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The interviews reported and history described in Publisher
this book are based on the memories and thoughts Bitmap Books
of the interviewees and writers. The expressed
views and opinions of the interviewees and writers
are their own, and not necessarily those of either
Concept
SNK CORPORATION or Bitmap Books Ltd. Sam Dyer
All trademarks are the property of their respective Graphic design

owners. Street Fighter © CAPCOM CO., LTD. Sam Dyer
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
First published in 2022 by Bitmap Books Ltd. Writing

Robert Jones
Copyright © Bitmap Books Ltd. 2022 Christopher Rasa
The right of Sam Dyer to be identified as the author
of this work has been asserted in accordance with the
Editing
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 sections Steve Jarratt
77 and 78.
Interviews
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from James Mielke
the British Library.
Joy Mielke
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any Screenshots
means, or stored in any retrieval system of any Gonçalo Lopes
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permitted fair dealing under the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988 (as amended) or other
Sprite rips
applicable law. Application for permission should Paul McNally
be made to the publisher.
Additional illustrations
© SNK CORPORATION ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Armen Mardirossian
The NEOGEO™ brand and all associated games are
Catherine Menabde
the copyright of SNK and used under licence.
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Christopher Rasa
Frazer Rhodes
2

INTRODUCTION 4
FOREWORD 5
HISTORY 6
GAME ART 66
CHARACTER ART 282
KEY ART 416
INTERVIEWS 488
THANKS 544
3
INTRODUCTION
Of all of SNK’s celebrated video game series, THE KING OF
FIGHTERS is the one that has not only gained the most admiration
from gamers, but also had the biggest impact on the gaming industry.
Since the first KOF game came out in 1994, during the first golden
age of versus fighters, this series has become globally famous for its
distinctive art style, adrenaline-inducing gameplay, and pantheon of
unique combatants. It has also repeatedly introduced and then evolved
core fighting game staples that today are taken for granted.
Put simply, KOF is one of the most important fighting game series of
all time, and today, in 2021, it is considered versus fighter royalty. But
despite this legacy, the history of this long-running and much beloved
gaming series has never been comprehensively told, leaving the story
of how it came to be, and the cultural phenomenon it became, largely
shrouded in mystery.
Here, in the first officially licensed and fully endorsed book of its
type, that story is revealed in its entirety. With the help of SNK itself,
which has granted unprecedented access to its immense archives
of illustrations and artwork, as well as from the key members of the
original development team, who have spoken in unparalleled detail
about how they created the series, this official history delivers
a comprehensive visual and written history of KOF.
The book celebrates iconic characters in the KOF roster, such as Kyo
Kusanagi and Iori Yagami, as well as hearing from the voice actors
who brought them to life; it uncovers never-before-seen details about
the mysterious origins of KOF; and delves into the sumptuous pixel
art and rich story narratives the series is known for. With its wealth
of imagery and information, this is the ultimate KOF history.
SNK and the fearless young game makers who created KOF changed
the world back in 1994, and the book that you hold in your hands is
testament to that landmark achievement.
Bitmap Books
4
FOREWORD
The art book for THE KING OF FIGHTERS series, which debuted in
1994, is finally complete.
The early development of KOF was a real battle for space. KOF ’94
was developed for the NEOGEO, which didn’t have a great deal of
space for developers to work with, and that put a limit on the numbers
of characters, stages and sounds that could be included in the game.
However, the main goal of the project was to create an SNK all-star
battle between Fatal Fury and Art Of Fighting that used a 3-vs.-3 team
battle system, and that necessitated having way more characters
than other games. The development team used all sorts of tricks to
launch the first KOF game with 24 playable characters, an incredible
accomplishment for the time when compared to other titles, and
their hard work produced a game that had a massive impact on
the Japanese arcade game market.
KOF continued to evolve moving forward, and over the next 25+
years it went on to become SNK’s signature series, with adoring
fans all over the world.
Over the series’ long history it has used artwork from various
creators. The original character designs that serve as the basis of
everything were conceived with a limit of just 15 colours. These designs
were then brought to life through pixel art. Cutscenes were used
to portray the many expressions and the cores of each character.
Finally, key art was then used to help fans gain an understanding of
the world within the game. Many different ideas and ingredients were
skilfully meshed together to create all of these beloved characters.
KOF will continue to evolve into the future, producing more and more
art as it does so, but for now I’d like to join all the series’ fans around
the world in celebrating the creation of this huge compilation.
Yasuyuki Oda, SNK Lead Producer
5
Today, KOF is known as one of the fighting game genre’s most
successful and long-running series. However, for a series that has
been kicking ass and taking names for going on three decades,
the story of how KOF came into being and then evolved has
been left largely untold. In this chapter, we rewind the clock back
to the halcyon arcade heydays of the ’80s to discover KOF’s
origins, before charting the full history of the series right up to
the present day. This is the story of THE KING OF FIGHTERS …
6
7
ROUND 1
’87 – ’94 11
ROUND 2
’95 – ’03 44
ROUND 3
’04 – ’21 61
8
THE HISTORY
OF THE KING
OF FIGHTERS
Today, decades after its groundbreaking impact on video
gaming worldwide, THE KING OF FIGHTERS series has
reached legendary status within the gaming community.
From those who still vividly remember the flickering arcade

marquees and clinking coin slots of the ’90s, to younger
generations of gamers brought up on modern home-console
ports, KOF has transcended its own age and today remains
a shining example of one of video gaming’s founding genres.
A stunning synthesis of so-cool-it-hurts style, brutal violence

and truly epic fun, KOF took on all comers at the absolute
peak of the versus fighter era, going toe-to-toe against truly
titanic rivals such as Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and
Virtua Fighter, both in the arcades and at home.
And, what’s more, KOF not only took these rivals on

head-to-head, but it did so while evolving the versus
fighter genre as few games had done before it.
However, as this never-before-told official history of the

series now shows, creating one of the best fighting game
series of all time was far from easy, and there was even
a time when THE KING OF FIGHTERS was not going to
be a versus fighter at all …
9
©CAPCOM CO., LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Takashi Nishiyama has confirmed that the blond fighter seen punching a hole in the wall in the intro to Street Fighter
is indeed the basis for the character who became the legendary Terry Bogard in Fatal Fury.
©CAPCOM CO., LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Where it all began, in 1987. Many fighting game standards first appeared in Street Fighter, such as special moves,
performed by pressing specific button combinations, and the ability to block by pulling back on the joystick.
10
The KOF ’94 director’s first project at Irem was Air
ROUND 1 Duel, where he worked alongside future Metal Slug
director Kazuma Kujo; the KOF ’94 director was
Let them fight tasked with handling the design of backgrounds,
bosses and the game’s title screen. As anyone
The history of KOF actually begins long before who has played that title will know, the KOF ’94
Kyo Kusanagi first stepped into the fighting director’s quality was evident right from the start.
arena in 1994. In fact, the game’s lineage can But, as he candidly admits, his own talent was
be traced all the way back to founding fighting boosted by assistance from a famous sensei.
game titles from the ’70s and ’80s, such as
Heavyweight Champ, Champion Boxing and “Six months after I entered Irem, I won a game
Karate Champ, the latter of which was a major industry design award for my graphics work on Air
influence on the seminal arcade classic Street Duel, which surprised even me. I won 6th place in
Fighter, released in 1987. the industry among the hundreds of arcade games
released in that year. Back in the day, it wasn’t like
Street Fighter was the brainchild of Takashi people would take you by your hand and teach
Nishiyama, who cut his teeth at Japanese gaming you methods or whatever. It was highly inefficient.
firm Irem on fighting-filled beat-’em-up titles I happened to sit in a seat right in front of Akio
such as Kung-Fu Master and Avengers. After Oyabu of Metal Slug, who’s a world class designer.
moving to Capcom, he joined forces with friend
and colleague Hiroshi Matsumoto to create what “There’s a Japanese saying, ‘Stealing work from
would become one of the most influential fighting over the shoulder’, and I would literally turn
game series of all time. around whenever Oyabu-san would go on a smoke
or bathroom break, and look at his work and then
Indeed, Street Fighter was the title that copy it, and that’s how I learned how to be a good
introduced many of the fighting game staples designer. If I’d been seated even two seats over,
that now underpin the genre, with the game I might not have been so lucky or won the award
being the first in the genre’s history to introduce that I did. I was very lucky to be sitting that close
command-based special moves, such as the now to Oyabu-san.”
famous Hadōken and Shōryūken attacks. It also
“I WAS ACTUALLY
pioneered the use of a six-button control scheme,
with each player having access to three punch
buttons and three kick buttons.
Not long after Street Fighter hit the arcades,

Nishiyama and Matsumoto joined the up-and- HEADHUNTED
coming gaming hardware and software firm SNK.
They immediately began work on two titles that
would have a huge influence on the KOF series.
Those titles were the legendary SNK fighting
BY NISHIYAMA-SAN”
KOF ’94 director
game classics Fatal Fury: King Of Fighters and
Art Of Fighting, which, both directly and indirectly, Despite this early recognition, within a year
would be key elements in the fiery crucible in of joining Irem and completing Air Duel, the
which KOF was born. KOF ’94 director found himself leaving the firm
altogether for pastures new. The catalyst for him
But those events still lay in the future, and before leaving? None other than Takashi Nishiyama, who,
they could take place, a whole new roster of upon leaving Capcom for SNK, turned to his old
characters needed to be introduced … stomping ground, Irem, to recruit talent to work
with him on new projects.
Young and fearless
“I was actually headhunted by Nishiyama-san,
The director of KOF ’94 grew up loving Japanese head of development at SNK,” recalls the KOF ’94
anime, such as Tensai Bakabon, Ashita no Joe, director. “He picked a handful of people from Irem
Tiger Mask and Devilman, as well as arcade and to join him.”
Super Famicom games. After working for a while
on package design for electronic products, he Whether the KOF ’94 director knew it or not,
decided that he would leave this ‘black industry’ Nishiyama was building a team from inside and
(so named for its low pay and long hours) and outside of SNK who, during their careers, would
pursue a different career in the still fledgling work on many now-classic NEOGEO games as
video game industry. well as launch the KOF series.
“I had never really considered working at a game One of that team was the future main planner
company,” the KOF ’94 director recalls, “and of KOF ’94, Masanori Kuwasashi, who, like the
considered games to be something to be enjoyed, KOF ’94 director, had grown up watching anime
not a creative output, but my friends seemed to such as Space Battleship Yamato and playing
be having fun. I happened to see a job opening video games in the arcades. When Nishiyama
at Irem and I felt that I could use my skills, so I joined SNK, Kuwasashi, inspired by the work of a
applied for the job.” now-famous source, was already there.
11
“When I was in high school I had an opportunity Toyohisa Tanabe, who would become lead planner
to make a movie with my friends, and that got me on five KOF games, also remembers how he
into thinking that I would like to go to school to moved to SNK at this time, shedding even more
pursue making films, considering my fascination light on how the pioneering gaming firm operated
with science fiction and action movies, things like back then.
that. There’s a famous director named Hideaki
Anno who is now known for his work on Neon “I was born in Hiroshima and came up to Osaka to
Genesis Evangelion. He studied at the Visual study how to become an artist, but found there
Concept Planning Department of Osaka University wasn’t a lot of work to make a living in that way.
of Arts, where they teach students how to make Through looking for work as an artist, I came
movies. I really liked his work so I followed his across game development. I liked games, of
footsteps to become a director and get into the course, but hadn’t initially considered becoming
entertainment industry. an artist for games. When I realised they were
hiring – games obviously need some kind of art
“At the school, they had a recruiting event, and – I became intrigued by the game industry and
there were a lot of video game companies there applied to SNK’s job postings. I took the exam,
recruiting students. I thought that the video game which I passed, and that’s how I got into the
industry would also be an interesting place to tell game industry.”
stories. I applied to a few video game companies
and got hired at SNK. That was how I got into the As for that SNK exam, Tanabe also has vivid
industry.” recollections of just what it took to get involved
at SNK.
What’s even more interesting to gaming fans
and, arguably, to the narrative of the creation of “It was a basic entrance exam that asked the
KOF, is just how SNK recruited much of its new sort of foundational questions you would see at
staff back in the ’80s and early ’90s, which is any company, but there was a 30-minute-to-an-
something Kuwasashi recalls vividly. hour section of the exam that asked us to do an
illustration. I really liked Gundam and drawing
“SNK had an exam for all new hires to take, robots, so I remember really quickly drawing a
whether you were a programmer or designer or robot character.
planner. The test was mostly design-focused
problems, like drawing a background. Then they’d “There were some questions that were typical of
have some elementary math problems. That must Japanese entrance exams. They also had some
have been a minimum math ability requirement. questions testing us on our knowledge of video
games. At the time Dragon Quest was really
“You see, back then the game industry itself was popular, and there was an essay question asking,
still quite young. Even within SNK, including ‘Why do you think Dragon Quest is so popular, what
arcades, there were only a handful of people who do you think is the secret to its success?’ That
maybe had around ten years of experience. So sort of thing. That’s what I remember from the
their strategy was to recruit young people and entrance exam. So, I think there were three parts
build their workforce rather than bring people to the exam: typical entrance exam questions,
in from outside with experience, because there knowledge of the industry, and drawing skills.”
weren’t a lot of people out there from middle
management anyway.” Despite getting into SNK while young, Tanabe,
like the KOF ’94 director, was still very much
learning his trade on the job; the gaming industry
“BACK THEN THE GAME was still so new that there was little formal or ad
hoc training, or hardware available for those who
INDUSTRY ITSELF WAS

wanted to get involved. If you wanted to make
games then your route into the industry was far
less clear than it is today.
STILL QUITE YOUNG”

Masanori Kuwasashi
“Our generation learned and developed our skills
while we moved through our careers, alongside
the rapid increase of technology in the game
industry,” Tanabe confirms.
While the KOF ’94 director’s first title at SNK had
been Last Resort, Kuwasashi cut his teeth on This is something that future lead programmer on
the classic NEOGEO sports title Baseball Stars KOF ’94, Shinichi Shimizu, agrees with, noting that,
Professional, as its planner. “Back then there weren’t any specialised school
programmes for game programming.” Shimizu,
“Baseball Stars Professional was the first game whose first project at SNK was working with
I was involved with from beginning to end, so both Kuwasashi and Tanabe on Baseball Stars
I was able to learn the fundamentals of game Professional, also had to pass SNK’s entrance
development, how many people are required exam, which he recalls as, “A written exam where
to make what parts, who exactly is involved, we had to write out programming code from
that sort of thing. It was enjoyable, but it was scratch. I wrote it out in the assembler language
definitely not easy.” with the assembler program.”
12
Developed by the team that later worked on Fatal Fury, Street Smart was SNK’s first foray into the world of fighting
games. It was notoriously difficult, as opponents took an incredible amount of punishment to put down.
In Street Smart, players can choose between Karate-Man and Wrestler, and take on a host of opponents in a
fighting tournament. Karate-Man (seen above) looks similar to Takuma Sakazaki from Art Of Fighting.
13
Fatal Fury features the ‘KING OF FIGHTERS’ tagline, something that Masanori Kuwasashi borrowed (along with the
three fighters) when developing KOF ’94. The initial placeholder name for the project stuck … and the rest is history.
Fatal Fury was revolutionary in that it featured in-depth character backstories and details of their individual
personalities – something that would later go on to become a hallmark of the KOF series of games.
14
Despite their lack of formal training, the KOF ’94 and out of it – but back when Fatal Fury was
director, Kuwasashi, Tanabe and Shimizu – under being created, it was pioneering. The majority of
the stewardship of Nishiyama – would go on to versus fighters previous to Fatal Fury had little if
form the core of one of the most pioneering, bold anything in terms of motivations and backgrounds
and, if truth be told, fearless game development for the characters, as well as a wider narrative
teams of all time. other than a generic fighting tournament taking
place. However, this is something that Fatal Fury
This was a team that would take rivalries within drove forward with its now famous setting of
SNK to a new level and square off against South Town and tale of revenge. These story and
competing firms like Capcom and SEGA at the emotional elements are something that the KOF
absolute height of their powers. series would take to a whole new level.
South Town beat down Interestingly, as Nishiyama recalls, Fatal Fury

further stoked the fires of rivalry between SNK
When Nishiyama and Matsumoto moved to SNK and Capcom that had started in the ’80s. The
they would, as previously mentioned, go on to game’s similarity to Street Fighter II – released
produce two titles that would not only go down in the same year, in 1991 – caused it to be unfairly
fighting game history and SNK history, but would mislabelled as a Street Fighter II clone.
go on to heavily influence the creation of KOF ’94.
“Because we released Fatal Fury after Street
In 1991, SNK’s first fighting game for the NEOGEO Fighter II, the public criticised SNK for copying
system was launched, in the form of Fatal Capcom without knowing that I was the one making
Fury: King Of Fighters. The game was directed Fatal Fury and that we started development
by Nishiyama himself and, as he confirms, Fatal before Street Fighter II was released,” notes
Fury was designed to be a spiritual successor to Nishiyama. “So I felt a certain objection to that
Street Fighter. criticism. Now people know, but back then SNK
and Capcom didn’t get along. There was a big
“There were a lot of things that didn’t make it into rivalry, especially on the business side.”
the original Street Fighter. But I was headhunted
by SNK after its release, and many members of At the time the confusion was understandable:
the development team and I moved over. So we Fatal Fury did play similarly to Street Fighter II,
went on to make Fatal Fury, and we put in a lot of albeit with pioneering extra features like two-lane
the things we couldn’t in Street Fighter. So for me, battle arenas (fighters can jump between two
Fatal Fury is my Street Fighter II.” lanes of battle, one in the foreground and one
in the background). They also shared a similar
bright and borderline-cartoon art style, and
“FOR ME, FATAL had mini-games to play in between matches.

In addition, as Nishiyama notes, even members of
FURY IS MY
the gaming press were unaware of who the actual
makers of most games were back then.
STREET FIGHTER II”

Takashi Nishiyama
And while Fatal Fury is no doubt indebted to Street
Fighter in numerous ways – including, famously,
the fact that its lead character, Terry Bogard, was
actually based on the blond-haired fighter who
punches through the wall on the original Street
Among the innovations developed by Nishiyama Fighter’s title screen – when it came to being a
for Fatal Fury, he ditched the pitting of generic shameless Street Fighter clone, this couldn’t be
2D fighting characters against each other for no further from the truth.
apparent reason. Instead – arguably for the first
time ever – he imbued a fighting game with a Despite the unfair criticism, Fatal Fury endured,
story and history. and saw multiple direct and indirect sequels
released throughout the ’90s, culminating in the
Nishiyama admits that the depth of the now legendary NEOGEO game Garou: Mark of
characters was a big thing to him during the the Wolves in 1999.
course of Fatal Fury’s development. “The story
and the character backgrounds were more A year after Fatal Fury took on Street Fighter II,
polished in Fatal Fury. We came up with character Nishiyama’s right-hand man, Hiroshi Matsumoto,
details that weren’t included in the game, and released his own new fighting game, Art Of
shared that information through the media, in Fighting. Following the same pioneering concept,
magazines and books, to get the users more whereby fighting games had their own worlds,
emotionally attached. We did a lot more marketing backstories and character arcs, the title acted as
and strategic planning for that game.” a prequel to Fatal Fury. Indeed, the plot of Art Of
Fighting actually touches on the narrative of Fatal
Today, the idea that a versus fighter might have Fury and is set in the same location, South Town.
an overall story and a fictional world in which it’s
framed is taken for granted – as is that it will Hitting the NEOGEO MVS and AES in 1992, Art
be communicated to the player both in-game Of Fighting shared many of the same fighting
15
game features that Fatal Fury and other titles Up until now only a few details have ever seen
had used, such as one-on-one combat, a ladder the light of day regarding what KOF was before it
of foes, special moves and multiple characters to became KOF, but in this unprecedented retelling
choose from. But it also evolved the genre in two of the game’s development, we can reveal the
novel and influential ways. official story as told by the men who lived it.
Firstly, Art Of Fighting saw a small movement After the KOF ’94 director and Kuwasashi had
away from the larger-than-life and cartoonesque teamed up on the new project, they began
characters that had started to become the norm brainstorming what type of game they could make
in versus fighters, with more combatants of that would be the hit title both craved. One of those
realistic proportions, styles and backgrounds. The ideas, as both men confirm, was a side-scrolling
stages where these characters fought were also beat-’em-up in the vein of Capcom’s Final Fight.
based more on everyday settings, rather than
glamorous or far-out locations. And, thanks to “I was very excited to work on a game that we
a notable design decision by Matsumoto, larger envisioned could be a big hit like Final Fight,”
combatant sprites and a closer field of view gave confirms Kuwasashi. The KOF ’94 director agrees,
the action more impact. stating that, “One of the ideas we came up with
was similar to Final Fight. It was similar to Final
The second thing of note that Art Of Fighting Fight as a side-scrolling, belt-action game.”
did was to introduce the concept of taunting
a rival in-game, as well as the ability to launch The two men envisioned a side-scrolling beat-’em-
a Desperation Attack, which is a high-power up where, instead of just playing as one character,
super-move that can only be performed when a you actually fought in a team of three, with three-
player’s health is low. on-three battles the core of the gameplay.
“I WAS VERY EXCITED

Once more, SNK had evolved the fighting game
genre, and, despite not reaching the same
level of fame as other versus fighter series,
TO WORK ON A GAME
Art Of Fighting would see a further two sequels
released: the first, Art Of Fighting 2, in 1994,
followed by Art Of Fighting 3 in 1996.
Today, SNK’s name is synonymous with fighting

games, but it is from these two series that everything
followed, including the KOF series. And it was into
LIKE FINAL FIGHT”
Masanori Kuwasashi
this picture that the KOF ’94 director, Kuwasashi,
Tanabe and Shimizu entered. Inside SNK there So what was this side-scrolling beat-’em-up called?
were already two pioneering versus fighting series, Actually, the game was given two names, although
one of which was made by the original creator of neither of them would ever see the light of day.
none other than Street Fighter, while outside, some
of the best fighting games of all time, including The first – and up until this history the only one
Street Fighter II, were tearing up the market. that had been widely known – is Survivor. But, as
lead planner Toyohisa Tanabe now reveals, this
It was fortunate, then, that a hungry team of wasn’t actually the game’s original name.
young game makers had trained hard on the job
and were waiting for their shot at the big time. “Yes, Survivor was the name of the project that
And, most importantly, they were prepared to get would eventually become KOF, but even before
dirty in order to do so. Survivor it was called Dirty Knuckle. It was a
side-scrolling beat-’em-up game like Final Fight,
Dirty knuckles and the idea of working and fighting in teams
[originated in] Dirty Knuckle.”
The KOF ’94 director had just finished work on
the epic SNK shoot-’em-up Last Resort when That’s right – before KOF was a versus fighting
Nishiyama pulled him off the team and gave him game, it was actually a team-based beat-’em-up
the title of director on a new video game project. called both Survivor and, before that, Dirty Knuckle.
“After the development of Last Resort, I was How these team battle mechanics were envisioned
removed from the team,” the KOF ’94 director to work in-game is addressed by Kuwasashi.
confirms. “I was paired up with Kuwasashi-san,
just the two of us.” “The idea of team battles originated from Survivor,
and the idea was that there would be Mafia-
This enthused both the KOF ’94 director and like groups from different parts of the world
Kuwasashi, with the latter noting that, “By this fighting against each other. You played as one,
point in my career, I was focused more on working two or three of the main characters and would
on a hit title,” and being made main planner on this be fighting against a team of three, in that side-
new project was just the move he had been hungry scroller mode. The enemy team would function
for. The thing is, though, the project was not KOF; as the mid-bosses or bosses, in the midst of the
indeed, it wasn’t even a versus fighter at all. waves of henchmen.
16
Art Of Fighting was the first to feature a high-power Desperation Attack that can be employed when your health
is low. This feature became a staple of future KOF games.
Although often appearing larger and more muscular, some of KOF’s most popular fighters originated from
Art Of Fighting, including Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Takuma Sakazaki, King and Yuri Sakazaki.
17
An artist’s impression of Survivor, showing the 3-vs.-3 mechanic, set within a side-scrolling Final Fight-style game.
Although never making it into production, the American Sports team was a fixture of early designs.
The unique 3-vs.-3 mechanic designed for Survivor was taken and used as the basis of KOF ’94. The fact that you
could pick three fighters instantly gave KOF ’94 the edge over established fighting games in the marketplace.
18
“WE SWITCHED THE
“The last boss was largely fixed, but you had the
choice of what environment to play in and the
enemy team was attached to the environment.
You could either select between two alternate
paths, or from the very beginning you could select
CONCEPT OVER FROM
A SIDE-SCROLLER TO
any of the teams in their respective locations.”
The KOF ’94 director confirms this recollection,
A FIGHTING GAME”
stating that, “Originally, we had the idea of
creating a side-scrolling action game with team
battle mechanics.”
Toyohisa Tanabe
As history has shown, this unique beat-’em-up
never saw the light of day. So, why did it not make And, right there, the heart of the first KOF game
it off the drawing board? The KOF ’94 director was born. It was to be a fighting game but one
reveals all: unlike any that had come before it – it would be
a 3-vs.-3 team versus fighter. Instead of picking
“It wasn’t that the title was cancelled. When we just one combatant, now you could pick a team of
presented the planning document to our manager, three, and this team faced off against other teams
he said, ‘Well why don’t you do this instead?’ and of three fighters from all around the world in the
the direction of the game at that point switched KING OF FIGHTERS tournament.
from side-scrolling action to a 3-on-3 fighting
game. Survivor itself never left the planning The tournament idea not only enabled the
document stage.” KOF team to legitimately use characters from
SNK’s other fighting games, but also let them
Did the KOF ’94 director feel disappointed that create their own continuity, which – as the team
his team’s initial concept for a hit title had been decided midway through development – allowed
rejected? Not at all … the tournament to be an annual event, with the
game’s name changing from KOF to KOF ’94.
“I could tell that our manager was supporting us
and wanted to support our young team, so we This annualising of the game also synced
knew that it was with respect and wanting to perfectly with SNK’s ongoing business direction
do what’s best for our team. So we were able to with its creative properties, which was that if you
adjust our direction and take the advice genuinely funded a new title then you did so with a multi-
with good faith.” game series in mind.
As to why the game was transformed from beat- Casting and camaraderie
’em-up into versus fighter, Kuwasashi – who was
the man who actually gave this new project the Something that the KOF ’94 director, Kuwasashi,
placeholder title ‘King Of Fighters’ – supplies even Tanabe and Shimizu all realised quickly, though,
more revealing detail and perspective. was that after the Survivor project had transitioned
to a 3-on-3 versus fighter they were going to
“I was tasked to make a game like Final Fight need backup, in terms of both their virtual cast of
and made the planning document for Survivor. characters and real team members.
However, the industry at the time was seeing an
influx of fighting games and I was sceptical that a The initial pairing of the KOF ’94 director and
side-scrolling action game like Survivor could cut Kuwasashi was joined by Tanabe and Shimizu. But
through and become a popular hit game in the with the game going ahead and – rather than just
midst of that wave. three playable characters to select from, like in
Fatal Fury, and 11 overall to create and program
“I did make the planning document and took it to – now they were going to have to create multiple
my supervisor, but I asked him if we could turn it teams of three characters, all of which needed to
into a fighting game. My supervisor warned me be playable (KOF ’94 actually has a roster of 24).
that developing a fighting game was very difficult The team needed help.
and challenging, but I still wanted to make the
change. Then my supervisor said, ‘Well if you As Dirty Knuckle and then Survivor transitioned
really want to make it a fighting game, why don’t into a 3-on-3 versus fighter, this was achieved by
you keep this team battle concept from Survivor?’” bringing more young game developers on to the
team. And, as the KOF ’94 director recalls, this
Tanabe confirms this, recalling that: fresh blood – like himself, Kuwasashi, Tanabe and
Shimizu – was raw and fearless.
“As we worked on Dirty Knuckle, the fighting games
like Street Fighter and SNK’s Fatal Fury and Art “We started out as a small team but by the time
Of Fighting became really popular and we could we released the master ROM, there were about
see that shift in the industry. So we switched the 60 of us. The team was made of 20- to 25-year-
concept over from a side-scroller to a fighting game. olds with little or no experience in the industry.
And to have an edge over other fighting games, we They were recently-hired young staff on the
kept the concept of fighting in 3-vs.-3 teams.” development team. We had a high percentage
19
of punk folk for a video game development team. be created, and with multiple teams of three
Every day was like a Japanese TV drama from the combatants that was a daunting and borderline
’70s and ’80s.” crazy prospect. But when you’re young and
fearless, attempting to pull off something that has
If the idea of a team of punk game developers never been done before certainly wasn’t going to
with little to no actual game-making experience stand in the team’s way, as Tanabe recalls:
sounds like it was a recipe for some crazy times,
it was – but it was also a huge driver behind KOF “For Street Fighter you’re selecting one character
gate-crashing the fighting game scene. to play out of the eight available, right? For KOF,
our idea was to focus on making teams and for
Kuwasashi remembers what the KOF team was like players to personalise by team rather than a
within SNK’s Osaka-based development studio: single character. On that team dynamic, it was
decided that it would be more interesting to
“It was chaos. It was a madhouse, we were doing choose out of eight teams rather than six; we
whatever we wanted. There really was no budget wanted to offer as much variety and selection to
or deadline, so we had a lot of freedom.” players as possible.
“IT WAS CHAOS.

The KOF ’94 director remembers this, too,
adding that, “We were quite mischievous and
full of a positive ‘we can do anything’ attitude.”
IT WAS A MADHOUSE,
A mixture of no fear of breaking rules together with
massive ambition and a desire to make a name for
themselves helped bond the team together.
“Being a young team, we didn’t have any titles to our

WE WERE DOING
WHATEVER WE
names,” explains the KOF ’94 director, “so we felt
small in such a big company. We were just taking
up space while the big teams were contributing
WANTED”
to the sales numbers. However we had passion,
like, ‘Just you wait, we’ll catch up and surpass you
guys once our title is released!’ But, while we were
working on the game, we were just small fish.” Masanori Kuwasashi
Work hard, play hard was the name of the game, “Choosing out of eight teams seemed a reasonable
and this led to the KOF team getting into a fair number, and since teams had three members, we
few scrapes, both inside and outside of the office, ended up at 24 characters and, yes, at the time,
as the KOF ’94 director recalls: we simply were not going to be able to make 24
original characters. There was a sense that it was
“There was one time when the 50-60 of us went a kind of over-the-top crazy idea and we knew it
out to eat and drink in Esaka, and we all ran and would be difficult, but we were confident in the
left the restaurant without paying, because we concept being popular and fun for the players,
were drunk and stupid. and we made it work.
“And there were times when we’d all go out to help “We were also confident in the concept that we
get one of the guys a girl. Or if somebody got could build a personality, or style, around the
dumped by a girl, five or six of them would go on team, not the individuals. We knew nobody else
‘heartbreak trips’ to try to help them get over it.” was doing it so that was our edge and contribution
to the genre. We knew 24 characters was a kind
But as the KOF ’94 director is first to point out, of crazy idea, but we were determined to make
while there was plenty of wild behaviour and it happen.”
camaraderie within his team, there were also
crazy levels of commitment and hard work, with And the team did make it happen, both by
the team showing true grit right from the off in designing their own characters – which would go
terms of putting the game’s development first. on to become some of the most iconic of all time
– and by the groundbreaking move of borrowing
“Labour laws at the time were loose. Overtime, them from other video game series entirely.
working over the weekend, working through the
night for days on end were considered virtues. That’s right, long before Nintendo released what
I remember welcoming the New Year listening to is now held up as the game that introduced the
the temple bell ringing while punching the dots crossover fighting game genre in Super Smash
on New Year’s Eve. In the morning I received a Bros., the KOF team had pioneered the concept,
New Year’s present from SNK President Eikichi taking characters from a number of SNK video
Kawasaki, and I swore we would make a hit game.” game series and adopting them into their own.
Building a roster And the KOF team didn’t just take one or two
characters, but 14 in all, with protagonists from
With the KOF team now assembling in the real the Fatal Fury, Art Of Fighting, Ikari Warriors and
world, the virtual teams of the game needed to Psycho Soldier series recruited.
20
Featuring Athena Asamiya and Sie Kensou, action platformer Psycho Soldier was released by SNK in 1986.
Both protagonists made their fighting debut in KOF ’94 and have become KOF mainstays over the years.
SNK’s classic run and gun, Ikari Warriors, features Ralf Jones and Clark Still, who later made the transition to
KOF ’94 as part of the Brazil team. They both also appeared in Metal Slug 6 as playable characters.
21
Early sketches for Kyo Kusanagi, who seems less stylish than in the final design. He appears to have a rougher,
biker aesthetic with notable differences such as his bare chest and a jacket lacking the family crest.
22
“WE KNEW 24
from hit SNK titles could have caused some concern
in rival teams. However the KOF ’94 director
suggests that their worries were unfounded.
CHARACTERS WAS A “There may have been a few people uncomfortable

with the idea of a young team taking on all those
KIND OF CRAZY IDEA”

Toyohisa Tanabe
characters, but I didn’t hear that. I think overall,
the feeling was that if this was going to help sales
and be beneficial for the company as a whole,
then that’s what should be done.”
From the Fatal Fury series, Terry Bogard, Andy As history now shows us, this is exactly what was
Bogard, Joe Higashi, Kim Kaphwan and Mai done, with the recruited characters going on to
Shiranui came over, while both lead fighters from make up the bulk of the first KOF game’s teams.
the Art Of Fighting series, Ryo Sakazaki and But the roster wouldn’t be complete without two
Robert Garcia, also made the cut, along with Ryo’s teams of completely original characters, one of
in-game father Takuma Sakazaki. These were whom would become the poster boy for the entire
joined by Ryo’s sister, Yuri Sakazaki, as well as the KOF series.
character King. Ikari Warriors was represented by
Ralf Jones, Clark Still and Heidern, while Athena A challenger appears
Asamiya, Sie Kensou and Chin Gentsai made the
move over from Psycho Soldier. Kyo Kusanagi, at first glance, does not look much
like a fighter. Tall, lithe, handsome, well-dressed
Suddenly, the idea of a fighting game with 24 and rocking a simply fantastic centrally-parted
characters didn’t sound quite so crazy. But who jet-black curtain hairstyle, Kyo looks more like a
was responsible for the idea of recruiting help from member of a boy band pop music group than a
other SNK games, and what was the reaction to a fearsome warrior.
bunch of ‘small fish’ taking characters from so many
established rival teams? The KOF ’94 director and Designed by one of the KOF ’94 director’s young
Kuwasashi shed some light on the matter: recruits, Shinichi Morioka, Kusanagi is most
notable, to any fighting game fan familiar with the
“Once we started making the main character genre back in the mid-’90s, for being everything a
roster,” Kuwasashi notes, “I suggested, ‘Why typical fighting game character was not.
don’t we bring characters in from the wider net of
SNK titles and make it a festival and make it more Coming out of the ’80s and into the ’90s, versus
fun?’ That was my idea.” fighters found themselves stuffed with large,
muscle-bound warriors clad in traditional fighting
The KOF ’94 director discussed his idea with his garb. From martial arts masters such as Ryo
superior and Nishiyama. “There were multiple Sakazaki and Ken Masters, to goliath wrestlers
meetings and back-and-forths before the decision like Zangeif and E. Honda, through to hard-
was made,” he recounts. “My direct manager went hitting boxers like Balrog, and onto jacked-up
to Nishiyama-san to propose, ‘We’re thinking about freaks such as Goro and Blanka, fighting games
this idea, what do you think? Could you talk to the were filled with characters who looked like they
other team members to get the go-ahead with that were combatants.
idea?’ So there were some negotiations to get the
go-ahead; it wasn’t an immediate decision.” Kyo changed all that, contrasting with these
warriors not just visually but also in terms of the
Did the decision help quicken the development depth of his character, story and relationships
of the game, and what did the other teams with others. He’s a character who, right from
within SNK think of the KOF boys taking their the off, builds on the heritage laid down in Fatal
characters? Once more, the KOF ’94 director and Fury and Art Of Fighting, in that he is far from
Kuwasashi explain what happened: just a typical combatant partaking in a fighting
tournament.
“It did lighten the pressure on creating original
characters, and the reason my supervisor Throughout most of Kyo’s development he was
suggested we bring in the assets from the other called Syo Kirishima, however, by the time he first
games to begin with was to lighten the workload. appears in KOF ’94 he is known as Kyo Kusanagi,
But then the KOF ’94 director had the artists redraw the heir of the long-established Kusanagi clan
all the characters, so the workload generally didn’t (one of the three clans which, so the in-game
get smaller because we still made all the assets KOF fiction says, sealed away the divine all-
essentially from scratch,” remembers Kuwasashi. powerful entity Orochi, 1,800 years ago, thereby
“At that time there was a lot of resistance as, after precursing the whole Orochi Saga; this is covered
all, we were borrowing characters created by other in detail later on in this history). He’s a brash
development teams,” adds the KOF ’94 director. high school student who, despite possessing high
levels of natural fighting talent, is rather lazy and
Certainly the idea of such a young, inexperienced more interested in his girlfriend, Yuki, who we see
team being given access to established characters more of in later KOF games.
23
This unconventional fighting game hero of KOF respects, a reluctant hero, just like Kyo, and one
’94 was voiced by Masahiro Nonaka, who, just like with two very different sides to his character. And
Kyo himself, featured a jet black, centrally-parted that is why Nonaka chose him as a model for Kyo.
curtain haircut. And, just as Kyo coincidentally
stumbles into his true calling within the game’s
fiction, so too did Nonaka as a voice actor.
“I WANTED KYO TO
BE A NOBLE TYPE
Nonaka was at university studying linguistics
when, as a hobby, he decided to join a broadcast
club. From there the club attended a DJ contest
OF PERSON WHO
that was being held by a local TV station and,
after performing, he got a lot of attention from
the staff of the station, which opened up Nonaka
to the idea of training to be a voice actor.
WAS SMART TO
SEE IN ACTION”
He left college and joined a training school in
Osaka where he was then guided in the art of voice
acting. These classes took place in the evening,
and to support himself, Nonaka, who was then
living in Kyoto, took a job working at a gas station. Masahiro Nonaka
However, it wasn’t long until the hard work paid
off, as Nonaka now recalls: “I wanted Kyo to be a noble type of person who
was smart to see in action,” Nonaka notes. “He’s
“I appeared in training videos and narrated radio someone who seems a little bit naughty, like
commercials,” confirms Nonaka as he remembers someone from Devilman or Tomorrow’s Joe, but
his first jobs as a voice actor. But when SNK when you talk to him you realise he’s a pretty
invited his senior employer to an event, Nonaka good guy. He’s handsome with a cool and naive
admits, “I wanted to go too. I was really looking side, but if he gets angry it’s scary. That’s why
forward to it.” Nonaka argued to be put in touch Ozaki came to mind.”
with SNK and spoke with key member of the
sound team at SNK Yasumasa Yamada. Nonaka’s performance as Kyo became iconic,
especially his win orations of “Kurae!” (which
“I told Mr. Yamada that I wanted to go too, translates as ‘Eat it!’) and “Moero!” (which means
definitely. Then I heard from him that a new ‘Burn!’). His lines became fan favourites overnight,
character was going to appear in a new game, and especially among female KOF fans, who, Nonaka
I knew this was my chance.” confirms, even wrote him fan mail to express their
devotion.
But when Nonaka did get his big chance, at first it
wasn’t what he expected, as he now recalls: “In a fan letter I received it was written that if Kyo
had been [the character] used to win, then the
“At first, I didn’t think Kyo Kusanagi was such a female sender actually hugged the arcade screen
good role, even if he was cool. When I read about unintentionally. I thought she was overreacting,
the new release of KOF ’94 there were articles but it seemed she really did it. It was wonderful.
mainly on the Fatal Fury team, and I thought, I was both enthusiastic and happy.”
‘Fatal Fury is too good,’ and that there won’t be
any main character team.” Kyo clearly resonated with gamers, but why
was Kyo so different when he first threw down
Of course, there was a main team and a heroic in KOF ’94? And why did the development team
central character – Kyo Kusanagi – who Nonaka decide on such a notable design style for the
would go on to voice. But how did Nonaka approach game’s characters? The KOF ’94 director, who
the role of Kyo, and who did he model him after? was primarily responsible for the design part of
Nonaka sheds some light on the subject: development, explains:
“When everything started in KOF ’94 I had Yutaka “At the time, a lot of the fighting games were
Ozaki’s image on my mind,” elucidates Nonaka. macho or had bright colours and an obnoxious
Ozaki, for the uninitiated, was a Japanese rock star design, which we didn’t really like, so we went
who had his first hit while he was still technically at out to try to change that image of fighting games.
high school in 1983. Over the following decade he We wanted to make it more like the style of people
then proceeded to cultivate a noble yet angry and you might actually see in the real world and not
frustrated persona in his music, with destructive the over-the-top, muscular and obviously fictional
live performances, lyrics that called out society’s characters.
injustices, and an increasingly troubled private life.
“We aimed for a more stylish look. Something that
Ozaki died in 1992 (the same year KOF ’94 began was slightly more realistic with tall, slender, and
development) aged 26 from a pulmonary oedema, what we considered stylish characters.”
but not before he became known for being a
rebel in a society and music industry that was “We wanted KOF characters to look like people
very conformist and capitalist. He was, in many you might see on the street,” adds Tanabe.
24
Moving away from the rougher, biker aesthetic, these development drawings of Kyo Kusanagi are closer to his
final, more stylish look. Items of clothing such as the crop top and dog tag necklace didn’t make the final design.
25
An original KOF ’94 design document that has been translated into English. This page features a sketch of the main
gameplay area with annotations for the various screen elements such as the power gauge, player’s name and timer.
26
An original KOF ’94 design document that has been translated into English. This storyboard describes in detail
what happens when you win a match, including the KO animation and the winner’s victory pose.
27
An original KOF ’94 design document that has been translated into English. This section starts to outline the
different teams and profile the various characters, including a detailed backstory and vital statistics.
28
An original KOF ’94 design document that has been translated into English. This page explains various mechanics
involving damage, plus technical details for what happens to sprite animations when damage is sustained.
29
A selection of characters from KOF ’94, seen here in their respective teams. The designers purposely gave each
fighter a more realistic and stylish look, opposed to the overly musclebound figures typical of other fighting games.
30
The KOF team’s commitment to this new aesthetic Both of these characters, in design and backstory,
even extended to their characters’ special moves, are professional sportsmen – basketball and
with Kyo’s now iconic Yamibarai fire attack, for American football respectively – and while
example, looking and sounding markedly different they certainly have more traditional combatant
from the Hadōken and Shōryūken move types physiques, they are far from martial arts masters
made popular in the Street Fighter series and its in appearance or moveset.
imitators. While the KOF team were absolutely
utilising heritage from existing versus fighters Not every character in KOF ’94 fits this mould,
from both within and outside SNK, the game had but the introduction of this new style of fighter,
a commitment to its own style and character that alongside already established, traditional
few other titles ever managed. combatants, led to an electrifying mix that would
become a staple of the series. And just because
fighters were brought over from other titles, that
“A LOT OF THE FIGHTING didn’t mean they didn’t get the KOF treatment,
with the KOF ’94 director demanding that all
GAMES WERE MACHO

characters get redrawn in the game’s fresh style
before being added to their team of three.
OR HAD BRIGHT
As you might expect, this taking of characters
from other SNK games and then redesigning them
was something that came with its own challenges,
COLOURS AND AN as the KOF ’94 director explains:
OBNOXIOUS DESIGN”
“It was difficult to get the original okay from my
supervisor for the characters. It was hard to get
approval for the initial designs, but once they did,
then the designers added actions and phrases
Toyohisa Tanabe
and breathed life into them, and that’s when it
became fun.”
Today, decades after the KOF series was born,
there are plenty of titles that support rosters full On this point, Kuwasashi adds that, “When we
of characters of all different styles and types, and originally adopted the characters from Art Of
how they fight in the arena is varied and often Fighting, the original AOF dev team members
at odds with traditional warriors or how they look. were very strict about how the characters moved
But KOF ’94 was one of the first games to pioneer and made sure it was pure to the original.”
this and remains one of the foremost where this
commitment to style remains so markedly realised. And in terms of the taking and redesigning of
certain characters, all was not particularly well
Just take a look at some of KOF ’94’s other received by some within SNK.
original characters, and then compare them to
popular contemporary fighting game characters “I heard there were members from the Fatal Fury
like Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat or Sagat in Street staff who were insulted or upset that we just
Fighter II. Benimaru Nikaido, for example, is casually picked the popular characters without
actually a fashion model as well as a professional their consideration,” confirms Kuwasashi.
fighter, and like Kyo, is tall, slender and dressed
as if he’s about to hit the catwalk rather than A triple threat
engage in brutal hand-to-hand combat.
Naturally for a team-based versus fighter, one of
On this pioneering shift in character design that its most interesting aspects is the composition
KOF introduced, Tanabe notes that traditional of its three-person teams, and this has led to
fighting games at the time were more akin to much comment from intrigued gamers as to just
boxing, filled with professional athletes who took how these teams were created – and especially
their art seriously. “Visually, you know what their as some of the compositions seem odd, to say
actions are going to be; if they look like a sumo the least.
wrestler, they’re going to act like a sumo wrestler.”
For example, the England team in the game is not
Tanabe says KOF’s approach was more like only made up of three women, which is unique in
pro-wrestling. “It’s entertainment as the most KOF ’94, but also features characters who aren’t
important factor. The moves are flashy, it’s about English, such as Fatal Fury’s Japanese heroine
fashion and how to look appealing, and ‘How can Mai Shiranui. Meanwhile the Brazil team features
we make this the most fun?’ It’s not so much North Americans Ralf and Clark from Ikari Warriors,
sticking to a formula or meeting expectations. as well as their commanding officer Heidern.
We’re trying to be unexpected. Just because the
character looks a certain way, doesn’t mean he’s The cause of these mismatches of characters to
going to act or fight in a way that matches that.” nations? Tanabe explains all:
Another good example of this can be seen in “The reason for that inconsistency was purely
KOF characters Lucky Glauber and Brian Battler. for our overseas markets. SNK wanted to target
31
certain markets, which was common in the fighting In order to achieve this, we had Terry and Ryo as
game genre – you could see it in Street Fighter supporting characters but purposely composed it
as well, where they have US versus Russia versus so that the spotlight would shine on Kyo.
UK. So for KOF we first established what countries
we wanted to put into the game, and then we “There was a lot of careful planning that went into
forced the characters into the teams, completely making sure that it was evident that Kyo was
disregarding their backstories or relationships the main character. And I think we succeeded in
with those team countries, so it’s kinda funny.” making the Japan team the most popular for ’94.”
And as for the all-female team? Tanabe says that, International combat
“During development, we found out about Art Of
Fighting 2’s development and learned about its The KOF team also decided that gamers who
new character Yuri Sakazaki. So I said, ‘Well if selected the Japan team would not only fight
there’s another female character, why don’t we in Japan using their new heroes, but all around
borrow her and make an all-woman team?’ the world. KOF was thus designed to follow in
Street Fighter II ’s footsteps in having its warriors
“I thought that it would be glamorous to have an square off in varying nations depending on which
all-woman team. I remember bringing that up and team they were fighting.
asking if we could change the team members.”
Simply put, the art and design of KOF ’94’s
background stages is just stunning. The level of
“I THOUGHT THAT IT detail drawn and animated into them was truly
top-tier in 1994 and is still incredibly arresting,
WOULD BE GLAMOROUS
even today. The energy of each fight and the
flavour of the nation the two teams are fighting in
is vividly depicted – even if certain stages do fall
TO HAVE AN ALL-
slightly into cliché.
For example, the England team’s fight at The Tower
WOMAN TEAM”
Toyohisa Tanabe
Hill Memorial in London takes place on the bank
of the River Thames next to Tower Bridge. Here
the combatants are not only flanked by Tower of
London Guards, accompanying the combat with
a trumpet fanfare, but also cheering locals and a
Kuwasashi weighs in here with some detail about traditional red double-decker London bus, which
how the Brazil team was formed: is adorned with a KOF ’94 banner.
“We knew we were going to bring in Ralf and Clark Likewise, the Italian team’s stage is set in Venice,
from Ikari Warriors, but we’d need a third character on a pier by the Grand Canal, and features a
to round out the team. I did consider making a number of gondoliers and locals on gondolas
new character in the same mould as Ralph and cheering and waving. Meanwhile the USA team
Clark, but I thought it would be more interesting fight in a makeshift ring built on a basketball court
to make a Commanding Officer above their rank.” under the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.
Interestingly, there were originally many different Arguably one of the most arresting of all the
teams designed by the KOF ’94 designers, and stages the KOF team designed was the Mexican
some of them were really far out. For example, stage, which is set in the fictional Mexican branch
at one stage a Circus team was designed that of the Pao Pao Cafe. This stage opens with the
included a grandmaster and two clowns, showing camera panning by the restaurant’s flickering
off the sort of thematic link that was carried into neon sign and then settling on the interior of the
the American Sports USA team. cafe itself, which features a mariachi band, two
huge dragon statues, a prominent chandelier and
There was also a Prisoner team and a Dance a whole host of onlookers made up of the venue’s
team, the latter of which was designed to evoke staff, diners and entertainers.
a European atmosphere, as well as a really crazy
Beast team, which not only included a series of To fans of SNK, though, the most interesting
wild Tarzan and Bigfoot-like warriors but was also stage was the Japan team location, which is
at one point going to be the Brazilian team. actually set on a crosswalk in front of a viaduct
by SNK headquarters, which is located near
As to which team was the primary focus for Esaka Station in Osaka. Today, the original SNK
the developers, unsurprisingly it was the trio building still exists, but unfortunately for pilgrims,
containing their new hero, Kyo Kusanagi, as the the NEOGEO sign visible in the Japan stage is no
KOF ’94 director confirms: longer there.
“One way of getting players to focus on the main Not all the stages in KOF ’94 are based on real
character is to create supporting characters that places, but aside from the excellent artistic skill on
will help uplift the main characters. For ’94 we display and consistent commitment to style, the
wanted to uplift the characters in the Japan team. other major takeaway from these backgrounds is
32
When creating the teams for KOF ’94, the designers had lots of ideas, with many not making the cut. Above are
some examples, including a bizarre Circus team and a Prisoner team, featuring an early design of Chang Koehan.
33
Below is a selection of stills from the animated
stage backgrounds in KOF ’94. Each stage is
set within a different part of the world and is
home to one of the teams.
Ikari Warriors team stage (Brazil)
Psycho Soldier team stage (China)
Women Fighters team stage (England)
Fatal Fury team stage (Italy)
34
Hero team stage (Japan)
Korea Justice team stage (Korea)
Art Of Fighting team stage (Mexico)
American Sports team stage (USA)
35
An original KOF ’94 design document that has been translated into English. This table documents each character’s
individual abilities, such as speed, offence and stamina. These were then programmed into the game.
36
that, just like the majority of the game’s characters, mechanics and then balancing their pioneering
they are very firmly placed within the real world, new versus fighter? The two men responsible
with many at locations that everyday people for it, Tanabe and Shimizu, share their detailed
would frequent. There’s very much a feeling in recollections of the process.
KOF ’94 that the tournament is embedded in the
world around it, which continues that commitment “The A.I. patterns for fighting games are quite
to creating a more three-dimensional aspect to distinct,” notes Shimizu, “so I learned and
the game’s characters and motives, as well as the borrowed ideas from the Fatal Fury team. But
KOF tournament itself. in terms of the technical side of things, like the
combat and hitboxes, it wasn’t so far off what I
But if designing realistic and varied venues for did on prior titles.
KOF’s roster of characters to fight in, as well as
placing them into teams of three, proved quite “For fighting games, because it’s player versus
tricky in terms of story and nationality, then player, there’s lots of programming going into
balancing those teams in-game would be an order each character a user could be playing as. For KOF,
of magnitude harder. because it’s a group of three, there has to be an A.I.
simulation for the actions while they’re not being
Frame advantage controlled by the player. In addition, all the special
attacks and combos have to have their unique
In most versus fighters, characters fight one-on- programming to match their unique visuals, too.
one and, from a new player’s point of view, they
only have to focus on mastering the commands “The other thing about fighting games is balancing
and inputs for one combatant. Equally, from the all the characters. Of course there’s balancing the
developer’s perspective, this one-on-one nature strength of attacks, but there’s also which frame
of combat means that only one character needs an attack actually lands on the opponent and
to be balanced at one time against any other – how many hits does an attack deal? If an attack
Ryu-vs.-Ken or Sub-Zero-vs.-Scorpion, for example. hits at a specific location, is that counted as one
KO blow or can the opponent attack the same
“THE A.I. PATTERNS

location multiple times?”
“For KOF ’94, most of the game balancing was
FOR FIGHTING GAMES

basically a hands-on trial-and-error ordeal on my
part,” confirms Tanabe. “I balanced most of them
by myself in terms of action speeds and strength
ARE QUITE DISTINCT”

