From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The King of Fighters (or KOF for short) is a Japanese fighting video game series that started by SNK in 1994 by combining elements of two of its existing fighting game series in Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting, as well as bringing back characters from games predating the Neo-Geo in Ikari Warriors and Psycho Soldier. A new game in the series is produced every year.
Since the company's collapse in 2000, the game has been under license by another Japanese company, Playmore.
King of Fighters introduced the 3-on-3 "team battle system" to the fighting game genre, along with various other sub-systems as Attack Deflector (Dodging) and Emergency Escape (Rolling) which would later be adopted by many other fighting games.
Games
The large majority of the series existed as Neo-Geo games that were later ported to the various consoles of the time. Other games with the King of Fighters name were also made for the Gameboy, the Game Boy Advance, and the Neo-Geo Pocket.
The main KOF series is divided into a three-part story arc and a fourth part known as a "dream match" that has no effect on the storyline, combining popular characters from past storylines as well as the best of the current storyline into one fighting game.
The story of the King of Fighters Tournament for which the series is named after predates the series itself. It was first introduced in Fatal Fury and continued in Fatal Fury 2.
The Orochi Saga
Continuing from the Fatal Fury series, the King of Fighters tournament resumes its yearly match-ups. Sponsored by Rugal Bernstein, the tournament now adopts team battles of three members each.
- The King of Fighters '95
- The King of Fighters '96
- The King of Fighters '97
- The King of Fighters '98 - The Slugfest
The NESTS Saga
After the fall of Orochi and the disappearance of Kyo Kusanagi, the KoF tournament returns, only to be a front for a world domination scheme by the final boss Krizalid. This sequel features a newly introduced fighting system, aptly called the 'striker system'
The tournament is back, this time used as a means to power the infamous Zero Cannon.
New fighters make their entrance while old battlers come back with a vengeance. This was the first KOF game to be developed by an external company "Eolith"
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.The continuing saga
Features a new storyline and the return of some old characters.Other Games
An adaptation of The King of Fighters '97 for the Neo-Geo Pocket.
An adaptation of The King of Fighters '98 for the Neo-Geo Pocket.
Related Games
These games are not part of the King of Fighters series, but do feature KOF characters:
A spinoff game for the Neo-Geo Pocket involving female characters from various SNK games trying to win a tournament, named "The Queen of Fighters" from a mysterious Miss X (who is really Iori Yagami dressed as a woman).
Characters
The King of Fighters contains many characters, some of which are from other SNK fighting games, and some of which have appeared in other games. Here's a list of characters that have appeared in a fighting capacity from its original incarnation in 1994, including both King of Fighters EX games:Characters from Fatal Fury
Characters from Art of Fighting
Characters from Ikari Warriors
Characters from Psycho Soldier
Characters from Samurai Shodown
Characters With Appearances Outside This Series
These are the characters that have appeared in other games, including, but not limited to, the SNK VS. Series.Other Characters
External links
