Franchise file / SNK
The King of Fighters
Three fighters, one team, no mercy
SNK's team-based fighting franchise, launched in arcades in 1994. It pulled the company's heroes into one tournament, then built decades of rivalries and saga storytelling around them.
- 1994
- First game
- 2
- Series
- SNK
- Creator
One world. Many eras.
Choose your chapter
Orochi saga. The early tournaments set up the Kusanagi and Yagami feud and the threat of Orochi, sealed away in '97. The '98 entry then set the plot aside and put the roster front and centre.
Start with The King of Fighters '97Your next late night
The essentials
Chapters
Series (2)
The team fighter SNK built onThe King of FightersSNK's fighting series, running since 1994. Pick a team, fight in sequence and let the rivalries play out across numbered tournaments, remakes, handheld editions and spin-offs.
One hit, one life, no mercyMetal SlugThe side-scrolling heart of Metal Slug, started by Nazca on Neo Geo in 1996. Two-player run and gun action, rescued prisoners and lovingly animated destruction carry through every entry.
A legacy worth revisiting
SNK put everyone in one ring.
The King of Fighters '94 gathered SNK's fighters into teams of three and made squad building the whole point. Yearly sequels turned a crossover into a story of its own, with Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami and a long line of sinister tournament hosts.
- 1994 to 1998
- Orochi saga
- 1999 to 2001
- NESTS saga
- 2003 to 2010
- Ash saga
Scenes that stay with you
Inside the world
Select a frame to expand it.