Shinichi Shimizu
of the characters. The damage parameters were
done by someone else, but most of the balancing
was all by myself.
“Compared to other games where you can pit

But in KOF ’94, every match includes a fixed team one character against another and balance out
of three warriors who must fight and, crucially, that way, because KOF is team versus team, the
can fight against any character from the opposing focus was more on how characters worked as
team. And this complicates things for both the a team rather than how each character worked
player and the developer. For the player they individually.”
now have to memorise and master three different
sets of commands and inputs, as well as general As any gamer who has played KOF ’94 will testify,
tactics against opponents, while the developer this more macro approach to balance is definitely
has significantly more variables to balance. evident, with some characters, such as Heidern,
feeling rather overpowered.
Firstly, each team needs to be balanced in terms
of its overall strength as a fighting unit. If one But, as Kodoma affirms, the team-based approach
team is too strong then it will dominate all others. to balancing on KOF ’94 wasn’t a considered
As such, you need to ensure that its component choice, but one that really came out of necessity.
characters are balanced in terms of what they
offer and how they fight – for example, a team of “We only had about two weeks to actually balance
three strong, slow characters isn’t as balanced as the game, less than a day per character, so we
a team with one slow and strong up-close, one weren’t able to do it, or spend time or energy on
fast and agile, and one that excels at range. that. However, because the characters come in
teams of three, any one character is only a third
But then you also have to try to balance those of the team, so even if you have a really weak guy,
characters against any one from an opposing if you have a really strong guy as well, it would
team – there has to be a way, via rewarding kind of balance out the battles.”
gameplay, that any character can defeat any
other, otherwise the game becomes unbalanced Tanabe agrees with this recollection, stating that:
and broken.
“We just didn’t have a lot of development time to
So how did the young and barely experienced spend on each individual character. Compared
KOF team go about programming the fighting to other games where you can pit one character
37
against another and balance out that way, the Ferrari of home video game consoles, it was
because KOF is team versus team, the focus was actually far harder to design and program for than
more on how characters worked as a team rather gamers would’ve expected.
than how each character worked individually. That
was one way we were able to get away with some
of the balance.”
“WE MAXIMISED THE
CAPABILITIES OF
SNK Boss Syndrome
Very little time for balance, as well as designing one

of the most ‘SNK Boss Syndrome’ bosses of all
time, in Rugal – who the KOF ’94 team now admit
was created purely to chomp through gamer credits
– were two more things the KOF ’94 director
THE NEOGEO”
KOF ’94 director
and company had to deal with during the game’s
development. But before they could even be But what makes it even more interesting, as well
attempted, this new fighting game needed as highlighting just how talented and on top of
programming for SNK’s NEOGEO hardware. their game SNK’s young teams were back in the
’90s, is that despite these hardware difficulties,
To program a pioneering new versus fighter that SNK titles of that era are now held up as moving
was trying to do things no game had done before 2D pixel art masterpieces – they are games that
it was truly boss-level tough. Shinichi Shimizu, have transcended their own time and hardware.
the man primarily responsible for programming
KOF ’94, is candid in his recollections of the uphill But back in 1994, as the New Year celebrations
task he faced: rolled around, early hype for the Sony PlayStation
and SEGA Saturn was building in Japan (they
“The hardware capacity of the NEOGEO we were were both released later that year). While these
working with did limit what we wanted to do – for two home video game consoles helped introduce
example, wanting lots of effects and animations 3D gaming to the world and take video games to
– but it would cause the sprites to disappear or a new dimension both visually and in terms of an
inflict severe lag, so those requests would sprout industry, those plaudits did not yet exist, and all
bugs in the system that we couldn’t fix. was not well in South Town.
“There were limitations in the NEOGEO’s CPU. Super cancel

I would have to look up the specific speed; it was
slightly better than the SEGA Mega Drive/ Despite such positivity within the KOF ’94 team,
Genesis, but the RAM was only 64KB. The during the second half of development, as the
NEOGEO had a memory card that you could add game started to really come together, far from it
to it, but it would only add 2KB. What were we looking like it was going to be a ‘PERFECT’ easy
supposed to save on a 2KB memory card? We victory, it was instead looking like it wasn’t going
could only record how many frames the player to be a success for SNK at all, with the KOF ’94
had advanced in the game.” director the conduit for some seriously bad news.
The KOF ’94 director, as lead on the project, also “We were told that the stages and characters were
vividly remembers the sorts of challenges they too bland,” the KOF ’94 director remembers. “For
had to face, noting that, “In terms of developing these reasons the internal reviews were low and
on the NEOGEO, there was limited framerate, we struggled throughout the development up
limited capacity and a palette organisation limit until the release date. Every day we were yelled
of 15 colours because of the 16 × 16 pixel frames, at that if things didn’t change then SNK would
so balancing and maximising colour to give the cancel the game on grounds of quality control.
variety of colours and bring out realism was quite I thought I would break from the stress of causing
challenging. the company a great loss.
“Capacity limits definitely limited what we could do, “I remember feeling really lost when I was told
and we completely maximised the capabilities of something similar by one of our new staff members
the NEOGEO. Ralf and Clark from Ikari Warriors who had joined because they were inspired by
are almost exactly the same because of those Street Fighter II and Garou Densetsu.”
limitations, and we wanted to have another boss
before Rugal but it didn’t make the cut because Things would get worse, too, for the KOF ’94
we didn’t have enough memory in the system.” director and the team, as when an early prototype
of the game was sent through to respected
Hearing about these programming challenges is Japanese video game publication Gamest, in
interesting because, as we saw in Bitmap Books’ the hope that it would receive positive coverage,
Metal Slug: The Ultimate History, they were things did not play out as expected or desired.
shared by other development teams within SNK.
While the NEOGEO MVS platform had succeeded “We had announced the release of the game to
in becoming a common sight in arcade centres Gamest as a first reveal and normally the media
worldwide, and the NEOGEO AES was considered tries to hype up the game to help get the fans
38
An original KOF ’94 design document that has been translated into English. This page outlines the boss battle with
Rugal and his subsequent transformation, when removing his jacket unleashes a whole range of new, powerful moves.
39
An advertisement for KOF ’94 that clearly places Kyo as the main focus, along with the rest of the Hero and Fatal
Fury team members. Heavily promoted is the 3-vs.-3 team gameplay that set KOF apart from the competition.
40
excited about the release. It’s not that they said it sounds today. One of the biggest and most
anything bad, but it wasn’t as enthusiastic a piece prestigious video game magazines of the time
on the game as we had hoped. I was bummed was not putting its weight behind the game and,
when the magazine wasn’t very enthusiastic about as such, that pointed towards failure, both artistic
the game. I was desperate to prove myself to my and financial.
managers and colleagues.”
Suddenly, from being the new kids on the block,
tearing it up at SNK with a fresh new versus fighter
“I REMEMBER
about to take gamers and the market by storm,
the KOF ’94 director and his team were facing
the very real possibility that KOF ’94 would be
WELCOMING THE cancelled before it ever saw the arcades. And this
heavy strain started to take its toll on the team.
NEW YEAR LISTENING “At the time, the SNK offices were right above an
arcade in the same building. We had employees
TO THE TEMPLE BELL

who would leave work at the end of the day
and go straight to the arcade when they were
supposed to be working overtime. But they didn’t
RINGING WHILE come back, so we’d send people to fetch them,”

remembers Shimizu.
PUNCHING THE DOTS”

KOF ’94 director
“There was a lot of overtime, working through the
nights. The company even had a weekly system
to clean and replace the futons under our desks
that we slept on. I would work until 2 in the
morning, and then I’d go downstairs to tell them I
For the uninitiated, Gamest, along with Famitsu, was wrapping up for the night, and the floor would
were the Japanese video game magazines of the be pitch black because everybody had already
’90s. Gamest had launched the same year as gone to sleep, and that’s how I’d realise how late
Famitsu, back in 1986, and, after initially having it had gotten. They were hard, tough times.”
a heavy focus on shoot-’em-up games (the most
popular genre of the day), had transitioned in the “I was always staying overnight at work,” recalls
late ’80s and early ’90s to focus on other popular Kuwasashi.
video game genres such as beat-’em-ups and,
naturally, fighting games. This young team had pushed themselves to the
limit over a two-year period, but instead of now
It’s hard now, in an age where the Internet facing a famous victory, they instead seemed to
is widespread and every gamer on Earth is stand before a chastening defeat, with low internal
empowered to be a potential critic, with people scores from SNK and a very much written-off
easily able to create their own online website, attitude from Gamest communicating that KOF
channel or social media brand and comment on the ’94 stood no chance of walking out of the fighting
latest video games, as well as consume gaming game arena with a win, or even alive at all.
info from a myriad of sources almost instantly, to
understand how different the landscape was for Achieving S-Rank
gamers and the gaming industry back then.
However, all was not as it seemed. And for the
There was no widespread Internet access and KOF ’94 director, who had taken the brunt of
no smartphones – and what’s more, the gaming the large amounts of criticism and indifference
industry was not only still in its absolute infancy levelled at the team from both inside and outside
but, as the KOF ’94 director noted, was still seen of SNK, the tide was about to turn. His young
by wider Japanese society as a ‘black industry’. As team of upstart game developers, under the
such, information about new hardware and titles guidance of veteran Nishiyama, might just have
could be obtained only from a few specialised been onto something special after all.
publications, which were the conduits of news
to gamers and, in truth, were taste-makers that “I was feeling depressed because of the low
really only published critics of note. internal reviews of the game,” notes the KOF ’94
director, “but one day I saw a sign of hope. [It
The power over how a game was brought to was] the day of a location test, a few hours after it
gamers largely lay with titles like Gamest and so, started, after pulling an all-nighter. As I got closer
naturally, the video game makers of the day would to the NEOGEO Land [arcade centre] where they
send their games to these titles for previewing, in were holding the location test, I began to hear
the hope that they would like what they played girls screaming, ‘OMG. That’s so cool!’ when Kyo
and communicate that to their audiences. took his victory pose.
As such, the fact that Gamest was not enthusiastic “I was in tears. Just a few hours prior I was being
about KOF ’94 was actually a far bigger deal than told by my supervisors and teammates why KOF
41
’94 wasn’t any good. I didn’t know how to process queued in-store to buy a copy of the game for
this situation that was unfolding in front of my NEOGEO AES, now they queued up to watch
eyes, it made me cry.” the 8th Annual Gamest Awards bestow its
grand prize, the highest award it could hand out.
And those tears of joy would be well placed. KOF ’94’s victory was complete.
When KOF ’94 was released on 25 August 1994
it proceeded to be a great success with gamers, And the Japanese gaming public weren’t the
with the title quickly becoming known for its team only ones who found KOF ’94 an adrenaline
battle system, unique style and pioneering use of rush like no other, with the game proceeding to
characters from other gaming series. win the prestigious Best Fighting Game award
from Electronic Gaming Monthly (one the most
Indeed, as Kuwasashi recalls, gamers literally respected and long-running Western video game
queued up to get hands-on with KOF ’94. magazines of the day), as well as the NEOGEO
Game of the Year award for 1994.
“I remember we worked through the night to
complete the test ROM, and I handed it over to In their comments on why KOF ’94 won, Electronic
one of my staff members to bring to the arcade Gaming Monthly’s critics stated that:
for the location test. I think I went home to sleep
for a couple hours, and then I went to the arcade “SNK’s 190+ Meg beast takes top honours.
at around 11am. That was when I saw the players KOF ’94 blew us away for a number of reasons.
lining up to play the game.” First of all, it features fighters from other popular
SNK games like the Fatal Fury and Art Of Fighting
series all joined together in a unique three-fighter
“KOF ’94 WON THE format. Second of all, as a fighting game goes,
it is just a phenomenal piece of work. The play
HYPER-PRESTIGIOUS
control, graphic presentation, and sound quality
are all top-notch.
GAME OF THE YEAR

“1994 was another great year for fighting games
and, with so many on the market, it was pretty
hard for us to choose a winner. SNK’s mega-Meg
GRAND PRIZE” beast KOF ’94 was our winner. We loved just
about everything this game has to offer. If you
own a NEOGEO, don’t pass this one up. If you
can find it in an arcade, play it!”
And line up to play KOF ’94 they did, with
Kuwasashi recalling that once the game was KOF ’94 wasn’t just a hit with gamers, either, but
released he started to figure out how successful a financial success for SNK, too. This is confirmed
the game was after seeing gamers flock to fight by past interviews with members of SNK’s
with Kusanagi and company. Promotion Division, who reveal how nobody in
the company saw the game’s crazy overnight
“The point when I could really feel the success success coming. The success of the location test
of the game,” he remembers, “was going to an mentioned above by the KOF ’94 director and
arcade, and seeing all those people lining up to Kuwasashi convinced them to put all of SNK’s
play the game. That was when the success of the promotional might behind the game.
game truly dawned on me.”
What the KOF ’94 director, Kuwasashi and the rest

of the team saw in the arcades was then confirmed
“IN EVERY SENSE
OF THE WORD,
in the most remarkable way. Not only did KOF
’94 go on to be a commercial success for SNK,
but in the 8th Annual Gamest Awards – an annual
KOF ’94 HAD

competition where the readers of Gamest got to
vote for the best games of the year and then attend
an awards show to see the winners crowned –
KOF ’94 won the biggest prize of all.
Despite being written off by Gamest months

before when its staff had previewed the game,
BEEN A SUCCESS”
KOF ’94 won the hyper-prestigious Game of the In every sense of the word, KOF ’94 had been
Year grand prize at Gamest’s own awards show, a success. Right from the moment when gamers
beating off huge titles like Capcom’s Super Street first saw Rugal Bernstein’s invitation to his KING
Fighter II X – Grand Master Challenge (Super OF FIGHTERS tournament on screen – that now
Street Fighter II Turbo in the West) and SEGA’s iconic spinning white envelope inviting warriors
Virtua Fighter. the world over to compete against each other
in teams of three – it had shown what the next
Just as gamers had queued across Japan to play generation of fighting games needed to achieve
KOF ’94 in the arcades on NEOGEO MVS, and and aspire to.
42
SNK’s NEOGEO Land amusement parks were not only packed full of the latest games, but were also used for
location tests, where SNK could showcase its latest games and gather vital fan feedback.
© Shinseisha Co., Ltd.
After an initially lukewarm response from the magazine, KOF ’94 went on to win the prestigious Game of the Year
grand prize in Gamest magazine, rewarded with a celebratory double-page spread in issue 136.
43
The versus fighter genre had been changed going to be dominated by another, entirely new
forever by KOF ’94, and the KOF ’94 director, SNK character – and one who, just like Kyo, would
Kuwasashi, Tanabe and the wider team had go down in history as one of the greatest fighting
achieved this remarkable feat against the odds game characters of all time.
and with legendary fighting game combatants in
the ring with them. They’d stepped up, put their We are, of course, talking about the legendary
100-yen coin in the cabinet, and then walked (in more ways than one!) Iori Yagami. With his
away with the win. crescent-moon-emblazoned jacket, cursed blood,
and incredibly distinctive fighting style and
And, as we’ll see in the second part of this official persona, Iori arrived in KOF ’95 as Kyo’s main
history, the KOF series was far from finished after rival and head of the brand new Rivals team,
round one. replacing the American Sports team in the game.
This Rivals team is notable, not only because it

ROUND 2 includes another pair of borrowed characters from
other SNK games, with Iori joined by Fatal Fury’s
The success of KOF ’94 was a watershed moment Billy Kane and Art Of Fighting 2 ’s Eiji Kisaragi, but
for the series, which overnight became one of also for its positioning by the development team
SNK’s most important video game franchises. as the focus for KOF ’95. Iori and his Rivals team
And, with the game being such a hit with gamers were, in many respects, created to be the new
and a financial success for the company, the stars of the KOF show, and new challengers to
attitude toward the KOF team within SNK changed. threaten Kyo’s supremacy.
From being the ‘small fish’ bad boys of SNK, and
a team that was shouted at and threatened with And, in the shape of Iori Yagami, Kyo had one
game cancellation on their first project, they were incredible new foe. Indeed, even by today’s far
now celebrated like heroes. more extreme standards, whereby modern versus
fighters like Mortal Kombat 11 have taken the levels
But the KOF ’94 director, the man who had of violence and gore to viscerally heightened levels,
headed up the inaugural The KING OF FIGHTERS Iori still has the power to shock the uninitiated.
tournament, never had a chance to bask in this There’s just such a wild and brutal way that he
new-found warmth at SNK. Instead he decided to moves and fights, which, along with the stellar
move on to pastures new, joining rival Japanese vocal performance delivered by Kunihiko Yasui,
gaming firm Konami. communicating his iron will and crazy mentality,
combines to create a force of nature in the ring.
“I left SNK right after we released KOF ’94,”
confirms the KOF ’94 director, “so I wasn’t there And while violence and violent characters had
to see the change in attitude within SNK. But featured in versus fighters before, in KOF ’95
when I got together with my colleagues who had Iori took them to a new level of fidelity, as he
stayed and heard about the stories afterward, openly wished death upon his foes with quotes
they said it was like a switch in attitude and like “Sonomama shine!”, which translates as ‘Die
suddenly everybody was being nice to them now as you are!’, and “Nake! Sakebe! Soshite, shine!”,
that they had the sales numbers to back them up.” which invites his opponent to ‘Cry! Scream! Then
die!’ These orations, combined with moves in
The reasons why the KOF ’94 director left SNK the game that saw Iori grabbing and throttling
so abruptly after releasing KOF ’94 remains a his opponent before head-butting them while
mystery, but for a man who had been at SNK for screaming ‘Die!’, as well as burning them while
years and just produced, under the most trying laughing at their anguish and repeatedly carving
circumstances, one of the greatest fighting into their flesh with feral clawing lunges, helped to
games of all time, a change of scene for personal create a character who was like nothing gamers
or professional reasons is totally understandable. had ever seen before.
Fighting games were the number one video game
genre on the planet, and the KOF ’94 director had Iori Yagami was created not just to be a rival
just made one of the best ever. for Kyo, but as the core around which not only
KOF ’95 would be based, but KOF ’96 and
The KOF ’94 director’s exit from the KOF team KOF ’97 as well. That’s because Iori is the
left a hole that Masanori Kuwasashi then filled, catalyst for the entire Orochi Saga of KOF titles
with the KOF ’94 veteran stepping into the role (which runs from ’95 to ’97) and its narrative is
of director for the inevitable follow-up in the KOF fundamentally tied to who he is, his motivations
series. But if the first game in the series had and why he appears as Kyo’s rival.
burned brightly, with Kyo introducing the world to
this hot new type of versus fighter, the follow-up While Iori is very much the yin to Kyo’s yang,
would see the KOF series plunged into shadow. the moon to Kyo’s sun, he is far from a simple
two-dimensional antagonist. He represents that
Sun and moon heritage, passed down through Fatal Fury and
Art Of Fighting, in which world building and three-
If KOF ’94 was all about Kyo, a reluctant but dimensional characters can drive a fighting game
heroic fighter who wore the Kusanagi family crest to new heights of emotional involvement and fun
of a golden sun on his jacket, then KOF ’95 was for the gamer.
44
But to understand anything of what is to come had secretly planted it, on Kusanagi homeland
from the next three KOF games, we need to delve soil. Upon seeing his dead wife, the Yasakani clan
into the Japanese legend of Orochi. head was driven mad with anger and proceeded
to make a blood pact with Orochi in order to gain
Yamata no Orochi its power to get his revenge on the Kusanagi clan.
“IORI YAGAMI WAS LIKE

In Japanese mythology, Yamata no Orochi –
which translates as ‘Eight Forked Great Snake’
and is frequently contracted to just Orochi – was
NOTHING GAMERS HAD

a legendary eight-headed and eight-tailed dragon
serpent of immense power that roamed Japan in
time immemorial. After much tyranny on Earth,
Orochi was eventually defeated by the storm god
Susanoo, who tricks the great snake and cuts off
all eight heads and eight tails. Within the fourth of
these tails a mystical sword is discovered which,
EVER SEEN BEFORE”
interestingly for our narrative, became known as Orochi, foreseeing a way to break free from its
the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, simply shortened to just sealed prison so it could once more wage war
Kusanagi. on humanity, agreed and proceeded to teach a
powerful forbidden technique to the Yasakani clan
And it was from this mythology that KOF’s Orochi head: Kin Sen Hyaku Juuichi Shiki: Ya Otome, the
Saga was born, with Masanori Kuwasashi the ‘Forbidden Method 1211: Eight Maidens’. Now
man responsible for its creation. And, as you imbued with cursed Orochi blood, and with the
would expect from a game series derived from powerful technique in hand, Yasakani proceeded
the Takashi Nishiyama school of fighting games, to alter his clan’s name to Yagami and seek
the story is not only detailed but carefully woven revenge against the Kusanagi clan.
into the plot and character motivations of not just
KOF ’95, but also KOF ’96 and KOF ’97. Fast-forward to the events of KOF ’95, and the
descendants of these two warring clans continue
In the KOF universe Orochi is an ancient divine the rivalry; Iori Yagami carries an obsession with
power that was born from the Earth itself, and fighting and besting Kyo Kusanagi. And that is
in ancient times worked as nature’s guardian, why – despite being thought dead after his defeat
making use of its powers to pursue a noble cause in KOF ’94 – when an invitation to a new KOF
that saw it gain human followers; eventually, the tournament arrives from Rugal, Iori immediately
Orochi clan was created. Among the strongest teams up with Billy Kane and Eiji Kisaragi. Through
of the clan members were eight fierce warriors the new Rivals team, Iori, who has inherited his
known as the Hakkesshu, who worked to protect ancestor’s cursed Orochi blood, intends to finally
Orochi and enable its will. enact his clan’s revenge.
Unfortunately, due to the destructive nature of “Since both Kusanagi and Yagami were based on
humanity, the balance on Earth began to swing out myths, I decided to give Orochi a mysterious
of control, and 1,800 years ago Orochi decided image,” notes Kuwasashi, “taking it from myths and
it could no longer countenance the destruction history. Some of the producers were familiar with
of Earth, from which it was born, and resolved Japanese mythology, and that was very helpful.”
to eradicate humanity from existence. Using its
immense powers, Orochi and the Orochi clan, Iori isn’t the only character who uses the power
led by the Hakkesshu, waged war on the human of Orochi, though, and as confirmed by Kuwasashi,
race until three warriors from the Kusanagi, Yata it was something he wanted the game’s big bad
and Yasakani clans defeated Orochi and sealed it to also make use of in order to help establish the
away from the world. The Hakkesshu were also Orochi Saga’s narrative.
defeated and their spirits sealed away, too.
“It’s unusual to have a boss return for a fighting
Centuries then passed until, hundreds of years game, but I wanted a connection to Orochi, so I
after Orochi’s imprisonment, the entity’s great seal had Rugal come back by tapping into the power
began to weaken and, once more, the three clans of Orochi, thus making him more powerful, hence
decided to transport it to another, safer location Omega Rugal. This also establishes Orochi’s own
from which it would once more be unable to free power as being far greater than Rugal’s – if Rugal
itself. Unfortunately, this was the time that the eight can become this strong by tapping into only a
Hakkesshu had been waiting for, and they used little of Orochi – establishing that hierarchy of
this opportunity to break free from their own seal power levels.”
before proceeding to immediately kill the Yasakani
leader’s wife and then, through subterfuge, blame As fans of KOF will know, there are only these
the murder on the Kusanagi clan. small hints as to the narrative arc that the Orochi
Saga would take in KOF ’95, with the story
One of the disguised Hakkesshu told the Yasakani emphasised most in the second and third games
leader that the death had been atonement for in the trilogy, KOF ’96 and KOF ’97. But from
letting the Orochi seal weaken, and then showed this point the scope of this versus fighting game
him where to find the corpse of his wife, where they series changed forever.
45
Surprisingly, most key advertisements for KOF ’95 feature only Kyo, without newcomer Iori Yagami. This artwork
by Shinkiro uses a mixture of traditional line illustration and a photographic fireball effect.
A rough sketch for KOF ’97 by Shinkiro featuring both Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami. Kyo can be seen performing
one of his iconic fire moves while rival Iori appears in the background as a menacing onlooker.
46
“THE SERIES WAS NOW
Mixing things up
The KOF narrative wasn’t the only thing to markedly

change in KOF ’95; one of the biggest things fans
of the existing game had called for had also been
added to the formula. That feature was the ability GOING TO BE ON AN
to edit the game’s teams, and once introduced it
would become a staple that all other KOF games
utilised. However, as confirmed by Kuwasashi, the
idea for team edit hadn’t actually originated with
ANNUAL CYCLE”
KOF ’95. “When we were looking at making ’95, we decided
to remake it all from scratch, to throw out all of
“The team edit feature was actually ready to go ’94 and remake it fresh. But then a few months
for KOF ’94,” Kuwasashi notes. “I proposed it before the release of ’95 we realised that it would
to Nishiyama-san, and it was his idea to keep it be impossible. So rather than junk what we’d
as a main feature for ’95. I feel like that showed started with KOF ’95, we took the ’94 engine and
his management foresight. I give him credit for assets and refreshed that to release it as ’95,
holding it back for the sequel. and we would later finish what we’d planned for
’95 and release it as KOF ’96. That’s why KOF ’94
“We held back the team edit feature in KOF ’94 in and ’95 are very similar to each other, and why
order to establish the team idea for the player to KOF ’96 has a lot of differences.”
grasp with the characters in the game, so I think
it was the right decision to make.” King of portable fighters
Toyohisa Tanabe recalls the change, too, saying, As history shows, more KOF games were indeed
“For KOF ’95 we opened up the character selection going to be made, and not just for NEOGEO
so players could make their own teams, which MVS and AES hardware. Along with a variety
lost the charm of the premade teams but offered of ports of existing KOF games to different
freedom of choice as its own feature.” home consoles, dedicated new KOF games were
created for handheld systems, too, starting in
Naturally, the opening up of teams, in terms 1996 with Dead Heat Fighters: KOF ’95 for the
of being able to construct them from a player- Game Boy.
chosen combination of fighters, added its own
challenges, as Tanabe also remembers: This Game Boy version of KOF ’95 included the
core gameplay from the KOF series and also
“There were definitely challenges in balancing, but offered both team and single character play. Most
it was worth it for the game overall.” of the cast were also still available for selection,
too, and each is re-designed in a distinctive
cartoon style. The action, for a Game Boy title,
“THE TEAM EDIT was also fast paced, and characters could kick,
punch, throw and special-move their way to
FEATURE WAS
victory, just as in the main games.
This portable version of KOF ’95 was followed
ACTUALLY READY
by another for Game Boy two years later: a port
of KOF ’96, which was very much an iterative
update on the game that had preceded it. Then,
TO GO FOR KOF ’94”

Masanori Kuwasashi
in a brace of releases that have not only stood
the test of time better than the Game Boy
titles but also become highly collectable for
NEOGEO fans, KOF R-1 and R-2 were released
for the NEOGEO Pocket in 1998 and 1999,
The other thing Tanabe and the KOF team had to respectively.
come to grips with was the fact that, due to the
success of KOF ’94, the series was now going KOF R-1, despite its name, actually follows on
to be on an annual cycle, with a new KOF game from the two Game Boy KOF games, sharing the
released every year. And this, along with issues like same storyline as KOF ’97, while R-2 is loosely
balancing, designing new characters and widening based on KOF ’98. Key to these titles’ success
the narrative scope of the game, caused issues. was not just the clear love and attention to detail
SNK put into them (these titles were actually
“As a developer, if you’re going to make a new game, developed by SNK), but also the fact that they
the idea is you always want to bring something ran on the NEOGEO Pocket and NEOGEO Pocket
new to the table and give a new experience to the Color hardware, which, with its micro-switched
players,” Tanabe states. “But you don’t see that thumbstick, faithfully recreated an arcade
with KOF ’95 because we didn’t have the time. joystick experience. Pulling off special moves with
Of course we had new characters and new art – characters was easy, and the clicky noise the
certainly enough content to make it a new game thumbstick emitted during use remains, to this
– but its basis is essentially KOF ’94 remixed. day, incredibly satisfying.
47
Psycho Soldier team stage (China)
Fatal Fury team stage (Italy)
Art Of Fighting team stage (Mexico)
Kim team stage (Korea)
An original KOF ’95 design document featuring new stage concept art. These sketches are remarkably close
to the final in-game designs, and are incredibly detailed, especially the Art Of Fighting team stage.
48
An original KOF ’95 design document that has been translated into English. This page offers details on the attack
avoidance system and a desire to add extra features – something which wouldn’t be implemented until KOF ’97.
49
More importantly, though, KOF R-1 and R-2 very The entire Rivals team that was introduced in
much delivered a full-on KOF experience, just KOF ’95 is also disbanded, tellingly replaced by
in a portable form. Each character was redrawn team Yagami, which features Iori as well as the
in a fantastic 16-bit chibi style, and everything undercover Hakkesshu warriors Mature and Vice.
else, from the gameplay mechanics to sound Meanwhile a new Boss team consisting of Geese
effects and music, through stage backgrounds Howard, Wolfgang Krauser and Mr. Big (big bads
and gameplay modes, evoked the main series. from the Fatal Fury and Art Of Fighting series)
And while R-1 was released before the NEOGEO come in.
Pocket Color hit the market in 1999, R-2 came
“KOF R-1 AND R-2

after it and, as such, delivered full-colour graphics
as well as an expanded character roster.
DELIVERED A FULL-ON
While no other portable KOF games followed R-2,
the NEOGEO Pocket Color saw one of its biggest
stars appear in a very unexpected spin-off. That’s
because SNK Gals’ Fighters would be released in
the year 2000, and within that game the first ever
The Queen of Fighters tournament was hosted by
the mysterious Miss X. And, as any gamer who
KOF EXPERIENCE”
has completed that game will know, Miss X is There were other losses, too, such as the clothes-
revealed to be none other than KOF’s Iori Yagami shredding animations for Yuri and King, which had
dressed in a traditional Japanese sailor dress and been maintained in earlier KOF games from their
wearing a ninja mask. origin in Art Of Fighting. Here Tanabe explains
how it was due to the team’s punishing schedule
SNK Gals’ Fighters became one of the platform’s that the animations didn’t make it:
most popular fighting games and, while not
technically a KOF game, successfully evoked “It was for purely developmental reasons. We
its heritage, creating a royal rumble of female recreated the whole system in KOF ’96 from
combatants from SNK’s various franchises scratch, and there was a huge increase in damage
including Fatal Fury, Psycho Soldier, Art Of action, but we literally ran out of time in the
Fighting, KOF and Samurai Shodown. development period to keep it in.”
Heart of Orochi The fact that Mai Shiranui’s breasts animation

had to be censored in non-Japanese KOF games
In 1996, Iori Yagami was far from appearing as previously must also have factored into this
Miss X, and the game that the KOF development decision, as well as the perceived wisdom of
team had wanted to make in KOF ’95 was realised. having female fighters’ clothes rip partially off
The Orochi narrative was taken forward with a when defeated. However, as Tanabe remembers,
third KOF tournament held by Chizuru Kagura, a certain new animations were worked on despite
descendant of the ancient Yata clan, as a way to this, but didn’t make it into the game – and for
bring Kyo and Iori together and recruit them to some comically questionable reasons.
once more head off the impending Orochi threat
– which is being brought closer to fruition thanks “I believe it was KOF ’96, and the guy behind
to the Hakkesshu. A series of gameplay changes, the animation of the fighters was a perfectionist
in partnership with a redrawing of graphic and of sorts, and he initially had Mai Shiranui’s butt
character sprites, means the game looks different jiggling as well as her breasts. He ended up
to KOF ’94 and ’95, too. having her at like 30 animation slides and I had to
yell at him, ‘Are you crazy? This is too much, we
The list of gameplay changes includes: the definitely can’t afford to do this!’ and I cut it out.
evolution of the previous title’s dodge technique I told him to get his priorities straight.”
into an emergency evasion mechanic in which the
player’s character can roll either away or towards In many respects, KOF ’96 really marked the
(and past) the opponent; the ability to determine start of the KOF team working out exactly what
jump height (with low and high jumps available); their hit fighting franchise had become. They
the ability to run instead of dash forward; and the were now really starting to work at the top of
ability to execute a hyper-powerful super-move their game – something that was evident in every
if both characters’ health is low and their power aspect of the series from its character art to its
gauges are at maximum. music soundtrack.
New characters were also introduced, such as The Band of Fighters

Hakkesshu members Vice, Mature and new big
bad Goenitz (who is trying to break the seal on Talking of music, one of the most interesting
Orochi once again), while past characters were aspects of the KOF phenomenon during the ’90s
either phased out or shifted in terms of team. was how it took the production of fighting game
Kasumi Todoh, for example, is a newcomer from soundtracks and audio to an entirely new level,
Art Of Fighting 3, while neither Heidern nor both in terms of quality and in terms of community
Takuma Sakazaki make any appearance at all. engagement.
50
Sharing the same storyline as KOF ’97, KOF R-1 was developed in-house by SNK for the NEOGEO Pocket. The
obvious attention to detail given to the game meant that hardcore KOF fans could now enjoy the series on the go.
Now in full colour, KOF R-2 for the NEOGEO Pocket Color offers a more authentic KOF experience compared
to that on the Game Boy. Playability is vastly improved thanks to the micro-switched thumbstick.
51
As well as adding a range of new characters, such as Leona, Kasumi Todoh, Mature and Vice, KOF ’96 saw
an evolution of the graphics, moves and gameplay, adding the ability to run and roll.
Away from video games, the ever-popular KOF brand extended into The Band of Fighters (BOF). Appearing on
a series of audio CDs, BOF actually performed at NEOGEO World as a series of animatronic robot characters.
52
As we heard earlier in Round One of this official dramas that were eventually released on CD. For
KOF history, Masahiro Nonaka swiftly rose to example, there was a serial Kusanagi family drama
fame thanks to his voicing of Kyo, with fans of the that featured Kyo, Nakoruru, Yuri, Choi and Iori,
game and character writing to him continually to as well as what was known as a Comedy Battle,
express their devotion. Characters like Kyo were which was a competition held by the character
very recognisable and approachable, thanks to actors to try and make each other laugh, which
their more real-world appearance and motivations, was notably hard for Iori’s voice actor at the time,
and gamers became invested more easily in their Kunihiko Yasui.
fictional lives than in the distanced 2D warrior
personas of old. Arguably for the first time ever, The NEOGEO DJ Station was arguably not the
fighting games had been imbued with a soap opera most famous broadcast from SNK during the
quality, whereby gamers not only enjoyed playing ’90s. As all of SNK’s series grew in popularity,
KOF games, but were involved in its fictional world but especially KOF, the character voice actors’
and character narratives, too. fame rose to even higher levels and by 1997 the
Neo Chupi radio programme was formed. Running
The initial popularity of Kyo and the KOF universe from October 1997 to April 2000, the show was
absolutely exploded in 1995, with the introduction broadcast on three different radio stations (Radio
of Iori as Kyo’s rival, and SNK – which was Osaka, Radio Tokyo and Radio Tokai) and featured
very much steeped in the Nishiyama school of character voice actors for NEOGEO games such
developing its games and selling its characters as Masahiro Nonaka and more regular hosts
through more media types than just the games Harumi Ikoma and Keiko Kamitani, who played
themselves – really swung its weight behind it. Nakoruru and Rimururu respectively.
Soon, everything from KOF soundtracks to drama
CDs (where characters from the games act out Neo Chupi was very much a variety show that
small side plots), through to full-blown series featured songs, comedy skits, radio dramas,
such as the SNK Character Sounds Collection guest interviews and SNK product news, among
(which includes 11 different volumes and features other things, and during its tenure on air helped
character themes, monologues and songs) were to further invest fans in SNK games like KOF, and
released around the KOF games. to make voice actors like Yasui and Nonaka even
more famous. Fittingly, given KOF’s crossover
SNK even went as far as to create The Band of nature, eventually NEOGEO DJ Station and Neo
Fighters (BOF), which was a character image band Chupi would release a crossover CD of their very
formed of Kyo Kusanagi on guitar, Iori Yagami on own entitled NEOGEO DJ Station in Neo Chupi,
bass, Terry Bogard on percussion, Nakoruru on which included a BOF drama, an Iori Yagami
keyboard and Athena Asamiya on vocals. This story and, intriguingly, a Today’s Poem section
band’s story is set in an alternate universe from with Kyo Kusanagi.
the KOF games and their adventures were told
through drama CDs, with songs like The Song of SNK was engaging with the gaming community
Fighters II being played. to a degree that, arguably, had never been done
before. There was a circular, holistic nature to
being a fan of SNK’s games, particularly in terms
“THE BAND OF FIGHTERS’ of series like KOF. The annual festival setting of
KOF, along with regular related content such as
STORY IS SET IN AN
SNK’s radio programmes, manga and anime, as
well as NEOGEO Freak magazine, meant that it
was easy and pleasurable for gamers to stay in
ALTERNATE UNIVERSE
touch with these virtual characters and their lives
away from tournament combat.
FROM KOF” One instance of this, more than any other,

exemplifies the popularity and importance this
held – while also showing just how KOF’s voice
actors had reached a level of fame not seen in
The Band of Fighters wasn’t entirely virtual, either, any other fighting game.
with the group realised at NEOGEO World as a
series of animatronic robot characters. Starting Kyo’s girlfriend, Yuki, had been developed away
from KOF ’96, an annual BOF show was held in from the main KOF games up until 1997, with
which the five characters performed various songs her first appearance in the background of the
while, behind them, an animation played showing Japan team’s stage in KOF ’94 expanded in
character portraits and scenes. The actual voice Kyo’s character bios, official KOF illustrations and
actors for these characters would often be invited manga such as The King Of Fighters: Kyo, which
to meet fans on the same stage. features her and Kyo in scenes in their everyday
lives at school. For KOF ’97, though, Yuki was
SNK also created the NEOGEO DJ Station, selected as a character who would have a proper
which was recorded and broadcast on radio or cameo in the game.
performed live by the actual characters’ voice
actors, and included vocal songs from BOF as What followed was extraordinary. On 15th June
well as short comic plays and full-length radio 1997, SNK held a public audition for an actor to
53
voice Kyo’s lover at the Yakult Hall in Shinbashi, on KOF ’97 and KOF ’98. Tanabe explains what
Tokyo. On that day 1,534 people turned up this promotion entailed and how he planned to
to audition for the role of Yuki and, from that continue to drive the series forward:
massive number, 16 were selected to actually
audition with the existing voice actors, with four “I was the director for ’97 and ’98,” Tanabe
finalists chosen to be considered by the judges. confirms, “and I continued to be in charge of
This involved reading lines with Masahiro Nonaka, balancing the characters and fulfilling my role for
Kunihiko Yasui and Neo Chupi host Harumi Ikoma, the previous titles. But in addition to that I had
as well as some self promotion and free acting. to come up with the stories and characters and
develop the series as well.
“1,534 PEOPLE TURNED “I collaborated with a magazine and polled

readers to get the KOF fans involved with the
UP TO AUDITION FOR
development of the game, getting fan feedback
to figure out what characters to bring into the
game. At the same time, as someone involved
THE ROLE OF YUKI,

with the original KOF game, I wanted to preserve
the series and make sure we were staying true to
what we started off with. I was very happy about
KYO’S LOVER” it. It was super-exciting to collaborate outside of

our company, and it was a first for me in getting
other companies to collaborate for the game.”
As well as the 1,534 applicants for the role, around The polling of gamers took place in Japanese
400 KOF fans had also turned up to be part of video game magazines Weekly Famitsu, Gamest
the event, and after the auditions had taken place, and NEOGEO Freak, and resulted in KOF ’97’s
while the judges were making their deliberations new Special team, which included the game picks
on who would be cast as Yuki, a performance was of Billy Kane, Ryuji Yamazaki and Blue Mary.
held for the fans by Nonaka, Yasui, Ikoma and This team was also partnered by a New Faces
Athena voice actor Yukina Kurisu. Finally, at the team, which introduced the characters of Yashiro
end of this show, it was revealed that Tomoko Nanakase, Shermie and Chris, who in the KOF
Kojima had won the role and, following her debut narrative, eventually ends up as the host for the
performance in KOF ’97, she went on to appear freed spirit of Orochi.
on both Neo Chupi and NEOGEO DJ Station.
With Orochi finally liberated from its ancient sealed
Ending Orochi prison, and once more intent on wiping humanity
from the Earth, it falls to the descendants of
The Orochi Saga KOF games had, up until 1996, the clans who first trapped the creature – Kyo,
seen KOF not only really settle into its stride, Iori and Chizuru – to defeat Orochi and seal the
with the development team really honing the spirit away from the world once more, which is
series’ formula, but had also witnessed incredible something they dramatically do in the closing
expansion in their narrative scope and in terms cinematic of the game.
of the series’ influence and popularity with the
gaming community. With Orochi seemingly unstoppable, Iori finally
manages to free himself from its hold over him,
But it was at this stage, at the release of KOF ’96, due to his inherited cursed Orochi blood, and
that KOF veteran Masanori Kuwasashi decided expends all of his power to launch one desperate
to call time on working on the series. Why did final attack. The two other members of the
Kuwasashi quit mid-way through his own Orochi Sacred Force team realise this is the moment to
narrative? The man himself explains: finally rectify the centuries-old error that led to
the freeing of the Hakkesshu and eventual re-
“The realisation that KOF was to become an release of Orochi, and combine their might to
annualised series was actually precisely why finally defeat and reseal Orochi, with Kyo shown
I quit after finishing KOF ’96. I could see it landing the decisive blow.
becoming an annual series and didn’t want to be
stuck in that rut.” Tanabe finished the Orochi Saga in one of the most
epic ways possible, and he and the KOF ’97 team
And Kuwasashi was followed out the door by had done so while honing the KOF formula to an
Shinichi Shimizu, who moved sideways in SNK to even higher degree. Now there were two playing
work on the Japanese exclusive RPG Shinsetsu styles to choose from, Advanced and Extra, which
Samurai Spirits Bushido Retsuden, and then left determined how the game’s Power Gauge was
SNK altogether to team up once more with the filled and used, as well as how characters run, roll
KOF ’94 director and Kuwasashi at Psikyo to work and sidestep. The pioneering versus fighter was
on versus fighter Daraku Tenshi. evolving continuously and its quality had hit an
entirely new level.
The task of ending the Orochi saga therefore fell
to the final surviving member of the KOF ’94 core “Speaking on the game development as a whole,”
team, Toyohisa Tanabe, who acted as director Tanabe recalls, “there was a conscious shift in
54
Now at the fore, Iori Yagami takes centre stage for this KOF ’97 advertisement. For the first time, Iori enters
the tournament as a lone fighter after killing his two teammates, Mature and Vice, in the previous outing.
55
Concluding the Orochi Saga narrative, KOF ’97 saw the introduction of end-boss Orochi. KOF ’97 also saw the
introduction of Orochi Iori and Orochi Leona – aggressive versions of their normal selves due to their Orochi blood.
Aptly subtitled DREAM MATCH, KOF ’98 featured a record 38 selectable fighters. This roster included characters
from previous KOF entries who hadn’t appeared for a while, such as Heavy D!, Brian Battler and Heidern.
56
the development of KOF ’96 onward to not just arcade, but also the Sony PlayStation and SEGA
copy what other people were doing, but to try Dreamcast. Ten years after its release, it also
to do new things and get ahead of the game, so appeared on PlayStation 2 as KOF ’98: Ultimate
there was a lot of experimentation going on. A Match. This somewhat belated release of the
few things didn’t go right and we certainly had our game included the few characters and teams that
share of failures, but that was a conscious effort didn’t make the cut in the original release, such
on our part to do new and innovative things.” as the Boss team and characters like Eiji Kisaragi
and Goenitz.
Innovation had been baked into KOF right from
the start, thanks to its crossover adoption of KOF ’98 captured the festival crossover spirit at
characters from other games as well as its more the core of the series perfectly, and for fighting
three-dimensional approach to world building. game fans the world over, it was a dream title to
SNK’s debut KOF game had been built upon play.
with one of the most memorable fighting game
trilogies of all time in the shape of the Orochi Sadly, however, the dream was going to end, and
Saga. Gamers and developers alike were living in for many of the KOF team, like Toyohisa Tanabe,
a glorious fighting game dream. the writing was already on the wall. Within just
two years of the release date of KOF ’98, SNK
Dream Match Never Ends would close all of its American operations and,
later that same year, file for bankruptcy.
And that dream wasn’t about to end, either,
with 1998 seeing the release of the legendary Waking from a dream
KOF ’98: DREAM MATCH NEVER ENDS (known
as THE SLUGFEST outside of Japan). Following on from KOF ’98 was always going
to be hard, but a largely new team of game
DREAM MATCH NEVER ENDS, which is held up developers stepped to the fore and proceeded
by many gamers as the absolute pinnacle of the to craft their own new KOF saga. Split over
KOF series, was advertised by SNK as a special the following three KOF games, including KOF
edition and, unlike the three KOF games that had ’99, KOF 2000 and KOF 2001, the NESTS
preceded it, had no story at all. Chronicles were told.
KOF ’98 was KOF in its purest form – it was a In the KOF world, NESTS was this new story
title that brought back every character and team arc’s antagonist group, which, similarly to
that had fought in any KOF tournament to date, the Hakkesshu in the Orochi Saga, is looking
including dead characters like Rugal, for the to exploit the KOF tournament to further its
motherlode of royal rumbles. plans for world domination. A secret syndicate
consisting of various powerful fighters, and
There were 38 selectable characters included in headed up by the founder of the syndicate (the
KOF ’98: DREAM MATCH NEVER ENDS, which character of Nests himself, as well as his son
was a truly mind-blowing roster for a versus Igniz), the group targets the tournament as a
fighter back in 1998, with everyone from Heavy way to collect the world’s best fighters’ battle
D! and Yuri Sakazaki, through Heidern, Shermie data and defeat them, leaving the world free for
and Joe Higashi, and onto staples like Benimaru, their domination.
Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui, all playable.
The editable three-person team mechanic and the

Advanced and Extra gameplay modes returned
“TANABE FINISHED THE
OROCHI SAGA IN ONE
once more, although this time with the tweak that
when a character loses a round, in the next they
get a small advantage in terms of Power Gauge.
OF THE MOST EPIC

Many of the characters also had small tweaks
to their fighting styles and move sets, and while
character sprites remained largely the same as in
past KOF titles, the backgrounds for the combat
were completely new.
This, combined with surprisingly balanced

WAYS POSSIBLE”
gameplay, a dynamite soundtrack (which naturally Side-by-side with that narrative, KOF evolved and,
was released separately for fans), and a marketing for the first time, a change was made to its now
campaign that used a simply stunning series of legendary three-person team structure, with the
illustrations by SNK’s legendary artist Shinkiro, Striker system incorporated into gameplay. As
ensured that the dream endured in the most well as selecting a core team of three fighters to
spectacular way possible – and led to both critical choose from, with the Striker system each team
and financial success. now also chose a fourth character, who was that
team’s designated Striker. The Striker acts like a
KOF ’98 also went on to be one of the most ported supporting member who can be called on a limited
games of the series, making its way onto not just number of times during a match to assist the
the NEOGEO AES and NEOGEO CD from the currently active team member.
57
Other changes included tweaks to fighting styles Following SNK’s collapse, the rights to produce
and how power gauges were used, as well as the KOF were picked up by South Korean company
fact that the original hero character of the KOF Eolith, which did so due to the franchise’s
series and his popular rival were not included in popularity in its home nation. Eolith had next
the game’s standard roster of characters. Yes, to no experience in creating games like this,
Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami were absent from however. Consequently, it worked with new game
the game’s various teams, and were in fact only development company BrezzaSoft, which had
included at the last minute as hidden characters. been set up by none other than Eikichi Kawasaki,
the original founder of SNK, to make the game.
“FOLLOWING ON FROM Together, Eolith and BrezzaSoft completed the

NESTS Chronicles story arc in KOF 2001, with
KOF ’98 WAS ALWAYS

the leader of the syndicate, Nests, killed by
his son Igniz and then Igniz himself defeated,
drawing the narrative to a close. Then, following
GOING TO BE HARD” the finish of another three-game arc, history

repeated itself once more, with KOF 2002
following in KOF ’98’s footsteps as a storyless
dream match royal rumble.
KOF ’99 was followed by KOF 2000, which has
since gone down in history as one of the most Not only did KOF 2002 bring back basically all
glitchy and unbalanced KOF games ever made, the characters and teams that had existed in
as it was in development when SNK finally went previous KOF titles, but it also abandoned the
bankrupt. It was also the first game in the KOF Striker system, returning instead to the original
series that was not overseen by the man who had 3-on-3 team battle system used by the series up
started it all, Takashi Nishiyama, who had left to until KOF ’98.
set up his own company, Dimps, with other former
SNK and Capcom employees. Despite the odds being very much stacked against
them, with their owner going bankrupt and key
KOF 2000 did see a release, though, and despite team members moving on, the makers of KOF had
its issues continued the NESTS Chronicles managed to produce another full KOF cycle, with
narrative. And, thanks to its really strong surviving a three-game trilogy followed by another dream
core gameplay and some interesting new tweaks match. These titles, though, were being released
to the Striker system, managed to be well received at a time when the video game industry had
by gamers and see success on SNK hardware, largely moved on, both in terms of how games
SEGA Dreamcast and Sony PlayStation 2. looked and where they were played.
But in spite of this success, the KOF world was Unlike in the ’80s and ’90s, the two decades
starting to crumble away. Mere months after KOF in which fighting games were developed most,
2000 hit the arcades – which coincided with SNK gamers were no longer playing games in arcades
shuttering its American operation – any staff still but on home consoles, and those home consoles
remaining at the company left, including Tanabe. had rapidly advanced in terms of technological
In addition, almost all the surrounding support prowess to a state where 3D graphics were the
structure, which had helped build the virtual world new norm. The arcades and the glorious 2D pixel
of KOF, ceased to be, almost overnight. art that had powered them for decades were dying,
and that, more than anything else, left the KOF
The long-running NEOGEO Freak magazine, which series with its pixelated back firmly against the wall.
had been at the vanguard of communicating KOF
developments and its fiction, ceased publication Die as you are
in December 2000, its last issue prominently
featuring many of SNK’s most famous game By 2003 the NEOGEO MVS hardware system
characters, including Kyo and Iori, on its cover. had been on the market for 13 years and it now
On the inside front cover it advertised KOF 2000, found itself massively outgunned in terms of
and signed off at the back with a ‘thank you’ to all hardware capabilities both in the surviving arcades
the loyal fans who had bought the mag over its and in the home, with consoles like the Nintendo
five-and-a-half-year lifespan. GameCube, Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation
2, as well as new arcade platforms like the Sammy
The poster included in that final issue showed a Atomiswave, cementing 3D in gamers’ minds as
character who had risen to new levels of popularity the future of video games.
due to his inclusion in the KOF series, Fatal Fury’s
hero Terry Bogard. Terry is shown, bag packed Eikichi Kawasaki and the newly formed SNK
and slung over his shoulder, about to set off Playmore company, which had successfully
toward the horizon on a new adventure. The look managed to regain control of SNK’s intellectual
communicated it all – it instantly evoked those property rights, had seen the way the wind was
wondrous adventures that SNK had delivered blowing and, after taking the reins back from
over the past decade in the arcades and at home Eolith, set out to produce the next KOF game
for gamers, but none more so than in its versus for Sammy’s Atomiswave hardware, as well as for
fighters, of which KOF had truly been king. PlayStation 2 and Xbox.
58
© SEGA. All rights reserved. SEGA is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The first chapter of the NESTS Chronicles arc, KOF ’99 saw the introduction of new main antagonist, K', appearing
here in the background of this advertisement for the enhanced SEGA Dreamcast version, subtitled Evolution.
59
Long-time rivals, Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami clash in this intro animation for KOF 2002. Shortly afterwards,
an explosion of flames fills the screen to reveal the game’s logo in typically dramatic KOF fashion.
KOF 2003 was the final KOF to be released on the NEOGEO hardware – an amazing achievement for a console
that had been on the market for 13 years. After this, the series started to move away from traditional pixel art.
60
For NEOGEO MVS and AES fans, there was one The move to the Atomiswave hardware platform
more twist in the tale before the curtains closed removed many of the limitations of the NEOGEO
on the veteran platform. Because, come the hardware, both in terms of visuals and, as long-
release of the game, KOF 2003 wasn’t released term SNK sound designer and composer Hideki
on Atomiswave but on NEOGEO MVS and AES Asanaka confirms, audio.
hardware, constituting the series’ last hurrah on
the ageing platform. “Working on the NEOGEO platform I definitely felt
constraints,” Asanaka states. “There were seven
KOF 2003 was the tenth game in the KOF total sound bars, three were used for sound
series and, aside from introducing new anti-hero effects and the remaining four were used for BGM.
protagonist Ash Crimson and kickstarting the There was also an FM ‘ongen’ sound bar that
new Ash Saga, it also continued to evolve the used SNK’s synth for music. That was the Yamaha
series’ gameplay mechanics. A new Tag Shift YM2610 sound chip and it never changed. But
system was introduced, allowing players to swap we then moved on to the Atomiswave so we were
between team members on the fly, as well as a able to stream in audio.”
new Leader system whereby one team member
“THE ARCADES AND THE

was nominated the leader and granted access to
a special Leader Desperation Move and an extra
special attack.
Visually, KOF 2003 was absolutely stunning.

