As a moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.
Levity is nothing new to the series, so it's no surprise there's humor to be gotten in this game.
Story Mode
- Isla's first interaction with Shun'ei in the intro cutscene. She tries to make it abundantly clear that she very much intends on kicking Shun'ei's ass while also being envious both of his abilities and the praise he gets for using them. Shun'ei's response on the other hand is a mix of a Flat "WTF?" and a genuinely baffled "Who was she?!" look on his face.
- In the same intro, there's also various Funny Background Events when Team Krohnen and Team Ash are seen watching the opening broadcast. Ángel and Kula are going at it again before Krohnen gives them a Death Glare while Ash is trying to watch the broadcast only for Kukri to keep the phone away from him! Elisabeth gesturing to Ash to leave Kukri alone is icing on the cake.
- As always, there are plenty of pre-fight intros that are worth a few laughs.
- Yashiro meeting Maxima is worth a lot of lolz considering how Yashiro can't even tell the difference between a Cyborg and an android. The fact that he greets Maxima with a big "HOOOOI!" (which the subtitles translate as "HELLOOO") before he's corrected adds to the hilarity.
- Ralf tells Whip to take her frustrations out on him. It'd be easy to leave it at that, but then there's the fact that Whip does take up Ralf's offer on that.Whip: That's kind of you, Colonel. Very well, then, I'll let out all my frustrations on you! Especially for all the times you called me "Whippy"!
- Luong tries to back out of a fight with Shermie (even saying "Pretty please?"), who - if you remember - is one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi. Of course, Shermie doesn't let her off that easily. The very flirtatious way Luong asks her only adds to the Les Yay factor.
- Meitenkun has a message to Andy from their sensei Tung... but then he clocks out before he can even tell Andy what that message is. Like Vice before him, Andy is NOT amused.
- Mai asks King how things are going with her boyfriend and that she should go on a date with him sometime. King retorts that Ryo isn't her boyfriend (complete with Luminescent Blush, to boot) and then tells Mai to Bring It. The funny part? Mai didn't even mention Ryo by name at all, and she already knew King would respond this way! Also doubles as a funny Call-Back to the AOF Team's ending back in XI, where they did go out on a(n arranged) date... to disastrous consequences as the image on the main page shows.
- Ramón, as always, flirts with Vanessa (keep in mind, even back in her debut, she was already married and had a kid) during their intro and asks her out on a date. She muses that he never seems to waste any time in doing so, before taking up Ramón's offer... if he wins, that is.
- In Team Rivals' ending, when Dolores expresses her desire to get back to her son and all but describes that her son is in fact Kukri, everyone present (including Leona) is completely shocked that they're related!
- In Team Super Heroines' ending, Athena reveals that she originally came to Mai and Yuri to ask them if they like to form a pop idol group. Mai and Yuri are initially excited at the prospect until Athena starts going to detail about what she has in mind. They go from confused about why Athena would want Mai to use her powers for a flaming hoop act and Yuri to break blocks while in freefall, to downright terrified as Athena grows more enthusiastic. In The Stinger, it's revealed that Athena had a circus-themed act in mind, with an embarrassed Mai and Yuri dressed like a lion and clown respectively.
- In Team Fatal Fury's ending, Joe finally gets a date with Lilly Kane without Billy finding out, even going out of his way to give her a venus fly trap looking flower as a present. Unfortunately she had to cancel but, rather than letting the movie tickets go to waste, she innocently decided to tell her brother to go with Joe instead and thought that they would get along as friends. Cue said brother venomously looming behind Joe, ready to stab the living daylights out of him. The Stinger for the ending has Joe being looked after in the hospital by Terry, Andy, and Hwa, determined to one day get his date.
- When Joe is first seen in the ending, he is covered in injuries and is carrying a crocodile, which he claims is a souvenir while he was getting the flower.
- There are also fully voiced Edit Team endings for the first time in the series. Though some are brief, they're definitely funny where it counts.
- The Legendary Heroes team (Kyo, K', and Ash) has each of the three characters saying each other's catchphrases as well as their most well-known poses, with Ash saying K's, Kyo's saying Ash's, and K' (reluctantly) saying Kyo's. K' earnestly trying to say Kyo's catchphrase makes him come off as oddly adorkable.
