Line #3 YMMV/ArtOfFighting


1	* ContestedSequel: ''Art of Fighting 3'' is often considered to be the weakest entry in the series, with many critics citing the poor balance as a major problem. That said, it also has many fans who appreciate the new cast and 2D translation of elements from 3D Fighters such as ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' and ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'', like [[LauncherMove juggling]] and [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown down attacks]].
2	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
3	** Ryuhaku Todoh. Despite only appearing in the very first game (with ''a single'' special move!), he has a large number of cameo appearances under his belt and was eventually added to the roster of ''VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium''. He also had his daughter Kasumi--herself an example of this trope--to pick up the slack for the Todoh family in the third game and ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters''.
4	** Eiji Kisaragi from ''2''. When he returned to ''KOF'' in ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXI XI]]'' (after a hiatus spanning [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters95 eight games]] and several cameos in the backgrounds of said games), the fandom went bonkers.
5	%%* EvilIsCool: Hey there, Young!Geese Howard.
6	* GameBreaker: Wyler. Then again, he ''is'' the boss of ''3''...
7	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Jin Fu-Ha from ''3'' is quite popular among the Japanese fanbase, who have been clamoring for him to make it into a ''KOF'' game ([[WildMassGuessing perhaps the reason behind]] his cameo in ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXII XII]]''?); elsewhere... wait, who are we talking about again? Oh yeah, the nondescript musclebound ninja whose spinning lariat special move is turned into a mini-version of an amusement park ride for children in the background of a ''KOF 2002: Unlimited Match'' stage.
8	* GoodBadBugs: In at least some arcade versions of ''Art of Fighting 2'', it was possible to win a match by making a lock on your opponent followed by hitting him with a Ko'ou Ken or equivalent special attack just when they are getting up from the floor. [[note]]This may not to work with all characters, though.[[/note]] That move would stun the opponent allowing you to give them another lock. Lather, rinse, and repeat.
9	* HilariousInHindsight: During the time of its original release, ''Art of Fighting'' was often derided as being a knockoff of Creator/{{Capcom}}'s ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII''. But over the years, some of the key features [[OlderThanTheyThink first introduced by]] ''AOF'' have gradually been integrated into ''Street Fighter''[='s=] gameplay.
10	** The main example is, of course, the use of Super Combos and super meters to regulate them. And, by ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'', Capcom had even adapted ''AOF''[='s=] {{Desperation Attack}}s in the form of Ultra Combos.
11	** Taunts were also first seen in ''AOF'' and later used in the ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Alpha]]'' series ([[IShalLTauntYou as popularized by]] ''AOF'' parody [[JokeCharacter Dan Hibiki]]). However, the taunts wouldn't gain any {{practical\|Taunt}}ity until the Personal Actions seen in ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterIII 3rd Strike]]'' (whereas taunts in ''AOF'' drain the opponent's Spirit Gauge).
12	** Ryo is often mocked as [[FollowTheLeader a "Ryu clone"]], yet his upper and lower body parries which he's had since ''[=AOF3=]'' have now become Ryu's V-Skill in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV''. And Ryu's Shinku Hadoken becomes closer in appearance to Ryo's Haoh Sho Koh Ken with each iteration.
13	** Likewise, Robert was seen as Creator/{{SNK}}'s answer to Ken. Yet, years later, Capcom started borrowing aspects of Robert's character. Such as giving Ken a ponytail (starting in the ''Alpha'' series), adapting Robert's propensity for kicks, retroactively making Ken the 'wealthy best friend' of the protagonist[[note]]starting with the ''SF: Alpha'' series, whereas Robert's wealth was established from the very beginning in the original AOF[[/note]] and even lifting Robert's backstory verbatim as Ken's [[note]]i.e. that both come from billionaire families and were sent to train at their respective schools by their fathers[[/note]].
14	** ''VideoGame/StreetFighter6'' continues the trend. The fighters' faces and bodies become visibly bruised and bloodied as they take damage, a feature which Creator/{{SNK}} pioneered with the original AOF all the way back in 1992!
15	* ItWasHisSled:
16	** [[SamusIsAGirl King is a woman.]] The second game and ''The King of Fighters'' games don't even bother to hide it.
17	** Mr. Karate is Takuma. It's even a running gag in their ''KOF'' endings.
18	* LauncherOfAThousandShips: Yuri holds the distinction of being SNK's most shipped character, in both doujinshi and fanfiction.
19	** She has her very own series by Saigado Comics, aptly titled: ''[[GirlOnGirlIsHot "Yuri]]'' '''''[[FriendsWithBenefits & Friends"]]''''', which pairs her with multiple characters from ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters''. Most stories featured her with [[OneTrueThreesome Mai and King]][[note]]since they were the original three members of the [[AmazonBrigade All Womens Team]][[/note]], but she's also been paired with Chizuru Kagura, Kasumi Todoh, and even ''[[BrotherSisterIncest her own brother]]'', Ryo. Plus, there was a crossover featuring her with ''Street Fighter''[='s=] Ryu and Yuri's AlternateCompanyEquivalent (of sorts) [[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Sakura]].
20	** In fanfiction, she's been paired with Kyo Kusanagi by fans who [[FanPreferredCouple find her preferable]] to [[DieForOurShip his girlfriend Yuki]] while the now defunct shoujoai.com archive had crossovers pairing Yuri with [[VideoGame/StreetFighterII Chun-Li]], [[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Sakura]], [[VideoGame/StreetFighterIII Makoto, and Ibuki]].
21	* MemeticMutation: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPEGL69uy38 "I must use Haoh Sho Ko Ken,"]] [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-must-use-haoh-sho-ko-ken spawned from]] the intermission scene of Ryo in the first game riding his motorcycle while still wearing his dogi and geta sandals, which was then made fun of and spoofed through a variety of other games. [[AscendedMeme SNK themselves referenced it]] in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXIV'', though it's uttered by [[VideoGame/FatalFury Richard Meyer]]--who quickly remembers he ''can't'' use the Haoh Sho Ko Ken--during [[RunningGag his misfortunes]] in the Women Fighters Team's ending.
22	* {{Narm}}:
23	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKQbm241oiY The live-action Japanese commercial]] for ''Art of Fighting 2'', complete with [[TheEighties 80's theme song.]] Try watching it with a straight face, we dare you.
24	** The US version of ''Art of Fighting 2'' redubs some of Robert's, King's and John's lines with English-speaking actors, and Mr. Big and Geese are voiced in English in either version. The problem is, nobody can act or kiai worth a damn. "Ha-HA! Piece of... cake!"
25	* RetroactiveRecognition: Yuri in the TV special was voiced by Music/AyumiHamasaki, a good few years before she became the Queen of J-Pop.
26	* VideoGameMoviesSuck: The TV special.
27	* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: ''Art of Fighting 3'' is easily one of the most graphically impressive fighting games ever made. The character animations are amazingly smooth (since they were made via {{Rotoscoping}}), the background art is immensely detailed, and it features both sprite scaling and [[MotionParallax parallax scrolling]] at the same time. Did we mention this game came out in 1996?
28	* {{Woolseyism}}: The English translation of the second game was almost a Gag Translation, changing the serious tone of most endings into jokes, which are arguably much more enjoyable than the originals. Curiously, the Spanish-translated version of the game retains the serious tone of the original Japanese dialogue.

Context YMMV / ArtOfFighting