History Franchise / TheKingOfFighters

* VideoGameLongRunners: "It all began in ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters94 '94]]''..." All joking aside, the series includes fourteen titles (not including {{Updated Rerelease}}s like ''[='98 Ultimate Match=]'', ''2002: Unlimited Match'', and ''Neowave''), with several portable [[SpinOff spin-offs]], ''four'' [[AlternateContinuity separate continuities]] (''Maximum Impact'', ''EX'', ''R'', ''Days of Memories''; each with a minimum of two games apiece), and various other titles like the RPG-styled ''KOF: Kyo'' and pachinko slot games. ''The King of Fighters XIV'' is currently the latest game.

* TwoAndAHalfD: ''XIV'' (and also ''XV'') is moving away from dot-art sprites to straight 3D models. Previously the only installments of the franchise to use 3D graphics were the ''Maximum Impact'' games (not counting ''XII'' and ''XIII''[='s=] use of 3D graphics as development templates for their character sprites). Unlike those games, however, this game remains a 2D fighting game gameplay-wise.

* VillainsOutShopping: ''XV'''s Team Orochi ending is a humorous pingponging of Chris, Yashiro, and Shermie discussing plans for the band, being interviewed for a magazine aimed at female martial artists, [[ArsonMurderAndJayWalking and schemes aimed at kidnapping Kyo's girlfriend to resurrect Orochi once again]], in no particular order. The entire ending plays out with a mostly playful, affable air that doesn't favor or emphasis any of the aforementioned subjects.

* VillainsOutShopping: ''XV'''s Team Orochi ending is a humorous pingponging of Chris, Yashiro, and Shermie discussing plans for the band, being interviewed for a magazine aimed at female martial artists, [[ArsonMurderAndJayWalking and schemes aimed at kidnapping Kyo's girlfriend to resurrect Orochi once again]], in no particular order. The entire ending plays out with a mostly playful, affable air that gives doesn't favor or emphasis any of the aforementioned subjects.

* ClothingDamage: both King and Yuri can suffer this in ''[='94=]'', ''[='95=]'', ''XIII'' and ''XIV'' if they are defeated with any special attack, as a nod to their origins from ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting''. Curiously, this doesn't happen to Ryo or Robert, even though they originated from the same game series.

* The original '''King of Fighters''' arc (known alternatively as the '''Rugal Saga''') ([[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters94 '94]]-[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters95 '95]]), which focuses on notorious crime lord Rugal Bernstein and his attempt to establish himself as the world's strongest fighter by staging a [[TournamentArc grand tournament]] and inviting contenders from all across the globe. It is strongly associated with the artist [[http://snk.wikia.com/wiki/Shinkiro Shinkiro,]] as were most of SNK's franchises of the time. Though some consider the first two games their own arc, it is sometimes thrown together with the next arc.

* The '''Shun'ei Saga''' arc begins with ''The King of Fighters XIV'' and continues in ''XV'', introducing Shun'ei, a student of [[VideoGame/FatalFury Tung Fu Rue]] as the new protagonist, as well as finally the official addition of another one of SNK's fighting game juggernaut titles, ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'', via their mascot/heroine Nakoruru. The game itself uses 3D graphics (through an inhouse engine in XIV and Unreal Engine 4 in XV) while still retaining its roots as a two-dimensional playing field, similar to games such as ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'' or ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''. This arc is notable as the first to not be developed first for the arcades, with Playstation 4 serving as the lead platform for XIV. I

* AdultFear: The [[spoiler:God's Caliber Team ending]], which is [[AdaptationExpansion expanded]] in the SpinOff game ''KOF:KYO''. [[spoiler: Your girlfriend, who for all accounts is an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent, turns out to be the BarrierMaiden who will be subjected to a HumanSacrifice by the antagonists.]] And depending on the game, [[spoiler:the QuirkyMinibossSquad is either about to abduct her or ''has already had her in their clutches for at least two days''.]]