- The Bad Behavior team (Isla, K', and Krohnen) has Isla spraying some graffiti, with Krohnen being the one to give her a lift so she can reach a particularly high spot. Neither of them are amused in the slightest. For added hilarity, let this be a reminder that, canonically, K9999 is a meager 168cmnote in height while K' is 183cmnote , meaning that the latter could have given her a lift, but chose not to. Likely to spite Krohnen.
- The French Natives (Elisabeth, King, and Shermie) are wearing some classy dresses. While Shermie's excited at the prospect, King is very embarrassed and when Shermie proudly proclaims that the men in their mind don't stand a chance, Elisabeth is quick to correct Shermie that her relationship with Ash is NOT like that.
- There's also the fact that King and Elisabeth are in dresses that aren't very revealing, while Shermie is...not.
- The Juvenile Troop ending has Kula trying to feed Chris some ice cream (much to his disdain) while Meitenkun is happy to take her up on that offer.
- Then there's the Rampage Warning ending - Leona earnestly warns Shun'ei what'll happen if he doesn't learn to control his Superpowered Evil Side, with Iori being the "don't" part in the demonstration, being seconds away from going full-on Riot of the Blood.
- Team Mexico Reunited ending reunites Ramón, Ángel and the King of Dinosaurs, and KOD still purrs like a cat when Ángel pets him.
- Team Egoism has Gato and Iori in a bar... and both don't want to talk to each other, making their hostility abundantly clear to the other. And Krohnen?
- The Neat Freaks ending makes fun of both Rock and Billy's sensibilities by having Kukri mess with them. It turns out having someone with sand powers is the last person you want to be near clothes being hung out to dry, and neither were amused in the slightest.
- The Animal Lovers ending, as a Call-Back to the previous game, has Yashiro (who has a pet eagle) ask Nakoruru what she usually feeds Mamahaha, her pet hawk. Nakoruru responds that Mamahaha fends for herself, usually preferring mice, among other things. Cut to Shermie, with her hamsters (rodents, which a bird of prey would definitely try to eat if left on their lonesome) in hand as she vows to protect them.
- The Sea Enthusiasts(?) ending sees Jenet and Darli throwing Joe overboard into a school of sharks. Darkly hilarious on its own, but what sells it is that Joe is likely on this team solely because his Muay Thai shorts look like a pair of swim trunks.Joe: Knock it off! These aren't swim trunks, you know!
- Despite the threat that Otoma=Raga poses to all of existence, not a single character that isn't directly involved with the game's plot (and even some who are) will even bother to take her seriously, treating her more like a nuisance than anything else.Ángel: Manipulating the ground and warping is so sneaky! Ugh, I hate guys like you.
B. Jenet: Oh-la-la, all the gold and silver I could ever want! I'm out of here, baby, and this treasure's coming with me ♡
Joe: You've got some nerve trapping the champ inside a bunch of rocks! Beat it, freak!
King: How many times do I have to smash you up before you get the message?! Try getting up now, you stubborn asshole!
Krohnen: Bigger they are, the more fun they are to knock out! So long, sucker!
Kukri: Don't just turn up and act like you're the shit. Piss off back to the other side of space and time.
Luong: I would love to toy more with you, but that's all the time I have. It's been lovely, Madame Monster.
Mai: Eww, what's with the creepy doll getup? I've played with you long enough, so get lost already!
Ramón: The galaxy's mightiest tiger versus the monster from beyond! Man, if you were in the ring, the crowd would be going wild!
Ryo: The fists of Kyokugen can punch through anything, even creepy-ass cryptic creatures!
Shingo: I don't understand what's going on, but I won!
Sylvie: I love your crystal accessories, but the rest of you could use a total makeover!
Vanessa: Ouch... Not the greatest material for a punching bag. I hope my wrists can survive this.
Yuri: Those jewels are so sparkly and pretty! Maybe I could take one home as a memento?- Ditto for Re Verse. Some of the win quotes that each character has against it are amusing, to say the least.Andy: This freak is absorbing energy around it? What the hell is going on?
Ángel: The way you move creeps me out! Don't play the bad guy in a comic book movie, or everyone'll leave the theater!
Ash: Forgive me, but I'm very much over joining you. Bon voyage! ♪
Benimaru: Thanks for freaking out my lady friends, creep! I'm gonna zap you out of this place!
Kula: This place is way too noisy. I hate it! How am I supposed to get home?
