Rugal/Orochi Saga
The King of Fighters '94 | The King of Fighters '95 | The King of Fighters '96 | The King of Fighters '97 | The King of Fighters '98
NESTS Chronicles
The King of Fighters '99 | The King of Fighters 2000 | The King of Fighters 2001 | The King of Fighters 2002
Tales of Ash Saga
The King of Fighters 2003 | The King of Fighters XI | The King of Fighters XII | The King of Fighters XIII
Shun'ei Saga
The King of Fighters XIV | The King of Fighters XV
- Awesome Music: Has its own page.
- Captain Obvious Reveal: Ash turning out to have been Good All Along was this for many, due to the fact that, despite his actions, he had been marketed as the hero of the saga for four games straight by this point.
- Contested Sequel: KOF XIII is considered a good game, but opinions are split on how good it is. Most of the discussion centers around that this game's system is similar to KOF 2002 UM released a year earlier and gets compared a lot to it by fans of that game (in addition to earning some resentment for removing XI's Tag Team mechanics).
- On one hand, because this is based on the series' familiar MAX Mode, this is one of the more accessible KOF entries for both returning players and newbies, with great HD graphics (which is far more realized in this game than barebone XII) and system additions like Hyper Drive Mode to differentiate itself from the other games. Many unique features new to the series, such as the ability to create custom colors and the first true story mode, were also well received.
- On the other hand, some fans (particularly those of 2002 UM) do not take a liking to this game as, while not as evidently barebone as XII, KOF XIII is still missing a lot from its predecessors. Normal Attacks' "close/far" variation is almost gone (so they come out the same no matter how far your opponent is), a lot of fan-favorites are not in this game (with every XI newcomer removed except Elisabeth), some characters still don't have their Special and/or Super Moves (like Maxima not knowing Bunker Buster and Maxima Revenger), and the Battle Intro animation is reduced to text dialogue. Detractors argue these changes hurt the game and its meta too much to consider XIII a worthy sequel.
- Hilarious in Hindsight: This game having a feature called Drive Cancels would be somewhat amusing since Capcom would have a similar concept come Street Fighter 6.
- Low-Tier Letdown:
- Elisabeth. In the original arcade version, she was considered to be the best battery in the game thanks to her being able to build meter with Etincelles and do solid damage for one bar. In the console version, they nerfed her meter building potential and her damage output. Additionally, she couldn't take advantage of the HD combo system like other characters, leaving her nearly absent from tournament play.
- Mai. Her zoning game leaves a lot to be desired, and many characters can freely rush her down or zone her out without much retaliation from Mai. She also had a difficult time using meter effectively, limiting her potential as an anchor. Mai had her fans in XIII, but she was almost always fighting an uphill battle.
- Surprisingly Improved Sequel: For the general SNK fanbase, the release of XII seemed like a death blow to the developer's career, widely criticized for its tiny roster, bizarre gameplay choices, and lack of features. Many fans were surprised to find out XIII has improved upon these issues to wide acclaim, now featuring complete teams just like the rest of the series and having gameplay more akin to 2002. KOF XIII is still subject to some criticism (see Contested Sequel), but it still restored the faith that SNK has it.
- Unexpected Character: While characters from the Fatal Fury series are not at all uncommon in KOF, not many were expecting an appearance from Hwa Jai, who made his one and only appearance as an unplayable boss character in the very first game.
- Visual Effects of Awesome: One of the game's defining features is its flashy visuals; while the character sprites first appeared in XII many of them have new animations, with lots of vibrant particle effects to sell the impact of the moves.
- Win Back the Crowd: XII was mostly a tech demo created both to show off the new visuals and to make back the budget spent creating them. XIII on the other hand is a much more polished game, with a roster and mechanics much more in line with what fans expect from the series.
