History YMMV / KillerInstinct2013

* HilariousInHindsight: Mick Gordon recorded the game's score for the first two seasons before joining to work on the soundtrack of ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' and ''VideoGame/DoomEternal''. Kan-Ra and Gargos are voiced by Creator/EdwardBosco, who would later voice the Marauder in ''Eternal''.

* SacredCow: Among the online-focused part of the UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity, at least two games get constantly praised because of having a rollback networking code (such as GGPO). They are this game and ''VideoGame/{{Skullgirls}}''. You can barely find any major criticism of these games online. Their well-received netcode served them so well that it allowed them to be included in the main lineup of the reworked online edition of EVO 2020, following the cancellation of the tournament in-person due to the [[UsefulNotes/CoronavirusDisease2019Pandemic COVID-19 pandemic]]...at least, until the online edition of EVO 2020 was cancelled as well due to the revelations regarding EVO founder Joey Cuellar engaging in acts of [[PaedoHunt pedophilia]].

* EvilIsSexy: Shadow Jago somehow manages to appear even more ripped than regular Jago.
** On the same note, Sadira has quite her share of fans.
** Cinder's voice does this for some fans. Again, YMMV.
** After her reveal, Mira has gained quite a following. VampiresAreSexGods, indeed.

** Billed as one against ''VideoGame/GuiltyGearXrd'', by virtue of being on rival platforms (''Xrd'' and the [=PS3=]/4 vs. ''KI2013'' and the XBO) and being the resurrection of two old 2D fighting game franchises. There's also a bit of an America vs. Japan thing going on.

* DuelingGames: Billed as one against ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear Xrd'', by virtue of being on rival platforms (''Xrd'' and the [=PS3=]/4 vs. ''KI'' and the XBO) and being the resurrection of two old 2D fighting game franchises. There's also a bit of an America vs. Japan thing going on.

* CompleteMonster: [[GalacticConquerer Gargos]] is a cruel warlord who regularly destroys planets for power, having previously conquered his home world, The Astral Realm, by slaughtering his own people. Sealed in The Astral Realm after attempting to destroy Earth, something he attempted many times before, he impersonated a deity worshiped by a group of monks so he can [[ManipulativeBastard manipulate them]] into unleashing him, corrupting the well-meaning Jago into [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Shadow Jago]] in the process. Eventually released by [[EvilSorcerer Kan-Ra]] in a bid for power, Gargos uses this to have his forces invade Earth, ultimately planning on consuming Earth to satisfy his lust for power.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Gargos]] is the worst of all the villains, as he [[EnemyMine forced previous villains to work together with the heroes]] to stop this herald of doom. A being who conquers and destroy worlds, generations ago Gargos wiped out a benevolent race called the Astral Beings to conquer the Astral World. Before he could enter the world of the humans, he was forcefully [[SealedEvilInACan sealed away]] and trapped in his own dimension. However, being able to establish himself as a god to a group of monks, he created a group of worshipers to a being called the Tiger Spirit, who in actuality was him. Wanting to possess one of the monks to be his vessel, he chose Jago and forcefully mind-controlled him to become the dark warrior Shadow Jago, who then tries to free Gargos along with Gargos's personal servant Omen. When Kan-Ra summoned Gargos out of temptation for power, this gave the opportunity for Gargos to free himself. Now planning to take over the world for his own, Gargos begins his invasion of Earth, hunting any remaining threats such as the amnesiac barbarian Tusk or one of the last remaining Astral Being, the Dragon Spirit. Even his gameplay shows his complete desire for dominance by having a mechanic where punishing his minions that summon him can end up benefiting Gargos. The [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Shadow Lord]] is a fitting title for Gargos, the darkest villain in the series.

* RetroactiveRecognition: For the OST, singer Ali Edwards contributed vocals to a few songs years before getting wider attention from her performance on [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry5 Devil Trigger]].

** A few [[FinishingMove Ultimates]] are... not really the ultimate finisher. Awkward facial animations and oddly quiet deaths are the main culprits here. Riptor's is notorious in this regard, where she knocks the opponent into the air for an aerial bite... [[EpicFail only to miss and fall to the ground]], forcing her to burn them to death as an improvisation. On the other hand...
* NarmCharm: Riptor's Ultimate has appealed to some fans for being cute and enjoyable in its silliness, which was clearly the intention (come on, this is the same character who had a BalloonBelly Ultimate in the first game).

* TierInducedScrappy:
** Spinal and Hisako both get the majority of their hate for being insanely powerful and easy to use respectively.
** Kan-Ra gets hit with this often, due to the fact that once one knows how to play him well, he can cover so much of the screen and shut down several options of every character in the roster. It's not helped by his surprisingly high damage for a zoning character and being able to start up a combo from almost every area of the screen.
** Despite being [[EnsembleDarkhorse a big fan favorite and fun to watch]], Aganos is generally considered to be one of the worst characters in the game due to its odd, hard-to-master playstyle and lackluster match-ups against a majority of the cast.
** Rash became a high-tier scrappy over the course of Season 3, with his mobility and offensive options making him very difficult to pin down.

* TearJerker: The news that Mick Gordon wouldn't be returning to compose the music for Season 3 had fans unanimously heartbroken.
** On the Season 2 soundtrack, there's a secret track at the end of "Herald of Gargos" that features Mick playing a very slow, acoustic version of the main theme on guitar. After finding out days after the album was released that he'd be leaving, the track feels much more somber, seemingly acting as one last quiet send-off after two years of continuous hard work on the series.