It was a shining example of the power of 2D pixel GLORIOUS 2D PIXEL ART
art and, along with some incredible illustrations
from legendary SNK artist Tatsuhiko Kanaoka,
THAT HAD POWERED
THEM FOR DECADES
better known as Falcoon, it showed the gaming
industry what it was rapidly leaving behind. KOF
2003 had fought valiantly and the result, even
WERE DYING”
after a decade of the KOF tournament, had been
spectacular.
By this point there had been a new KOF game

every year for a decade and, despite the old As Asanaka admits, while this was a liberating
magic that made the series a phenomenon move for KOF, for him and his sound team fellows
throughout the ’90s remaining evident, times it wasn’t quite as big a leap from a workflow point
had changed and so had the industry. Within of view as you might have thought.
a year of KOF 2003 hitting arcades and home
consoles, the final ever official game came out for “Before we stopped making games for the
the NEOGEO MVS and AES systems, Samurai NEOGEO, we’d had the NEOGEO CD and we were
Shodown V Special, and after this release the rewriting the songs with all instrumentals without
platform was retired. the limitations of the original NEOGEO. So when
we did transition, it wasn’t like a sudden change.
This also coincided with the end of the annual I’d already worked with unlimited audio capacity.”
festival that was KOF, with SNK confirming that
there would be no KOF 2004. There would be no But the move to unlimited capacity in terms
combatant crowned The King of Fighters, and for of sound effects and music did still generate
fighting fans the world over, there was suddenly challenges, as Asanaka explains:
a real chance that Kyo, Iori and company could
have squared off against each other for the very “In the beginning, game consoles controlled the
last time. It looked as if, for KOF, the fight was sound of the music that was created. Whatever
finally over. sound hardware the console had, that was the
sound that players listened to. Once CDs became
available, there were no limitations in terms of the
ROUND 3 sound that could be created within a game. You
had musicians who had no experience or relation
Return of the king to games starting to make music for them. Music
composing for games was no longer a specialised
Despite there not being a KOF game in 2004, skill because everybody could come in and make
the KOF tournament did return, with Eikichi it, so the challenge became ‘how do I continue to
Kawasaki’s SNK Playmore company releasing make game music so it sounds like game music,
KOF XI in 2005 to the delight of KOF fans the and not like something that any artist could come
world over. in and make?’”
Unlike KOF 2003, this title did find a release on Away from audio, KOF XI retained and tweaked
the Atomiswave arcade platform and was also many of the gameplay mechanics from KOF 2003,
ported to the Sony PlayStation 2 home console. and was notable for introducing a Dream Cancel
The game continued the tale of Ash Crimson and mechanic, which allows players to effectively
the group of antagonists named Those From The Super Cancel a team’s Leader Desperation Move
Past that had begun in the previous KOF title. into an even more powerful attack.
61
Other highlights, aside from it marking the start cycle, did not go on to close the Tales of Ash
of the current trend of using Roman numerals saga. That’s because KOF XII was the third of the
in KOF game titles, included the introduction of series’ dream match titles, coming with no story
some very cool new characters like sub-boss other than that it was a grand royal rumble.
Shion, as well as some traditional KOF character
recruits from other games, such as Garou: Mark The game was notable for more than just this,
of the Wolves’ B. Jenet. though, as it made a number of changes. The
foremost of these was that it was created with
The link to Mark of the Wolves is interesting as, completely new character sprites, which were
at this point, KOF was being driven forward by an created at twice the resolution of the older
entirely new generation of game makers, including sprites. It also was the first KOF game to feature
now-veteran SNK game designer Eisuke Ogura, a scaling camera, which meant that at its closest-
who had cut his teeth on Mark of the Wolves in position, the characters looked more like they
before being transferred over to the KOF team. did in an Art Of Fighting game than a KOF one.
The smoothness and quality of the 2D animation
“THE SOUL OF KOF IS A on KOF XII was marked, even if it did stand out
compared to its contemporary releases, which,
FESTIVAL FILLED WITH

when it hit the market in 2009, included a bevy
of 3D fighters such as Street Fighter IV, Tekken
6 and Soulcalibur IV. Visually, KOF XII was still
ENERGY AND LIFE”

very much a blast from the past.
In terms of gameplay, KOF XII removed the

Tactical Shift system introduced by KOF 2003
Ogura explains the sort of expectation and and instead introduced a Critical Counter system,
pressure brought by working on such a long- which manifested itself as a bar beneath the
running and celebrated series as KOF: player’s vitality which, once filled, allowed the
character to enter a Critical Counter mode. Once
“There was tremendous pressure moving on to in this mode a player has a short period of time in
KOF. But there were people between Shinkiro-san which they can chain multiple attacks together to
and myself who took the baton. SNK teams would deliver huge damage. This system worked similarly
spend a few months working on the planning to the Revenge meter found in Street Fighter IV.
document, and then dig into development, release
it, take a month’s break, and then continue to There was also a Deadlock system introduced,
work on that kind of cycle. which saw both players repelled if they struck each
other at the same time, as well as a Guard Attack
“In terms of art direction it was a case-by-case basis, that allowed players to intercept an opponent’s
but I usually did a rough draft of a number of pieces attack without taking any damage.
and then presented them and then got direction.
For KOF they usually asked that I incorporate The Tales of Ash saga was brought to a close
multiple popular characters into the key art.” in KOF XIII which, after having a preview in
Akihabara, Tokyo, in March 2010 and hitting
And, in terms of the process for designing new the arcades a few months later, was ported over
characters like Shion, Ogura supplies even more to and released on the Sony PlayStation 3 and
detail, noting that on KOF, “The designer or game Microsoft Xbox 360 in 2011.
planner gave us the specific vision of what kind
of characters they wanted. The artist then drew a Retaining the previous game’s upgraded 2D
rough draft, proposed ideas, and the director and graphics, this KOF game proceeded to remove
planner chose and gave feedback, and then the the Critical Counter, Guard Attack, Deadlock
artist finalised.” and scaling camera features of KOF XII, while
introducing new EX and Hyper Drive modes.
As to how Ogura saw his and the wider team’s
development of KOF post-2003, and specifically KOF XIII’s EX mode allowed characters’ super-
how they evolved the look and feel of each game, moves to be transformed into even more powerful
again the reverence and respect the series has versions, while Hyper Drive mode allowed the
generated since its conception is clear to see. player to perform infinite Drive Cancels and Super
Cancels when active.
“Because we worked as a team, depending on
the staff that joined, they all contributed in some In terms of core gameplay, this was very much
ways to the change in design feel. We did shift another story-led KOF game, and, as such,
dramatically for KOF at XII with the visuals, and character teams returned to the fold. After
then again at XIV to 3D, but at each iteration the home console ports of KOF XIII ended up
there was a sense of trying to protect the feel featuring extra characters and balances that
and vision of KOF for continuity.” were not available in the original arcade version,
in 2012 an upgraded version of the game
And as Ogura says, KOF XI was then followed entitled KOF XIII: Climax was released which
by the game that, in a break from the usual KOF included them.
62
After moving away from the Atomiswave arcade system, KOF XII adopted the Taito Type X2,
designed for high-res 2D graphics. As in KOF ’98 and 2002, there’s no clear storyline.
KOF XIII saw the conclusion of the Tales of Ash story arc. This was the last KOF game to use
hand-drawn sprites, and the last KOF entry to be presented in 2D.
With SNK legend Yasuyuki Oda at the helm, KOF XIV transitioned to become fully 3D. Created
using an engine designed in-house, KOF XIV features an impressive 50 fighters.
63
The days of 2D KOF games were then brought seeing the future of versus fighters. And, crucially,
to a close, after an almost half-decade hiatus, in they were experiencing it together.
2016, with KOF XIV abandoning the 2D raster
imagery of KOF XIII in favour of full 3D rendering. The soul of KOF is a festival filled with energy
The title was directed by legendary fighting game and life, and that matched the collective neon
developer Yasuyuki Oda, who had started his rush that was visiting the arcades with friends
career back in 1993 at SNK, and had gone on to perfectly. And, despite the rise of some truly
be a planner on Garou: Mark of the Wolves and amazing online gaming communities and events
then, later, on Street Fighter IV. in the years since, such as the legendary
Evolution Championship Series, this intimate
And, unlike many of SNK’s past forays into the togetherness, this union of gaming soul with the
world of 3D graphics – such as the game now community and its environment, has arguably
considered non-canon to the KOF series, KOF: never quite been rekindled to the same level in
Maximum Impact – this game was well received the post-arcade age.
by critics, with its new Rush Combo system aimed
“I HOPE THEY CONTINUE

at fighting game beginners called out as making
the game very approachable.
TO MAKE KOF GAMES

Despite some technical hiccups post-release that
required patching, and comments by critics that
the graphics didn’t look as strong as in other
contemporary 3D fighters, KOF XIV went on to
be a success for SNK. And, as was so common all
those years before, it saw various tie-in related
products released, including a manga entitled The
UP TO 2094!”
Toyohisa Tanabe
King Of Fighters: A New Beginning.
KOF’s importance to the fighting game genre, as
Indeed, that is exactly what KOF XIV had been this history has shown, is obvious; the series both
– a new beginning for the KOF series. From now introduced and evolved numerous versus fighter
on, the KOF universe was going to be three- staples that are now taken for granted in new
dimensional. titles. It was, in many respects, ahead of its time,
and it’s clear to see how – despite a catalogue of
Passing the torch hardships, including the bankruptcy of its parent
company, the death of the arcades and fighting
Since the KOF series first debuted in the summer games falling out of fashion for over a decade –
of 1994, the video game industry has changed the series’ world has endured.
beyond recognition. Not only is it now an
established industry that turns over billions of The virtual world that KOF holistically created and
dollars a year, but the way in which gamers play then invited gamers into, with its games, manga,
games has shifted almost entirely. anime, music, radio shows, dramas, artwork,
magazines, strategy books, toys, apparel and
Back in the early ’90s, gaming at home was events, had a bigger cultural impact than anyone
definitely a thing, with some of video gaming’s could ever have expected.
most legendary consoles debuting in living rooms
around the world – but to play the most cutting Because, while there is the history of KOF
edge, visually impressive titles, gamers went to from a product release point of view, there are
the arcades. It was the arcades that heralded countless untold KOF histories that, arguably,
the future in video games back then, and it was are even more important, comprising the history
crowded around arcade cabinets with their bright, of its impact on everyday people and just how
flickering marquees that minds were blown and important it was to them and their lives.
friendships were made.
This is the history of the gamers who were so
The social, event-like aspect of gaming in the arcades impacted by Kyo Kusanagi that they wrote to his
is something that the KOF series understood and voice actor to express their devotion, the gamers
it was developed with that in mind. There was a who turned up en masse to watch the role of Yuki
reason that the KOF ’94 director was brought to get cast, the gamers who voted in their thousands
tears after seeing the impact of KOF ’94’s location to determine which characters would appear in
test, with the game shown off for the first time to KOF’s Special team, the gamers who attended
the public in an arcade in Esaka, just around the annual The Band of Fighters events at NEOGEO
corner from where it had been developed. World or who turned up at the Shinjuku Theatre
Moliere in Tokyo on 24 July 1999 and then at the
The game was in its element, in its home, and Isshinji Theatre in Osaka the next day to watch
it was surrounded by amazed gamers who were ‘Yagami Iori – LIVE – ALONE’, a show all about
being blown away by what they were seeing. From KOF’s famous anti-hero.
the 3-on-3 team-based combat gameplay, to the
unique new visual style and on to the game’s It is the history of gamers who were so inspired
unconventional, handsome and grounded-in- by their virtual heroes that they had character
the-everyday hero, Kyo Kusanagi, gamers were illustrations by Shinkiro and Falcoon plastered on
64
their bedroom walls, the history of gamers who While Toyohisa Tanabe, who worked on KOF the
regularly tuned in to listen to radio shows hosted longest, sums it all up just perfectly:
by their favourite KOF voice actors, and the KOF
history that inspired new generations to get into “I think it’s something to be proud and happy
the video game industry as well as many other about that other people wanted to continue the
creative businesses. KOF series. At that point you pass the torch to
others to stay true to the game. I hope they
That’s why KOF has seeped into gamer culture continue to make KOF games up to 2094!”
and why, even to gamers who have never played
a KOF game or who weren’t even alive when Kyo The future of KOF
and Iori first squared up to each other all those
years ago, KOF has meaning and its pantheon of With the upcoming release of KOF XV, which will
heroes still shine so brightly. For a decade, KOF be the fifteenth instalment of the series, that
was a cultural phenomenon and its legacy remains torch has once more been passed on to a new
today, both in its more modern titles and across generation of game makers and game players.
the entire video game industry.
KOF XV is due for release in 2022, and long-
And while it may not have been immediately term fans of the series will be pleased to hear
evident to the men who first created KOF all that both Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami are
those years ago, the importance and power of the once more returning to test each other’s mettle,
series is something that they all now understand along with a characteristically vast roster of other
and have experienced. combatants. Advertised with the tagline, ‘Shatter
All Expectations’, KOF XV looks set to drive the
“Even nowadays, when we go out drinking,” says epic fighting game series forward once more.
Masanori Kuwasashi, “and I go, ‘Hey I worked on
KOF,’ people will say, ‘I PLAYED THAT GAME SO And while the majority of gamers won’t experience
MUCH,’ and I feel a lot of pride for having worked KOF XV in the arcades like they did with KOF ’94,
on it and thankful for the opportunity. the series’ festival feeling and ability to bring
gamers together look very firmly still intact. For
“To the people at SNK still working on the series, gamers the world over, the future of KOF is now.
I’m thankful for them and wish them luck. I trust
they will continue to make the games. To our fans,
I’m grateful to them for having played the game
and for giving it this kind of recognition in the
present day.”
“KOF SPECIFICALLY
IS THE GAME THAT
I’M MOST PROUD OF
WORKING ON”
Shinichi Shimizu
Shinichi Shimizu admits that, “I feel gratitude for

people still playing it, and picking up this book
to read about KOF. KOF specifically is the game
that I’m most proud of working on, so that makes
me even more happy that people feel an affinity
towards the game. I’m thankful for that.”
As for the KOF ’94 director, the man who

spearheaded that first, pioneering KOF game, he
recognises just what power the series has had,
both for gamers and in his own career.
“Thanks to the fans and players who have played

the game and continue to support the game even
after all these years. It has allowed me to come
to where I am in my career now, so it is with
gratitude and thanks to players who support the
game.”
65
KOF changed the game with its original
and unique art style when it burst onto
the scene back in 1994, and over the next
couple of decades it elevated 2D game pixel
art to an entirely new level. To watch a KOF
game in action is to watch a moving pixel art
masterpiece, and in this chapter we explore
the visual legacy the series has delivered,
from its stunning stage backgrounds,
through action-packed cutscenes, to its
detailed character sprite sheets.
66
67
KOF ’94 70
KOF ’95 88
KOF ’96 104
KOF ’97 THE120
KOF ’98 SLUGFEST 134
KOF R-1 152
KOF ’99 158
KOF R-2 172
KOF 2000 176
KOF 2001 194
68
KOF 2002 206
KOF 2003RE 220
KOF ’94 BOUT 234
KOF XI 240
KOF ’98 MATCH 252
ULTIMATE
KOF XII 258UNLIMITED

KOF 2002 MATCH 264
KOF XIII 268
KOF XIV 274
KOF XV 280
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KOF ’94
Kyo Kusanagi and
Heidern prepare for
battle. Both have a
personal score to
settle with the game’s
final boss, but for
now they’re going to
fight it out in the Ikari
Warriors team stage.
70
KOF ’94
71
KOF ’94
Looking noticeably less stocky than in Art Of Fighting, Robert Garcia performs his Gen-ei Kyaku move while fighting
Mai Shiranui. Legend has it that Robert is based on a certain ponytailed Hollywood actor.
Making the transition from SNK arcade classic Ikari Warriors, Clark Still is highly trained in military combat.
He shares moves with his comrade Ralf in KOF ’94, but will evolve into one of SNK’s most beloved grapplers.
72
KOF ’94
A battle takes place in the Pao Pao Cafe – a recurring location from the Fatal Fury series. Several characters from
Art Of Fighting and Fatal Fury appear in the background, emphasising the rivalry between their games’ characters.
Terry Bogard’s brother, Andy, fights in beautiful Venetian-style surroundings, the home of the Fatal Fury team.
Here Andy catches Benimaru with his Flying Fist projectile attack as Terry and Joe cheer from the sidelines.
73
KOF ’94
Fatal Fury favourite, kickboxer Joe Higashi, performs his iconic Hurricane Upper, which Athena Asamiya avoids with
KOF ’94’s new dodge technique: pressing A and B at the same time allows the player to sidestep their opponent’s attack.
First appearing in the guise of Mr. Karate at the end of Art Of Fighting, Takuma Sakazaki is a master of
Kyokugenryu, a style that emphasises practical hard-hitting strikes.
74
KOF ’94
KOF poster boy Kyo Kusanagi takes on the massive Chang Koehan in the ominous Korea team stage. But despite
Kyo’s smaller frame, his character is built to be aggressive, with moves such as his 108 Shiki•Yamibarai.
The first boss of the KOF series, Rugal Bernstein, is notoriously difficult to beat. Don’t let the fancy suit fool you;
after losing a round the jacket comes off and he starts using various special moves to devastating effect.
75
KOF ’94
Once Rugal chooses to fight at his
full strength, he gains several new
moves (two of which are taken from
Fatal Fury bosses Geese Howard
and Wolfgang Krauser). Among them
is the infamous Genocide Cutter, a
rising kick attack that can take a huge
chunk of an opponent’s health away
in a single hit! The blood-red decor of
Rugal’s stage background gives us a
hint about the source of his powers.
76
KOF ’94
77
KOF ’94
A successful fight sees your team take
a celebratory win pose. These poses are
accompanied with a message from the
winning teammate. Every character has
a unique message for each team!
78
KOF ’94
79
KOF ’94
The intro sequence for

KOF ’94 features Kyo
receiving an invite for the
now 3-vs.-3 KING OF
FIGHTERS tournament.
There’s no mistaking who
the invite is from thanks
to the ‘R’ embossed on
the invitation’s blood-red
wax seal.
80
KOF ’94
81
KOF ’94
In this intimidating cutscene, featuring

final boss Rugal Bernstein, and his pet
panther, Rodem, we learn that Rugal
doesn’t just defeat his opponents, he kills
them and has statues made of them!
82
KOF ’94
83
KOF ’94
Kyo Kusanagi possesses magic powers
that let him manipulate flames. Moves
like his 100 Shiki: Oniyaki are superficially
similar to the rising uppercut special moves
of many other fighting game characters.
But Kyo’s move – being built around the
flames actually damaging his opponent –
sets him apart from the rest.
84
KOF ’94
Ryo Sakazaki is the main protagonist
from the Art Of Fighting series and in
an early example of SNK using IP from
their other games, also appears as a
hidden boss in Fatal Fury Special. The
rivalry between his and Terry Bogard’s
teams is a big part of the game’s intro.
85
KOF ’94
Locations in KOF ’94 were brought vividly to life with detailed animated backgrounds,
often populated by SNK’s other characters. Each stage is home to a team – the two
examples below belonging to the Fatal Fury (top) and Women Fighters teams (below).
86
KOF ’94
87
KOF ’95
Against this detailed industrial
backdrop, KOF ’95 introduced
us to one of the best fighting
game characters ever, Iori
Yagami. A lot of work went
into making Iori a character
who isn’t a villain, but still
comes off as merciless and
cruel to anyone who wants to
fight him. Robert has no idea
what’s in store for him here …
88
KOF ’95
89
KOF ’95
Robert Garcia and Yuri Sakazaki do battle in the Women Fighters team stage as King’s waitresses, Sally and Elizabeth,
serve customers – including some folks from Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal music video in the background!
Robert and Ryo look on in despair as Takuma is attacked by Choi Bounge. What Choi lacks in height, he makes up
for with agile, bloody attacks courtesy of his high speed and various claw attacks.
90
KOF ’95
The Art Of Fighting team stage starts on a moving elevator, giving aggressive players an easy chance to draw first
blood. Once it reaches its destination, the battle carries on across the top floor of their Kyokugenryu Dojo.
Kyo catches Joe Higashi with his 100 Shiki: Oniyaki fire technique. At the start of the Fatal Fury team stage, the
fighters stand on the pier in the background before jumping into the foreground to start the bout proper.
91
KOF ’95
With the NYC-style skyline in the background, this industrial stage is home to the Rivals team. In this fight, series
protagonists Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami slug it out, semi-obscured by the low-lying smog of the machinery.
Standing tall and crossing his arms, Heidern fires his boomerang Cross Cutter attack. As in KOF ’94, the Ikari Warriors
background features a crashed helicopter – you’d think one of the team would have brushed up on their piloting skills!
92
KOF ’95
Ever since that SNK ambulance pulled up in Street Smart, SNK has put fun bits of self-promotion in their fighting
game backgrounds, but the Japan team fight in front of NEOGEO Land in Osaka is a confident new extreme.
Omega Rugal! Rugal Bernstein is back with cybernetic augmentations, more powerful moves, a bloodier win pose, and
his loyal panther Rodem. Impressively, he’s managed to rebuild his Black Noah aircraft carrier in less than a year!
93
KOF ’95
The Kim team fights in front

of a chaotic, stormy hillside to a
sinister music track. It’s a sharp
contrast to team leader Kim
Kaphwan’s disciplined boy scout
personality and hard rocking
themes from his appearances
in Fatal Fury, but it goes well
with his two ex-con students,
Chang Koehan, and Choi
Bounge, featured below.
94
KOF ’95
95
KOF ’95
96
KOF ’95
Kyo shares introduction screen space with

the character who breaks every fighting
game archetype mould, Iori Yagami. He’s
been a mainstay of the franchise and one of
its most popular characters since his debut.
97
KOF ’95
98
KOF ’95
Originally thought to be dead in KOF ’94, Kyo Kusanagi’s father, Saisyu,
debuted as a mid-boss in KOF ’95. He’s been brainwashed by Rugal
Bernstein and has turned on his son. Once defeated, Saisyu won’t be
seen again until his appearance as a regularly playable fighter in KOF ’98.
99
KOF ’95
Making his debut in KOF ’95, Fatal
Fury fighter Billy Kane is armed
with his red Three Section Staff.
In addition to the extra range this
weapon gives his attacks, Billy
can set his staff on fire to create
a powerful ring of flame that can
be thrown towards opponents.
100
KOF ’95
The newest original character to
debut in KOF, Iori Yagami shares
a few special moves and a stylish,
slender appearance with his rival
Kyo Kusanagi. But it’s Iori’s unique
moves, voice acting, and subtly
animalistic animations which give him
a sadistic feel that sets him apart.
101
KOF ’95
These hand-pixelled stage backgrounds from KOF ’95 show great use of colour
and sense of depth. The Japan team stage (bottom) is set just outside of SNK’s
very own NEOGEO Land, while the iconic skyline and industrial setting place the
Rivals team stage (top) in the USA.
102
KOF ’95
103
KOF ’96
KOF ’96 introduced us to several
new fighters, like Leona Heidern,
who takes the place of her adoptive
father in the Ikari Warriors team.
Alongside these fresh faces came a
revamp of the gameplay and major
changes to several of the series’
returning fighters.
104
KOF ’96
105
KOF ’96
In KOF ’96, several of the characters with projectile special moves had their range drastically reduced.
King, however, retains her Venom Strike, letting her keep the pressure on at any distance.
This was the first game in the series to have a combo counter (called a Rush in-game). Here we see Terry Bogard
finish a combo with a Power Dunk on Choi Bounge of the now more heroically presented Korean team.
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KOF ’96
The legendary Fatal Fury boss, Geese Howard, makes his KOF debut as the head of the Boss team. Here we see
him delivering some damage to another newcomer to the series, Kasumi Todoh from Art Of Fighting 3.
A noticeably less buff Wolfgang Krauser from Fatal Fury 2 and Fatal Fury Special joins Geese Howard and Mr. Big
to form the KOF ’96 Boss team. It would be some time before we’d see Krauser in a KOF game again.
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KOF ’96
Kyo prepares to unleash his Super Desperation Move, the Ura 108 Shiki Orochi Nagi. Detailed animations like this
really show off KOF ’96’s new art style for the game’s special move effects.
KOF ’96 featured the first appearance of Chizuru Kagura, a powerful fighter and businesswoman. As one of the
game’s bosses, she fights with a hard-to-read style built around creating openings with distracting illusions.
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KOF ’96
Newcomer Vice shreds Ralf as her teammate, Mature, looks on from the background. Rugal’s assistants from
KOF ’94 and ’95 turn out to be aggressive fighters in their own right with quick, brutal attacks.
The Orochi story arc really started to build up steam with this game and especially its final boss, the wind-manipulating
Goenitz. He’s not as difficult to defeat as Omega Rugal, but his tornado attacks make him frustrating in his own way.
109
KOF ’96
Here we see Robert Garcia
with a new sprite to reflect
his updated look from Art
Of Fighting 3. The Hero
team background is now
a view from part of the
Esaka Station overpass
in Osaka instead of being
down at street level.
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KOF ’96
111
KOF ’96
112
KOF ’96
KOF ’96’s new art style
really pops. SNK’s artists
weren’t fazed by the NEOGEO
hardware’s colour palette
limitations and were still able
to create great in-game art
that stayed consistently good
even in these close-ups.
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KOF ’96
The best word to describe the presentation in KOF ’96
is confident. This is a game that lets you know, right from
the intro, while introducing new fighters, that it’s going
to look great, sound great, and be fun to play.
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KOF ’96
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KOF ’96
The Fatal Fury team’s background (top) has a small audience
that includes Blue Mary and Sokaku Mochizuki from Fatal Fury 3,
among others. A real technical standout is getting the shininess
of the Kagura Stadium platform (bottom) across in pixel form.
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KOF ’96
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KOF ’96
Geese Howard made his KOF
debut looking a bit more like his
original Fatal Fury design instead
of the scarred, topless version
that appears in Fatal Fury Special
and Fatal Fury 3.
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KOF ’96
Joe Higashi has one of the
most improved sprites from
’95 to ’96. Not only did he
have a new stance but the look
and effects of almost all of his
moves have been revamped.
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KOF ’97
120
KOF ’97
Robert Garcia squares off against

the popular Shermie, who made
her first appearance in KOF ’97.
This lively Monaco stage returned
in remade form to the series
years later, in KOF XIV.
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KOF ’97
Shermie’s two teammates, Chris and Yashiro Nanakase, battle it out in the tropical Bali stage. This team’s carefree
demeanour conceals the major role they play in the game’s climax.
Shermie is extremely fun to play as a grappler. Here we see her suplexing Ryo Sakazaki. This Japan background is
a great example of SNK making judicious use of pre-rendered elements to frame and add depth to the action.
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KOF ’97
Sie Kensou delivers a flying kick against the USA background. The ubiquitous cameramen in KOF ’97 ’s backgrounds
and the consistent festival atmosphere emphasise what a huge deal the KING OF FIGHTERS tournament is this year.
Mai Shiranui and Athena Asamiya fight in Kowloon. Athena gained a new look and stance in KOF ’96, and this trend
of her character receiving fresh updates has been continued in every KOF game since.
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KOF ’97
After missing out on the action in KOF ’96, Billy Kane returned with a new sprite based on his look in the Real Bout Fatal
Fury games. This updated look, along with new moves, gives him a more versatile feel than in his KOF ’95 appearance.
Here we see Billy’s teammate, Ryuji Yamazaki. As you may have guessed from the group’s name and theme songs,
all three fighters on the KOF ’97 Special team were inspired by their appearances in the Fatal Fury series.
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KOF ’97
KOF ’97 ’s title screen states, “The story moves towards its violent destiny.” Players confront Orochi Iori (or Orochi
Leona depending how they play), and each background in the game has a blood-red version for this unexpected battle.
KOF bosses usually have some frustrating tricks, but Orochi takes things to a new level with a move that hits the
entire screen at once! While not as difficult as previous bosses, his special moves make a dramatic impact.
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KOF ’97
King and Chizuru prepare

to fight on a tropical island
stage, as a Barong Ket
dancer watches from the
sidelines. This stage has the
strongest ambience in the
game, with fantastic use of
colour to set this moody,
tropical sunset scene.
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KOF ’97
127
KOF ’97
Almost every fight in KOF ’97 takes place in an arena set aside
just for the match. But the celebratory festival atmosphere is
just window dressing over the high-stakes direction the story
takes after players confront Orochi Iori or Leona.
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KOF ’97
129
KOF ’97
Each team’s ending is presented via several colourful
hand-pixelled sequences. These are a bit longer than
the ones in previous KOF games, and do a good job of
showing how the characters have developed over the
years. There are even a few special endings which appear
when certain combinations of characters are picked!
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KOF ’97
131
KOF ’97
Orochi may not make for quite as difficult an
opponent as Omega Rugal overall, but he
has his own take on the Genocide Cutter.
His Utsushi Iwai move seen on row four is
a counter-move that appears when Orochi
successfully intercepts an incoming attack.
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KOF ’97
Yashiro Nanakase’s size makes
him seem like he’ll be an imposing
grappler at first glance, but he’s
much more agile than expected
and his variety of ways to get in
and around an opponent makes
him great fun to learn.
133
KOF ’98 THE SLUGFEST
With the Orochi story arc wrapped

up, SNK gave us a non-canon
tournament in KOF ’98. This meant
we finally got to see Heavy D!
back in action. The China stage
takes place on a boat cruising
through a gorge, and has a few
variations from round to round.
134
135
They may not be popular enough to appear in every game, but each American Sports team member was given new
sprites with more fluid animations. In Lucky Glauber’s case, he also gained new moves, like his Death Heel kick attack.
Making his first appearance since KOF ’94, American football player Brian Battler gained a few new moves,
including the Brian Tornado and Brian Hammer, the latter of which has many follow-up moves.
136
The Sakazaki family duke it out under the Esaka Station overpass. Yuri’s red outfit here is one of several colour
options available in KOF ’98. Each character has four to choose from instead of just two as in previous games.
Yuri Sakazaki knocks Ralf Jones out of the air with a well-timed Koohu Ken move. This variation of the China stage
appears in the third and final rounds of the match.
137
Joe Higashi prepares to unleash his iconic Screw Upper. Players can press the A+B+C buttons to use up some
stored super-move stock in exchange for doing more damage, signalled by the orange sparks shown around Joe.
Terry Bogard performs his Burning Knuckle technique on an unsuspecting Goro Daimon. This background is a
great pixel depiction of a Spanish-style palace, with beautiful lighting and depth thanks to the various columns.
138
Vice and Mature made their return with new sprites, and were once again teamed up with Iori Yagami in a
sub-boss team. KOF ’98’s backgrounds generally have fewer spectators than the ones featured in KOF ’97.
The boss everyone loves to hate is back, and he can now charge up his Kaiser Wave projectile to make it even
more powerful! This new take on Rugal mixes elements of his first two appearances to make for an intense fight.
139
Andy Bogard effortlessly
smashes Takuma Sakazaki’s
face in with a standing heavy
kick, undeniably confirming
his martial superiority over
Takuma’s Kyokugenryu-style
karate. The two Japan stages
in KOF ’98 couldn’t be more
different, with this one being
run-down and completely
abandoned, unlike the bustling
crowd and heavy traffic near
Esaka Station.
140
141
Iori Yagami shatters all

expectations by once again
being a major part of a KOF
intro. This shattering motif
would be employed years
later as part of the most
powerful super-moves in KOF
2002 Unlimited Match, and
‘Shatter all expectations’ has
also been a key phrase in
preview material for KOF XV.
142
143
144
Kyo Kusanagi’s portion of the game’s
intro has him at his calmest and most
in-control yet – fitting for a game like
KOF ’98 with its dream match status
that sets the stakes lower than
anything going on in KOF ’97.
145
Unlike the stockier art
style in KOF ’95 and
KOF ’97, the win portraits
in KOF ’98 lean a little
closer to the proportions
we see in KOF ’96.
146
147
The Esaka stage (top) makes great use of perspective and the NEOGEO’s sprite scaling to
place car traffic dangerously close to the fight. In the far background, you can just about
see tiny depictions of Ralf and Clark doing their intro animation in front of NEOGEO World.
148
149
Kyo isn’t the only character who
can wield flames; Mai Shiranui has
regularly learned more fire-based
techniques throughout her career,
like the Hisho RyuenJin shown
below on row five.
150
While Ralf Jones’ heavy punch
isn’t the dominating force it
can be in KOF ’97, the utility
of his Ralf Kick and the versatility
of his other moves still make
him really fun to use.
151
KOF R-1
During KOF’s transition to the
monochrome NEOGEO Pocket, graphical
sacrifices obviously had to be made.
But these win portraits show that the
fighters lost none of their charm.
152
KOF R-1
153
KOF R-1
Among the first games released for SNK’s NEOGEO Pocket in 1998 was KOF R-1, a portable version of KOF ’97.
The NGP’s small stick controller made the game easy to master, and unlike previous portable versions, the game
featured a great variety of its source material’s music and backgrounds.
154
KOF R-1
KOF R-1’s developers made great use of the cartoony art style to get across the personality and feel of each
combatant’s moves, nailing both the look of the characters’ attacks while also making them easy to read on the
small screen. You can almost hear the screams in the above screenshot even if the actual game has no voiceovers!
155
KOF R-1
The animation frames are consistently
effective at capturing the moment of
impact for each attack. Kyo Kusanagi,
as an example, lost none of his
aggression going from the NEOGEO
to the Pocket.
156
KOF R-1
Similarly, Orochi’s smugness
and the power of his moves
aren’t up for debate, especially
when performing his Seiyaku
Ukei kick, as seen on the third
row of this sprite sheet.
157
KOF ’99
158
KOF ’99
New series protagonist K' has little
difficulty defeating Takuma Sakazaki.
While the roster of 30 fighters was
smaller than in the last game, KOF ’99’s
creators significantly changed the feel of
the series with several control alterations,
a more detailed, darker aesthetic, and an
excellent selection of new fighters.
159
KOF ’99
Ralf calls upon Whip to assist him against the imposing cyborg, Maxima. The biggest change in this game was the addition
of four-player teams. The last character selected is called out to assist in the fight by pressing the B and C buttons.
Robert Garcia trips up Chin Gentsai in the Museum stage. Both fighters were among several to get significant updates
to their outfits in KOF ’99. Robert’s new outfit incorporates elements from his original look in Art Of Fighting.
160
KOF ’99
Li Xiangfei arrives from Real Bout Fatal Fury 2. Her moveset includes several fluidly animated attacks with a lot of
forward momentum. This translated effectively to the KOF series, making her a fun addition to the roster.
Terry was among the returning characters with some updated special move animations in KOF ’99. Fighters can now
perform a sliding dodge action, and also automatically hop forward after dodging away from an opponent.
161
KOF ’99
Wayward clone Kyo-2 catches Jhun with his Oniyaki technique. Kyo-2’s moves were based on how the real Kyo played
in KOF ’96 and ’97, while the less-confident Kyo-1’s moves are based on how the character worked in KOF ’94 and ’95.
Kasumi Todoh makes her triumphant return to KOF after her absence from ’97 and ’98. The sprite may be the same,
but she’s acquired a ponytail and new moves. Her mix of defensive play and counter-attacks gives her a unique feel.
162
KOF ’99
KOF ’99’s boss, Krizalid, starts the final match with a coat and limited moveset similar to Rugal’s in KOF ’94.
We can see Whip being caught off guard by his unique energy projectile move as she calls in Leona for assistance.
Once the coat comes off, Krizalid gains access to the powerful moves we’ve come to expect from a KOF boss.
The background itself lights up to reveal a complex mechanical area and pulsing red energy on the ground and walls.
163
KOF ’99
164
KOF ’99
Cool newcomer Jhun

Hoon and Takuma
Sakazaki prepare to
fight in this stormy
courtyard. What KOF
’99 lacks in background
quantity, it more
than makes up for in
background quality.
This particular stage
is a standout, with
the weather changing
from round to round.
165
KOF ’99
Those Kyo clones weren’t just a way to fill out the roster and
satisfy both kinds of Kyo players: attempts to clone Kyo and
replicate his powers are a huge part of KOF ’99’s new story.
166
KOF ’99
167
KOF ’99
A new member of the Ikari team, Whip’s
design and array of deadly weapons made for
a strong debut appearance. Her whip’s range
and some of her moves – like the Boomerang
Shot Code SC and Hook Shot Code Kaze –
make her very dangerous at long range.
168
KOF ’99
K' was abducted by the NESTS cartel and infused
with Kyo’s blood in an attempt to replicate the
latter’s magical fire abilities. Instead of the typical
hothead one would expect for this type of character,
K' exudes an angry energy that’s at a constant
slow burn, only occasionally boiling over.
169
KOF ’99
The pixel art for KOF ’99’s backgrounds is outstanding. An airport apron (top)
isn’t interesting to look at in theory, but the sunset throwing colour across the
entire stage, and the way the airplane cuts it off, make this one of many examples
of SNK’s incredible achievements showing naturalistic lighting in pixel form.
170
KOF ’99
171
KOF R-2
Arriving in 1999, KOF R-2 moved to in full colour,
designed for the NEOGEO Pocket Color handheld.
This intro sequence showcases various fighters, drawn
in the now familiar super-deformed, or chibi style.
172
KOF R-2
173
KOF R-2
Like KOF R-1, R-2 does an outstanding
job of interpreting KOF for the small
screen, but this time in full colour! Even
with the smaller number of colours to
work with, compared to that of more
powerful home consoles, Mai’s moves
are easily readable.
174
KOF R-2
For fighters like Ryo, you
can see the extra effort R-2’s
developers made to replicate the
look and feel of the character’s
signature energy projectiles.
It’s an amazing achievement
given such graphical limitations.
175
KOF 2000
176
KOF 2000
KOF 2000 added a few

characters to the roster who
would become fan favourites,
like Ramon, who we see here
following up his Feint Step with
a drop kick to the face of Andy
Bogard. Several of this heroic
wrestler’s moves were inspired
by those of real life wrestlers.
177
KOF 2000
Ryo Sakazaki catches Whip with his Koho uppercut in KOF 2000’s Korea stage. This is another background that
shows the mastery of SNK’s pixel artists at depicting naturalistic lighting.
Newcomer Hinako Shijou easily corners Maxima. Hinako’s sumo wrestling-inspired moves combined with good
Striker assist usage make her a surprisingly dangerous opponent in KOF 2000.
178
KOF 2000
Andy Bogard attempts to hit Athena Asamiya with his Zan Ei Ken elbow attack in the Egypt stage. Even with all
of the additional content created for KOF 2000, the developers still managed to change Athena’s outfit each year.
Secret agent Vanessa gets some help from Sgt. Rocky (Robo Army, 1991). Vanessa’s boxing moves and speed
make her one of the most fun additions to the KOF 2000 roster.
179
KOF 2000
First introduced in KOF ’99, a fourth teammate can be summoned to briefly assist fighters during a match. Here we
see Athena with armour and weaponry based on items she could find in her original appearance in Athena from 1986.
For KOF ’99, Robert Garcia received a complete makeover of his special moves and their controls. It doesn’t make much
difference against Clark in KOF 2000, who can be a formidable enemy both as an opponent and as a Striker.
180
KOF 2000
Among KOF 2000’s newcomers is the mysterious poison-themed assassin, Lin, seen here using his Kasumi poison
breath attack on Jhun Hoon. Lin is the first of the Hizoku assassin group to appear in the series.
K' battles it out with KOF 2000’s final boss, Zero. At this point he seems to be the mastermind behind NESTS,
the organisation responsible for all of the clones that have popped up in this game and KOF ’99.
181
KOF 2000
The Factory stage’s surroundings

may not be inherently exciting,
but the animated lighting coming
through the vent on the right
creates a great effect in the
surrounding area. It also offers a
nice complement to the haze rising
up from the molten metal on the
extreme left (just out of shot).
182
KOF 2000
183
KOF 2000
After each battle in KOF 2000, players are

awarded, or lose, Battle Ability points based on
how efficiently they play. Having 300 or more
Battle Points after the third battle is one way
you’ll see the debut of Kula Diamond. Another
person born of NESTS’ experiments, she was
created to be the antithesis of K', with the ability
to create and manipulate ice instead of fire.
184
KOF 2000
185
KOF 2000
186
KOF 2000
KOF 2000’s intro mostly features K'

while the rest of the game’s characters
are shown in the background. Kyo, Iori,
and a brief glimpse of Kula are seen in
the intro as well, but the presentation
makes it clear that this is K'’s game.
187
KOF 2000
KOF 2000’s character select portraits
have lots of motion and some of the most
expressive faces in the series. Everyone
looks extremely confident compared to the
generally more stoic looks in previous games.
188
KOF 2000
189
KOF 2000
It can’t be emphasised enough how good Zero
looks and how well he moves in KOF 2000.
The smoothness of his cape’s animations,
combined with the depth and detail of the
fabric, are genuinely stunning, and still manage
to impress some 20 years later.
190
KOF 2000
KOF 2000’s numerous alternate Striker
sprites (one for each character in the game
plus several extras!) all perfectly encapsulate
each character’s personality. Duck King
(below) is a perfect example, with a lot of
work put into his breakdancing animation,
which is only seen for a few seconds.
191
KOF 2000
The Wharf and Factory stages both feature frozen versions for whenever
the player gets to fight Kula Diamond. On the opposite extreme of KOF
weather, the Egypt stage is similarly unpopulated, but much livelier, thanks
to some great pixelated sand and wind that blows throughout the fight.
192
KOF 2000
193
KOF 2001
Ramon and new fighter

