The sequel to 2017's The King of Fighters: Destiny, King of Fighters: Awaken, just got its first trailer, and it shows off some of the series' most popular characters, including the series protagonist, Kyo Kusanagi and his rival, Iori Yagami. Sporting some downright gorgeous CGI visuals thanks to Original Force and iDragon studios.The trailer, which is almost entirely in Mandarin, features The King of Fighters '96's final boss, Goenitz wandering into a temple with Kusanagi hot on his trail. Quick to defeat the villain, Kyo does his best to dispose of Goenitz, before realizing that his fire is entirely ineffective against the towering priest. The trailer then cuts to the movie's title.

After fading to black, the camera pans down on a city street lined and lit up by neon signs to Iori Yagami feeding a cat some milk. After that, a boy walks up behind him to tell him something. Thanks to a translated version of the trailer by YouTuber Banden, we now know that the boy is telling Yagami that his rival is dead.

Set to premiere in 2022, there's no official word on any western adaptation or translation of The King of Fighters: Awaken at this point, however, considering the TV series from the same studio received a release on YouTube and Steam, it's a safe bet that we'll be able to see it with English subtitles.

Considering the trailer features the villain from KoF '96, it's safe to assume that the upcoming animated film is an adaptation of the storylines from the same game.

Because the TV show, The King of Fighters: Destiny was released as a tie-in to a game from Tencent, the movie's 2022 release window has sparked speculation among fans about the future of the franchise. SNK announced that The King of Fighters: XV was scheduled to be released this year, but because they have been suspiciously tight-lipped about the games's release, some are speculating that it may release alongside the movie's theatrical debut.