History VideoGame / TheKingOfFightersXIII

The 13th game of the ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'' franchise. The game continues on from ''KOF XI'' and is the final chapter in the "Tales of Ash" saga. It was released in arcades in 2010, on the UsefulNotes/Xbox360 and UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 in 2011 (curiously North American and Europe got the game first before Japan), and the PC via Steam in 2013, Humble Bundle in 2016, and GOG in 2018. It also has some Android and iOS ports as well.

In April 2023, SNK announced a re-release titled ''The King of Fighters XIII: Global Match'' for PC, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, with a network test scheduled for sometime in Summer 2023.

* '''Team ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'':''' [[HeirToTheDojo Ryo Sakazaki]] and Robert Garcia team up once again, with Ryo's father [[OldMaster Takuma]] coming out of retirement to join them.

''KOF XIII'' drops the experimental systems introduced in ''XII'', but it also doesn't bring back the Shift TagTeam system from ''2003'' and ''XI''. From a gameplay perspective, ''XIII'' can be described as a pseudo-sequel to ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters2002 KOF 2002 Unlimited Match]]'' that was released a year earlier. A lot of fighting mechanics are standard ''KOF'' affair that the series' players would be acquainted with; the traditional 3-vs-3 match format, the multi-bar Power Gauge with Advantage system that increases its maximum stock number after losing a fighter, the EX Mode that works similarily to the MAX Mode, etc. A new addition in ''KOF XIII'' is Hyper Drive Gauge, another meter displayed above the Power Gauge that fills up independently. By spending a half of the HD Gauge, you can perform Drive Cancel, chaining a Super Move into another Super. When the HD Gauge is full, you can activate the Hyper Drive Mode, which reduces the amount of HD Gauge to perform a Drive Cancel for limited time, granting an opportunity to build a huge combo when used right. In addition, each character has an exclusive Super Move called Neo Max, which requires the most resources to execute (two Power Gauge stocks and a full of the HD Gauge, the second of which can be replaced by performing Drive Cancel in the HD Mode).

In April 2023, SNK announced a re-release titled ‘’The King of Fighters XIII: Global Match’’ for PC, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, with a network test scheduled for sometime in Summer 2023.

!! Tropes

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Ash manages to prevent Saiki from going through the time door and enacting his place to the stop the heroes from sealing Orochi. However, since Ash had to trap Saiki and himself in the void, that creates a temporal paradox - if Saiki, Ash's ancestor, were to be erased from history, so would Ash himself. Ash apologizes to Elisabeth for all the trouble he caused before he disappears and any memory of him is slowly wiped from people's minds, except for Elisabeth - who holds onto his headband as a TragicKeepsake.]]
* {{Brainwashed}}: [[spoiler: Rose is revealed to have been mind-controlled by Botan, a member of Those from the Past, in order to lure fighters to the tournament as well as make the Finals arena on top of a ritual ground in order to absorb all the fighting energy for their plan. It's implied she's been under Botan's control since ''KOF 2003'' hence why her demeanor has been so aggressive.]]

* EndOfAnEra: This is the last sprite based ''KOF'' game in the series. Starting from ''XIV'', the series would transition to 3D models.

* GoodAllAlong: [[spoiler: Ash turns out to have been working against "Those From The Past" by himself so as not to trouble his friend Elisabeth with something he felt was a personal matter.]]
* MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight: [[spoiler: Essentially "Those From the Past" ultimate goal, with Saiki wishing to open a time door to the past so he can go back in time and prevent Orochi from being sealed by the Kusanagi, Yata and Yasakani clans.]]

* RevisitingTheRoots: Hyperdrive mechanics aside, ''XIII'' is much more in line with the classic KOF titles than the rest of the Ash saga, with no tag mechanics in sight. Not only that, but a majority of teams are restored to their lineups in ''KOF '94'' and '''95'', with the only characters from later sagas to return being K', Maxima, Kula, Ash, Duo Lon, Shen and Elisabeth (though Saiki, Raiden and Hwa Jai all make their canon debut here).

* '''Team ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'':''' [[HeirToTheDojo Ryo Sakazaki]] and [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob Robert Garcia]] team up once again, with Ryo's father [[OldMaster Takuma]] coming out of retirement to join them.

* {{Brainwashed}}: [[spoiler: Rose is revealed to have been mind-controlled by Botan, a member of Those from the Past, in order to lure fighters to the tournament as well as make the Finals arena on top of a ritual ground in order to absorb all the fighting energy for their plan.]]

** ''XIII'' was also the last game in the series to be developed for arcades first, with future entires being made for consoles first (though ''XIV'' did eventually see an arcade release).

** ‘’XIII’’ is also the last game in the series to be developed for arcades first, with ‘’XIV’’ and on being made for consoles first (though ‘’XIV’’ did eventually see an arcade release).

** Sub-Boss 3: [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Awakened Saiki]] - The leader of "Those From The Past", in his true form.