** ''VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2'' (2001)

* ''[[VideoGame/KOFMaximumImpact2 The King of Fighters 2006'' / ''KOF: Maximum Impact 2]]'' (2006)

* ''Film/TheKingOfFighters2010''
* ''Manga/TheKingOfFightersANewBeginning''
* ''Anime/TheKingOfFightersAnotherDay''
* ''Animation/TheKingOfFightersDestiny''

* SomeDexterityRequired: The series had a problem with this early on. Then there's the legendary Raging Storm: Down-Back, Half-Circle Back, Down-Forward. There's a reason it's called "[[FanNickname The Pretzel]]." Most games starting with ''[='96=]'' averted this, but SNK still throws curveballs from time to time. K9999's[[note]]and by extension, Nameless'[[/note]] inputs are also ridiculously difficult as are Duck King's in ''XI''. The Raging Storm is notoriously difficult ''for the sake of nostalgia''. Now fully averted as of ''XIV'' where the infamous Pretzel motion in the case of Geese's Raging Storm is instead an Orochinagi (qcb~hcf) motion. ''XV'' takes it a step further by giving every Climax Super in the game an Orochinagi plus Blowback input as opposed to the varying inputs of prior games.

* The '''Tales of Ash''' arc ('03, XI and XIII. XII is more a dream match and test run for the new engine they were developing) , which introduces androgynous French pretty boy Ash Crimson as the new main character. The story involves a sinister plot to capture the powers of the Kusanagi, Yagami, and Kagura clans and use them to [[SealedEvilInACan seize the sealed power of Orochi]], as well as the question of [[EnigmaticMinion just whose side Ash is on]]. The main enemy of this arc is a band of enigmatic people named "Those from the Past". It had [[http://snk.wikia.com/wiki/Nona Nona,]] [[http://snk.wikia.com/wiki/Falcoon Falcoon,]] Shinkiro's unnoficial "successor" [[http://snk.wikia.com/wiki/Hiroaki Hiroaki]] and [[http://snk.wikia.com/wiki/Eisuke_Ogura Eisuke Ogura]] as artists. It also experienced a change of hardware platforms multiple times ('03 on UsefulNotes/NeoGeo as with all the previous games, XI on Atomiswave and XII and XIII on Taito Type X2) the first in-game ArtShift ever, and turmoil in the parent company, but managed to get on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} in the end. This is also where the series drops the yearly naming convention in favor of numbered sequels starting with XI.

** Specifically, ''[='98=]'' and ''[='02=]'' are non-canon and include large rosters and characters that are dead in storyline. While ''XII'' is also non-canon, it isn't really a "dream match" like the other two.

* TwoAndAHalfD: ''XIV'' (and also ''XV'') is moving away from dot art sprites to straight 3D models. Previously the only installments of the franchise to use 3D graphics were the ''Maximum Impact'' games (not counting ''XII'' and ''XIII''[='s=] use of 3D graphics as development templates for their character sprites). Unlike those games, however, this game remains a 2D fighting game gameplay-wise.

** The ''Maximum Impact'' saga ended on a cliffhanger, with Soiree being abducted by Addes. However, after ''Regulation A'', SNK stopped bothering with this spin off title, thereby putting it on an eternal cliffhanger.

* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:Krizalid]] in '99. His [[OhCrap horror]] upon realizing that [[spoiler:he was going to die by Clone Zero's will]] was enough to evoke pity, but the custom team ending [[FromBadToWorse takes it further,]] it is revealed that [[spoiler:he was brainwashed to serve NESTS the entire time and dies not knowing who he truly is.]] It gets even worse in the Ikari team's ending where he [[spoiler:'mistakes' Whip for his lost sister,]] only for [[spoiler:her]] to reveal that [[spoiler:[[FakeMemories NESTS gave him a false memory of it]] and that he's actually [[LukeYouAreMyFather a clone of K', rather then the other way around.]]]] This gets expanded in the Ikari team's ending 2000, [[spoiler:when Clone Zero tells Whip that [[EveryoneIsRelated she's actually a clone of the dead sister of K',]] [[FridgeHorror making Krizalid die without knowing that]] [[CassandraTruth Whip really was his biological sister.]]]] No wonder why SNK [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally planned for]] [[spoiler:Krizalid to be brought BackFromTheDead.]]

* CharacterCustomization: While its still impossible to change costumes in ''XIII'' because of 2D, SNK have been very creative with color palettes (Robert Garcia with very convincing Terry Bogard palette for example), especially with skin color and skintight clothing (most notable are "no pants" Yuri and Raiden's many "costumes"). And then, as soon as the arcade version was released, it's been revealed that there's alternate palettes that give certain characters actual headswaps: Yuri gets her long hair back, Raiden loses his mask (revealing that he is, in fact, Big Bear), and Takuma gets his Mr. Karate tengu mask back.

*** Mai's [[LimitBreak Climax DM]] is similar than Choi's but unarmed, with her finishing by grabbing the foe between her legs and slamming them down to the ground alongside her.

