History Franchise / TheKingOfFighters

* ''The King of Fighters 2006'' / ''KOF: Maximum Impact 2'' (2006)

* JigglePhysics: Many of the more buxom female characters' chests jiggle, but Mai Shiranui [[UpToEleven takes it to the next level]].

* UpToEleven: SDM/HSDM/[=MAX2=]/LDM/Neo MAX variants of existing specials and [=DMs=] tend to be a mite bit more grandiose than their normal versions.

** The ''entire'' "Tales of Ash" saga is pretty much a Wham ''[[UpToEleven Arc]]'' (Rugal ''has children'', Chizuru and Iori lose their powers, the seal on Orochi is broken, Ash beats ''Orochi Iori'' effortlessly, etc.), but this is all compounded by [[spoiler:the death of Ash]].

* ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersDestiny'' (2018)
* ''VideoGame/KOFAllStars'' (2018)

* SomeDexterityRequired: The series had a problem with this early on. Then there's the legendary Raging Storm: Down-Back, Half-Circle Back, Down-Forward. 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.
* SourceMusic: In ''[='=]97'', theme songs are associated only to a few characters (Kyo, Terry, Athena, Iori, Shingo, the '97 Special Team[[note]]Each member with their own theme[[/note]] and the New Face Team[[note]]Who share a theme[[/note]], aside from the bosses) rather than their respective teams. For those who don't have them, the fight will be underscored just by background noise. The closest a stage gets to having its own music is arguably the Bali stage.

* ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighersKyo'' (1998)

** ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcomCardFigthersClash'' (1999)

* ''[[Film/TheKingOfFighters2010 The King of Fighters]]'' (2010)

* CreepyChild: Rimelo, one of the two kids in the Ikari Team's ''XI'' ending. Rimelo reappears during a handful of cutscenes in ''XIII'' with the creepy factor arguably toned down.

* CrisisCrossover

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: [[spoiler: The Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi, minus Goentiz[[note]]and even then, he's shown to be quite friendly towards his fellow Heavenly Kings in the non-canon ''[='98=] Ultimate Match'' and ''2002/Unlimited Match'', if his intros with them are anything to go by[[/note]], genuinely seem to care about one another. They drop the menacing act during their special intros with each other even in their alternate personas, and while Yashiro isn't averse to killing the other 2 to revive Orochi, he's apologetic about it and immediately kills himself afterward as an offering, too. This is also partly why Gaidel chose not to be involved with the Orochi business anymore, and Vice and Mature also shows some concern for Iori.]]

** Ryo Sakazaki is inspired by [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu]], [[Manga/DragonBall Son Goku]] and [[Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar Kenshiro]].

* AllMythsAreTrue: They damn well might as be where the ''KOF'' verse is concerned; in fact, it's hard to tell where this ends and OneMythToExplainThemAll begins. From the ''KOF'' lore alone, it plays heavily with the Japanese myth, with Orochi and the three Imperial Regalia of Japan; however, Orochi is said to be the progeny of Gaia of Greek myth, and apparently is the self-proclaimed "enforcer of Gaia's will". Gaia herself has never appeared in any shape or form. From the series outside KOF that appears here, there's the stuff from VideoGame/{{Athena}}, Videogame/SamuraiShodown, and (indirectly) Videogame/LastBlade, with their own myths and lores. If you count ''[[VideoGame/SNKVsCapcomSVCChaos SVC Chaos]]'', then the [[VideoGame/MetalSlug Mars People]] also exist in the verse.
* AlternateContinuity: The ''Maximum Impact'' series, the ''EX'' series, the ''R'' series, ''Neowave'' (the latter of which has no proper story), and ''Days of Memories'' (with changes going up to the characters' personalities themselves).

* AnIcePerson: Kula.

* CanonDiscontinuity: ''XIII'' starts where ''XI'' left off, leaving ''XII'' as if it never happened. [[ObviousBeta All things considered]], it's not hard to see why.

* CloneArmy: ''The King of Fighters '99'' had the endgame involve armies of [[spoiler:Kyo]] clones being staged across the world by Krizalid in an attempt to take over the world. [[spoiler:Even if he were to succeed, which he did not, the governing body that created him had shut down his connections and the endboss of the next game, Zero, personally terminated Krizalid because of how out-of-control he got.]]

More detailed summaries of each arc (and the individual games) can be found in the [[Analysis/TheKingOfFighters Analysis]] section.

* QuirkyMinibossSquad: The Outlaw Team from ''2003'' is made up of sub-bosses from the ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' games (and Gato) -- Billy Kane, Gato, and the AxCrazy KnifeNut Ryuji Yamazaki. It was like this in ''[='97=]'' as well, only with [[TokenGoodTeammate Blue Mary]] completing the threesome with Billy and Yamazaki (Gato would not be created until 1999's ''VideoGame/GarouMarkOfTheWolves'').

[[caption-width-right:330:LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters indeed. And this isn't even all of them...[[note]]Picture drawn as of ''XI''.[[/note]]]]

[[Characters/TheKingOfFighters This is the character sheet]]. Be warned, though: in this series, SNK ''most certainly'' ran away with the concept of LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: As of ''XIV'', there are 107, ''not counting'' all the clones, alternate versions, guest appearances, or those only in SpinOff series.

