This article needs to be updated.(May 2016) |
The King of Fighters is a series of fighting games developed by SNK. Originally, the series was developed for SNK's Neo Geo MVS arcade systems. This would continue to be the main platform for King of Fighters games until 2004, when SNK Playmore adopted the Atomiswave arcade system as its primary board. SNK Playmore has since stated that it will release its latest arcade titles for the Taito Type X2 arcade system.
The first game in the series, The King of Fighters '94 was released by SNK on August 25, 1994. The game was originally designed to be a dream match of characters from the company's various arcade titles, particularly Fatal Fury , Art of Fighting , Ikari Warriors , and Psycho Soldier . Sequels from the series have been released each year until The King of Fighters 2003 . By 2004, SNK abandoned yearly releases of the series and numbered future games in a more traditional manner. [1] In 2004, SNK produced the first 3D installment of the series, The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact . The game, and its two sequels, revises much of the backstory for characters and settings from previous games.
Several characters from the series also appear in cross-over video games such as the Capcom vs. SNK series. In addition to the remakes of individual games such as Re-bout, Ultimate Match, and Unlimited Match, SNK Playmore has released compilations of their KOF games.
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| Release years by system: 1994 – Arcade [2] |
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| Release years by system: 1995 – Arcade [6] |
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Original release date(s):
| Release years by system: 2003 - Arcade [20] 2004 - Neo Geo [20] 2004 - PlayStation 2 [21] 2005 - Xbox |
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Original release date(s):
| Release years by system: 2005 – Arcade [22] 2006 – PlayStation 2 [22] |
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Original release date(s):
| Release years by system: 2009 – Arcade [23] 2009 – PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
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Original release date(s):
| Release years by system: 2010 – Arcade [24] 2011 – PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 2013 – Microsoft Windows |
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| Release years by system: 2016 – PlayStation 4 [25] 2017 – Microsoft Windows 2017 – Arcade |
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Original release dates:
| Release years by system: 2022 [26] - PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows |
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The King of Fighters EX: Neo Blood Original release date(s):
| Release years by system: 2002 – Game Boy Advance [28] |
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The King of Fighters EX2: Howling Blood Original release date(s): | Release years by system: 2003 – Game Boy Advance [29] 2005 – Nokia N-Gage |
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| Release years by system: 2004 – Arcade [31] 2006 – PlayStation 2 [32] 2006 – Xbox [33] |
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Original release date(s):
| Release years by system: 2004 – PlayStation 2 [35] 2005 – Xbox [36] |
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Original release date(s):
| Release years by system: 2006 – PlayStation 2 [38] 2007 – Xbox [40] |
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KOF: Maximum Impact Regulation-A Original release date(s):
| Release years by system: 2007 – Arcade 2007 – PlayStation 2 |
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The King of Fighters '95 Original release date(s): | Release years by system: |
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The King of Fighters: Heat of Battle Original release date(s): | Release years by system: |
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The King of Fighters-i Original release date(s): July 20, 2011 | Release years by system: 2011 – iOS: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad |
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The King of Fighters Android Original release date(s): March 23, 2012 [43] | Release years by system: 2012 – Android |
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Quiz King of Fighters Original release date(s): | Release years by system: |
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The King of Fighters: Battle de Paradise Original release date(s): | Release years by system: |
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The King of Fighters: Kyo Original release date(s):
| Release years by system: 1998 – PlayStation [46] |
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King of Fighters: Sky Stage Original release date(s): January 22, 2010 [47] | Release years by system: 2010 – Arcade 2010 – Xbox Live Arcade |
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| Release years by system: 2018 – Android, iOS |
The King of Fighters for Girls Original release date(s):
| Release years by system: 2019 – Android, iOS |
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The King of Fighters 2000/2001 Original release date(s): [52]
| Release years by system: 2003 – PlayStation 2 [52] |
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The King of Fighters 2002/2003 Original release date(s): [53]
| Release years by system: 2005 – PlayStation 2 [54] 2004 – Xbox [53] |
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KOF Collection: The Orochi Saga Original release date(s):
| Release years by system: 2006 – PlayStation 2 [56] 2008 – Wii [57] 2008 – PlayStation Portable |
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The King of Fighters: NESTS Collection Original release date(s): [58]
| Release years by system: 2007 – PlayStation 2 [58] |
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The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Original release date(s): | Release years by system: |
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The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match Original release date(s): | Release years by system: |
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Original release date(s): 1999 | Release years by system: 1999 – Neo Geo Pocket Color 2021 – Nintendo Switch, Windows |
Original release date(s): 2000 | Release years by system: 2000 – Arcade, Dreamcast |
Capcom vs. SNK Pro Original release date(s): 2001 | Release years by system: 2001 – PlayStation |
Original release date(s): 2001 | Release years by system: 2001 – Arcade, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2 |
Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO Original release date(s): 2002 | Release years by system: 2002 – Xbox, GameCube |
Original release date(s): 2003 | Release years by system: 2003 – Arcade, Neo Geo AES, PlayStation 2 2004 – Xbox |
Original release date(s): 2005 | Release years by system: 2005 – Arcade, PlayStation 2 2010 – Xbox Live Arcade 2015 – PlayStation Network |
Original release date(s): 2010 | Release years by system: 2010 – PlayStation Portable |
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 developed originally for SNK's Neo Geo MVS arcade hardware. This served as the main platform for the series until 2004 when SNK retired it in favor of the Atomiswave arcade board. Two King of Fighters games were produced for the Atomiswave platform (The King of Fighters Neowave and The King of Fighters XI) before SNK decided to discontinue using it for the series. The series' most recent arcade hardware is the Taito Type X2, first used with the release of The King of Fighters XII. Ports of the arcade games and the original The King of Fighters games have been released for several video game consoles. The latest entry in the series, The King of Fighters XV, was released in February 2022.
