Memes / The King of Fighters

Yo dude, you wanna play some KOF?

It's only natural that a long-runner like The King of Fighters would spawn several memes, often as much as the combos you can get.

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Please add entries in the following format:

• The meme. [[labelnote:Explanation]]The explanation behind the meme.[[/labelnote]] ^ExampleLike this.
  • Further mutations and successor memes, if any.

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• Most characters' Calling Your Attacks with Gratuitous English fall into a Fountain of Memes, with Terry's being the most famous. To name a few...
  POWER WAVE!
  BURN KNUCKLE!
  CRACK SHOOT!/KICK BUTT!
  ARE YOU OK? BUSTER WOLF!!!
  VERTICAL ARROW!
  SPIN FALL!
  HEEEYYY! (What Blue Mary usually says on the startup of her Real Counter.)
  BODYBODYBODYBODY APPAR! (Vanessa's Machine Gun Puncher.)
  TIGER LOOOAD!
• Bodega/"Body ga..."^ExplanationKyo's Aragami quote "Body ga..." ("Your body...") got picked up by fans as "Bodega" to the point it's even become a Fan Nickname for him.
• Rugal's Dead End Screamer/Rugalspin. Driven into the ground by M.U.G.E.N.
• Iori's laugh.
  • DONN BRAYK MY SOUL...WOH WOH, TONIGHT^explanationThe Gratuitous English in the chorus of Iori's first Image Song, "Kaze no Allegory"
• There was a small trend of plastering Yao Ming's head◊ onto Goro's artwork in XIII shortly after the game's announcement.
• KOF XI Robert: Fear the Almighty Stance!^ExplanationCarrying over from NeoGeo Battle Coliseum (where XI Robert was ported from), Robert's idle stance was a shockingly detailed and fluid dance-step.
• OH SHIT IT'S ROBERT FROM KING OF FIGHTERS ^ExplanationIt's popular to share this vid or screenshots from it whenever Robert Garcia is posted anywhere.
• Kim, big time:
  • His declaration to evildoers: Aku wa yurusan! HA!
  • His impossibly bright teeth, given the flood of mock-toothpaste advertisements in forums and on YouTube comment boards. Colgate EX Kim! Brush your teeth with JUSTICE! And yes, it's back as his taunt in KOF XV.
  • JUSTICE!^ExplanationPretty much his Catchphrase at this point.
  • Kim's Pants^ExplanationHis standard battle pose from 2002-onwards sported some shockingly fluid rippling gi pants, a much beloved graphical effect, especially from the aging Neo Geo hardware. When the pants no longer rippled in KOF XIV, fans were pissed at the loss of Kim's most memorable trait. And with Kim surprisingly not a part of the base roster for KOF XV, some fans have joked they would be fine if JUST HIS PANTS appeared as a DLC character, so long as the beloved ripple effect returned. Sure enough, when he was unveiled in full at EVO Japan 2023, there was much rejoicing at the return of said effect, now being keyframed with actual physics.
• "Koko desu ka?"^ExplanationThe sound of Goenitz murdering you with his Yonokaze. Repeatedly. Naturally, given his eventual reveal as free DLC for KOF XV a lot of mileage was had out of this one.
  • Goenitz about change Kyo's fighting style again^ExplanationIn the prologue to '96, Goenitz delivered a Curb-Stomp Battle to Kyo so bad that he went from a Shotoclone-style moveset that he had in the previous two games, to his current trademark Rekka-style moveset that he has now. With Goenitz set to return in KOF XV as free DLC, many jokes have been made at Kyo's expense as a result of this.
• In Japan, there's a small fad of Maxima performing his Mongolian Chop ad naseum, usually in sync to music. This has led to Nico Nico Douga calling him "Mongolia," which is popular enough to the point that the Japanese M.U.G.E.N fandom almost always refers to him by this pseudonym.
• Orochi's cry when he gets KOed (even though it's technically meant to be Mizuchi since the original Orochi himself said nothing.) When it comes to Japanese M.U.G.E.N edits, you'll be hard-pressed finding a joke edit that doesn't make the noise, whether it's when he's knocked out or if it's just a noise he makes in general. ARIEN(G)...!
• Leona supposedly shouting "APPLE JUICE!" during one of her throws has become memetic enough that she actually says it in the KOF XIV.
