The King of Fighters gathers the best warriors across various SNK fighting games to determine the fighter deserving of the honor. What started as a crossover title received its own story and more than 100 characters across at least 20 games. Now, the ordinary King of Fighters tournament has evolved into something much bigger than just a competition.
Since its first title in 1994, King of Fighters has established itself as one of the best franchises in the genre, both for its recognizable team-based gameplay and unique characters. However, just which members of this vast roster remain the kings of King of Fighters?
Updated December 16, 2021, by Rhenn Taguiam: Fans of fighting games will remember King Of Fighters as one of the most seminal works in the genre, featuring a blend of both fast-paced combat and a flair for technicals that will feed the bloodlust of any fighting gamer. Courtesy of upcoming The King Of Fighters 15, players of the beloved SNK franchise would likely already have their eyes on some fan-favorites. And for newcomers, the list of the series’ best fighters expands to include a brooding pyromancer, a charismatic warrior, and even the physical avatar of a deity.
15 Joe
Joe Higashi, popularly known as the Young Champ of Muay Thai, is a character hailing from both the King Of Fighters and Fatal Fury franchises. His free-spirited nature comes from his inspiration, Ki Ranger of Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, who is also happy-go-lucky. In contrast to lead franchise characters Terry and Andy Bogart who share serious stories, Joe exists to provide much-needed laughter and comedy.
Albeit a comic relief character, Joe is by no means a pushover. Aside from his Muay Thai specialization, Joe can infuse his attacks with chi, enabling him to perform punches at an extremely fast or explosive rate. He has demonstrated a limited degree of aerokinesis, since his uppercuts can create hurricanes of varying intensity.
14 Shermie
Players of King Of Fighters ‘97 will fondly remember Shermie for the long bangs that cover her eyes, which surprisingly hold a glare of immense murderous intent. Outside combat, Shermie is a part of a band called CYS, alongside Chris and Yashiro Nanakase. Friendly and outgoing, Shermie has quite a distaste for battle and noisy people.
As a fighter, Shermie is a natural grappler with a talent for gymnastics. Her moves consist of acrobatic moves, body-slams, and strong throws. However, when she realizes her true role as one of the Four Heavenly Hosts of Orochi, Shermie can become Orochi Shermie with a new powerset. With Orochi’s influence, she can utilize electricity and incorporate it into her attacks. Of all of Orochi’s minions, Shermie is perhaps one of the strongest.
13 Benimaru
Debuting in King Of Fighters ‘94, Benimaru Nikaido is the Shooting Star — a flamboyant and outspoken fighter who remains one of Kyo Kusanagi’s fiercest rivals. Loyal but flirty to a fault, Benimaru has a natural charm that shows even in his straightforward fighting style. In terms of titles, Benimaru is the light opposite to Shermie’s darker self, as both of them use lightning as part of their skillset.
Unlike other characters, Benimaru doesn’t have a fighting style based on an existing martial art. Rather, he has an immense focus on agility and range. He loves shooting-based attacks, and capitalizes on his electrokinesis to generate static, discharge lightning, activate super speed, and incorporate lightning into his quick attacks.
12 Orochi
Despite its limited appearances, Orochi is by far one of the most interesting antagonists to ever grace gaming. Serving as a physical representation of the Yamata no Orochi in Japanese mythology, Orochi was an evil being sealed by three clans over 1,800 years ago. In its escape, Orochi and its followers are hell bent on protecting the Earth from damage humans have caused.
Having mythological origins, Orochi is immensely powerful. It’s able to bestow powers to its followers, likely hinting that it possesses those powers as well. These include control over fire, electricity, earth, air, and death. Orochi has vast telepathic and telekinetic powers, the ability to possess others, energy manipulation, and even the ability to manipulate nothingness itself. It’s only thanks to the combined efforts of Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, and Chizuru Kagura — the descendants of the very clans that sealed it in the first place — that Orochi could be defeated.