* FreddieMercopy: An expy of an expy can be counted on ''2000'' with (Clone) Zero, which was enterely based on ''Manga/HokutoNoKen'''s Han, who was based on Freddie.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading: The UsefulNotes/NeoGeo CD ports of the games, which have loading times so frequent and so ridiculously long (20 to 30 seconds, due to the [=CDs=]' slow single speed drive) that they slow the pacing of all the games to a crawl.

* PartsUnknown: Unlike most fighting games, which ''mostly'' restrict this trope to bosses, a good chunk of the characters in the series have "unknown" listed against their birthplaces - ''26'' out of the total 90 (non-powered/cloned) characters, in fact.

** Despite being the first installment of its arc, ''XIV'' manages to do this with its final boss: [[spoiler:Verse is an amalgam of departed souls of various ''[=KoF=]'' characters who came into being after Ash's CosmicRetcon[=/=]RetGone of himself. Defeating Verse causes these souls to be released, which creates the possibility that once-dead characters such as Orochi or Krizalid (and despite his actions, Ash is also among them) will now be canonically alive again. And not just present day dead characters, mind you, seeing that one of the souls stored in Verse include a certain [[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Mizuki Rashoujin]]]]

*** [[Manga/{{Akira}} With the second being dead in a]] BusCrash. Or, to be more exact, [[{{Retcon}} replaced by]] [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute Nameless]].

** A lot of characters' Far C are Special Cancelable in this game for better punishment and a more neutral/footsies-oriented playstyle. Kyo being the prime contender since his new Far C is not only cancelable on hit, but he can also cancel it even on ''whiff'', too!

** Most notably, [[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Nakoruru]], as well as her team-mates, Miu Miu and Love Heart, are stuck in King Of Fighters possibly permanently, making them ExiledFromContinuity for their ORIGINAL universes!

* DevelopersForesight: In the endgame of ''The King of Fighters '97'', players will either fight Orochi Iori or Orochi Leona if Iori is already on their team. If both Iori and Leona are on their team, they will face Orochi Iori but Iori and Leona briefly wonder what happened to Iori's "twin" after the fight.

* SomeDexterityRequired: The series had a problem with this early on. Then there's the legendary Raging Storm: Down-Back, Half-Circle Back, Down-Forward. There's a reason it's called "[[FanNickname The Pretzel]]." Most games starting with ''[='96=]'' averted this, but SNK still throws curveballs from time to time. K9999's[[note]]and by extension, Nameless'[[/note]] inputs are also ridiculously difficult as are Duck King's in ''XI''. The Raging Storm is notoriously difficult ''for the sake of nostalgia''.

*** XIV's announcers as well, despite fairly clearly being native Japanese speakers, their English is otherwise quite fluent.

* VagueAge: The game used to list the ages of characters, but later on the official data lacks it. Most likely have something to do with ComicBookTime and how some characters don't look their stated age.

* TwoAndAHalfD: ''XIV'' is moving away from dot art sprites to straight 3D models. Previously the only installments of the franchise to use 3D graphics were the ''Maximum Impact'' games (not counting ''XII'' and ''XIII''[='s=] use of 3D graphics as development templates for their character sprites). Unlike those games, however, this game remains a 2D fighting game gameplay-wise.

** The Auto Combos in this game have been revamped compared to XIV: now you can press a different button after pressing A (Light Punch) three times in quick succession for a different ender - A will automatically perform a Climax Super, B (Light Kick) will do a normal Special Move (which can be cancelled into a Super Special Move), C (Strong Punch) ends in a normal Super while D (Strong Kick) ends in a MAX Super.
** Every Climax Super in the game is now a relatively straightforward qcb~hcf+CD (aka, the Orochinagi input plus the Blowback button) input. For reference, Shun'ei's Climax Super in ''XIV'' was a double half-circle input, which can be quite difficult for pad players (let alone a beginner) to pull off.
** EX Moves can now be performed freely like in ''XIII'' (as they could only be performed while in MAX Mode in ''XIV''), and only cost half a bar instead of a full meter unlike the latter game.

** Ryo is inspired by [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu]].
** Benimaru is inspired by [[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Jean Pierre Polnareff]].
** K9999 is inspired by [[Manga/{{AKIRA}} Tetsuo]]. A bit ''too'' much for his own good, hence his [[PutOnABusToHell permanent bus trip]] and being replaced by Nameless in ''2002 Unlimited Match''.