Foxy prepare themselves
in KOF 2001’s China stage.
Foxy fights alongside Kula
Diamond, now a regularly
playable character as the
NESTS story arc comes
to a head.
194
KOF 2001
195
KOF 2001
Mai Shiranui pushes back Seth with her Ryu En Bu technique in front of a museum in Mexico City. The courtyard
entrance to the Parish of Santa Vera Cruz de San Juan de Dios church can be seen in the background.
Self-styled superhero May Lee battles it out with Shingo on a race track in Brazil. May Lee is another rewarding
character to learn, with two different stances to adopt for offensive or defensive situations.
196
KOF 2001
Terry Bogard knocks out Bao with a well-placed Power Dunk. Outside of some mobile appearances, KOF 2001
was the last we’d see of the pint-sized fighter until KOF 2002 Unlimited Match, released in 2009.
Another KOF game meant another new outfit for Athena, but she wasn’t the only one, as KOF 2001 has Andy Bogard
embrace sleeves for the first time in the character’s history. This stage gives us a nice view of a Venetian bridge.
197
KOF 2001
Kula Diamond gives Chin the cold shoulder in this suitably wintry Korea stage. A snow-covered temple is prominent
in the background, set behind an enthusiastic crowd that includes a shivering film crew.
Vanessa wisely puts everything into dropping Heidern as quickly as possible. This was Heidern’s first playable appearance
since KOF ’98. He no longer uses charge motions to perform his special moves, making him incredibly dangerous.
198
KOF 2001
Character portrait art is at its most expressive and eccentric in KOF 2001. It’s a great fit for the new characters
throughout the NESTS story, often heavily resembling the facial expressions of the character sprites themselves.
Zero is back! Sort of, as it turned out the final boss Whip executed at the end of KOF 2000 was just another clone.
He has three new moves, each of which summons a character to assist him.
199
KOF 2001
KOF 2001’s final boss, Igniz, embraces

fellow NESTS member Misty after
dispatching K'. Whereas the original
Zero’s stage and music gave the fight
a surprisingly chill atmosphere, this
techno-gothic space station and its
background music take things to the
opposite extreme.
200
KOF 2001
201
KOF 2001
202
KOF 2001
The final part of KOF 2001’s intro

is a very effective clashing of K'’s
monochromatic face with his bright
orange fiery fist punching the
screen. This contrasting aesthetic
is also used in some of the game’s
stage backgrounds.
203
KOF 2001
First introduced in KOF 2000, Lin
possesses a repertoire of powerful
and beautifully animated moves,
such as his abilities to spit poison,
teleport, slash opponents with
his hands and become invisible.
204
KOF 2001
Initially there were no plans for NESTS
agent Foxy to become a player character,
but her presence was needed as the story
developed and she got the go-ahead. The
flag she keeps elaborately tied in her hair
is supposedly the NESTS’ banner.
205
KOF 2002
206
KOF 2002
Iori Yagami easily stops Seth

in this stormy Cambodia stage.
KOF 2002 is another dream
match game, like ’98, serving
as a compilation of popular
characters from throughout
the series. A cloud-obscured
depiction of the City of Temples
is seen in the background.
207
KOF 2002
The background art in KOF 2002 seems quite muted, compared to the colourful hand-pixelled sprites. However it’s
always a treat to see real locations, such as this iconic historic site in Mexico represented in the KOF series.
This stage background features a traditional Japanese style garden. Several KOF characters make cameo appearances
from round to round, such as Heavy D! as seen towards the centre of this image.
208
KOF 2002
What the NEOGEO release of KOF 2002 lacked in its omission of Shingo and King, it more than made up for with
the return of Mature, Vice, Shermie, Yashiro and Chris, none of whom had been seen since KOF ’98.
With King gone, the Women Fighters team got shaken up again. Mai returned, with Athena and May Lee fighting
alongside her. The character in the blue coat is Kim Sue-Il from SNK fighting game Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle.
209
KOF 2002
Tung Fu Rue’s Real Bout Fatal Fury Special sprite snoozes in the background of this China stage as Mature
demonstrates her Deathrow special move. A view of an iconic Chinese temple can be seen in the background.
The background of this Holland stage features a rare cameo appearance by Wang Koh-San from Art Of Fighting 3
and a comical trio of sheep bearing the letters K, O and F. As the stage progresses, time passes and darkness falls.
210
KOF 2002
Tizoc from Garou: Mark of the Wolves observes a battle between Shermie and Angel. Angel’s portrait in KOF 2002
looks a little more serious, but her character’s fun personality and rewarding chain command fighting style is still intact.
Another dream match means another appearance from Rugal Bernstein. This is a great stage, with lots of
intersecting structural wreckage giving the impression that the entire area has just recently collapsed.
211
KOF 2002
Andy easily proves the superiority of his

martial prowess over that of Fatal Fury 3
villain Ryuji Yamazaki. Yamazaki, Billy Kane
and Blue Mary returned in this game after
several years’ absence, since KOF ’98.
Kasumi Todoh and her father, Ryuhaku,
can be seen in the background during
this round of the Japan stage.
212
KOF 2002
213
KOF 2002
While the colour red isn’t as
prominent in his stage as it
was in KOF ’94, Rugal’s death
scene heavily evokes his being
consumed and destroyed
by the Orochi power in his
previous appearance.
214
KOF 2002
215
KOF 2002
’02
Since KOF ’96, Chang Koehan
has ditched his prison clothes
for some more formal attire, but
has never stopped using his ball
and chain as a weapon.
216
KOF 2002
KOF ’02
May Lee’s desire to be a superhero
comes through in many of her
animations, like the dashing punch.
Designed to appeal to Korean KOF
fans, the brief to developers was
to create a ‘Korean Athena’.
217
KOF 2002
KOF 2002’s backgrounds can sometimes clash with the game’s
hand-pixelled sprites, but most make up for this with the various
cameos, such as in this China stage, which features Cheng Sinzan,
Li Xiangfei, Hon Fu, Tung Fu Rue and Lee Pai Long, from the
Fatal Fury and Art Of Fighting series.
218
KOF 2002
219
KOF 2003
220
KOF 2003
The mighty Tizoc

finally makes the
jump from Garou:
Mark of the Wolves
to the KOF series!
KOF 2003 marked
the beginning of
a new story arc,
and with it came
characters both
old and new.
221
KOF 2003
KOF mainstay Mai Shiranui smacks Shingo Yabuki with her Night Plover fan technique. This stage helpfully includes
a sign letting players know they’re fighting alongside a railway track in New Zealand.
Terry Bogard knocks the wind out of Billy with a Burning Knuckle. Terry’s new look in KOF 2003 was taken from his
appearance in Garou: Mark of the Wolves, while this background was styled on a traditional Japanese temple.
222
KOF 2003
Benimaru is about to successfully dodge Shingo’s impending Geshiki: Kake Hourin running shoulder charge super.
He’s has had a few small outfit changes in the past, but this leopard-print shirt was the biggest alteration so far.
Set within a Czech street scene, Joe Higashi uses his Screw Upper desperation move on Mai Shiranui. Both Mai
and Joe have been in the series since KOF ’94, and it would be hard to imagine a KOF game without them.
223
KOF 2003
This durable simulacrum of Kyo Kusanagi served as a mid-boss in KOF 2003’s Egypt stage. Here he’s battling it
out with Duo Lon – an agile addition to the roster, with a surprising range on many of his attacks.
Ryo Sakazaki strikes new fighter Gato in the China stage. Like Tizoc, Gato is from Garou: Mark of the Wolves. Some
of Gato’s moves, like his Kouga energy blast, have vastly improved properties compared to how they work in Garou.
224
KOF 2003
In contrast to Duo Lon, the other new Hero team member, Shen Woo, has a moveset built around getting up close
to unleash a variety of powerful punches on opponents. One of his moves can even deflect projectiles.
Final boss Mukai is one of the tallest characters in the series. His special moves are built around manipulating the earth
around him to hurl stone at his enemies, or to cause stone pillars to suddenly rise up under or fall onto an opponent.
225
KOF 2003
KOF 2003 was the first game in

the series to allow teammates to
tag each other in and out during
fights, so the developers have
each match begin with all six
fighters out at once.
226
KOF 2003
227
KOF 2003
KOF 2003’s intro shows off new characters

like Malin (left) as well as the story’s new
protagonist, Ash Crimson (right). Unlike Kyo
and K', Ash has a less direct personality and
comes off as more of a trickster. This plays
a major part in the story as he seals off
some other characters’ abilities.
228
KOF 2003
229
KOF 2003
’02
KOF’s newest hero, Ash Crimson, has a
small but very useful arsenal of moves
at his disposal. The most notable is his
Thermidor super-move, a slow-moving
projectile that can make it easy for Ash
to close in on an enemy. He was raised
in France, and his moves are named after
months in the French Republican calendar.
230
KOF 2003
KOF ’02
Pro wrestler Tizoc is a welcome
addition to the roster. The
feeling of power and momentum
in moves like his Poseidon Wave
translated perfectly from Garou:
Mark of the Wolves. His style
involves exaggerated popular
wrestling moves.
231
KOF 2003
’02
The stages in KOF 2003 strike the perfect
note with their mix of pre-rendered elements
with traditional hand-pixelled graphics. This
results in some highly detailed 2D backgrounds
that retain the strong sense of lighting and
perspective common throughout the series.
232
KOF
KOF
2003
’02
233
KOF ’94 RE-BOUT
KOF ’94 RE-BOUT adds the combo counter seen in later KOF games. The animated crowds of the original are gone,
but in this all-new background we see cameos for Yashiro Nanakase and Jin Fu-Ha from Art Of Fighting 3.
The hand-pixelled backgrounds of KOF ’94 were replaced with 3D rendered versions, something we first saw in the
Dreamcast port of KOF ’98. The sprites are also higher resolution, thanks to the PlayStation 2’s advanced hardware.
234
KOF ’94 RE-BOUT
Joe easily catches Terry with a Slash Kick. Seeing new takes on the old backgrounds is interesting, but some of
them feel lacking and a little bland compared to the bustling crowds and motion of the original KOF ’94’s stages.
The high-resolution sprites translated well from the original game, with no loss to the characters’ personalities.
The upgrade brought out the details in the fighters’ clothing, as shown by the light and shade on Kim Kaphwan here.
235
KOF ’94 RE-BOUT
A welcome addition to RE-BOUT was that, unlike in the original KOF ’94, the time of day of many of the backgrounds
changes from round to round. Subsequent rounds also included the introduction of weather, with fog, rain and snow.
KOF ’94 RE-BOUT stayed true to its inspiration by maintaining the blood of the original game. It also contained
a neat option to enter into NEOGEO mode, enabling you to play in the original KOF ’94 pixel graphics mode.
236
KOF ’94 RE-BOUT
While there are some fun 2D depictions of various SNK characters in the backgrounds, the latter can feel a little
empty compared to those in KOF ’94. Here the fight takes place in front of a traditional palace in Korea.
One of the best things about RE-BOUT is the high-resolution depictions of KOF ’94’s special move animations, like
Joe’s Tiger Kick, which, thanks to the advanced hardware, really shows off the impact of the game’s animations.
237
KOF ’94 RE-BOUT
Besides the high-resolution sprites, the other visual highlight
of the game is this newly animated FMV introduction, in
which we get to see every team receive its invitation and
enter the KING OF FIGHTERS tournament.
238
KOF ’94 RE-BOUT
239
KOF XI
KOF XI was the first KOF game in the main series that wasn’t made for the NEOGEO; this entry was made for the
Atomiswave arcade board. However, several of the sprites, like Kyo here, were still taken straight from KOF 2003.
King attempts to hit Momoko with a low Venom Strike. Momoko was one of KOF XI’s new characters, a young capoeira
practitioner who replaced Chin Gentsai on the Psycho Soldier team. KOF XI is the only game with her on the roster.
240
KOF XI
Fatal Fury’s Duck King popped up in KOF 2000 as an alternate Striker, but in KOF XI he’s a fully playable character.
Here we see him knocking out Duo Lon in front of a rustic Mediterranean street scene.
Duo Lon’s ally Shenwoo knocks the wind out of Shingo in the Japanese temple stage in Kyoto. Still staunchly 2D,
the higher resolution offered by Atomiswave allowed for some really detailed backgrounds throughout KOF XI.
241
KOF XI
Iori teaches Ash a lesson with his 127 Shiki·Aoibana move. KOF XI saw Iori and Kyo enter on the same team
for the first time, to defeat Ash. They were joined by Shingo, to complete the Kusanagi-Yagami team.
Terry attempts a Power Wave against an evasive Elisabeth Blanctorche – one of the all-new characters in KOF XI.
She has a lot of fun combos that utilise her riding crop, plus super-moves that involve creating large bursts of light.
242
KOF XI
Terry Bogard is about to get hit by Benimaru’s Raikou Ken. In a major team shakeup, KOF mainstay Benimaru
and relative newcomers Duo Lon and Elisabeth were put on the same team, in a bid to defeat Ash.
With Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi, Choi Bounge, and Chang Koehan absent, it’s Kim, Terry and Duck King making up the
Fatal Fury team. Here Kim finishes up a quick combo against a new character – slick card-throwing assassin Oswald.
243
KOF XI
KOF XI’s in-game portraits brought a new look and plenty of
personality to the series’ fighters. Not only were the teams
significantly changed, with many long-running characters gone,
there are even a couple of hidden characters from other SNK
games like Buriki One and Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle.
244
KOF XI
245
KOF XI
KOF XI’s final battle is against a powerful
being named Magaki. His almost alien
appearance is an interesting change
of pace for the series, but the sheer
volume of projectiles and range of some
of his attacks can make him extremely
frustrating, even by KOF boss standards.
246
KOF XI
247
KOF XI
Before players take on Magaki, they
face an extremely fun mid-boss fight
with another new character, Shion.
Shion features a wide variety of well-
animated weapon attacks. On top
of that, the spear he carries can be
broken, which completely changes
his stance and moves.
248
KOF XI
Ash’s new ally, Oswald, has a fighting
style built around various slashing
techniques, like his Diamond special
move, shown below, which racks up
big damage. KOF XI was his only
appearance until he returned to the
series as a DLC character in KOF XIV.
249
KOF XI
KOF XI’s pre-rendered backgrounds
are nicely executed and are a solid
evolution from KOF 2003. Stages
include the Angkor Wat-inspired ruins
seen below, and a night-time back
alley in front of the infamous Pao
Pao Cafe, drenched in neon.
250
KOF XI
251
KOF ’98 ULTIMATE MATCH
A big change in KOF ’98 Ultimate Match came in the new Ultimate mode. KOF ’98 let you choose from two different
styles for how a team’s movement and super gauge worked, and this new mode let the player mix and match both.
The welcome return of the Boss team from KOF ’96 meant the return of the mighty Geese Howard. His Raging Storm
Desperation Move received a major cosmetic upgrade, looking closer to its appearance in the first Real Bout Fatal Fury.
252
Joe Higashi gets knocked out of the air by a Blitz Ball from Wolfgang Krauser. Krauser’s reach and the speed of
some of his attacks make him one of the most powerful characters in KOF ’98 Ultimate Match.
Eiji Kisaragi is back! The ninja from Art Of Fighting 2 made his playable debut in KOF ’98 Ultimate Match. His rapid
moves and versatile specials saw him join Wolfgang Krauser as one of the most powerful fighters in the game.
253
Leona is similar to how she appeared in KOF ’98 but with one important alteration: her Eye Slasher special move now
has far less recovery, letting her use it to juggle her opponent, or even connect with her V-Slasher super-move if it hits.
Joe Higashi takes on Mr. Big in the Venice boss stage from KOF ’96. Adding this stage and the ’96 boss team
to KOF ’98 Ultimate Match helped make it a more definitive dream match than the original.
254
KOF ’98 Ultimate Match featured a series of EX characters, with each one having a different moveset from one of
their earlier game appearances. The above image shows EX Blue Mary, who uses moves from Real Bout Fatal Fury 2.
Geese isn’t the only boss who’s back: KOF ’96’s final boss, Goenitz, has been added to the roster as well,
making KOF ’98 Ultimate Match a truly complete dream match of characters from KOF ’94 to ’98.
255
Players will find the arcade versions of KOF ’98 Ultimate Match’s
backgrounds very familiar – they’re reused from the original game in
all their brilliant pixelated glory. The home console backgrounds were
preset to 3D-rendered versions with the option to revert to the originals.
256
257
KOF XII
KOF XII moved to all new, high-resolution characters. The game has the smallest roster of any KOF game to date,
but this is understandable given the amount of time needed to redraw each character’s sprite from scratch.
KOF XII is predominantly a dream match entry, and therefore has no story or team-specific endings. This bustling
background was inspired by typical floating markets found in southeast China.
258
KOF XII
Iori Yagami sported a new look and radically different moves in KOF XII. With his flames removed after the events of
KOF XI, his style now utilises several slashing attacks reminiscent of those of his former teammate, Mature.
Older characters such as Terry Bogard were drawn with the classic looks and fighting stances of their very first
appearances instead of the newer styles gained over the years.
259
KOF XII
While KOF XII has no story, it does have scenes of various reporters to help keep up the tournament atmosphere.
Randomly, during the end credits, Jin Fuha from Art Of Fighting 3 can be seen to the left of the news desk!
KOF XII’s special moves make great use of 3D graphics rather than using pixels. In motion they blend very
effectively with the action, as shown above in Joe Higashi’s epic Screw Upper special move.
260
KOF XII
Characters such as Ryo, Terry and Athena regaining their earlier appearances wasn’t the only nod to the past in
KOF XII. As in Art Of Fighting and Samurai Shodown, the screen zooms in and out with the action.
With no team-specific endings, those who reach the end of the game’s arcade mode are met by a reporter
introducing the player’s time trial results. Fireworks and a huge crowd of fans really add to the carnival atmosphere.
261
KOF XII
With developers using modern
techniques but very much sticking
with 2D, KOF XII’s fun and vibrant
backgrounds are outstanding,
with a great amount of detail
and excellent use of perspective.
262
KOF XII
263
KOF 2002 UNLIMITED MATCH
264
KOF 2002 Unlimited Match served

as a compilation of characters
from KOF ’99 – 2002. The rarely
acknowledged Alice Chrysler can
be seen in this shot – one of many
unexpected cameos throughout
the game’s stages.
265
This angrier, more aggressive take on Kyo Kusanagi, simply named ‘Kusanagi’, first appeared in the original KOF
2002 as a hidden character and mid-boss. This stage is based on one from the 1995 NEOGEO game Savage Reign.
Geese Howard and Goenitz were playable characters in some versions of KOF 2002, so also made the jump to
Ultimate Match. The infamously powerful Nightmare Geese EX version of the character is available as well.
266
Bao finally returned to KOF in Ultimate Match! Takuma Sakazaki is one of several characters in Ultimate Match to
have an EX version, featuring a different moveset. This stage features a few Metal Slug character cameos.
The New Faces team is most famous for its explosive debut and demise in KOF ’97, but all three made the jump to
KOF 2002 Unlimited Match. This Greece stage features a looming sculpture, eerily looking over proceedings.
267
KOF XIII
While KOF XII felt quite stripped back due to the small roster, KOF XIII more than took care of this with a flashier
presentation, larger roster, expanded combo potential for each character, and an excellent soundtrack.
Mature returned from the KOF XII home ports and teamed with Vice and Iori. Heavy falls cause objects to drop
from the treetops – it’s a neat detail but doesn’t make up for the poor depiction of this Brazil stage’s spectators.
268
KOF XIII
K' team members, K', Kula, and Maxima, made their return thanks to KOF XIII’s much expanded roster. This Egypt
background, set in the city of Giza, is one of four from KOF XII reimagined with new lighting and colour palette.
All three members of K'’s team look great in KOF XIII; the artists did an excellent job of translating the personalities
to the new graphics, as can be seen here with Kula performing her Freeze Execution super move.
269
KOF XIII
Small challenges pop up while playing through KOF XIII, as seen at the top left of this screenshot. They can be fun to
do in the heat of battle, and are an underrated part of the game compared to its more infamously difficult trial mode.
A still-flameless Iori Yagami slashes at Terry Bogard. Without his projectiles, Iori is now a character built around keeping
pressure on the opponent. The classic Iori we all know and love was added to the game later as a DLC character.
270
KOF XIII
While transparency and other 3D tricks were used for many of KOF XIII’s special move effects, several – like Andy’s
Shoryudan special move – employed hand-drawn animations to preserve the visual style of the older 2D sprites.
Joe Higashi catches Raiden with a Tiger Kick. This wayward wrestler’s first appearance in the series was KOF XII, but
he’s been around since the original Fatal Fury. Joe’s on the same team as another from the original Fatal Fury, Hwa Jai.
271
KOF XIII
272
KOF XIII
After a two-game hiatus, Mai
Shiranui returned to KOF. The
developers clearly put a lot of
effort into Mai’s animation, and
while her damage output is a little
lower than that of other characters
on the roster, her speed and
versatile moves more than
make up for it.
273
KOF XIV
The new Brazil stage in KOF XIV gives us a nice view of Iguaçu Falls on the border of Missiones, Argentina and Paraná,
Brazil. The game features the entirely new South American team of Zarina, Bandeiras and Nelson, seen in action here.
Yuri Sakazaki and Billy Kane fight atop Geese Tower. Billy was a DLC character in KOF XIII, but in KOF XIV he’s
part of the massive 50-fighter roster – one that would grow even larger with the release of several DLC characters.
274
KOF XIV
Daimon faces up to new fighter Tung Fu Rue. The former sensei of both Jeff Bogard and Geese Howard is taken
from the Fatal Fury series and is a member of the China team. He is a master of the fighting style Hakkyokuseiken.
Yuri Sakazaki hits Hein with her Hien Houou Kyaku Super special move. Hein is a new character, an employee of Geese
Howard with moves named after chess pieces. His style is built around punishing players who approach too recklessly.
275
KOF XIV
Several of the returning characters have slightly new looks. KOF XIV is also one of the few instances in which Terry’s
outfit has sleeves – something character designer Tomohiro Nakata was quick to change for the upcoming KOF XV.
Shun’Ei is the new main character for the story started in KOF XIV. He’s a bit calmer than Kyo, K' or Ash. Many of
his moves are built around giant energy projections that add range and strength to his own attacks.
276
KOF XIV
Benimaru finishes off King of Dinosaurs with a Raikouken. Not much is known about King of Dinosaurs’ origin, and
his identity remains one of the greatest mysteries of the KOF series.
Robert gets the first hit of the match against Angel with a Kouryuu Koukyaku-Geri kick. Fan favourites Angel
and Ramon also returned in KOF XIV, along with a completely original new character named King of Dinosaurs.
277
KOF XIV
278
KOF XIV
KOF XIV ’s massive roster has
enough characters to ensure that
any player will find someone they like
to use, but that doesn’t mean the
returning cast was neglected. Many
old favourites are back, and major
fighters, like Kyo here, have received
new outfits that fit perfectly with
their characters and personalities.
279
KOF XV
The first thing you notice about KOF XV are the massively improved graphics, thanks to a change in game engine.
The additional real-time lighting and vibrant colours add so much impact to the characters’ special moves.
Kyo knocks K' out with one of his flaming punches. Kyo’s KOF XIV design has been discarded, so he now looks
more like the Kyo of old, sporting his jacket from previous KOF games and iconic headband once more.
280
KOF XV
Benimaru doesn’t just feature a new look, but once again breaks away from Kyo to fight in a new Hero team, this time
with Shun’Ei and Meitenkun. He’s seen here on South Town Sound Beach, home of the Fatal Fury team.
It’s no surprise that fan favourite Mai Shiranui is back. Her look is mostly unchanged, though the waist section of
her outfit has some additional detailing. Here she can be seen holding her deadly Butterfly Fan in her mouth.
281
282
In this chapter we take a look at the
artwork for many of the series’ most

important and recurring combatants,
as well as how they have evolved over
time. Unparalleled access to SNK’s
vast archives has allowed for character
sketches, illustrations and concept art
to be showcased here for the first time.
283
ANDY BOGARD 288
ATHENA ASAMIYA 290
BAO 294
BENIMARU NIKAIDO 296
BILLY KANE 300
BLUE MARY 302
BRIAN BATTLER 304
CHANG KOEHAN 306
CHIN GENTSAI 308
CHIZURU KAGURA 310
CHOI BOUNGE 312
CHRIS 314
CLARK STILL 316
284
EIJI KISARAGI 318
GEESE HOWARD 320
GOENITZ 322
GORO DAIMON 324
HEAVY-D! 326
HEIDERN 328
IORI YAGAMI 330
JOE HIGASHI 338
K' 340
KASUMI TODOH 342
KIM KAPHWAN 344
KING 346
KYO KUSANAGI 348
285
LEONA 358
LUCKY GLAUBER 360
MAI SHIRANUI 362
MATURE 364
MAXIMA 366
MR. BIG 368
OROCHI 370
RALF JONES 372
ROBERT GARCIA 374
RUGAL BERNSTEIN 376
RYO SAKAZAKI 380
RYUJI YAMAZAKI 382
SAISYU KUSANAGI 384
286
SHERMIE 388
SHINGO YABUKI 390
SIE KENSOU 394
TAKUMA SAKAZAKI 396
TERRY BOGARD 398
VICE 402
WOLFGANG KRAUSER 404
WHIP 406
YASHIRO NANAKASE 408
YURI SAKAZAKI 410
UNUSED FIGHTERS 412
287
ANDY
ANDY BOGARD
BOGARD
A master of the ancient
Japanese martial art
Koppouken, Andy Bogard
hails from the USA and,
like his older brother Terry
Bogard, debuted in Fatal Fury
before making the transition
to KOF. He deploys deadly
special moves such as
his Chou Reppa Dan,
and Dandadan.
Andy’s had several gradual

changes to his outfit over the
years, like the KOF ’97 redesign
on the right. But every single
version that appears in KOF
includes a flame pattern, even
if its location may change from
game to game.
288
ANDY BOGARD
Top left Top right Bottom
This KOF ’96 sketch page is Andy’s look went through significant Some of the changes made to
titled ‘The beautiful Koppouken changes in KOF ’98. He has a Andy in KOF ’98 include the flame
master Andy Bogard’. The notes quizzical expression on his face pattern on his outfit being moved
acknowledge his skills as a ninja (towards Mai for context) in this yet again – a good choice since
in Fatal Fury 3 and discuss how to Shinkiro art from KOF ’99, which all of his fire-based specials are
represent that in KOF, along with his shows the developers bringing kick attacks. He’s also lost the
preference for leather accessories more of his personality from the pro wrestler-style boots and
like his boots and gloves. Fatal Fury series into KOF. gained a more elaborate belt.
289
ATHENA
ATHENA ASAMIYA
ASAMIYA
Originally debuting in
Psycho Soldier, Athena
Asamiya is a Japanese
student and pop idol who
uses a mixture of Chinese
martial arts boxing and
her own psychic powers
to fight in KOF. Athena
is known to change her
outfit frequently between
tournaments and has the
nickname ‘The Psychic
Powered Idol’.
There are some constants to

Athena’s ever-changing wardrobe
which originated in Psycho Soldier,
such as her star headband.
290
ATHENA ASAMIYA
These very early designs show
a range of outfits considered
for Athena, the most unusual
being the full stage costume and
wrestler-like looks seen on the
lower left. Interestingly, most of
the variations across the top row
of this page have made it into
later KOF games in some form.
291
ATHENA ASAMIYA
Below left Below middle Below right
This early design’s accessories This sketch for KOF ’95 is similar This Shinkiro art for KOF ’98 shows
are close to those that made it to her look in KOF ’94 but with how Athena’s outfit has evolved
into KOF ’94, except the more shorter, cuffed sleeves and a more over the years, while retaining
elaborate necklace and looser, elaborate belt pin. The hexagrams certain elements, such as her
more revealing outfit. Her footwear on her gloves occasionally feature necklace. Always in red, this colour
is inspired by what she wore in on other key art images, but are was first used in her arcade debut,
the original Athena arcade game. rarely shown as they are here. in which she wore a red bikini.
Sketches of Athena for KOF ’98,

in which special attention is paid to
the detail on her gloves – though
the game’s official artwork has
her hands positioned so that the
pentagrams are not seen. KOF ’98
was their final appearance.
292
ATHENA ASAMIYA
This sketch gives us a thorough

breakdown of the subtle changes
from KOF ’94 to ’95. Some of the
notes here point out how all of her
jewellery is made from amethyst and
how her gloves and shirt sleeves
now have a little more volume.
For KOF ’96, the developers made some

drastic changes to Athena’s clothes,
replacing the trousers with shorts and
giving her baggy socks instead of leg
bands. From this game onward Athena
would receive a completely new outfit
in each instalment of KOF.
293
BAO
BAO
Debuting in KOF ’99 as

a new member of the
Psycho Soldier team, Bao
was adopted and trained
by Chin Gentsai after
being abandoned by his
parents. He uses moves
such as the Psycho Ball
Crash to fight opponents.
Above right
At first glance, some of Bao’s in-
game moves will seem very similar
to Athena’s. However, this sketch
for his KOF 2000 win screen shows
how his small figure, and ability
to launch projectiles almost as
large as he is (as well as launching
himself), set him apart.
Right
This illustration of Bao was used
for his win screen art in KOF ’99.
The playful expression on his face
has been a consistent part of his
child-like character.
294
BAO
Below
This annotated sketch for Bao
gives us some detail on his clothes.
Going by the notes, the decorative
buttons on his shoes are designed
to resemble round pieces from the
traditional Chinese ‘Go’ game.
Above left Above middle Above right

This KOF ’99 illustration from Shinkiro’s KOF 2000 art for Bao Nona’s Bao art for KOF 2001 gives
Shinkiro gives us a good look at gives him a more contemplative us two additions to the character.
the decorative elements on his pose, but keeps a mischievous The first is his now oversized hat
shoes as well as the toggles on expression on his face. Nothing (which is reflected in the in-game
his top. The young fighter has has changed about his outfit; pixel art). The second is the loyal
an angelic appearance, a stark however, he does appear a little bird on top of it, who also appears
contrast to his fighting powers. taller since last year’s tournament. in-game during one of his win poses.
295
BENIMARU
BENIMARU NIKAIDO
NIKAIDO
A close friend of Kyo
Kusanagi, Benimaru is a
Japanese model who is
known as ‘The Shooting
Star’. He debuted in
KOF ’94 with Kyo and
attacks his opponent
with shoot boxing and
a variety of electricity-
powered moves, which is
also why his hair stands
up on end. A flamboyant
and outspoken fighter.
Benimaru’s look in this KOF ’94

sketch matches his flamboyant
personality. His tall hairstyle fits
his character, and he uses his
electricity to straighten in it in
some in-game animations.
296
BENIMARU NIKAIDO
These sketches for KOF ’97
show only small changes to
Benimaru’s appearance, the
most notable being his new
top and slightly different glove.
From these images, it also
looks like he’s more muscular
than his slender appearance
in earlier KOF games.
297
BENIMARU NIKAIDO
Right
This detailed KOF ’94 sketch
shows how Benimaru’s hair was to
be a major part of his character’s
look from the beginning. This type
of pose, along with his good looks
and stylish clothes, reflect his
occupation as a part-time model.
Far right
This KOF ’95 concept shows us
Benimaru’s tattoo and an instance
with his hair down. The final design
ended up very close to that of
KOF ’94, but some of these
elements were used in later games.
Benimaru ‘shocking’ his long hair
up has even been used for some
of his intro animations.
Below
This breakdown of Benimaru’s
KOF ’98 appearance shows us
the even tighter top he started
wearing, as well as a glove on each
hand (he only wore one until this
game). The notes say his shirt is
made of shiny material like vinyl
or leather.
298
BENIMARU NIKAIDO
Below left Below right
This earlier illustration of Benimaru Shinkiro’s KOF ’95 illustration for
for KOF ’94 shows how his vanity Benimaru is posed to play up his
is a perfect match for the glamour skills as a shoot boxer. We can
posing common in KOF character also see how at this point his hair
art. Note the looser belt/loop is now a much closer match for
situation on his trousers. how it looks in the game.

Shinkiro’s KOF ’99 illustration This Benimaru illustration for KOF KOF 2003 saw characters’ looks
incorporates the slight changes 2000 sees him with slightly larger change quite a bit, as seen in this
from KOF ’98, with Benimaru earrings. Although always present, Benimaru illustration by Falcoon.
also sporting a new-style top they’re the most prominent they’ve He now sports new earrings, along
and wearing two gloves. been in this character art. with a totally refreshed outfit.
299
BILLY
BILLY KANE
KANE
Debuting in Fatal Fury
before appearing on Iori
Yagami’s Rivals team in
KOF ’95, Billy Kane is a
fierce English fighter who,
thanks to acting as Geese
Howard’s servant, is
nicknamed ‘The Emperor’s
Right-Hand Man’. He is
a master of Bojutsu and
fights with a three-section
sansetsukon staff.
Top
Billy’s first KOF appearance was
in KOF ’95, but this very early
sketch shows us he was at least
considered for KOF ’94. His look
and pose here are similar to his
portrait in Fatal Fury 2.
Right
Billy’s KOF ’95 look had him
sporting his denim overalls from
the original Fatal Fury, as opposed
to the Union Jack-emblazoned
top from Fatal Fury Special,
presumably to avoid confusion
with the Fatal Fury team’s
Italian location.
300
BILLY KANE
Top Below left Below right

After missing out on the action In early designs for KOF ’94, Billy This Shinkiro illustration is
in KOF ’96, we can see Billy’s was going to be on the England for KOF ’99’s Dreamcast port,
redesign here for KOF ’97. This team with Big Bear, also from Fatal in which Billy was added as an
update brings him into line with Fury! This concept didn’t make the additional Striker. The slightly
his design in Real Bout Fatal Fury, cut, but the idea stuck around long darker clothing colours more
with leather jacket, trousers and enough for this early illustration of closely resemble how he appears
biker boots. him to be made. in Real Bout Fatal Fury.
301
BLUE
BLUE MARY
Below left
Mary’s look in the KOF series
has some major differences from
her appearance in the Fatal Fury
games, the most notable being
the much darker trousers and
more concealing top shown in this
KOF 2000 Shinkiro illustration.
Below right
This sketch from KOF ’98 of
Mary stretching is similar to her
MARY
taunt animation. Mary has several
grappling moves, and quite a few
of her animations involve cracking
her knuckles or stretching like
this when taunting or before
the fight starts.
Another fighter who

first debuted in the
Fatal Fury series before
transitioning over to KOF,
Blue Mary (whose real
name is Mary Ryan) is
a private detective and
friend of Terry Bogard.
She utilises a fighting art
known as Combat Sambo,
which mixes striking and
grappling techniques, and
is fond of motorcycles.
302
BLUE MARY
Mary changes gradually across
the Fatal Fury series, but stays
the same for most of her KOF
career. This KOF ’97 sketch
shows constants like her gloves
with clip-ons and extra belt.
303
BRIAN
BRIAN BATTLER
Below
After a three-year break, Brian
returned to the tournament in
KOF ’98. His look here is very
similar to his appearance in
KOF ’94, but with a tucked-in
shirt and a brighter colour palette.
BATTLER
A member of KOF ’94’s
American Sports team, Brian
Battler is an American football
player who likes fast cars and
racing. His mode of combat
is a series of power strikes
and grapples, which he uses
along with special moves such
as the Brian Tornado, Hyper
Tackle and Tiger Driver.
304
BRIAN BATTLER
With the KOF ’94 developers These early designs for Brian
taking characters from other SNK had him looking like a traditional
properties, Brian’s design was American football player with
supposedly inspired by SNK sports exaggeratedly hostile gear,
game Football Frenzy. Predictably, including spiked knee pads and
his fighting style is inspired by a reclaimed helmet used as an
football moves and wrestling. extra shoulder pad!
305
CHANG
CHANG KOEHAN
KOEHAN
A recurring member of
KOF’s Korean team,
Chang is a hardened
criminal from South
Korea who uses a
mixture of Taekwondo
and a giant steel
ball, which is chained
to his body, to fight
his opponents. He
has a penchant for
destruction and a
dislike of centipedes.
Chang kept the ball and

chain that failed to hold him
in prison, and he didn’t even
bother to change his prison
garb for the tournament! This
early illustration is very close
to how he appears in KOF ’94.
306
CHANG KOEHAN
Left
A Shinkiro sketch featuring a
weeping Chang behind his partner
in crime, Choi Bounge, and mentor
Kim Kaphwan. Kim has taken them
under his wing but the ominous
atmosphere of their KOF ’94
background shows that Chang and
Choi are the stars of the show.
Bottom left
This KOF ’97 sketch shows Chang
now wearing a dobok similar to
Kim’s. Both Chang and Choi gained
this look in KOF ’96, and kept it
in all of their appearances, right
up to KOF XIV.
Bottom right
KOF ’97 sketches of Chang
showing off his iron ball and chain.
That pose on the bottom isn’t just
for show – one of Chang’s attacks
in the games is to strangle his
enemy from behind with his chain.
307
CHIN
CHIN GENTSAI
GENTSAI
With an official nickname
of ‘The Drunken Fist
Master’, it’s no surprise
that Chin Gentsai fights
with a variety of Chinese
Kung Fu moves, most
notably those of the
Drunken Fist school.
Gentsai is a member of
KOF’s Psycho Soldier
team and acts as a tutor
to Athena Asamiya,
Sie Kensou and Bao.
This KOF ’95 concept sketch

gives us a good front view of
Chin’s outfit as well as a cartoony
take on his traditional Chinese
pipe. Chin’s look in the series
stayed like this for some time.
308
CHIN GENTSAI
Above
These KOF ’94 sketches
show different stances for Chin.
Ever-present are his pair of sake
bottles, giving him his nickname
‘The Drunken Fist Master’.
Right
Chin may have got a new outfit,
but as this KOF 2000 Shinkiro
illustration shows, he’s lost none of
his style. This is the first instance
where his left shoe is falling apart
instead of his right.
Below
This very early depiction of
Chin gives us a rare straight-on
look at both of his eyes at once.
In-game he usually has just the
single eye glancing out from
behind his dishevelled hair.
309
CHIZURU
CHIZURU KAGURA
KAGURA
Debuting in KOF ’96,
Chizuru Kagura is the
descendent of one of the
three clans that sealed
Orochi away 1,800 years
ago. She teams up with
Kyo Kusanagi and Iori
Yagami to fight as part
of the Sacred Treasures
team, utilising a dance-like
form of ancient Japanese
martial arts.
Chizuru’s steady confidence

and graceful, deception-based
moves give her a completely
different personality from
almost every fighting game
boss before her. That aspect
of her move design also makes
her an overwhelming opponent.
310
CHIZURU KAGURA
Right
This Shinkiro KOF ’96 art shows
Chizuru in her red-and-white top,
which references a traditional
Miko’s (young female priest’s)
attire. Her surname comes from
‘kagura’, which is a ritual dance
performed by a Miko.
Far right
A Shinkiro illustration for KOF ’99:
Evolution, the Dreamcast version
of KOF ’99, in which Chizuru was
added as a bonus Striker. This
gives us a good look at how her
outfit was subtly streamlined when
going from a boss in KOF ’96 to a
playable character in its sequels.
Below
This KOF ’96 design sketch
shows details of Chizuru’s look.
The notes take great care to
point out that her hair must be
very long and straight at all times,
and how her outfit is designed to
convey both ‘cool’ and ‘beautiful’
simultaneously.
311
CHOI
CHOI BOUNGE
BOUNGE
An original member of
KOF’s Korean team, Bounge
is a criminal who fights with
a set of hand claws to slice
his opponents. His fighting
style is a mixture of speed
brawling and Taekwondo,
which allows him to execute
his Tatsumaki Shippuzan,
Kaiten Hien Zan and
Syaku Shi.
Choi implores us to live

long and prosper in this
KOF ’95 sketch. Choi’s look
has changed a few times
throughout the series,
but his clawed hands and
Fedora-style hat have been
constants throughout his
career in KOF.
312
CHOI BOUNGE
Right
Early development drawings
for KOF ’94. His original design
looked too much like a certain
someone, so he was hastily given
a new look a month before the
final character designs had to be
completed.
Below left
For KOF XIV, Eisuke Ogura
gives Choi a noticeably larger
nose than the final in-game
character model. His wagging
tongue, however, has been
a part of Choi’s taunt animation
for a long time.
Below right
Choi carefully evaluates his claws
in this concept art for KOF ’98.
Like Chang, he started wearing
a dobok in KOF ’96, which then
became his regular outfit until
his redesign for KOF XIV.
313
CHRIS
CHRIS
Below left
Chris’s design has generally
remained the same throughout his
career in KOF. Note how the blue
crop top subtly evokes Goenitz’s
(and other Orochi supporters’)
priest-like vestment.
Below right
Chris cracks his knuckles in this
playful Shinkiro KOF ’98 sketch.
He may look harmless, but his
fast and acrobatic fighting style
make him a tricky opponent.
First appearing as a member

of KOF ’97’s New Faces
team, Chris is a Swedish
vocalist who plays in the
band C·Y·S along with his
team members, Yashiro
Nanakase and Shermie.
Despite his innocent and
youthful appearance, Chris
is imbued with cursed
Orochi blood, which lets him
become a host for Orochi.
314
CHRIS
Right
An early sketch of Chris for
KOF ’97. While there are hints in
his fighting style and outfit that
indicate his involvement in the
Orochi story arc, the magatama
around his neck may have been a
bit obvious. The final design sports
a simple medallion in its place.
Below left
Chris is described as a character
who ‘can kill with an innocent smile
on his face’. This KOF ’97 sketch
certainly backs that up, with his
virtuous youthful looks.
Below right
This KOF ’97 sketch shows Chris
enjoying some snacks with his
teammates, Yashiro and Shermie.
They’re casually hanging out – with
their true motives for destruction
saved for KOF ’97 ’s climax.
315
CLARK
CLARK STILL
Below left
Early designs for Clark went for a
more overtly military appearance
with camouflage trousers. The final
character’s look was more refined,
but some of these elements would
return in later appearances.
Below right
This KOF ’96 sketch shows the
clothing Clark wore up to KOF ’98.
It’s a relatively simple outfit, but
STILL
the most important things are his
trademark hat and sunglasses,
which have remained with the
character in every game.
Hailing originally from the

Ikari Warriors series, Clark
Still is a member of the Ikari
Warriors team in KOF ’94,
in which he fights along
with Ralf Jones and their
commanding officer Heidern.
He uses mercenary combat
styles and grappling to fight,
boasting special moves such
as the Napalm Stretch.
316
CLARK STILL
Right
This early development art for
KOF ’94 gives a clear profile of
Clark’s bespectacled face, and a
good look at the ragged shirt he’s
been wearing under his vest. In
KOF ’94, Clark and Ralf had the
exact same outfit, with Clark’s hat
and sunglasses differentiating him.
Far right
This KOF 2000 illustration by
Shinkiro shows the redesign Clark
received for the NESTS story
arc games. The most noticeable
changes are the new trousers and
more padded vest, but the darker
colour palette is a big change for
the character too.
Below left
For KOF XII and XIII Clark was
given an almost complete overhaul,
his new look greatly resembling
some of the earlier concepts
for KOF ’94. Here the extra
ammunition is exaggerated as
much as the character’s muscles.
Below right
Clark smiles while showing off his
biceps in an image that’s the basis
for his win portrait in KOF ’97. He
only wears a glove on his left hand,
with some games placing it on a
separate sprite layer to keep it
correct, even when the character
sprite is flipped.
317
EIJI
EIJI KISARAGI
KISARAGI
A less-frequently seen
combatant, Kisaragi hails
from the Art Of Fighting
series and is a Japanese
ninja who deploys the
Kisaragi Ryu Ninjyutsu
technique. He first appeared
in KOF ’95 as a member of
Iori Yagami’s Rivals team.
He is rumoured to be the
successor of Kisaragi-ryuu
from The Last Blade.
Right
This KOF ’95 art by Shinkiro has
Eiji in his recognised ninja getup from
Art Of Fighting 2. His outfit and overall
appearance may not stand out much,
but maybe that’s intentional … after
all, he is a ninja!
Below
This KOF ’95 portrait of Eiji looks similar
to his in-game sprite’s face during one
of his win poses – showing the loving
detail the developers put in while taking
the characters’ personalities from
concept art to pixels.
318
EIJI KISARAGI
Below and right Below
These various KOF ’95 profiles Eiji’s art for KOF ’98 Ultimate
of Eiji show some closer detail on Match by Eisuke Ogura has
his gloves and the mesh element him standing stoically, similar
of his clothing. At this point in the to one of his pre-fight poses.
design process, he’s wearing a It also exaggerates his hair a
noticeably baggier cut of trousers bit more, but is otherwise the
than in the final game. same design as in KOF ’95.
319
GEESE
GEESE HOWARD
HOWARD
A famous villain from both
the Fatal Fury and Art Of
Fighting series, Geese
Howard surprisingly only
appears in KOF cutscenes
until ’96, in which he leads
other bosses Wolfgang
Krauser and Mr. Big in the
Boss team. Geese fights
with a mixture of Japanese
martial arts and deploys
special attacks such as
Windripper Punch.
These two early takes on Geese

for KOF ’96 show the initial idea
of having him fight topless, as in
most of the Fatal Fury series. But
in the end, the designers went with
something closer to his appearance
in the original Fatal Fury.
320
GEESE HOWARD
Above left
In KOF ’96’s final look for Geese,
he’s seen performing his beckoning
taunt, which is a major part of the
character’s design. The medallion
he’s seen wearing is much less
obvious on the final sprite.
Above right
This full-colour Eisuke Ogura art
for Geese Howard’s appearance in
KOF ’98 Ultimate Match remains
pretty much unchanged from his
previous KOF appearance in ’96.
Right
Detailed face studies of Geese
for KOF XIV. The different
expressions here show a contrast
between Geese’s calm arrogance
on the left and a much more
menacing look on the right.
321
GOENITZ
GOENITZ
Introduced as a boss
character in KOF ’96,
Goenitz is the leader of
the Hakkesshu clan, bent
on freeing Orochi, and he
possesses power over
the wind. His appearance
is priest-like, but this
hides his dark motives.
Right
is very close to the final design.
The small tornado in his right
hand is a whimsical touch, but his
ability to summon them will cause
massive frustration to anyone
fighting him.
Below
This more starkly silhouetted
KOF ’96 image gives a better view
of Goenitz’s two-toned hairstyle.
In KOF even harbingers of the
end of the world take extra time
to look their best!
322
GOENITZ
Left
This Shinkiro sketch places
Kyo and Iori in the foreground,
highlighting their impending
teamwork against Goenitz, whose
face dominates the background.
Below left
These profiles of Goenitz at
various angles show him with a
grave look on his face. Sketches
such as these are most likely
intended to be used as references
for in-game cutscenes.
Below right
Like several of the other Orochi
story characters, Goenitz has
(so far) only appeared in one canon
game, keeping his look mostly
static across the series. This
artwork was made for his inclusion
in KOF ’98 Ultimate Match.
323
GORO
GORO DAIMON
DAIMON
Debuting along with Kyo
Kusanagi and Benimaru
Nikaido’s Hero team
in KOF ’94, Goro is a
Japanese Judo master
who notably fights
wearing a pair of geta
(wooden clogs). Daimon
has appeared in the vast
majority of KOF titles to
date and boasts powerful
special moves, like his
Jigoku Gokuraku Otoshi.
This early design for Goro is

very similar to how he appears in
KOF ’94. His design has remained
unchanged for just about the entire
series, but the consistency of
his look fits with the dependable,
monstrous power and priority of
many of his moves in the games.
324
GORO DAIMON
Right
This quick study of Goro’s face
offers some detailed reference
notes. The text explains how
ideally he should be depicted
with some fat attached to his
muscles to give him a bulkier look.
Below
When Goro was first created,
there was some conflict as to
whether or not he should wear
geta (wooden clogs) while fighting.
In the end they stayed, and he’s
worn them ever since.
Below right
This Shinkiro illustration from
KOF 2000 shows how, even
with a relatively low-key outfit, a
noticeably slimmer Goro remains
instantly recognisable.
325
HEAVY-D!
HEAVY-D!
The leader of KOF ’94’s

American Sports team,
Heavy-D! is a once-
famous boxer. Due to
an in-joke whereby the
American Sports team
frequently gets its
invitation to the KOF
tournament stolen,
Heavy-D! only appears
in a few KOF games.
Right
Earlier in the design process,
Heavy-D! looked more like your
typical fighting game boxer.
This look evolved throughout
his development into something
more unique.
Below
Created for fun during the
development of KOF ’94, this early
Heavy-D! sketch sees him in a
humorous, quizzical pose. He’s lost
the boxing gloves but keeps his
cool hair and adds sunglasses.
326
HEAVY-D!
Above left Above right Below

In another early Heavy D! sketch Heavy-D!’s KOF ’98 illustration has This sketch of the KOF ’98 Sports
created for fun during KOF ’94 him in a classic boxing pose, but team pays special attention to each
development, he is shown crying – also shows what a great job the character’s height and accessories.
a contrast to his hardman image. developers did, giving him a unique Although they went through some
Fortunately the ‘BRACK STREET’ look compared to any other fighting- visual changes from KOF ’94,
cross tattoo did not make it into game boxer of the time. they’re clearly the same fighters.
the final game!
327
HEIDERN
HEIDERN
Heidern first appeared

in KOF ’94 as the leader of
the Brazil team, which is also
known as the Ikari Warriors
team because it stars
the Ikari Warriors heroes
Ralf Jones and Clark Still.
Heidern is the commander
of the Ikari Warriors and, as
such, carries the nickname
‘Cold assassination’.
Right
This illustration by Shinkiro for
KOF ’95 makes Heidern out to be
the kind of intimidating, military-
themed enemy typical of many video
games and action fiction, but like
Kyo, he has a personal vendetta
against the game’s final boss.
Below
Heidern looks towards the viewer
moodily while emanating hearts
in this fun sketch for KOF ’95.
Everything about his style and
moves – like his Storm Bringer
throw – scream villain, but he’s
generally considered a good
guy in the games.
328
HEIDERN
Above left Top right Bottom right

From KOF ’94 to ’95, Heidern’s This early KOF ’94 design for This KOF ’95 sketch has Heidern
design stayed consistent, with new character Heidern shows his delivering stern instructions with
the only real change being the patch uniform was initially a greener hue. his swagger stick. While the Ikari
on his eye switching between left Its stylised, angular look gives it a team appears in every KOF game,
and right at various points. The above sense of precise motion, providing Heidern himself is only playable in a
KOF ’95 sketch shows Heidern in a strong idea of how he would fight, few, and often appears in cutscenes
an intimidating and serious pose. even at this early stage. to deliver exposition instead.
329
IORI
IORI YAGAMI
YAGAMI
The legendary Iori Yagami
first appeared in KOF ’95
as Kyo Kusanagi’s rival
and the leader of the
Rivals team. Since then,
Iori has been a mainstay
of the series and won
an incredible fan base
among gamers, thanks to
his intense personality,
brutal fighting style and
memorable win quotes.
This back sketch of Iori from

KOF ’98 gives us a good look
at the cut of his shirt and the
crescent moon symbol on the
back. This design for Iori stayed
the same for ten KOF games,
not changing until KOF XII.
330
IORI YAGAMI
Below Above left Above right