• Athena's new Climax move in KOF XIV has led to some fans calling her "Frieza's final form". It's all fun and games until Athena destroys planet Vegeta all over again.
• The notoriously low initial quality of the XIV character models, particularly regarding Andy's render. Many edits were made comparing them to PS1 cover graphics in quality. Andy himself got quite a few memes about his "beauty upgrade" when he was revealed for XV, with the vastly improved graphics plain for all to see.
• Gang-il's physical appearance, especially in the face, bears an eerie resemblance to DarkSydePhil. This has not gone unnoticed.
• Nakoruru's pet falcon Mamahaha has been dubbed "Bird Jesus" by some players due to its near Game-Breaker status.
• Jugar con Rugal es de maricas^EnglishPlaying Rugal is for pussies.^ExplanationA consensus among Latin American players, which is justified given how broken Rugal is, especially his Omega incarnations from '98 and 2002. However, some elitist players have taken it to the point that you can't be caught playing Rugal even for fun, because you will immediately be labeled as a coward (even if you're playing normal Rugal from '98, who is well balanced).
  • PROHIBIDO JUGAR CON RUGAL^ExplanationLiterally "PLAYING WITH RUGAL IS PROHIBITED". There are photos of KOF cabinets in Latin American countries with a sign stating this, giving the impression that the arcade staff themselves banned him.
  • It got to the point that Mexican governor Jaime Rodríguez Calderón told players never to pick Rugal if they play KOF among friends.
  • Banned in Mexico ^ExplanationThe moment SNK teased the return of Rugal to KOF XV as Omega Rugal, a free DLC character, jokes flooded in about the infamous boss character already being banned in Mexico, before even releasing to the public. It was even joked that Mexico would impose sanctions on Japan over the DLC
• It's not uncommon to have people refer to Tizoc's Big Fall special as "BIIIIIIIG! WHOOOOOOORE!", at least within the M.U.G.E.N community.
• "Wanna play some KOF?"^ExplanationAn admittedly creepy-looking (but still hilarious nonetheless) piece of official art of Kyo by Shinkiro is photoshopped to make him appear as if he's popping out of the most unlikely places, asking people if they want to play KOF. Examples include over Wall Maria like a Titan, Pennywise's sewer drain, and even out of Sakura Matou's skirt.
• My expectations sure were shattered.^ExplanationThe tagline for The King of Fighters XV is "Shatter All Expectations", and plays in every character reveal trailer. With how obvious most of the reveals were, people took the tagline very sarcastically.
• Kensou, Chris and Bao being referred to as “Team Saigado” by quite a lot of fans thanks to them being prominently featured in Saigado’s KOF doujins. Some even (jokingly) wish it was a canon team.
  • With the reveal that Athena, Mai, and Yuri are paired together in XV, fans have started joking that in a way, a Saigado inspired team became canon. Since the three of them usually get a lot of prominence in said doujins. The team is also sometimes referred to as "Team Athena & Friends" referencing the title of the doujins Saigado did mostly focusing on Athena.
• B. Jenet's, Mary's, & Vanessa's armpits.^ExplanationIn the same vein as Mai’s breasts and Shermie’s legs, Mary and Vanessa's most notable features (according to the fans) are their armpits, them being some of the first things people point out when talking about them and when they were revealed for XV. This is mostly because in the games and official artwork, Mary and Vanessa really like to show them off by putting their hands behind their heads, to the point of it being their signature pose. The same is true for B. Jenet, whose forward walk even has her walking toward the opponent with her hands behind her head.
• Baoposting ^ExplanationAny time SNK comes out with a silhouette of the next character trailer in KOF XV, expect someone in some shape or form to suspect that it's Bao. Even with a silhouette like Antonov's or, hell, a character that got no silhouette at all as Ash did isn't safe from this. Discredited after Elisabeth's reveal, thus completing the base roster of the game.