Ralf: That was like punching a bag of nothing. Hitting you creeps me the hell out.
Terry: Another mysterious monster butting in? Wouldn't be KOF without it!
Yuri: So you wanted to join the tournament too? That's not a good enough reason for barging in like this!
- Ditto for Re Verse. Some of the win quotes that each character has against it are amusing, to say the least.
- A cute little callback to Terry's pre-fight conversation with Ash in The King of Fighters XIII, Rock will also get his licks in and give Ash a nice little burn after beating him. Like Father, Like Son!Rock: If you can't burn me with your flimsy attacks, what makes you think you can burn me with your weak insults?
- This gem of a win quote if Andy defeats Ralf in story mode, showing that the constant turmoil and villains surrounding KOF are taking their toll on him.Andy: You guys again? *sigh* I hope we can all end this tournament in one piece...
- In Team Awakened Orochi's ending, they succeed in resurrecting Orochi, bringing about the end of the world and killing every human on the planet barring the team (and Goenitz). While Orochi Chris and Orochi Shermie relish in the beauty of the new world, Orochi Yashiro realizes that being one of the four living people left on the planet has a downside.Orochi Yashiro: It's kinda... boring, right?
- Team Samurai's ending. Haohmaru, Nakoruru, and Darli have finally managed to corner one of the evil souls within Verse that had escaped, revealed to be none other than Mizuki Rashoujin. As they debate on how to proceed, history repeats as with Nakoruru's former team as Haohmaru and Darli start talking about how much they enjoyed what the future has in store, and aren't quite ready to return yet. Nakoruru agrees and decides they should go sightseeing...taking Mizuki along for the ride, who has been ignored practically the entire time since they started getting sidetracked. The Stinger shows the three as well as Mizuki in more modern outfits going for a night on the town, with Nakoruru and Mizuki going on a shopping spree, while Haohmaru and Darli go bar hopping to try out drinks.
- Shingo's special intro with Ash, while a neat Call-Back to the Kyo & Iori Team ending of KOF XI, is also mildly amusing since now it's Ash who's saying he might catch a cold. And given what his team's home stage is like (never mind the fact that he's wearing a parka), that's downright hilarious.[Kyo & Iori Team ending, KOF XI]
Ash: Looks like you narrowly avoided a nasty fate, Shingo. Now go home before you catch [a] cold.
[Ash & Shingo's intro, KOF XV]
Ash: Heh heh, is that how you talk to someone who saved your life? You hurt me deep, Shingo! Maybe I should head home before I catch a cold ♪
Gameplay
- Once again, while the Climax Supers are all as awesome as you'd expect, there are still a few that are hilarious in some ways.
- Antonov's new Climax in XV (Kosmos Regression) has him punch the opponent so hard they get splatted onto the camera (Abigail, much?) before he proceeds to give them the mother of all mooonsault drops. This is all compounded by the the regular fight music stopping and being replaced the opening guitar riff from his XIV theme "I'm THE KING OF FIGHTERS".
- While Luong's Climax is the usual Interplay of Sex and Violence that ends in a pretty nasty Neck Snap, if you pause the game right as she mounts her victim, you'll be treated to an utterly priceless Oh, Crap! look on their face!
- Shermie Exposition is pretty much peak Shermie — she catches the opponent mid-air in a way that makes it look like she's about to kiss them (regardless of gender), drops them to the floor, kicks them right back up, then grabs them from behind (sensually), and slams them onto the floor! If done on the Sacred Treasures, then it's straight up Foe Yay territory, especially on Chizuru!
- Yashiro's Climax Super has a familiar angle
◊ to it that ends in a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown in the dark (a la Akuma's Raging Demon) before the screen shatters to Yashiro doing a Shrug Take as the opponent falls to the floor behind him! - B. Jenet's Climax Super is unadulterated humiliation for the opponent at its best. She gets so pissed off that she promptly takes off her shoe and goes to town on your ass with it, topped off with a Galactic Punt that sends the opponent flying at the end! Poor Ash was unfortunate enough to get a taste of her wrath in her debut trailer.
- Speaking of which, the fact that Ash ends up facing the full brunt of Jenet's Ennui Mademoiselle in the Garou DLC trailer serves as some much-needed Laser-Guided Karma for all the shit that he pulled back in his own saga!
