WHAT'S NEW?- The first KOF game for GBA. The engine is loosely based on KOF'99.
- It plays nothing like a KOF game - all sorts of usually impossible links are possible, and there are a crapload of bugs.
- The roster looks large, but about a quarter of the characters can only be used as strikers.
TEAMS/CHARACTERS:
- JAPAN TEAM - Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, Moe Habana, Shingo Yabuki
- FATAL FURY TEAM - Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Mai Shiranui, Joe Higashi
- ART OF FIGHTING TEAM - Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, King, Yuri Sakazaki
- IKARI TEAM - Leona, Ralf Jones, Clark Still, Whip
- PSYCHO SOLDIER TEAM - Athena Asamiya, Sie Kensou, Bao, Chin Gentsai
- KOREA TEAM - Kim Kaphwan, Chang Koehan, Choi Bounge, Jhun Hoon
- SECRET CHARACTERS - Geese Howard, K' (striker), Maxima (striker)
- FINAL BOSS - Geese Howard
The King of Fighters EX2: Howling Blood
The storyline is supposedly about Goenitz trying to resurrect the Orochi power in some little kid. I'm not sure about that, though...
WHAT'S NEW?- The second GBA KOF game, this time based on KOF2000. However, it also adds a lot of its own tweaks.
- It actually plays like an arcade KOF game, unlike its prequel. GOOD.
TEAMS/CHARACTERS:
- JAPAN TEAM - Kyo Kusanagi, Moe Habana, Reiji Oogami
- FATAL FURY TEAM - Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Mai Shiranui
- ART OF FIGHTING TEAM - Ryo Sakazaki, Yuri Sakazaki, Takuma Sakazaki
- IKARI TEAM - Leona, Ralf Jones, Clark Still
- PSYCHO SOLDIERS TEAM - Athena Asamiya, Sie Kensou, Bao
- KOREA TEAM - Kim Kaphwan, Chang Koehan, Choi Bounge
- IORI TEAM - Iori Yagami, Jun Kagami, Miu Kurosaki
- FINAL BOSS - Sinobu
The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact
WHAT'S NEW?- This is the FIRST KOF game in 3D! It retains the 2D play style with some 3D fighter elements added in, like sidestepping and quick normal string combos.
- Modes include (FINALLY), a REAL Story Mode, a 3-on-3 versus mode, a Practice mode and a Training mode.
- Lots of new characters in this one - I wonder if we'll ever see them in a 2D KOF game?
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This page will be updated as and when new KOF games are announced.