As we're getting nearer to the release of KOF XV, you might be wondering if this fighting game is for you, and I strongly believe Super Smash Bros fans in particular should give the KOF series a try.
Culturally and historically speaking, the Super Smash Bros series is much closer to KOF, The King of Fighters, than you might think.
KOF was the original fighting game crossover
One of the coolest facts about Super Smash Bros. is how it includes characters from all Nintendo series, creating a massive crossover. And that's what KOF is all about as well.
Even most KOF fans themselves tend to forget about it, but The King Of Fighters was one of the first ever game crossover series. While some of the characters were specifically created for the series, like Iori Yagami and Kyo Kusanagi, most of the fighters are from other games released on SNK's legendary console, the Neo Geo. The original KOF game in 1994 brought together the protagonists of Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury, Psycho Soldier, and Ikari Warriors, in one big 3 vs 3 brawl, the staple of the series.
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Super Smash Bros. Director Masahiro Sakurai is a KOF fan
That's a fact most Super Smash bros fans themselves don't know about, but Masahiro Sakurai is a huge anime and games otaku. I mean, Sakurai spent most of his 2021 birthday building a gundam model, you can't be more otaku than that. And of course, Sakurai is really into KOF and fighting games in general, and that's one big reason why it became his career.
It's pretty easy to see the cultural parallels between Super Smash Bros and KOF, and Smash wouldn't exist the way it does today if not for KOF.
The King Of Fighters is also by far one of the coolest fighting games of all time when it comes to character story and lore, another reason to get into it. Characters like Iori are so developed he even got his own fantasy novel. And while it's riding the isekai wave, it's not an isekai/naroukei per se, and one of the best novels I've read in years.
Super Smash Bros was partly inspired by KOF
Masahiro Sakurai already mentioned multiple times how KOF was one of his inspirations for Super Smash Bros, with one of the earliest examples dating from 2004. Seeing Sakurai's enthusiasm when introducing the Neo Geo, Fatal Fury, and KOF, it makes you wonder how come it took so much time for Terry Bogard to finally join Smash's roster. While Nintendo, rather than Sakurai, decided on the DLC characters in Ultimate, Terry was definitely a choice Sakurai himself would have picked either way.
I'd also recommend watching this interview of Masahiro Sakurai by Bandai Namco's and Tekken's Katsuhiro Harada, to perceive how much Sakurai loves fighting games in general. If you're a Smash player and are only playing Smash, then KOF XV is a great occasion to broaden your horizons.
If you'd like to experience more of SNK's history, some of their old Neo Geo and Neo Geo Pocket games are now on Nintendo Switch and on Steam. As for which KOF game to start with, you can just go with KOF XV. I also personally recommend SNK Vs Capcom The Match of the Millennium and Card Fighters Clash on Switch.
Are you a newcomer planning to start the KOF series with XV? Did you find out some gameplay similarities between KOF and Smash? Tell me in the comments below!