The King Of Fighters, SNK’s biggest fighting game franchise is synonymous with great gameplay, fantastic art direction and of course intricate and amazing lore.

Unlike many other fighting games, KOF has one of the best written and highly detailed  stories for its games and characters. And with the series making a huge comeback with the highly anticipated KOFXV,

It might be time to refresh the fan’s memories and also help newcomers to experience the beauty of the KOF lore.

The beginning of the story of the King Of Fighters, did not start with the first game set in 1994, the story of the franchise begins 1800 years into the past. A deity, known as Orochi, sees itself as the spirit of the earth and could no longer tolerate human civilization’s expansion at the expense of nature, decides to destroy the human race once and for all. The demon, sometimes seen as an eight headed snake, gathered a large following, in the form of a clan. The eight strongest warriors of this clan are known as the Hakkeshu. Orochi decided to use the powers of nature to wipe humanity from existence. The Hakkeshu and the human race waged countless wars until the leaders of three Japanese clans, the Kusanagi, Yasakani, and the Yata defeated the demon with three mystical treasures; the Kusanagi Sword, the Yasakani Jewel, and the Yata Mirror. The Orochi was defeated but not vanquished, as the spirit of the earth, the demon could never be fully killed. So the three clans decided to use their 3 mystical treasures to seal Orochi in a suspended state.

The second major event in KOf story takes us to 660 years before the events of KOF94. Centuries after been defeated and sealed, the seal of Orochi has started weakening. The then leaders of the three sacred clans, the Kusanagi, Yasakani, and Yata, decided to move the seal to a hidden location. Wanting to disrupt their unity, one of the Hakkesshu killed the Yasakani leader’s wife and blamed it on the Kusanagi clan. Angered by his loss, Yasakani made a blood pact with Orochi to gain the necessary means for revenge. the Yasakani would then change their family name to Yagami. And as a side-effect to the Orochi blood now running in their veins, the once crimson flames of the Yasakani changed to a purple one

Fast forward to 1994, fighters around the word received a mysterious invitation, calling them to form a team of 3 members and enter the new King Of Fighters tournament. While the tournament itself is not new, as it was already held in previous occasions, either by the city of south town’s crimelord Geese Howard, or later by the german noble and great warrior known as wolfgang krauser. But this time the tournament will be the first iteration to feature a team format. The invitations were received by many great warriors like the Bogard brothers, The Kyokugen master, mercenaries, sportsmen and even pop idols. One of the teams invited consists of a newly formed friendship of three fighters. Kyo Kusanagi, descendent of the Kusanagi clan, as well as two other members which he recently met and fought in a Japanese martial arts tournament, Benimaru Nikaido and Goro Daimon. The three formed the Japan team and would go on to reach the finals of the new KOf tournament, after some intense battles and moments that captured the mind and hearts of people around the world.

The three fighters were invited by the mysterious organizer’s secretary to join him on board of his massive ship the black noah. When arrived Kyo was surprised to find his father, Saysyu Kusanagi, the current head of the Kusanagi clan and family, badly injured and defeated. Turns out Saysyu felt something odd about the tournament organizer and decided to take on the mysterious character knonw as Rugal Bernstein. Rugal, who happens to be known around the world as a black market weapon ‘s dealer, revealed himself to the Japan team and revealed his true goal behind organizing the tournament: to get the best fighters and add them to his collection of metalized fighters.

After a difficult fight, Kyo and his teammates defeated Rugal. Unwilling to accept defeat, the mad man attempted to blow up his ship along with the Hero Team. While the Japan team escaped, Rugal’s was presumed dead.

A year will go by, Kyo Kusanagi, who had left Japan after the events of KOF94 in order to train, made his return to this home country and was greeted by his two friends and team mates Benimaru and Goro. As the two heroes just picked up kyo at the port dock a mysterious masked figure attacked the team. After a fierce battle, Kyo’s flames broke the assailant mask and it was revealed to be Mature, rugal’s secretary , the same person that guided the team last year to the black noah ship. Mature then handed the trio the invitation for the new tournament The king of Fighters 95. The letter had the same mysterious “R” seal on it. Kyo , Benimaru and Goro wondered whether this means that rugal is still alive!  All the teams from the previous tournament received their invitations for the new King Of Fighters. Including the American sports team. But not for long, as they were attacked by three other fighters who would defeat them and steal their KOf invitation. The attackers were Billy Kan, right hand man to south town crime boss and previous KOF organizer Geese Howard, Eiji Kisaragi, a mysterious ninja with a grudge against the kyoguken karate practitioners, and finally Iori Yagami, heir to the yagami clan, formerly known as yasakani. Iori wanted to a chance to enter the tournament and kill Kyo kysanagi, as the two families have been at each other’s throat since the orochi incident 660 years ago.