A smiling Iori is getting ready to This Shinkiro sketch was the basis In this whimsical sketch for
attack. In KOF ’96 and KOF ’97, for a piece of KOF ’96 key art that KOF ’97, a surprised Iori
Iori evolves subtly as a character, would be used for the cover art of sees yakisoba bread falling
and this is reflected in the key the PlayStation version. Iori’s hair from the sky. The Japanese
art for each game, as more of his seems dishevelled, a contrast to text playfully suggests that
backstory and destiny are revealed. his usual immaculate style. this is Iori’s newest technique!
331
IORI YAGAMI
Several sketches of Iori’s face

back when he was being designed
for KOF ’95. These show the work
put into capturing a character
meant to be generally non-violent,
but particularly sadistic towards
anyone who crosses him.
332
IORI YAGAMI
These conceptual marker-pen

visuals for KOF ’95 could be easily
mistaken for fashion designs. They
show a rarely seen version of Iori
with a shorter cut shirt and his
fashionable leg belt missing.
333
IORI YAGAMI
Above Below left Below right

This sketch shows the iterations This KOF ’98 sketch has Iori This design of Iori by Shiroi Eiji
Iori’s hair went through, along with posed as if he’s about to execute for KOF ’95 is rendered in a unique
the decision to go with a thinner one of his trademark moves. and visually striking minimalist
choker. The bottom note states, This stands out a bit for KOF ’98 style. The viewer’s attention is
“You can see his trapezius muscle. Iori art, much of which sees him directed to his impressive neck
His chest is also muscular.” Something posed upright or otherwise more and chest, and the exaggerated
noticed by fans over the years! in control of himself. broadness of his shoulders.
334
IORI YAGAMI
Below
A full-colour version of this
Iori illustration would be
used in his official team image
for KOF ’95. We can see how all
of the elements of his outfit and
stance come together here and
complement each other.
Right
Shinkiro’s Iori illustration for
KOF ’98 sees the artist confidently
pose the character with his back to
the viewer, letting the design speak
for itself and treating the subject
like he’s at a modelling shoot
instead of preparing for a fight.
335
IORI YAGAMI
One of the earliest drawings of

Iori and Kyo together. Both have
hesitant rather than angry facial
expressions, hinting at how they
would join forces in subsequent
storylines. The line work here
prioritises the two fighters’
hairstyles over everything else.
Right
This sketch is the basis for Iori’s
win portrait in KOF ’99. Iori was
a hidden character in the arcade
release, so this image was rarely
seen until the game was released
on home systems.
Below
After some fashion changes in
KOF XII and XIII, Eisuke Ogura
gave Iori a coat for his KOF XIV
look. We’ve seen Iori wear a red
coat in promotional art (and a
black coat for his alternate Striker
appearance in KOF 2000), but
this was a huge change for his
in-game design.
336
IORI YAGAMI
Now with Orochi blood, Orochi Iori

debuted in KOF ’97 as a mid-boss.
He has remarkably enhanced
strength, speed and agility due
to the Orochi power within him.
Although more powerful, his actual
fighting style remains the same.
337
JOE
JOE HIGASHI
HIGASHI
Another import from the
Fatal Fury series, Joe
Higashi uses the Muay
Thai martial art to fight
his opponents, who also
have to deal with powerful
special moves such as his
Tiger Kick and TNT Punch.
Higashi has become one
of the most popular KOF
combatants since his
debut in 1994.
Joe’s fighting gear is simple but

has staying power. While he has
had some very subtle changes
over the years, his Japanese flag-
themed headband, shorts, wraps,
and huge hair have been constants
for the character.
338
JOE HIGASHI
This early KOF ’94 design for Another early KOF ’94 design This drawing of Joe’s back for
Joe shows that the developers for Joe – this time his shorts are KOF XIV shows a new design for
started by adhering to his design simplified with an elastic waistband his shorts. Many elements unique
in Fatal Fury 2 and Special – one instead of the more detailed tie to the character, such as his white
noticeable alteration being the used in the Fatal Fury series. headband and spiky hairstyle,
‘J’ added to his shorts, which was The ‘Joe’ on his shorts is typically have been present throughout the
removed from the final design. written in English in-game. various KOF games over the years.
Right
“You bring a song to mind. Heard
of the ‘Loser Blues’?” is the quote
that goes with this win screen
art for KOF ’99. Joe’s role as the
joker of the team grew stronger
with each KOF.
Below
This sketch for KOF ’95 shows
Joe in an aggressive, more serious
pose. Being the clown of the Fatal
Fury team was a gradual change
for Joe in KOF, as would his
change from being quite stoic
to being overly confident.
339
K'
K'
Below left
This sketch of K' shows how
his general look was settled on
relatively early, but small details
like the design of his cross were
given extra attention. In this early
sketch, his red glove appears on
his opposite hand.
Below right
In this KOF ’99 illustration
by Shinkiro, K'’s dark clothing,
contrasting with his white hair,
gives him an instantly recognisable
look. The red glove on his right
hand is used to help contain and
control K'’s fire-wielding abilities.
Debuting as the leader of
the Hero team in KOF ’99,
K' (pronounced ‘K Dash’)
is the central protagonist
of the NESTS saga, and
was designed to be a
darker hero character than
Kyo Kusanagi. His special
moves include the deadly
Heaven’s Drive and his
fighting style is described
as ‘Pure Violence’.
340
K'
Right
The ‘A BEAST OF PREY’ wording
on the back of K'’s jacket can be
seen in a few concept art pieces.
This sketch also gives us a good
look at the detail for K'’s right arm.
Far right
This K' art from KOF 2000 by
Shinkiro features subtle changes
to his hair. According to the
developers, there was concern over
inadvertently giving him the same
hairstyle as Rock Howard from
Garou: Mark of the Wolves.
Below
K' screaming – as in this sketch
from KOF XIV – has been a
common depiction of the character
in more recent games, with his
impatience and anger being a
subject of amusement for the
majority of the KOF cast.
Bottom
This sketch forms the basis of
K'’s win screen in KOF ’99. After
the battle, the character is shown
pulling back and preparing to
attack an opponent. Even K'’s
regular glove is given a lot of
attention by the designers here.
341
KASUMI
KASUMI TODOH
TODOH
The daughter of Art Of
Fighting’s Ryuhaku Todoh,
Kasumi is a Japanese
fighter and master of the
Aikido and Kobujutsu
martial arts. Kasumi
debuted in KOF ’96 on
the Women Fighters team,
replacing Yuri Sakazaki and
fighting with King and Mai
Shiranui. Her Super Special
Move Fakeout Punch Kick
Crunch is legendary.
This illustration of Kasumi for KOF

’98 Ultimate Match shows how her
design closely adheres to her look
in Art Of Fighting 3 and KOF ’96.
Her outfit is colour coordinated
with her hair, but is otherwise very
similar to her father’s.
342
KASUMI TODOH
Right
This early sketch for Kasumi’s
appearance in KOF ’96 shows how
closely the developers stuck with
her look from Art of Fighting 3.
Note the talisman hanging from
her waist, however – it’s on her
right side on the in-game sprite.
Far right
Shinkiro’s KOF ’99 illustration
shows how much Kasumi changed
for KOF ’99 and 2000. The
biggest alterations are that she
was given a more elaborately
wrapped top with cinched, baggier
sleeves. She also now wears her
hair in a ponytail.
Below
These developer notes point
out various aspects of Kasumi’s
KOF ’99 design. Among them
are directions that the back of her
arm/hand padding should have a
glossier look, and that her now
longer sleeves be tucked into her
sash, through which her hakama
are also knotted.
343
KIM
KIM KAPHWAN
KAPHWAN
A Korean Taekwondo
master, Kim’s official
nickname is ‘The Crown
Jewel of Taekwondo’
and he fights with Chang
Koehan and Choi Bounge
on the Korea team. Kim
hails from the Fatal Fury
series and has been in the
majority of KOF games to
date, fighting with special
moves like his Crescent
Moon Slice.
This sketch is the basis for

Kim Kaphwan’s win screen
in KOF ’99. This action pose
suits the character well, and
like many depictions of Kim,
it uses his hair and the folds
of his clothing to create a
distinct and detailed image.
344
KIM KAPHWAN
Left Bottom
A confident Kim Kaphwan strikes These illustrations of Kim Kaphwan
a pose in this illustration for KOF for the KOF ’94 RE-BOUT opening
’94. Drawing attention to his movie follow how he first appeared
arms makes sense – this sketch in KOF ’94. This has been Kim’s
was made when Kim’s stance in look for most of the series, with
the Fatal Fury series still had him the only real change being that
facing the screen. he receives baggier trousers in
later games.
Below right
This sketch features Kim Kaphwan
locking eyes with the viewer. His
stance would change a few more
times throughout the series, but
KOF ’95 is where his personality
really came into its own.
345
KING
KING
Bottom left
King wears a short jacket in
several of her appearances, but
for KOF ’96 she trades it in for a
waistcoat. This surprisingly passive
pose is a stark contrast to how
aggressively she plays in the game.
Bottom right
“Weaklings!” is all King has to say
to the Hero team when beating
them in KOF ’94. This sketch of
King savouring her victory (and
some wine) goes with her team’s
KOF ’94 win screen.
Right
Debuting in Art Of Fighting This early development design
of King for KOF ’94 is very close
as the only playable female to her look in the original Art Of
Fighting. Although the first female
character, King has since fighter in Art Of Fighting, her initial
become a mainstay of the appearance was designed so that
her gender was not clear.
KOF series, first appearing
on the Women Fighters
team in KOF ’94. King is
actually French, though,
and fights with a form
of Muay Thai kickboxing,
along with powerful
her Double Venom Strike.
346
KING
Below left Below right Above right

Shinkiro’s KOF ’98 illustration of the King first appeared in Art Of This design sketch for KOF ’98
Women Fighters team shows how Fighting as a bouncer, but owns details some of the alterations
King now has a white jacket, similar her own clubs and bars throughout to King’s look from past games.
to the one she wears in Art Of the KOF series. This sketch was Specific notes are made that her
Fighting 2. Unlike in earlier artworks, initially created for SNK’s 1998 jacket only has one pocket and
she now shows her aggression with calendar and re-created for KOF that the heels of her shoes are
a high kick aimed at the viewer. ’97 in a revised beach setting. not to be made too high.
347
KYO
KYO KUSANAGI
Below
Kyo’s looks have changed a few
times through the series, but
this KOF ’94 sketch shows us
the gloves, jacket collar, hair and
headband that would take the
character from his first appearance
through to the early 2000s.
KUSANAGI
The primary character of
the entire KOF series, and
one of the most famous
fighting game characters
of all time, Kyo Kusanagi
fights with his trademark
fire powers. Already a
confident fighter in KOF
’94, Kyo would go on to
face many foes, including
his fierce rival Iori Yagami.
348
KYO KUSANAGI
Below left Below right Bottom
An early design for KOF ’94 with This later sketch for KOF ’94 is The final version of Kyo lacks
a slightly older looking face. Still much closer to the Kyo we know. the heavy flame motif of this
known as Syo at this point, the While simple, we can see the early concept. This prototype
biker outfit this iteration was built beginnings of the fashion model- of Kyo actually pops up briefly in
around was ditched early on for like posing that would be common KOF 2000, named Syo Kirishima,
the short jacket and bigger hair in key art across the KOF series. as an alternate Striker for Kyo.
seen in the final game.
349
KYO KUSANAGI
This more refined design of Kyo for

KOF ’94 now has the Kusanagi family
symbol on the back of his jacket instead
of the flame patterns on his arms and
legs. This cooler, more confident style
of pose would become common for
many of the series’ characters.
350
KYO KUSANAGI
Some sketches of Kyo gesturing to

the viewer. These were all potential win
screen images for KOF ’95, with the
bottom middle image making it into the
game. We now notice how the playful
side of Kyo’s personality is starting to
come out in his character art.
351
KYO KUSANAGI
352
KYO KUSANAGI
Opposite page
The sketches on the top half
of this page look like potential
cutscene images for KOF ’95. The
bottom half gives us some fun Kyo
face studies. In all of these, extra
attention is given to how Kyo’s hair
hangs over his headband.
This page
This image is the basis for the
main key art for KOF ’95. Rather
than show off the large roster, the
final image is just Kyo (with added
flames) over a black background,
showing how much of an impact
the character had on audiences
and on SNK.
353
KYO KUSANAGI
A sketch for Kyo from the

development of KOF ’95.
A preference for a looser cut
of trousers is noted, though in
the end, Kyo’s in-game sprite
for KOF ’97 is the same as
the one from KOF ’96.
354
KYO KUSANAGI
This pair of sketches for KOF ’95

are most likely early takes on
the game’s introduction graphics.
Note how, even this early in the
series, there’s an effort to get
Kyo’s hair/headband and gloves
in the same shot.
This striking illustration is close to

the final piece used for KOF ’95’s
intro, in which Kyo first squares off
with Iori Yagami. The focus on his
eyes would become a big part of
Kyo key art throughout the series.
355
KYO KUSANAGI
This Shinkiro art was made for

KOF ’98, showing us a calm Kyo
manipulating a burst of flames from
his hand. From KOF ’98 onwards,
final character art for Kyo showing
him wielding flames would become
more common.
356
KYO KUSANAGI
Kyo’s outfit received a full makeover
for KOF ’99. These notes detail some
of the changes, like the addition of a
wallet chain and the ragged hem of
his trousers. The biggest changes,
though, are his new white jacket and
black shirt with a white cross on it.
Ogura’s Kyo design for KOF XIV

stays relatively close to his KOF ’99
and XIII looks, but with significantly
more pockets added to his jacket,
which now has a large, fully popped
collar. We can also see the Kusanagi
family symbol worked into the
patterns on the back.
357
LEONA
LEONA
Right
The wide variety of slight grimaces
here are typical for Leona’s
character, who is generally written
as very deadpan and serious. Extra
attention is paid to making sure
her hairstyle is clearly shown no
matter the angle.
Introduced in KOF ’96 as

a replacement for Heidern,
Leona is known as ‘The
Silent Soldier’ and fights
on the Ikari Warriors team
along with Ralf Jones and
Clark Still. She is Heidern’s
adopted daughter and
fights with a series of
explosive special moves,
including her X-Calibur,
Grand Saber and Baltic
Launcher.
Leona’s moves all emphasise

discipline and precision, the result
of her being adopted by Heidern
and receiving extensive military-
style training from a young age.
358
LEONA

This Shinkiro sketch, created early This sketch is the basis for some
in Leona’s development for KOF ’96, of Orochi Leona’s in-game art in
shows her deep in thought, walking KOF ’97. Her moves are the same
through a wooded area in formal as those of her usual stoic self, but
attire similar to what she wears she gains animal-like mannerisms
during her KOF ’96 intro animation. and a massive boost to her speed.
359
LUCKY
LUCKY GLAUBER
Right
A very early design for Lucky from
KOF ’94. It’s a bit on the generic
side, but we can see how his final
in-game look is a big improvement,
giving the character more attitude
with his backwards cap and trainers.
GLAUBER
A member of KOF’s very
rarely used American
Sports team, Lucky Glauber
debuted in KOF ’94 and
uses a mixture of basketball
and karate moves to fight his
opponents. After an absence
of a few years, Lucky later
appeared in KOF ’98, when
the American Sports team
returned with updated
moves and appearances.
This sketch was used as the

basis for Lucky’s win screen art
in KOF ’98. Along with Heavy D!,
Lucky got a new outfit for this
game, with the developers taking
great care in translating how
the clothing would appear on
his in-game pixel art.
360
LUCKY GLAUBER
Above right Below left Below right

This KOF ’94 development design This back view of Lucky Glauber This American Sports team
for Lucky is pretty close to his from KOF ’94 gives us a good illustration for KOF ’98 clearly shows
final in-game appearance, the look at the detail the developers Shinkiro’s expertise and background
only difference being his kneepad put into his outfit. Amusingly, as a sports illustrator. He manages
switching sides and his slighter build. this sketch also features some to perfectly capture the movement
His outfit’s colours were inspired completely authentic ‘No Air’ and of Lucky mid-game, with some
by a well-known basketball team. ‘DKYN’ fashion branding. excellent detailing on his clothes.
361
MAI
MAI SHIRANUI
SHIRANUI
Mai’s official nickname
in KOF is ‘The Alluring
Ninja Girl’ and she’s been
a popular character in
the vast majority of KOF
games since her debut
in 1994. This Japanese
combatant fights with
Shiranui-ryuu Ninjutsu as
well as pyrokinesis, with
Mai able to create and
control fire.
This confident sketch of Mai is

used as her win screen portrait
in KOF ’99. While Mai’s outfit
has changed a bit throughout the
character’s life, her fan and hairpin
have been constants that give the
character a distinctive appearance.
362
MAI SHIRANUI
Below Bottom left Bottom right
These front, side and back views This sketch is an early version of This Shinkiro art for KOF ’99 sees
of Mai for the KOF ’94 RE-BOUT what would eventually become Mai wistfully looking to her side,
opening movie give us a good Mai’s win screen art for KOF ’95. towards long-time love interest
view of how her outfit is kept very Her vanity and playful personality Andy Bogard. Despite being
close to that from Fatal Fury 2 come through here as she gives one of Fatal Fury’s most popular
and Fatal Fury Special – the one the viewer a cheeky wink while characters, KOF ’99 is the first to
major alteration being that it gets celebrating victory. put her on the Fatal Fury team.
increasingly more revealing.
363
MATURE
MATURE
A member of the Hakkesshu,

the followers of Orochi,
Mature was created with the
image of a ‘ruthless woman’
in mind, and in KOF fiction
she is one of Rugal’s former
secretaries. Mature now
fights with the Hakkesshu to
free Orochi from its sealed
prison using special moves
like her Metal Massacre.
Right
Mature, as she first appeared in
a cutscene towards the end of
KOF ’94, is, at this stage, unnamed.
When the character was brought
back for the home versions of
KOF XII, she was given a suit
similar to this one.
Below
A portrait of an excited Mature
for KOF XIV. Long earrings have
always been part of her look, but
Ogura has also loosened the front
of her hair a bit. Despite the casual
demeanour, her cruelty and quick,
slashing special moves are kept
intact in the game.
364
MATURE

A sketch detailing Mature and This early design for Mature for This Yagami team art for KOF ’98
Vice’s return in KOF ’98. The notes KOF ’96 shows how she went by Shinkiro shows how little Mature’s
state that when they wear boots, through a few different outfits look had changed since ’96, retaining
their heights should be the same before the final one was chosen. her recognisable Gothic-style dress.
as Iori’s. The lower right section Don’t be fooled by this innocent Most alterations were in-game, where
playfully show how they wear pose, as she’s a ruthless and she has several new animations and
shorts and stockings. often sadistic competitor. fleshed-out moves.
365
MAXIMA
MAXIMA
Introduced in KOF ’99

as part of the new Hero
team, Maxima’s name is
shared with a character
from SNK’s Robo Army
game. He uses a mixture
of pro wrestling and
striking moves to defeat
his foes, along with special
moves such as his M-4
Vapor Cannon and
Bull Dog Press.
During the development of KOF ’99,

Maxima originally wasn’t quite as
big. The shoulder pads and collar
on his coat, in particular, were made
larger in the final design and look
more like pieces of armour.
366
MAXIMA
Top left Top right Above

Shinkiro’s Maxima art for KOF Eisuke Ogura’s art for Maxima in Various design notes for Maxima
2000 fits the character’s moveset, KOF XIII shows the cybernetic from KOF ’99. They state that
which often involves some heavy mechanisms on his arms that let he’s two metres tall and his neck is
forward momentum. As a cyborg, him perform his Vapor Cannon and covered up so that only his face is
he possesses super-human related special moves. His outfit exposed. It’s also pointed out that
strength, making him a pretty has remained mostly identical the segments on top of his coat
formidable opponent. during his career, until KOF XIV. are intended to be rubber padding.
367
MR.
MR. BIG
Bottom left
Shinkiro’s Boss team art for
KOF ’96 shows Mr. Big with the
two infamous Fatal Fury bosses,
Geese Howard and Wolfgang
Krauser. This would be Mr. Big’s
only playable appearance in KOF
until KOF ’98 Ultimate Match.
Below
This illustration of Mr. Big for
KOF ’98 Ultimate Match shows
BIG
that while his teammates’ designs
stayed similar to their appearances
in the Fatal Fury series, Mr. Big
got a makeover with a longer coat.
A boss character from the

Art Of Fighting series who
made his debut in KOF ’96
as part of the game’s Boss
team, Mr. Big is the former
kingpin of South Town.
He learnt to fight within
the special forces, utilising
Grand Blaster.
368
MR. BIG
Right
shows Mr. Big confidently posing
with his Rattan Sticks, which
can spawn energy projectiles and
electricity. The sharp suit and
sheepskin coat perfectly reflect
his gangster background.
Above
This sketch of Mr. Big for KOF ’96
illustrates that in addition to getting
a longer jacket, his now smaller scarf
from Art of Fighting 2 is tucked
under a newly added waistcoat.
369
OROCHI
OROCHI
The main antagonist for the

entire KOF Orochi Saga, and
the big boss of the saga’s
final game, KOF ’97, Orochi
is the human incarnation
of the divine being set on
humanity’s eradication.
Freed by the Hakkesshu,
Orochi possesses Chris’s
body and has to be stopped
by Kyo, Iori and Chizuru.
Right
Orochi looks like a taller, buffer
version of Chris at a glance. In
this KOF ’97 sketch he proudly
displays the eight-headed mark of
Orochi tattoo adorning his chest.
Opposite bottom left

A sketch of Orochi’s win screen
portrait from KOF ’97. Although
not as difficult to beat as Rugal,
this new boss has a kick move
that evokes Rugal’s infamous
Genocide Cutter.
370
OROCHI
Above left Above right Below right

This Orochi art by Shinkiro for This moody sketch for KOF ’97 Orochi’s appearance in KOF
KOF ’97 pictures him using his differs from other art for the game ’98 Ultimate Match has hardly
powers to levitate. His huge as it features only Kyo Kusanagi changed since his introduction
repertoire of moves includes being and Orochi. Kyo readies himself for in KOF ’97. While levitating, he
able to translocate and move battle while the intimidating Orochi appears to summon his magical
objects with his mind. looms overhead. powers with a raised arm.
371
RALF
RALF JONES
This is Ralf’s character art for KOF

XI. He’s had a few changes to his
clothing colours and cut over the
years, but that bandana is forever.
He’s also worn a vest of some kind
in every game except for KOF XIV.
JONES
Ralf Jones made his debut
in KOF ’94 as part of the
Brazil team, along with his
Ikari Warriors team members
Clark Still and Heidern.
Interestingly, Ralf was
originally designed to fight
topless and with throwable
grenades, but both ideas
were dropped, leaving the
classic commando look seen
in most KOF games.
In this win screen art from

KOF ’95, Ralf proudly showcases
his overly muscular arms. His
powerful punches – such as his
Vulcan and Kyukoka Bakudan –
are key to his fighting style.
372
RALF JONES

These design notes show how This Rambo-esque sketch of This very early design for Ralf for
KOF ’99 played host to some Ralf by Shinkiro shows him fully- KOF ’94 shows that, at this point
of the biggest changes to Ralf’s loaded with machine gun and in the character’s design, both
outfit. The notes indicate a more ammunition, heavily referencing Ralf and Clark would have had the
padded vest and different shirt his look from Ikari Warriors. same long headband, with only
hem, along with a solid colour Only the bandana and bandoleer their hairstyles making it possible
bandana instead of patterned. made it onto the final character. to tell them apart.
373
ROBERT
ROBERT GARCIA
GARCIA
A member of KOF ’94’s
Mexico team, which is
composed of characters
series, Italian Robert
Garcia has been a
mainstay of the KOF
series of games, utilising
the Kyokugenryu karate
martial art to defeat his
foes. He is nicknamed
‘The Raging Tiger’.
Above right
This early design sketch for
KOF ’94 is pretty close to his
final design. Special care has
been used to keep the detail of
his shoes intact from the first
two Art Of Fighting games.
Right
This sketch from KOF ’95 appears
to be an early take on what would
become his win screen portrait. In
this image, Robert’s look is close
to that from the Art Of Fighting
games, but with a darker shirt.
374
ROBERT GARCIA
Above left
Robert’s look in this KOF ’98
art is based on how he appears
in Art Of Fighting 3. The lack of
waistcoat is a huge change, and
one that would be backtracked
from in KOF ’99.
Above right
These fun sketches of Robert
from KOF ’95 include him blowing
a love heart! The lower of the two
appears to have been an early pass
at his KOF ’95 win screen art.
Right
In these walking and fighting poses
for Robert’s KOF ’99 look, the
design notes pay special attention
to his long-sleeved shirt, extra
detail on his gloves and metal
fittings on his shoes.
375
RUGAL
RUGAL BERNSTEIN
BERNSTEIN
Among the most famous
fighting game boss
characters of all time,
Rugal Bernstein was
designed for KOF ’94 to
be the strongest, most
violent and most evil boss
character ever. The KOF
team succeeded, and
Rugal proceeded to chomp
through countless players’
credits in the arcade and
on home consoles.
“Repeat this after me: I’ll never

take on a god again,” is the line
that goes with Rugal’s KOF ’98
win screen art, pictured here.
Rugal is incredibly arrogant in
all of his KOF appearances.
376
RUGAL BERNSTEIN

These design detail notes for These notes for Rugal’s KOF ’95 The only thing worse than fighting
Rugal in KOF ’98 clearly state cutscene appearance point out how Rugal in KOF ’94 is fighting
that they’re based on his KOF ’94 many of his clothing’s accessories Omega Rugal in KOF ’95! Now
appearance. Annotations include are to appear in black. Annotations heavily cybernetically augmented,
details on his artificial eye, fittings also include special details on his he features a glowing red eye,
on his braces and mesh vest. cuffs, jacket buttons and cross tie. robotic arm and a new super-move.
377
RUGAL BERNSTEIN
Of these concept sketches for

cutscenes featuring Omega Rugal,
the one top right will be most
familiar to KOF ’95 players. The
image on the left not only lacks a
moustache, but also features what
look like some tattered bandages
on his left hand instead of the
fingerless glove we see elsewhere.
378
RUGAL BERNSTEIN

These very early concepts for Shinkiro’s KOF ’98 artwork pictures
Rugal show a leopard tattoo on his Rugal standing alone. The end-boss
chest which is said to only appear has no friends or family of note, and
when his ‘emotions rise’. The this brutal opponent is infamous
daunting bottom image is designed for his powerful attacks, ruthless
to be a bio-mechanical merger of personality and complete disregard
Rugal, Geese and Krauser. for human life.
379
RYO
RYO SAKAZAKI
SAKAZAKI
The main protagonist of
the Art Of Fighting series,
Japanese Kyokugenryu
karate master Ryo
debuted in KOF ’94
with the nickname ‘The
Invincible Dragon’. Ryo
has become a key player
in the KOF series of
games, wowing players
with his rich array of
special moves, such
as his Ko-Ou Ken attack.
Ryo’s win portrait for KOF ’99

shows his usual confidence. His
look has changed very little over
the years, with the developers
instead changing things like his
stance animation and special move
properties more dramatically.
380
RYO SAKAZAKI

This sketch for KOF ’94 shows Ryo’s character illustration from These KOF ’95 sketches of
Ryo’s slightly wilder hair and KOF ’99 by Shinkiro sees him Ryo have him looking a little
undershirt, which are in line with his excitedly posed, as in his in-game more serious than how he appears
look in the original Art Of Fighting, fighting stance. His karate gi in the game. They show various
while the ripped sleeves reference seems redder in this design, fighting poses, taunts and details
his look in Art Of Fighting 2. as in Art Of Fighting 3. of his ripped clothing.
381
RYUJI
RYUJI YAMAZAKI
Right
This sketch is an early version of
Yamazaki’s team win screen art
for KOF ’97. Even in this concept
visual we can see how his look
was updated from his appearance
in the Fatal Fury series, the most
noticeable addition being his jacket.
YAMAZAKI
A villainous character
in the KOF series, Ryuji
Yamazaki actually hails
from the Fatal Fury series.
He was brought in to
be the eighth and final
member of the Hakkesshu,
debuting in KOF ’97, and
he uses a fighting style
called the Personal Art of
Combative Homicide. He
uses special moves, like
Serpent Slash, to defeat
his foes.
While Ryuji Yamazaki’s art for

KOF ’97 generally looks similar to
that for his debut in Fatal Fury 3,
he now sports a long-sleeved
turtleneck and a waistcoat instead
of just a T-shirt. He would keep this
style for most of his appearances
throughout the KOF series.
382
RYUJI YAMAZAKI
Top middle Top right Above

Yamazaki appeared in KOF ’99 With Shinkiro leaving SNK in Design sketches for Yamazaki
Evolution as a Striker assist 2001, the appearance of characters in KOF ’97. The notes mention
character. While the in-game sprite such as Yamazaki took on a new his gloves, leather waistcoat and
is the same as those in KOF ’97 and look, as shown in this KOF 2003 shoes. Also specified is that his
’98, this Shinkiro illustration shows art by Falcoon. His top is now coat is made of mink, and that he
him with a slightly updated outfit just a T-shirt, closely matching wears extra-thick rubber wristbands
compared to the one seen previously. his Fatal Fury appearance. to keep his gloves secure.
383
SAISYU
SAISYU KUSANAGI
KUSANAGI
Kyo Kusanagi’s father, and
patriarch of the Kusanagi
bloodline, Saisyu actually
first appears in KOF ’94
as one of Rugal’s defeated
opponents. He then makes
a surprise comeback to
the series in KOF ’95 as a
mid-level boss character,
with Rugal’s secretary Vice
brainwashing him with the
task of defeating Kyo.
This Saisyu sketch for KOF ’95

shows that, unlike Kyo, he is
dressed quite formally, with the
Kusanagi family symbol much
more prominent on his clothes.
His default colours are similar to
the muted greens worn by Kyo
during this part of the series.
384
SAISYU KUSANAGI
In these design sketches for Saisyu,
we can see the character’s easy
confidence coming through, even this
early in development. We even get
to see a rare glimpse of what seems
to be a tattoo of the Kusanagi flame
symbol on his forehead.
385
SAISYU KUSANAGI

KOF ’98 features Saisyu on a Confidently posed, Saisyu’s full This win screen art for KOF ’98
team with two other characters character art for KOF ’95 gives shows that Saisyu’s outfit is
whose kids are competing in the us a clear view of the outfit he the same as it was in KOF ’95,
tournament. The notes specify how fights in. Like Kyo, Saisyu is often although one alteration is evident,
their looks haven’t changed (since posed in official art such that the in that his top is now even more
KOF ’95), except that Heidern’s Kusanagi family symbol is proudly open, revealing his chest. This is
uniform is a different colour. displayed for all to see. also reflected in his in-game sprite.
386
SAISYU KUSANAGI
Below left Below top right Below bottom right

A stern-looking Saisyu stares This early development illustration Shinkiro’s KOF ’98 illustration for
down the viewer in this design of Saisyu for KOF ’94 shows us how Saisyu shows that although he had
sketch for KOF ’95. The notes he originally had a slightly darker very few appearances in KOF, his
specify the tying of the obi around colour palette, with a gold obi belt outfit has stayed consistent, bar
his waist. They also point out that and trouser ties, as opposed to the subtle changes to his footwear
his necklace is made from stone. red ones in the final design. and the cut of his trousers.
387
SHERMIE
SHERMIE
Despite her role as a fashion

designer who also plays
in a band, the glamorous
Shermie is actually another
member of the villainous
Hakkesshu. Mysteriously, her
eyes are hidden by her hair,
and there’s no material that
reveals what her face actually
looks like. The fighter – who
hails from France – debuted
in KOF ’97.
Below
This KOF ’98 illustration of the
New Faces team gives us a look at
the detail on Shermie’s boots and
the cut of her skirt. At first glance,
her elusive personality makes it
impossible to guess what she is
thinking. Although hidden under
the hair, her eyes are burning with
a homicidal glare.
388
SHERMIE
Above
This Shermie art was made for KOF
R-2 ’s cover, but few got to see it,
as she’s partly obscured by Yashiro
within the collage of characters.
Like the in-game sprites, this piece
is in a chibi or super-deformed style.
Left
This concept sketch would become
Shermie’s win screen art for
KOF ’97. It shows her one-piece
leotard, which allows her skirt and
top to have more revealing cuts.
Above right
Shermie rocking out with her fellow
band and KOF teammates, Chris
and Yashiro. This Shinkiro sketch
gives us a small insight into her
backstory and personality away
from fighting.
Right
This casually posed sketch of
Shermie for KOF ’98 shows her
with an enigmatic smirk. The tie
details on her shirt’s cuffs, look
like they may match the ones
on Goenitz’s vestments.
389
SHINGO
SHINGO YABUKI
YABUKI
First appearing in KOF ’97,
the Japanese student Shingo
Yabuki was initially based on
Kyo Kusanagi but was then
geared to be a younger and
more comic everyday guy.
His fighting style is even
based on Kyo’s, replicating
many of his moves but,
crucially, without Kyo’s
trademark flames.
This KOF ’98 art by Shinkiro for

Shingo plays up the character’s
goofy nature while also showing
off his devotion to the Kusanagi
fighting style via his gloves. The
character’s moves are built around
this design, with many being harder
hitting, but flameless, versions of
Kyo’s moves.
390
SHINGO YABUKI
Below left Bottom left Below right

This sketch of Shingo taking A contemplative Kyo looks off- Shingo smirks at the viewer in this
some well-earned time off was frame as an enthusiastic Shingo KOF ’97 concept art. He’s a little
made for a 1998 calendar, and provides encouragement. As Kyo’s calmer here than usual, as most
is one of many by Shinkiro from disciple, Shingo will do anything official art of Shingo plays up his
KOF ’97 featuring the characters’ for him in exchange for learning enthusiasm with exaggerated facial
lives outside of competing in KOF. Kusanagi family-style martial arts. expressions and poses.
391
SHINGO YABUKI
Below Bottom left Bottom right

These sketches for KOF ’98 show This dramatic sketch of Shinkiro’s illustration of Shingo for
a more confident Shingo. The Shingo Yabuki from KOF ’97 ’s KOF ’97 shows Shingo’s motivation
image on the left would be used development gave the underdog as Kyo’s disciple, emphasised
within the intro sequence, and the a huge push by being used for by picturing him completing his
playful depiction on the right would part of an animation in the intro, imitation of Kyo’s look by putting
become his win screen art. shown right before Kyo himself! on a similar headband.
392
SHINGO YABUKI
This sketch is for one of several key

art pieces featuring Kyo, Iori, and new
boy Shingo. During the pre-release
promotion of KOF ’97, Shingo’s
silhouette appeared in advertising
campaigns in magazines, becoming
an extensively hyped character.
393
SIE
SIE KENSOU
KENSOU
Sie Kensou is Athena
Asamiya’s partner from
SNK’s Psycho Soldier
arcade game, and debuted
with her in KOF ’94 as
part of the China team. Sie
uses a mixture of Chinese
kung fu and his own
psychic powers to fight his
enemies, with feared moves
like his Choukyuudan and
Ryuu Gaku Sai.
Top right
This Sie Kensou art by
Shinkiro for KOF ’97
really shows off Kensou’s
long-running obsession
with steamed buns,
something that’s part
of the character’s intro
animations as well as being
worked into his moves.
Right
A confident looking
Sie Kensou poses in this
KOF ’99 sketch, which
was used for his win
screen portrait, and is
accompanied by the
line, “I’m not a psychic,
but I am a psycho!”
394
SIE KENSOU

In this detailed design sheet for These development character These early Kensou designs for
KOF XI, we can see how, even illustrations for Kensou from KOF ’94 show how a more formal
if his overall appearance isn’t as KOF ’94 are very close to how martial arts school combatant
flashy as his teammate Athena’s, he would ultimately appear in the might look with a braid. This
the developers still put a lot of game. Confidently posed, he does, look, more akin to that in Psycho
effort into detailing how Kensou’s however, seem more fresh-faced Soldier, would later reappear in
clothing would appear. in these images. KOFs XII through XIV.
395
TAKUMA
TAKUMA SAKAZAKI
SAKAZAKI
Another Art Of Fighting
character who made his
way over to KOF in 1994,
Takuma Sakazaki is the
world’s most practised
master of Kyokugenryu
karate, and father of Ryo
Sakazaki. Takuma is notable
for having a famous, more
villainous alternate persona
called Mr. Karate, who
appears in a number of
SNK games.
Right
Takuma fights topless in Art Of
Fighting 2, showing off a scar, but
the developers have said they
changed this for the KOF games
to differentiate him from Goro
Daimon, as seen in this sketch
from KOF ’95.
Opposite bottom
These Takuma rough sketches
for KOF ’94 show him at various
angles and poses. The whimsical
heart is in stark contrast to the
angry, bloodied portrait also
seen in this set.
396
TAKUMA SAKAZAKI
Above left
Takuma’s outfit is plain on
the surface, but reflects the
character’s experience and
devotion to his fighting style.
As a master of Kyokugenryu
karate his black belt is a clear
sign of his prowess.
Above right
After a three-year break, an
excited Takuma returned in
KOF ’98. He’s now less stern –
a big difference from his slightly
meaner earlier appearances.
397
TERRY
TERRY BOGARD
BOGARD
The main protagonist of
the Fatal Fury series,
and general fighting
game character legend,
Terry Bogard has been a
permanent fixture in the
KOF series. The older
brother of Andy Bogard,
Terry fights with a wide
mixture of styles and wields
fighting game special move
royalty such as the Power
Wave and Buster Wolf.
This sketch for KOF ’95 looks to

be an early concept for his win
screen art. Terry throwing his hat
off after winning a round has been
among his win poses since the
original Fatal Fury.
398
TERRY BOGARD
Left
This very early Terry design for
KOF ’94 features ‘FATAL FURY’
emblazoned on his jacket, which
didn’t make the cut. Although the
front of his cap was plain white for
KOF ’94, later games included the
Fatal Fury logo.
Right
In this early KOF ’94 illustration,
Terry’s design is generally kept in
line with his appearance in Fatal
Fury 2 and Fatal Fury Special. He
retained his iconic red jacket, white
T-shirt and blue jeans look until
KOF 2003, to match Garou: Mark
of the Wolves.
Below left
This Terry sketch from KOF ’94 is
possibly an idea for his background
sprite as shown when his teammates
are fighting. Terry’s long hair is
prominent, something he would
keep until his entire look was
updated in KOF 2003.
Below middle
This KOF ’97 art shows some
of the subtle changes to Terry’s
design from ’96 to ’97. The most
prominent is the brighter shade
of red on his jacket, but there’s also
a clearer Fatal Fury logo on his hat.
Below right
This KOF ’98 illustration by
Shinkiro shows that while Terry’s
overall look is the same, the style
of his jacket has been tweaked
slightly and given some additional
shoulder detail not present in his
KOF ’97 design.
399
TERRY BOGARD
Left
An early concept sketch showing
all three teammates’ faces close
together. This is from when the
developers were considering
having team order selection be
done via an animated group shot
of the team instead of selecting
from their in-game sprites.
Below left
This design sketch for Terry’s
appearance in KOF ’98 shows
how very little the character’s
look has changed at this point.
The note simply points out that
his collar is to be the same as it
appeared in KOF ’95.
Below right
This win screen sketch for
KOF ’98 is very similar to the
final design, with the key difference
being to Terry’s mouth, giving him
a slight smirk instead of the more
neutral expression seen here.
400
TERRY BOGARD
Above Below
These drawings for the KOF ’94 Some facial expression studies by
RE-BOUT intro sequence conform Eisuke Ogura for KOF XIV. Terry’s
to the look of the original KOF ’94, voice acting has always made him an
and give us a good view of the expressive character, and care has
detail the developers still had in been taken to make sure his artwork
mind for Terry’s jacket, even with takes that into account. Note the
KOF ’94’s darker colour palette. popped collar, which is a first.
401
VICE
VICE
Below left
The KOF ’95 developers played
around with several concepts for
Rugal’s assistants. At this stage,
an unnamed Vice is seen wearing
a trouser suit opposed to the
skirt and waistcoat combo of
later playable appearances.
Below
This KOF ’96 illustration for Vice
shows her final outfit for the game.
She wears the exact same clothing
as Mature, but with a red waistcoat.
Even in KOF ’96, however, their
moves and attitude set them apart.
Vice was designed by Opposite top left

Several glum-looking Vice sketches
the KOF ’96 team to be are presented to provide guidance
a cruel woman, and very for her hairstyle. The note implores
the developers to show her hair
much a partner in crime going from left to right and ‘to
make it cool, please’.
to Mature. Like Mature,
she is a member of the
villainous Hakkesshu,
and uses a series of
slashing attacks and
special moves, like her
Gore Fest, to beat foes.
402
VICE
Below left Below right Above right

This early KOF ’96 sketch of Vice This KOF ’96 outfit breakdown Now seen in a less elaborate
shows a more casual outfit. Her for Vice shows all of the individual black trouser suit and red shirt,
final look is completely different components that would make it to this artwork for KOF XIII is used
from this, except for her shoes and her final design. Seeing everything for the character select screen.
asymmetrical earrings, which made separated like this just shows the Underneath this formal attire,
it through every early version of levels of detail that went into the however, is a cruel and violent
her character to the final artwork. design of each character. member of the KOF roster.
403
WOLFGANG
WOLFGANG KRAUSER
KRAUSER
The big boss of Fatal Fury 2,
the German Wolfgang Krauser
first made his playable debut
in KOF in 1996 as part of
the Boss team. He fights with
a mixed martial arts style and
deploys a series of powerful
special moves, including his
Blitz Ball, Leg Tomahawk and
Kaiser Wave.
This Krauser art for KOF ’98 Ultimate

Match by Eisuke Ogura shows him
to be muscular, but a little less bulky
in KOF compared to his Fatal Fury
appearance. His KOF ’96 look also
features additional bits of armour on
his arms.
404
WOLFGANG KRAUSER
Above left
This Krauser sketch for KOF ’96
shows how his armour subtly
changed during the design process.
The various annotations detail
his armour, belt and gloves.
Above right
An early sketch of the KOF ’96
Boss team. Like Krauser’s, Mr.
Big’s and Geese’s designs changed
significantly for the final game.
Krauser’s extra armour appears
during his pre-fight animations.
Right
This annotated early design for
KOF ’96 details how Krauser’s
various armour pieces would
appear, going into levels of detail
that include specific shapes,
fittings and patterns.
405
WHIP
WHIP
Below
This mid-swing pose for KOF 2000
didn’t make the cut for the final
game. The developers instead went
with something similar to her win
screen art for KOF ’99, featuring
her standing sternly while whipping
towards the screen.
Initial versions of Whip were

planned to be used as early
as KOF ’96, but she didn’t
swing into the series until
KOF ’99, as a new member
of the Ikari Warriors team.
Her moves are inspired by
various whip-based fighting
techniques, and she plays
a major role in the NESTS
story arc.
This sketch for Whip’s win screen

art for KOF ’99 appropriately
shows off both her whip skills
and how the developers made
an effort to design a fully clothed
Ikari Warriors character to contrast
with Leona’s shorts and top.
406
WHIP
Above
These notes detail Whip’s various
weapons, including Voodoo (her
whip), the gun on her back, a
hidden knife, and heart-shaped
bomb earnings – the latter not
making it onto the final character.
Far left
This Shinkiro art of Whip for
KOF 2000 shows her holding up
her Voodoo, dressed in full military
uniform. The illustration gives
us a good look of her bands
and belt buckle.
Left
Nona’s artwork for Whip from
KOF 2001 has his trademark
exaggerated takes on the rosters’
physiques and clothes. She now
appears taller, thinner and overall
her outfit is simplified.
407
YASHIRO
YASHIRO NANAKASE
NANAKASE
The leader of KOF ’97 ’s
New Faces team, and
member of the villainous
Hakkesshu, bent on freeing
Orochi from its sealed
prison. He uses powerful
Upper Dual, Jet Counter
and Sledge Hammer.
This Orochi Yashiro sketch for

KOF ’97 gives him a much lankier
stance and build. His clothing is
also much looser, most noticeably
in his trousers and the heavier
flaring of his cuffs.
408
YASHIRO NANAKASE
Left
In this sketch by Shinkiro, we see
portraits of Yashiro and his two
teammates, Shermie and Chris.
This might be one of the most
unique pieces of art in KOF history
– we can see Shermie’s eyes!
Below left
This Shinkiro illustration of the
New Faces team for KOF ’97
gives us a good full-colour look
at Yashiro’s footwear, the cut
of his cargo trousers and his
heart choker.
Below right
This sketch was used for one of
Yashiro’s win screen images in
KOF ’97. His height and physique
imply a slow heavy hitter, but the
character has several agile options
for getting close to an opponent.
409
YURI
YURI SAKAZAKI
SAKAZAKI
Yuri Sakazaki actually hails
series, in which she
proceeded to turn from
non-playable captive of
Mr. Big in the first game,
to a powerful fighter in
the second. She was
then adopted by the
KOF series, appearing in
KOF ’94 as part of the
Women Fighters team.
Right
Since KOF ’94, Yuri has had many
changes to her animations and
moves throughout the KOF series,
but her outfit of tights, a karate gi,
headband and red sneakers has
stayed with her.
Opposite bottom left

Shinkiro’s Yuri art from KOF
2000 plays up Yuri’s fun-loving
personality. There is one major
change to her outfit in this game:
her larger sneakers with less
baggy socks. KOF 2000 is the
only game where she has these.
410
YURI SAKAZAKI
Above left Above right Below right

This rough Yuri sketch made for Looking relaxed, Shinkiro’s This KOF ’96 concept sketch of
KOF ’96 shows Yuri’s friendly KOF ’98 art for Yuri shows how Yuri prominently shows off her
personality, as she gives us a little her outfit changed throughout braid – something she’s had
thumbs-up. This is an early version the KOF games. The developers in every KOF game except for
of what would go on to become did, however, give her a new KOF XIV, where it’s completely
her win screen art. standing animation for KOF ’98. replaced with a new shorter style.
411
UNUSED
UNUSED FIGHTERS
FIGHTERS
While making KOF ’94,
the designers left many
potential characters on the
drawing board, including a
sharply-dressed mummy,
a Buddhist monk and a
skateboarding teen. While
these concepts ranged
from weird to wonderful,
little is known about why
they didn’t make the cut,
and for now it remains
a mystery.
Right
This unused team concept for
KOF ’95 features a member
(on the left) whose face vaguely
resembles Iori’s; however, the
team’s outfits are very far from
those of the characters who ended
up on the final KOF ’95 Rivals team.
Opposite top right

This masked fighter was one of
the designs considered for the final
boss of KOF ’94. Her whip with
a spiked ball on the end would
no doubt have made it difficult
for opponents to get close.
412
UNUSED FIGHTERS
Bottom left Below left
This genie is one of several unused HELL is another KOF ’94 boss
final boss concepts for KOF ’94. design that didn’t progress
The magic lamp tattoo on his much beyond this sketch.
forehead implies that he would This intimidating pose sees him
have had many magical attacks. putting out a cigarette on his
arm, whilst giving off a fiery aura.
Bottom middle
Several whip-wielding characters
have been considered for KOF over
the years, so it’s surprising Whip
herself didn’t appear in the series
until KOF ’99. This one’s boots
imply a western theme.
Bottom right
This boss concept looks a little
closer to what we’d get with Rugal,
especially with the moustache and
longer coat. It’s hard to imagine
his hair and headpiece fitting in
with KOF ’94’s aesthetic.
413
UNUSED FIGHTERS
Far left
This rejected design is for Kyo’s
rival in KOF ’95. Going by the
perfection that was found with
Iori, it’s possible this concept was
rejected for being too serious-
looking and one-note.
Left middle
This rejected character didn’t
even receive a working name.
Perhaps because they felt his
outfit and hair didn’t differentiate
him enough, or his timid facial
expression underwhelmed.
Left
This character’s more formal attire
suggests he may have been an
unused personal assistant concept
made before Vice and Mature. But
the exposed, muscular arms also
imply he was intended to be a
playable character from the get-go.