11 K’
Contrary to Kyo Kusanagi’s heroic origins, K’ has quite the tragic one. Kidnapped by NESTS at an early age, K’ has been infused with Kyo’s DNA in an effort to replicate his innate pyrokinesis. Bearing the nickname, “He Who Surpasses K,” K’ is by all means a far-cry from the outgoing Kyo. He’s extremely serious, and is always finding a way to live outside the shadow of Kyo Kusanagi.
As a fighter, he couldn’t be any further from Kyo. Developers describe his fighting style as violent, focusing on moves that show K’ isn’t holding back. He tends to scream, use violent strikes, and even throw his sunglasses before going for an attack. He treats fighting like a chore, and is extremely messy. However, his pyrokinetic and translocative abilities make him just as deadly as ever.
10 Rugal Bernstein
Everyone appreciates a strong villain, and Rugal Bernstein fulfills this archetype. Despite his notoriety as an arms dealer, participants in the King of Fighters Tournament know Rugal for his exceptional power and technique mimicry.
Rugal becomes notable for his signature swagger, pride, and boastful sense of godhood. In fact, Rugal restructured the King of Fighters Tournament to become 3-versus-3 precisely to look for worthy rivals. Thankfully, Rugal fulfills his self-evaluation as he serves as one of the most difficult bosses in the series.
As a fighter, Rugal possesses a variety of punishing combos designed with fierce grabs, zoning attacks, and even brutal reversals. Essentially, players who can manage his large hitbox and attack lag will have a force to reckon with courtesy of Rugal.
9 Ash Crimson
Rarely do franchises intentionally create unlikable protagonists, and yet KOF has Ash Crimson. Nicknamed "The Sneering Blaze," Ash started as one of the franchise's unheroic heroes. Ash has pyrokinesis, albeit with unknown origins. He also has power absorption abilities, a trait he possesses as the descendant of Saiki, a servant of main antagonist Orochi.
Despite his frail appearance, Ash is an extremely graceful and acrobatic fighter. His speed and mobility build his zoning and poking specialization. Moreover, his mixups allow Ash to continuously rush and pressure his opponents. His unique status as an "unlikeable hero" makes him one of the best KOF – or even the fighting game genre as a whole – has to offer.
8 Kyo Kusanagi
As the main protagonist of the crossover franchise, Kyo Kusanagi initially carried the heavy burden of standing alongside the likes of notable SNK protagonists Terry Bogard (Fatal Fury) and Ryo Sakazaki (Art of Fighting). Kyo may have begun as the unremarkable "delinquent student-brawler" cliche protagonist, but he develops into an admirable leader. The franchise may have expanded to include new protagonists, but "The Scion of the Flame" and Kyo's signature pyrokinesis will remain his.
Kyo is notable in the fighting game community for jumpstarting the trend for multi-input characters. His empty-hand martial arts and fire attacks blend nicely with his technical mixups, combos, and situational follow-ups. Newcomers to KOF might find Kyo overwhelming at first, but mastering his inputs will pave the way for the other technically diverse members of the franchise's roster.
7 Kula Diamond
Formally nicknamed as "Ice Doll," Kula Diamond served as the thematic antagonist to K' (K-Prime) during the KOF NESTS Saga. Kidnapped by the NESTS cartel as a child, experiments had given Kula cryokinesis at the cost of repressed emotions. As a cold-blooded killer, her original purpose is to kill K', the cartel's traitor.
Since "defrosting" into the side of good, Kula now has a more childlike demeanor. Fans love Kula for her K-based fighting style, uniquely fitted with high-speed ice attacks, better mobility, and her signature ice skates. Moreover, Kula's growth in the series gave room for her to become her own person despite starting with an "anti-character" motif.
6 Leona
Thanks to her background and fighting style, SNK fans will instantly realize that Leona is there to subtly replace Heidern. Leona underwent strict military training under the General, resulting in her having a difficult time interacting with others outside missions, earning her "The Silent Soldier" nickname. However, Leona's time with her team developed her strong sense of duty and desire to protect her friends.