- Rugal's new Climax Super, while epic and a showcase of his monstrous power, is also darkly hilarious due to the opponent's Oh, Crap! face (pictured above with Ash as a prime example) before they're atomized with his Kaiser Wave.
- When Geese's Rashomon isn't being downright badass, it can be amusing to see him just casually grab the opponent and toss them in the air as if they were literal ragdolls. Especially when dealing with opponents larger than even Geese himself (such as King of Dinosaurs or Otoma=Raga).
- As always, Ash never fails to deliver on the snark that he's known for. Among his win quotes, here are some of the highlights:Ash: (Generic Quote) I hear what you're saying and it sounds like 'whimper, whimper, whimper'.
(To Gato, Story Mode) So, did you enjoy having your ass handed to you by a nobody? Ahahaha!
(To Geese, Story Mode) Not much of an evil emperor, are you? You give South Town a bad name.
(To King, Story Mode) For failing to entertain me, I expect you to pick up the tab next time I party at your bar ♪
(To Orochi!Chris, VS Battle) Poor little Orochi. How ever will he wake up with these chumps working for him? - Kukri, being equally as trollish as Ash, isn't one without some good zingers, either:Kukri: (Generic Quote) Don't get too close! Remember to fight by keeping at least six feet apart.
(VS Elisabeth, Story Mode) Magnifique! With a riding crop, that would've been perfect!
(VS Isla, Story Mode) Spraying grafitti on public property's a crime, idiot. Now, try acting your age and clean it off.
(VS Krohnen, Story Mode) Whoa, whoa, you brought guns to the fight? In your BODY? Hey, who let this cheat in here?!
(Vs Kim) With that righteous attitude, you better be extra careful not to get ratioed online. On my level, though, I don't even read comments before replying to them.
(VS Ramón, Story Mode) You're a total perv, chasing after married tail like that. Take a cue from me, a true gentleman.
(VS Vanessa, Story Mode) Looking fiiiiiiine... - Mary's and Terry's win quotes in VS Battle, when they score a victory against each other, are, well… just let the lines speak for themselves.Mary: Okay Wolfie, now that you've lost how about I take you home and feed you your kibble and bits? …Just kidding!
Terry: Whew, this time the win goes to me! I freaked out when you were about to pin me! - Apparently Isla is one of the few people who fell for Tizoc's Paper-Thin Disguise as The King of Dinosaurs since she has this to say if she beats him:Isla: You wrestlers are all a bunch of phonies who just show off. Only Tizoc was the real deal!
- Similarly, Shingo ended up falling for the disguise and has this to say.Shingo: Dinosaurs are pretty cool, don't get me wrong, but Tizoc is my true ringer of justice! Haven't seen him in awhile, though...
- Similarly, Shingo ended up falling for the disguise and has this to say.
- One of Kula's new special moves in this game sees the return of her Snowman special from the Maximum Impact series (which she could also do back in XIII as her taunt). Yes, the idea of using a snowman as an oki tool or to KO the opponent with (especially Krohnen and Ángel, who are also Kula's teammates here, mind you) will never not be funny.
- K' usually throws out his glasses before going to town on the opponent with his Chain Drive Super. However, if you have a character with a quick Attack Reflector (like Chizuru or Rugal) and use it right as he throws his glasses at you, you swat them right back at him instead! It doesn't do a lot of damage, but the mere fact you can do this is downright hilarious.
- On that note, for some characters whose Climax Supers start up with a projectile (like Kyo or Yashiro), Yamazaki can flat-out throw it right back in their faces with EX Double Return! It even counts as a punish, too!
- Speaking of Yamazaki, his Drill Climax Super returns from XIV, and among the props that he can use to smash the opponent with in this game, one of them happens to be an Athena poster. And since Athena herself is in this game, using Drill on her with Yamazaki getting her poster as a prop feels like a hysterical case of Hoist by Her Own Petard. Then again, considering Athena's reputation (and her notorious PSYCHO BALL), who can blame him?
- If you use Dolores' Climax Super on Kukri or herself, compared to everyone else being frozen in place, they'll both strike their signature poses before Dolores unleashes her storm of holy soil on them. Like mother like son, right?
- Otoma=Raga, the Goddess of Truth... Is not immune to getting grabbed.
- Using Rugal's Climax Super on her gives her the reaction shot like everyone else. However, because she's literally stone-faced, the best she has is her body reacting, but her face is Dull Surprise.