These two unused KOF ’94 These sketches from KOF ’95
character designs may have been for Kyo’s rival never made it past
a little too low-key to stand out. the concept stage. The developer
The guy on the left’s clothes look notes label him a ‘serious’ man and
similar to what would eventually suggest they were rejected for not
appear on Benimaru. being malicious enough.
414
UNUSED FIGHTERS

Is it Orochi Chris? This pyrokinetic In this early concept for a rival Although a pretty unique idea,
kid, named Osamu, was at one to Kyo, it’s suggested that the according to developer notes,
point going to be the final boss of heavy bandages are from his this skater team was rejected
KOF ’95. It’s a shame as Osamu body being badly burned by for all looking too similar and
would’ve made a great boss. a past fight. also not looking like ‘fighters’.
415
416
The KOF series has seen some of the
very finest gaming industry illustrators of
all time work on its titles. Artists who for
decades have presented the KOF world in
unprecedented style and detail, bringing it
vividly to life. In this chapter we celebrate
the key artwork and illustrations that have
sold each KOF title, as well as finding their
way into gamers’ hands as posters, magazine
illustrations and art books.
417
KOF ’94 420
KOF ’95 421
KOF ’96 431
KOF ’97 442
KOF ’98 452
KOF R-1 456
KOF MATCH 1999 457
DREAM
KOF ’99 458

KOF R-2 463
KOF 2000 464
418
KOF 2001 470
KOF 2002 472
KOF 2003RE 474
KOF ’94 BOUT 477
KOF XI 480
KOF ’98 MATCH 482
ULTIMATE
KOF XII 484UNLIMITED

KOF 2002 MATCH 485
KOF XIII 486
KOF XIV 487
419
420
KOF ’94 (opposite page) KOF ’95 (below)
Right from the start, artist Shinkiro Focusing on the two main rivals, this
tells you everything you need key art uses a gradient to separate
to know about KOF ’94 with this the characters’ respective flames.
artwork: beloved characters from It first appeared as a poster in
SNK’s existing fighting games NEOGEO Freak magazine and also
battling it out with determined showed up as the cover for KOF ’95’s
newcomers in teams of three. arranged soundtrack album.
421
422
KOF ’95 (opposite page)
This key art most prominently
features Iori’s hair blowing in the
wind with a swirl of his blue flames.
The deeper blueness here is typical
of earlier Iori illustrations and a
striking contrast to rival Kyo’s
orange flames.
KOF ’95 (below)

This arcade flyer illustration was
also used as the cover for some
home versions of the game. The
piece makes it clear that KOF is
Kyo Kusanagi’s show; instead of
showing any other content at all,
it focuses on Kyo’s crimson flames.
423
KOF ’95
Kyo runs his hand through
his windswept hair, beginning
the trend of several Shinkiro
works that focus on Kyo’s
eyes and headband. Many
illustrations by Shinkiro
almost feel like images
from a fashion shoot, posed
to show off details in the
character’s designs.
424
425
KOF ’95
This Rambo-inspired look for Ralf
and Clark by Shinkiro is set against
a war-torn battlefield. However,
despite the chaotic surroundings,
the pair remain effortlessly cool,
with Clark wearing shades and
Ralf smoking a cigarette.
426
KOF ’95
The strong blacks and whites of this
monochrome image by Eiji Shiroi differ
from Shinkiro’s usual style, but the
carefully posed coolness we’ve come to
expect from his Kyo art is still present.
This piece also features the Kusanagi
family symbol on his gloves.
427
KOF ’95
This 1996 SNK calendar art is a great
early example of Shinkiro and the art
team’s skills at combining photography
and illustration. This particular image
shows Kyo taking Yuri for a ride on a
scooter, both dressed casually and
enjoying life away from the KING OF
FIGHTERS tournament.
428
429
KOF ’95
Kyo is dressed like he’s trying to join the
Ikari Warriors! This 1996 SNK calendar
art is another example of Shinkiro and
the art team combining photography
and illustration while keeping consistent
lighting across every element.
430
KOF ’96
An uncharacteristically pensive Kyo
poses with his girlfriend, Yuki. This
Shinkiro art popped up in the art book
included with KOF ’96: NEOGEO
COLLECTION for the NEOGEO CD.
431
432
KOF ’96 (above)
Rather than squaring up, rivals
Kyo and Iori are seen standing
together – a nod to their teamwork
during KOF ’96’s ending and continued
alliance in KOF ’97 ’s endgame.
KOF ’96 (left)

This key art focuses in on KOF’s
main rivals. Iori’s pale appearance
and blue flames dominating the
image give us a hint of what we’ll
be seeing from him in KOF ’97.
433
KOF ’96
This key art was used for the cover of
KOF ’96’s Sony PlayStation edition.
An earlier version of this drawing is
exactly the same except that Iori
is wielding crimson flames instead,
foreshadowing KOF ’96’s climax.
434
KOF ’96
Leona is framed by both Kyo and a ring
of his crimson fire, evoking the Kusanagi
family symbol on his gloves. Between
that and the blue-and-purple flames in
the background, this KOF ’96 key art
gives us a nice indication of Leona’s
Orochi ancestry.
435
KOF ’96
The stakes in KOF ’96’s story
are high, but this arcade flyer
art focuses on a now more
confident Kyo next to the in-game
tournament’s logo, reflecting both
Kyo’s growth and the game’s
tournament emerging as a major
international event.
436
KOF ’96
In this playful promotional art,
Athena and Yuri look on as Kyo
sets up Iori to hit a resting
Chang in the face instead of that
NEOGEO-branded melon. Iori’s
attitude towards Kyo suddenly
makes more sense!
KOF ’96
Yuri, Mai and Athena hanging out
together. Whimsical pieces like
these really flesh out the series’
characters, giving us glimpses of
their lives outside of fighting. This
image was used as a ‘thank you’
poster for the first anniversary
issue of NEOGEO Freak magazine.
437
KOF ’96
Newcomers Mature and Vice, drawn
like they’re posing on the catwalk
by artist Shinkiro. Both of these
characters would really come into
their own in KOF ’98, but even in their
debut, Shinkiro juxtaposes their cruelty
as opponents with a sense of style.
438
KOF ’96
A hopeful Kyo is heavily lit from
above as he thoughtfully looks up
at the sky. The angular 京 pin on his
collar by itself just reads as ‘Kyo’.
The orange and red background
hues are no doubt in reference to his
flame attacks and sun family crest.
439
KOF ’96 (below) KOF ’96 (opposite page)
This amusing key art features three Sie Kensou pines for Athena after
fathers whose daughters are competing getting drunk with their teacher, Chin.
in the ’96 tournament while they are not. With the drooling Sie in dreamland,
This is probably the closest Ryuhaku Chin offers the viewer a swig from his
Todoh and Takuma Sakazaki have been gourd wine bottle. Images such as
to each other since the original Art Of this offer a fascinating insight into the
Fighting took place. characters’ lives away from KOF.
440
441
KOF ’97
One of the few illustrations in which
Kyo and Iori are on the same side.
Orochi’s arrival superficially divides the
two, but the background flame effects
are instead used to erase the different
colours of Kyo’s and Iori’s sides of the
image, merging them together.
442
KOF ’97
Kyo poses confidently with his new
protégé, Shingo Yabuki. Shingo is the
most light-hearted of the characters
introduced in KOF ’97, but his comic
relief animations and whimsical key art
depictions hide how aggressive and
hard-hitting his moves can be.
443
KOF ’97
Looking more like an album cover, this
illustration appropriately features Iori
and Kyo, plus a few of KOF ’97 ’s new
faces. The characters’ placement and
the piece’s setting are very restrained,
considering the direction the story and
some of its cast follow in this game.
444
KOF ’97
We learn from the Ikari Warriors
team ending in KOF ’96 how
Leona’s childhood ties into the
Orochi story arc, but promotional
art for KOF ’97 downplays it,
emphasising her early military
training with Heidern instead.
445
446
KOF ’97 (above)
Orochi and several major characters
from KOF ’97’s storyline are
surrounded by the snake symbol
associated with Orochi. We learn in
the SEGA Saturn version of KOF
’96 that Vice sports this circular
serpent as a full back tattoo.
KOF ’97 (left)

This piece gives us a better view of
each of the Orochi story characters,
and is notable for positioning Iori
Yagami as the main element. It’s a
powerful statement that SNK took
seriously enough for the image to
be used for the cover of the game’s
SEGA Saturn release.
447
KOF ’97
While some key art shows Iori with
his beloved bass guitar and sporting
a long red overcoat, his original
in-game outfit stayed the same for
many games. It wasn’t until KOF XIV
that he started wearing a red coat
while actually fighting.
448
KOF ’97
The very popular New Faces team,
Chris, Yashiro and Shermie, walk
by an ad for their own band: C·Y·S.
Between them and Iori, musical
talent must be a bonus of having
a cursed bloodline.
449
KOF ’97
Few KOF pieces put Shingo front and
centre; this art makes him seem like a
bigger part of the story than he actually
is. But, more importantly, this is the
only officially-released KOF art to give
a glimpse of Shermie’s eyes!
450
KOF ’97
Kyo carefully manages his hair and brushes
his teeth simultaneously, while humorously
sporting a pair of ‘Bruce Lee’ jeans. We can
assume the extra toothbrush belongs to his
girlfriend, Yuki, who we can see watching
him from just outside the bathroom.
451
452
KOF ’98 (opposite page) KOF ’98 (below)
An unusually passive depiction This NEOGEO CD cover art showcases
of Kyo appeared on pre-launch some of the dream match roster. Iori
advertising for KOF ’98 on the Sony and Kyo are naturally in the fore, with
PlayStation. The image was also other fighters fading into the distance.
used on the game’s cover, but this Returning fighter Heavy-D! makes his
time with Kyo’s eyes wide open. first appearance since KOF ’94.
453
KOF ’98
KOF ’98 is a dream match, and
not part of the canon story of the
rest of the series. This makes the
party atmosphere and formal wear
(or valiant attempt at formality, as
we see from Terry here) a great
way to promote it.
454
KOF ’98
Among the many passers-by on this
busy street, Santa Claus looks on
as the NEOVISION monitor catches
Kyo’s surprise at Yuki’s sudden
affection. The brighter lighting here
adds to the holiday spirit while also
resembling Kyo’s crimson flames.
455
KOF R-1
This take on KOF ’97 for the
NEOGEO Pocket features a super-
deformed or chibi look for the
characters. In an unorthodox move
for a KOF game, Terry and Ryo are
in the fore with Kyo on the cover.
456
KOF DREAM MATCH 1999
Essentially a port of KOF ’98 with
3D backgrounds for the SEGA
Dreamcast, the cover art for KOF
DREAM MATCH 1999 focuses on
the red-hot rivalry between Kyo and
Iori, aptly separated by flames.
457
458
KOF ’99 (left)
After KOF ’98, the time had come
for a new main character. K' serves
as an angrier take on Kyo by
design, and his aggressive voice
acting and powerful-looking moves
have since given him staying power
throughout the series.
KOF ’99 (above)

New protagonist of the NESTS
Saga, K' is the focus of this
KOF ’99 artwork, this time for use
on the SEGA Dreamcast cover.
Shinkiro once again creates a highly
stylised look with various hues of
pinks and purples.
459
KOF ’99
These travel scenes were used in the
2000 SNK calendar. Marco Rodriguez
cameos in the Art Of Fighting team image.
Kyo saying goodbye to Esaka would
become an instrumental element of his
KOF 2000 theme song.
460
KOF ’99
A crop of this image was used for the
NEOGEO CD release. Unlike in the arcade
version, Kyo was easier to access as a
playable character in this home release,
and is seen here with K' behind a faint
image of K'’s cross necklace.
461
KOF ’99
Featuring some impressive rendering of
the firelight playing across K'’s clothing,
this image appeared on an arcade
flyer advertising KOF ’99 in Japan.
Presented in full colour, K'’s distinctive
shock of white hair really stands out.
462
KOF R-2
Now in full colour, KOF R-2 was SNK’s
handheld take on KOF ’98, with this
cover artwork putting the series’ Orochi
story characters at the forefront. The
roster is well thought out, with almost
every team represented in some form.
463
KOF 2000
This artwork appeared on the cover of
the KOF 2000 art book and features a
calmer than expected K' sporting his red
sunglasses. This look foreshadows the
character’s design in KOF XIII.
464
KOF 2000
This excellent Kula artwork uses some
harsh lighting on her clothes and wind-
blown hair to evoke the entire area
background being frozen over, something
that actually happens in KOF 2000 when
she’s encountered as a mid-boss.
465
KOF 2000
KOF 2000 introduced several new
characters, with Kula Diamond being one
of the most popular. She first appears as
a mid-boss, but is a prominent enough
character that the ‘Blaze/Freeze’ contrast
between her and K' would be a big part of
KOF 2000’s promotional materials.
466
KOF 2000
Lin, Ramon and Hinako are among
KOF 2000’s new fighters – all
featured here along with K'. This
image was specially created for
the September 2000 cover of
Arcadia magazine.
467
KOF 2000
This cover for the NEOGEO
release features all four
members of the Hero team,
which includes two of the most
popular characters to debut in
the game, Vanessa and Ramon.
468
469
470
KOF 2001 (opposite page) KOF 2001 (below)
With resident KOF artist Shinkiro The take on Kula in this key art
having departed SNK, this artwork has her looking uncharacteristically
for the arcade flyer and NEOGEO concerned and boxed in, but it’s
cover for KOF 2001 was created fitting for the extra pressure she’s
by Hiroaki. The overall style evokes under in this game’s story. This
his earliest SNK work on Fatal Fury: piece was used most prominently as
Wild Ambition and Buriki One. the cover for KOF 2001’s Japanese
SEGA Dreamcast release.
471
472
KOF 2002
This Hiroaki art served as both the
arcade flyer and NEOGEO cover.
The monotone image against the
pink background creates a striking
visual. Unlike previous depictions
of K', this one has him almost
beckoning the player to fight him.
KOF 2002 (opposite page)

Featuring both Kula and K', this
cover for the SEGA Dreamcast
version sticks with the pink colour
palette used on the NEOGEO cover.
K' looks decidedly different from
his previous iterations.
473
KOF 2003
This illustration by Falcoon was used on
the front and back cover of the ‘Flame of
Nova’ mook by Enterbrain. The minimal
use of colour and strong use of black
give the image a comic book aesthetic.
474
475
476
KOF 2003 (opposite page) KOF ’94 RE-BOUT (below)
KOF 2003 sees the introduction Commemorating the 10th anniversary
of new main character, Ash Crimson, of KOF ’94, SNK remade the game with
who was designed to be more of high-resolution graphics. Appropriately,
an alluring, trickster villain, a huge this Hiroaki piece takes KOF back to
departure for the series. This arcade its most basic roots, with Kyo enacting
flyer was created by in-house SNK his own passing of the torch from
artist, Falcoon. Fatal Fury to KOF.
477
KOF ’94 RE-BOUT
Created by artist Hiroaki, each team
is portrayed within its own tableau.
Just as with the graphics, the key
art for KOF ’94 RE-BOUT received
a makeover; the style may be new,
but Hiroaki has stayed true to the
original characters.
478
479
480
KOF XI (opposite page) KOF XI (below)
This is the second game of Ash’s story, This promotional art for KOF XI’s
and also the first game in the series PS2 release features Mr. Big with two
that wasn’t made for the NEOGEO. The companions, as in his KOF ’96 intro
series’ newest major character, Elisabeth, animation. The lower image shows Geese
is featured prominently on this Sony Howard with three of his henchmen,
PlayStation 2 cover by Hiroaki. Billy, Hopper, and Ripper (hand only).
481
Featuring uncharacteristically stern
depictions of Iori and Kyo, this
key art for the upgrade to KOF ’98
is strikingly simply, set against a
solid red background.
482
483
KOF XII
Eisuke Ogura shows much of the roster
in front of a packed stadium, clearly
getting across Ash’s main character
status. All are redesigned to resemble
their earliest appearances in KOF.
484
This arcade flyer by Hiroaki for the remake
of KOF 2002 features colourless depictions
of Kula, Nameless, K', Kyo and Iori, with
Isolde surrounded by an icy blue haze.
485
KOF XIII (below) KOF XIV (opposite page)
This is the last game in Ash’s story With its modern 3D rendered
arc. However, this key art for the characters, the key art for KOF
PlayStation 3 release by Eisuke XIV has a polished, digital feel to
Ogura doesn’t feature Ash himself, it. Kyo’s swooshing flame attack
preferring to focus on some familiar frames the image, creating a
faces from older KOF games. dramatic composition.
486
487
488
In this book’s final chapter, we hear directly from
many of the key personnel who actually created KOF
and then successfully evolved it, cementing it as one
of the very finest fighting game series of all time. Up
until this point, no comprehensive written history of
KOF has ever been compiled, but thanks to detailed
testimony from core members of team KOF – including
Masanori Kuwasashi, Toyohisa Tanabe and Eisuke
Ogura, among others – we get the definitive, official
account of just how KOF was made.
489
MASANORI
KUWASASHI 492
TOYOHISA
TANABE 506
SHINICHI
SHIMIZU 518
490
MASAAKI
KUKINO 524
HIDEKI
ASANAKA 530
EISUKE
OGURA 536
491
MASANORI
KUWASASHI
When a game like KOF ’94 pops up out of the blue,
instantly establishing itself as a major fighting
I came up with all the characters, backgrounds
and scenarios, but the characters didn’t have
game contender in a crowded genre populated that deep a storyline back in those days. I was
by Street Fighter, Tekken, Virtua Fighter and more involved with the actions, like this character
others, it’s worth assuming that someone’s should kick like this or that, and the combo
doing something right. The series vaulted to the attacks and what those characters did during
peak of SNK’s fighting game oeuvre seemingly each attack. Not all of them, but most of them.
overnight, but this was no accident. KOF ’94
presented both original fighters and classic BB: And victory quotes and dialogue, did you
SNK characters – culled from series as varied come up with those?
as Fatal Fury, Ikari Warriors, Art Of Fighting
and Psycho Soldier – preceding the fan-service MK: Not all of them but some of them, yes.
design focus of Nintendo’s Smash Bros. by half
a decade. This blend of old and new characters BB: What kind of games did you like personally?
offered something for everyone – SNK fans and What are some of your favourite games, music or
newcomers alike – and the team-based group movies?
structure was something fresh that grew out of
the original concept, when the game was a Final MK: In terms of the types of anime and movies,
Fight-like beat-’em-up called Survivor. I liked a lot of them from when I was young, a
lot of science fiction-related anime and movies
Masanori Kuwasashi is the man who suggested like Space Battleship Yamato. I’m still a big fan
taking the conceptual groundwork they’d laid of Yamato. When I was in high school, I had an
for Survivor, and recommended transitioning opportunity to make a movie with my friends and
it into what would eventually become KOF ’94. that got me into thinking that I would like to go
Kuwasashi was responsible for selecting many to school to pursue making films, considering my
of the characters, writing the backstory for the fascination with science fiction and action movies,
series, and creating elements like the Orochi things like that. There’s a famous director named
story arc. He provided the grist that his fellow Hideaki Anno who is now known for his work on
collaborators would design, shape, and program Evangelion. He studied at the Visual Concept
into one of the most memorable fighting games to Planning Department of Osaka University of Arts,
emerge from Japanese arcades in the ’90s. where they teach students how to make movies.
I loved his work so I followed in his footsteps to
We spoke with Kuwasashi at length about the become a director and get into the entertainment
creative decisions that led to the formation of the industry. That was really the beginning.
KOF series, what it was like to collaborate with
his teammates, the division of responsibilities in At the school, they had a recruiting event, and
KOF ’s development, and how he feels looking there were a lot of video game companies there
back on the series over 25 years later. recruiting students. I thought that the video game
industry would also be an interesting place to tell
BB: What was your title and your responsibility stories. I applied to a few video game companies
on KOF ’94? How would you describe your role? and got hired at SNK. That was how I got into
[Fellow KOF ’94 staff member and visual lead] the industry.
the KOF ’94 director has said you were the man
with the creative vision. I wasn’t a huge gamer when I was young, but I did
go to arcades and played some of the classics like
MK: I believe the role of director goes to the KOF Space Invaders and other games at the arcades.
’94 director, and my role was the main planner. Then, with the release of the Famicom, I played
492
Planner
KOF ’94 – ’96
Mario Bros. and was blown away by it, of course. BB: How did your application process to SNK go?
But it wasn’t until I played Dragon Quest II that I Were they advertising openings or were they just
was captured by the storytelling ability of games, hiring out of the blue? What were the criteria,
and that really opened my eyes to the potential since you weren’t applying as a programmer?
of storytelling in games. From there, I leaned
towards games that had stories to tell. MK: At the time, various recruiting companies
had a recruiting board at my school, and they
BB: Regarding how DQII expanded your posted job openings. I took a memo from SNK
understanding of how stories could influence with their phone number on it, called to make
games, with KOF you couldn’t go too crazy with an appointment for an interview and took the
that. Most of the narrative you designed was entrance exam. SNK had an exam for all new
probably all laid out in terms of the rivalries, but hires to take, whether you were a programmer or
without a lot of writing involved. When you got designer or planner. The test was mostly design-
involved later with Tenchu, was that when you got focused problems, like drawing a background.
to explore your ability as a writer? Then they’d have some elementary math
problems. The math must have been a minimum
MK: Tenchu was definitely the game with a long math ability requirement.
script where we could really get into the narrative.
BB: Was SNK the first game company you worked

at? Did you go directly into game development
“I APPLIED TO A
FEW VIDEO GAME
after your time at Osaka University of Arts? What
was it about game development that drew you in,
as opposed to making films?
MK: Yes, I went straight to SNK from college.

The reason why I didn’t go into film … while COMPANIES AND
nowadays it’s easy to make your own film and put
it on YouTube and build some traction that way,
back then there was no easy way to find work
as a director. I considered going into anime like
GOT HIRED AT SNK”
Hideaki Anno, and I had some older colleagues BB: With SNK, it seems like they recruited out of
who were already working in anime, so I asked university a lot. When you joined, was everybody
them what it was like to work there. They said it you worked with new to the industry or were there
was really tough, like hardcore ‘crunch time’ work any senior designers or veterans you worked
with long hours and low pay, but the advice I got under?
from my senpai was that if I really wanted to do
it, then I should try it. MK: Back in the day, the game industry itself
was still quite young. Even within SNK, including
At the time I was living in Osaka, so I had to think arcades, there were only a handful of people who
if it was really doable to move up to Tokyo to try maybe had around ten years of experience, so
to make it on such a low salary. I didn’t know their strategy was to recruit young people and
if I had the guts to do that. I thought if games build their workforce rather than bring people
was also an entertainment industry, I would give in from outside with experience, because there
games a shot as a way to pursue a creative career weren’t a lot of people out there from middle
while also making a living and not having to move management anyway. I expect that was the same
up to Tokyo. for other companies like Capcom.
493
Kuwasashi’s first project at SNK was as the planner on 1990’s Baseball Stars Professional for the NEOGEO.
His involvement, from start to finish, offered him invaluable experience in game development.
Before working on KOF ’94, Kuwasashi also contributed to a pair of unique adventure/quiz hybrid games:
Quiz Daisousasen: The Last Count Down and Quiz Meitantei Neo & Geo: Quiz Daisousasen Part 2.
494
BB: Mr. Nishiyama was at SNK around that time. BB: After the Quiz Daisousasen series, was this
Was he involved in recruiting or hiring you? the point you moved to the project that started
out as Survivor before becoming KOF ’94?
MK: Actually [producer, Takashi] Nishiyama-san
came from Capcom, and arrived at SNK around MK: Yes, that’s correct.
the same time as the KOF ’94 director. He wasn’t
at SNK when I started. BB: Before landing on the project that would
become KOF, you bounced around in many game
BB: What was your first project at SNK? How genres like baseball and quiz adventures. Was
would you say that title educated you in the ways there a sense of relief or clarity when you began
of game development? Was it a difficult crash work on a hardcore fighting game project like KOF
course or more enjoyable than you anticipated? ’94, or did it just feel like your next project?
MK: I don’t remember the small titles I started out MK: By this point in my career, I was focused more
on, but the first big title I worked on was Baseball on working on a hit title, so I was very excited to
Stars Professional on the NEOGEO, as the work on a game that we envisioned could be a big
planner. Baseball Stars Professional was the first hit like Capcom’s Final Fight.
game I was involved with from beginning to end,
so I was able to learn the fundamentals of game
development, how many people are required to
make what parts, who exactly is involved, that sort
of thing. Honestly, I don’t remember too much, it “BY THIS POINT IN
was such a long time ago. It was enjoyable, but it
was definitely not easy.
MY CAREER, I WAS
BB: After Baseball Stars Professional came out
in 1990, did you work on any other major games FOCUSED MORE
ON WORKING ON
before working on what was known at the time as
Survivor, the precursor to KOF ?
MK: I worked on two titles that were released only

in Japan: Quiz Daisousasen: The Last Count Down
and Quiz Meitantei Neo & Geo: Quiz Daisousasen
Part 2.
A HIT TITLE”
BB: The KOF ’94 director told us that Survivor
BB: These games look like they actually have never left the on-paper planning stage. How long
a lot more story and characterisation to them. would you say that creative planning process
Presumably these gave you more breathing room lasted? Was your role in planning for Survivor
to construct a narrative? similar to your role on KOF ’94: coming up with
the characters, scenarios and settings?
MK: Oh yes, we tried to make it an adventure
game with quiz elements scattered throughout. MK: I would say the planning stage lasted at
I believe it was the first title we made to combine least a few months, and yes my role did line up
those two genres. between the two projects.
BB: The artwork for Quiz Daisousasen appears BB: Is there anything you can say about the
like it was maybe done by Shinkiro. It looks really scenario in Survivor, such as what the plotline and
interesting. characters were like?
MK: These games were released when the MK: The idea of team battles originated from
industry was so young. It was common practice Survivor, and this idea was that there would be
for artists to use celebrity likenesses into their Mafia-like groups from different parts of the world
artwork. fighting against each other. That element was
preserved in KOF.
“I DON’T REMEMBER BB: Wasn’t Survivor originally envisioned as a

side-scrolling action game like Final Fight?
THE SMALL TITLES I MK: Yes, that is true. You played as one, two, or
three of the main characters and would be fighting
STARTED OUT ON”

against a team of three, in that side-scroller mode.
The enemy team would function as the mid-bosses
or bosses, in the midst of the waves of henchmen.
BB: It appears that many companies back then BB: Compared to other side-scrolling brawlers of
were influenced by Hollywood, like Hideo Kojima the time, was Survivor’s distinction that you had
using Mel Gibson’s likeness, or games like R-Type a wider choice of teams you could play as within
and Metroid referencing the movie Alien. the game.
495
MK: Ah yes, you would fight against various other I did make the planning document and took it to
teams as enemy Mafia-type members. my supervisor, but I asked him if we could turn it
into a fighting game. My supervisor warned me
BB: So depending on which team you selected that developing a fighting game was very difficult
at the beginning, would that change and shuffle and challenging, but I still wanted to make the
the enemy rosters and end-boss that you fought change. Then my supervisor said, “Well if you
against? really want to make it a fighting game, why don’t
you keep this team-battle concept from Survivor?”
MK: You’re largely correct, but if my memory So, the reason why KOF ’94 became a team-
serves right, you could also choose which enemy battle concept was due to my supervisor’s advice.
team to fight. The last boss was largely fixed,
but you had the choice of what environment to BB: So it wasn’t so much that management
play in and the enemy team was attached to the shot down the Survivor concept and mandated a
environment. change to a fighting game, but that you yourself
made the suggestion?
BB: So, similar to the shooter Darius, where you’d
finish a stage, and choose from two paths forward MK: Yes, precisely so.
– was it like that in Survivor?
BB: In the transition to a fighting game, were there
MK: I don’t remember clearly, but it was either any other elements from the Survivor concept
selecting between two alternate paths, or from that made it into KOF ’94, like the characters or
the very beginning you could select any of the scenario?
teams in their respective locations.
MK: The scenarios didn’t make it over, but
BB: How far along did you get in designing the character concepts for the American team did
characters? Was it a global Mafia, like having make it over from Survivor to KOF. Survivor also
the actual Italian Mafia, Russian Mafia and had American sport team groups.
then Japanese Yakuza, or was it all branches of
different Yakuza families? BB: The original Japanese title for Fatal Fury was
Garou Densetsu: King Of Fighters. It’s cool when
MK: We didn’t get to the point of actually laying you have continuity in naming conventions. Whose
out the details of the characters, but the concept idea was it to make the bold move of taking the
was it was one city and teams from various regions King Of Fighters subtitle and making it the name
of the city. of the new series?
BB: Concerning the planning sessions, what was MK: It was my idea. For one thing, [King Of
your primary task during that time? Fighters] was the placeholder title for the project.
We also already knew we were going to bring Garou
MK: Back in the day, I was the main planner and Densetsu characters into the game, so we wanted
would be tasked with creating the whole planning that naming continuity represented in the title.
document. Once the project was greenlit, staff
would then be assigned to the various roles for BB: Two of the producers on KOF were Kawasaki
the actual development of the game. Eikichi, the founder of SNK, and Takashi Nishiyama,
creator of Street Fighter and Fatal Fury. Was this
BB: At what point did SNK evaluate your proposal? the first title you worked on with Mr. Nishiyama?
Were you given a timeframe to work in, like three
months? What was the process leading up to the MK: Nishiyama-san was head of the whole
decision to either move forward with Survivor or development department at the time, but he didn’t
change it to King Of Fighters? get involved until later into the development cycle.
We brought the game to him in the late stages of
MK: We had about a month to make the planning development for his feedback.
document that I would submit to the supervisor,
and then we would discuss changes and go from BB: So Mr. Nishiyama wasn’t on-hand to offer
there. We would bring in an artist to help with the practical advice on the game design. Were there
planning document. any veteran developers supporting you, or was it
all this entirely young team carrying the project to
BB: Since Survivor never left the paper-planning completion on pure energy alone?
stage, what was the process like to change from
a side-scrolling action game to the fighting game MK: Kawasaki-san was, I think, the president.
KOF ’94? Either way, he was high up in the ranks at the
time, so he probably didn’t even look at the game.
MK: I was tasked to make a game like Final Fight [Laughs] My direct supervisor, Kazuhito Kono,
and made the planning document for Survivor. was the one with the more advisory role.
However, the industry at the time was seeing an
influx of fighting games and I was skeptical that a BB: Development must have been difficult, but
side-scrolling action game like Survivor could cut the early to mid ’90s seemed like the best time
through and become a popular hit game in the to work at SNK, with all these barely-supervised
midst of that wave. teams making whatever they wanted.
496
For years, fans have wondered about the ‘King Of Fighters’ tagline used for the original Fatal Fury. Kuwasashi has
now confirmed that this was used as a placeholder early in KOF ’94’s history and simply never changed.
The American Sports team was originally proposed within the design of Survivor, and then made the transition over
to KOF ’94. It was clearly a case of first in, first out, as the trio would not be seen again until KOF ’98.
497
MK: Oh yes, it was chaos. It was a madhouse, we MK: Yes, that’s partly correct that it stemmed
were doing whatever we wanted. from necessity. The other part was that, once
we started making the main character roster,
BB: As the main planner of KOF, did you have any I suggested, “Why don’t we bring characters in
restrictions to consider, like specific deadlines to from the wider net of SNK titles and make it a
hit, or plan ahead for future entries in the series? festival and make it more fun?” That was my idea.
MK: For KOF ’94, there really was no budget or BB: How did that decision affect the workload in
deadline, so we had a lot of freedom. It took us development?
about two years to make. Towards the end of
development, we saw that we were coming up on MK: It did lighten the pressure on creating
1994 as the year of the game’s release so we original characters, and the reason my supervisor
added the ‘94’ into the title. Samurai Shodown suggested we bring in the assets from the other
and Fatal Fury were already their own series, so games to begin with was to lighten the workload.
I had envisioned that KOF ’94 wouldn’t be a one- But then the KOF ’94 director had the artists
off single game and would have a follow-up the redraw all the characters from scratch, so the
following year. workload generally did not get smaller because we
still made all the assets essentially from scratch.
“FIGHTING GAMES BB: In relation to how borrowing characters from

the other SNK games affected them, the Art Of
HAVE A TRADITION
Fighting series was less prolific compared to Fatal
Fury, which had plenty of entries. Did the Fatal
Fury team ever ask you if they could use any KOF
OF BASING SOME
characters?
MK: The Fatal Fury team never made such a
CHARACTERS ON request, for what reason I don’t know.
REAL-LIFE FIGHTERS
BB: The KOF three-person teams are associated
with specific regions. What were your criteria for
selecting the teams and team members for KOF?
OR CELEBRITIES” MK: The countries that we had to make teams for

were dictated by upper management, and then we
had to make the three-member teams out of our
BB: Was there any concern that using Fatal Fury roster and write stories to justify those choices.
or Art Of Fighting characters in KOF ’94 would It was like a jigsaw puzzle of fitting the characters
compete with or cannibalise those titles? into the countries. You’d think that we’d do it the
other way around, but it wasn’t so.
MK: We didn’t have those concerns, mostly
because at the time we didn’t think that the game BB: It’s funny because the Korean team has
would be such a hit as to pose that kind of threat. three Korean characters, but then the ‘English’
But then it became a hit. team does not. It’s made up of Mai Shiranui,
King, and Yuri Sakazaki. Two of those characters
BB: How many KOF titles did you work on? are Japanese and one is French! Did upper
management dictate the team regions for
MK: I worked on ’94, ’95 and ’96. marketing reasons?
BB: So KOF did become a success. Did it then MK: Yes, there were sales motivations behind
become something of an issue for the other that decision.
fighting game teams?
BB: The game features a number of original
MK: I didn’t directly hear from my superiors, but characters, such as Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru
I did hear through the grapevine that people were Nikaido, Goro Daimon, Heavy D!, Lucky Glauber
upset that we brought those characters into KOF. and Brian Battler.
BB: Nowadays there are many games that match MK: There’s also Heidern from team Brazil leading
up different rosters like Smash Bros., Fighters the Ikari Warriors characters, Chin Gentsai
Megamix and Capcom vs. SNK. How does it feel leading team China’s Psycho Soldier characters,
to be a pioneer of that fighting game style? and Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge from team
Korea. Ten original characters in total.
MK: Well, did you hear from the KOF ’94 director
how we came to that decision? BB: Fighting games have a tradition of basing
some characters on real-life fighters or celebrities,
BB: He said that it was a decision made partially like Balrog (inspired by Mike Tyson) in Street
out of necessity, because you wouldn’t have had Fighter II. Was Heavy D! named after the rapper
the resources to make a fully original roster. from Heavy D & the Boyz?
498
MK: While I personally did not come up with BB: It’s interesting that Heidern was designed
Heavy D!, that’s certainly a possibility on the part as the Brazil team leader for the Ikari Warriors
of Heavy D!’s character designer. characters to rationalise their inclusion in KOF.
If possible, can you shed some more light on this
BB: That’s odd, considering SNK’s decisions character?
regarding celebrities and the quiz games.
MK: We knew we were going to bring in Ralf and
MK: It’s also possible that SNK upper management Clark from Ikari Warriors, but we’d need a third
just didn’t know about Heavy D & the Boyz. [character] to round out the team. I did consider
making a new character in the same mould as
BB: Did you get any sort of instruction about Ralph and Clark, but I thought it would be more
what not to put into the game? interesting to make a Commanding Officer above
their rank.
MK: Nothing stated outright. Depictions of
smoking, drinking and nudity were just a given BB: What was your inspiration when it came to
back in the day, but we did have limitations on naming the various characters?
religious motifs, well, specifically, in regards to
using a cross. We were sensitive about that stuff MK: As I mentioned, I’m a big fan of anime movies
even back then. and resolved to incorporate the names from them
into the games that I worked on. The names of
BB: In KOF ’94 and ’95, you retained the Heidern, Rugal and Goenitz (from KOF ’96) were
shredded clothing animations from Art Of Fighting. inspired by various animes.
Nowadays it would be tough to put content like
that in a game. Can you speak to why it was taken BB: Heidern was designed to be particularly
out of the series, starting with KOF ’96? strong. Why is he so strong compared to other
characters, even the bosses?
MK: When we originally adopted the characters
from Art Of Fighting, we were careful to preserve MK: It’s a balancing error. He’s not supposed to
the series’ originality, and the original AOF dev be that strong. [Laughs]
team members were very strict about how the
characters moved and making sure it was pure BB: Please elaborate.
to the original. We were also careful with that
character preservation, but by the time of ’96 and MK: There’s actually quite a few bugs in his attacks,
’97, I can’t speak definitively to the reason for the like if you perform a particular move a certain way,
changes as I wasn’t directly involved, but there there’s supposed to be just one attack strike, but
was probably a relaxing of the mandate to stay instead there’s several attacks. That’s a bug.
absolutely true to the original elements.
“THERE REALLY WAS NO

BB: Aside from the mandate about what
nationality the teams were, what were your
criteria as the overall planner of the game? Were
there any controversial decisions in terms of
character choice, including characters that didn’t
make it in? BUDGET OR DEADLINE,
MK: When first choosing the characters, the
SO WE HAD A LOT OF
FREEDOM”
main characters in the teams were obviously the
popular characters. I believe I was the one to
choose the sub-characters, thinking about who
would balance well with the mains, as well as
match the team nationalities. And then I would
bring that to the development team and we’d BB: He blocks everything, and it’s really hard to
hash it out together. get through his defence.
As a rule, we used the popular characters, so MK: Oh, that is on purpose. High defence.
within our team there wasn’t any disagreement.
However, a few years after I left SNK, I heard BB: So the high defence in combination with
there were members from the Fatal Fury staff the offensive bugs makes him super strong.
who were insulted or upset that we just casually As a result, the fighting game community made
picked the popular characters without their it an urban legend that he was designed to
consideration. be this difficult. One story even mentions that
[game designer] Toyohisa Tanabe claimed that
BB: So, there was no consultation between you Heidern was added to be a particularly strong
and the Fatal Fury team? character in his debut.
MK: Not at all. My supervisor would go to the MK: Tanabe-san was tasked to balance all the
Fatal Fury development team leader and ask him characters, so if he’s saying that, maybe there’s
for permission to use the characters we chose. an element of truth to that.
499
As well as borrowing characters from existing SNK games, Kuwasashi and the KOF team also created new characters
from scratch, such as Heidern, commander of the Ikari Warriors team, with members Ralf Jones and Clark Still.
Iori Yagami was introduced in KOF ’95 as the leader of the Rivals team and enemy of Kyo Kusanagi. Kuwasashi
confirms that various designs for Iori were submitted by SNK artists during development for the team to choose from.
500
BB: Meanwhile the boss, Rugal, was designed BB: In the course of making KOF ’94, ’95 and
in the peak era of arcade fighting games. SNK ’96, with each sequel needing new characters,
bosses are extremely difficult, but Rugal was were you specific about who you brought in from
definitely designed to make players put more the other fighting games, like Art Of Fighting 3?
100-yen coins into the machine, right? Did you maintain a balance of bringing in guest
characters while designing all-new characters?
MK: Yep.
MK: Yes, that blend of new and original characters
BB: Compared to other bosses, like Geese with guest characters was consciously left the
Howard from Fatal Fury, what other input and same. Introducing too many new characters
feedback did you give the artists who drew and would have disrupted that festival feel.
designed Rugal?
BB: As KOF established itself as SNK’s main
MK: Rather than having the designers base Rugal fighting game franchise, you still didn’t receive
on the story I wrote for him, I assigned them to any blowback from the other teams?
start making all sorts of characters based on the
original planning document, and Rugal’s design MK: No blowback.
was one of those that I thought stuck out, looked
cool and fit KOF ’94. Then I designed the story BB: Over the course of the development of those
and other details from there. three games, how was the growth of the series’
success? Did you feel happy about it, or did you
just feel an increasing pressure to repeat that
“TOO MANY NEW success?
CHARACTERS WOULD
MK: The sales numbers were never really
announced to the development team, so it
wasn’t until later that I actually knew concrete
HAVE DISRUPTED
numbers of how the game was selling, but it was
rumoured to be doing well so I was happy and
proud of that. The point when I could really feel
THAT FESTIVAL FEEL” the success of the game was going to an arcade,
and seeing all those people lining up to play the
game. That was when the success of the game
truly dawned on me.
BB: Is this how you decided on the design of the
main protagonist, Kyo Kusanagi? You looked at all BB: Do you think that SNK kept the sales
the designs and plucked him out and went, “Yes, numbers from the development team in order to
this is the face of KOF ”? avoid having to give you big bonuses?
MK: Yes, precisely, and the KOF ’94 director and MK: I don’t think it was so much a deliberate
I made that particular decision together. decision to keep that information from the
development team, as it was more that
BB: Did you already have Iori Yagami in the management didn’t feel it was important to tell
planning stages for KOF ’95 while you were the developers about that sort of thing, as long
working on ’94? as the game was keeping the company afloat and
everybody was getting their salary.
MK: After we finished and released ’94, I had a
vague sense of how Iori was designed, but he really
“THE SALES NUMBERS

came together during the development of ’95.
BB: Because you’d introduced Kyo Kusanagi

in ’94, did you feel an obligation to create a
counterpart to Kyo in ’95, and did you go through
the same selection process for Iori’s design? WERE NEVER REALLY
MK: We used the same process as ’94, which
ANNOUNCED TO THE
DEVELOPMENT TEAM”
was to ask the designers to submit their designs.
And we decided which ones to use based on the
submissions. The designer of Kyo Kusanagi and
Rugal is quite talented. I suspected he would come
up with something cool for Iori. It all depended on
the design team, some designers submitted one BB: Rumour suggests that Geese Howard was
design pitch for Iori, some submitted more. It was intended to be playable in KOF ’95, but that the
the same process. development team abandoned the idea. Can you
confirm if this is true?
BB: Who designed Kyo Kusanagi?
MK: He is definitely in ’96, but I don’t recall him
MK: [The original artist was] Shinichi Morioka. being considered for ’95.
501
BB: Rumours abound on the mystery of the plain characters, the biggest adjustment in ’95 was the
silver ring on Iori’s left middle finger. Is there ability to edit your team. In ’94 the teams were
any special meaning to it or was that purely a set, but ’95 would let you choose à la carte. What
cosmetic detail on the developer’s part to make decisions led to the changes?
him look cool?
MK: The team-edit feature was actually ready to
MK: There’s no special meaning behind it, it was go for ’94. I proposed it to [Takashi] Nishiyama-
just the artist’s own flourish for Iori to look cool. san, and it was his idea to keep it as a main feature
for ’95. I feel like that showed his management
BB: It’s interesting that Kyo and Iori have that foresight. I give him credit for holding it back for
mid-’90s Japanese boy band style to them. Was the sequel.
that to appeal to a younger crowd at the time?
BB: The lack of team-edit was also the biggest
MK: The design aspects were completely left up criticism for ’94, so was it frustrating as a
to the KOF ’94 director and the artists he worked developer to do that?
with, so it wasn’t something I was involved with.
MK: We held back the team-edit in ’94 in order
BB: Iori Yagami’s backstory is fascinating because to establish the ‘team’ idea for the player to grasp
it feels heroic: he comes from one of the clans with the characters in the game, so I think it was
who helped slay Yamata no Orochi 1,800 years the right decision to make.
ago. That makes him seem heroic but in the actual
game he’s kind of pompous. Kyo is the more BB: Iori was apparently one of the most popular
traditional good guy, although Iori’s not really evil characters in KOF ’95 at location tests. What do
either. Was this your intent? you attribute this to?
MK: Iori was definitely intended to be the evil MK: I think he was most popular because of his
character compared to Kyo, but not so much cool design and intriguing backstory. Ultimately
with grand designs of villainy, like taking over the though, I think it was because of his strength.
world. He’s more of a rival to Kyo, and wanting to
be the one to destroy Kyo. BB: Iori definitely doesn’t feel like your typical
Street Fighter type of fighting game character; a
BB: Back in the ’90s you had to do location tests compact character capable of big jumps. Iori feels
for feedback on builds at arcades. Did you go tall and lanky, and when he does a special attack,
directly to watch what the player response was he does big upward swipes. He feels tall, and also
like? Were there any major adjustments made a little awkward because of how tall he is.
based on what you saw?
Also in ’95, Rugal was brought back as Omega
MK: I remember we worked through the night to Rugal, which meant he was harder. This makes
complete the test ROM, and I handed it over to sense because he’s the boss, so you have to make
one of my staff members to bring to the arcade him harder. But how do you rationalise making an
for the location test. I think I went home to sleep incredibly difficult character even harder?
for a couple hours, and then I went to the arcade
at around 11am. That was when I saw the players MK: It’s unusual to have a boss return for a
lining up to play the game. This was at a game fighting game. My memory is foggy around the
centre at Esaka, close to the SNK headquarters. origins of Rugal’s story, but I wanted a connection
There were no big changes to ’94. We found some to the Orochi version so I had Rugal come back
bugs during the location test but that was it. by tapping into the power of Orochi, thus making
him more powerful, hence Omega Rugal. This
BB: The KOF ’94 director mentioned you only also establishes Orochi’s own power as being far
had about two weeks to balance the whole game? greater than Rugal’s – if Rugal can become this
strong by tapping into only a little of Orochi –
MK: Oh yeah. That sounds about right. establishing that hierarchy of power levels.
BB: Considering how fighting games these days BB: Saisyu Kusunagi is Kyo Kusanagi’s father,
might have six months of playtesting before and in terms of lore he was originally meant to
release, two weeks doesn’t seem like a lot, have died. But he was revealed to have survived
especially given the characters in KOF ’94 from and been brainwashed by Rugal into competing in
different games that were never meant to work KOF ’95. Can you discuss why you retained the
together and would need to be balanced. character? Was he too good to leave dead?
MK: I was always staying overnight at work. MK: When we first knew that we were going to
[Laughs] make KOF ’96, I don’t think I had the storyline all
complete in ’95, but [when we started development
BB: Between KOF ’94 and ’95, there weren’t on ’96] was when I decided to bring back Saisyu
very many changes with regard to the game as the mid-boss on the way to Omega Rugal.
mechanics. Usually a fighting game will introduce He was brought back as a connecting point. To be
new systems in the sequel just to give people honest, I did feel that he was too good a character
another reason to play, but aside from new to leave dead.
502
BB: The interesting thing about Saisyu is that MK: That’s tough. I really like KOF ’95 because I
he uses more traditional martial arts than other was the director and could do what I wanted with
characters. Is that something that you designed it, but working with the KOF ’94 director on the
to balance things and keep the cast from being first one in the series makes that a favourite of
too unrealistic overall? mine as well.
MK: Well he also uses attacks similar to Kyo’s, BB: You also worked with Tanabe on Baseball
which is natural as the father to his son. The setting Stars Professional and other games?
is that Kyo’s attacks are hereditary techniques
passed down from his father, and Saisyu’s attacks MK: Yes.
were passed down from his own father as well.
BB: How would you describe your working
relationship with the KOF ’94 director, Tanabe
“WITH KOF ’96 WE and the lead programmer Shinichi Shimizu? You
all seemed like the core of the development team.
FELT A NEED TO GIVE MK: We have a good relationship. Shimizu is still

at K2, and he and the KOF ’94 director – whenever
THE GAME A NEW

I’m back in Osaka – we go out for drinks. Just two
weeks ago, we all went out for drinks.
LOOK AND THAT LED BB: Development time for these games was
usually very compressed. Did you feel like you
TO REDRAWING AND
were in crunch time almost all the time? Do
you remember the development overall for all
three games being relatively smooth? Or was
REFRESHING THE
the development of ’94 more chaotic, with the
process evening out over time?
CHARACTER SPRITES” MK: Specifically around the location test days,

once those were set, it was non-stop working
to the last minute, but other than that it wasn’t
so much crunch time. By KOF ’96, we could
BB: KOF ’96 is where you actually made big forecast when the release date would be, so upon
feature changes to the gameplay, like adding completion of ’95 we could start on ’96 and nail
in emergency evasion and attack deflection down how the production schedule would go.
techniques. You could also affect the height of
your jump, and some characters’ sprite art was BB: Did you feel any sort of reassurance from
redrawn or refreshed from the earlier games. the series becoming an annual series? How did it
What initiated these changes? affect you mentally?
MK: We’d released two games with ’94 and ’95, MK: The realisation that KOF was to become an
so with KOF ’96 we felt a need to give the game a annualised series was actually precisely why I quit
new look and that led to redrawing and refreshing after finishing KOF ’96. I could see it becoming an
the character sprites. Tanabe-san is the best annual series and simply didn’t want to be stuck
person to talk about the system changes for KOF in that rut.
’96, because he came in with the big plan for
all those changes: what he wanted and what he BB: Is there any reason why Art Of Fighting
thought KOF ’96 should be like. characters were in sort of a revolving door,
with characters being rotated in and out, while
BB: So the pillars of the KOF series were you characters from Fatal Fury were more stable in
handling the narrative and planning, the KOF ’94 their roster placement?
director handling the art direction, and Tanabe the
gameplay design. Is that accurate? MK: Fatal Fury didn’t have as many new entries and
thus as large a character roster to rotate through
MK: Tanabe-san isn’t a programmer himself, he’s into KOF. As for why Art Of Fighting characters
a planner and was in overall charge of balancing would rotate in and out, that actually has to do with
the game. the capacity we were working with on NEOGEO;
we couldn’t add on Art Of Fighting characters and
BB: Mr. Tanabe has admitted that he takes instead had to rotate them in and out.
responsibility for the broken game balance of
KOF games and apologises for that. Would you BB: What was it like working on the NEOGEO
say that’s fair? hardware? Companies like SEGA and Capcom
were constantly updating their arcade hardware,
MK: Yeah, that’s accurate. but SNK stuck with the NEOGEO until much later
when it moved to Sammy’s Atomiswave. Was
BB: From KOF ’94 to ’96, which do you think of it frustrating or difficult to stick with the same
the three is your favourite game and why? hardware for so long?
503
MK: Even from the beginning, the NEOGEO MK: At this point, there are more KOF titles out
wasn’t an ideal hardware platform to work on. It there than I ever was personally involved with, so
was inferior even to the Super Famicom in most of I don’t feel really possessive or precious about
its features. The only superior feature was its high the series as a whole. I know [the development
capacity memory, but even that competitive edge teams] work really hard and have done a great job
was quickly passed by our competitors. There was preserving the series.
a lot of frustration on the development side, and
jealousy that Capcom and SEGA were working on BB: Now, with KOF as a full 3D title on PS4,
more efficient hardware back in those days. what kind of reaction do you have on seeing
the 2D characters you were involved with being
reinvented in 3D?
“WE DID PUT A LOT OF MK: I think they’re doing a great job. That’s about
EMPHASIS ON THE
all I can say.
BB: At the time of development, from KOF ’94 to
CREATION OF OUR
’96, was there any concern to be conscious of the
competition, like Capcom’s Street Fighter, or were
you just focused on doing your own thing?
CHARACTERS, SO MK: There were so many great fighting games
IN THAT SENSE I FELT

coming out at the time, especially from Capcom.
I was aware of what they were making and even
internally – though not so much out of a sense
LIKE WE WERE ADDING

of competitive rivalry – there was a desire to pick
out what they were doing, and a feeling like our
game wasn’t good enough to compete and having
TO THE GENRE” to do better.
BB: KOF had a team-battle concept that nobody