Given Heidern's tutelage, Leona shared his fighting style. However this time, Leona's techniques focused on acrobatics and speed. She's notable for her explosive cuts and slices, perfect for punishing enemies who love to rush their opponents. Thankfully, Leona's character growth helped her branch out of her "replacement" status and become a character of her own.
5 Iori Yagami
When Iori Yagami entered the picture in The King of Fighters '95, SNK intended him to become Kyo's rival. However, his cold and utterly blunt personality – paired with his stylish getup – helped Iori become a standout fan favorite. Iori, the "Flame of the End," hails from the Yagami – formerly the Yasakani – Clan, one of the families who guarded Orochi's seal. Due to deception, the Yasakani beseeched Orochi's power, adding a bluish hue to their crimson flames.
Throughout the story, Iori finds himself crossing paths – and fists – with Kyo, deeming him as the only one worthy of being his match. As a fighter, Iori merges his pyrokinesis with the Yasakani style of martial arts, which involves aggressive slashing and clawing moves. In the game, Iori boasts high-damage combos in exchange for slow movement and attack lag. However, those who get a hang of his violent combat style will have a powerful rushdown character in their hands.
4 Mai Shiranui
A lot of fans like Mai Shiranui for her design, and she's not the "Alluring Ninja Girl" for nothing. However, this fighter debuted as far back as Fatal Fury, and she sits alongside the likes of Chun-Li (Street Fighter) as one of the fighting genre's most popular female characters.
Mai is heavily inspired by kunoichi, female shinobi who use the art of seduction and distraction to kill their targets. In the series' story, Mai tries and change Andy Bogard's ways. However, Mai's rather mundane story doesn't mean she's to be underestimated. Mai has a graceful fighting style that could be mistaken for dance, but her moves rely on speed and throws to stop the enemy's advance. Mai's fighting style is swift and relentless, making her perfect for those who want to punish defensive characters.
3 Terry Bogard
Terry Bogard and his trademark cap remain one of the most recognizable parts of King of Fighters. However, the "Legendary Hungry Wolf" actually hails from Fatal Fury as the cheerful half of Andy Bogard – siblings who swore vengeance against Geese Howard for their father's murder. Whereas Andy trained in Japan, Terry learned a mixture of martial arts. In turn, Terry fights with a mix of street fighting, kickboxing, kung fu, karate, and even boxing.
In the game's story, Terry would consistently enter the King of Fighters Tournament to hone his skills. Thanks to his charismatic nature, Terry almost always leads Team Fatal Fury. Terry is loved for his balanced and straightforward fighting style. His normal attacks almost always connect into hard-hitting combos, and his special attacks have a decent lag that gives Terry a unique "weight" to his movement.
2 King
Anyone who thought King was a man meant her stylistic choice was successful. After all, even as far back as in Art of Fighting, King wanted to fight under the guise of a man for various reasons. However, this doesn't mean King is a pushover.
In the lore, "The Beautiful Kick's Illusion" gained early fame as a Muay Thai practitioner and ended up working as a bartender. When her secret is exposed, she joins the King of Fighters Tournaments, initially to help Ryo and later to hone her skills. Unlike other characters in the series, King doesn't have extravagant energy blasts or elemental control. Rather, fans appreciate her fast and loose martial arts that are a mixture of Muay Thai, Kickboxing, and even Savate.
1 Geese Howard
His name is Geese. Aside from that, he's one of the few characters to serve as a villain in both Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting. Due to his violent history with some of the cast, it's predictable that Geese would end up becoming a villain or an anti-hero in KOF.
Geese is notable for killing the father of the Bogard brothers and becoming the main quest of vengeance for both Terry and Andy. Geese also became the first host of the King of Fighters, a place to find worthy opponents. Like Rugal, Geese is a proud and powerful warrior. His combat style focuses on Aikijutsu, which involves Geese capitalizing on locks, throws, and counter-throws to capture defeat. He can empower his attacks with electricity, transforming them into swift yet hard-hitting attacks. Fans love Geese for his powerful throws and dominating strikes that can easily turn the tide against an aggressive opponent.
The King Of Fighters 15 will have a February 2022 release for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X | S, and Windows.