SNK Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. The company was founded in 1978 as Shin Nihon Kikaku by Eikichi Kawasaki. In 1981, the name was informally shortened to SNK Corporation, which became the company's official name in 1986.
Geese Howard is a fictional boss character and the main villain in 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 created and hosts a fighting tournament named "The King of Fighters", in which he faces the brothers Terry and Andy Bogard who want to take revenge for their father's death. After several tournaments in the Fatal Fury series, Geese is killed by Terry in Real Bout Fatal Fury. However, he appears in following games without storyline as a "ghost" named Nightmare Geese. Geese has also appeared in other SNK's games such as The King of Fighters games, in which he seeks to get the power from the creature Orochi and often sends teams representing him. His young self makes an appearance in the second Art of Fighting game as the final boss character. He also appears as downloadable content in Bandai Namco's fighting game Tekken 7.
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 Yagami clan, who use pyrokinetic powers and sealed the Orochi devil along with the Kusanagi and Yata clans. Iori suffers from a curse – "The Riot of the Blood" – under which he becomes faster, stronger and wilder, exhibiting a deadly tendency to indiscriminately attack everyone in close proximity. In this state, Iori is commonly called "Wild Iori" or "Orochi Iori". Aside from the main series, Iori appears in several other media series, including spin-offs, crossover video games and comic adaptations of the series.
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, heir to the Kusanagi clan, is first introduced as a cocky, delinquent high-school student who has pyrokinetic powers. His clan is one of three who banished the legendary snake demon entity Yamata no Orochi. During the series' story, Kyo meets rivals and enemies who seek to take his flame abilities. Aside from the main series, Kyo appears in several crossovers and spinoffs with other games. He is also the central title character of the manga The King of Fighters: Kyo and video game adaptation with the same name which center around his daily life.
Athena Asamiya is a fictional character originally from the former SNK's 1987 video game Psycho Soldier. An esper, Athena is a descendant of Princess Athena from the earlier Athena game. She later appears in The King of Fighters series of fighting games as a member of the Psycho Soldier Team alongside her friend Sie Kensou and her teacher Chin Gentsai. While there have been changes to the team, Athena has been consistently playable in the main series. She was also given her own video game Athena: Awakening from the Ordinary Life, which was only released in Japanese regions for the PlayStation in 1999.
The King of Fighters '97(KOF '97) is a fighting game produced by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home console in 1997. It is the fourth game in The King of Fighters series. It was ported to the Neo Geo CD, as well as the PlayStation and the Sega Saturn in Japan only. It is last game in the "Orochi Saga" storyline, that began in The King of Fighters '95.
The King of Fighters '98: The Slugfest, known in Japan as The King of Fighters '98: Dream Match Never Ends , is a fighting game released by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home consoles in 1998. It is the fifth game in The King of Fighters series. It was advertised by SNK as a "special edition" of the series, as it featured most of the characters who appeared in the previous games.
KOF: Maximum Impact (KOFMI) is a fighting game developed by SNK subsidiary Noise Factory and published by SNK Playmore for the PlayStation 2 in 2004. An enhanced version was released for both the Xbox and PlayStation 2 under the title KOF Maximum Impact: Maniax. The PS2 version of 'Maniax' was only released in Japan, and the Xbox version was not released in Europe.
