SNK fan video explains labyrinthine lore ahead of The King of Fighters XV

king of fighters lore video snk

A guy, some clones, and a god walk into a bar…

Recommended Videos

We’re just a few weeks away from the launch of the great-looking King of Fighters XV and, quite honestly, the buzz around it is far bigger than many of the legendary franchise’s more-recent entries. Cottoning on to the fact that the new sequel might be attracting new fans, SNK superfan NeoGeoNow is releasing a series of videos to get folks up to speed on KoF‘s surprisingly deep and complex lore.

It’s no Kingdom Hearts, but with over 100 fighters, three arcs, and over 12 games, there’s a lot to cover.

This first video looks at the first King of Fighters arc, known to devotees as “The Orochi Saga.” Spanning The King of Fighters ’94, The King of Fighters ’95, The King of Fighters ’96, and The King of Fighters ’97, this narrative concerns rival poster boys Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami. While the two resident hunks are in a deeply embittered rivalry, they are brought together by the mysterious Chizuru Kagura in order to prevent the return of the terrifying, world-destroying demon, Orochi.

Of course, this is just a brief overview of King of Fighters’ lore. Back in the day, each and every team and character has their own plotline, running through each and every game. Seriously, I used to have them all printed out and stored in a ring binder because I’m a massive fucking nerd. However, these new videos, clearly the result of many hours of hard work, will offer you the bullet-point version of KoF‘s decades-long lore.

No doubt the next lore video will look at the interminable NESTS saga, covering The King of Fighters ’99 to The King of Fighters 2001. Great new characters and fab fashion, but clones, clones, and more clones.

The King of Fighters XV launches February 17 on PlayStation, PC, and Xbox platforms.


Destructoid is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article Dragon’s Dogma 2’s Medusa gets a taste of her own medicine with this shiny weapon
Medusa in Dragon's Dogma 2
Read Article 8BitDo’s new keyboard goes beige with a Commodore 64 aesthetic
8BitDo Commodore 64 Retro Mechanical Keyboard
Read Article Take-Two is buying Gearbox from Embracer, next Borderlands is in development
Borderlands Collection: Pandora’s Box
Related Content
Read Article Dragon’s Dogma 2’s Medusa gets a taste of her own medicine with this shiny weapon
Medusa in Dragon's Dogma 2
Read Article 8BitDo’s new keyboard goes beige with a Commodore 64 aesthetic
8BitDo Commodore 64 Retro Mechanical Keyboard
Read Article Take-Two is buying Gearbox from Embracer, next Borderlands is in development
Borderlands Collection: Pandora’s Box
Author
Chris Moyse
Senior Editor - Chris has been playing video games since the 1980s and writing about them since the 1880s. Graduated from Galaxy High with honors. Twitter: @ChrisxMoyse