KOF95 has started, and once again the Japan team would reach the finals as they fight the Rivals team. After a tense fight, Iori Yagami and his teammates were defeated. As Kyo, Benimaru and Goro were crowned as the victors, a mysterious gas filled their chamber and they all fell unconscious, when woken up the hero team were surprised to see non other than rugal Bernetsin alive and well, revealing that he was pulling the strings throughout the entire tournament with the help of his new secretary Vice. Kyo, enraged, vows to defeat rugal once and for all. But before he could attack, an unexpected fighter comes to Rugal’s help, it was Kyo’s father Saiysu Kusanagi who was presumed dead after the events of kof94. It was revealed that Vice had brainwashed the Kusanagi leader and is now up to kyo to stop his own father. Thank’s to Kyo’s strength Saysyu was defeated and was free of rugal and Vice’s brainwashing. It was time for the final battle of KOF95 as the hero team faces their ultimate challenge. But rugal learned from his last mistake and has now tapped into the mysterious Orochi power that was given to him years ago. But turning into the terrifying Omega rugal was not enough for the evil KOf organizer as Kyo, Benimaru and Goro were able to, yet again defeat him. Frustrated by this 2nd defeat, Rugal tries to tap into more of the Orochi power in his blood, however, his body could not handle the immense energy causing him to explode in the process. At the same time, Iori Yagami suddenly enters into a mysterious trance state and brutally attacks his teammates Billy and Eiji, nearly killing them. Iori then swears that he will kill Kyo and all of the Kusanagi’s in the near future. As the Hero team departs the area where the last battle took place, Saysu watching from far senses that this is only the beginning of a great war to come, a great challenge that is 660 years in the making.

Few months later, Kyo Kusanagi who now sees himself as an invincible fighter, would be appraoched by a mysterious figure who would challenge the Kusanagi heir to a fight. This man was so powerful, that the hero team leader would not land a single blow against him. Badly injured, Kyo would then be rushed to the hospital where Benimaru and goro were waiting for him. Feeling humiliated, Kyo decides to take his training more seriously and would make his goal to extract revenge on this mysterious foe.

Few months after this incident The King Of Fighters 96 was announced. But this time with a twist. The event has now exploded in popularity and this new tournament would be hosted on an international level. Kyo and his friends would form the Hero team once again, and many teams form previous tournaments are making a comeback, some in a similar fashion like the fatal fury team and others with unexpected changes, like the Ikari team, with their leader, heidern, leaving his place for his adopted daughter Leona to join his mercenaries, Ralf and Clark. The biggest surprise of the participating teams, however, was without a doubt the Yagami team, consisting of Iori Yagamai, and rugal’s previous secretaries Vice and Mature. These two mysterious women tracked iori prior to the tournament and persuaded the yagami heir to join their team as they will help him get the fight against Kyo that he always wanted. The rumors surrounding the mysterious Orochi power were making the rounds reaching the ears of the south town crime boss Geese Howard who decided, rather than sending his subordonates like billy kane in the previous year, to join the tournament himself along with two other known bosses, his half brother Wolgang krauser, and his turf enemy Mr Big.

Once again the tournament ran its course with the teams fighting spectacular battles. The hero team made of Kyo, benimaru and Goro would reach the finals once again, and are now greeted by a mysterious woman, Chizuru Kagura, who revealed herself as the organizer of this year’s tournament as well as the “guardian”. She revealed that her true goal was to lure out the Kusanagi and Yagami heirs to unite and fight the real threat; the awakening of Orochi. But Before she could explain any further, the man who previously defeated Kyo and sent him to the hospital made his entrance and destroys the stadium where the finals were held. His name is Goenitz and he reveals himself as the leader of the Hakkeshu, the powerful warriors of the Orochi clan. He also reveals that Mature and Vice were working under him all this time and were now keeping an eye on Iori Yagami, since he is a descendent of the Yaskani, and thus the orochi blood runs in his veins as a result of the blood pact  that his ancestor had with Orochi 660 years ago. Seeing an opportunity to finally end all three heirs of the clans that defeated his demon master 1800 years at once, Goenitz attacks the trio, but is ultimately defeated by Kyo with the help of Iori and Chizuru. Humiliated, Goenitz took his own life.