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: ''XV'' introduces quite a few --
** 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.
** Combos and cancel windows are just as straightforward and lenient in this installment as they were in ''XIV'', meaning you can pull off basic light confirms (such as cr.B, cr.A into L.Scarlet Phantom in Shun'ei's case) with relative ease.
** 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 [[SomeDexterityRequired double half-circle input]], which can be quite difficult for pad players (let alone a beginner) to pull off.
** On the topic of input changes, some characters have had their move inputs changed for easier light confirms. Prime examples include Chris[[note]] Both of his Shooting Dancer specials went from half-circle back inputs in ''2002 UM'' to quarter-circle inputs here. [[/note]], Ryo[[note]] An especially unexpected change for his Hien Shippu Kyaku, which has historically been half-circle back plus kick since his inception, but is now a quarter-circle input instead. [[/note]], and Yashiro[[note]] Mighty Missile Bash going from half-circle back plus punch in ''[='=]02 UM'' to just quarter-circle back in ''XV''. [[/note]], just to name a few.
*** This also extends to some Super Special moves as well, notably Krohnen (aka, [[CharlieBrownFromOuttaTown K9999]]), whose (in)famous pretzel motion inputs[[note]] Which look like this -- ↙➡↘⬇↙⬅↘. [[/note]] have been replaced with the much simpler double quarter-circle forward inputs.
** EX Moves can now be performed freely like in ''XIII'' (as they could only be performed while in [[SuperMode MAX Mode]] in ''XIV''), and only cost half a bar instead of a full meter unlike the latter game.
** The [[ImmuneToFlinching Shatter Strike]] - an armored version of the standard Blowback - is reintroduced from ''XII'' and functions similarly to the [[VideoGame/StreetFighterIV Focus Attack]] where you can muscle through an opponent's offense while taking damage yourself, leading to a combo on hit. It's a very versatile tool that's as effective for offense as it is defense, but it's not without its drawbacks.
** A lot of characters' far Standing Normals 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!
** Taking a page from the ''Maximum Impact'' series, you can now switch the characters and the stage instantaneously during Training Mode straight from the Pause menu. Thanks to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation5's SSD, this action is near-instantaneous and takes less than five seconds to do compared to backing out into the Member Select screen to select a different stage every time. You can even change the soundtrack that's playing in the background from the same menu, too.
** There is a setting that allows you to adjust the Background contrast of the stages (of which we mean that you can make the background darker to the point where you and the opponent are literally fighting in the darkness if cranked up all the way), making it much easier to make out what's on the screen.

* 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''.]]

* SpiritualSuccessor: ''KOF Sky Stage'' is basically ''Castle Shikigami'' with KOF characters: Same presentation, same gameplay, similar pre-boss and pre-stage dialogue box cutscenes, etc.

** ''XV'' so far has two alternate costumes (Terry's ''Garou'' outfit and Leona's classic attire), as well as four teams and a single entry character, with the first two revealed being Team Garou (Rock, Jenet and Gato) and Team Southtown (Geese, Billy and Yamazaki).

* TheArtifact: It's what happens when [[DemotedToExtra you're not the protagonist]], regardless of whether or not you've been a mainstay. The biggest cases of this are probably [[TheHero Terry Bogard]], [[MsFanservice Mai]] [[JigglePhysics Shiranui]], [[JusticeWillPrevail Kim Kaphwan]] and the [[HotBlooded Sakazaki]] [[GenkiGirl siblings]]. While they are still around more than the others whom are generally DemotedToExtra or [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome just mysteriously disappear]], they are generally only kept in to appease older fans. Really, this can apply to anyone who isn't original to the series; you'll be there for the veterans but have little to no impact on the actual plot.

*** And on top of ''THAT'', Love Heart herself has been sold to Highlights Entertainment… only for them to close their doors in 2019, taking the character with them as she is truly gone for good. At least she isn't a CreatorsPest to SNK like K9999 is, though.

** K9999 is inspired by [[Manga/{{AKIRA}} Tetsuo Shima]]. A bit ''too'' much for his own good, hence his [[PutOnABusToHell permanent bus trip]] and being replaced by Nameless in ''2002 Unlimited Match''.

** Considerably, May Lee, K9999, and Foxy haven't been seen since ''2002''.

* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Iori Yagami, Mature, and Vice, whenever they form the Yagami Team.

*** Two retro stages are on the cards (a ''[=KoF=]''-themed version of Terry Bogard's ''Fatal Fury 2'' train stage and the Monaco racetrack stage from ''[='97=]'').

*** Most excitingly, there are four DLC characters. Whip is the first revealed, followed by 3 others thereafter. Them being Yamazaki, Vanessa, and to everyone's surprise, an unexpected candidate to the main KOF series: Rock Howard! (Though he did appear in the ''Maximum Impact'' games beforehand.) A new character, a Saudi woman named "Najd", also join the cast as a downloadable character later on, as well as ''three'' more veterans: Oswald, Heidern and Blue Mary.
** ''XV'' so far has two alternate costumes (Terry's ''Garou'' outfit and Leona's classic attire), as well as four teams, with the first two being Team Garou (Rock, Jenet and Gato) and Team Southtown (Geese, Billy and Yamazaki).

*** Most excitingly, there are four DLC characters. Whip is the first revealed, followed by 3 others thereafter. Them being Yamazaki, Vanessa, and to everyone's surprise, an unexpected candidate to the main KOF series: Rock Howard! (Though he did appear in the ''Maximum Impact'' games beforehand.) A new character, a Saudi woman named "Najd", will also join the cast as a downloadable character at a later time, as well as ''three'' more veterans: Oswald, Heidern and Blue Mary.

* RouteBoss: If you get certain special wins in ''The King of Fighters XI'' you can fight [[VideoGame/BurikiOne Gai Tendo, Silber,]] [[VideoGame/FuunSeries Sho Hayate or Gyazu]]. If you can't do some of the requirements for some of them, you have to fight Abel (Rugal's son and FinalBoss of ''KOF 2003'') as an obligatory sub-boss.

More detailed summaries of each arc (and the individual games) can be found in the [[Analysis/TheKingOfFighters Analysis]] section).