Samurai Shodown II, known in Japan as Shin Samurai Spirits: Haōmaru Jigokuhen, is a 1994 fighting game released as the second entry in SNK's Samurai Shodown series. Like the original Samurai Shodown, the sequel was initially released for the Neo Geo arcade and home system.
The King of Fighters XI(KOF XI) is a 2D fighting game produced by SNK Playmore. It is the eleventh installment in The King of Fighters series following The King of Fighters 2003. It was originally released as a coin-operated arcade game for the Atomiswave platform in 2005. A home version for the PlayStation 2 was released in Japan in 2006, followed by releases in the PAL region and North America in 2007. It is the second The King of Fighters game to not run on the Neo Geo following its predecessor, The King of Fighters Neowave and also the first major canonical entry to not be named after its year of release.
The King of Fighters 2006, known in Japan as KOF: Maximum Impact 2 (KOF:MI2), is a 3D fighting game produced by SNK Playmore and released for the PlayStation 2 in 2006. An updated version was released in 2008 under the title KOF: Maximum Impact Regulation A. It is the sequel to KOF: Maximum Impact, which itself was a spinoff of The King of Fighters series.
Garou: Mark of the Wolves is a 1999 fighting game produced by SNK, originally for the Neo Geo system and then as Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves for the Dreamcast. It is the sixth main installment of the Fatal Fury series.
The King of Fighters '96(KOF '96) is a fighting game released by SNK for the 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. Like its predecessor, the game was ported to the Neo-Geo CD, as well as the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. Unlike the previous game, the PlayStation and Saturn versions were released only in Japan, with a language setting allowing the player to set the game to English.
The King of Fighters 2002: Challenge to Ultimate Battle(KOF 2002, or KOF '02) is a fighting game developed by Eolith and published by Eolith and Playmore for the Neo Geo in 2002. It is the ninth game in The King of Fighters series and the second one to be produced by Eolith. The game was ported to the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and the Xbox, where in the PS2 and Xbox versions were released in North America in a two-in-one bundle with the following game in the series, The King of Fighters 2003. The Dreamcast port was released only in Japan, it was also the last game in the series to be officially released for the Japanese Dreamcast.
The King of Fighters Neowave(KOF Neowave, or KOF NW) is a 2D fighting game produced by SNK Playmore and released as a coin-operated arcade game for Sammy's Atomiswave hardware in 2004. It was the first game SNK Playmore produced for the Atomiswave. This is a remake of The King of Fighters 2002 with a major change of roster and stages, the game was also made on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The PS2 version was released only in Japan and the PAL region, the Xbox version was released both in Japan and North America; additionally, the Xbox version was the last game released for the console in Japan. The North American version was released on April 18, 2006. In 2020, a Dreamcast homebrew adaptation of the arcade version was also made possible due to the Dreamcast sharing almost identical hardware with its Atomiswave cousin. The character artwork was done by Tomokazu Nakano. In Japan, it was the last game to be released for the Xbox.
The King of Fighters '94 is a fighting game released by SNK for the Neo Geo MVS arcade system in 1994, as the first in The King of Fighters series. The game was also released for the Neo Geo home console systems, including the Neo Geo AES and Neo Geo CD. In 2008, KOF '94 was one of sixteen games included in SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Wii.
The King of Fighters XII (ザ・キング・オブ・ファイターズ XII)(KOF XII) is the twelfth installment of The King of Fighters series of fighting games developed and published by SNK Playmore. The game was originally released in Japan in April 2009 for arcades. Home versions of the title for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 had a worldwide release on July 28 of the same year. Like The King of Fighters '98 and The King of Fighters 2002, this game does not have a storyline; but it is the third chapter in the Tales of Ash Saga that started in The King of Fighters 2003.
Samurai Spirits Sen (サムライスピリッツ閃) is the fourth 3D game in SNK Playmore's Samurai Shodown series of fighting games, and the eleventh overall title in the series. The arcade version was released in most countries as Samurai Shodown: Edge of Destiny, and Shi Hun: Mingyun zhi Ren in China. The Xbox 360 version was released as Samurai Shodown Sen.
The King of Fighters XIII(KOF XIII) is a fighting game in The King of Fighters series, developed and published by SNK Playmore originally in 2010. King of Fighters XIII was released for Japanese arcades on July 14, 2010, while ports for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were released during late 2011 in Japanese and English regions, with Atlus USA and Rising Star Games being in charge of releasing them in the United States and Europe respectively. Versions for iOS and Android followed in 2011 and 2012. A PC version was released on Steam on September 13, 2013.