Understanding what lays ahead, Chizuru asks Kyo and Iori to put their differences aside and join her as their ancestors once did and be ready to fight and prevent the resurrection of Orochi.  However, both Kyo and Iori rejected the idea of working together and went their separate ways. Shortly after that Iori, loses himself once again to the mysterious rage and, seemingly, kills both vice and Mature.

The stadium destruction incident was officially reported as a terrorist attack from an unknown group whose motives and whereabouts are still a mystery. Despite all that the KOf96 tournament was deemed a massive media and commercial success. Massive corporations were now racing to sponsor the next iteration of the now famous KOF tournament, which lead to the eventual announcement of the King of fighters 97.

As expected many teams form the previous tournaments made their return. While some are joining for glory, or fame others are hoping for answers, such as the Ikari Warriors, As Leona heidern has  been suffering from unexplained headaches and hallucinations. Along with the returning teams, new ones were also making their debut, Like the new women fighters team, with now Chizuru joining Mai and King, as felt that the awakening of orochi is near, and hopes to convince Kyo and iori to join her in her battle to save the universe. Another new team that joined the event for the first time is one made of newcomers Yashiro, Chris and shermie. This new team was not originally invited to KOF97.  The trio, known as CYS are a popular music band, while they were getting ready to preform in a show, the club owner cancelled their appearance at the last minute in favor of booking a jazz show featuring Iori. Furious at the man with the red hair, as yashiro calls him, they decided to steal an invitation from the American sports teams, and entered the tournament in order to have their revenge.

Speaking of Iori, the yagami heir has also  been suffering from headaches and hallucinations similar to Leona. He was also being haunted by Vice and Mature whom he previously slayed at the end of KOF96, mocking him for being unable to have his revenge on Kyo. All these events made Iori decide to enter the tournament but as a single entry contestant. This also markes the first time the team based tournament where single contestants were accepted. On the subject of single entre contestants another unknown would be fighter decides to join the foray. Having watched the KOF96 on tv, and realizing that his school mate Kyo Kusanagi is a famed fighter and champion, the young shingo Yabuki decides to becomes pupil of Kusanagi despite the latter refusing. Having learned Kyo’s moves by watching him every day, Shingo also enters the KOF97.

KOF97 has started, and again countless exciting battles took place with many of them receiving worldwide media coverage. During the tournament, however, the unexpected has happened, the new faces team, made of Yashiro, chris and Chizuru, suddenly remembered their true nature, they are part of the Hakkashu, specifically the 4 heavenly kings along with the now deceased Goenitz. Once their past memories regained, they used the tournament to draw enough power form the contestants in order to finally awaken the long dormant Orochi.

Around the same time, Kyo finally confronts Iori, and what would seem to be the fight of their lives, but all of a sudden Iori entered its raged state, know as the riot of the blood, similarly, Leona also finds herself in the same uncontrolled rage, as it turns out she also has the blood of orochi, as her true father Gaidel was a refomed hakkeshu and was killed by Goenitz long ago. Her team mates Ralf and Clark would fight her with all their strength to get her out of the orochi rage.

As for Iori, having awakened from the riot of the blood decides to accept chizuru’s call to team up with her and kyo and form the sacred treasures team to stop Yashiro, chris and shermie form reviving Orochi.

The sacred treasures team took on the three Heavenly Kings, Yashiro, Shermie, and Chris who revealed their plan to sacrifice Kyo’s girlfriend Yuki in order to revive the dormant deity. An intense battle between the two teams took place, the power generated by the unprecedented battle helped Orochi awaken form his slumber, but the it was not enough for the demon to have a physical form. Seeing that there is no other choice, Yashiro and Shermie scraficed their lives in order to transfer their energy to Chris who would be used as the vessel for Orochi’s return! The demon that terrorized the world 1800 years ago is back, Orochi with his full power is now ready to destroy humanity as he always wanted. But history repeats itself, and a battle unlike anything seen before took place, as the three descendent of the Kusanagi, Yasakani and Yata clan join forces and defeat the demon, just as their ancestors once did.

Orochi sensing his defeat awakens the Oriot of the Blood in Iori, hoping that he will turn on Kyo and Chizuru, but instead Iori Yagami was able to control his rage and directs it towards Orochi. As yagami jumps on demon and grabs him by the neck. Kyo, suddenly gets a vision as he hears the voices of many of the Yasakani clan members explaining the history behind the Yagami and the connection to Orochi. Kyo then uses the opportunity created by Iori and gives Orochi a final deathblow, as Chizuru uses her Yata powers to reseal orochi. An explosion took place as the three warriors lose consciousness. Orochi is finally defeated. But upon waking up, Chizuru finds Iori, yet there was no sign of Kyo.