- On the topic of SNK Bosses, someone had pitted Otoma=Raga against Boss Challenge Omega Rugal. Normally, Omega Rugal is an utter nightmare, and that's because his Genocide Cutter severely limits one's approach. However, Otama=Raga is not programmed to jump. At all. Ironically, this puts Rugal at a disadvantage.YouTube Comment: This isn't fair. Omega Rugal's most powerful move is that [his] AI can predict your jump input and release Genocide Cutter immediately. But... Otoma can't even jump.
- Every time you score a knockdown on Geese, you're treated to an absolutely hilarious "SHIT!" whenever he gets back up.
- On the topic of Geese, he, as usual, brings with him his PREDICTABO, which is already amusing as ever, especially now that you can pull it off against characters like Otoma=Raga and Omega Rugal, but it also works against Krohnen's Calamity Overdrive, and the treat is an absolutely glorious sight of Geese grabbing Krohnen from what could be as far as from the other side of the screen.
- There's something amusing about Isla's main projectile, in a franchise where everyone can throw out Kamehame Hadokens with reckless abandon, being a spray can. Heck, she even sprays the opponent in the face with paint during the startup of her Climax Super! And it's one of the better zoning toolsnote in the game, at that.
- It should go without saying that, since Mamahaha is as useful to Nakoruru in gameplay as she is a trusty Animal Companion, that means she has to stay at Nako's side at all times. This also has the hilarious side effect of Mamahaha following Nakoruru whenever she, say, gets Blown Across the Room or subjected to Metronomic Man Mashing from Orochi Yashiro. And against some characters like Clark or Geese with their Ultra Argentine Backbreaker and Rashomon, respectively, she just straight-up dips at the moment their specials activate, and comes back after the finish!
- As always, Shingo never fails to crack a laugh whenever he takes the ring. The highlights of his antics include:
- The mere fact he has a flameless Orochinagi. It's not even remotely close to the real thing (whether we're talking Kyo's or even Orochi Chris' version), but damn if he won't try.
- He stumbles oh-so-adorably every time he whiffs his Nietogi.
- As always he tumbles mid-air whenever he pulls off his Oboroguruma, with the ensuing fall actually doing damage to the opponent. However, the Critical Hit version actually has him do the move properly!
- If he lands a Critical Hit with his Dokugami, he'll actually produce a small, but noticeable ember of flame that grants a hard knockdown (the EX version of which grants a Wall Bounce). The cherry on top of which is the utterly surprised look on his face!
- A later update added a function in Training Mode that allows you to give Shingo a 100% Crit Rate for labbing purposes. Theoretically, as long as EX Dokugami Mikansei lands as a Critical Hit, you have as many wall bounce opportunities as your remaining meter can allow. Do the math.
- Even his Climax Super has him headbutt the opponent so hard in the air (Fireball Eyeballs included), he just clumsily tumbles back to the floor. Good thing he manages to land on his feet...
- His taunt has him pull out his notebook to see if he missed anything. At least he remembered enough not to pull it out in the middle of his Super as he did in 2002UM.
Meta/Other
- K9999 naturally had to change his looks after the events of 2001 (and for SNK to avoid being Screwed by the Lawyers from a meta standpoint), so what is his new identity? Krohnen. That alone might be enough but then it turns out he also got the last name of McDougall.
- "Time for revolution It's our generation" is a very funky and upbeat track that'd be right at home in TWEWY or Jet Set Radio and works wonders for Isla. However, admittedly it doesn't quite work with her other two teammates, Dolores and Heidern. trying to pick a theme that'll suit them all, only for Isla, being the Leader Wannabe that she is, insisting on the current track instead. Go ahead and have Heidern as your opponent in training mode and try not to laugh at the idea of that kind of song being associated with him!
- Besides being amazing that Rugal finally made his triumphant return after nearly 27 years since his last canon outing in KOF '95note , the trailer makes it a point to showcase the absolute nightmare that it'll be to square off against Rugal by having a montage of him slicing his opponents to pieces repeatedly with Genocide Cutter. Just like Geese and Rock spamming their respective counter attacks before him.Rugal: GENOCIDE CUTTER! GENOCIDE CUTTER! GENOCIDE CUTTER! GENOCIDE CUTTER! GENOCIDE— GENOCIDE— GENOCIDE CUTTER!
- To return to the main series' Funny Moments page, click here.
