Fridge pages are Spoilers Off, so all spoilers were removed. Proceed with caution. You Have Been Warned
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Fridge Brilliance
- Why is the New Faces Team now called Team Orochi? Because at this point, it's a Late-Arrival Spoiler, both in and out of universe. Everyone is aware of who they are and their motivations, so if they're planning to revive Orochi, they have to make sure nobody suspects anything out of the ordinary, as they're now under heavy scrutiny.
- Likewise, their alternate/EX selves, are now called Team Awakened Orochi, partly to avoid confusion with their normal counterparts and partly because of the above spoiler. They managed to carry their plan without nobody suspecting, and they managed to revive (alongside a resurrected Goenitz) their master.
- Other than that, there have been plenty of new characters and new teams comprising of newcomers since their arrival, so they aren't exactly the New Faces anymore.
- A bit of Brilliance and Tearjerker, Kukri's antics (notably with how perverted he is towards the female fighters and the entirety of SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy) might have some degree of Freudian Excuse to them. His backstory states that he grew up in harsh desert streets only to be taken in by Dolores (quite the looker herself) from a young age. Due to a rather tragic case of Power Incontinence, Dolores ended up sacrificing herself to contain Kukri's abilities, ultimately leading to Kukri feverishly looking through her study to find ways to bring her back to life. Granted, this does nothing to excuse or vindicate Kukri from his actions in SNK Heroines, but it does put his perversions and jerkass behavior in a whole new light.
- For that matter, Dolores' words, "The crucible of souls connects all universes, converging all possibilities in The Multiverse. However, these can only be perceived as illusions, and only a limited few are capable of meddling with them", suddenly make the events of SNK Heroines being self-contained (despite otherwise being canon) make more sense. After all, it's very likely Kukri might've found a way to create pocket dimensions in his quest to revive Dolores.
- Given how K9999 has been gone from a meta standpoint for the better of 20 years, it gives SNK justification to replace his original psychic moves with the Kusanagi flames. At the same time, the fact that his newer moves are functionally the same as his older ones implies he's still using psychic powers to some extent, but better control of his flames and a way to disguise them helps make him less recognizable.
- While Rugal in his Omega form being his default makes sense as that was the state he was in when he died back in The King of Fighters '95, him being in a slightly revised '98 variant of his usual outfit also makes sense as that was his most iconic look.
- Terry's redesign into his most well-known appearance likely has to do with his previous outing as a Guest Fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. As that game might be the most recognizable Terry had ever been, his outfit staying as classic as possible is for the best.
- Similarly, Geese's access to the Rashomon Climax Super is likely due to his guest star in Tekken 7, where he has it as his Super. Like Terry, Geese can pull off a move he's likely most remembered by in this game is also for the best.
- Of course Benimaru would be receptive to joining the Hero (aka China) Team. After all, he already has experience.
- The Reppuken used by three characters in this game (Rock, Rugal, and Geese) tells a lot of what each character is on a story level.
- Geese's version is a concentrated pure blue blade of energy. Being the creator of the move itself, his version is the best of the three, being one of the best non-super zoning tools in the entire game next to Ash's Ventôse and Isla's Fill-in. Not only is Geese's regular Double Reppuken as massive as Rugal's EX Reppuken, but it also knocks down on hit, something that Rugal and Rock can only accomplish by spending half of the Power Gauge.
- Rugal's version does a decent mimicry, but is a colorless white and gray. While a nice showcase of Rugal's Awesomeness by Analysis, it's nowhere near as refined as Geese's, as not only does he lack the Double version that both Geese and his son have, but the EX version doesn't even come close to Geese's normal Double Reppuken in sheer size or speed.
- Rock's version, carrying over from his home game, is entirely different. Due to his undying hatred for Geese and his mother's abandonment, his Reppuken is an uncontrolled shade of purple that, despite being called the Reppuken, is more in common with Terry's Power Wave. Carrying from XIV, the Double Reppuken is exclusively an EX attack, unlike in Garou. This further showcases Rock's reluctance to use his father's techniques to execute the move properly.
- The team theme for the Rivals in XV is, for all intents and purposes, an Image Song for Isla. So then why is it the team's theme and not a special versus theme for her and another character? Because in their team story, Heidern and Dolores agreed to Isla's terms to make her the leader, thus letting her call the shots for the team.
- Wonder why K9999's missing from the character section of SNK's official KOF portal? Besides it still being legally risky to have K9999 around without major retcons to that version of him, for all intents and purposes, Krohnen considers him dead and buried:Krohnen: Ángel, the name's Krohnen. Next time you screw that up, you'll regret it.
- If Shun'ei's red fist is derived from Verse (e.g., whenever he uses Scarlet Phantom or Rising Efreet), then it's safe to say that his blue claw is derived from Otoma=Raga, since she uses a claw swipe that looks remarkably similar to Shun'ei's Blau Wing, but performed on the ground.
- One win quote implies that the King of Dinosaurs is scouting out Krohnen to be his "heir". Of course, when it comes to using disguises, Tizoc and K9999 are in the same boat.
- Shingo's attack animations are far more clumsy and unrefined. Considering that his last canonical appearance was three in-universe tournaments and nearly two out-universe decades ago, him being rusty is to be expected.
Fridge Horror
- If Dolores is to be believed, Verse and Re Verse are tasked by Otoma=Raga to gather souls for her to consume. This means that, had it not been for the destruction of the former in XIV, all of the characters that were brought Back from the Dead would likely stayed dead. Including Ash and Gaidel, the former of whom had just reunited with his adoptive sister in XV while the latter is implied to be alive if the Ikari Warriors' ending in the latter game is any indication.
- On the topic of Otoma, how many worlds could she have consumed and recreated in her own image? Suppose she can travel across dimensions at will. What's to stop her (besides Shun'ei and Isla) from paying a visit to the mainline Fatal Fury or Samurai Shodown continuities and wreaking havoc there? For the latter, even Ambrosia and Yuga would be like ants to her.
- For that matter, if SNK characters can appear as guests in other games, and vice versa, what's stopping Otoma from consuming the worlds of those games? It's not impossible to assume that anyone of those worlds could be subject to a very nasty, unexpected Downer Ending courtesy of the Goddess of Truth.
- It's even lampshaded in Team Awakened Orochi's ending where their own patron god is but an infant to Otoma=Raga.
- As Team Samurai's backstory reveals, interdimensional travel is actually rather extremely dangerous without Nakoruru's sacred power, and even then she must periodically return to the past in order to replenish it. If Mui Mui and Love Heart hadn't been sent away back to their home dimensions, things certainly wouldn't look rosy for either of them.
Fridge Logic
- While Omega Rugal in his '98 outfit makes some sense, as it's also his outfit back in '94, it doesn't explain why his Boss Challenge version uses his Omega armor. The only other time this outfit was used was in 2002, a Dream Match Game, which was only for his intro before it fell off.