• Orochi Yashiro be rolling that pizza dough^ExplanationThis meme started from a remark that Maximilian Dood made with regards to Orochi Yashiro's... peculiar fighting stance (moving his arms and hands in a slow gradual circle) in a "Rate The Super" video on 2002UM. "Rolling pizza dough" has since become a common nickname for Orochi Yashiro's stance, with people rejoicing when they found that he still has it in XV.
• Chris' Air Blowback^ExplanationChris' generic jumping blowback attack (performed with C+D - both of the Strong Attack buttons - in mid-air) is subject to this due to its Hitbox Dissonance and all-around excellent frame data, being unanimously considered to be one of the best normal moves in the series, particularly the '98 version where this is the contributing factor to his status as a top-tier character in that game.
• B. Jenet is about to hit you with the chancla! ^ExplanationB. Jenet's Climax Super in XV is a cinematic remix of her iconic Mark of the Wolves super where she gets pissed off enough at the opponent that she promptly takes off her heel and beats the shit out of them with it (poor Ash)! This hasn't gone unnoticed by Mexican KOF players, what with it being a common form of disciplining unruly children in Mexico.
• Ralf forgot to turn the oven off ^ExplanationAt the end of Ralf's Super Phalanx Climax Super, he walks Out of the Inferno. Fans like to take the animation out of context and act like he's walking out of a burning kitchen.
• "Absolute Karate. That's Kyokugen. And don't forget it, Dweebenheimer!"^ExplanationOld SNK games had infamously wonky translations that also included a wealth of creative insults, but probably the most infamous among fans is Ryo calling his opponent a "dweebenheimer" after shouting about his karate style in 98
• VRT ^ExplanationStands for Vanessa, Ralf, and Terry, the combination considered the most broken in the early metagame of KOFXV. Many tournaments saw prominent use of this team. Long since Discredited as of the Team South Town update.
• [X/*Overly Long Gag*] for Geese^ExplanationThe latest remix of Geese's iconic leitmotif, "Soy Sauce and a Dash of Sake for Geese", is the subject of inside jokes due to its rather long title. Stuff like, "Two number 9s, A number 9 large, a number 6 with extra dip, two number 45s, one with cheese, and a large soda for Geese" or "A double triple bossy deluxe on a raft, 4x4 animal style, extra shingles with a shimmy and a squeeze, light axle grease, make it cry, burn it and let it swim for Geese" are among the more amusing examples that people came up with.
• Heat Shield/I'm not gonna sugar coat it^ExplanationKrohnen's Heat Shield has quickly gained notoriety since the South Town update due to being one of, if not THE BEST anti-air attacks in the entire game, period. Even more than the infamous Genocide Cutter. No doubt this would eventually reach its apex in EVO 2022, where the move was used quite liberally during the Top 8, where many a Krohnen player was also abundant. It says something that even the Dream Cancel Wiki dubbed it as "the EVO-winning special", too. Come the Shingo update and the move saw some changes to its frames and hit properties, no longer making it the powerhouse of a move that it is now.
• 900g of tortillas. ^ExplanationFatal Fury and The King of Fighters are HUGE in Latin America, partly thanks to the fact convenience stores would have arcades where young people would meet and play KOF. A common joke amongst Latin American players is that young people's mothers would send them to the store to buy 1 kilogram (1kg) of tortillas, but they would buy 900 grams (900g) and use the saved money to play KOF.
• Psycho Ball! ^ExplanationAthena Asamiya's iconic projectile special move which is infamous not only for being spamable, but also for the way her voice actress Haruna Ikezawa shouting it, with her '98 version of the shout being the most irritating.
• Kula Diamond's "Bye bye!"^ExplanationAround early 2024, a popular trend called "Mewing" would pop off in sites like TikTok, with the song used for the trend being a significantly slowed down "ICEWHORE". The "Bye bye!" clip that plays during the song is that of Kula Diamond from 2000 and 2002.

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Iori: Konomama de wa owaran zooo!^EN It's not supposed to end like thisss!