else had, so you should have at least felt like you
BB: Is there any particular thing that you wish were bringing something new to the industry, no?
that the NEOGEO could do or be improved on?
MK: Well, we did put a lot of emphasis on the
MK: As a director, the biggest bottleneck was the creation of our characters, so in that sense I did
limitations of the hardware capacity. The available feel like we were adding to the genre.
colour scheme, at the time, was 16 × 16 pixels,
so we should have had 256 colours to choose BB: Let’s say, hypothetically, the series had
from, but we didn’t have that many colour choices. stopped at KOF ’96. If you were to have the
The artists really struggled to maximise the visual chance to make the next KOF game after ’96, and
capacity of the game. this was the first revival with the current state of
game technology, what would you add or change?
BB: As remnants of the pixel art era, the KOF games
really are works of art despite those limitations. MK: I’d be interested in making a game like
KOF with high-res 3D technology making really
MK: I think, personally, until the KOF ’94 director compelling 2D action, like Arc System Works on
came, SNK had a particular, distinctive style, but Dragon Ball FighterZ.
he enhanced that and really pushed the designers
to a new frontier, and that in turn influenced other BB: Now that KOF ’94 is 26 years old and has
designers within the company to improve their passed its 25th anniversary, looking back, how do
game. I give a lot of respect to him for that. you feel about the series now with all this distance
and time apart from it?
BB: Did you have any input to the soundtrack?
MK: Even nowadays, when we go out drinking
MK: Not at all. and I go, “Hey I worked on KOF,” people will say,
“I PLAYED THAT GAME SO MUCH,” and I feel a
BB: So it was the type of situation where a lot of pride for having worked on it and thankful
composer was just left to do their thing? for the opportunity. At the same time, I’ve not
been able to make a game that surpasses what
MK: Yeah, back in the day, the music department I made all those years ago, so I have a sense of
was their own thing, so it was very separate from competitiveness with my younger self to surpass
the development team. The only thing we really what I did.
instructed was the number of songs we needed.
To the people at SNK still working on the series, I’m
BB: Having left the series behind and then seen thankful for them and wish them luck. I trust they
how it changed after you left, with the Orochi and will continue to make the games. To our fans, I’m
NESTS sagas, what’s your personal impression of grateful to them for having played the game and for
how it evolved? giving it this kind of recognition in the present day.
504
Due to time constraints, KOF ’95 was visually very similar to ’94. For KOF ’96, it was decided that as well as new
gameplay features, many of the character sprites would be redrawn and refreshed during development.
By the time KOF ’96 came out, its popularity with fans was ever-increasing. Concerned about being stuck in a
creative rut, Kuwasashi could see KOF becoming an annual release and decided to move on to new challenges.
505
TOYOHISA
TANABE
While Toyohisa Tanabe’s core group of collaborators
wrestled with KOF’s narrative, character selection,
It’s been about 25 years since the game came out.
I’m so happy and grateful that people continue to
visual design, colour palette and programming play it, and to get the opportunity to talk about
tasks, Tanabe himself was responsible for most of it with game magazines or with you. Even now, I
the things you’d normally associate with gameplay: sometimes meet people for the first time who’ll
game mechanics, hitboxes, timing, game balance, tell me that they played KOF. It was really hard
special attacks, ensuring that characters on loan working on the game, but I’m so grateful that I
from other series like Fatal Fury or Art Of Fighting had the chance to work on something people still
functioned as fans would expect them to (while love to this day.
remaining original enough to justify a place in
KOF), and bringing new things to the plate that BB: The staff was young and enthusiastic, and
no other 2D fighter offered. had big expectations placed on them, but now
that the hard work is in the past, you can sort
While Tanabe originally functioned as the series’ of bask in the legacy. Only the best games get
lead planner (often referred to as a game designer spoken about 25 years later.
in the West), he eventually took over as series
director when Masanori Kuwasashi left after KOF TT: There’s a lot of pride that I have in having
’96, helming the series up to and including KOF ’98. worked on the series. The reason why I have my
career now is because I was given an opportunity
A Gundam fan who builds models (Gunpla) in his to work on KOF back in the day.
spare time, Tanabe has worked on Nintendo’s Kirby
series, and now works at Engines, a development BB: You’re now at development studio Engines?
team formed by ex-SNK staff. Tanabe kindly spent
more than four hours with us reminiscing about TT: Yes. My direct supervisor from SNK started
his time on SNK’s seminal fighting series, his role Engines and called me over, and I’ve been working
in it, and its legacy. with him ever since.
BB: The people who make games are often not BB: Is that [Yasushi] Adachi?
as good at them as the players who play them.
Where do you fall? TT: Yes. Engines was started by [Yasushi] Adachi-
san and [Masanori] Kusumoto-san, who’s the
TT: Even back in those days when I was working president. He was originally a designer at SNK for
on fighting games, I was the worst at playing the poster art and logos and packaging design. I
them. Back in the days before we created the believe he’s also responsible for the design of the
master disks and released the game to the public, NEOGEO hardware.
in arcades or on home console, we’d have an
internal tournament among us in the development Our development teams were actually all on the
team to decide who was the ‘Number One at same floor in the SNK building, right next to
KOF in the World’, seeing as only the devs each other. We had a friendly rivalry between
could play it then. I’d lose in the first round. the Samurai Spirits (Samurai Shodown) and
KOF development teams. From the outside it
BB: Who was the winner in those tournaments? might have looked like we didn’t get along, but
Did you use the NEOGEO Stick? we would often exchange information on best
practices, etc. to help each other out. But we
TT: There were a couple of graphic designers who would conceal certain aspects of the game
were super good. Yeah, we used the SNK NEOGEO so they wouldn’t steal ideas. It was mostly a
Stick because it was the most efficient controller. friendly rivalry.
506
Lead Planner
KOF ’94 – ’98
BB: A lot of people seem to have gotten their an item on the shelf behind Tanabe] Nice Gundam
start in game development at SNK, straight out of model behind you.
university. How did you get your start?
TT: I still put together a lot of Gundam models,
TT: To give you my background, as a child I really and my wife gets angry at me. [Laughs]
liked to draw manga and wanted to get into anime
and manga. I was born in Hiroshima and came up
to Osaka to study how to become an artist, but
found there wasn’t a lot of work to make a living
“AS A CHILD I
REALLY LIKED TO
in that way. Through looking for work as an artist,
I came across game development. I liked games,
of course, but hadn’t initially considered becoming
an artist for games. When I realised they were
hiring – games obviously need some kind of art –
I was intrigued by the game industry and applied
to SNK’s job postings. I took the exam, which
DRAW MANGA”
I passed, and that’s how I got into the game BB: There are so many Gunpla to choose from
industry. I’m currently a game planner – that’s my these days.
current job – but I initially started out in design
and game graphics. TT: Yeah, there’s so many to choose from, and
once you start working on it, it takes up all this
BB: A programmer’s test is easy to understand; time. I have so many boxes I haven’t even started
testing your coding ability and so on. But how do yet, just piling up.
you test as an artist?
BB: Saving them for retirement?
TT: So it was a basic entrance exam that asked
the sort of foundational questions you would TT: If you have some free time, it’s a great hobby.
see at any company, but I think there was a
30-minute-to-an-hour section of the exam that BB: So did you go to an art university or any other
asked us to do an illustration. And I really liked type of college, or did you go straight to SNK?
Gundam and drawing robots, so I remember really
quickly drawing a robot character. TT: At 18, after high school, I moved to Osaka and
went to a two-year college course for illustration.
There were some questions that were typical of I was planning on applying to both SNK and
Japanese entrance exams. They also had some Capcom, but after I took that exam I was accepted
questions testing us on our knowledge of video right away so I just went with SNK because I
games. At the time Dragon Quest was really didn’t want to take another exam. [Laughs] I do
popular, and there was an essay question asking, have colleagues from the city college who did go
“Why do you think Dragon Quest is so popular, on to work at Capcom.
what do you think is the secret to its success?”
That sort of thing. That’s what I remember from the BB: That’s pretty funny about not wanting to take
entrance exam. So, I think there were three parts another exam.
to the exam: typical entrance exam questions,
knowledge of the industry, and drawing skills. TT: If I had taken the exam at Capcom and
gotten accepted, that might have been another
BB: That’s probably the most detailed insight life. Maybe I would have worked on the Street
we’ve had on the entrance exam so far. [Points to Fighter series. Who knows?
507
Tanabe’s first game for SNK wouldn’t be for the NEOGEO; he was instead tasked with working on Little League
Baseball: Championship Series for the Nintendo Entertainment System, exclusively released in North America.
After Shinichi Morioka created the original character art for Kyo, Tanabe and his team turned these designs into
pixel art. From the start, Kyo was clearly going to be the face of KOF ’94, so special attention was paid to his design.
508
BB: It’s interesting how college doesn’t really do TT: My first project was a game towards the end of
much for artists. You either know how to draw or the Famicom’s life, a baseball game known in the
you don’t. If you try to learn in college, it’s pretty US as Little League Baseball: Championship Series
much too late by then. College only gives you a that came out for the Nintendo Entertainment
structure and a formal setting and assignments. System. Yes, Survivor was the name of the project
that would eventually become KOF, but even
TT: I think what you say is quite true. There’s a before Survivor it was called Dirty Knuckle. It was
certain amount of talent to drawing, you either a side-scrolling beat-’em-up game like Final Fight,
have it or you don’t. You go to school for learning and that idea of working and fighting in teams was
techniques, and the experience comes later. My from Dirty Knuckle.
wife is also actually a graphic designer for SNK –
she did the backgrounds for KOF – and she went As we worked on Dirty Knuckle, fighting games
to an art school as well. She was more studious like Street Fighter and SNK’s Fatal Fury and Art
and paid more attention in class, so I learned Of Fighting became really popular, and we could
afterward that she had learned techniques and see that shift in the industry. So we switched the
certain foundational things that I personally concept over from a side-scroller to a fighting
didn’t pick up in college. Experience is certainly game. And to have an edge over other fighting
important, but I think there’s also a lot to be said games, we kept the concept of fighting in 3-vs.-3
about learning techniques. teams. That’s how I remember it.
BB: In terms of roles, tell us about how you split
“TO HAVE AN EDGE up the job roles. Mr. Kuwasashi was the planner,
but you were the game designer, right? You
OVER OTHER FIGHTING

handled all the game mechanics?
TT: Kuwasashi was definitely the planner, he came
GAMES, WE KEPT THE

up with the stories and characters. I was working
on the battle system and character balancing so
yeah, your understanding is correct.
CONCEPT OF FIGHTING BB: Can you tell us how you ended up being the
game designer on the project? Were you the most
IN 3-VS.-3 TEAMS” vocal about how things should play? How did you
gain the practical experience to basically craft a
kind of fighting game that had never been done
before?
BB: Nowadays, because video game development
is a career, universities have courses in 3D TT: I started as the designer for Survivor,
modelling, animation and programming, specifically but then for KOF the process went like this:
for gaming. Back in the ’90s there wasn’t really Shinichi Morioka did the original character art,
any kind of formal training specifically for gaming, and [based on Morioka’s designs] myself and
so you had to take and learn things you might use another designer created the in-game graphics
in another industry and bring them into gaming. for Syo Kirishima (a Kyo prototype) and then Kyo
Kusanagi. It’s a little confusing because ‘designer’
TT: When we were young and trying to get into can refer both to the original artist and the in-
the game industry – because the technology didn’t game graphic designer.
exist – the expectations were very low. If you
were somewhat of a good artist, you could come I did do artwork initially for Survivor, but the KOF
into a game company like SNK. Our generation team, as you know, was made up of new, young
learned and developed our skills while we moved and inexperienced members. With the KOF ’94
through our careers, alongside the rapid increase director’s direction, we were gaining experience
of technology in the game industry. and slowly becoming more seasoned game
designers. But there were very few game planners
Nowadays the starting point for the game industry at SNK, maybe two official game planners. As the
is so high, and you need to have all these skills, planning for the game progressed, it was obvious
so there are special schools for getting into the the game was going to be a lot bigger than we
game industry. I feel kind of sorry for the young initially started with and we had to add new
generation now because they have to learn and members to the team to make the game.
have all of these skills before getting into the
industry. At the same time I’m kind of jealous I had been at SNK for about three years but in
because they’re taught those things before those three years, SNK hired a lot more artists
getting into the industry instead of learning them and I could see that the quality of the artists
as they go. It’s an interesting dichotomy. coming in was really good, better than me.
BB: So when you joined SNK, what was your I decided that rather than compete with the
first project? Were you involved with anything young blood coming in, I would focus on how to
before KOF? Did you have a hand in the Survivor make the games fun, and transitioned into a role I
prototype before it became KOF ’94? found myself more useful in than competing with
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the obviously better artists. As a more seasoned BB: As Mr. Kuwasashi told us, the Survivor
member of SNK, I could make myself useful rather concept only lasted about a month before the
than continuing as an artist. I did want to be an pivot to KOF. He said that because fighting games
artist, but that’s how that transition happened. were taking over popularity from side-scroller
brawlers, it wasn’t SNK management who shifted
A little trivia: the last graphic I created that’s in the gears but it was actually you guys on the dev
a game is in a bonus stage from Art Of Fighting. team. Is that how you remember it?
There’s a beer bottle-cutting game, and I did the
artwork for that. TT: I don’t really know the backstory behind why
we switched over from side-scroller to fighting
game. It’s just, one day I was told that we were
“DIRTY KNUCKLE making a fighting game, but it made sense to me

because Samurai Shodown released about a year
before KOF ’94, and was also originally a side-
AS A CONCEPT scroller, but because of the popularity of Street

Fighter they switched over to making it a fighting
WAS PRETTY
game. So it made sense when they told me that
we were making a fighting game instead, because
we also wanted to ride the wave of popularity of
VIOLENT, EVIDENTLY fighting games.
BB: Samurai Shodown was originally a side-
FROM THE TITLE” scrolling game with Genan as the main character.
It’s always really interesting to learn about how a
game transforms from one style to another.
BB: Art Of Fighting is so difficult. Maybe not many TT: Back in the days when we were making what
people were able to see your bottle-cutting game. would become KOF – before it was Survivor or
even Dirty Knuckle – at the time we hadn’t made
TT: Feel free to look it up on YouTube. [Laughs] a big popular hit while others were popping up, so
we were brainstorming what games to make, what
BB: The third Art Of Fighting is pretty was going to be popular in the industry at the time.
sophisticated and balanced, but the first two are
super challenging; they’re so difficult. How did I believe the process was that we initially
people play those back in the day when they were came up with a robot action game, but then we
originally released? transitioned that to a sequel to the dinosaur action
game Prehistoric Isle that SNK had released. I
TT: Oh, I wasn’t great at it either. After I made remember drawing dinosaur art for it. The next
KOF ’96 and had time on my hands, I went to the phase after that was Dirty Knuckle, and then the
director for AOF, who was my direct supervisor, change to Survivor and finally KOF.
and I pleaded with him to let me make the next
Art Of Fighting after AOF3, with the KOF engine. BB: Was Dirty Knuckle originally conceived as
Unfortunately he didn’t give me permission. a shooting game like Prehistoric Isle before it
changed later on to a fighting game?
Even thinking now, I don’t think anybody else
could have made another Art Of Fighting game TT: The concept behind the sequel to Prehistoric
that wasn’t the actual team. If I made it, it would Isle at the time was you would ride on a dinosaur
have been something completely different, so it and shoot. We didn’t make it in the end, but
probably wouldn’t have been something good for eventually another company made a true sequel
the series, and I wouldn’t have been able to bring to Prehistoric Isle.
out the distinct worldliness of the Art Of Fighting
series. Dirty Knuckle as a concept was pretty violent,
evidently from the title, and that stuck through as
BB: Even though Art Of Fighting came out before it turned into Survivor and KOF, but we originally
KOF ’94, Art Of Fighting always felt like the kind- had all-original characters for Dirty Knuckle. As
of forgotten child of the original SNK game series we changed it to team battles and required more
after Fatal Fury and KOF. characters, the idea of borrowing characters from
the other SNK games formed.
TT: Not to side-track to AOF even more, but I
actually saw an early AOF during development Right up to the release of the game, there was a
back in the day, a pre-release version, and the part where a character from Fatal Fury could lift
characters were actually even bigger than they up and throw an oil drum and use it as an attack,
were in the final release version. You could hardly like Terry would throw it, etc. I’m glad we took it
see the bottom half of the characters – they were out at the last minute, because if it had been left
so big – and they had to shrink them back down to in the Fatal Fury team would have been very upset
accommodate the NEOGEO storage. It’s a little with us for taking him out of character. It goes to
unfortunate that Art Of Fighting lost its place in show you how crazy the KOF team was back then,
SNK; it had that going for it. just doing things without much consideration.
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BB: Games like Street Fighter II had eight BB: Did any purists or hardcore fans of the Art Of
characters to start with. Did you include 24 Fighting or Fatal Fury series complain, with regard
characters in KOF ’94 so players would have a to how the characters were adjusted for KOF ’94?
similar number of options to choose from, since
eight seemed to be the standard for fighting game TT: Oh yes. I think there were definitely some
character selections at the time? people upset by the changes in characters. In
KOF ’94 and ’95, for characters like Terry Bogard
TT: For Street Fighter you’re selecting one – even though we changed him visually – we really
character to play out of the eight available, right? tried very hard to preserve his traits from the
For KOF, our idea was to focus on making teams original story.
and for players to personalise by team rather than
a single character. On that team dynamic, it was But when ’95 came out, the game became super
decided that it would be more interesting to choose popular, and looking into development for ’96,
out of eight teams rather than six teams, so we we discussed that it wouldn’t be interesting to do
wanted to offer as much variety and selection to the same thing over again – we needed to add
players as possible. Choosing out of eight teams something fresh and different – and we stepped
seemed a reasonable number, and since teams away from keeping it pure to the original style and
had three members, we ended up at 24 characters gave characters new arrangements. I do admit
and, yes, at the time, we simply were not going to that for some characters we overdid that and
be able to make 24 original characters. There was overstepped the original characters’ personas.
a sense that it was a kind of over-the-top crazy I regret it and apologise to the fans and original
idea and we knew it would be difficult, but we were developers for overstepping on those characters
confident in the concept being popular and fun for like that.
the players, and we made it work.
BB: Can you give an example of where you took
We were also confident in the concept that we liberties with a character?
could build a personality, or style, around the
team, not the individuals. We knew nobody TT: Ah, for one there’s Yuri Sakazaki. In the
else was doing that so that was our edge and original Art Of Fighting, she isn’t even a fighter
contribution to the genre. We knew 24 characters in the roster, she’s a timid side-character who’s
was a kind of crazy idea, but we were determined kidnapped and saved by her brother, so she
to make it happen. wasn’t a martial artist. In Art Of Fighting 2, she’s
introduced into the roster and is super strong, so
BB: Was Mr. Kuwasashi mostly responsible for we took that to be interesting and fun, and we took
selecting the characters you pulled from other it even further and gave her not just super martial
games, or were you involved in that as well? arts techniques, but also the super-powered
moves that Ryu and Terry can do, so it ended up
TT: I recall being called to be involved in selecting making her into kind of a parody character.
the guest characters from Fatal Fury and Art Of
Fighting. That reminds me, when we were making A second character is Ryuji Yamazaki, kind of
KOF ’94, the all-woman fighting team was made a Yakuza character. But for him, we completely
up of Mai, King and Yuri. But originally, that team changed his backstory and setting, and threw in
was made of Lee Pai Long, Big Bear and King. that he was connected to the Orochi Clan. From
a fan’s perspective, we totally disregarded his
During development, we found out about Art Of Mafia background and changed his character
Fighting 2’s development and learned about its completely, but there’s actually a backstory there.
new character Yuri Sakazaki. So I said, “Well if I’m pretty sure we were yelled at by the original
there’s another female character, why don’t development team for this.
we borrow her and make an all-woman team?”
I thought that it would be glamorous to have an We took a fan poll to see which characters they
all-woman team. I remember bringing that up and wanted to see in the ’97 game and Ryuji won.
asking if we could change the team members. I had this idea for a new backstory and went to
the producer for Fatal Fury, thinking he would not
BB: It’s funny that none of the three women approve the changes. But I brought it to him and
in that team are English and yet that was the explained what we wanted to do and asked if we
‘England’ team. could bring Ryuji in with the new story for KOF
’97, and he said, “Yeah, it’s okay!” No resistance
TT: The reason for that inconsistency was purely there. I went through the proper channels and got
for our overseas markets. SNK wanted to target permission to do so, but I don’t think the rest of the
certain markets – which was also common in the team knows that I got the producer’s permission.
fighting game genre, and you could see it in Street They probably see it as we just took the character
Fighter as well; they have US versus Russia and changed it and did whatever we wanted. But
versus UK – so for KOF we first established what I did get permission through the proper channels
countries we wanted to put into the game, and to get Ryuji into the KOF storyline.
then we forced the characters into the teams,
completely disregarding their backstories or BB: It’s hard to imagine anyone thinking of
relationships with those team countries, so it’s anything other than a Yakuza background from
kinda funny. looking at Ryuji Yamazaki.
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TT: Yeah, his characteristics and personality are TT: Yes, there were certain characters we heard
the same, just his backstory was changed. were too strong or too weak and we made minor
changes. But, as a rule, SNK uses location testing
BB: So going back to the beginning of developing as a metric for expected sales, not so much as an
KOF ’94, how did you balance the guest opportunity to balance the game, so if they see
characters’ play against the KOF originals? Did there’s a lot of interest in the game at a location
you work within the framework of Fatal Fury or test, they put more marketing there. But before
Art Of Fighting’s game balance and make the KOF KOF came out, there wasn’t much expectation
characters match that, or did you bend everything that it would be a hit at the beginning, so they
to work in KOF’s framework? didn’t schedule any time between the location
test and its completion to make changes to the
TT: I’d say that it’s mostly we took the guest game itself.
characters and matched them to the KOF style
of gameplay. We didn’t think it would be good Reactions at the location tests determined how
to replicate the other fighting styles and put much they would spend on advertising. For
them into our game. We wanted to make game example, if they saw a positive response, they
mechanics original to KOF. would rush to create commercials for the game.
I know that companies like Capcom schedule the
BB: How difficult was it then to put an original location tests so the developers have time to make
character like Kyo, for instance, against Terry adjustments based on location test feedback, but
Bogard? Did you find that you had to make a lot that’s not the way it was done at SNK. It was
of adjustments because Kyo was either too fast purely to monitor user interest.
or two slow compared to the already-established
Terry from Fatal Fury? Or was it a natural meshing BB: As a result, do you sometimes wish that you
of different styles from the start? had applied to Capcom?
TT: For KOF ’94, most of the game balancing was TT: Nope. After SNK went bankrupt, there was
basically a hands-on trial-and-error ordeal on my about a year when I did work for Capcom. Even
part. I balanced most of them by myself in terms though SNK had its quirks where it did things
of action speeds and strength of the characters. differently from Capcom, and it was a lot of hard
The damage parameters were done by someone work, it was fun and we were able to make a good
else, but most of the balancing was all by myself. game and have good times. I have no regrets
We just didn’t have a lot of development time to about working at SNK.
spend on each individual character.
BB: You’re credited on the Capcom vs. SNK and
We had a little more time with KOF ’95 but SNK vs. Capcom games.
compared to other games where you can pit
one character against another and balance out TT: I think it was the year 2000, right before
that way, because KOF is team versus team, the I left SNK, I worked on graphics checking and
focus was more on how characters worked as a proposing the special move names. That’s about it.
team rather than how each character worked
individually. That was one way we were able to BB: You also worked on a variety of Kirby games.
get away with some of the balance.
TT: I feel so lucky, and I treasure my experience
Ironically, as the game became more popular and that I was able to – after working on a fighting
became an annual release, I was given even less game that’s kind of more niche – work on a popular,
time to balance the game. We’d crank them out, family-friendly title that has a broad age range,
and then it was on the shelf. There was no time and also expand my experience by working on
to work out the balance, KOF ’96 was probably Kirby games. It was a great learning experience.
the worst. I literally had no time to work on it, and
that’s why it had a lot of bugs as well. BB: With regard to balancing, would you say
KOF ’94 has the best balance because you had
Finally, for KOF ’97, I had two weeks to balance set teams? With ’95 and beyond, the team-edit
the game, and for KOF ’98 I had a whole month. function created so many permutations that you
Even within the entire game industry, I think it’s probably couldn’t account for all of them.
unheard of that we had zero time to balance the
game, and I’m the first to admit that even though TT: That’s exactly as you say, because KOF
KOF is a hit game and is highly regarded, the ’94 was the first game, and from the player’s
game balance is not as great as the games you perspective there’s a steep learning curve
get from Capcom because we just didn’t have because you’re learning three characters per
the time to do so. And I take full responsibility team. We thought that was challenging enough.
for that. For ’95 we opened up the character selection so
players could make their own teams, which lost
BB: How much help was it to see location test the charm of the premade teams, but offered
play with live players? Were there any discoveries freedom of choice as its own feature. There were
of severely unbalanced characters from your own definitely challenges in balancing, but it was worth
play or from the location tests? it for the game overall.
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Yuri Sakazaki, originally a timid side-character in Art Of Fighting, was introduced as a new fighter in Art Of Fighting 2.
This was seized on by the KOF ’94 team, who added Yuri into the Women Fighters team, completing the trio.
Much of the balancing work in KOF ’94 to ’98 was done by Tanabe – a huge task with so many different fighters.
He confirmed that time was limited for this process, and it was very much a case of trial-and-error to get it right.
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BB: Kuwasashi said that [Takashi] Nishiyama SNK fighting games are like pro-wrestling, where
wasn’t involved until towards the end of entertainment is the most important factor. The
development of KOF ’94, and that you had a moves are flashy, it’s about fashion and how to
team-edit mode ready for ’94 but Mr. Nishiyama look appealing, and ‘how can we make this the
suggested holding it back for ’95. Did he have most fun?’ It’s not so much sticking to a formula
any advice to offer from his experience working or meeting expectations. We’re trying to be
on franchises like Street Fighter? unexpected. Just because the character looks a
certain way, doesn’t mean he’s going to act or
TT: Like Kuwasashi-san said, Nishiyama-san fight in a way that matches that.
wasn’t very involved at the beginning, but being
at the top of all the dev teams, he would come in BB: Was there a particular fighting game
and review things and give his reactions to the franchise you were keeping your eye on as
games. What I seem to remember from ’94 is competition, like Street Fighter or Guilty Gear
that he noted how much darker KOF ’94’s artistic or Darkstalkers or something quirkier, like the
style was compared to typical SNK games, and Power Instinct series?
he didn’t have huge expectations for the game,
but the KOF ’94 director would passionately fight TT: I think with Street Fighter II, Capcom
back against the negative points on the artistic really perfected the fighting genre, and I really
style of the game. respected that game, so when Street Fighter
Zero and Street Fighter 3 came out, we tried to
As ’94 ended up doing really well – it got high take the best parts out of them and incorporate
reviews from users and did well commercially – so them into our games. I really do think Capcom has
Nishiyama-san came around to our decisions, and fine-tuned the elements that make fighting games
as I recall, he gave less input as the series went fun, down to the impact of a punch.
on, as he saw that we knew what we were doing,
and we regained his trust. I don’t know if this is such a good thing to say as
a developer, but when we made KOF ’94, we even
considered bringing in some Street Fighter fans to
“WE WERE test our game. We played a lot of SFII and tried to
decode what makes a good fighting game. I don’t
SLOW TO ADAPT
think of Capcom as a rival so much as a point of
inspiration on how to make a good fighting game.
TO POLYGONS” BB: So the KOF ’94 director was only there for
’94, and Mr. Kuwasashi was there from ’94 to ’96,
and you were there until SNK went bankrupt, so
from ’94 to ’98. KOF ’97 was when you took the
BB: Compared to Capcom fighters, in which directorial reins. How did things change for you?
characters have a very compact and nimble style,
KOF has a very different feel. Characters feel taller TT: I was the director for ’97 and ’98, and
or lankier – a character like Iori has a swinging I continued to be in charge of balancing the
uppercut sort of motion to his attacks – it’s a very characters and fulfilling my role from the previous
distinct feel from other Capcom and SNK fighters. titles, but in addition to that I had to come up with
Was this a deliberate stylistic choice? the stories and characters and develop the series
as well. I collaborated with a magazine and polled
TT: Like you said, I think the balance of Capcom readers to get the KOF fans involved with the
characters is they’re like seven heads tall? development of the game, getting fan feedback
Their figures make them look like martial artists, to figure out what characters to bring into the
whereas with KOF characters [which are eight game. At the same time, as someone involved
heads tall] we wanted to make them look more with the original KOF game, I wanted to preserve
like people you might see on the street. As a the series and make sure we were staying true to
result, they’re visually designed that way and what we started off with.
when you add fighting game moves to that, they
look maybe bigger or more awkward doing those BB: Before Smash Bros. became popular, KOF did
fighting moves. the fan service thing a half-decade earlier, bringing
in fan favourites like Ikari Warriors characters to a
BB: Yeah, the KOF characters look more like fighting game. Do you think KOF was a pioneer in
J-Pop stars than traditional fighting game that style of game design?
characters.
TT: Even though KOF ’s use of all these characters
TT: If I were to compare the Capcom and SNK was out of necessity, and a sort of happenstance,
fighting games, Capcom games are like boxing. if KOF paved the way for an industry trend –
They’re professional athletes, they take their art being followed by SNK vs. Capcom and Smash
seriously, and you can tell even in the battles Bros. – I think that’s something to be proud of
themselves that these are well-balanced games. and happy about. When I first heard about SNK
Visually you know what their actions are going to vs. Capcom, I was happy but also kind of shocked
be. If they look like a sumo wrestler, they’re going and disappointed that they beat me to it. I knew
to act like a sumo wrestler. that in order to take KOF even further, we were
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running out of SNK characters internally so I’d hardware while other arcade-focused companies
need to bring in an outside company. I had even like SEGA, Namco, and Capcom were upgrading
thought that they would take it further, like they their tech continually?
would include characters from Namco and SEGA,
bringing in characters from like Virtua Fighter and TT: Yeah, the NEOGEO hardware for its time was
all those guys. I was hoping someone would create good and had high capacity. It was once the home
a Fighting Game Olympics. Every four years, consoles like PlayStation and the Xbox came out –
all the characters from all the companies would moving from 2D to 3D – when frustration started
come together, and a four-year cycle seemed like to set in with the development team, because we
enough time to avoid stressing out the developers, were falling behind the industry’s trends and not
but unfortunately it hasn’t come to pass yet. keeping up with industry standards. We were slow
to adapt to polygons, and that was SNK being
It certainly made me happy to see the fan service stubborn in trying to maintain their proprietary
concept ripple through the industry, and to be technology. This is not to say that I thought 3D
able to contribute to an industry-wide trend made was better than 2D, but I thought we could use
me very happy. the new technology to make better 2D games. It
was unfortunate that we weren’t able to adapt as
BB: That idea of bringing in all the fighting game quickly as the other companies.
characters every four years in an Olympics-style
format is great. It’s too bad no-one’s done it yet. BB: Mr. Kuwasashi mentioned colour limitations,
but in hindsight it probably actually helped the
TT: Right after we released KOF ’98 we had games hold up as beautiful products of their time.
extra time, so I drew up Ryu and Ken from Street You were forced to maximise the hardware to its
Fighter and inserted them into an internal build limits, and that’s probably one reason why we’re
version of KOF ’98, and this would have been two still talking about the games now.
years before SNK vs. Capcom released.
TT: I’m super thankful to hear that we were able
BB: That ROM must be pretty rare. to make something notable within the NEOGEO’s
limitations, with all those aspects of the game from
TT: It’s too bad I don’t have the game. I would graphics to sound, from planning to programming,
have loved to have shown it to you. that stands the test of time. It is very appreciated.
BB: Why were the clothes-shredding animations BB: Did you work on the Dreamcast port of ’98?
removed for Yuri and King from KOF ’96 onward?
Did someone say it was too exploitative? TT: I worked on the ports of ’98 and ’99, and
because the Dreamcast had a higher processing
TT: It was for purely developmental reasons. system, I felt that we had to do something
We recreated the whole system in KOF ’96 from special to utilise the added power. So I asked the
scratch, and there was a huge increase in damage background artists to make the backgrounds all
action, but we literally ran out of time in the 3D, so when you looked at them it would look the
development period to keep it in. I apologise to same as the 2D version at first glance but then
the fans who were expecting it. realise it was 3D as the game moved. I believe we
were the first to do that in a game, and I asked
BB: That probably made unintended sense, the graphic artists to do it for that reason.
to phase that out, because as the industry has
matured, nowadays you probably wouldn’t include BB: That was probably very satisfying, to work
that sort of thing any more. on a more powerful system. Capcom did a lot of
that with their fighting games on Dreamcast. They
TT: Ah yes, there’s Mai Shiranui, and in the must have been watching what you did with KOF.
European and US versions they took out the
shaking of her breasts, so only the Japanese TT: It would be nice to think that I influenced their
version has that. decisions. Speaking on the game development
as a whole, there was a conscious shift in the
BB: In some of the recent ports they’ve restored development of KOF ’96 onward to not just copy
a lot of that in the international versions, too. what other people were doing, but to try to do new
things and get ahead of the game, so there was
TT: I believe it was KOF ’96, the guy behind a lot of experimentation going on. A few things
the animation of the fighters was a perfectionist didn’t go right and we certainly had our share of
of sorts, and he initially had Mai Shiranui’s butt failures, but that was a conscious effort on our
jiggling as well as her breasts. He ended up having part to do new and innovative things.
her at like 30 animation frames and I had to yell
at him, “Are you crazy? This is too much, we BB: With ’96 you started to introduce some
definitely can’t afford to do this!” and I cut it out. new mechanics, like new attacks, power meters,
I told him to get his priorities straight. evasive manoeuvres, etc. In ’97 and ’98 onwards
there were still more changes, but were those
BB: He must have been very disappointed. changes to address shortcomings in previous
Speaking of frames of animation, was there any games or to do something new for the sake of
frustration with being limited to the NEOGEO progress and keep the series fresh?
515
With Masanori Kuwasashi having left SNK, from KOF ’97 onwards, Tanabe took over the role of developing the
stories and character narratives. He would poll fans via the gaming press when introducing new fighters.
KOF ’99 now had four-fighter teams, with the fourth fighter being a supporting Striker, who can be summoned during
a match to help. This and Counter mode are a couple of the gameplay innovations introduced in KOF ’99.
516
TT: When we were looking at making ’95, we TT: I actually left after the release of KOF 2000.
decided to remake it all from scratch, to throw I was involved with the planning of KOF ’99, and
out all of ’94 and remake it fresh. But then a few I was still involved with the background settings
months before the release of ’95, we realised that and character balancing.
it would be impossible, so rather than junk what
we’d started for KOF ’95, we took the ’94 engine BB: KOF ’99 introduced four-character teams
and assets and refreshed that to release it as ’95, – three fighters and one Striker. How did you
and we would later finish what we’d planned for manage that on NEOGEO? Were there any
’95 and release it as KOF ’96. That’s why KOF specific compromises that had to be made to
’94 and ’95 are very similar to each other, and make it happen?
why KOF ’96 has a lot of differences.
TT: Oh yeah, it was really hard, it was a handful of
As a developer, if you’re going to make a new game, skilled guys including a junior of mine who made
the idea is you always want to bring something it happen. While I can’t articulate the specifics of
new to the table and give a new experience to the what they had to do, I do know it was a struggle.
players, but you don’t see that with ’95 because One thing was they had to adjust the hitboxes
we didn’t have the time. Of course we had new for all characters. It came down to truly clever
characters and new art – certainly enough content engineering.
to make it a new game – but its basis is essentially
KOF ’94 remixed. BB: Looking back at your work, which is your
favourite KOF title and why?
BB: Was NEOGEO Freak one of the magazines
you worked with for polling players and getting TT: Without a doubt it’s KOF ’94. Amongst all
fan feedback? the struggles to make a hit, even as a title that
borrowed information and ideas from other
TT: Yeah. The three magazines I reached out to people, the two years of making it are inseparable
were NEOGEO Freak, Famitsu and Gamest. And from the end result for me, and the praise that
we made a team out of the three top-ranked the game has gotten made those two years of
characters. I don’t remember which character development worth it for me in the end. Of all the
polled best for each magazine, though. KOF games, ’94 is the most meaningful to me.
BB: NEOGEO Freak’s poll winner was Billy Kane. BB: Looking back, who would you say was the
Did you like the fact that they were so passionate most instrumental in helping you achieve the
about SNK and how they covered SNK and KOF? success that was had?
TT: I was very happy about it. It was super TT: I think the KOF ’94 director made the most
exciting to collaborate outside of our company, contribution to the success of KOF ’94. Of
and it was a first for me in getting other companies course, I think everyone’s contribution led to
to collaborate for the game. However, when we the game’s success, but I think he was central to
did release the new characters for the teams, we its success. The KOF ’94 director as the graphic
were faced with a lot of scepticism about using designer and artist, and his tenacity in knowing
the results of the polls, people thinking it was what he wanted, as well as his confidence in his
rigged or a scam, but we really did do this. Two of work and vision. I can’t say it out loud but there’s
the magazines had the same number one result, a lot about him that’s kind of crazy and difficult
so we did need to pick our own third choice, but to work with as well, but there are also a lot of
the results were genuinely fan-driven. things that are great about him. That all helped
to make KOF ’94 great.
BB: Was there a select range of games that
people could pick from in the poll, or could fans BB: What was your feeling or mood when you
write in characters from whatever game they found out that the KOF ’94 director was leaving
wanted to? after the completion of KOF ’94?
TT: It was a predetermined list, no write-ins. TT: There was a feeling of disappointment on one
hand, but in another sense it was like ‘the storm
BB: Was Genan from Samurai Shodown an option? has passed, and things are calmer now’.
TT: We actually had Samurai Shodown characters BB: When SNK went bankrupt, I’m sure things
as secret bonus cameos in the backgrounds were already chaotic and you were already seeing
of KOF ’94, but they got taken out before the the writing on the wall, but how did you feel at the
end. We had Samurai Shodown stages and time? What was the atmosphere like?
Haohmaru was one of the characters in the
game. Unfortunately, those assets most certainly TT: Even after SNK went bankrupt I think it’s
have disappeared, much like the early Ryu and something to be proud and happy about that
Ken inclusion in the test build of KOF ’94 that I other people wanted to continue the KOF series.
mentioned before. I stopped being heavily involved in development
after KOF ’98, but at that point you pass the
BB: Had you already left by the time they started torch to others to stay true to the game. I hope
working on KOF ’99? they continue to make KOF games up to 2094.
517
SHINICHI
SHIMIZU
Soft-spoken and amiable, Shinichi Shimizu was
responsible for making all of the KOF series’ high-
complicated to track down the titles I worked on.
For KOF ’94, my codename was ‘Shinchan-GTS’.
flying jumps, punches, kicks, fireballs, grapples, I worked on ’94, ’95 and ’96.
throws, and assorted chaos all work together on-
screen. More than anyone, Shimizu was tasked BB: What was your job title working on KOF?
with ensuring that the KOF ’94 director’s visual
designs, character art and animations were SS: I was the lead programmer on all three of
silky smooth and responsive, while lead planner these titles.
Toyohisa Tanabe’s game mechanics functioned
as expected and on command. When creating BB: How did you get into the video game
a competitive fighting game, these are tough business? Was SNK your first job as a video game
orders even under the best of circumstances; programmer, or did you go to college before going
when creating a brand-new fighting game from to SNK?
scratch, with no prior fighting game development
experience, it’s even tougher. Creating a fighting SS: I was born in 1970, so I grew up when
game featuring three characters per team on the games like Space Invaders were popular. It was
limited NEOGEO hardware, while making certain prohibited in school to play games, but I would
that the legacy characters you’ve inherited play sneak out, even in middle school and high school,
as they’re expected to, well, this is a scenario that to play games at the arcades. I liked to play
would test even the best of them. games and back then wanted to work in games.
I had a senpai in high school who went on to be
And yet Shimizu persevered, staying on as the a programmer at SNK, so right after high school
series’ lead programmer for KOF’s awesome I applied to SNK and got in. Back then there
opening trilogy of games. While he would help out weren’t any specialised school programmes for
on SNK’s Samurai Shodown RPG (a.k.a. Shinsetsu game programming. They did have community
Samurai Spirits Bushido Retsuden), he eventually college for computing, but I’d already passed the
moved on to develop Psikyo’s The Fallen Angels SNK exam as a high-schooler so it didn’t make
(Daraku Tenshi), as well as various entries in the sense to me to go to college for that.
stealth-ninja series Tenchu.
BB: [Game designer, Toyohisa] Tanabe told us he
We spoke with Shimizu about the process of being took an entrance exam for his field at SNK. Did
hired at SNK, the games he worked on leading up you take a programming test?
to KOF, and working on the NEOGEO hardware.
His contribution as the lead programmer for the SS: Yes, I did. It was a written exam where we
series provides a wealth of technical insights that had to write out programming code from scratch.
are unique to the interviews in this book. I wrote it out in the assembler language with the
assembler program.
BB: Back in the ’90s, game companies had
employees credited under codenames so other BB: What year did you join SNK?
companies couldn’t poach their talent. So it’s hard
to find information online on games you have SS: It was 1989.
worked on. Tenchu and Biohazard certainly come
up because your name’s on them. What was your BB: What games did you work on before KOF ’94?
old codename?
SS: The first game I worked on at SNK was
SS: The codenames changed with each title I Baseball Stars Professional, and Tanabe-san and
worked on, which probably makes it even more [Masanori] Kuwasashi also worked on that. We all
518
Lead
Programmer
KOF ’94 – ’96
started in the same year and worked as a team. working on Art Of Fighting, characters took up a
I also worked on Sengoku Densho, Eight Man lot of space on-screen, more so than most fighting
and Sengoku Densho 2, and I assisted on Super games. How much experimentation did you have
Baseball 2020. to go through in order to get the proportions right
for KOF ’94?
BB: That’s quite an amount of experience you
gained before you worked on KOF ’94. SS: There wasn’t a lot of adjustment to the size
of the characters. The NEOGEO had scaling for
SS: Yeah, we started working on KOF ’94 in 1992, its 2D graphics after all. But because our fighting
so by then I had four years under my belt. game was 3-vs.-3 and you had to have all those
characters on screen, there wasn’t a lot of scaling
BB: It’s too bad that the Eight Man side-scrolling you could have done [in real-time]. We did use the
beat-’em-up isn’t better known in the West. scaling for some scenes where the point of view
You were credited in Eight Man as Shin-chan, would pull in or out where appropriate.
is that correct?
BB: Despite your previous game development
SS: Yes. experience, a fighting game is quite specialised.
Players count frame data and hitbox spacing to
BB: Before KOF became KOF it was a concept get really good at these games. Did you have
called Survivor, originally designed as a side- to ask for advice from the Fatal Fury or Art Of
scrolling beat-’em-up. It would have benefited Fighting devs?
from your experience, but it never left the concept
stage. So you never had to make a prototype for SS: The A.I. patterns for fighting games are quite
Survivor? distinct, so I learned and borrowed ideas from the
Fatal Fury team, but in terms of technical things
SS: By the time I got involved, it was still like the combat and hitboxes, it wasn’t so far off
codenamed Survivor, but it was a fighting game. I what I did on prior titles.
remember they had, as a concept, specified that
there would be oil drums in the background to BB: Would you say it was easier to develop KOF
pick up and throw, and the 3-vs.-3 team-combat as a fighting game in which players are competing
concept was already there. I definitely remember in one environment, compared to doing side-
programming those oil drums. scrolling beat-’em-ups in which players would walk
through a large environment while fighting?
Initially we didn’t have Terry Bogard or the Fatal
Fury characters in yet, but we had the Ikari SS: So, it’s not to say one’s easier than the
Warriors team, and it seemed okay for characters other; it comes down to distribution of work. Side-
like Ralf and Clark to be throwing an oil drum. scrollers have a lot of enemies so you have to
But there was already an issue of screen space program their spawn timing and what they do,
because all the characters were already so big, stuff like that. For fighting games, because it’s
so trying to add oil drums on top of that, it just player versus player, there’s lots of programming
wouldn’t fit on the screen. So I thought, “What going into each character a user could be playing
do we do about it?” These were the kinds of as. For KOF ’94, because it’s a group of three,
questions I had for the team programming it. there has to be an A.I. simulation for the actions
while they’re not being controlled by the player.
BB: So you had practical considerations in terms In addition, all the special attacks and combos
of how much space on-screen assets would use have to have their unique programming to match
in the game. Mr. Tanabe mentioned how, when their unique visuals.
519
The other thing about fighting games is SS: There were limitations in the NEOGEO’s
balancing all the characters. Thanks to Tanabe- CPU. I would have to look up the specific speed;
san, who took the responsibility of making sure it was slightly better than the SEGA Mega Drive/
the character’s actions were visually cool and Genesis, but the RAM was only 64KB. The
balanced the characters, so that made it easier on NEOGEO had a memory card that you could
the programming end. I threw some of the tedious add, but it would only add 2KB. What were we
work back onto the designers’ plate. [Laughs] supposed to save on a 2KB memory card? We
could only record how many frames the player
had advanced in the game.
“THE SNK OFFICES BB: At the time, arcade hardware development
WERE RIGHT ABOVE

was fast-moving at other companies. Capcom
went from the CPS2 to CPS3 for 2D, SEGA went
from Model 1 to Model 2 to Model 3 for their 3D
AN ARCADE IN THE
games. Throughout the ’90s, SNK stuck with the
NEOGEO hardware, and never really made any
upgrades to it. Were you ever frustrated by SNK
SAME BUILDING” not releasing new hardware?
SS: SNK was making new hardware called the

Hyper NEOGEO when we were still at SNK. It was
BB: When you say ‘balancing the characters’, hardware that used polygons … But one of SNK’s
do you mean like increasing or decreasing the reasons for not upgrading the NEOGEO hardware
strength parameters of a hit, designating what’s over eight years was that it was hardware that was
a weak attack or a strong attack, and adjusting distributed globally, so they needed assurance
granularity of damage dealt, or is it more to do that the software made would run on all of it
with attack speeds or other factors? around the world. We certainly understood the
reasoning, but it didn’t lessen our frustrations.
SS: Of course there’s balancing the strength of
attacks, but there’s also which frame an attack BB: KOF ’94 and ’95 have the same underlying
actually lands on the opponent and how many hits systems, but KOF ’96 was where Mr. Tanabe
does an attack deal? If an attack hits at a specific implemented a whole host of new mechanical
location, is that counted as one KO blow or can adjustments. Can you speak to differences in
the opponent attack the same location multiple programming it, or was it all the same to you?
times? And on the defence side, what constitutes
a hit on your character and how strong is it? That’s SS: KOF ’95 was supposed to be a completely
all data that has to be programmed into the game. new system, but we ran out of time and we
Tanabe-san did most of that on the planning side, couldn’t incorporate everything, so we shifted
but if there was anything else that needed to be [these changes to] KOF ’96, and KOF ’95 was
programmed within the actions of the characters, more of a remix of the pre-existing KOF ’94. To go
they would specifically request me to program in into all the differences between ’94/’95 and ’96
that system. would be far too difficult for me to do right now,
but that’s what happened.
BB: Do you remember any particular programming
challenges that were difficult? BB: Which one was the hardest to program for?
SS: The hardware capacity of the NEOGEO SS: The hardest one of them to develop would
we were working with did limit what we wanted probably be KOF ’94, because we took two years
to do. For example, wanting lots of effects and to make it and we were working from scratch.
animations would cause the sprites to disappear However, ’95 and ’96 took a year each to make,
or inflict severe lag, so those requests would by virtue of the franchise annualising, so that was
sprout bugs in the system that we couldn’t fix. difficult, especially due to the time constraints.
There were a lot of challenges, but it’s been so
long I can’t remember particular ones. BB: Was it after KOF ’96 that you left SNK to join
Tenchu developer K2?
BB: It was designed so each player picks a fixed
team of three characters. Did you ever consider SS: After working on KOF ’96, I worked on an
allowing players to cycle between characters on RPG called Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits Bushido
the fly, as many fighting games later did? Retsuden for NEOGEO CD, SEGA Saturn and
PlayStation. After that I left SNK and went to
SS: No, there wasn’t any thought of implementing Psikyo with the KOF ’94 director and Kuwasashi-
that system. san to work on Daraku Tenshi (The Fallen Angels).
BB: KOF ’94 is a shining example of a game BB: Perhaps you can confirm or deny this: for
that maxes out the hardware’s ability to render Daraku Tenshi it has been said that the process
colours and sprites. Can you explain some of the of making the sprites was to use 3D models to
advantages and disadvantages of working on the ensure fluid movement for the characters before
NEOGEO hardware? drawing over them as 2D sprites. Is that true?
520
As lead programmer for KOF ’94 to ’96, Shimizu was responsible for polishing the fighting mechanics across the
roster of fighters. The greatest challenge was ensuring that the gameplay ran smoothly on the NEOGEO hardware.
The infamously difficult (and frustrating) end-boss Rugal in KOF ’94 is armed with a range of powerful moves. The exact
damage amounts for each fighter were specified by the developers and then programmed into the game by Shimizu.
521
SS: Ah yes, that’s how we did it, using 3D BB: SNK liked to hire people right out of high
modelling software to make the characters, add school and university. Everybody seemed fresh
motion to them, and then use that as reference and energetic and new to the industry at the time,
for the 2D art. and that probably means you worked more crunch
than was reasonable in retrospect. What was the
BB: Going back to Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits atmosphere in the workplace like at the time?
Bushido Retsuden (a.k.a. Samurai Shodown
RPG), each of the three versions of the game had SS: There was a lot of overtime, working through
something slightly different about them. How did the nights; the company even had a weekly
you end up on that project? It’s an RPG, not a system to clean and replace the futons under
fighting game. our desks that we slept on. We changed offices
between KOF ’95 and ’96, so in the original office
SS: The team that was making [the game] didn’t we slept at our desks and after the move we had
have enough manpower, and we were assigned more space, so we got futons.
to help them finish it. It was taking them forever
to make the game; it was a game that required The way the office layout went was that the floors
a lot of programming, so they were pulling were separated out not by teams but by our job
programmers out left and right from all the titles, and each floor had four rooms. One floor was
development teams. for the planners, one floor for the programmers
and so on. I would work until 2 in the morning,
We had about two or three programmers on and then I’d go downstairs to tell them I was
the KOF team. In comparison, by the end of wrapping up for the night, and the floor would be
development the Samurai Shodown RPG team pitch black because everybody had already gone
had about 20 or so programmers. The project to sleep, and that’s how I’d realise how late it had
wasn’t going well, it seemed, so they brought gotten. They were hard, tough times, but it was
other programmers in to help with it and that fun as well.
included me.
BB: Hopefully your current working conditions
aren’t like that.
“KOF SPECIFICALLY SS: Oh it’s not like that at all now. We get yelled
IS THE GAME THAT

at if we stay too late at the company.
BB: Between Tanabe, the KOF ’94 director and
I’M MOST PROUD

Kuwasashi, who did you work with most closely?
SS: For KOF I worked with Tanabe-san and
OF WORKING ON” Kuwasashi-san. The KOF ’94 director was the

head of the designers so I didn’t really have any
interaction with him.
BB: On KOF you were the lead programmer. What BB: Did you also work on all the ports of the
were your tasks, separate from the others? games for NEOGEO CD, Saturn and PlayStation?
SS: From ’94 to ’95 I worked on the system side SS: I worked primarily on the NEOGEO and
of programming, I had someone else helping out NEOGEO CD versions. For the Saturn and
with the player programming and whenever we had PlayStation ports, I wasn’t actually involved but
a third person they would work on the cutscenes. I would help if the teams responsible for those
ports had any questions.
BB: At the time, working on KOF ’94 through ’96,
what other fighting games did you look at in order BB: Do you remember any challenges in taking
to keep up with where the genre was moving at a game made for MVS carts and porting it to the
the time? Capcom had Street Fighter Alpha and Saturn and PlayStation?
Darkstalkers to name a couple.
SS: There are fundamental structural differences
SS: Our gold standards, and what we aimed for, between the NEOGEO and the PlayStation and
were Capcom’s Street Fighter 2 and SEGA’s Saturn. NEOGEO had to have quite a bit of ROM
Virtua Fighter, even though [the latter game] so we could pull the characters individually, but on
was quite different from KOF. We had fans of PlayStation it wouldn’t pull in all the characters at
those titles on our team so they played them a once so we had to split them up and that caused
lot for inspiration. some problems. Nowadays there’s an emulator so
it’s not a problem anymore, but back in the day I
At the time, the SNK offices were right above an believe they had a hard time doing the ports.
arcade in the same building. We had employees
who would leave work at the end of the day and go BB: The SEGA Saturn had a 4MB RAM cart just to
straight to the arcade when they were supposed accommodate the memory needs of KOF ’95. The
to be working overtime. But they didn’t come NEOGEO CD was extra slow, because the system
back, so we’d send people to fetch them. had to load in all of the assets from the disc.
522
SS: With KOF ’94, that game had no team-edit, didn’t get to them in time with the first KOF, and
so for each fight you had to load in six characters. players came to expect those quirks as how the
But the positive side of that was that – once attacks are, so we didn’t change them. But if I
loaded – within the fights themselves you didn’t could go back and fix them I would.
have any lag. However for KOF ’95, when we
introduced team-edit, that meant there was no Second, the difficulty curve of the arcade versions
easy solution to the data loading, and we had of KOF jumps high pretty quickly, especially
to stream in team members after every game as compared to how a difficulty curve on a normal
they were decided on by the player. non-arcade game would go. I would change it so
players could get the most reasonable amount of
BB: So in KOF ’95, you could choose your play time possible for their money.
characters for your team but also choose the
battle order for them. Was that what made load
times on the NEOGEO CD so long?
“MY CHILDHOOD
DREAM WAS TO
SS: In KOF ’94, with preset teams of three
characters each, the amount of memory the teams
would take up was predetermined. However with
MAKE GAMES FOR

KOF ’95, if you chose three characters that were
memory-intensive, you couldn’t load all three of
them and then play the game. The game had to
load while you were playing the match.
BB: What were your personal favourite games

and TV shows or movies?
ARCADES”
BB: If you could change the difficulty curve now
SS: For TV shows, Mobile Suit Gundam and Aura on KOF ’94, would you make Rugal so hard?!
Battler Dunbine. A game I loved as a child is
Xevious by Namco. SS: Rugal’s a boss though.
BB: Would you say working in games has helped BB: Video game developers back in the ’90s were
you realise your own artistic expression? really bad at archiving their code. SEGA and even
Squaresoft were really bad at it. Was SNK better
SS: My childhood dream was to make games for at taking care of the original materials, considering
arcades, and I was able to do that. Nowadays how many devices get ports of their catalogue
there are not many arcade games being made, titles nowadays?
so I’m glad I got to do it. It was fun.
SS: Yeah, SNK wasn’t good at archiving their stuff.
BB: How do you feel about the decline of arcades? I suspect that a lot of the ports are working on an
The big Club SEGA in Akihabara recently closed, emulator; I don’t think they have the original code
which was a sad moment for a lot of people. any more.
SS: Yeah, it’s sad to see arcades closing. One of BB: Most programmers, at least in the West, like to
the perks of making an arcade game was going to put little Easter Eggs, like programmer-only notes
an arcade and seeing players play the game right in the code. Did you leave any in your games?
there. Nowadays, everybody plays on consoles
at home and uploads their play sessions to the SS: It’s not in the code that was released in the
Internet, and although I can still watch, it’s different. commercial version, but there was a dev switch on
the internal devkit code to make special combo
BB: The Evolution Championship Series (EVO) moves, but that was just internal stuff. The KOF
is a fighting game event that’s been active for games I worked on don’t have Easter Eggs, but
many years and features the latest games in the in the menu screen of Sengoku Densho for the
genre, but also cycles in classics. How do you feel NEOGEO home release version, if you put in a
knowing that people are still actively engaging certain command then you could unlock a hidden
with the classics you worked on? playable mode. Unfortunately the Switch eShop
version of Sengoku Densho is the arcade version
SS: I feel thankful and also a little bashful, because so that hidden mode isn’t in there.
the bugs in the games still remain and whenever
I see someone trigger a bug I get embarrassed, BB: After many years since working on the original
but yes I am thankful. KOF trilogy, do you have any parting words?
BB: Being an experienced programmer now SS: It’s been a really long time since it was
compared to when you started off, is there released, so I feel gratitude for people still playing
anything in the games you made that you would it, and picking up this book to read about KOF.
change now if you could? KOF specifically is the series that I’m most proud
of working on, so that makes me even more happy
SS: First of all, there are attacks in the original that people feel an affinity towards it. I’m thankful
game that have quirks in their programming. We for that.
523
MASAAKI
KUKINO
Starting his career at Konami, graphic artist
Masaaki Kukino worked within their arcade
own art pieces, I think I developed my creativity.
Also, exposure to various films, and punk rock and
division, and cut his teeth on coin-ops such as other genres of music, has, I feel, polished up my
Crime Fighters, Haunted Castle and the excellent artistic sense.
belt-scrolling beat-’em-up, Astérix. After more
than a decade at Konami, and by then a director, As for the production methods, display structures
Kukino created the innovative Silent Scope light- and techniques for game graphics and dot art [pixel
gun shooting games. When he joined SNK in art], I got to learn these through my involvement
2007, the KOF series was long-established, but in game development at Konami.
at a crossroads. Although the world of video
games was now fully 3D, a decision was made Still, my sketching and drawing techniques, as
to stay 2D, but to give KOF its first ever major well as colour sense, are based on my university
graphical overhaul. We spoke to Kukino about studies.
his experience as the producer for KOF XII and
XIII during this fascinating, and often overlooked, BB: How did your first job at Konami come about?
period of KOF’s history, and got the low-down on
what was happening behind the scenes. MK: I initially belonged to the design [game
graphics] team within the R&D Department at
BB: Can you tell us how you got into the games Konami, and my first job there was a motocross
industry? bike game project. I was assigned to create pixel
art for riders and bikes, animations, and graphical
MK: I studied textile design at an art university demos that were displayed during the game.
in Kyoto, as initially I aspired to be a textile
designer. Then a friend of mine introduced me
to an artist at Konami, who stirred my interest in
game development; this led me to join Konami. I
“I KNEW SNK REALLY
WELL AS A COMPANY
did also get a job interview with Nintendo, but in
1985 they had only just released the NES, so I
decided not to take their entrance exams. I regret
THAT CREATED
it to this day! [Laughs]
BB: Did you play video games as a child? If so,

which ones?
MK: Though there were no video games in my

early childhood, in my early teens I played Pong,
EXCITING GAMES”
Game & Watch, Breakout and Space Invaders. BB: At Konami, you worked as an artist on many
During my high school years, I often played Pac- games, such as Haunted Castle and Astérix. What
Man and Galaxian at game centres [Japanese was it like, working at such a big games company
arcades] after school. during its heyday?
BB: How did you learn to create game graphics? MK: Game development in any company was,
Was that at college? at that time, very tough physically and mentally,
and involved working into the early hours. I’ll
MK: At university, I learnt the fundamentals of art, never forget the developments that I ploughed
such as art history, basic sketching and drawing, through with my teammates, but I do appreciate
and colour composition. Through creating my having been given those precious experiences.
524
Producer
KOF XII – XIII
Especially when working on Astérix, I was able BB: Were you familiar with previous KOF games
to go on business trips to Europe, including when you started working on KOF XII? Was there
Paris, Milan and London, to carry out interviews pressure, working on such an important game
and market research, attend meetings with the series?
original brand company, perform site tests etc.
All these experiences greatly influenced my life MK: Of course, I knew all about KOF. Fighting
in later years. games, in particular, were a massive and
important movement which had moulded an era
within Japanese arcade game markets. And KOF
“WE AIMED FOR A was the series of games that indeed had led that
movement. So for me personally, it was a pressure
NEW KOF IN
beyond imagination!
BB: Were you involved in the decision to give KOF
EVERY ASPECT”
XII its major graphics overhaul? The art style was
very different from that of previous KOF games.
Were you worried about its reception by fans?
BB: At Konami, you’re most well-known for the MK: When I joined the KOF XII project, the
excellent Silent Scope series. What was it like decision on the art style had already been made,
making the transition from 2D to 3D? as a part of the development concept, and game
development was in progress. I worked on its
MK: Prior to the Silent Scope series, I participated 2D character graphics, animation production
in the R&D for a large-scale game arcade processes, quality control, and on outsourcing
cabinet 3D race simulator called Speed King. At relevant artists. We made big changes to the
that time, game development had essentially graphical art style that had been added to and
already transitioned from 2D to 3D. During the matured through multiple series up to KOF XI. We
development of four subsequent racing games, aimed for a ‘reimagined’ KOF in character graphics
we were able to deal with the migration of and throughout all its action.
technological development methods, and changes
in display methods and game characteristics Of course, I was worried about its fans’ reactions,
design. So, for Silent Scope, I could focus on but I believed in always passionately challenging
maximising the game’s playability and innovation. and moving forward as a part of the development
team without hesitation, rather than merely
BB: Then, in 2007, you then started working at continuing with already-established development
SNK – how did that happen? styles and resorting to fans’ opinions.
MK: Before the release of the NEOGEO, during BB: Why was this graphical overhaul implemented?
my time at Konami, I knew SNK really well as a Did the new style take a long time to create?
company that created exciting games, as a fellow
company and a rival, and I was a fan. After four MK: We aimed for a new KOF in every aspect.
years working in London, I returned to Japan and Also, to complete this new style development,
joined SNK by applying through an agency. it was necessary for us to proceed with very
detailed and stringent quality control for each of
BB: Was KOF XII your first project at SNK? the numerous processes involved. It took us an
enormous amount of time and effort to achieve
MK: Yes, it was. this quality control while also selecting game
525
graphics companies to work for us, considering shape of what we wanted to express. It is in no
their 2D artists’ skills and headcounts, and the way merely an improved version of KOF XII.
time that could be spared for our production.
BB: KOF XIII has a larger roster than XII, but
BB: Was going 3D ever considered for KOF XII? there were still several characters planned for
the game that didn’t make the cut. Was this due
MK: Certainly not by me, as I was committed to just to time pressure, or was the decision already
SNK’s new 2D style for KOF XII. made to release the game with ten teams? Were
these characters intended to appear later as
downloadable content (DLC)?
“IT IS TRUE THAT IT WAS MK: The initial plan already included the numbers
of characters and teams for the released version.
TIME-CONSUMING TO DLC was also planned.
BB: KOF XIII has sometimes been criticised for
REDRAW EVERYTHING having hard-to-learn mechanics and feeling too

different from other KOF titles, but the flexibility
IN THE NEW STYLE”

and combos offered by those mechanics make it
a very fun and rewarding game. When XIII was
being made, were there any particular concerns
about balancing its play-style and feel compared
to those of other games in the series?
BB: Prior to the launch of KOF XII you engaged
with fans in location tests, an online fan-art MK: Our development team members and balance
event and a mobile app, to announce the new adjustment team have truly demonstrated their
stories and characters. Were you and your team abilities and thorough knowledge of the series’
concerned about the reception KOF XII was playability, operability and its balance.
going to get?
The most crucial challenge for fighting games is
MK: KOF XII was a new challenge based on meeting the players’ strongly held expectations
the KOF game series, in which SNK had already concerning inputs, operations and manoeuvres.
built up a complex world. So getting reactions
and feedback from the fans who had loved the BB: KOF XIII was well-received when it came out,
KOF characters and games was invaluable to our but SNK put the series on hiatus for a few years.
development and motivational for our team. We What was it like leaving SNK not long after XIII’s
were concerned about that major reform. release?
BB: On release, fans criticised the small, MK: I have no regrets because I was able to
22-fighter roster. Why did you choose to exclude complete the work of creating the new KOF, with
so many favourite characters, such as King and KOF XIII, as a producer. I have done all I could
Yuri? Was it purely due to the time needed to have done, down to every tiny detail.
redraw everything in the new style?
“THE MOST CRUCIAL

MK: It is true that it was time-consuming to
redraw everything in the new style. We focused
KOF XIII on the ending of Ash’s story arc and
all the related goals. So we proposed a new style
with a smaller number of fighters than in the
CHALLENGE FOR
FIGHTING GAMES IS
previous games.
BB: Why was the Tales of Ash saga not also part
TO MEET THE PLAYERS’

of KOF XII?
MK: The initial plan for KOF XII was not to bring
out story elements, but rather to introduce the
reformed and renewed style of the series. Then,
STRONGLY-HELD
EXPECTATIONS”
Ash’s story was intended to be completed in KOF
XIII. Of course, the production of the storyline,
its game demos and direction were in progress.
BB: You then started working on KOF XIII, the

last KOF title to be created using pixel art. Was BB: In KOF XII and XIII, fans were treated to the
this a case of building on and improving from return of two lesser-used characters who debuted
where you left off with KOF XII? in the original Fatal Fury, Raiden and Hwa Jai. Were
there any other underused characters from SNK’s
MK: No. KOF XIII was the ultimate goal for our earliest fighting games that were considered for
development team and in it we created the final XII and XIII’s rosters?
526
To the disappointment of fans, KOF XII featured only 22 fighters, the least of any KOF game. As confirmed by Kukino,
the smaller roster was due to the volume of work required to redraw each character in the new art style.
Beyond their new-look visuals, KOF XII gave certain fighters updated moves and voice acting. Whilst bravely
sticking with 2D sprites, Kukino and his team re-imagined KOF in every way possible in this instalment.
527
Building on KOF XII, KOF XIII raised the bar while addressing many of the criticisms aimed at the previous entry.
To the delight of fans, favourites such as Mai Shiranui, K' and Yuri Sakazaki were reinstated as roster members.
Among the innovative features added to KOF XIII were the pop-up challenges that appear during a fight. Completing
these Target Actions provides bonus points and even fills your power gauge within the next round.
528
MK: The concept was basically for each fighter to For me, KOF is not just a hit game series but
go back to their roots, as can be seen in Athena’s also the manifestation of challenges that its
form, Ralf and Clark, etc. The main returning development team has overcome and its players
characters were Raiden and Hwa Jai, but we did have realised. Being involved with this history,
not select any others at the planning stage. even as a small contributor, was a big and
challenging experience for me and at the same
BB: Would you have wanted to stay to work on time one that I really treasure. I still appreciate
another KOF? SNK for giving me such opportunities.
MK: No, but I wanted to work on Metal Slug! BB: Do you have any final message for the fans?
BB: Like KOF ’97 and KOF 2001, KOF XIII is MK: As a fan and one of the producers who’s
the concluding game of a story arc. What was it been involved in this world, I am looking forward
like going from KOF XII to having to wrap up the to more. To the fans, keep your eyes peeled for
story elements introduced in KOF 2003 and XI? KOF and SNK!
Was there any pressure to get the most out of the
climax of Ash’s and his friends’ stories?
MK: As you might expect, it was a huge

responsibility to complete the stories that had
been spun through KOF 2003 and XI. KOF is
a spectacular story, and pulling together all its
settings, plots and developments was not easy.
However, our scenario and movie demo teams

had been doing excellent work. So, rather than
feeling the pressure, I felt strongly that I wanted
to bring the game to the fans and users as soon
as we could.
BB: Why was the legendary fighting game boss

Geese Howard left out of KOF XIII?
MK: If the style of KOF XII was to be continued,

the appearance of Geese Howard was necessary.
Regrettably, at the point of KOF XIII release, he
was not chosen to appear.
“KOF IS A SPECTACULAR
STORY AND PULLING
TOGETHER ALL ITS
SETTINGS, PLOTS
AND DEVELOPMENT
WAS NOT EASY”
BB: Looking back on the KOF series, how do you
view the franchise, and its longevity, and how do
you feel about having been able to contribute
such a large part to its history?
MK: Although it has been said that fighting

games are a niche genre in the gaming industry, I
consider the unique history of the KOF franchise
and its series as very important parts of gaming
history.
529
HIDEKI
ASANAKA
Hideki Asanaka, a.k.a. Sha-V from SNK’s mysterious
credits scrolls of the time, is a long-time veteran
me to actually purchase the vinyls at the time,
but that was when I started to notice and get
of the KOF series, who’s also composed music for interested in video game music, for games like
the Fatal Fury and Samurai Shodown series, as Xevious and Darius in particular. The vinyl covers
well as lesser-known curios like SNK’s Dreamcast also showcased big video game art so that was
music rhythm game, Cool Cool Toon. To get a more influential as well.
well-rounded view of the series’ development, both
after the initial slate of games had established a BB: You mentioned Xevious and Darius, the
global franchise, and also around the time when works of Zuntata. Were those the game music
SNK’s management and ownership (and priorities) soundtracks that had the biggest impact on you?
shifted, we spoke with Mr. Asanaka about his work
on the series, his other contributions at SNK, HA: Well, Salamander – also known as Life Force
the NEOGEO sound chip, and his crash course internationally – and Space Harrier were the ones.
introduction to game development when he first OutRun as well. These game soundtracks were
joined the company. doing things that weren’t being done in earlier
game music. Before these it was all mono, but they
BB: If you can, tell us how old you are and were recording in stereo and taking advantage of
what got you started in music. What were your stereo sound on the vinyl versions.
influences growing up?
BB: When did you start to think that you would
HA: I’m 48 years old. [Laughs] So I started actually pursue video game music as a career?
looking into the music I liked at around 16 years
old, and that’s when I bought my own guitar. HA: When I was 16. I actually wanted to go into
game development before going into making music.
BB: So you started out as a guitar player. Over
time, did you bring other instruments into the fold, BB: What sort of role did you imagine having in
like piano? game development aside from music? Did you
consider being a programmer or designer?
HA: Actually, my mother strongly wanted me to
learn the piano as a young kid, but at the time HA: Actually, I really liked to draw as a kid, but
it wasn’t customary for boys to learn to play the when I was 14 years old I realised that I was
piano, so I strongly rebelled against that. I regret never going to come up with my own original game
that now. [Laughs] so I gave up on the drawing. And then I thought
I could go in as a programmer so I got my own
BB: Besides not wanting to play piano, did you PC and I studied programming, and I even went
enjoy video games as a kid as well? to college for programming. But once I got into
school, there was a lot of competition and I found
HA: I didn’t dislike them, but they were just one out that there were a ton of people who were
of many things I liked to do as a kid. It wasn’t my better programmers than myself.
number one thing.
For some reason I didn’t get any formal music
BB: Were you at all inspired by the music you training, but I never thought that I couldn’t do
heard in games? music. So when I was applying for my first job, I
went and applied to positions for sound design.
HA: Around the time I was 13 years old, that
was when they started to come out with records BB: A lot of SNK veterans we’ve spoken to –
of video game music. It was too expensive for whether on Samurai Spirits or Metal Slug or KOF
530
Musician
KOF ’95 – XV
– say SNK was their first game industry job. Did HA: That could be one factor, but SNK also
you work anywhere else before you applied to primarily did fighting games, and it matches that
SNK, or was SNK your first job out of university? game style to use the guitar. So it could have
something to do with that as well.
HA: SNK was indeed my first job.
BB: You started working on the KOF series around
BB: Can you remember the application process? the beginning. What year did you join SNK and
what was your first project?
HA: I had a cold so I was dizzy and not really
all that cognisant, but I remember the hiring HA: I started in April 1995, and the first title that
manager giving a really emotional speech, and I worked on was KOF ’95. Back then, I didn’t do
it made an impact on me. The people who were the soundtrack, it was just work on sound effects.
applying for the designer roles had to take the
“THEY WERE SHORT

exam there, but the people who were applying
for the sound jobs were sent home at that point
and told to submit a cassette tape of their work.
ON STAFF, SO THEY
I was able to go home after the hiring manager’s
speech, and that’s when I remember really feeling
like I wanted to work for SNK.
BB: Do you remember the music you composed

BASICALLY THREW ME
INTO THE FIRE AND I
for your submission tape?
HA: I’m a huge fan of Nobunaga’s Ambition and
LEARNED ON THE JOB”

read many books about him before going to
college or even applying for the job. I wrote four
pieces out of my Nobunaga inspiration.
BB: Were these compositions guitar-based? BB: How did you feel about this as a crash course
in game development?
HA: No, they were actually traditional Japanese
instrument-based pieces, like the shamisen HA: Usually, with SNK, there’s a three- or four-
[traditional Japanese three-stringed instrument]. month training period, but when I started they
were already close to mastering KOF ’95 and
BB: Between learning the guitar and the job they were short on staff, so they basically threw
application phase, it seems you broadened your me into the fire and I learned on the job. It was
expertise with different instruments. unheard of to fill in with a new hire on game
development at the time.
HA: Well, I didn’t actually play those instruments,
I programmed MIDI songs on my computer. BB: From what we’ve heard from other members
of the KOF team, it seems like everyone was
BB: Ah, clever workaround! Thinking back on new and had to figure it out on the go. A lot of
game music soundtracks from the ’90s, a lot of the staff we’ve spoken to attribute the game’s
it is partly computerised, but there’s also a lot of success to this, that they didn’t have modern
wailing guitar rock like on SEGA’s soundtracks. Do considerations of game development in mind,
you think this ties back to your comment about and as a young and reckless team, everyone just
boys learning to play guitar rather than piano? fearlessly went for it.
531
Asanaka’s first job at SNK was to work on the sound effects for an almost-finished KOF ’95. As he was a junior member
of the development team, more senior musicians would have been tasked with producing the actual soundtrack.
After gaining valuable experience from KOF ’95, Asanaka then created his first soundtrack, for Real Bout: Fatal Fury.
He worked with another musician; the pair created all the music and sound effects for the game.
532
HA: Yeah, at the time we didn’t have a lot of HA: That would be KOF ’96. There were at least
experience or pre-established techniques or tools six people in the music team.
to use, so we relied on our passion to make the
music that we did. BB: How did the team break down? Who was
assigned to what tracks and so on, for the
BB: Who was your boss when you started at SNK? soundtrack?
HA: I answered to Yamapy-1 (Yasumasa Yamada) HA: At the time that we were developing KOF
back in the days when I was working on KOF ’96, SNK was also making Samurai Spirits RPG,
’95 ’s sound. Yamapy-1 isn’t at SNK anymore but Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits Bushido Retsuden,
he worked on Art Of Fighting. which was a huge project and was taking up a
lot of staff. Everybody else except myself was
working on Samurai Spirits RPG, so every other
“SOUND AND AUDIO member of the group was assigned specific songs
to write, and that was their contribution to KOF
DIDN’T COME INTO THE

’96. I was the only member working exclusively
on KOF ’96, except there was a new hire who was
a full-time assistant to me.
EQUATION UNTIL THE BB: Would you say you did a bigger chunk of the
KOF ’96 soundtrack, being the person out of the
LAST FOUR MONTHS group focused solely on ’96?
HA: Of course I wrote some of the music but a
OF DEVELOPMENT” lot of it was also organising the music that other

members had written. I didn’t write the battle
music used during the fights, but I’d say I wrote
most of the shorter pieces that were used in places
BB: So on KOF ’95, you were doing mostly sound such as the character select screen, demos and
effects for the game. On which game did you start victory shots.
making music for the series?
BB: When you were composing the music for the
HA: That was Real Bout: Fatal Fury, the first one. series, according to other team members that
we’ve spoken to, it seems like SNK had a sound
BB: Did you learn any techniques or best practices team, and game planners or directors would simply
on Real Bout: Fatal Fury that you would bring tell them something like, “I need five tracks” – the
back into KOF? planners said they never really spoke with the
sound team. Did you compose the tracks in a sort
HA: For KOF ’96 the sound drive changed of vacuum, for the directors to pick and choose
completely, so I had to relearn everything. what worked best, or did you have visual material
or video footage to work with during the process?
BB: What kind of direction did you have on Real
Bout: Fatal Fury? HA: Back in the day, sound and audio didn’t come
into the equation until the last four months of
HA: The concept behind it was to combine Fatal development. Most of the game would be made,
Fury 3 ‘plus Alpha’, building on 3 but also adding and then we would have a meeting with the
in new elements to it. The team asked me to keep producer or director with the game in action. They
the feel of Fatal Fury 3 but also add a twist of would explain what was going on, the background
something new to it. details, and we would take that and go write the
music.
BB: Since that was your first game composition
at SNK, how did you approach that musically? BB: What was it like working on the NEOGEO
Obviously guitar was going to be present, but what hardware? Were there any hardware limitations
other sort of compositional tools did you bring in? that you had to take into consideration or did you
just have to keep the bitrate limit in mind?
HA: I used predominantly pre-programmed MIDI
and the tools they had at SNK. HA: Oh, I definitely felt constraints. There were
seven total sound bars; three were used for sound
BB: So did you contribute certain tracks to Real effects and the remaining four were used for
Bout: Fatal Fury or work on the whole thing? music. There was also an FM ongen sound bar that
used SNK’s synth for music. That was the Yamaha
HA: There were two people, Shimizm (Toshio YM2610 sound chip and it never changed.
Shimizu) and myself, making music and the sounds
for the game. BB: You worked on the series up to KOF 2000,
is that correct?
BB: What was the first KOF game that you
actually composed music for? And how big was HA: As an SNK employee, yes, and then I was
the sound team for it? involved in KOF XI and XII as a freelancer.
533
BB: Were you ever able to compose for something For KOF ’97 somebody else was supposed to
more powerful than the YM2610 chip, on a game come in and be the sound director, but because I’d
that had something like redbook audio, CD-quality had that bad experience with ’96, in that I hadn’t
sound? given it everything I had, I went to my boss and
asked them to please let me work on ’97. That
HA: The last NEOGEO title was KOF 2003, and experience pushed me further, so it means a lot
for KOF XI we moved on to the Atomiswave, so to my career looking back that I had that kind
we were able to stream in audio. of bitter experience. I wanted to take back my
honour and show what I really had inside me.
BB: Did you find that move to be liberating as a
musician, or did it add more pressure now that
your virtuosity would be on full display?
HA: Before we stopped making games for the “I’D NEVER DREAMED
NEOGEO, we’d had the NEOGEO CD and we were
rewriting the songs as all instrumentals without
THAT KOF WOULD
CONTINUE FOR SO
the limitations of the original NEOGEO. So when
we did transition, it wasn’t like a sudden change.
I’d already experienced working with unlimited
LONG, AND EVEN IF

audio capacity.
BB: How would you say video game music creation

has changed over the years, from when you first
started to what you’re working on now?
I DID THINK THAT, I
HA: In the beginning, game consoles controlled
the sound of the music that was created. Whatever DIDN’T THINK THAT I
WOULD PERSONALLY
sound hardware the console had, that was the
sound that players listened to. Once CDs became
available, there were no limitations in terms of the
sound that could be created within a game. You
had musicians who had no experience or relation
to games starting to make music for them. Music
composing for games was no longer a specialised
BE INVOLVED”
skill because everybody could come in and make BB: Are you as enthusiastic now as you were
it, so the challenge became, ‘How do I continue when you first started, and are you surprised by
to make game music so it sounds like game music the longevity of the series?
and not like something that any artist could come
in and make?’ HA: Of course, I’d never dreamed that KOF would
continue for so long, and even if I did think that,
BB: Which was the most difficult KOF game to I didn’t think that I would personally be involved.
compose for, if any? It’s almost miraculous that I’m still involved with
the title. When SNK was bought, I was transferred
HA: So ’97 was Orochi, ’98 was the Special in October of 2000 to the company that bought
Edition, then ’99 came along and the direction SNK, but in 2013 I returned and came back to
from the director was that they wanted to change work on the series because there was a sound
the game a lot, including the main characters. They team working on the series but they were mostly
wanted a whole new sound and feel, changed up from the [pachinko] slot games sound design
from whatever had been created in the past. The team and they wanted somebody with video game
environments were more cybernetic, so the whole experience. As I was somebody who had worked
game had a different feel. The pop culture at the on the prior series, they asked me to come back.
time was the merging of rock and digital sounds, I’d personally wanted a way back into the game
so we were trying to figure out how to write music industry, so I came back in 2013.
that was in sync with what was going on in pop
culture and also fit the new game we were making.
BB: What are your best memories of working on

the KOF series?
HA: It’s not so much best memories, but something

that remains strong inside of me. I was assigned
to be the sound director of KOF ’96, but I was
still new in the industry, it only being two years
since I’d started. I didn’t have much experience,
so I wasn’t able to give it my best in ’96. I caused
delays and we had to bring additional people in,
and I felt like I could have done better and that I
didn’t meet the standards.
534
Asanaka’s larger role on KOF ’96 involved composing pieces that were used in places such as the character select
screen and victory shots. He was one of six musicians working on the game.
Asanaka is probably KOF’s longest serving development member, having been involved in pretty much every main
entry in the series since ’95, right up to the present day with the impending release of KOF XV.
535
EISUKE
OGURA
Illustrator and game designer Eisuke Ogura is a
long-time SNK veteran and prolific artist whose
BB: Street Fighter was very influential on the game
industry in how it inspired young people to get
work has graced countless games in the company’s into game development. When you first decided
gameography, from Fatal Fury, NEOGEO Battle to enter the game industry after you attended this
Coliseum, Samurai Shodown and, most relevant college, did you apply directly to SNK? A lot of the
to this book, KOF games, among many others. people we’ve spoken to have told us that working
Joining the KOF series during the development at SNK was their first game industry job. Did you
of KOF 2001, around the time SNK originally apply to Capcom as well or did you decide, “Well,
declared bankruptcy, Ogura is essentially an they probably have enough artists because of
alumnus of the second generation of KOF games. Street Fighter so I’ll apply at SNK”?
His work on the series continues to this day,
which makes his tenure on the franchise among EO: I applied for Capcom, SNK and Konami.
the longest in KOF’s history. We spoke with Ogura
to discuss his game development history (don’t BB: How far did you get with the three?
believe everything you read on the Internet) and
the lasting legacy of KOF. EO: [Laughs] I only made it to the very end at SNK.
BB: Artists can do a lot more things outside of BB: So was SNK your first job out of university?
video games than, say, a game programmer
might. Did you actually want to get into games as EO: Yes.
a young man or did you follow a path outside of
games – as an illustrator or designer, perhaps – BB: What games did you really enjoy growing up?
before you began working for SNK?
EO: I really liked RPG games like Dragon Quest
EO: I did like video games as a kid, but I wasn’t and Wizardry.
specifically aiming to work in them until about high
school, when Street Fighter II came out. I saw BB: Did you join SNK in 1996? What was your
the animation in motion and I felt that I wanted first project?
to work in video games, and if I could draw art
for games that would be awesome. That’s when I EO: 1996, yes. My first project there was Real
started looking for the path I had to take in order Bout Fatal Fury Special, and then Real Bout Fatal
to get there. I received a pamphlet advertisement Fury 2, and then Garou: Mark of the Wolves.
for a school that had taught the animators for
Street Fighter, so I decided to apply to that BB: What was your role in the development of
school and think about applying to video game Garou: Mark of the Wolves?
companies after that.
EO: I did the animation for Gato, and character
BB: Was the school you attended Capcom- design for some characters like Grant.
affiliated or was it just a place that Capcom staff
members had attended? BB: On your first project, Real Bout Fatal Fury
Special, what were your tasks on that game? What
EO: It wasn’t particularly affiliated with Capcom. did you learn during the development process?
I live in Osaka and there are not as many video
game companies as in Tokyo. We do have Capcom, EO: I came onto Real Bout Fatal Fury Special
SNK and, at the time, Konami, so naturally many towards the end of the game’s production, so I
of the students who went to our school ended up didn’t contribute to any original art. It was mostly
at Capcom, SNK or Konami. learning how to create the [pixel] art because
536
Artist
KOF 2000 – XV
I didn’t have any experience with that in the past, BB: For KOF 2000, did you do the cover art for
so it was kind of like training. They tried to teach the Best Collection version? The Internet claims
me the graphic art for pixel art but I didn’t do so you did.
well. It was a lot of trial and error the first year.
EO: Hm, I don’t think that’s correct.
An illustrator usually does an outline and then you
[colour] in the gradations. When you’re working BB: The Internet is wrong again!
with dot art, you have to learn to make gradations
with just colour and not use an outline. EO: It was probably Tonko’s art.
BB: The college you went to didn’t teach you

anything about pixel art, it was primarily animation?
“I THOUGHT IT WAS
REALLY COOL, I LOVED
EO: The college I went to was more of a graphic
design college, so they taught you lettering and
blueprints and design, basics for graphic design.
THE ART OF KOF”

At the time, they really didn’t have specific video
game design classes or schools.
BB: What other projects did you work on after

you worked on Real Bout Fatal Fury Special but BB: The Internet also says you contributed art
before you worked on KOF? for KOF ’98 Ultimate Match?
EO: After Garou: Mark of the Wolves, we started EO: I was involved with the illustration of the
work on Garou: Mark of the Wolves 2 but that was extra characters for ’98 but wasn’t involved with
right around the time SNK was bought out, so we the in-game art.
had a new [management] entity come in. I was
working on a title that wasn’t in the fighting game BB: As somebody who worked on other games
genre for about a year, but that title eventually besides KOF from ’96 until 2001, what was your
got cancelled. view of the KOF series as an outsider looking in?
BB: So with Garou: Mark of the Wolves 2, was EO: When ’94 and ’95 came out, I was still a
that in actual development or was it just in the student and I really admired the art. I thought it
planning stages? was really cool, I loved the art of KOF.
EO: It was in development. There were a few BB: For KOF 2001 what were your primary tasks?
characters that were fully designed and in action.
EO: I came in at the very end of production for
BB: The first KOF you worked on was 2000? 2001 so I was in more of a support role, working
on the demo scenes and the dot art illustrations
EO: KOF 2000 was being developed by a for things that needed to be finished. I also
completely different team. About the time that supported and edited things that had already
the title I was working on got cancelled, I was been completed.
thinking about leaving the company when one of
my senpai at SNK was working on KOF 2001, BB: So which KOF would you say was the first
but they needed more staff, so they asked me one where you were involved with the entire
to join them. development? Was it 2002?
537
Before starting work on KOF, Ogura contributed art to other SNK titles, such as Real Bout Fatal Fury Special,
Real Bout Fatal Fury 2, Garou: Mark of the Wolves and NEOGEO Battle Coliseum (pictured).
Ogura’s first main involvement in the KOF series was KOF 2002, where he was responsible for user interface
elements and portrait art of the characters’ faces. The above image is a still from the animated intro sequence.
538
EO: That’s correct. Of course, old SNK was notorious for a lot of work
and long hours, but that’s not the case any more.
BB: How did your responsibilities evolve during Some of it is obviously outsourced, as we don’t
the development of 2002? have the capacity to make it all in-house. So for
various reasons, we don’t work the long hours
EO: It continued to be me working on the demo that we did back in the day.
scene visuals, things that the player would see on
the screen like the UI elements, portrait art of the BB: When you were first coming onto the KOF
characters’ faces, things like that. series, did you feel any pressure creating the
key art or promotional art, being the artist who
BB: It seems like you had a large involvement in followed someone as well-established as Shinkiro,
the series thereafter, in the games 2002, 2003, for example?
XI, XII and XIII. Did you spend most of the
following years working on KOF? EO: Oh, of course, there was tremendous pressure.
But there were people between Shinkiro-san and
myself who took the baton, so compared to them
“I AM ALSO REALLY I don’t think the pressure was as great.
THANKFUL TO THE
BB: Was there any sort of design direction
that you received or any style guides that you
were instructed to incorporate into your key
FANS FOR CONTINUING

illustrations?
EO: It was a case-by-case basis, but I usually
TO LIKE AND SUPPORT did a rough draft of a number of pieces and

then presented them and then got direction. For
THE SERIES”
instance, in the case of KOF they usually asked
that I incorporate multiple popular characters
into the key art, but for Samurai Spirits (2019),
which I worked on recently, they asked me to do
key art with Haohmaru by himself, and for that
EO: Yeah, you could say that. There were a couple recent Switch version, they specifically requested
other games I was also involved in, like NEOGEO artwork of Haohmaru battling with Yashamaru.
Battle Coliseum, but yes, mostly KOF.
BB: Name some of your favourite pieces of the
BB: How would you describe the life of an SNK key art that you either worked on or provided,
artist? Do you find yourself working on bits and whether it was a cover for NEOGEO Battle
pieces of lots of games or is it more heads-down, Coliseum or Samurai Spirits, etc. And what are
one game at a time? some of your favourites among the characters
that you designed?
EO: In general, yeah, you were given one project
and you stuck to it for the length of the project. EO: I like the art that I mentioned for the most
At the same time, around the time XII and XIII recent Samurai Spirits, and the cover art for KOF
came out, SNK was only working on a handful XIII and XIV. As for my favourite character, that
of titles so there weren’t a lot of titles running would be King of Dinosaurs, who may or may not
simultaneously. be Griffon [a.k.a. Griffon Mask, a.k.a. Tizoc].
BB: From the outside it’s difficult to know BB: “Who may or may not be”, which means he is.
whether you were an artist working remotely – as
a freelancer – on key illustrations or if you were EO: Well it’s no secret. [Laughs]
deeply involved with the development itself. Now
we can see you were intrinsically involved with the BB: Looking back on the KOF series, how do you
development. What was the working environment view the franchise and, its longevity, and how do
at SNK like? Was it high-pressure all the time, you feel about having been able to contribute
like in the early days of SNK when teams had to such a large part to its history?
create a new sequel annually, or were working
conditions a little bit more reasonable? EO: I think it comes down to the great planning
and vision from the creators of the series that it
EO: I think we released about one game per year, has been able to stay around for so long, so I
so that was pretty standard. Because KOF came have a huge amount of respect for the original
out in ’94 and again in ’95, and because of the creators. I am also really thankful to the fans for
titles it was expected that it would be an annual continuing to like and support the series.
[release], so we worked along that schedule. But
I think other teams also had that kind of similar BB: In the series as a whole and on the games
rotation, they’d spend a few months working you worked on in particular, do you remember
on the planning document, and then dig into seeing anything from the designers and how they
development, release it, take a month’s break, evolved the systems of KOF that you thought was
and then continue work on that kind of cycle. particularly innovative?
539
EO: Because I’m an artist, the art for the series BB: And it may or may not be Tizoc.
really stands out for me. The NEOGEO graphics
of the original game were really realistic, from EO: The court isn’t settled yet, it may or may not
the backgrounds to the character art; the quality be. [Laughs]
was great. I really respected the game in that
aspect. Also the concept of the 3-on-3 battles for BB: Did you come up with the name King of
the price of one coin, that was really unique and Dinosaurs, or did Oda?
innovative for the series.
EO: Oda-san gave the name.
I don’t particularly feel like I personally contributed
to the change in design of the series. Because BB: It’s interesting because in the history of
we work as a team, depending on the staff that KOF, there are all kinds of cool characters coming
joined, they all contributed in some ways to the in with their cool outfits and cool haircuts, but
change in design feel. We did shift dramatically then along comes King of Dinosaurs and he’s
for KOF XII with the visuals, and then again at so different from everybody else. These are the
XIV to 3D, but with each iteration there’s a sense kinds of characters that stand out, and it shows
of trying to protect the feel and vision of KOF for that you’re not afraid to have fun with the series.
continuity. These are the boldest moves.
“BECAUSE I’M AN
BB: Do you have any final message for the fans?
EO: Thank you everyone for your long and
ARTIST, THE ART

continued support. SNK has had a rocky past, but
it is thanks to everyone’s support that we’re able
to keep making fighting games. We will continue
FOR THE SERIES to make the games our fans love, and so we hope
you will all stick along for the ride!
REALLY STANDS BB: Since you’re working on the latest entry in

the KOF series, can you tell us what to expect for
OUT FOR ME”

KOF XV?
EO: Fans can expect KOF XV to provide deep

and exciting matches with its overhauled graphics
BB: When we were interviewing the creators of and battle system. More and more characters are
the original KOF trilogy – ’94, ’95 and ’96 – the to be announced, and we’ve set out to make the
way the character selection was described is that hottest and most exciting KOF yet, so please look
the artists drew a lot of characters and then the forward to it!
director went through and picked the ones that
he liked the best, and then created teams around
them. Was there a similar sort of working style
between you and the director on the games you
worked on? Did you just draw King of Dinosaurs
and they decided, “Okay, we’ll make him a
Wrestling-type character,” or did they ask you for
a Wrestling-type character and you created King
of Dinosaurs?
EO: I only transferred into KOF part-way so I can

only speak from the point I got involved, but I
don’t think it has changed since the beginning.
The designer or game planner gives us the specific
vision of what kind of characters they want, the
artist draws a rough [draft], proposes ideas, and
then the director and planner choose and give
feedback, and then the artist finalises.
BB: So what was the reaction when you presented

King of Dinosaurs?
EO: [Laughs] Actually, the original design of King

of Dinosaurs was a rough draft of a wrestler with
a mask who was carrying an alligator. But then
the director Oda-san said, “Why don’t you put a
dinosaur mask on the wrestler?” and that’s how
the design evolved.
540
With regular KOF artist Shinkiro having departed from SNK, artists such as Eisuke Ogura could put their own
personal stamp on how the KOF characters looked, as seen here in this intro sequence from KOF XI.
First appearing in KOF XIV, Mexican wrestler King of Dinosaurs was the joint creation of Yasuyuki Oda and Eisuke
Ogura. Rumour has it that it is indeed Tizoc under the costume, something never confirmed by the developers.
541
And that’s a wrap! The end
sequence of KOF ’94 sees the
whole cast appear once the end
credits have rolled. Little did we
know, back then, that the next
KOF instalment would appear
just 11 months later.
542
543
THANKS
AND CREDITS
Without these people, this book would not be possible:
A huge thanks to Adam, Sandy and Lizzie for making this project happen, and all
the staff at SNK for all their help and support in putting this book together. To all the
interviewees who kindly gave up their free time. To Robert Jones for the writing and
his ongoing support and advice. Christopher Rasa for his writing, image suggestions
and general KOF expertise. James and Joy Mielke for the amazing interview work.
Frazer Rhodes, Brian Hargrove and Massimiliano Macri for their constant willingness
to help and advise. Gonçalo Lopes for his excellent work in making sure each
screenshot looks perfect. Joseph from The Fighters Generation for permission to
reproduce his stage maps. Ilaria Porro and Riko Uemura for the translation help.
Catherine Menabde for the interview portraits. Armen Mardirossian* for the Survivor
mock-ups. Paul McNally for his outstanding sprite-ripping work. Greg Goddard
for being a social media guru. Steve Jarratt for the editing and Karen Giles for
the proofreading.
Interview credit thanks:

Takashi Nishiyama: https://bit.ly/3h5EGGM
Masahiro Nonaka: THE KING OF FIGHTERS Perfect Art Collection
Also, thanks to the numerous online and print resources used throughout this
book. Please check them out:
www.snk.fandom.com
www.fightersgeneration.com
www.mobygames.com
www.shmuplations.com
www.strategywiki.org
www.hardcoregaming101.net
www.vgdensetsu.tumblr.com
www.siliconera.com
www.arcadeattack.co.uk
All About SNK Fighting Games 1991-2000

All About THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’94
SF25: The Art of Street Fighter
SNK Illustrations
SNK Posters Collection
THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’94 Guide Book
THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’95 Official Guide Book
THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’96 Character Guide Book
THE KING OF FIGHTERS Perfect Art Collection
THE KING OF FIGHTERS Illustration Collection
*Armen Mardirossian is a character designer, hand-drawn animator, storyboarder and pixel artist who has worked as character
designer as well as cinematics and animation director on indie games such as Piersolar and Piersolar HD, Tanglewood, Kraut Buster,
and Battle Kid 1 and 2.
544
THE KING OF FIGHTERS:
THE ULTIMATE HISTORY
ザ・キング・オブ・ファイターズ: 究極の歴史
Bitmap Books is incredibly proud to present THE KING OF
FIGHTERS: The Ultimate History. Put simply, KOF is one of
the most important fighting game series of all time, and today,
in 2021, it is considered versus fighter royalty. But despite this
legacy, the history of this long-running and much beloved gaming
series has never been comprehensively told, leaving the story
of how it came to be, and the cultural phenomenon it became,
largely shrouded in mystery.
Here, in the first officially licensed and fully endorsed book of

its type, that story is revealed in its entirety. With the help of SNK
itself, which has granted unprecedented access to its immense
archives of illustrations and artwork, as well as the key members
of the original development team, who have spoken in unparalleled
detail about how they created the series, this official history
delivers a comprehensive visual and written history of KOF.
The book celebrates iconic characters in the KOF roster, such as

Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami, as well as hearing from the voice
actors who brought them to life; it uncovers never-before-seen
details about the mysterious origins of KOF; and delves into the
sumptuous pixel artALLand
© SNK CORPORATION rich
RIGHTS story narratives the series is known for.
RESERVED.
With its wealth of imagery and information, this is the ultimate
KOF history.
SNK and the fearless young game makers who created KOF
changed the world back in 1994, and the book that you hold
in your hands is testament to that landmark achievement.
© SNK CORPORATION ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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All trademarks are the property of their respective Graphic design

First published in 2022 by Bitmap Books Ltd. Writing

Yasuyuki Oda, SNK Lead Producer

From those who still vividly remember the flickering arcade

A stunning synthesis of so-cool-it-hurts style, brutal violence

And, what’s more, KOF not only took these rivals on

However, as this never-before-told official history of the

©CAPCOM CO., LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Not long after Street Fighter hit the arcades,

INDUSTRY ITSELF WAS

STILL QUITE YOUNG”

South Town beat down Interestingly, as Nishiyama recalls, Fatal Fury

“FOR ME, FATAL had mini-games to play in between matches.

STREET FIGHTER II”

“I WAS VERY EXCITED

Today, SNK’s name is synonymous with fighting

The KOF ’94 director confirms this recollection,

“IT WAS CHAOS.

“Being a young team, we didn’t have any titles to our

CHARACTERS WAS A “There may have been a few people uncomfortable

KIND OF CRAZY IDEA”

GAMES WERE MACHO

COLOURS AND AN as the KOF ’94 director explains:

For example, the England team’s fight at The Tower

Ikari Warriors team stage (Brazil)

Psycho Soldier team stage (China)

Women Fighters team stage (England)

Fatal Fury team stage (Italy)

Korea Justice team stage (Korea)

Art Of Fighting team stage (Mexico)

American Sports team stage (USA)

“THE A.I. PATTERNS

“For KOF ’94, most of the game balancing was

FOR FIGHTING GAMES

ARE QUITE DISTINCT”

“Compared to other games where you can pit

Very little time for balance, as well as designing one

“There were limitations in the NEOGEO’s CPU. Super cancel

TO THE TEMPLE BELL

RINGING WHILE come back, so we’d send people to fetch them,”

PUNCHING THE DOTS”

GAME OF THE YEAR

What the KOF ’94 director, Kuwasashi and the rest

KOF ’94 HAD

Despite being written off by Gamest months

© Shinseisha Co., Ltd.

This Rivals team is notable, not only because it

“IORI YAGAMI WAS LIKE

NOTHING GAMERS HAD

The KOF narrative wasn’t the only thing to markedly

This portable version of KOF ’95 was followed

TO GO FOR KOF ’94”

Fatal Fury team stage (Italy)

Art Of Fighting team stage (Mexico)

Kim team stage (Korea)

“KOF R-1 AND R-2

Heart of Orochi The fact that Mai Shiranui’s breasts animation